Chapter 2

 

Levi made it all the way to his bedroom in the apartment he and Mack shared before he realised there was someone following him. When he turned, he found Mack slamming the door shut behind him. He looked mad, but also a little disappointed. He couldn't figure out why; Levi was the one who was constantly getting hurt by this stupid crush.

Mack grabbed his t-shirt again, hauling him into a kiss that was so intoxicating, so all-consuming that he had no chance in hell of resisting.

Levi responded automatically and reached for his best friend.

Before he could make contact, Mack pulled away and stared at him, breathing heavily. “You're mine. I'm sick of waiting for you to say it. You're my boyfriend and that's the end of it,” he insisted.

Levi didn't feel like arguing. Boyfriends meant that he wouldn't have to find Mack making out with anyone else; he wouldn't flirt with them or look at them. Because if he did, Tam would break his legs and that would upset Casen, so there was no way for Mack to cheat on him without suffering twice.

He nodded, feeling pretty confused about the whole thing.

Until Mack kissed him again and suddenly the whole world felt right.

He kissed back, letting his hands wander and explore the parts of Mack that he'd been too scared to touch until now. He wound his fingers into his hair and slipped his free hand up the front of his t-shirt to feel his well-toned body. He'd never known a six pack could turn him on before.

Mack put his hands on Levi's hips and gently pushed, until the back of his calves hit the bed and he fell onto the mattress. That seemed to work just fine for his new boyfriend, because Mack climbed over him, never breaking the kiss.

Levi fumbled with the fastening of Mack's jeans, until he finally got them open and tugged them over his hips.

“I'll be right back. Get naked,” Mack told him, as he broke away and stood up to kick off his jeans.

Levi was so disappointed that he raised himself on his elbows, watching him back away. He'd never seen another guy's cock in the way that he saw Mack's; it was long and curved up towards the left, in his boxers. There was a wet spot at his head, but other than being thick and long, he didn't get the chance to see much before Mack ducked into the en-suite bathroom. Levi lay back on the bed, where Mack had put him, breathing hard and struggling to think about what would be so important that he had to back away.

“Dude, don't you have any condoms?” he called through, a minute later.

Levi almost laughed, except that he didn't have the breath for it. “No need,” he called back.

There was a moment of silence, then Mack appeared with an unhappy frown. “No need?” he asked incredulously.

“As soon as I felt this for you, I didn't see why I should buy any more,” he explained, hoping that would be enough to let Mack know that he hadn't been with anyone since this started. It had never felt right.

Mack's frown deepened and he leaned his hip on the door frame, folding his arms over his chest. He stared for a long time, until Levi gave in.

“What?”

“Me, you silly fuck,” Mack complained, pointing to himself with both hands. He threw his hands up in the air and stepped towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Levi asked, in a panic. He didn't want him to leave. He was getting the promise of some kind of sexual contact with a condom, and he wanted it. He didn't care what it was. This was Mack; if he blew on him, he could come.

“To get condoms. I've got some in my room,” he said, heading for the door.

“You do?” He couldn't explain why, but that disappointed him. He thought he'd read the situation wrong, that Mack had kissed him because he wanted a relationship. He'd just started wondering if Mack had kept his distance because he didn't want to push Levi into something that wasn't yet defined. But hearing that he had a stash of condoms seemed to eradicate that possibility.

“You're an idiot,” Mack claimed with a sigh, leaving the room.

Levi lay back on the bed, wondering if that meant he wouldn't be coming back. He'd wait no more than ten minutes, then get up to change for bed. He'd have an early night and try to get Mack out of his head. At least that would be a sensible decision, unlike forgiving someone who had just snogged some stranger off the street to make a point that he still didn't understand.

It took three minutes for the door to open.

Mack walked in rather brazenly. “Condoms,” he announced proudly, tapping him on the nose with the folded up strip, as he climbed onto the bed. “Stupid, Levi. Have I completely fried your brains?” he asked, with a smile and a soft voice.

Levi was so dumbfounded and unsure of how to react to him, in this playful mood, that he didn't speak. He wasn't sure he was following the conversation at all.

Then Mack leaned in and almost kissed him, hovering just an inch away. “Are you mad at me, Levi? Because I saw this coming? Because I knew that we'd end up here?” he asked softly. Mack nudged his nose with his own and kissed his top lip, then he tilted his head and kissed the crevice where his lips met.

“You knew?”

“Of course I knew,” he soothed, quietly and calmly.

A hand appeared on his chest, pushing up his shirt. Mack ducked back out of view and kissed the bare skin that was exposed, continuing to push his shirt up his chest, even though he could have easily undone the buttons. Levi sighed as a mouth closed over his left nipple and gently teased. He was mad as hell at Mack for being so confusing, but couldn't think up an adequate argument to make right now.

Instead, he brought his hand to the back of Mack's head and held him there, while he enjoyed the contact. “I never knew how hot it was to be with a guy, until you kissed me. I'm beginning to wonder if I should have experimented with Tam before,” he admitted, laughing to himself almost absently.

Mack pulled away and sat back on his heels, raising an eyebrow at him. “I swear to God, if you mention any other person tonight, I'll never kiss you again.”

“Sorry?” Levi couldn't help but laugh, not sure what was wrong.

“You know what, shove the condoms. We won't be needing them,” he said, throwing them over his shoulder onto the floor, before moving to lie down next to him.

He was disappointed to hear that, but couldn't understand where these mood swings were coming from. Mack had never been like this before and it made no sense. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Wrong with me?” Mack asked, letting out a frustrated laugh. “That's rich. You've insulted me a dozen times tonight, just since we got to the club, and you wonder what's wrong with me. If this is the type of boyfriend you're going to be, then forget it,” he said, shaking his head and folding his arms over his chest.

He looked furious and sad as well, but Levi didn't understand. “How have I insulted you? You've been the one going off, flirting with anything in a skirt. Making out with that guy right in front of me,” he argued, determined to get this out in the open.

Mack snorted. “I kissed him, Levi. In fact, other than him sticking his tongue in my mouth, the most I did was touch his lips. And I was being nice to those girls. I wasn't flirting, but I guess you wouldn't know the difference with that little skank's hands all over you,” he complained, as if he was the one who had cause to be jealous.

Levi was getting all turned around and couldn't make sense of anything. If he was hearing things right, then Mack was jealous. And he hadn't been flirting with those girls. And he hadn't technically kissed that guy. But why? Why go to those lengths? “Why didn't you kiss him?” he asked, wondering if there was something in his answer that would start putting the pieces together.

Mack groaned in frustration and slammed his fists on the bed. Then he got up and pulled on his jeans again. “You know, I thought that eventually you would step out of whatever daydream you were in and come to me,” he explained, aggravated and trying to fasten his jeans; he wasn't doing a very good job. “I thought maybe, since you hadn't made a move, that kissing you when that bitch was all over you would snap you out of it and you would see sense. That you'd see it's been driving me nuts to stay away from you,” he said, making his heart pound faster.

Levi could barely believe what he was hearing, but he didn't want to interrupt. He needed to hear it, because he had a feeling Mack felt what he felt.

“But no. You have to get bitchy with me and call me your fucking wing man,” he complained, groaning when his third attempt to loop his button into the hole failed. “I could have ripped your fucking head off, Levi. But I didn't. Because I've come to realise that I like you. Hell, I could fucking love you, but I don't know because all I get are these ridiculous mixed signals.”

Levi had to argue. He was the one getting mixed signals.

“So I waited and waited, hoping that you would see what I see. Still no. Still you have to act like this is some game, where you can test drive dating me whenever you feel like it, without it affecting me.” He stopped and threw his hands up, finally looking up at him. That was when Levi noticed Mack's hands were shaking and he looked close to crying. “Does it look like it's not affecting me? I can't even do up my own fucking jeans!”

Levi wanted to cry, sitting there watching him; Mack was as close to falling apart as he was and he hadn't even noticed.

“You might find this hard to believe, but I didn't kiss that weirdo, because he's not you. Because I haven't wanted to kiss anyone but you in years!” he said, turning away from him. “And call me crazy, but I thought you felt the same,” he continued, much quieter than before. Then, as if he brushed it all off, he turned his attention back to the button on his jeans. Two more attempts to make it fasten failed, and he dropped both pieces of fabric with a sigh. “Fuck it,” he decided, raking his hand through his hair. “Goodnight, Levi. Have a fan-fucking-tastic life without me,” he said, on his way to the door.