Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
He didn’t respond, just watching me as I cleaned up a little behind the bar. I liked that grown-up Shawn apparently had gotten a lot more confident over the years.
“Fuck, man,” he finally muttered, swirling the leftover whiskey in his glass.
“What?”
He sighed, leaning back in his chair. Good lord, even now, when he was all sloppy and drunk and the swoop of his hair had gotten disheveled, it was insane how strikingly attractive Shawn had become.
“Nothing,” he said, still watching me. “It’s just that this was my favorite place to hang out. Now where am I supposed to go?”
“Gee. Tell me how you really feel about me being back.”
His face fell. “That came out sounding bad, didn’t it?” he said, apologetic. “I don’t mean it like that. It’s more about me.”
“What do you mean?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “This is embarrassing, but… you always hated me back in the day. Even if we’re playing Skee-Ball and drinking whiskey now, I can’t forget about that.”
I furrowed my brow. I had no fucking clue what he was talking about. “I sure didn’t hate you, but okay, Mr. Perfect.”
“Christ, don’t call me that,” he said, wincing. “That’s even worse than Little Wood.”
“Got your perfect clothes and hair and eyes and god damn you look even better than I remember, so I think the nickname suits you just fine.”
He bit the inside of his cheek. “Buttering me up.”
“Maybe I am.”
He rolled his eyes, but I could tell he was amused. “You’re so full of shit. You used to give me one-armed hugs, back in the day. There’s nothing worse than a one-armer.”
“That’s because you were all shy, and you’d tense up like a damn spring every time I tried to hug you,” I protested.
Shawn paused for a moment, a pained look coming over his eyes. “God, you’re probably right,” he said. He sucked on his lower lip for a moment, looking down at the bar top and drawing a little circle with a droplet of condensation. “Honestly, It’s sad to think about. I was fucking repressed and scared.”
I felt a pang in my heart.
It was true that I had no clue that Shawn had been gay back then. He had never told anyone. And Nathan had vaguely mentioned to me that Shawn had struggled a lot with relationships after coming out so late in life.
“Well,” I said softly. “You can give me a hug anytime you want, Perfect. I promise I’ll make it worth your while now.”
He glanced back up at me, those brown eyes too pretty for their own good. “You mean that? Because I’m going to level with you, I’m drunk as hell, and when I’m drunk I always just feel like I need a damn hug, because I’m lonely, no matter how embarrassing that is—”
“Get over here,” I said, crossing over to the little gate at the end of the bar and pushing through it.
Sure, I was pushing my luck. But I was only human. And when somebody that pretty was looking at me practically begging for a hug, I wasn’t going to be able to resist. It was just a hug, and I liked having the excuse to hold him.
I got in close and reached a hand out, skating my fingertips along his hip. “Give me a hug.”
We leaned in and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him tight. Christ, he was warm. The bulk of his body felt good pressed up on mine. He smelled faintly of cedar and fresh laundry. And of course my cock started to harden again as I pulled him closer. It would feel way too fucking good to pull this man into my bed. If he wasn’t Nathan’s brother…
Bad. I definitely wasn’t supposed to be enjoying this so much.
He let out a soft hum that only made my cock respond more. “Okay, I take it back. You’re a good hugger,” he murmured, tightening against me a little more. I let my leg slide in between his and felt his bulge against my thigh, and it practically made me drool.
He was hard too.
And I really, really liked knowing that.
“Damn right,” I said close to his ear. I let my hand roam up to the back of his head and brushed his hair with my fingers. Soft as hell. Very tuggable.
For fuck’s sake. I hooked up with guys anytime I wanted back in San Francisco, but something about this hug was starting to become hotter than entire hookups I’d had in the past. Maybe I was starting to be the desperate one here in this small town.
“That feels nice,” Shawn said, giving me a bashful look as we leaned back a little, looking at each other. “Sorry, it’s just been a long time.”
“You deserve all that and more,” I said, letting my gaze dance from his eyes down to his lips.