Chapter 9
Isaac
“Someone did not pay you for that. A fern? I refuse to believe it.”
“Two hundred bucks,” Trevor says. “I charged extra because I had to buy the plant.”
“Oh my God. Why, though?”
He shrugs, amusement tipping the corner of his mouth up. “Maybe they have a thing for botany.”
I groan before affecting an overly throaty voice. “Thrust thy fronds all over me. I shan’t ever get enough of your greenery.”
Trevor’s laugh booms around our little corner of the library. “They do say fiddleheads have a nutty flavor.”
“Stop,” I wheeze, grabbing Trevor’s side so I don’t fall into the man. “You can’t say all those words together and expect me to take you seriously.”
“Shh.”
I jolt as Bev shoots Trevor and me a scathing look, her warning to be quieter clear. The moment she’s out of sight, Trevor erupts back into laughter.
“Can’t believe you nutted on a fern,” I manage through my chuckles, wiping an escaped tear off my cheek. Trevor’s thumb is there the next second, taking a similar path.
My breath catches as his touch lingers, the man’s gaze intense in a way it’s been from the beginning. Calm but powerful, like a swell in the middle of the ocean. You don’t even realize how big the wave is until it crashes down on shore.
And now that I’ve given Trevor a clear, green light when it comes to me?
Fuck.
I’m pretty sure the current is going to pull me under and swallow me whole.
Trevor drops his hand before long, cognizant of where we are. I’m tempted to say fuck it and beg him to swallow me right here, right now.
But I’m fairly sure if Bev caught Trevor down on his knees under this table, we’d be evicted for good.
Clearing my throat, I remove my own hand from Trevor’s side. Today’s turtleneck is forest green, a soft knit that makes me want to burrow beneath the fabric. Knowing what’s waiting underneath?
It’s a miracle I haven’t followed the impulse yet.
Is his stomach covered in tattoos, same as his chest? I couldn’t tell from the videos, only having a vantage point of his dick and part of his legs. His thighs were inked, though. Those thick-as-fuck thighs that could likely snap me in half.
Should I get a thrill out of that? Knowing how much stronger this man is than me? He could overpower me in an instant if he wanted.
And, yet… Somehow I know Trevor never would. Not unless I asked him to.
My eyes focus to find Trevor staring at me with a raised brow. “Should I ask what’s going through your head right now?”
“Not sure it’s library appropriate,” I murmur, feeling myself flush. I’m sure Trevor can see it, fair as my damn skin is. “You’re bad for my attention span.”
He huffs a quiet laugh. “I could say the same.”
At this point, it’d probably be more productive for both of us if we sat apart or came to study at different times. But, frankly, that doesn’t sound appealing in the least.
Christ. What happened to avoiding complications?
I shake my thoughts loose, trying to do the same with Trevor’s regard. I’ll give the man credit. He refocuses on his laptop, quiet beside me as he adds to whatever project he’s currently wrapped up in.
Come on, I tell myself. You’re here to work.
But I want to play.
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
Smacking my conscience, I erect a mental barrier around myself in an attempt to become one with my books. I’m in my happy place. A sprawling library. Motes of dust dancing through the air. Comfy pillows beside me.
A hand, carding through my hair. Lips at my ear and a husky voice demanding for me to come already.
“Oh, come on!” I hiss. “There’s no sex in the happy place.”
Trevor coughs, and I wince, realizing I said that aloud.
“I’d…have to disagree,” he replies, a touch of humor lacing his tone.
“No, it’s… You know what? It’s nothing.”
Trevor watches me silently for another two seconds, and I crack.
“Just a library. In my head,” I try to explain.
“As opposed to the library we’re in?”
“Yeah, it’s like… My dream? I’d like a library of my own one day.”
Trevor hums. “So you were thinking about having sex in that library.”
I shoot him a glare. “Don’t you dare smile. I never said it was you.”
“It was me.”
“It wasn’t even good,” I lie.
Trevor turns to me slowly, and my pulse jumps. His voice, although low, cuts right to the heart of me. “You know it’ll be good, Red. That’s why you’re dreaming about it.”
My growl comes out more breathy than I’d like. “God, you’re so smug underneath those turtlenecks.”
He chuckles. “You seem quite preoccupied with my clothing choices.”
I don’t dare say it’s because I’m desperate to see him out of them. “Yeah, well. You know you look good in whatever you wear.”
Trevor glances at me curiously. “Most people find me intimidating, Red.”
“What? Why?”
Trevor’s laugh this time is louder, a bright smile on his face. He shakes his head a little. “I much prefer the way you see me.”
It hurts my heart to think that people find Trevor intimidating. If they spent even two minutes in his presence, they’d realize how much of a teddy bear he is. A rather stacked teddy bear, sure. But Trevor isn’t the kind of person who’d use his size against others, let alone his claws.
“Well, I think you’re kind,” I tell him honestly. “And the way you fill out a sweater makes me jealous of the sweater.”
“Because you’d rather me be filling you instead?”
I groan helplessly. “You’re not supposed to say it aloud, for Christ’s sake. We’re in a goddamn library.”
Trevor’s shoulders shake. “You’re a bit of a minx, aren’t you?”
“And you’re a blatant flirt. So…what does that make us?”
“A match, probably.”
Probably. Although I’m scared to voice it aloud.
“Would you have dinner with me tomorrow?” Trevor asks.
It takes me a second to catch up. “Oh, uh…”
“My place,” he says, answering the unspoken question. “But not like that.” He smirks a little. “My uncle will be there.”
Again, it takes my brain a second. “You live with your uncle?”
“I do. How would you feel about a home-cooked meal?”
Honestly? “That sounds fucking awesome,” I breathe.
Trevor looks pleased. “Should I pick you up?”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all.” His phone chimes, and he presses a button to shut off the alarm. “Text me your address?”
I nod, and Trevor does something he’s never had the chance to do before. He leans in and gives me the tiniest, chastest kiss goodbye. Right in our corner of the library.
Then he’s packing up his things and heading off, and I’m stuck staring after him like some lovestruck idiot. Or lust-struck. Definitely not love. Yet.
That yet has me jumping up from my own seat, my heart racing. It’s far, far too soon to be thinking like that.
I’m in line at the library café for a much-needed second latte—sue me—when my phone rings. I keep my displeasure locked up tight when I see my dad’s name. Resigned, I step out of line and make my way toward the doors to take the call. He’s been trying to get a hold of me for a couple days now.
I wait until I’m beside the building to bring the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“I was wondering if I’d have to drive down there just to talk to you,” my dad says in greeting.
“I’ve been busy.”
“Too busy for a quick phone call with your father?”
I sigh. “What is it this time?”
“Isaac, really. Do you have to take that tone with me?”
Patience, I beg. Deities grant me patience.
“You call when you have a work event you want me to show up at,” I say calmly. “So I’m just asking what it is now.”
It’s my dad’s turn to sigh. “I enjoy spending time with my son. Is that a crime?”
“There’s nothing for me to do at those things,” I argue. “The dinners. The fundraisers. The corporate schmooze-fests? Sometimes, I barely even see you.”
“Isaac. It’s a good way for you to learn.”
Oh, fucking hell.
I try to keep my tone level. “I’m not joining the business, Dad.”
“You have the intellect for it,” he says, managing to make that sound like both a compliment and a criticism. “Yet you waste your time on stories. Tell me, how will fiction pay for your future?”
“I don’t care about the money,” I grit out.
“Which is why you accept the checks I send you each month.”
I tug the phone down to my chest until the urge to scream has passed. Bringing it back to my ear, I speak hotly despite my best efforts. “Look, I know I’m privileged. But do you have to use that as a bargaining chip against me and my happiness? I never asked you to pay for my schooling.”
“Yet I have. Because I hoped you’d grow out of this phase.”
“This phase…” I repeat slowly.
Does he mean pursuing my PhD in English? Or being gay?
Likely both.
“I have to go,” I tell him, my tone short.
“Isaac. It’s a product launch with new investors. It’s important.”
“When?”
“Next month.”
I blow out a breath. At least that gives me time to collect my lost fucks. “Fine.”
“You’ll be there?” he checks. “You won’t blow it off like last time?”
“I’ll be there. But this is the last one I’m doing for a long while. And I’m not joining the business.”
My dad doesn’t deign to acknowledge that statement. “I’ll send you the info.”
The call disconnects, and I let the phone in my hand drop to my side. “I’m fine, thanks for asking. How are you? Great. Oh, I got a new boyfriend. You’ll hate him just as much as the last one. Good fucking chat.”
The girl passing on the sidewalk gives me a wide berth, doing her best to pretend she didn’t just catch me talking to air.
Closing my eyes, I try to expel every ounce of negativity from my body in a single breath. What would Todd do?
“A cookie,” I decide. Definitely a cookie to go along with that second latte.
“No,” I say vehemently. “Not that one. Hard pass.”
“What’s wrong with it?” Lumi asks.
“Uhhh. It’s see-through?”
“And?” Lumi says exasperatedly, flourishing the shirt my way as if I might change my mind.
“This is a dinner with his uncle. I’m not going to show up looking like I’m ready to test my gag reflex on his nephew’s giant fucking cock.”
“Yeah, what’s up with that?” Lumi asks. Todd is rifling through my selection of pants. “Don’t you think it’s a little odd that your first date is with Library Guy’s family?”
“It’s our second date,” I defend, feeling the need to do so. “And I think it’s sweet. He lives with his uncle, so…”
I shrug, not really knowing what else to say about it.
Is it a little unconventional so early on in the dating period? Sure. But I’d rather eat a home-cooked meal at Trevor’s place, uncle present or not, than go to the movies or any other number of impersonal date locales.
This feels like…more.
Like something from the heart.
Not that I admit that to either of my friends.
“Have I ever seen you wear these?” Todd asks, picking up a pair of orange corduroy pants.
“Uh, no,” I say flatly. “Because they’re corduroy. And orange.”
I wave toward my hair for emphasis. I’m ginger enough without matching pants.
“Try them,” he says, holding the pair my way.
“This, too,” Lumi adds, draping the sheer shirt over my shoulder.
“You guys are trying to make me look like a slutty fucking pumpkin! Stop it.”
The pair exchange a glance.
“No,” I say firmly. “That’s not a thing I will ever be. My God, why did I invite you over?”
“I live here,” Todd points out.
“I don’t need an invite,” Lumi says, examining her pointed, polished nails.
“I hate you both.”
“You don’t. Unfortunately,” Todd says.
I sigh loud enough to send my hair puffing away from my forehead. “Unfortunately.”
Lumi heads back into the tiny closet as Todd puts the orange monstrosity called pants away.
“Oh my God,” I hear a moment later. My heart plummets as Lumi turns around with a shoebox in her hands, the lid popped open.
“Lumi,” I warn.
“What is this?” she asks, starting to pull the brand-new, still-packaged set of toys free.
“Put it away.”
Todd squints. “What am I looking at?”
I make a lunge for Lumi as there’s a knock at the door. She twists out of my grasp, trying to tear into the packaging. Todd gets up to answer the door.
“Don’t open that!” I tell him, trying to get a hold of Lumi’s arms. The woman is like a damn cat, evading me effortlessly.
My toe hits a snag in the carpet, I go down, Lumi succeeds in ripping open the plastic, and I end up with half a dozen butt plugs of increasing size pelting my face and torso.
That’s when the door opens.
“Uh, guys?” Camden says, his eyes moving between the three of us slowly. “There’s this big dude at the front door.”
“Thanks,” I say weakly, brushing a butt plug off my chest.
He backs away and disappears down the hall. Lumi’s hand is covering her mouth, not an ounce of regret in her pretty eyes.
Todd picks up a plug that landed near my head. “Do I even want to know?”
“No, precious baby,” Lumi says, gingerly taking the toy from his grasp. “Let’s give Isaac some privacy to get dressed. Maybe do a little stretching before his…big date?”
“Lumi,” I groan.
The last I hear before the door closes is her laughter.
I sigh. At least I have supportive friends.