21. Chapter 21
Chapter twenty-one
Ozzy
Ozzy knocked, then knocked again. His stomach tossed and turned the longer he stood there, threatening to upend out his throat and onto the floor of the hotel hallway. Or more likely, into the toilet back in his hotel room when he lost his nerve and ran.
He hadn’t been able to get fucking Evander out of his head the whole evening. Figuratively and literally. After sitting there, caught in agony and ecstasy for so long, he’d finally gotten up and gone to the store to pick up some pineapple. His face had burned when he bought it, even though there was no reason for the cashier to put the pieces together. Eating pineapple didn’t actually do anything, and plenty of people who didn’t have their hopes set on a blow job bought containers of pre-cut pineapple. It was just that Ozzy knew he was buying it as some roundabout way of flirting.
Plus, maybe the fact that he’d caved to his own stupid cock and decided to go through with this stupid plan. Yes, Ev had brought it up in the first place. But Ozzy was supposed to be more level-headed than this.
He knocked for a third time, already leaning back to get away and lick his wounds.
The door opened a crack, just enough to see a sliver of Evander peeking through. Shirtless, hair wet, face flushed and eye bright. “Ozzy. Hi. I didn’t…can I help you?”
That hit like a lead weight. “Did you just call me Ozzy?”
Evander shut the door instead of answering. A tiny spark of anger flared in Ozzy’s stomach, but it died when the door reopened. All the way that time. Evander was standing there, one hand up on the door jamb, resting right by the little thingy that you flipped to keep the door closed. Definitely shirtless. Definitely wet, like he’d just taken a shower.
And if the bulge in the front of his boxer-briefs was what Ozzy assumed it was, then they were apparently on the same wavelength.
Evander sighed. “I was a little busy.”
Last chance to bail . Ozzy cleared his throat. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Ev’s shoulders slumped a little. “Between the hangover and….this.” He gestured down to his crotch. “My bitch powers aren’t at their full strength right now.”
“So you admit you call me Oswald to be a bitch.” Ozzy took a step forward, stopping just before crossing the threshold into the hotel room.
Evander swallowed, and it was hard enough and Ozzy was close enough, he heard it. He also heard the quiver in Ev’s voice. “Of course I do. I thought you were smart. That’s why I dated you, however briefly.”
“Briefly?” The hormones raged. Every breath Ozzy took was filled with the smell of Evander, and his body heat radiated against Ozzy. “I wouldn’t call it brief.”
“Well it couldn’t have been that long, if you have to wonder whether I’m purposefully being a bitch. Oswald.”
Ozzy shook his head. He had nothing else to say, so he pulled the container of pineapple from behind his back and displayed it, raising one eyebrow.
Ev’s tongue darted out over his lips for a moment. He swallowed again and shifted his weight so he leaned more against the door jamb. “Pineapple?”
Ozzy nodded. “You mentioned it.”
“Is that a thing we’re doing now?”
Ozzy couldn’t help but laugh, restraining himself just enough that he wasn’t blasting his breath straight in Evander’s face. “That’s the million fucking dollar question, isn’t it.”
Ev chuckled, then took a step back. “Well come in and maybe we can figure out an answer.”
He turned and walked in and Ozzy followed, letting the door click softly closed behind him. “You sure you’re not too busy for this chat?”
“This chat is why I was busy.”
“All that for me?”
Ozzy was joking, trying to keep things light so he didn’t let his snark and attitude ruin the whole thing. He didn’t expect Evander’s face to further darken as the blush intensified.
Ozzy plopped down into the office chair, in part to get himself off his feet and in part to give him a place to cross his legs. He was in jeans, so it wouldn’t be nearly as obvious if he was sporting a hard-on as it was for Evander in just his underwear, but he didn’t need to take any chances. Not until they’d worked things out and made a decision.
It was surreal, just sitting there in some hotel room in some town neither of them had ever heard of a couple weeks prior, with a container of pineapple sitting between them, waiting to figure out if they were stable enough with each other to get naked and roll around.
Evander cleared his throat. “I thought this was a terrible idea.”
“It is. But no one ever claimed I always made good decisions.” He scrubbed a hand up and down his face, more to buy himself some time than to relieve any stress or anything. “Ever since you brought up a blow job, it’s been stuck in my craw. Then you stumble around yesterday, wet and shirtless. “
“You’re really so hard up that just seeing my nipples makes you change your mind?”
Ozzy rolled his eyes. “Keep running your mouth, I’m sure I’ll come back to my senses.” He exhaled sharply. “We’re working together without murdering each other, right?”
“So far. Although I did get close back in Springfield. Jake beat me to it.”
Ozzy caught himself shifting his jaw side-to-side. “Don’t remind me.” Not that Ozzy couldn’t take a hit, but Jake had seriously laid him out. Deservedly so, but still .
Evander leaned back, arms to the side, exposing every inch of his bare abdomen and stretching his chest and shoulders taut. Also basically putting his bulge on display, as though Ozzy needed a reminder. “Point is, no murder yet. But you know I was only partly serious about giving you head, right?”
Ozzy shrugged. “Say no if you want. I’m a dick, but it’s not like I’m going to force you into anything.”
Evander cringed and leaned back forward. “I wasn’t implying anything like that.”
“I know. Just…say no if you were joking.” Ozzy’s chest tightened, but he forced his voice to stay even and mellow. “If not, I think we’re in an okay enough place that one BJ isn’t going to throw the entire production into absolute chaos. As long as we don’t let it go past that.”
Ev closed his eyes and sucked in a deep, slow breath that expanded his chest and pushed out on his belly. Then he nodded. “You’ll reciprocate?”
Ozzy snorted. “Did I ever leave you without cumming?”
Evander’s eyes sharpened and it was like the past slamming straight into the present. Ozzy had walked into something old, but before he could cut the conversation off, Evander jumped into it, a smile playing at his lips. “Seattle trip for our one year anniversary.”
“Yes, when I had food poisoning. I remember. I told you not to bother blowing me because I couldn’t risk going down on you and triggering my gag reflex. You didn’t listen.”
“Of course not. If I listened, I wouldn’t have had something to hold over your head forever.”
Ozzy couldn’t help but laugh, warmth blossoming across his chest and, at least for the moment, burning away at the edges of his anxiety. “I’m not sure that holds water. Considering I paid for the hotel room. And the fucking scallops that got me sick. And I did you the kindness of not puking all over your cock.”
Ev nodded. “Plus we’re not a couple anymore.”
Right . Ozzy nodded. “This is just business. And of course I’ll take care of you if you take care of me.”
Evander sighed, then walked over and grabbed the pineapple container. He popped it open and bit into one chunk of bright yellow. He spoke around it as he chewed. “So, I know what I get out of this. But if you’ll forgive me being a little too honest—”
“I don’t want to dive into anything deeper than physical.” Ozzy had already planned for this, knew that Evander would want to unpack reasons for him to ask for head. As though he needed more than just horniness. Nothing I want to touch on . “Suck some dick, slap each other on the ass, then don’t mention it to anyone. I just need something better than low-definition porn and my hand.”
Evander stood quietly a moment. Two moments. Then he grabbed another piece of pineapple and closed the distance with Ozzy, holding the fruit out in front of him.