Page 16 of Cueball & Double-Z (Alpha’s Rejects #5)

I had to admit, I was crushing on the big guy.

I imagined him tossing me over his shoulder and taking me to his bed.

Being owned was the best… Well, it seemed that way in my head, anyway.

I’d never had a boyfriend before. No sex.

No nothing. I hadn’t had a chance to find anyone before the accident.

I’d only just turned seventeen at the time.

Fantasies had flitted around in my head over the years about Gio, but I tried not to get too carried away.

I tried to be careful not to let those crushes and fantasies turn into obsessions.

Not with someone who was my stepbrother.

He’d never shown any interest in me as far as I could tell.

Obsession would just lead to constant frustration and disappointment.

That didn’t stop me from periodically dreaming about Gio loving me.

He was so beautiful. So kind. Such a great caregiver, even if he didn’t believe in himself.

I loved how his brown hair shimmered with copper when the sun kissed it.

Or how his blue eyes turned gray when he was frustrated, but turned bluer when he was happy.

His eyes were like those damn mood rings.

The splash of freckles across his nose made him look younger than he was up close.

But if you stood back and saw his pain and hardness, he looked so much older.

I imagined fooling around with him, touching, kissing.

Then my mind wandered to both Cueball and Gio.

Fuck, they’d be so hot together. Two grumpy guys, growling and sniping at each other while fucking.

Well, Cueball wouldn’t be doing that, but he would definitely try to control Gio’s attitude with a stoic calmness.

And Gio would want to fight him, eventually following Cueball’s lead.

I could see him as a leader, just like I could see Gio giving in reluctantly, then happily.

He’d probably love to relinquish some control .

Or better yet, I imagined myself in bed, lying on my side between Cueball and Gio, while one fucked me from behind and the other fucked me from the front.

Hell, yeah. That was so hot.

Not having had sex before, I wasn’t sure I could handle that, but the thought of them both penetrating me had my cock starting to strain in my jeans and my cheeks warming.

God, the next time I rubbed one out, it would be to that hot-as-fuck vision, being owned by two stunning men.

Was it weird to imagine sex with Gio? Maybe. But it was only in my head, so it didn’t matter, right? Not that I would tell him no if he ever asked. That would be a resounding yes.

Ugh, I needed a boyfriend stat.

First, to get our shit together.

Heavy feet sounded on the steps below, echoing up to the fourth floor. I hoped it was Cueball because I’d been sitting there for a long time. And my brain was turning raunchier and raunchier.

The steps kept getting louder and louder, so I stood, assuming it was him. Sure enough, I saw the top of his shiny, freshly shaved head before he reached the last flight of stairs.

As I stood, he looked up, his pretty amber eyes smiling at me, even if his face didn’t.

“Waiting long?” he asked.

I shrugged.

When he reached me, I saw he was carrying several plastic grocery bags, so I grabbed a few from him, hefting them into the apartment as he unlocked the door. Did the extra groceries mean Gio and I could stay longer?

Once we set the groceries on the kitchen floor, I rushed to put everything away, wanting to be helpful. When I finished, I pointed to the sandwich bag sitting on the counter. ‘Dinner,’ I signed.

“Thanks. You didn’t have to buy dinner, Cole.”

I shrugged and bit my bottom lip, trying not to smile, vibrating with excitement. I was ready to burst to tell him my news .

He opened the bag and sat on one of the kitchen stools as he unwrapped the Italian sub. “This is from Ezra’s right?”

I nodded.

“Good sandwiches. The place is iconic around here.”

He took a bite and glanced at me out of the corner of his eye as I bounced on the balls of my feet.

“You look like you’re ready to explode,” he said with his mouth full.

I jumped and clapped before signing, ‘I got a job.’

“You did? Where? At Ezra’s?”

I nodded again and sat next to him on the extra stool.

“That’s great. He’s a really good guy. Gives back to the community and donates to the local Pride festival. One of his kids is queer, I think. The deli’s been there forever. It used to be his dad’s. Now he’s owned it for a good twenty years.”

‘I get to make sandwiches.’

“Do you, now? Good for you, Cole.”

‘Thank you.’

I leaned forward on the counter, and rested my head on my outstretched arm as I watched Cueball eat. He scrolled through his phone, ignoring me, but he knew I was watching him.

With a heavy sigh, he put down his sandwich, pulled a paper towel from the roll, and wiped his hands and face.

“What can I do for you, Cole… Zilch ?”

I wanted to tell him how cute he was, but that was probably too forward, and I didn’t want to risk our chances of staying here. Cueball would change his mind, I just knew it. There was sweetness underneath that stoic exterior.

‘You look young, but seem old,’ I signed.

His mouth tugged into a small smile at the corners, his eyes bright as they looked at me in humor. “I get that a lot. It’s something I’ve been told my entire life.”

‘Me too. Old soul, they say.’

“Yeah, same. ”

‘You’re not going to tell me how old you are,’ I asked, stretching out my arms again as I leaned further across the counter. It wasn’t a question. I could tell Cueball shared very little of himself.

“Is it important?”

‘I want to know. Tell me. I won’t tell anyone. My mouth is a zipper,’ I teased. It’s hard to show humor with sign language to those who don’t understand it. You had to combine it with a lot of facial expressions, but Cueball got it.

He huffed a laugh and took another bite of his sandwich, chewing slowly and methodically. I imagined Cueball doing that with everything in life. Nothing was spontaneous, which made me even more curious about why he’d brought Gio and me to his home.

He said nothing, chewing and chewing. When he swallowed his food, he wiped his mouth again before looking at me. “No one knows this, so you take it to your grave, got it?”

I snorted a laugh at his ridiculousness. He was joking, right? I nodded with my head and fist.

“I’m thirty-six.”

My jaw literally dropped. I would’ve assumed he was in his late twenties based on his personality, but he looked to be in his mid-twenties at the most.

‘No way,’ I signed. ‘You look so young. Handsome. You have smooth skin.’

Not that older people weren’t handsome, but I was surprised by this revelation. I wanted to ask him if he liked guys, too. Instead, I kept my mouth shut… Well, my hands still. It wasn’t my business, and I was being intrusive enough.

“Thank you” was all he said as he finished his sandwich, eating only half of it.

Who knew I had a thing for older guys? I did then.

When Gio got back, we needed to talk about our next plans, while I would try to convince the two adorable, grumpy asses that we needed to stay here.