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14

TJ

It was amazing how you could share a room with someone and not exchange any actual words with them for over thirty-six hours.

I was pretty sure Jimmy was avoiding me. Again.

I thought we’d gotten past the intensity thing, but maybe I’d fucked that up when I’d climbed into bed with him and forced him to watch a movie with me.

And then fell asleep and held him all night.

Yep. That had probably done it.

I hated that I’d potentially scared him away again, but the thing was, I didn’t know any other way to be. If I cared about someone—friend, family, crush—I was all in. I didn’t want to be the type of guy who was aloof. Who hid himself from the world. Who failed to show up when people needed him.

My brood was interrupted by the door opening, and I spun around in my desk chair to see the object of my thoughts walking into the room. Jimmy looked good…really good. It looked like he’d trimmed his hair, but I was pleased to see he’d retained enough length to keep the halo of curls rioting around his face. He wasn’t wearing anything special—just a T-shirt and jeans—but they fit him well and suited his style. Though I figured I would find him attractive in anything he chose to wear.

There was a small flush creeping up his cheeks, which was utterly adorable. He’d been doing that a lot—blushing—when he was around me, and I wondered what it was about.

“Hey,” he said, shutting the door behind him and crossing to his dresser. I watched as he pulled out a hoodie and tugged it over his head, admiring the sliver of skin momentarily bared in the process. His head popped through the opening, and he ran his fingers through his curls a couple of times before tugging the hem of the hoodie into place. I wished I was the one running my fingers through his hair.

He stared at me a moment, the flush deepening, and I realized I hadn’t responded to his greeting. “Hey,” I said. So smooth.

He looked at me a moment longer, then ducked his head and turned toward his bed. He reached for his earbuds, and I blurted a question, not wanting him to shut me out. “What were you up to today?”

“My friends came into town from Lincoln, and we went to lunch.”

“Friends?” I frowned. I didn’t remember him talking about anyone else in his life other than his brother.

“I have friends.” His tone was defensive, his shoulders climbing toward his ears. I cursed myself at the thoughtlessness of the question.

“That’s not what I meant. I just haven’t heard you mention anyone else.”

He sat on his bed and pulled his knees up to his chest with his back resting against the wall. “Mandy and Drea. We went to high school together.”

“And they’re in college in Lincoln?”

“They’re roommates at UNL, yeah.”

I closed my laptop and moved from my desk to my bed so I was sitting across from him. “What are their majors?”

His brows pinched together quizzically. “Do you really want to know about my friends?”

“I want to know everything about you.”

“Why?” His brows shot up in surprise. I wondered if he knew how expressive those brows were. I was becoming a bit obsessed with them.

I thought about his question. I thought about brushing him off with some generic answer, not wanting to scare him again. I thought about how sad it made me that he didn’t seem to believe anyone would be interested in him. And then I decided I was done with thinking. And overthinking.

“I like you, Jimmy.”

“You like everyone.”

I smiled. I couldn’t tell if he was deliberately misunderstanding me or if he truly wasn’t picking up what I was laying down. Either way, it was time to make my meaning perfectly clear.

“True,” I said as I scooted to the edge of my bed and leaned forward. “But I’m not talking about that kind of ‘like.’” I wanted to move over to his bed. Maybe take his hand in mine as I put it all out there. But once again, I didn’t want to scare him away. “I’m talking about the kind of ‘like’ that means I can’t stop thinking about you. That finds you endlessly fascinating. That wonders what it would be like to bury my fingers in your hair and kiss you until you beg to come up for air. I like you.”

Jimmy’s eyes had widened as I spoke but other than that, I couldn’t tell what he thought about my declaration. So I waited. And waited.

I was about to give up, to say something to break the silence that stretched between us, when he finally said, “I like you too.”

His voice was small but clear, his words unmistakable. They gave me the courage to move over to his bed and take his hand in mine. His palm was smooth and warm, his fingers threading through mine, the perfect fit.

With my free hand, I did what I’d been wanting to from the moment I walked into our room and discovered we were roommates. I brushed my fingers through his curls, watching the way they cascaded from my fingertips. “Did you get a trim?”

“Drea and Mandy talked me into it. I wanted to go shorter, but they wouldn’t let me.”

“Your friends are officially my favorite people.” I leaned in close until our faces were just inches apart. “I meant what I said about kissing you.” I moved my hand down to pinch his chin. “Can I kiss you, sunshine?”

He swallowed, then nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. I closed the distance between us, pressing my lips to his and holding there, savoring the feel of him. He sighed, melting into me, and my heart fluttered. It was like a butterfly’s first beating of wings after emerging from its cocoon—at first soft and tentative, then strong and true before taking flight.

I sank into it, sliding my hand back to his nape and holding him in place as I slipped my tongue between his parted lips. He gave the sweetest little whimper, tentatively darting his tongue out to meet mine. I gave chase, dipping my tongue in a little farther, and groaned as his taste flooded my senses.

I slid the fingers of my other hand along his jaw until I was cradling his face with both hands, gently tilting his head to gain better access. He didn’t resist, opening for me beautifully, meeting my tongue stroke for stroke in earnest.

I was a live wire, every nerve ending in my body sparking to life, lust thrumming insistently through my veins, making my brain hazy while my cock ached. I wanted to lay him down and cover his body with mine. I wanted to kiss and bite and nip at his skin. I wanted to rut against him, rut into him, my balls slapping against his ass with each stroke. I wanted to know what sounds he made when he came. I wanted him to call my name.

I wanted .

I ripped my mouth away and pressed my forehead to Jimmy’s, panting heavily as I tried to clear the haze from my brain and catch my breath. I’d been dangerously close to mauling him and coming in my shorts. He deserved more than that. He deserved care. He deserved tenderness. And maybe it was old-fashioned, but he deserved to be wooed.

“Why did you stop? Was that…was I not…good?”

I pulled back to look at him, startled to see tears in his eyes.

“Oh, sunshine.” I kissed his forehead, an errant curl tickling my nose. “That was very, very good. I stopped because I didn’t want to lose control.”

“Oh,” he said, blinking furiously to stop the tears. His cheeks were flushed, and his lips rosy, tempting me to lean in for another taste. Instead, I climbed off the bed and held out my hand. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

He put his hand in mine, allowing me to pull him up to stand. “Where are we going?”

“I’m taking you on a date.”