Page 42 of Out of Bounds

“That was hot. I did not know you had that in you.”

“Had what?”

“All of it.” Brennan sat on the bed across from Cliff. He exhaled a breath that spoke for both of them.

Cliff tucked himself back in his jeans. He took the washcloth and tried to clean off evidence of tonight from his pants. He knew from experience that it would come out easily in the laundry.

“Are you okay?” He motioned to Cliff’s face. “I should’ve given you warning.”

“I picked up enough context clues and closed my eyes in time.”

“Context clues.” Brennan cracked a sweetheart smile. “You’re adorable.”

Cliff wiped his face again to hide his blush.

“Did you like it?” Brennan asked.

Cliff nodded.

“Me, too.”

They exchanged a weighted glance as a different vibe took over the room. Brennan’s lips parted slightly. For a second, he thought Brennan was going to kiss him.

Brennan unlocked from their staring contest. “Are you hungry?”

“Huh?” Cliff needed an extra second to transition out of whatever that moment was. “Celery?”

Brennan’s eyes crinkled at the edges with a snort. “Something more substantial than my lame-ass platter. I was thinking of ordering some food. I didn’t have dinner. How do you feel about Thai food?”

On cue, Cliff’s stomach rumbled. He only had a few chicken nuggets and a handful of fries for dinner. He didn’t want to be full for tonight.

“Thai food sounds great.”

“Sweet.” Brennan fished his phone out of his jeans on the floor. “There’s this Thai place in town I’ve been wanting to try. Shit.” He hissed out a breath.

“What?”

Brennan picked up Cliff’s button-down shirt, which had gotten hit with come.

“It’s okay.”

“You don’t want to put that back on.” Brennan darted to his dresser and tossed Cliff a gray T-shirt stamped with Goofy’s face. “You can wear this.Wear it, Clifford. No funny business. Don’t desecrate a children’s icon.”

Cliff wanted to live in the smile Brennan gave him.

“Thanks.” Cliff slipped on the shirt. The warmth of Brennan enveloped him, as if he was being wrapped in a tight hug.

Brennan put the food order in, and Cliff went to the bathroom. When two people who’d seen each other naked and made each other come ate a meal together, did that constitute a date? Whatever it was, it amounted to more time he got to spend alone with Brennan.

Cliff looked at himself in the mirror, barely able to suppress the giddy smile cresting his lips.

Yet just as quickly, a sense of sadness overwhelmed him, like a summer storm that rolled across a blue sky. When he eventually left the loft tonight and made the trek back to campus, he would have to go back to being his regular, closeted self.

14

BRENNAN

For the rest of October and into November, Cliff continued to come over for art lessons...and other activities. Whatever guilt Brennan had about keeping this from Alex vanished as soon as Cliff looked at him with those sparkling, golden eyes. The way Cliff fixed his hungry gaze on him made him feel wanted and invincible. His loft transformed into a different dimension where the responsibilities of the real world didn’t exist.