Page 1 of Out on a Limb

CHAPTER ONE

Cameron

In the time that Cameron Buckley brushed his teeth, took a shower, got dressed, and watched an episode of his favorite show, Sleeping Beauty had not moved from his bed. He had actually forgotten what year the guy was, but this was nothing but a freshman move. Cameron admired Sleeping Beauty’s body. The tight curls of his brown hair, the arms with burgeoning, See-I-Totally-Work-Out muscles, the perky ass under his Fruit of the Looms. Cameron didn’t use a rating system for the guys he hooked up with. He wasn’t a frat boy. Instead, he graded on a pass/fail system. He gave himself a mental pat on his back for his latest pass while he slipped on his shoes.

Cameron checked the time again. He clapped twice, loudly, as if he were turning on the lights. Sleeping Beauty stirred from his deep slumber.

“Morning,” Cameron said. He finished tying his shoes.

The guy wiped the sleep from his eyes. Cameron saw him register where he was before slapping on a bashful smile. “Morning yourself.”

“You sure were tired.”

“We had an exhausting night.” Sleeping Beauty raised his eyebrows at Cameron, who proceeded to check the time on his phone.

“It’s eleven thirty. Don’t you have class?”

“Not until noon.”

“How did you swing a noon class as a freshman? My first year, all I could get were the nine a.m.’s.”

“I’m a sophomore.”

“That explains it.”

Sleeping Beauty rubbed at his head. He definitely noticed that the guy whose bed he was lounging in was all dressed and ready to go, but he didn’t seem to care. He must be new at this, Cameron thought. A total freshman at heart.

“Man, that jungle juice was strong last night, but it went down so easily.”

“Jungle juice is dangerous. The sweetness is deceptive,” Cameron said. He pulled a bottle of aspirin from his nightstand. “Take two of these, and you’ll be fine.”

“Thanks. That was an awesome party.”

“It was alright. Not bad for a Tuesday night.” Cameron wound up at the same parties with the same people in the same apartments, former South Campus artsy people who now lived off-campus. That tended to happen when you were a senior. He had already found his people and his groove. “I haven’t seen you around there before.”

“I live in McKenzie up north, but I heard about this party from my roommate’s girlfriend.”

The guy gazed around at Cameron’s room. It was its usual mess, but the beauty of having an apartment versus sharing a dorm room was that your bedroom could be a raging disaster without anyone complaining. As long as he kept the rest of the apartment clean, his roommate didn’t say a word.

“You really love movies.” The guy pointed to the line of posters thumbtacked to Cameron’s wall. “I never sawDrive. Ryan Gosling is super hot, though.”

“It’s a phenomenal movie.”

“Cool.” The guy nodded. Cameron knew he’d never watch it, and if he did, he’d probably turn it off after five minutes. Sleeping Beauty hadn’t moved from the bed.

“You’re a deep sleeper. You didn’t hear me get up?”

“Nah. I can sleep through anything.”

“Apparently.”

The guy tried to look deep into Cameron’s eyes. “You should get back in here.” He patted the empty space next to him. His boner stretched out his underwear. “We can go for round two.”

“I’m already showered and dressed.”

“We can shower afterward. Together.” Sleeping Beauty reached out his hand to Cameron, who gave it a light handshake.

“It’s a small shower.”