Page 66 of Want Me

I scoffed, snatching the boxers he extended in my direction and letting them drop to my chest. “As if you needed a reason in the first place. You do that shit because you like it and because you can.”

“Point.”

“You know what I’m interested to see?”

“Lay it on me.” Arching against the back seat, Eric tugged his jeans over his hips.

I propped up on one elbow so I could reach out and hook a finger through his belt loop. Eric’s hand flew to the back of the seat to steady himself as I yanked him off balance toward me. “I wanna see how fucking well you manage when it’s you against the wall and I’m the one hammering you into it.”

There were two beats of silence, two long beats where Eric ran his tongue over his lower lip before raking it with his teeth, and I knew he could still taste me. His eyes flicked over me in hot, hooded appraisal, and then the corners of his mouth quirked up and his biceps flexed as he leaned closer to smear his reply over my chin, my lips. “You’re on, frat boy.”

I grinned, 100 percent up for the challenge.

But tomorrow.

7

Late May

The new place wasn’t going to win any awards for curb appeal or interior design. It wasn’t even going to get one of those “hey, you tried” beautification plaques that the city seemed to award anyone who planted a shrub or two around a parking lot perimeter. But it was within walking distance of the U and was safe, and my parents had chipped in an extra fifty bucks a month for it over another one we’d looked at across town. They weren’t thrilled Eric and I were living together, but my mom went overboard explaining that it had nothing to do with Eric. I got it, but still told her there was no alternative; whether I lived close to the U or in Timbuktu, it would be with Eric.

“Nate!” It came sharp from Eric’s mouth, which meant he’d said it more than once now.

I jerked my gaze up from where it’d gotten stuck kinda half on his ass and half on the trunk of his Jeep as he leaned into it and withdrew an overflowing open box of textbooks, clothes, and cables—our version of packing wasn’t very professional. On his face was a smirk, the one I internally referred to as level 1c, threat level moderate. Anything higher than that meant I’d probably have my pants around my ankles within a matter of minutes.

“Your right back tire looks a little low,” I told him.

“Yeah? You gonna plug the leak with that boner?” He leered at my crotch, and my gaze naturally drifted down to see if my dick was kicking up a fuss behind my shorts. It was, but a minor one for now. I could work around it.

I flipped him the bird. “I might.”

“Well, how about you open up the door first?”

I grunted and fished the key from my pocket, then dug for my phone, too, as it started buzzing.

“Are you in yet?” my mom asked when I answered.

“Literally unlocking the door. We haven’t been mugged so far, no one has offered us drugs, and Eric hasn’t started destroying walls yet, so I think we’re good.”

“You’re terrible, do you know that?” I could hear the smile in her voice.

“Be destroying that ass in about thirty minutes,” Eric murmured against my other ear in passing, his husky voice a dirty omen as he whisked by me and through the door with the box.

“What’s that? Eric?” My mom’s tone brightened as I adjusted myself. “Tell Eric I say hi.”

I choked on a laugh and cleared my throat, calling out after him. “My mom says you’re not allowed to destroy anything.” Eric’s laughter rang down the hall as I followed him inside. “He says hi, Ma. Can I call you back later? We’re right in the middle of carrying a load in.”

“No need. Call me when you get settled. I just wanted to ask you to take a picture of the two of you in front of the door.”

I groaned. “Really?”

She put her sharp voice on, the one that was like a tack meant to sail cleanly through any resistance. And damn was she good at it. “Really, son. Take the damn picture and send it to your poor mother. It’s a rite of passage.”

“You can put it next to the one of me in my mankini,” I said, and when Eric came back out, I grabbed his arm and pulled him in front of the door.

“For posterity. At my mom’s request.”

It took five tries before we snapped one G-rated enough to send to her.