Page 19 of Wanted

“Okay, maybe I can set them up in the workshop,” Frank said after a pause.

“And leave me with them?” Ezra’s voice became high-pitched.

“No, it’s okay, come with me if you want.”

“But the pizza—”

“We’ll be back in minutes.”

Liv could only hope the workshop came with a radiator, because the nights were hardly getting any warmer at the end of September.

Knox took a deep breath and went back under the shower to wash out the shampoo. “They thinkwe’rethe threat.”

Liv’s gaze lingered on Knox’s rounded, muscular butt as he considered what they’d both heard before joining him in the stall. “That’s good though. Means they’re not complete monsters. Maybe they won’t kill us in our sleep,” he said and grinned at the bottle in Knox’s hand. “That shit must be real fancy.”

Knox smiled and winked at him. “It has to be. Gay shampoo after all.”

Liv shrugged. “Pour me some of it. Maybe I’ll also have hair like a doll after I use it.”

Knox shoved at his shoulder without the earlier aggression. “You wish. You’d have to go much gayer than just the shampoo,” he said and held it out of Liv’s reach.

Something strange happened to Liv’s stomach in that moment. A whole swarm of worker bees tumbled inside him. He had to steady himself, keeping his gaze pinned to Knox’s flushed cheeks. They were so damn close.

“How gay do you want me to be?” Liv cocked his head with a smirk. He didn’t know where this was going, and he was having too much fun to care.

Knox snort-laughed and turned to Liv with the shampoo bottle at crotch level. “I dunno.Thisgay?” He fake-moaned and thrust his hips, squirting beige goo onto Liv’s stomach.

The hair on Liv’s nape bristled, and the damn bees buzzed sending a tremble all over his body when the gooey shampoo settled on Liv’s skin while Knox’s features relaxed into a roguish smile.

Had he always been this pretty? His lips this rosy? Eyes blue like a sunny sky on a cold winter day?

A familiar sensation settled in Liv’s groin, hot as Liv’s favorite cinnamon tea.

He took a step closer.

When someone banged on the bathroom door, Knox jumped and dropped the bottle, only to scramble for it.

“Stop wasting my hot water and get your damn pizza, we don’t have all night!” Frank yelled.

But even Liv’s stomach wasn’t as important anymore when Knox’s face hovered so close to his crotch. Could he…? Maybe… Or was he just horny and with no prospects for a fuck?

Knox was his best friend. There could be no maybes.

Knox looked up, and… was it an illusion or had he briefly peeked at Liv’s goods? Whether he had or not, he was naked. Wet. And kneeling right in front of Liv, close enough to play his flute if he fancied it.

But Knox didn’t take another glance. He picked up the shampoo, put it away on the shelf, and stumbled out of the shower so fast he slipped on the way. He had a great figure. Overall slimmer than Liv but packed with muscle. A damn fine specimen of man, and not particularly hairy at that.

“Sorry! Coming!” Knox yelled, drying himself with a towel.

Snapping out of the sudden daze, Liv grabbed the shampoo, squeezed lots on his head. and massaged it in before stepping back under the shower while the unexpected arousal subsided. Maybe he shouldn’t think about this too hard. They were friends. The best of the best. He’d run into a burning building if Knox were inside. The last thing he needed was a weird erotic brain fart about him.

Maybe he really shouldn’t have watched gay porn.

Knox smirked, already putting on the set of loose sweats they got from their hosts. “If you take too long, I’ll be eating both pizzas.”

“Oh come on, I gave you my last protein bar,” Liv complained before he could have caught himself. Mortified, he switched off the water and rubbed his head with the towel in hope Knox didn’t catch that.

"What? You forgot you only had one?” Knox rolled his eyes. “We could have shared it. Let’s go, I can already smell food. And look, they even gave us socks.” He smiled up at Liv as he sat to put them on. It was a relief to see him so happy over little things. He looked so cute in the oversized clothes and with wet hair sticking to his forehead.