body. It felt like turning away from a fire when he was cold.
The world, his world, was full of available men, experienced, sexy, easy to get.
Tom wasn’t one of them. Cal had to keep that firmly in mind, and they’d be fine.
* * *
“So,” Cal said awkwardly on Friday night. “You’re going to be mad at me.”
“What? Why?” Tom was going through the refrigerator again, tossing a whole new collection of leftovers. Cal had tried suggesting that he not bother to save them at all, but Tom insisted that was wasteful. How it was more wasteful than saving them and then throwing them away, Cal had no idea. It seemed pointless to argue. He didn’t like to argue with Tom, which was why he’d been putting off this conversation.
“Because I’m not going out tonight.” When Tom looked up at him, Cal went on quickly, “I have to work, and the laptop’s not going to cut it. I need a new one, actually. I’ve been putting it off because I hate that whole process—transferring everything over and getting a decent browser on there, and my e-mail and everything. Anyway, Sirius moved my deadline, which was supposed to be next week, to tomorrow, and I’ve got to work. I promise I’ll hole up upstairs. You won’t even know I’m here. I won’t even come down for a glass of water, I swear.”
Tom stood. He pushed the trash in the bin down, then shoved the bin back underneath the cupboard where it was kept. “Okay.”
Cal had been expecting irritation at the very least. “Okay?” he repeated.
Tom shrugged and began to rinse his hands at the sink. “You live here, Cal. Even if you didn’t have a deadline, I wouldn’t have made you go out if you didn’t want to.” He shook his hands, droplets of water flying. “It’s not like I need the privacy, you know? We’re just gonna watch a movie.”
In a dark room, cuddled up on the couch , Cal added silently. He’d seen how fast Joe moved to get what he wanted. Not that Cal was any different; it was just that seeing it as an observer had been a revelation. Tom would be lucky if he got to watch anything of the movie past the opening credits.
“Well, I just wanted you to know that I won’t come wandering through and spoil the mood, that’s all.”
Tom nodded and swiped his hands dry on his jeans. “Thanks.”
Cal opened his mouth, frustrated by Tom’s nonchalance, which he wasn’t sure he entirely believed in. He closed it without voicing his concerns. He’d be around if Tom needed him, and he had to stop fussing. Tom might have started out late, but once he did more than wiggle his toes in the water, he’d soon be splashing around happily.
Something occurred to him, and Cal blurted out, “You’ve got what you need in case things do get hot and heavy, right? Condoms, lube, handcuffs?”
Okay, now he’d back off and let Tom handle this solo.
Tom gave him an incredulous look. “Excuse me?”
Backtracking hastily, Cal said, “Okay, I was joking about the last one, but—”
“Cal, I’m a virgin, not an idiot.” Tom was frowning now. “I know what I need. I just… I didn’t think… Well, I have the lube, of course. Condoms, though… They expire, you know.”
That had never been an issue for Cal. He went through a box pretty quickly.
“Maybe I’d better get some more,” Tom said thoughtfully. “Just in case Joe’s don’t fit me.”
Christ . “Okay, well, I’ve got to get back to work,” Cal said and left quickly, fleeing up the stairs and shutting himself in his office where he tried, very hard, to work. Luckily, Photoshop was a fiddly enough program that it didn’t take long before he’d forgotten about everything but the job at hand. He could spend hours making subtle adjustments to levels, and he often had.
Tonight, he was so involved that when he finally closed the program just to give his eyes a break for a while, he discovered it was two hours later and he could hear a movie playing downstairs in the
The world, his world, was full of available men, experienced, sexy, easy to get.
Tom wasn’t one of them. Cal had to keep that firmly in mind, and they’d be fine.
* * *
“So,” Cal said awkwardly on Friday night. “You’re going to be mad at me.”
“What? Why?” Tom was going through the refrigerator again, tossing a whole new collection of leftovers. Cal had tried suggesting that he not bother to save them at all, but Tom insisted that was wasteful. How it was more wasteful than saving them and then throwing them away, Cal had no idea. It seemed pointless to argue. He didn’t like to argue with Tom, which was why he’d been putting off this conversation.
“Because I’m not going out tonight.” When Tom looked up at him, Cal went on quickly, “I have to work, and the laptop’s not going to cut it. I need a new one, actually. I’ve been putting it off because I hate that whole process—transferring everything over and getting a decent browser on there, and my e-mail and everything. Anyway, Sirius moved my deadline, which was supposed to be next week, to tomorrow, and I’ve got to work. I promise I’ll hole up upstairs. You won’t even know I’m here. I won’t even come down for a glass of water, I swear.”
Tom stood. He pushed the trash in the bin down, then shoved the bin back underneath the cupboard where it was kept. “Okay.”
Cal had been expecting irritation at the very least. “Okay?” he repeated.
Tom shrugged and began to rinse his hands at the sink. “You live here, Cal. Even if you didn’t have a deadline, I wouldn’t have made you go out if you didn’t want to.” He shook his hands, droplets of water flying. “It’s not like I need the privacy, you know? We’re just gonna watch a movie.”
In a dark room, cuddled up on the couch , Cal added silently. He’d seen how fast Joe moved to get what he wanted. Not that Cal was any different; it was just that seeing it as an observer had been a revelation. Tom would be lucky if he got to watch anything of the movie past the opening credits.
“Well, I just wanted you to know that I won’t come wandering through and spoil the mood, that’s all.”
Tom nodded and swiped his hands dry on his jeans. “Thanks.”
Cal opened his mouth, frustrated by Tom’s nonchalance, which he wasn’t sure he entirely believed in. He closed it without voicing his concerns. He’d be around if Tom needed him, and he had to stop fussing. Tom might have started out late, but once he did more than wiggle his toes in the water, he’d soon be splashing around happily.
Something occurred to him, and Cal blurted out, “You’ve got what you need in case things do get hot and heavy, right? Condoms, lube, handcuffs?”
Okay, now he’d back off and let Tom handle this solo.
Tom gave him an incredulous look. “Excuse me?”
Backtracking hastily, Cal said, “Okay, I was joking about the last one, but—”
“Cal, I’m a virgin, not an idiot.” Tom was frowning now. “I know what I need. I just… I didn’t think… Well, I have the lube, of course. Condoms, though… They expire, you know.”
That had never been an issue for Cal. He went through a box pretty quickly.
“Maybe I’d better get some more,” Tom said thoughtfully. “Just in case Joe’s don’t fit me.”
Christ . “Okay, well, I’ve got to get back to work,” Cal said and left quickly, fleeing up the stairs and shutting himself in his office where he tried, very hard, to work. Luckily, Photoshop was a fiddly enough program that it didn’t take long before he’d forgotten about everything but the job at hand. He could spend hours making subtle adjustments to levels, and he often had.
Tonight, he was so involved that when he finally closed the program just to give his eyes a break for a while, he discovered it was two hours later and he could hear a movie playing downstairs in the
Similar Books
