Page 21 of From Coast to Coast
“What’s your preference?”
“You choose. I’ll eat anything including pizza with pineapple on top.”
“Goddamn, Gray, I knew I liked you.” I pull up the website to a local pizza place I noticed he’s got a menu printed out and stuck to the refrigerator for, and tap out an order. We probably don’t need two large pizzas, but this way we’ll have enough for some cold leftovers tomorrow.
“I’m going to go shower the river off,” Grayson says.
“Pizza in forty,” I reply, and he waves a hand in acknowledgment as he ambles down the hallway. I donotwatch him go, because he’s my friend and checking out his ass would be uncool. My phone buzzes: new message. I practically dislocate my thumb, closing down the web browser and opening the app.
The last message I’d sent him had been a joking-but-mostly-serious request for a naked picture to get me through the day. He hadn’t responded, which meant I’d spent the day wondering if he’d moved on; maybe hooked up with somebody else. When I open our chat, I grin and tip my phone toward my chest as though to shield it from view even though Grayson is long gone into his room by now.
Walking back to my room, I close my door and increase the screen brightness on my phone becausedamn. I have never, in my entire career surrounded by professional athletes, seen a man with muscles like this. He’s all hills and valleys, dips and hard curves; big thighs covered in black hair. He is the farthest thing from a woman as it’s possible to get, and he turns me the fuck on.
He’s in a bathroom this time, standing in front of a mirror the way I did for my profile photo. He’s still cutting his face off, which I get even though it’s starting to really drive me nuts. My imagination isn’t strong enough to fill in those blanks, and I’m so damncurious. A message pops up, two simple words:your turn. Grinning, I strip down, not bothering to lock my bedroom door. Grayson is ridiculously respectful of boundaries—he would never just walk into my room, no matter that this is his house and me just a guest.
Propping my camera up on the desk, I turn the overhead light off but leave on the bedside table lamp. Setting a timer on my phone, I go through a series of poses andthen flip through the photos, eyeing them critically. Picking the one that makes me look the most cut, I send it to him. Naked, I flop back on the bed and grab the lube, intending to jack off to that photo he sent me.
My phone rings, startling me, and I have a sudden insane excitement that it’s Brody calling me.Idiot, you don’t have each other’s numbers, I chide, and then sigh when I see Alex’s name.
“Hey,” I greet him, tossing the lube on the bed next to me in resignation.
“Try not to sound too excited.”
“Sorry, I was just getting ready to bang one out to a picture of dating app guy,” I say baldly, and can practically hear Alex’s ears perk up on the other end of the phone. I tuck my hand behind my head, settling in.
“Oh yeah? So, I was right, then.” He sounds smug. “I told you.”
I roll my eyes. “You weren’t right about anything. We haven’t done anything except talk and send dick pics. Fucking chill, dude.”
“Mm. I don’t think I could whack off to a picture of a guy, but maybe I just haven’t found the right one. Send me the picture, I want to see.”
“Alex.” I laugh. “No. That’s messed up, I’m not going to send you a naked picture of him. He meant it for me, not me and my friends.”
“Not like I’d know who it is—you don’t even know who he is!” He sighs, gustily. “Okay, fine, you’re right. So, are you guys going to meet up? This is so exciting. You’re getting the college experience you never had.”
“You trying to tell me that you experimented with guys in college?” I ask, amused at the excitement in his voice.
“No, but I thought about it. Chickened out. It’s too late for me now—I’m stuck with the love of my life, and alas, she’s a woman.”
I laugh again, adjusting myself so that I can pull part of the comforter over myself. I’m getting cold, just lying here naked. “You’re in a strange fucking mood, Alex. Did you go out to a fancy lawyer lunch and drink too much fancy lawyer alcohol?”
“I’m not drunk. What the hell is fancy lawyer—you know what, never mind. You’re trying to distract me. When are you and your new man going to meet up?”
“I don’t know, he hasn’t brought it up.”
“Have you?”
“Well, no. I don’t want to rush things.” I scowl at the ceiling as Alex cracks up. I really need a new best friend. “I’m serious, shut up.”
“You don’t want to rush things,” he repeats incredulously. “Says the man who was banging any woman who dared walk within a five-yard radius of him. Seriously, Remy, you were rushing things so much I doubt you even got their names.”
“Okay, calm down over there—I was going through a divorce, that was different. I was just…letting off steam.” He makes a noise in the back of his throat that sounds like an interruption is coming. I hasten to continue, talking over him. “This Brody guy and I talk, you know? It’s not like I picked him up at a bar for a one-night stand. Iknowthings about him. It would feel weird to just use him for sex.”
Alex’s laughing takes on a manic quality. I contemplate hanging up the phone. “Yes,” he gasps, “god forbid we use the guy we met on a dating app for sex. Jesus Christ, I’m so glad I called you. I needed that laugh.”
“You’re welcome,” I deadpan.
“You do realize that you could suggest meeting up for a date. You don’t have to use him for sex. If you like talking to him, you could grab a drink and do that in person.”