2. Garrett
1659 Words
2
GARRETT
Nothing smelled better than Haley fresh out of the shower, her warm, silken skin slathered in lavender lotion. Eyes closed, I soaked in the warmth of her bare thigh beneath my cheek and breathed her in, thankful I’d jerked off earlier. Even emptied, my balls still stirred life to my d**k when she had accidentally pressed her breast against my face.
It wasn’t the first time it had happened, seeing as how I often used her legs for pillows, and I sure as hell hoped it wouldn’t be the last.
At least I could roll to my side, effectively hiding my boner while thinking about suckling and nibbling on her n*****s. My mouth watered, and I sucked my Blow Pop instead, swallowing the taste of cherries instead of the woman I wanted.
Her fingernails scratched at my scalp, and I closed my eyes against the news station, forcing myself to pretend I really was gay, that I had no feelings for my roommate whatsoever, and that I wasn’t the type of liar she would despise if she ever learned the truth.
While I wasn’t usually one to bullshit my way through life, I’d been desperate for a place to stay within a week of Alec kicking me out of what I’d thought had been our dream home.
He’d gifted dozens of things to me over our year together, but I hadn’t deserved to take anything more than the single suitcase I’d carried out to California from the sticks of northern Pennsylvania.
Alec had trusted me to look out for his sister, and I’d failed.
Big time.
My stomach hardened like it always did whenever I thought about that night, and I hated that I couldn’t go back and fix the trauma I’d caused. I was lucky to have escaped him and his family without anything more than a broken heart and buckled pride.
When I’d left my conservative grandparents back east, it had been Hollywood or bust, and I carried no backup plan in my pocket like I did Blow Pops. All my hopes, my dreams, had me on the big screen, falling in love with my costar and having a happily ever after with either Cinderella or Prince Charming.
I thought I’d found the latter in Alec, but Haley, my prickly cuddle bug…well, I wished things were different.
Much different.
I longed for complete honesty between us, to spill my guts, but I wasn’t willing to lose her. Having been kicked out of Alec’s life, Haley had become my everything. Best friend. Confidant for all but that one bit of truth about my greatest mistake, and the unrequited love that ached my entire body. She was the lifeline who kept me from drowning—even though she claimed to need a buoy of her own to cling to.
Insecurities weaseled into my brain like they always did when I thought too hard on how I’d lied to her about my sexuality, and I crunched my lollipop down to the gum.
Yes, I liked men and had told her as such, but I’d left out the part about finding women sexy as hell too.
Especially Haley Foster with her dark eyes and constantly changing hair color. The current purplish-red in a messy bun atop her head was one of my favorites. It pulled out the same hints of color from her irises. Add in her petite body, the flash in her eyes whenever her little claws came out, and stick a goddamn fork in me, I was done.
A heavy sigh sent me deeper into the couch.
“Are you okay?” Haley dragged her fingernails over my temple and down the scruff lining my jaw.
I fought off the blood wanting to rush straight to my d**k again. “No.”
“Give it to me.”
Fuck, when she said those words…
I bit back a groan and focused on what she really asked for—an unloading of my thoughts.
“I’m thankful I have a job,” I started, “even if it is washing dishes at the busiest diner I’ve ever set foot into, but it’s not fulfilling in the least bit. Yes, it pays the bills—barely—but this isn’t what I want for my life. I had high hopes. Big dreams.”
Haley didn’t offer me bullshit encouragement about it not being my time yet, that I would make it one day.
I wasn’t good enough, bottom line.
For Hollywood or for her.
One stupid mistake had ruined my life, and I wasn’t about to tell her the truth and screw up what I had found as her roommate.
“Life is good,” I stated quietly, knowing I ought to really think so. “But I want more. A real-life happily ever after with someone I’m hopelessly in love with.”
“You will.” Haley pinched my cheek gently. “You’re too damn cute to stay single for long.”
The problem was, I couldn’t have the one I wanted.
We were stuck in friendship land.
“When’s the last time you went on a date?” I asked, expecting we had to be in the same boat since I’d never seen her go out.
“Nine months ago.”
“s**t. Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
I angled my head back to catch her gaze. “Hookups?”
“Eight months.”
“Shit.” I grinned, chewing obnoxiously on my gum to annoy her. “Those battery-operated boyfriends in your bedside table must be getting a workout. Not that I haven’t heard the truth of that for myself.”
She punched my arm, scowling down at me.
“Ow.” I feigned being hurt, rubbing my shoulder. “Okay, so maybe I haven’t.”
I totally had.
“I need d**k,” Haley muttered.
Fuuuck.
I damn near choked over the offer of my own wanting to spew from my lips.
“How long can a woman go without it before losing her damn mind?” she asked, staring at the TV.
“Eight months?” I suggested, barely able to keep from chuckling.
“Brat.” She hit me again, and I let out my amusement.
“If you need to get laid that bad, then do something about it,” I stated even though it killed me to suggest she go f**k some random asshole who might end up taking my best friend away from me.
“Lily found the loves of her life on Missing Link. Maybe I ought to give that a try.”
“Isn’t that app for poly relationships?”
“Yeah. So?”
I chewed on my gum for a few seconds, hating how quickly the sugary content dissipated and the pleasure of it on my tongue turned into a workout for my jaw. “It’s tough enough finding one person. Imagine looking for two?”
“My usual sites haven’t suggested anything worth a s**t, and Missing Link panned out for Lily.”
“And she’s one lucky bitch.” I spoke the truth, recalling her two gorgeous lovers.
“There are singles on there. I saw hundreds when I was helping Lily search through matches. Who knows?” Haley shrugged and scooted from beneath my head to get off the couch. She stood right in front of me, the hem of her long sleep shirt inches from my face that now lay on the cushion rather than on her warmth. “Maybe I’ll get lucky and find two of my own.”
My mouth watered over the creamy skin of her inner thighs and the shadow beneath her T-shirt. I’d snooped in her drawers a time or ten and knew her panties preference.
Silk.
In a rainbow of colors.
I rolled onto my belly to hide my once more thickening d**k.
“Want anything?” she asked, still standing right in front of my face.
Fuck, did I ever. You, I wanted to say. For us to get our s**t together and figure out where we belonged in life. I swallowed hard. “Another lollipop?”
“You’re going to rot your teeth out,” Haley muttered and finally left, allowing me to breathe.
Talking my hard-on down, I grabbed the remote off the coffee table and flicked through the channels a bit.
“Nothing.” I clicked.
“Nothing.” I pressed the up button again.
Robert Downey Junior stood in all his shirtless glory, perking me right the f**k up. “Ooo! Iron Man!”
“Move it.” Haley tapped my foot, and I pushed to sit up.
As with every movie night, I sprawled into the corner of the couch and welcomed her with open arms.
New lollipop on my tongue, I snuggled Haley against my side. “He’s so f*****g fine.” I was the first to state what we’d both agreed on countless times before.
“Mmm.” She sipped her wine, the low moan radiating like electricity over my skin.
I grabbed the throw pillow to cover my groin.
Haley snorted with laughter. “As if I haven’t seen you get hard before.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. Anytime I sported an erection in front of her that didn’t go unnoticed, I blamed the nearest man—in person or on screen.
“It’s okay.” Haley pressed in closer. “I totally understand the draw. That dark hair begging to be mussed up, that mouth of his.” She shivered, and for a second, I imagined it was the heat of my skin along her side that roused her. “I’d do him for free.”
I moved my lollipop around in my mouth a few times, sucking down the sweetness, hard as f*****g nails. “So would I,” I agreed.
But only if you were there with us.
A man could dream.
- Writer
