Page 61 of Knocked Sideways

“Not tonight, no.” Jed stirred his tea slowly.

“I don’t want to hook up with some random guy I meet in a club, I already told you that.” Remy moved right up in front of Jed, sliding between him and the counter. If he was doing this, he was doing this. Jed wasn’t going to get out of talking this time.

“You did.” Jed reached out a hand as if to keep Remy from coming any closer. It landed at Remy’s waist, and Remy breathed in sharply. He leaned forward and was rewarded when Jed tightened his grip.

“I meant it, you know.” Remy tried to hold on to his resolve. He could smell Jed now, feel the heat of Jed’s hand through his shirt.

It seemed pretty clear that Jed was attracted to him. He thought Jed liked spending time with him. Shouldn’t that be enough?

Jed stayed silent, watching him with those cool blue-gray eyes that still gave nothing away. But they fell to Remy’s mouth for an instant, and his thumb smoothed up and down over Remy’s side.

Thank God, Remy thought. He wasn’t in this alone. But he was on the brink of burning up, and Jed still looked like he was made of ice.

“I don’t do hookups,” Jed said, finally.

“That’s okay.” Remy moved in even closer. Turned his head so that his nose was almost brushing Jed’s neck. Inhaled his scent. Remy didn’t want a hookup; he wanted Jed for real, for as many days as Jed would have him, probably. He could already feel that.

“Remy. Wait. I don’t do relationships, either, anymore.” Jed put his other hand on Remy’s waist and pushed him back just enough that Remy could look up and meet his eyes. “I haven’t tried to in a long time. It’s never worked out. And it’s tough when we’re teammates. A lot can go wrong.”

Remy risked putting his hand on Jed’s arm and leaned back even more so that he could see Jed’s face clearly.

“I know. But I feel like maybe also a lot could go right. With you and me, I mean.”

Jed looked at him for a long minute. “Maybe. You could have anyone, though. And I’m almost ten years older than you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t care about your age.” How many excuses was Jed going to come up with before he just fucking kissed Remy already? Remy stepped in close again so that his lower half pressed gently against Jed’s.

God, he was already hard. So hard it almost hurt to press into Jed even the tiniest bit. And Jed was into it, despite how cool he seemed. Remy could feel Jed long and thick at the top of his thigh and shivered.

Jed stopped breathing for a minute, too. Then he tugged on Remy’s shirt, pulling it out so that he could slip his whole hand under it, resting above the waist of Remy’s jeans. He dipped his fingers down below the waistband, not quite far enough to skim the curve of Remy’s ass but enough to make Remy shudder.

And then Jed was pulling Remy in tight, pinning him into place. Remy shivered again at the feeling of Jed’s erection against him, the rough skin of Jed’s fingers just above his crease.

“Maybe you should care.” Jed’s fingers swept back and forth, and Remy was losing his mind.

“Why? I told you, I don’t. Why are we still talking?”

Remy turned his face into Jed’s neck again. He smelled so good. A little sweaty with a hint of spice and a taste of the whiskey he’d been drinking at the bar. Remy pressed an open-mouthed kiss to Jed’s neck and felt Jed tighten his arm around Remy’s back so much that Remy almost couldn’t breathe anymore.

“Okay,” Jed said, like he was trying to convince himself of something. “Okay.”

He was giving in. It was happening, and Remy’s control snapped. He thrust his hips and buried his face in Jed’s neck where it sloped into his shoulder and breathed deeply. He wanted to touch and smell and taste Jed everywhere, all at once.

“Slow down, though.” Jed’s voice was low and rough. He grabbed Remy’s hips and held him in place.

Remy stopped moving. Breathed Jed in, again. Waited, again.

“We still need to do this right.” Jed’s voice was low. “You should be asking me if I’m negative. Which I am.”

“I was tested when I started here. I’m negative, too. All good.”

“And we haven’t talked about what you like. Whether we’d work together this way.” Jed apparently had way more self-control than Remy, because Remy was past ready to be done talking.

“I like this.” Remy pressed another open-mouthed kiss under Jed’s ear, then another, using his tongue at the hinge of Jed’s jaw. Jed was salty and warm, and Remy couldn’t get enough. “I just really, really want you to touch me more.”

“I want that, too.” Jed turned his head into Remy’s so his breath tickled Remy’s ear. Remy gasped, rotated his hips hard against Jed’s, and let out a groan. It hurt so much and it felt so good and it had been so long and Jed was being so careful.

“But,” Jed said, voice hoarse, hands dropping to Remy’s ass and gripping tight. “I need to know that you’ll tell me what you like.”