Page 51 of Clean Finish

I probably stared a bit too hard at his lean, muscled stomach and that line of hair. Then he leaned over to pick up his beer, making my gaze snap back up as heat flooded my whole body.

He gestured at the wrestlers in the pool. “Have fun.”

“Uh-huh,” I croaked, sneakily watching as he padded across the patio and up onto the deck.

There was a big brown freckle on his lower back, to the right of his spine. Just above the twin dimples that made me swallow thickly as I stared at them. His back was wide and ridiculously strong. I bet he could easily pick me up.

Less than a minute after he’d gone, I regretted not being a big boy and getting in the stupid hot tub with him. I should’ve just done it. I was already wearing my trunks, and I was sure I’d be able to pull my sweats off without accidentally tugging them down too.

But now if I got in there, he’d think I was, like, following him around or something. Like a lost little puppy. So I stayed where I was, getting tense and fidgety again as everyone drank and laughed and had fun around me.

You can’t just sit here like a dingus all afternoon.

I should get up and mingle. Go and sit with Corey in the shade and talk. Or strike up a conversation with the actual Assmo Dickus, who was sitting behind Susan on a lounger and hugging her tightly, resting his chin on her shoulder as they laughed at the guys messing around in the pool.

Or I could go and see if Biff needed help on the grill. Except I didn’t really feel like flirting with Gabe and Biff today. I didn’t really feel like talking to anyone, except…

I glanced over my shoulder at the hot tub, then immediately whipped my head back around when I caught Seb’s eye. The four of them were chilling out in there, their big bodies taking up a ridiculous amount of space. Three werewolves and a cyclops, although Brian was the only one currently in his werewolf form. Even if I wanted to get in there with them, I’d have to squish between two of them. Or maybe I could just sit really close to Seb. Or on his lap…

Sighing, I stayed where I was. Cora was asleep now anyway, twitching against my crossed legs, and I didn’t want to disturb her. Hunching over, I pulled out my phone and kept my gaze fixed on it so it would look like I was busy, not just waiting for this to be over.

Chapter Fourteen

Lesson 3

Larkin

When it got dark, I took off my baseball cap. My scalp prickled as the sweat started to dry in the cooler night air, but the ends of my hair had already dried off. I’d eventually relented and briefly gotten in the pool, after Heidi and a few of the others kept encouraging me to join them. Mainly because I’d been so fucking bored just sitting here that I’d grown desperate to do anything that would make the day a bit more interesting.

I’d clutched the back of my trunks while awkwardly tugging off my sweats onehanded, and I’d spent the entire time in the water constantly hitching them up self-consciously and shooting glances at the hot tub.

Seb had gotten out briefly when the food was ready, and he’d come and joined me again on the loungers, passing me a paper plate with a burger on it and a fresh can of soda. I’d perked up again, chatting with him and sneaking Cora tiny bits of my burger when Corey wasn’t looking, but then Ludo and Kenneth had come to join us, perching on the edge of the lounger Mads had vacated a while ago.

I’d managed to laugh and joke along with them, but I just wasn’t feeling it today. I wasn’t feeling all that sociable, which was pretty rare for me.

Once they’d finished eating, they’d all got back in the hot tub, with Seb once again asking me if I wanted to join them. That was before I’d given in and gotten in the pool, so I’d shaken my head and acted like I was having a great time just sitting here.

Now, I was wrapped up in my towel, because I was getting cold but didn’t want to put my sweats back on while my trunks were still a little damp.

I could’ve been having a fuckletics session right now.

I wondered what Seb had planned for tomorrow. Hopefully it wouldn’t end up being more talking, although that had turned out surprisingly hot and had ended with an impromptu frotting sesh, which I’d enjoyed immensely.

But actually, I liked talking to Seb anyway. Even when it wasn’t about sex stuff. I glanced at the time on my phone and saw that it was just after nine, then found myself wondering again what we’d have been doing right now if our lesson hadn’t gotten delayed.

I risked a peek back at the hot tub, hoping he wouldn’t see me looking now that it was dark out here. He’d been in there literally all day. Maybe he didn’t like talking to me as much as I liked talking to him.

I sighed and turned back, then made sure to give Taylor a big grin as he passed. I didn’t want them to think I wasn’t enjoying myself. It hadn’t been terrible. I’d gotten to see Seb in a pair of swimming trunks and nothing else—that was something. And it’d been nice chatting with the wrestlers in the end. I’d eventually gotten less nervous when none of them had flirted with me too overtly. Probably partly because they were drinking and I wasn’t, which I appreciated, but also because I wasn’t flirting with any of them.

It had kind of become like a reflex at work. I wasn’t sure why. But here, away from the club and in a setting where everyone was relaxed and having fun, it’d been nice to just hang out with them without any of the heavy, flirtatious undercurrent.

I’d chatted with Vince for a while when he’d come and sunbathed beside me, and he’d seemed to quickly realise that I wasn’t in the mood to flirt or anything, because he’d just joked around and succeeded in perking me up a bit. Susan had come over at one point to introduce me to Asmo, so I’d stuttered through that conversation like a total dork, even though he’d been super friendly and cool.

Some of the wrestlers were on their way to being pretty wasted by now, especially after Carl—the vampire Blood Suckapunch—had arrived once it was dark with a bottle of tequila. Kit had spent the majority of the afternoon drinking beer on the roof of the porch, and at some point they’d managed to procure a big bowl of olives, which they began launching at Dan, who tried to catch them in his mouth by throwing his head into the air.

I was aimlessly texting Hans when I felt something bounce off the top of my head. Looking up, I saw the outline of Kit’s big moth wings as they waved down at me.

“Come up and join me, bro,” they called jovially.