I never laughed. The comedy is subpar.
“This was similar to how I lost my virginity,” Noah offers, taking a swig of his beer.
I cock an eyebrow and look over at him. “A prostitute?”
“An older woman who only wanted one thing.”
“Your money?”
I hear a breathy laugh and look over, seeing Kaleb’s chest and stomach shake a little. Did I just…? Did he just…?
Oh, my God. He laughed. At my joke.
I finish my beer and set the bottle on the coffee table, the glow from the fire the only thing lighting the dark room. “Well, I’m sorry things didn’t go better for both of you tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
“Last chance for overnight visitors,” I tease. “Nothing to play with this winter.”
Noah sits there a moment, looking like he’s contemplating something. “Maybe,” he says.
I narrow my eyes.
Maybe…
I nod. “You’re right. I mean, you can’t be the only people up here, right?” I ask. “There have to be other mountain men?”
He looks over at me. “Excuse me?”
“More warm bodies,” I clarify, maintaining a straight face. “There have to be more guys holed up in cabins up here, right? It’s okay. It happens in prison. Gay for the stay.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Excuse me?”
But before I can answer, he launches over, grabs my legs
and pulls me down the couch toward him as he jabs me in my ribs.
I try to hold back my laughter, but a little bit escapes. “Stop.”
“What did you say?” He pokes my inner thighs, and I slap at his hands.
“Well, you are kind of metro.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me what?” I curl, shielding myself from his fingers in my stomach.
“I saw you dancing with Cici at the race.” He leans over me, continuing his attack of jabs. “Maybe same-sex heat turns you on.”
I let out sad, little laughs but plead at him with my eyes. “Stop it.” I shove his hands away, but they keep coming back. “I mean, it’s okay. You have to cope with the seclusion somehow, right?”
He growls and grabs my feet, tickling the underside. I kick, laughing hard. “Stop it!”
But then, all of a sudden, he grabs me by the collar and pulls me up onto his lap.
He wraps his arms around me, whispering in my ear. “You wanna see how we really cope with the seclusion?”
My smile falls, my laughter gone, and I watch as he scrolls the TV’s files and finally clicks on one.