“I’m not freaked out,” I assured him, wiping off my junk and pulling up my boxer briefs and jeans.
“I am!”
“Why?”
He bugged his eyes out as he shrugged his oxford shirt on. “Are you kidding? The better question is why aren’t you running away…fast? Every day this week, I’ve told myself this wouldn’t happen again. I told myself I wouldn’t share my days-of-the-week dinner and I wouldn’t talk to you. Because every time I talk to you, I like you a little more.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“I don’t want to like you, Aiden. I…you know what I mean. This is a disaster in the making. A disaster.” He threw his hands in the air, disappearing from view when he paced to the far end of the garage. “And I don’t know where my cape is.”
“Relax, George. We didn’t do anything wrong,” I whispered.
He reappeared in a flash. “I sucked your cock.”
“I know. I was there and it was awesome,” I enthused.
“Yes, I’m very good at it, but—do you know who I am? Simon will kill you. Or me. Or worse…he’ll be disappointed and—”
I grabbed his arm. “Hey, cool it, drama king. And leave Simon out of this. Whatever we do or don’t do is up to us. No one else. I’m serious, G. We’re adults. If you want to suck my dick, I’m okay with it and that’s all that matters.”
George furrowed his brow. “Is it really that simple? I’m a dude, Aiden. Is this a bi-curious thing or…what?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. It just feels…right.” I let go of his arm and raked my fingers through my hair. “I don’t have any deep thoughts about this. I’m going purely on instinct. And I like this direction. A lot. Playing it safe has put me in a slow, sinking spiral. I’m ready to take some chances. One of them is a new career and maybe the other is this.”
“This? Define ‘this.’ ”
“Sexual exploration of the dude variety,” I replied. “Look, you say you thought about this and that you weren’t going to talk to me or share your food and…I’ve been thinking the opposite. I hoped you’d show up and I hoped you’d stay. That isn’t my dick talking. Yeah, the hand jobs and BJ were fucking amazing, but it’s you too. I like you. A lot. I always have.”
“As my brother’s friend.”
“My friend,” I corrected. “You’re my friend too.”
He worried his bottom lip and sighed. “I don’t want to mess that up.”
“I don’t either.”
“That’s why this can’t happen again.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. I traced the row of buttons on his oxford shirt thoughtfully, then snapped my fingers.
“I have a better idea. What if we make our own playbook? We’ll set rules for your boss, but we’ll test them ourselves. Like an experiment.”
“What’s the hypothesis?”
“Sex is good.”
George huffed. “That’s a fact, not a theory.”
“True. Okay, how about a bi experiment. You’re bi and you know it. I think I am too, and you can help me…refute the idea.”
“Aiden…”
“We’ll run our experiment alongside Newton’s,” I continued quickly. “But we’ll be moving at a faster pace than Newton, so we’re sure we’re giving reliable advice.”
“We’re giving ‘How to get a date’ advice. Not ‘How to get laid.’ I refuse to talk sex with my supervisor,” he huffed.
“Understood. So we concentrate on the date part for him and make a few personal notes of our own. For the sake of…science. And your project.”
“My project?”
“Your script shit.”
George stared at me for so long, I was sure he was in the midst of casting a spell. Just when I thought there was a possibility I’d turn into a frog or start croaking like one, he spoke.
“If you were anyone else, I wouldn’t hesitate. I’d invite you inside now, introduce you to my friends, then lock my door and do anything you wanted.”
God, that sounded good. “But?”
“We should sleep on it. Maybe take a few days or better yet…let things progress naturally. Labels are crucial in science, but they can cause a lot of damage in real-life human interaction. I don’t want to label us as anything other than friends.”
I sucked in a cleansing breath and inclined my head. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Yeah. You know, it kills me to suggest this, but…I could maybe help you find someone more suitable to—”
“No,” I said firmly. “No way.”
“It’s not a terrible idea. We could go to a gay bar and see what’s what. Have you ever been to one?”
“Do I look like I’ve ever been to a gay bar?”
George glared. “Your toxic masculinity is showing.”
I scowled. “I’m not like that, and you know it. I’m also not going to a gay bar until you go to the fucking baseball game with me.”
He threw his hands in the air and stalked toward the driveway. “I said I’d go already.”
“Good. Be ready by six thirty.”