“WHAT, DEAR? SAY IT LOUDER SO THE REST OF US CAN HEAR.”
“HE SAID OZ IS SLEEPING WITH RUSS, WANDA,” Lolly called out with a shit-eating grin. “Xander, Bennett, you’re hosting the holidays from here on out, okay, sweeties?”
“I’m not sleeping with Russ. I’ve never even met the guy,” Oz muttered.
“Jake, Russ isn’t even in town. He’s in Florida,” Xander said.
“What?” I asked, swiveling my head around in shock. “But the Jeep—”
“Oz is borrowing the Jeep for the winter,” Bennett interjected.
Keith let out an exaggerated breath of relief. “Good. For a minute there, I thought I was horning in on someone else’s action.”
“You are,” I bit out without thinking.
“What? Whose?” Oz asked, forehead wrinkled in confusion.
“ARE THEY ALL GAY EXCEPT FOR JAKE HERE?” Poor Wanda looked both horrified and confused.
I felt myself starting to shake with frustration and looked around to see if the entire world had gone mad.
Lucky snuck the dogs some turkey, Xander snuck Steve’s bottle of my craft beer out from under his nose, Bennett poured more wine in everyone’s glasses when they weren’t looking, and Oz’s face turned a dangerous mottled shade of purple. He almost looked like he was going to burst into tears right there. I couldn’t stand the thought that I had anything to do with it.
“Jesus Christ, he’s not gay, alright? JAKE ISN’T GAY!” Oz suddenly burst out, his voice cracking just a little.
Before Oz could push back his chair and storm off, I turned and grabbed his face and slammed my mouth down on his the way I’d wanted to ever since the afternoon I’d found him stuck on the side of the road.
Chapter 9
Oz
In the space of about three seconds I went from angry, hurt, and disgusted to thoroughly, blissfully entranced in the time it took for Jake to grab me and cover my mouth with his.
What am I… what? What is he doing? Why…?
Those were all the things I should have said after pushing him away, but I couldn’t have talked even if I’d tried. I was too lost in the kiss. The warmth of his mouth, the softness of his lips, the tenderness of his hands as they brushed the sides of my face. I could smell his clean scent and feel the fine fabric of his dress shirt over the firm muscles of his chest. His throat made a low groaning sound, and I heard my own make more of a whimper.
Oh god, it was incredible.
It’s not real.
I pulled back as soon as the thought sank in, and I slapped him hard on the face. Gasps exploded around me, reminding me we weren’t alone. Not only had he fucked with me, he’d done it in front of our friends.
“Fuck you,” I spat before finally throwing back my chair and racing out of the room.
It had to be a joke. One done in such poor taste, I almost couldn’t believe it of him. I hadn’t thought he was that kind of guy–the kind to toy with someone’s feelings that way. He had to know I was attracted to him, so for him to kiss me just to prove… what? That he wasn’t actually homophobic?
Who did that? Who was that cruel?
I came to a stop when I realized I’d accidentally escaped into the pantry between the kitchen and mud room. I turned around to close the door for some privacy so I could burst into tears like the strong man I was, when someone came barging in right after me.
The door slammed closed behind Jake, and he stood blocking my escape. He flipped on the lights so there was no missing the play of emotions on his face as he stared at me.
“Move,” I snarled. “Get out of my fucking way.”
“Oz—”
“No. Nothing you can say to me right now is going to change the way I feel. Nothing is going to take away what you did back there. You lying sack of–”
His mouth crashed down on mine again, stealing my words away and swallowing them whole. I found myself instantly transformed from an indignant victim of his rude prank to a willing participant in the second-best kiss of my fucking life.
In that moment, Jake owned me whether I liked it or not.
His mouth controlled me with the barest touch and the lightest flick of his tongue against mine. He was sweetness and strength, ache and possession. While his lips softened their assault on my mouth, his hands began touching me everywhere.
“Not straight,” he spoke into my ear after his lips traced a path there with teasing nibbles. “Gay. Really very gay. With you, possibly even more gay.”
I moaned despite my best intentions and may have arched my throbbing cock up into his hip.
“Wha? I don’t… what?” My lungs were having a hard time supplying enough oxygen to my brain, and the only message I was sure of from my body was more, more, god please more.