Buzz Read online

  Wayne sat at the breakfast counter, reading the local paper while Sebastian was busy cooking.

  Wayne looked up at her arrival. His brown eyes studied her warmly, his slow smile making her clothes start to itch again. “Would you like coffee?”

  She shuffled her feet, trying to get comfortable. “Thanks.”

  “Black?”

  “A little milk, please.” So polite. With her pulse racing, she selected one of the other stools at the breakfast counter and perched.

  “What are you going to do today?” Wayne asked, placing a mug of coffee in front of her.

  Glad of something to do, she seized the coffee and took a cautious sip.

  “How’s the hand?” Sebastian asked, his gaze settling for an instant before returning to the pan in front of him.

  “What did you do to your hand?”

  Sebastian set plates in front of both of them. “She punched Giles in the nose.”

  “I’m not sorry,” she mumbled, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. Even though her hand still throbbed, she’d do it again.

  “He deserved it,” Sebastian said. “I wanted to hit him but she wouldn’t let me.”

  Wayne smirked. “Giles had it coming. I wish I’d been there.”

  “He’ll probably press charges,” Jen said.

  “You forget I was a witness.” Sebastian grabbed the third plate and the last remaining stool. “He’s probably too embarrassed to tell anyone what really happened.”

  “Your day sounds more exciting than mine. I played rugby with the relations and ate lunch. If Giles causes any trouble let us know. Okay?”

  Jen nodded even though she didn’t mean it. She was an adult and more than capable of taking care of herself.

  “I see Ms. Knowall has a column in the paper,” Wayne said.

  Sebastian snorted. “Who is she darting with her poisonous pen this week?”

  “Evidently the Children of Nature Cult is in disarray. Some of their women of marriageable age are refusing to marry within the cult. And there’s mention of new products coming from Fancy Free in time for Valentine’s Day.”

  Jen took a sip of coffee. “Does anyone know who is writing the column these days? It was Gaby’s sister, but she promised not to write another column after the debacle with Gaby at the supermarket.”

  “We’ll have to quiz Gaby tonight.” Wayne whipped his cell phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial. After a brief conversation with Fletch, he hung up. “Fletch said he’d check with Gaby and Liam, but he thought they could make it.”

  “Do you want me to make a dessert?” Jen asked.

  “Sounds good,” Sebastian said.

  Gradually some of the tension lifted from her. Wayne and Sebastian were nice. Spending time with them wouldn’t be a hardship, especially with Gaby to help bolster her nerves.

  Chapter Five

  This barbeque had been a bad idea. Gaby had been sending her speculative looks ever since she, Fletch and Liam had arrived. So far she hadn’t managed to get Jen alone to quiz her. Judging by Gaby’s determined demeanor it wouldn’t be long until she faced an inquisition.

  “I put my house on the market today.” As far as diversions went this was a good one.

  “What?” Wayne asked.

  “Why?” Gaby demanded.

  Sebastian just stared at her, flanked by Liam and Fletch who appeared equally interested.

  “It’s too big for one person.” Jen squared her shoulders. “The house needs a family.”

  “But what will you do? Where will you go?” Gaby asked.

  “I’ll buy an apartment or something smaller eventually. The real estate market is flat at present. The agent said sales are slow in Sloan, and it might take a long time, but selling makes sense.”

  “And now?” Wayne asked.

  “I’ll look for a suitable flat, not far from school.”

  “Anyone want another drink?” Sebastian asked.

  “I like this song,” Fletch said. “Dance with me.” He grabbed Liam and yanked him into his arms, smooching as he started to dance. Liam laughed and relaxed against Fletch, his lips grazing Fletch’s cheek. They murmured in undertones, clearly at ease with each other.

  Jen stared, their intimacy reminding her of that morning when Wayne and Sebastian had kissed.

  “Don’t gawk,” Gaby said.

  “They look happy.” Jen had seen them interact before, but this time seemed different. Not that she thought any less of the two men. It was kinda sexy, and she was flattered that they liked her enough to feel comfortable. Both men were equally affectionate and demonstrative with Gaby.

  A masculine arm slipped around her shoulders. “Feeling left out, Jen?” Sebastian whispered, his breath warm against her ear. “Come and dance with me.”

  Jen found herself slow-dancing with Sebastian out on the deck. “Do you think any of them feel left out?”

  “I don’t know. Ask Gaby,” Sebastian said.

  Something in his voice made her move back so she could see his face. “Are you okay?”

  “Confused.” Chagrin chased across his face at the admission.

  Jen glanced around, head turning, gaze darting, but no ready answer pounced out at her. “You and me both. I feel as if I’m on a rollercoaster without a safety belt. I don’t like it.”

  “You can always get off.”

  Jen sucked in a hasty breath, giving a slight shake of her head. This was so new, but she’d regret fleeing from Wayne and Sebastian. She just knew it. “I don’t think I can.”

  “This situation scares you.”

  “Doesn’t it worry you?”

  “Hell yeah.” Sebastian’s grasp tightened on her shoulders, his face displaying the same turmoil that traversed her mind. “I’m taking each day one at a time. I hate the out-of-control feeling.”

  Jen nodded, a wave of sympathy filling her. She understood the off-balance sensation. Heck, she was living it right along with him.

  The song ended and another took its place.

  “My turn,” Wayne said.

  Jen stepped away from Sebastian and turned expectantly to Wayne. Wayne winked at her and put his arms around Sebastian.

  “Right, that does it. We’re going to talk.” Gaby grabbed Jen’s arm and dragged her inside into the kitchen. “What’s going on with you guys?”

  “Nothing,” Jen said, going with the truth because it was easier. “I spent the night here last night.”

  “Nada?” Gaby almost screeched. “You’re telling me I’m imagining things?”

  “I hurt my hand. Sebastian drove me to the doctor.”

  “Old news. My mother rang me this morning wanting deets.”

  Jen blinked in shock even though she was aware of the gossip vine in Sloan. “Everyone knows?”

  “Yeah, well fight out in the street and that’s what happens,” Gaby said, waving it off as inconsequential. “Although from what I hear, Giles deserved it.” She paused, her eyes widening. “You’re not going to distract me. If nothing happened then why are you here tonight?”

  Jen frowned. “They asked me, and I said yes.”

  “And what are you going to do next?”

  “Refuse to answer nosy questions. It’s not as if I know the answers anyway. What’s the story about the new sex toy coming out? The one the cult is protesting about.”

  “Top secret,” Gaby said, tapping the side of her nose with her forefinger. “I could do with someone to test out the design I’m working on at present though.”

  “A vibrator?”

  “Of sorts,” Gaby said with a laugh.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It’s a vibrating butt plug.”

  “I guess I could try that.”

  “Your men might like it too.” Gaby’s black curls danced as she laughed. “Liam and Fletch do. I’ll drop it off after work tomorrow.”

  “What are you doing?” Sebastian demanded in an undertone.

  Definitely testy. Wayne bit back a grin. “Goi
ng with my gut instinct.”

  “Which is to flirt with me? You’re lucky I didn’t punch you in the nose.”

  Yep, now was not the time to smirk. Wayne moved in time to the music, not much more than a sway really. Dancing with Sebastian was fun. Fletch and Liam hadn’t reacted with anything other than grins, and after the initial shock Sebastian had gradually relaxed in his embrace.

  “Don’t be silly. You want me.” Aw, hell. Blabbermouth. This wasn’t the best time to force this conversation. He sure as hell didn’t want to give Sebastian a chance to run. But having their friends around acted as a kind of a buffer. At least for this initial conversation.

  “I’m sorry.” Sebastian’s throat worked in a swallow, his shoulders hunching, and Wayne could see the fear in his friend, the shame.

  “No!” Fuck he didn’t want to make Sebastian uncomfortable or to make him think he should run. “Don’t apologize. It doesn’t scare me.” His fingers bit into Seb’s biceps. “This doesn’t scare me.”

  Sebastian checked the whereabouts of the others before leaning closer. “You’re not worried about the fact that I want to touch your cock?”

  “I liked kissing you this morning. Besides, I’ve seen your cock. There’s nothing scary about it.”

  “Yeah, well.” Sebastian averted his gaze, and Wayne noticed a tinge of pink creeping into his cheeks. “What about your family? What will they think?”

  “It’s none of their business. I’ve told you that.” Wayne hesitated, then decided to spit out the question uppermost in his mind. “Have you had sex with a guy before?”

  A choking sound came from Sebastian, and Wayne widened the distance between them to scan Sebastian’s expression. A whole raft of emotions flickered for him to see, not that he could understand shit.

  Sebastian’s mouth worked but there was no sound.

  “Seb?”

  “Jesus, no!” Sebastian snapped.

  “So it’s only me you want.”

  “Stop making fun of me.”

  “I’m not. Look we’ll talk later tonight when everyone has gone. Just you and me.”

  Sebastian shrugged without looking at him. “Whatever. I thought you’d want me to leave.”

  “You’re not going anywhere.” Wayne grinned, feeling good about the decision. “So, it’s a date.”

  “It’s not a date.”

  “Yes it is. We can even have a drink, but don’t think you’re gonna get lucky. I don’t put out on the first date.”

  “Jesus,” Sebastian muttered. “I need a drink.” He pulled away and stomped off, leaving Wayne standing alone. A slow grin broke free. This dating business could be fun.

  During the rest of the evening Sebastian waited for smart-arse comments from Fletch and Liam. They didn’t come, not one of their friends passing judgment or even commenting.

  Sebastian fought the trepidation stalking him, the anxiety that settled on his shoulders like a heavy bag of cement. He didn’t know what Wayne wanted from him, was worried about what it might mean.

  Gaby, Fletch and Liam left just after eleven, taking Jen with them.

  Sebastian frowned after the tail lights of the departing vehicle. “I could have dropped Jen at her place.”

  “I didn’t want to give you the opportunity to duck out on me. You’ve looked petrified every time I caught your gaze.”

  “I am,” Sebastian mumbled, frightened to even look at Wayne.

  “You want another drink?”

  “Nah, we need to be on the job site at six tomorrow morning. I don’t want to do it with a hangover.”

  “Let’s go to bed then.”

  “Together?” Damn, his voice had squeaked like a teenager’s. He scuffed one bare foot over a black mark on the tiles. It didn’t shift.

  “I want to kiss you again. Come on.” Wayne grabbed his hand and towed Sebastian from the kitchen, turning off lights as they went. He dragged Sebastian into his room, his bare feet noiseless on the tiled floor.

  “What are we doing?”

  “We’re getting comfortable with each other because I want to know if my hard-on this morning was a one-off.”

  “You’d just kissed Jen.”

  Wayne started to unbutton Sebastian’s shirt. Sebastian’s heart attempted to escape his chest, battering his ribs with hard knocks and the accompanying sharp pain reminded him to breathe.

  “Don’t you worry,” Wayne said. “I’m clear about what I want from Jen. You like her, right?”

  “Jen’s amazing. Not many women her age would give up so much in order to look after their mother.”

  “See. Jen’s not the problem. We need to sort out whatever is going on with us. I’m done talking.” Wayne ran his palm across Sebastian’s chest. The calluses from his years of doing manual work dragged across Sebastian’s pectoral muscles, pulled at his nipples. A moan spilled from his parted lips and he shivered at the illicit pleasure skittering through him. Wayne slipped the shirt off Sebastian’s shoulders and tossed it aside. Rough fingers unfastened his belt and tugged at the zipper of his jeans.

  And Sebastian let him.

  All the time Wayne watched him closely until Sebastian felt like one of their new building apprentices on their first day of the job.

  Sebastian’s breaths seesawed from his lungs, harsh and loud. Finally self-preservation made him jerk from Wayne’s touch. “What are you doing? You’re starting to make me feel uncomfortable.”

  “Not awkward enough to leave my room,” Wayne said with a trace of smugness.

  “Smart-arse.” Sebastian bit back a verbal reaction when Wayne’s fingers skimmed his cock as he lowered the zipper. Even through the layer of denim and his boxer-briefs, it felt intimate. Too much. Not enough. Wayne tugged his jeans down his hips and urged him to step out of them.

  “Do you want to keep your underwear?”

  Sebastian hesitated. It wasn’t as if his boxers were doing a good job of hiding his growing erection.

  “Executive decision,” Wayne said, and before Sebastian could react, his friend whisked them down his legs. “On the bed. You can get under the covers if you want.”

  Sebastian followed the orders blindly, even as he silently debated the wisdom of remaining in his friend’s bedroom.

  In his bed.

  Naked.

  He watched Wayne undress and didn’t sense any of the nerves that he, himself, struggled with. Wayne always made his decisions quickly and once he’d made one, he never swerved from his goal. Never second-guessed his actions. He’d always been the same, for as long as Sebastian had known him.

  The sheets and duvet smelled like Wayne, and if anything the familiar scent ramped up his stress levels. Though try telling his dick this was wrong. Maybe that was why he was feeling so lightheaded. All the blood that normally helped his mind to function had zapped south for a fiesta.

  Wayne strutted to the bed. While he didn’t have a full-blown erection like Sebastian, he was getting there. Sebastian swallowed in an attempt to lubricate his mouth and throat.

  “You look like a cowering rabbit about to get jumped by a predator.”

  Sebastian huffed out a harsh breath. “Not far wrong.”

  “All I’m doing is taking your idea and running with it.”

  “Because you want to or because you want to placate me?” Sebastian’s sharp tone cut through the air, charging the atmosphere yet again, changing it to something prickly and explosive.

  “Seb, you have to decide if you trust me or not. I can’t make up your mind for you.”

  “That’s true.”

  “You’ve been thinking about this for a while.”

  “Yeah.”

  “All I want to do is kiss, touch and sleep together in the same bed for the rest of the night. There’s nothing daunting about that.”

  Sebastian gulped as Wayne climbed onto the bed and arranged the duvet over his lower body. They stared at each other and moved at the same time. Hands grasped shoulders. Flesh met flesh and lips joined in a kis
s. It was a hesitant yet surprisingly sensual kiss, the caution lighting a slow flame within Sebastian.

  Wayne squirmed closer. Heck Sebastian couldn’t argue with that. The urge to plaster himself against Wayne gripped him. Might as well go for broke. He pushed past his caution, deepening the tentative kiss, rimming Wayne’s mouth with his tongue. With his actions, he silently requested Wayne to give way and open to him. Wayne moaned and suddenly they were touching from mouth to knee. Their cocks brushed.

  Pleasure grabbed Sebastian by the scruff of the neck. Too much yet not enough. His tongue dueled with Wayne’s. A hard, muscular chest rubbed against his. Wayne pulled away, breathing hard. Sebastian grew rigid, suspecting that Wayne intended to shove him away.

  Too much. Too fast.

  But instead Wayne trailed kisses down Sebastian’s neck. He sucked a couple of bites of the tender skin, jolting Sebastian to the core.

  “Damn, that feels good.” The combination of raspy stubble and the hard draw of a mouth did things to his dick. Sebastian’s hips jerked, sliding their cocks together.

  Uneasy, he wondered what Wayne was thinking, because he wasn’t saying a word. Was he horrified? He wasn’t acting that way. Going on instinct, he ground his cock against Wayne’s, no longer pretending it was an accident. If Wayne was gonna freeze because of a little cock action then Sebastian needed to know now before he invested his heart.

  “Damn,” Wayne whispered. “Do that again.”

  Not the reaction he’d expected. Sebastian repeated the grinding motion, frustrated that it wasn’t enough. While it felt good, the friction exasperated him. He needed more.

  “Hell. Let me.” Wayne shifted a fraction and grabbed Sebastian’s cock. He curled his fingers around his shaft too and started to pump. Up and down. Up and down.

  Sebastian closed his eyes and blindly sought Wayne’s mouth. The hard strokes were exactly what he liked and never got from a woman. Pre-cum soon moistened the grasp of Wayne’s hand. Sebastian wasn’t sure if it came from him or Wayne but didn’t spend too much time pondering the question. Instead he continued to kiss Wayne, softening his mouth and taking the kisses into lazy and sensual.