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Either Matt didn’t notice his retreat, or he didn’t react to it. Instead, he asked more questions about drink recipes and created a single-serving version of the Rum Punch under Robby’s tutelage.
Matt smacked his lips together in approval with his first taste. “Almost like a real bartender made it!” Drink in hand, he settled himself back on the sofa. “I may need to crash on your sofa tonight, man.”
“It’s all yours.” He sat on the sofa’s far end. “Don’t you have a shift at the bar tomorrow?”
“Sure do. Ten AM. I’ve got my boy too. He’s going to stay with my mom while I finish my shift.” Matt released a yawn into the crook of his arm.
Robby perked up. Matt never brought up his son. “What’s his name?”
“Jimmy. He’s one. Smart as hell, my kid. Best thing I ever did. I just wish I could have him with me all the time.”
“Your ex getting in the way?”
“My—oh, Patty. Yeah, you could say that. Things with her are complicated.”
“Tell me about her.” Robby wanted to know everything.
Matt’s pinched expression eased. “We met at DragonCon. I’d never been, but I saved all the money I earned from cutting grass and washing cars to pay for the ticket, and it was worth every cent, just to watch from the sidelines. Heck, it would’ve been worth it forThe Walking Deadpanel alone.”
He swallowed more punch. “Patty recognized me from school, even though I didn’t recognize her. To be fair, though, she was covered in body paint and dressed in some kind of sexy alien costume from the Shatner-eraStar Trek.”
His gaze went distant. “We read the same comic books, loved the same sci-fi shows. She embraced my inner geek. We were like two peas in a pod all through the rest of high school and college. Until we slept together, and it all turned to shit.” He shook his head. “I ruined our friendship by letting it go somewhere I knew it shouldn’t go. I hurt her, and she hates me.”
Wow. Hate seemed like big leap from embarrassed or disappointed. How could anyone hate Matt? “I doubt she hates you, she—”
“Trust me. She tells me every chance she gets how much I hurt her. How I took advantage of her friendship.” Matt scowled into his drink before taking a big gulp. “She thinks I’m gay. That I’m lying to myself and when we were together, I was lying to her.”
Robby gaped. “Wh—why would she think that?”
He buried his head in his hands. “Because I never dated anyone in high school. Never had any crushes or hook-ups. The only person in my life was Patty, and we were just friends. After a while, though, I knew she wanted more. I thought, what the hell? You know? Ididlove her. I do.”
Robby’s breath caught when Matt’s hand rested on his leg. When had they gotten so close? He looked up to see a new awareness in the man’s eyes. It made his dick wake up and take notice.
“But you don’t love her the way she loves you.” Robby licked his lower lip.
Matt’s eyes were wide, the brown rings of his iris shrinking against the blackness of his pupils. He shook his head slowly.
Robby inched closer. Just a fraction, but he felt the heat of Matt on his skin.
“Is it possible she may be right?” Robby’s voice barely rose above a whisper. “Have you ever—have you ever kissed another man?” His heart banged against his chest.
“I’ve never kissed anyone except Patty. I never wanted to.”
The grip on his leg tightened, and his dick was so hard, it almost hurt. But he found it a pleasurable kind of pain. He fought the urge to wrap his fingers around it while Matt’s eyes were locked on him. “Do you want to now?”
Robby’s left leg rested firmly against Matt’s and his entire body strained for more.
He didn’t wait for an answer. Ignoring the warning sirens blaring in his head, he leaned forward and finally, finally took what he wanted. His lips met Matt’s, and he groaned with the rightness of it.
Matt held still at first. A second. Two. Then, he yielded, and the surrender tasted so damn sweet. They kissed softly, breathlessly, as if neither had ever kissed another person before. As if they both knew this moment could change everything.
Robby slid his tongue over Matt’s bottom lip, tasting the bite of rum, and for a heartbeat, Matt’s tongue peeked out to brush against him.
But all too soon, Matt pulled away and rested his forehead against Robby’s.
“We can’t. I can’t.”
Robby’s heart thudded against his chest. Had he read everything wrong?
