Page 25 of Asystole

“Okay, okay. I’ve got it,” I say, trying to remove my hands before I do something stupid like dig my fingertips into his warm flesh or accidentally get hard from the contact.

“Do you?” he asks, letting go of my hands, allowing me to sit back on my heels.

I nod.

“Then show me.”

“I just did. Or were you not present for the gropefest?” I snark. But as soon as the words leave my mouth, I wish I could take them back. I didn’t mean to conjure up any negative memories for him and that dickwad, Cameron.

“If that was how you grope, it’s no wonder you’re single,” he fires back with that easy smile of his.

My eyes widen in surprise.

I never have any idea of what’s going to come out of his mouth, but relief floods my veins that nothing about this situation seems to remind him of the other one. Thank God.

“Show me where the pads go,” he repeats.

I cup my hands as if they were the pads he’s talking about and place one on his right pec and one on his left side.

Fuck.

His skin is warm and smooth, and now I’m noticing the trail of hair from his belly button down to the waistband of his jeans. Ohmygod, it’s the same deep red as the hair on his head. I mean, of course it is, but I’ve never seen a redhead, and now I’m insanely curious.

As though he’s able to read my mind, Chase flashes me a cocky grin.

“Yes, the carpet matches the drapes,” he says smugly.

“What!?”

“The hair at the base of my dick…it matches the hair on my head. That’s what you were wondering, right?”

I scrub a hand down my face, but that was the wrong thing to do because it smells like his skin. Suddenly, my tiny condo feels even smaller than normal.

“Fuck, Chase. I’m sorry. You’re giving up time to help me, and here I am, being weird as hell. I just can’t seem to get my shit together today.”

Chase sits all the way up now, planting his feet flat on the floor and draping his forearms across his knees.

“It’s all good, Logan. I’m just messing with you. Hell, if you got hard for me, I’d take it as a compliment. I used to try to get a rise out of Hanlon, if you know what I mean, but it never worked.”

My mouth falls open.

“You used to try making Hanlon hard? That’s kind of fucked up,” I say, scooting back to create some much-needed space between our bodies.

“No! Well, I mean, yes. But not to be an asshole. When Hanlon came out to me, I was hellbent on making sure he never felt like he had to hide anything from me and could be himself. I needed him to know I wasn’t weirded out or anything, so I’d hug him all the time. It really got to me when he had his first serious boyfriend. I hated the guy because he took Han’s time and attention away from me. Then I hated him because I didn’t think he was good enough for my Hanny, since the guy was arrogant as fuck. So, I started being overly affectionate toward Hanlon whenever he was around, but somewhere along the way I realized I’m a physical touch kind of guy. I asked Hanlon if he wanted me to stop, but he said he didn’t mind since he saw me as a brother and not anything more.”

I scoff.

“Yeah, well, considering the things he does with his actual brother, maybe he was more into you than you think.”

Suddenly, Chase’s good-natured attitude is gone.

“Hey. They aren’t related by blood. I get that you’re pissed because Hanlon ended up with Stone, but he’s still my best friend, and you can’t talk shit about him. Not to me.”

I sigh.

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” I concede, admiring Chase’s loyalty.

“And my bad if I was too forward,” Chase apologizes. “I didn’t have any boundaries with Hanlon, and it’s been a while since I was around someone who reminds me of that easy friendship.”