Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Zane chuckles, and I approach him, inspecting his work. “Yeah, the rest of that’ll be plenty. But speed it up. I gotta get you on potato duty after this.”
“I like when you boss me around in the kitchen,” he says, looking me over.
“Funny because I like when you boss me around in other areas.” I squat down and hook my arm around him. As I kiss his neck, my pelvis slides right up against his little ass.
“You’re distracting me,” he says as I caress his crotch.
“Your cock isn’t complaining.”
“You will be if we start running behind.”
“Fair point.” I give him a quick lick on his cheek before restraining myself.
“You keep playing dirty like that, and I’m gonna give your ass something to be distracted by.”
My cock shifts in my briefs at the promising threat.
“Okay,” I say, inspecting the pot of boiling noodles. “We don’t have time to fuck around, Z. They’re gonna be here in two hours, and we’re already running behind.”
“I’m making great time for an amateur. You’re the temptress trying to lure me into distractions.”
“Who the fuck says temptress?” I say with a laugh.
“Sounds like something a temptress might say.” He sneaks a glance over his shoulder at me, glaring.
“You better stop being a dork.”
“You love when I’m a dork.”
“Yeah, but you keep it up, Z, and you’re gonna have to stick that dick in me again, and then we’ll really be behind.” I’d underestimated how long it would take the turkey to cook, and I need the oven for other dishes.
Zane says, “Have I told you you’re adorable when you try to act like everything’s fine, but you’re really stressing out?”
“Honestly, I was thinking you haven’t told me how adorable I am today at all.”
“I’m saving it for after we stuff ourselves so that you’ll let me stuff you.” He glances over his shoulder, looking particularly proud of himself for that one.
I don’t know why he’s in this silly mood, but I fucking can’t get enough of it.
As I fetch the potatoes from the pantry, he says, “So you don’t know the people your friend Steven invited?”
“No, but he says they’re cool. He met them at the rec center. Part of a racquetball group.”
“I’m glad you’re doing this.”
His comment catches me by surprise. “Really? I was thinking, given what you said about small talk and people-ing, this would be a nightmare for you.”
“It is, but you aren’t like that. Clearly, you’re more social. Like how you said you’d make food for a bunch of kids at the dorms. Even just as soon as I came over, I don’t know…you seem really excited about having people over and getting to share all this with them.”
He’s not wrong. “I guess it’s making me feel more like my old self, you know?”
“I hear that.”
After he finishes up the last bit of the cheese block, I check the thermometer on the turkey again, and we’re good to go. So we pull it out and get to work on the other dishes I have lined up before reheating some of the ones I made the night before. When Steven, Ilsa, and Max arrive, we’re still a little behind, but they’re quick to offer to help set up at the dining room table, and soon, we’re enjoying our Thanksgiving meal together.
Since they arrived, I can tell Zane’s pushing himself out of his comfort zone as he chats everyone up. I like that he can’t stop being himself, fidgeting with his hands or glancing uncomfortably around the room like he’s not sure how he’s supposed to act. At first, they seem to struggle with his sarcasm, but they catch on fast enough.
As we’re sitting, chatting, Ilsa finally asks, “So how long have you and Zane known each other?”
I turn to Zane, who wears a blank expression. Funny because we probably should have considered that we would get asked about how we knew each other.
“Only since last month,” I say. “He lives next door, and we hit it off.”
“Yeah,” Zane adds. “I broke into his house one night, held a gun to him. Pretty much scared the shit out of him, and we haven’t been able to stop hanging out ever since.”
My mouth hangs open as Max, Ilsa, and Steven burst into laughter.
“Oh my God,” Ilsa exclaims. “I love it! Zane, you are too much. Never know what you’re gonna come up with next.”
“True,” I say, “you don’t.” I turn to him, and he’s grinning ear to ear, clearly enjoying the reaction he got by simply stating a truth no one was going to fucking believe.
“So Steven says you were going to GSU,” Max says, “and you took the semester off.”
I turn to Zane again, this time for a very different reason.
Steven’s eyes widen, and I freeze up before I feel something on my leg. I’m so thrown, it takes me a moment to realize it’s Zane’s hand. He rubs his thumb along my jeans. Such a simple gesture, but it’s like he shot me up with a sedative. “Yeah. I did.”