Gage licked his lips, shoving down his suddenly-hard length.
He watched until O’Neil disappeared. Then he pumped his cock, feeling distinctly disappointed.
Why? Because he didn’t get a chance to feel O’Neil come apart beneath him?
10
Insecurities
For the rest of the week, Ulric couldn’t bring himself to face Gage.
Every morning, he listened for the sounds of Gage leaving the house. It was only when he was certain that Gage had driven off, that Ulric emerged from his study to make himself breakfast.
In the evenings, Ulric’s alarm clock would ring. He’d jump and drop his reports, and change into his gym clothes. Ulric would wait for Gage to shut himself in his room, before sneaking out of his own house, getting into his car, and driving off.
He’d begun spending hours at the gym, just waiting for Gage to go to sleep. He’d start one of the relaxing bike rides through the autumn leaves, cycling as the minutes ticked by. Then, when he’d moved through all the difficulty levels, he’d head over to the bench press, doing a few reps. Then a few more.
Sometimes, he wished Gage would step into the gym like he had that one night. He wished that Gage would spot for him on the bench press again, he wished he would get to see Gage up close, his pecs beautiful, his legs open around Ulric’s head.
Ulric had noticed some new things in the other bedroom. Not the one with Gage’s bed, but the empty one. Somehow, Gage had gotten a bench press in there, along with an exercise bike and a few other pieces of equipment. Most of which Ulric didn’t even understand.
Gage had even stuck a note on the door. Feel free to use these, he’d written.
Ulric appreciated his generosity. The thing was, he did not want to attempt to use one of Gage’s things—and somehow fall flat on his face. He wasn’t even going to take a chance. Gage probably knew that, too.
This evening, Ulric slipped out through his front door, listening for Gage. The house was silent. So he hurried to his car, pausing when one of his neighbors jogged by with a dog.
“Hey.” The man smiled, slowing down. He was an older alpha—Ulric had glimpsed him a couple times before. In fact, he almost looked familiar. “You moved in recently, didn’t you? I’m Phil. My friends call me King.”
King seemed friendly. Ulric hadn’t been sure how well he’d fit into a street like this. If it was money they were concerned about, at least he had that. “Ulric O’Neil. I moved here from New York. And, uh. I’ve got a friend living with me. His name is Gage.”
King shook his hand. “What a coincidence—I moved here from New York, too. Great to meet you guys. Hey, Crumbs. Don’t get your paws all over him.”
Crumbs seemed to be a mutt of some sort. He’d sniffed at Ulric, and then he’d all but pawed up Ulric’s thigh, wagging his tail.
Warily, Ulric held still. He wasn’t sure he liked dogs. He’d heard stories about dogs biting people, and he’d spent his life holding his breath whenever he passed them, thinking they might bite him, too. But if he was being logical, all the dogs he’d met had only ever wanted to sniff at him.
King tugged his dog back with a laugh. “Sorry. He can be a bit enthusiastic.”
“That’s fine,” Ulric said.
King gave a friendly smile. “You haven’t met the rest yet, have you? The rest of us on this street.”
Actually, Ulric hadn’t. He was a bit of a homebody. And he hadn’t had great experiences with his neighbors in the past.
“Tell you what, we’re having a small get-together tomorrow. Why don’t you and Gage join us? Over at Phinny’s place. 4PM. That one.”
King nodded at the house at the end of the street. A tall iron fence surrounded that entire property—kind of foreboding.
“Sure,” Ulric made himself agree. This was a new beginning. He figured he should get to know his neighbors, since he wasn’t planning on returning to New York. “I’ll see if Gage is free.”
King gave him a thumbs-up. “Great. See you then.”
King jogged off with Crumbs, leaving Ulric standing awkwardly in his driveway. Slowly, Ulric trudged over to his car, half-wishing he hadn’t accepted the invitation. It meant he had to talk to Gage about it. Now. Because the get-together was tomorrow.
Ulric sighed. As much as he wanted to avoid Gage, he shouldn’t just send Gage a text. He had to return to the house, look for Gage, and—maybe Gage might be half-naked, shower water dripping down his chest.
Okay, maybe Ulric wanted to go talk to him.
He swore at his traitorous body, trying not to feel awkward. He hadn’t met Gage face-to-face since Monday night. And it was now Friday evening.
How likely was it that Gage would’ve forgotten that disastrous night? Not likely at all.
Wishing he were more of an alpha, and less attracted to other alphas, Ulric stepped back into the house. The downstairs lights were still dimmed—was Gage upstairs? One of the bedroom lights was on. The one for Gage’s home gym.
Ulric paused at the door, knocking before he peeked into the room. Then he froze.
Gage was lying flat on his bench press, lifting what looked to be a couple hundred pounds of weights.
He was shirtless. He was wearing a pair of shorts. And only that. Ulric wanted to taste every inch of his exposed skin.
Gage glanced at Ulric. He did a couple more pumps before saying, “Hey. Mind spotting for me?”
Ulric’s throat went dry. “Um. Sure. I don’t know how, though.”
Gage heaved the barbell back onto its rack, nodding behind himself. “Stand here. You’ve seen me spot for you. Here, I’ll demonstrate.”
He sat up, his chest a glorious expanse of muscle, his abs so defined—he belonged on the front page of a magazine. Or on a billboard, or something.
Gage stood behind the bench press, showing Ulric the right posture for spotting. Then he
