“Do you think I’m sick?” he said, barely audibly.
He felt Nick’s gaze on the side of his face. “Sick?” he said, just as quietly.
On the screen, someone screamed again.
Wetting his lips, Tyler turned his head to Nick. “Do you think I’m sick for getting off on…you know?”
He felt Nick’s breathing hitch. Of course Nick was surprised. They never really talked about what they got up to in bed—and definitely not when Nick was in his best mate mode. Tyler felt like he was breaking an unspoken rule. Even his ears felt uncomfortably hot, but Tyler didn’t look away from Nick. The semi-darkness helped, giving him the courage to talk about it, but he still felt beyond embarrassed.
“That’s a pretty tame kink,” Nick said, his tone carefully neutral. “I once dated a guy who wanted me to pretend we were related while we had sex.”
“Yikes,” Tyler said.
Nick snorted softly. “It’s just a sexual fantasy. He wasn’t actually attracted to his brother.” His eyes bored at Tyler. “It is just a sexual fantasy for you, right? Because it’s absolutely okay if it isn’t.”
Tyler had never felt so uncomfortable in his life. “I’m not transsexual,” he mumbled, his face warm. That he was sure of after all the Googling he’d done. Apparently there was a big difference between cross-gender kink and transsexuality, and one should never be mistaken for the other. Tyler definitely didn’t identify as a woman. He just got off to the idea of having girl bits—he didn’t actually want to have them; he was very fond of his cock and balls, thank you very much. “I guess I’m just a freak who’s into some kinky shit,” he murmured, making a face.
Nick pulled Tyler closer and brushed his lips against his temple. “Stop that. You’re not a freak, Ty.”
Tyler shivered from the innocent contact, instantly craving more. When Nick started pulling away, Tyler couldn’t stop a whine from escaping his throat.
Nick paused and looked at him. Tyler was pretty sure Nick couldn’t read his expression well in such dim light, but something must have given him away. Nick inhaled sharply, his hand tightening on Tyler’s shoulder.
“Tyler,” he said, a clear warning in his voice.
Nick didn’t need to say it aloud for Tyler to get it. He knew they shouldn’t cross more lines than they already had. They were supposed to be hanging out like buddies now. It was neither the time nor the place for something else. Nick’s entire family was a few feet away, for fuck’s sake. Their no-strings-attached sexual relationship was never supposed to bleed into their everyday life, into their friendship.
Tyler pursed his lips, panic rising in his chest. What was he doing? He was straight. Had he forgotten it already? “Yeah. You’re right. Sorry.”
He turned back to the TV and tried his best to focus on the movie. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t relax. Nick was very tense next to him, too.
After a few minutes, Nick gritted out, “Damn you,” and nuzzled into Tyler’s ear, breathing unsteadily.
Tyler shuddered, his eyes slipping shut and his mouth falling slack as Nick’s tongue licked his earlobe. He turned his head, seeking Nick’s mouth blindly and gasping when he finally found it. Fuck, this was madness. They were in a room full of people. They could be discovered kissing any moment now, but Tyler couldn’t pull away to save his life. He whimpered into Nick’s mouth, arching when Nick’s hand started creeping up his thigh, up and up until Nick was finally stroking him through his sweatpants.
Tyler moaned against Nick’s lips, but thankfully the noise was drowned out by the screams coming from the TV. “Nick,” he whispered hoarsely, peppering Nick’s jaw with kisses as he worked his way down Nick’s neck.
His phone went off.
Tyler wrenched himself away and scrambled for his phone before the Hardaways could look back at them.
The caller ID made his throat close up.
“Dad?” he croaked out, blind panic rising in his chest when he realized what they had been doing—what they had nearly done. In a public place, in a room full of people. Fuck fuck fuck.
Jonathan Meyer’s voice was all business. “Your mother is asking if you’ll bring your girlfriend to Christmas dinner.”
Tyler ran a hand over his face, trying to gather his thoughts. His brain still felt as though it was in a fog. “Christmas dinner? But it’s still almost a month away.”
“Exactly,” his father said. “You have ample time to tell your girlfriend.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend, Dad,” Tyler said exasperatedly, shooting a sideways look at Nick.
Nick pulled away and returned his attention to the movie, his face impassive.
“Then get one,” his father said curtly. “You’re old enough to start thinking of starting a family. I’m tired of hearing about it from your mother.”
“But—”
“When are you going to grow up, Tyler?” his father said. “I already had a family and career at your age.”