Happy Wednesday, lovelies!
Today, I'm continuing where we left off from the last time. Josh had been snooping around his ex's house and re-living old memories. The last line was:
His heart skipped a beat at the sight of Anthony in the kitchen doorway, staring at him intently.
You can find the last chapter here.
The prompt I used this week was "three sheets to the wind".
Enjoy and don't forget to visit the other briefers!
Pretty Boy 9
“I haven’t changed things much,” Anthony said. His voice was deep and smooth like velvet. Josh swallowed. He had forgotten the effect that timbre had on him. The heat in Anthony’s eyes reminded him of the orange flicker of the flame around a campfire. Josh dropped his gaze and looked toward the chair again.
“I admit it was comfortable,” he said.
Anthony chuckled. “You can sit on it, you know? It’s not going to bite you.”
Josh’s breath caught in his throat. Had he imagined it or had Anthony made more emphasis on the word it’s?
“That’s all right. I rather not. I think, I’ll just sit on the couch, unless, you need help in the kitchen?” Josh glanced at Anthony. He hadn’t moved from the kitchen doorway.
“Not at all. Don’t you want to check out the rest of the house? I did make some changes in the bedroom.”
Josh’s cheeks grew warm. Changes in the bedroom? What kind of changes? When they’d been together, Anthony’s bedroom hadn’t exactly been a place of deep comfort and rest. It had been… functional. That was the word. He had had a large King size mattress with a plain wooden headboard and two matching bedside tables to each side. That was all. When Josh has asked him about it, Anthony had said that he didn’t really care for a pretty room.
“Bedrooms are for sleeping. I don’t need a dressing table, ornaments, fluttery curtains. That’s unnecessary regalia I won’t be looking at.”
They’d argued a few times about that. Josh had wanted something more in the bedroom. Something practical, yes, but also something more intimate, cozier. He wanted to feel at home in their bedroom. Instead, he’d repeatedly felt as if he was in a sterile hotel room.
“You’ve got five minutes to decide, pretty boy. Dinner is almost ready.”
Anthony turned around and headed back to the kitchen. Josh took in a deep breath. He both wanted to run to the hills and into Anthony’s arms. Fuck. He had to remember why he was there. He had come because of Jay. He had come because he’d mated with a man that didn’t want to be in a pair. He had made a mistake and Anthony was the only person that could help him get out of this mess. His parents couldn’t know or they would accuse him of being irresponsible. They’d ask him what he’d been thinking and probably adduce that he had been three sheets to the wind when it had happened. Perhaps he had been or maybe he’d just been a freaking idiot. Whatever it was, he needed to solve and he needed to do it soon. Josh squared his shoulder. He would act bravely. It was time to stop cowering. He cared about Jay enough to get them both out of this mess. He went into the kitchen and stopped. His heart ached. Anthony stood at the stove, sleeves rolled back showcasing his powerful forearms as he sautéed the vegetables on the frying pan. The urge to go to him and hug him from behind had Josh curling his fingers around the edge of the island. He was over Anthony. Josh had left him. He was mated to another man.
“Stop ogling me and set the table, pretty boy, this is just about ready.”
To be continued...
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