11. Jamie

11

JAMIE

“Jamester,” someone called from behind me, using one of the many nicknames I’d had over the years.

“Hey, Andy,” I greeted as he sauntered up to where I stood.

“What’s up, J-Dog?” Another of my old teammates, Johnny, asked, coming up behind Andy and slapping him on the back hard enough that Andy spilled some of his drink. “Andrew.”

“Asshole.” Andy tossed Johnny a look and wiped the spilled beer off his shirt.

“Where’s your boy?” Johnny asked, his head swiveling as he looked around the room. “Are you here alone? Holy shit, someone call the authorities and report a kidnapping.”

“He’s grabbing drinks,” I said. “We just got here.”

Andy elbowed Johnny, who was currently using his shoulder as an armrest while he scoped the room. “Do you have any concept of personal space?”

“Nope.” Johnny gave him a little hip check and draped his arm over both Andy’s shoulders. “You’d think you’d be used to it by now.”

Andy rolled his eyes but didn’t make a move to step away or shake Johnny off. He was used to Johnny’s antics. We all were.

“So, what’s new?” Johnny asked me.

I was saved from having to answer as Isaac came up to us, two drinks in his hands.

“Here.” He handed me one of the cups.

“Thanks.”

I wasn’t really in party mode, not yet, at least. I’d spent the past two nights, ever since that disastrous staff meeting, moping around the apartment, but I was done feeling sorry for myself and worrying about things I couldn’t control.

Isaac had suggested we skip the party and have another chill night at home. I’d been tempted to agree, and not just because I wasn’t feeling social.

Ultimately, we’d decided to stop by for a bit. Hopefully hanging out with my old friends from high school would help me get out of my funk.

We’d only been here for about five minutes, but I was already looking forward to when we could leave.

The party was exactly the same as every other one we’d been to in the last few years, and I wasn’t feeling it.

Maybe it was because I was still salty about the shit going on at work. We hadn’t been told anything about the review or when the first round of layoffs would happen, which was a shitty way to go into the weekend.

Isaac had been his usual amazing self, giving me lots of space to be a grump and reassuring me in his own way that everything would be fine.

I hated that I might have to rely on him again, but I couldn’t deny that having him as a safety net was the only thing keeping me from a full freak-out.

I didn’t like taking things from people and hated having to rely on anyone. And Isaac wasn’t just anyone. It didn’t matter that he could easily afford it. I wanted to be an equal partner in our friendship, and it was hard to do that when he kept having to bail my ass out or front me some cash so I didn’t end up destitute because I kept getting laid off and couldn’t find a stable job.

“I was just asking J-Dog what’s new,” Johnny said to Isaac. He flicked his gaze to me. “What’s new?” he asked again.

“Not a whole lot,” I lied. “Same shit, different day.”

Other than my crisis at work, a lot was new in my life. Including the fact that Isaac hadn’t just taken care of cooking for the past few nights, we’d also spent the evenings cuddling while we watched movies together.

I’d never really cuddled with anyone before, not when there wasn’t any sex involved. I hadn’t realized what I’d been missing.

Something about feeling his big, strong body against mine was comforting. Listening to his heartbeat, feeling his breathing, all of it soothed me and helped chase away the issues that were always right there hanging over my head.

But it wasn’t like I could tell the guys that. Platonic cuddles were a thing, but were they really platonic when they were with the friend I’d been hooking up with for the past couple of weeks?

We hadn’t done more than share some kisses for the past two days, but that was mostly because Isaac was trying to give me space and hadn’t tried to initiate more.

I’d been so in my head over my work problems I’d spent the time second-guessing my every move and stopping myself every time I had the urge to try and start something.

I wasn’t the most confident guy when it came to dating, but I was good at faking it because I didn’t really care if I got rejected.

I’d never gone through that phase where asking a girl out or flirting with a cute stranger at a party was some huge, stressful thing. It wasn’t fun when someone turned me down or rebuffed my advances, but it didn’t devastate me or hurt my feelings.

But any kind of rejection from Isaac, especially when I was in a weird headspace and feeling vulnerable, would absolutely destroy me.

So rather than risk it, I’d kept my hands to myself and enjoyed getting to experience a side of Isaac I’d never seen before.

“I hear ya.” Johnny shifted his gaze to Isaac. “What about you? Anything new and exciting?”

“You know the drill. Work hard, play harder.” Isaac bumped me with his shoulder and grinned. “Right, J-Dog?”

I’d always hated that nickname but got used to it over the years. Isaac knew that and made a habit of annoying me with it when other people called me that.

“You know it.” I shot him a look and sipped my drink, focusing on the conversation and not on my wayward thoughts.

I’d spent the last two days doing nothing but thinking. I needed to shut my brain off and relax for a while before I gave myself a headache.

“Hear! Hear!” Andy held up his cup.

Johnny knocked his cup against Andy’s, causing beer to slosh over the sides of their drinks.

“Do you go out of your way to be annoying, or does it just come naturally to you?” Andy asked, shaking the spilled beer off his hand.

“Naturally,” Isaac and I said together.

Johnny made puppy eyes at him. “It’s like you don’t know me at all.”

I’d known both Andy and Johnny since we were in kindergarten, and they’d always been like this.

Something caught Johnny’s eye over my shoulder, and he waved, his smile melting into a cocky smirk that meant he was about to get his flirt on.

“If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen.” He untangled himself from Andy and tipped an imaginary hat at us. “I need to see a lady about a…thing.”

Andy snickered, his eyes following Johnny as he darted around us. “That was as smooth as gravel.”

“Who’s he going to talk to?” Isaac asked, twisting around to look behind him.

“Not sure,” Andy said, peering into the distance in the most unsubtle way possible. “Janelle brought a friend with her.” He made an appreciative sound. “Damn, she’s gorgeous. Too bad Johnny saw her first.”

Isaac stopped trying to look over his shoulder. “So, what’s new?” he asked Andy.

Andy shrugged, tearing his attention from Janelle and her friend. “Not a whole lot. Just living the dream.”

“Or dreaming the life?” Isaac quipped.

“Definitely that one.”

I listened as Andy and Isaac talked about random stuff, interjecting answers when asked but mostly staying silent.

“Do you want to go?” Isaac asked after Andy excused himself to get another drink.

I shook my head.

He shot me a dubious look. “Are you sure? You’re not having fun, I can tell.”

“I’m not not having fun.” I shrugged.

“That’s suuuuper convincing,” he said, pinning me with a flat look.

“I’m fine,” I insisted.

“You look like you’re in weekend detention, not a party with your old friends. Are you still worried about work?”

“A little, but that’s not what this is about.”

He made a “go on” motion with his hand.

“Do you ever look around and wonder what the hell you’re doing with your life?

“All the time. But where is this coming from?”

“I don’t know.” I swirled the contents of my cup around absently. “But I’m seeing all these people I’ve known my entire life, and it’s like we’re all stuck in some sort of time warp.”

“I’m not following.”

“This.” I waved my hand at the room. “It’s exactly the same as when we were in school. The same parties, the same people. Same meaningless conversations, same excuses to drink and hook up. The only difference is we don’t have to wait for someone’s parents to go away for the weekend because we all have our own places now.”

“How long have you felt this way?”

I shrugged. “A while, but it’s really bad tonight.” I shook my head, like I could physically shake off my bad mood. “Ignore me. I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight.”

He gave me a scrutinizing look.

“What?”

“I know what’ll turn that frown upside down.”

“And what’s that?” I asked, already smiling.

“There it is.” He pointed at my mouth. “There’s that Jamie smile I know and love. And I know how to keep it there.”

“You do?” I took a sip of my beer.

“Yup.” He leaned closer and put his lips next to my ear. “You always smile after I make you come.”

A cough exploded out of me as I choked on my drink.

Isaac pounded me on the back, cackling like a deranged witch, while I tried to compose myself.

“Asshole,” I spluttered, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “You did that on purpose.”

“Maybe. But am I wrong?” he asked innocently. “You don’t think that would put a smile on your face and make you forget your woes for a bit?”

“I know it would.” I tried to ignore how my dick was already rising to the occasion. After two days of not getting off, I was raring to go.

“So, what do you say?” His eyes glittered with mischief. “Wanna have some fun?”

I glanced around the living room. It wasn’t a huge crowd, and no one would miss us if we disappeared for a few minutes.

My body tightened and my adrenaline spiked.

Hooking up around my old friends was risky as fuck but thrilling at the same time. Was it the threat of being caught I liked, or was it the possibility of getting away with it under their noses?

“What are you thinking?” I asked, dropping my voice just in case anyone walked past us or was close enough to hear our hushed conversation.

I wasn’t ready for anyone to know what we were doing, but especially not my old friends and teammates.

I’d known most of them since we were in kindergarten, and this kind of information wouldn’t be treated gently. It would spread like wildfire, and they’d never look at me the same again.

Not because I was hooking up with a guy, necessarily. My friends might be a lot of things, but they weren’t homophobic. They were just gossips who’d never shut up about me being with a guy after only ever being with girls.

I wasn’t ready for my big bi reveal, especially since I still wasn’t sure if I was into guys or if it was just Isaac who did it for me. I needed to figure that out before I even thought about letting any of them in on our secret.

And if it turned out that we weren’t bi, or whatever was between us fizzled away, it would be infinitely easier to just keep them in the dark rather than try to explain to everyone that it had just been an experiment between buddies.

It was like trying to catch water with a tennis racket. Once the information was out there, we wouldn’t be able to call it back. I wasn’t ready for any of those conversations, not while things were so up in the air between us.

“Meet me in the pantry in two minutes.”

“Pantry?” I asked as he slipped away.

He didn’t answer, just tossed me a wink over his shoulder and headed toward the kitchen.

Like a moron, I started counting in my head, trying to look normal and not like I was actively stopping myself from sprinting after Isaac so I could find out what he was planning.

I went to take another drink from my beer but stopped and put the half-full cup on a nearby table instead. I wasn’t in the mood to drink and had just been sipping it to have something to do with my hands.

While I finished waiting out the two minutes, I pulled out my phone and pretended to check something on it so I wouldn’t have to worry about being sidelined by someone wanting to chat.

When the time was up, I shoved my phone in my pocket and made my way into the kitchen.

The pantry was in the back corner of the room, tucked in a small hallway of sorts and separate from the rest of the kitchen area. It was as private as you could get at a party, and the few people mingling near the counters were more interested in the snacks than they were in me as I slipped into the small space.

Isaac’s hard body pressed against my back as I closed the door behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist.

“Heya, stranger,” he murmured in my ear.

“Hey,” I said a bit breathlessly, my whole body relaxing as he gave me a little squeeze.

“What do you think of our accommodations?”

“Very dark,” I said with a chuckle. The room was almost pitch black, with only a strip of light around the door, thanks to a lack of windows.

“The switch is to the right of the door.” He pressed his lips against my neck, kissing me gently. “If you want to turn the light on.”

I shivered at the sensation.

“Or we can keep it off and see if it’s true that your other senses get heightened when you cut one off.” He nuzzled my neck and pressed his hard dick against my ass.

I let out a low groan, belatedly remembering that we were in a pantry at a party and had to keep quiet.

“Let’s keep it off. Does the door lock?” I groped for the knob to see if I could find a lock.

“I don’t think so, but it opens inward. We’ll be fine as long as we keep our weight against it.” He rubbed his lips against the back of my neck.

“So, what was your plan when you got me in here?”

“This was the first part.” He hugged me a bit tighter. “I’ve wanted to do this since we got here.”

“Yeah?” I leaned back against him, feeling more settled than I had in hours.

“Oh yeah. And you know what else I’ve wanted to do since we got here?” He pressed another nibbling kiss against my throat.

“What’s that?” I asked breathlessly, tilting my head to the side to give him better access.

“This.” He fit his mouth over my neck, not sucking hard enough to leave a mark but just hard enough to set my blood on fire.

“What else?” I closed my eyes, soaking up his attention and the intimacy of being in the dark.

“Definitely this.” He slid one hand down my body and cupped my dick. “So hard for me,” he murmured against my neck, his voice a sexy burr that sent a flurry of shivers up my spine. “You like this?”

“So much.” I ground my ass against his cock. His answering groan was like music to my ears. “You like that?”

“Fuck yeah.” He nibbled on my ear. “I want you so bad.”

“Me too.” Reaching behind him, I gripped his ass and tugged him harder against me.

A loud shout from the kitchen made us both jump. Another person yelled and then something hit the floor with a crash, like a chair toppling over. Laughter broke out, then slowly petered away as the crowd left the kitchen.

“Is it weird that knowing people are on the other side of the door is getting me hot?” Isaac asked, rubbing my dick over my jeans.

“If it is, then I’m a weirdo too.”

I’d never thought I was into exhibitionism, but apparently, I was.

“Come here.” Isaac released me enough to spin me around. Then he shoved me back against the door, trapping me against it.

I didn’t bother hiding my gasp, or hard-on, at the move. Something about Isaac manhandling me was insanely hot, and I loved how he always went all in, not holding back or trying to hide anything from me.

His lips covered mine in a deep, wet kiss, his hard body wedging me against the door and one of his thighs pressing between my legs.

Giving in to his kiss, I wrapped my arms around him. The rest of the world went quiet for a few seconds, and all I could focus on was Isaac and how much I’d missed this, even if it had only been a few days.

“Is this okay?” he asked between kisses. “I know you’ve been feeling off?—”

“It’s perfect.” I grabbed a handful of his ass and squeezed. “Want you so bad.”

His groan was nothing more than a low rumble, and I covered his mouth with mine, needing more.

Isaac slowed our kisses, drawing them out and replacing our earlier desperation with measured desire.

“Bet I can get you off before you can get me off,” he rasped against my lips, running his hands over my hips, then sliding them back to grip my ass.

“You think so?” I bumped my dick against his and squeezed his ass again. I loved how it felt in my hands, firm but still soft and a bit squishy.

“Yup.” He pressed his cock against mine.

“Okay, challenge accepted.” I pecked a kiss against his lips. “What are the terms?”

“Whoever holds out longest gets to…make the loser do a dare of their choice.”

I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

The last time I’d agreed to a bet like this, I had to wear a miniskirt to the corner store to buy some milk. Totally worth risking a repeat to get off with him.

“Deal. I’m going to enjoy collecting my prize.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Cocky much?”

“You tell me.” I ground my dick against his and squeezed his ass again.

His groan was answer enough.

I was about to ask if there were any rules I needed to know about when he kissed me, sweeping his tongue between my parted lips.

I forgot all about rules and kissed him back, squeezing his ass hard enough I had to be leaving marks.

He fumbled with my belt. I moved my hips back enough I could grab at his too. All we managed to do was bump hands and get in each other’s way.

“This isn’t going to work,” he said with a soft laugh. “How about we put a pause on the bet so we can get our dicks out.”

“Yeah, sounds good.” I dropped my hands from his belt. “Go ahead.”

I stood still, my remaining senses zeroed in on Isaac as he pulled open my belt, then undid my fly.

My breathing hitched when he reached into my briefs, and I nearly stopped breathing altogether when he gripped my shaft. He gave me a gentle stroke, then pulled my cock free.

“So hot,” he said in that sexy burr that was going to be my undoing.

“Z,” I said with a reedy moan.

“Get my dick out, Jamie.”

His raspy command broke through my lust-induced haze. I fumbled with his belt like I’d never seen one before, thankfully getting his pants open after only a few clumsy attempts.

“God, Z,” I rasped, my throat tight and my body buzzing. “I can barely think straight.”

“Well, that’s not such a bad thing since there’s nothing straight about what we’re doing.” His teasing tone slid into my ear as he gently circled my cock with his hand.

Not wanting to leave him behind, I fisted his, squeezing his thick shaft the way I knew he liked.

His groan was subdued, like he was actively holding back. As much as I wanted to hear him, that was a good thing. We were in a pantry with dozens of people milling about. I needed to remember that before I let everyone in on our secret because I couldn’t keep my voice down.

“You feel good.” He pumped his cock through my fist. “Taste good too.”

“Your dirty talk is going to kill me,” I whispered.

“Good.” He chuckled darkly and stroked me slowly, his grip too loose to give me any sort of relief.

“I thought this was a test of speed?” I taunted, jacking him hard and fast.

“It is,” he said, his voice strained and broken. “I’m going for skill over speed.”

“Wasn’t that your problem in hockey too? All about the skill and no speed?” I teased.

“My speed was off the charts, thank you very much.” He moved his hand faster. “Skills, speed, and…something else that starts with an S . It’s hard to be witty when you’re doing that.”

“Doing what?” I asked innocently. “This?” I added a little twist to my hand, tightening my grip around his head and loosening it on the downstroke.

After two weeks of getting each other off, I knew what Isaac liked.

“Cheater,” he said with a groan, adjusting his grip on me and stroking faster. “Two can play that game.”

“What game—oh fuck.” I bit my lip so I wouldn’t cry out.

His strokes were perfect, his grip exactly what I needed.

“That’s it, Jamie,” he rasped, his lips hovering so close I could feel them brushing against mine with every word. “God, you feel good.”

Rather than answer, I sealed my mouth over his, kissing him with everything I had.

Something about being in the near dark, the adrenaline and lingering risk of getting caught still looming over us, was insanely hot. But it still felt intimate, like when we were at home and it was just the two of us.

Sinking into the sensations, I shut down my brain and focused on how good Isaac felt and how much I wanted to make him come.

He seemed to be of the same mind, kissing me with wanton abandonment and stroking me like he was in my head and knew exactly what I needed.

We were like men possessed, kissing and jerking each other off. A continuous stream of moans and groans filled the air between us, adding to the hedonism of the moment.

“Oh fuck, Jamie.” Isaac shuddered, his rhythm faltering.

“Close?” I murmured. I was too, but not as close as him.

“Yeah. So close.” He huffed out a breathy laugh. “I think I’m gonna lose.”

“Let go of my dick,” I said. “I know a way we can both win.”

He released my cock and slid his hands over my ass to give it another squeeze.

“Your ass is incredible,” he whispered, teasing the globes with his hands. “So full, so fucking tight.”

“You like it?” I took both of us in hand and squeezed our cocks together.

“Fuck yeah,” he groaned, then trailed his lips over my jaw and to my ear. “Love everything about you.”

My heart did a weird sort of skittering beat. I knew that was just sex talk, but it felt good to hear, especially in that lust-drenched voice.

“Have you thought about it?” I asked, steeling myself against my own release and stroking us both.

This wasn’t the first time we’d done this, but the added danger of being in public made it that much more intense.

“About what?” he asked shakily.

I stopped stroking us and rolled my hips, dragging my dick against his. “Fucking me.”

His cry was strangled, but still way too loud.

“I’ve thought about it,” I whispered.

I wasn’t ready yet; I knew that, but I wanted it. Wanted to share that with him.

Normally I wouldn’t have said anything, not even if we were messing around at home. It felt too real to put it out there, but the cover of darkness and the thrill of being in public was making it easier to fully let go.

Issac’s grip on my ass was so tight I could feel the start of bruises blooming under my skin. He stiffened, his breath catching.

He was about to come.

“That’s it, Z.” I rubbed our cocks together. “Come for me.”

He did, shaking and shuddering against me as he shot over my hand and moaned my name.

That was enough to send me over the edge, and I bit my lip to stop my cry as my entire body was hit with pleasure so intense I saw stars.

“Holy fucking shit.” He collapsed against me, holding me tight as his chest heaved with heavy breaths.

Feeling spent and satisfied, I let go of our dicks, not caring about the mess we’d made, and hugged him close as we rode out the afterglow.

“You totally won, and I’m not even mad,” he said against my neck. “Holy crap, that was hot.”

I loved how vocal Isaac was after an orgasm. How he tended to babble on about how he was feeling like he couldn’t stop himself. The man had a mouth on him that could make a sailor blush, but the stream of consciousness I was treated to after he came was like getting an unfiltered peek into his innermost thoughts.

“So hot,” I agreed, rubbing his back. “I think I might be into exhibitionism.”

“I know I definitely am.” He chuckled, the sound throaty and rich. “I’m sensing more dares in the future.”

“You like losing?” I teased. “Because I totally won there. And I didn’t even have to cheat.”

“Liar,” he said, his voice heavy with affection. “You totally cheated with all that talk about fucking.” A pause. “Did you mean what you said? Have you thought about it?”

“Yes.”

“I have too. Both ways,” he added.

“I’m not there yet, but I think I’m ready for more.”

Why was it easier to say this in the dark? Or maybe it was the good feels from the orgasm loosening my lips.

“You are?”

“Yeah.”

“I think I am too.” He pressed a kiss against my jaw, then nibbled his way back to my mouth to give me another deep, drugging kiss. “I can’t get enough of you.” Another kiss. “I just came, and we’re still covered in spunk, but I still want you.”

I tried not to read into his words—or the little flutter of something that tickled my chest. I knew he meant he couldn’t get enough of messing around, and he wasn’t alone.

My dick might be down for the count, but I didn’t want to stop. I could have happily stayed in here all night just for the chance to keep kissing and touching him.

“Me too,” I said, then kissed him. “You’re addictive, Z.”

Another loud crash outside the door, followed by booming laughter, broke through the last of our haze, bringing me back to reality—and the fact that we needed to find a way to clean up so we could leave without anyone figuring out what we’d just done.

“We really didn’t think this through,” Isaac said, slowly peeling himself off me. “Close your eyes. I’m going to turn on the light for a second so we can see the damage.”

I did as he said, and a moment later, a flash of light erupted in front of my closed lids.

“Ow.”

I cracked one eye open, giving myself a chance to get used to the brightness. “Z? You good?”

“Yeah.” He made a sound that wasn’t quite pain, more annoyance. “I told you to close your eyes, but my dumb ass was looking right at the damn thing when I flicked the switch.”

“Why?” I blinked both eyes open.

“Same reason I always look into the end of a flashlight when I turn them on. I’m a dumbass who forgets that bright lights hurt eyes.”

“Good thing you didn’t go into welding.”

“Right?” He blinked a few times. “You’re going to have to babysit my ass if we’re ever in the path of a solar eclipse. I will one hundred percent be that moron who blinds himself because he forgot to put his eclipse glasses on.”

“I’ve got you.” I looked between us. Our cum was smeared on the bottoms of our sweaters. “Speaking of idiots. This is why I almost cheated.”

“Cheated?” Isaac lifted my hand, the one I’d jerked us off with, to inspect it.

“I was going to drop to my knees and finish you off with my mouth but didn’t have enough room to get down with the door behind me.” I flashed what I hoped was an innocent smile. “Too bad. I really wanted to taste you again.”

He let out a strangled sound that could have been a curse. “Jesus, Jamie. You said my dirty talk was going to kill you? Take a number, because yours is absolutely killing me.”

I couldn’t stop my smile at not just his words but the awed expression on his face.

Dirty talk had never been my thing, not saying it or hearing it. But with Isaac, both felt completely natural, and I was definitely a fan of his brand of dirty talk.

“What are we going to do about that?” I nodded to the mess on our sweaters.

He stepped back and pulled his hoodie away from his body so he could look at it. “I have an idea.”

“What is it?”

He looked around the pantry, then snagged a roll of paper towels from a shelf. “Do you see anything like club soda?”

I scanned the shelves. “Sparkling water?” I asked, spying a bottle tucked behind a row of cereal and pasta boxes.

“That should work. Can you grab it?”

I did, being careful not to knock over the boxes.

“What’s one thing no one would blink at if they saw?” Isaac asked, pulling several sheets of paper towel from the roll. “Can you open that?”

I cracked open the sparkling water. “I have no idea. That’s a pretty broad question.”

He chuckled and held out his hand for the bottle. “Fair point. What I should have said is, what’s one thing no one would blink at if they saw it? Me covered in sparkling water.” He dumped a fair amount on the paper towels and handed the bottle back to me. “Only everyone will assume it’s beer or another drink. It’s not the first time I’ve spilled all over myself at one of these shindigs.”

“Shindig?” I arched my eyebrow at him teasingly.

“Your handjob skills turned my brain to soup. We’re lucky I’m not trying to pour the towels on the water right now.” He shot me a little grin. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“You’re not alone.” I watched as he rubbed the wet towel over the mess on his hoodie.

Luckily he was wearing a dark gray one, so the wetness from the water mixed with our mess, and soon I couldn’t tell the difference; it was all one big wet spot.

“Not bad,” I said, impressed at his quick thinking. “And here my plan was to just take them off and run as quickly as possible until we were back at the car.”

“I thought of that too. But that might raise some questions.” He tossed the used towels onto the floor, right in the corner of the small room. “Sorry to whoever finds that.” He shrugged when I shot him a look. “What? There’s no trash in here, and I’m not carrying those around until we find one.”

“Did I say anything?”

“No, but your face was judging.”

“Was it judging, or was it thinking about how much fun it was to make this mess in the first place?”

He pinned me with a flat look. “Are you trying to get me all excited again?”

“Maybe.” I leaned back against the door. “But hold that thought until we get home. Next time, we won’t make a mess.”

He groaned and held out another wad of paper towels. “You’re killing me, Jamie. Get these wet for me so we can get you cleaned up. Thank fuck you’re wearing black.”

I did as he asked, then capped the bottle and put it on the shelf next to us.

Isaac could have handed me the towels to clean myself up, but he gently pulled my sweater away from my body and wiped up the mess, being far more gentle with me than he’d been with himself.

“There.” He tossed the towels with the others and put the roll back on the shelf. “That should be good enough to get out of here without anyone noticing.”

I looked down at his handiwork. The water barely showed on the black material, and all traces of our interlude were gone.

“Good enough,” I confirmed.

“Okay.” He rubbed his hands on his jeans. “Do you hear anyone out there?”

I held my breath and leaned my ear against the door. “I don’t think so.”

“Okay, here’s the plan. You slip out first and head into the living room. Keep to the walls and try not to get trapped talking to anyone. I’ll wait a minute or two, then slip out too. If anyone asks why we’re leaving, I’ll just tell them I spilled all over myself, and we can leave while they’re laughing at me for being a dumbass.”

“Sounds good.”

“Let’s just put everything back, then you can go.” He shoved the paper towel roll back where he’d grabbed it from.

I picked up the bottle of sparkling water and slipped it behind the boxes. As I was pulling my hand back, my sleeve snagged on the edge of one of the boxes, tipping it forward.

Isaac must have seen what happened because we both grabbed for the box at the same time, knocking it over in our haste to fix it. I tried to get my arm out of the way so we didn’t do any more damage, but got tangled up with Isaac, and we somehow hit the other boxes hard enough that four more tipped over and tumbled off the shelf, falling to the floor and landing in rapid succession.

The boxes, which had been full of pasta, clattered as they landed with a series of resounding smacks , the sounds as loud as an explosion in the tiny room.

We both froze, staring down at the boxes in horror.

Then, as one, we threw open the door, rushed out of the pantry, and raced through the kitchen, barreling past a group of people near the door to the living room, and ran right out of the house.

We slowed to a jog when we were halfway down the block, then stopped.

“Think anyone noticed?” Isaac asked.