Chapter Thirteen James

If I said things between us were awkward later that morning when I finally got out of bed, I'd be making the understatement of the year.

?Rowan had snuck his way out of bed sometime after we did the deed and gotten himself cleaned up. However, he let me sleep in as long as I wanted. I was surprised to wake without him in the bed, but when I realized I was glued to the sheets with dried cum, I figured he probably had the better idea.

?But that wasn't the awkward part.

?After I peeled myself off the sheets, I still needed to get cleaned up. Rowan heard me moving and came into the bedroom. He did everything he could not to look at me as he gathered me up and took me to the bathroom. I was left there to do my business and get cleaned up, but once I turned on the shower, I realized I had a problem.

?I couldn't get my foot or the bandages wet. That meant I'd need help with a shower or I'd need to take a bath and that would require help to get in and out of.

?"Rowan?" I asked timidly, pushing open the bathroom door. "Can… Can you help me with the bath?"

?He looked terrified and once again, did everything to avoid looking me in the eye. But he still nodded and headed my way. I kneeled on the floor next to the tub and started to draw the water, the steam rising and fogging up the large mirror on the opposite wall. Rowan stepped in behind me and stood there, awaiting further instruction.

?"I… uh… need to get cleaned up," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "And I can't get my foot wet. So a bath might be the best choice."

?"Okay."

?"I'll need you to help me in."

?He nodded. And reached down for me even though I was still wearing my shorts.

?"I'll have to be naked," I said, pushing his hand away. "I don't want to do laundry and take a bath at the same time."

?His deep brown eyes widened as if he hadn't considered that part. I couldn't help but chuckle a little. How he thought I was going to take a bath in cum-soaked shorts was beyond me. Besides, what was he so nervous about? He hadn't been too worried about shooting his load all over me earlier. I failed to see how being naked in front of him was weirder than that.

?I reached out and took his hand so he could help me to my feet. As soon as I was at eye level with him, he turned around in some vain attempt to give me privacy as I undressed. I just smirked, hooking my thumbs in my shorts and pushing them to the ground. Of course, the moment my cock flopped free, it began to thicken. Just the act of being naked in front of him turned me on more than I anticipated.

?"Alright," I said. "I'm ready."

?Rowan turned around, swallowed hard, and tucked one hand behind my back and the other under my thighs, lifting me clean off the floor with ease. My stomach turned happily as he swept me up. My dick flopped back, making a small slapping noise against my stomach. He glanced down, his eyes widening even further.

?I laughed again.

?He just sort of held me there as he forced himself to look away.

?"You can put me in the tub now," I said.

?"Right."

?Placing me gently inside the tub, I threw my leg up and over the edge. Thankfully it was oriented in just the right way so my injured foot could hang outside of it while the rest of me was pretty much submerged. The hot water swelled over my body, goosebumps breaking out over my skin. With my good foot I reached up and pushed the handle off with my toes.

?Silence.

?"Do… Do you need help?" Rowan asked, still trying to divert his gaze. "If not, I can leave."

?As much as I wanted to pretend this was all some sort of weird fantasy porno film, the truth was you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Clearly Rowan was upset about what had happened between us and I needed to get to the bottom of it. If there was one thing I couldn't stand, it was unspoken bad feelings.

?"I might," I replied, tapping the fluffy bath mat next to me. "Will you stay in case I do?"

?He sighed, but sat down facing away from me with his back leaning against the side of the tub. It wasn't exactly how I wanted to do things, but it was a start.

?"So…" I began, searching for a delicate way to get this train rolling. "Did you get any more sleep this morning?"

?"No," he grumbled.

?"Sorry."

?Another sigh. "Not your fault."

?"Anything wrong?"

?"No."

?"Rowan," I said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Talk to me."

?He shrugged my hand off, pulling away from me. "There's nothing to talk about."

?"Clearly something is bothering you. If what we did wasn't okay, you need to tell me. Or at least explain to me what's going through that head of yours so I can understand."

?He glared over his shoulder at me. "Why the hell do you care about what's going on inside my head?"

?I smiled. "I'm your friend."

?"Yeah fucking right," he scoffed. "You don't even know me."

?"I'd like to know more if you'll let me."

?"Right. I'll just sit here and spill my guts out to you so that way, come Monday, you can fuck off and never talk to me again." He pulled his knees tight to his chest. "Or maybe you'll just go fuck one of the other thirty-seven guys you have fantasizing about you."

?Okay, that made me mad.

?"I don't have thirty-seven guys waiting for me," I growled. "And I don't appreciate how much of an asshole you're being. You're the one that told me you wanted to try it this morning."

?"And you were the one grinding against me in your sleep," he shot back.

?"I already apologized for that! It wasn't like I did it on purpose!"

?"Well, it's your fault I even had the thought in my head to begin with."

?I laughed at him. "Bull fucking shit, Rowan. There's not an actually straight guy on this planet I could turn gay. You've had those thoughts for a long time, I guarantee it." I paused, scoffing at him. "I bet that's why you're so mad right now and taking it out on me. You're upset that you liked it and that terrifies you."

?"You don't know shit about me!"

?"I know you're a grumpy asshole who apparently likes to blame other people for his own problems." I grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing him to look at me. "I don't care if you like dick. Nobody does. But I don't like being treated badly because I did what you fucking asked me to!"

?Rowan growled, pulling himself away from me and up to his feet once more. He grabbed a bar of new soap off the counter and tossed it into the tub with me.

?"Wash your fucking self."

?And then he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

?I sat there in the tub, fucking fuming. I couldn't believe the insinuation he was making. Yes, I admit, I was touching him in my sleep. But how could I be blamed for that? Plus, it wasn't like I was alone. He was rock hard and leaking pre-cum like crazy when I woke up, so clearly he was involved somehow. Not only that, I tried to pull away from him and it was he who asked me to stay. Hell, I didn't even want to spend the weekend at his cabin in the first place!

?The level of upset I was reaching was new for me. Yes, I thought Rowan was hot and yes I might have teased him a couple of times. But the situation with the sex swing the night before was a complete accident. Not only that, if he was actually straight like he claimed to be, it wouldn't have bothered him, anyway. We would've just laughed it off and moved on.

?But no. Every time I moved or a piece of skin showed, he was staring at me like a starving wolf glaring down a steak just out of reach. He acted like this was all my fault, when in reality it was because of him that I was here to begin with. He was being a dick.

?However, the longer I sat there in the hot water irritated with Rowan, the more the irritation began to shift to myself. I should've known better than to get involved with anyone. If my track record told me anything, it was that being sexual with another man meant they never wanted to see me again. Why should Rowan be any different? And now, thanks to my stupidity, I was stuck in a cabin, stuck in a tub, and my car was parked five miles away at a park with a ticket on it most likely. And my foot was too injured for me to do a goddamn thing about it.

?I fished through the water furiously to find the soap. Once I did, I began to scrub my body with a vigor I'd yet unleashed on my skin. By the time I'd worked out most of my frustration, my skin was pink and sensitive.

?And yet, I was still irritated. Seriously? What was it about this guy that was getting me so worked up? Was it the damaged goods and the sad puppy dog eyes? Or maybe it was the big dick and the way he liked to tell me what to do.

?I didn't fucking know.

?But I was sure of one thing. I'd never been this upset about a man before and that scared the ever-living fuck out of me.