BY THE TIME I headed home, my body was feeling it. My adrenaline mustâve been riding me the whole time Iâd spent with Donovan, because once I began the walk to my apartment, I thought my legs might give out on me. Iâd definitely put them, and several other body parts, to very good use earlier, and those hot visuals of Donovan kept me walking. Luckily, it wasnât far to my place in Murray Hill, so I had more than enough material to keep me occupied.
God. The sexy moans heâd made, and the way that perfect ass swallowed my cock⦠It was enough that he was so good looking that I couldâve gotten off to just his face, but he had to have a personality to match, didnât he?
I didnât even want to think about how much trouble I could fall into with that guy, not when I was starting out in a job that wasnât exactly conducive to having any kind of dating life. Sure Iâd somehow convinced Donovan to join me not just once, but twice, but it couldnât go any further than that. I knew it, and I still didnât give a fuck.
That was a problem.
Just not one I needed to think about now.
My thighs burned as I headed up the stairs to my fourth-floor walkup, a place Iâd gotten lucky to find with my old roommate a couple of years ago. It was small, like everything in the city, but it had two separate bedrooms, both barely big enough for a bed that could fit my six-three frame, but I made it work. The price had been manageable too, at least until Sven decided to move back home a few months ago and I realized doing a bunch of side hustles werenât going to pay the bills.
As I put my key in the lock, the knob turned too easilyâwhich meant my apartment was already unlocked.
Sighing, I pushed open the door and hung my keys on a hook on the wall. âCorey, you here?â
A few seconds later, a head full of wavy auburn hair poked out from the entrance to my kitchen. âDamn, dude, I thought youâd be back hours ago.â
I blinked. âTell me you havenât been hanging out here for hours.â
âHere? Nah, you donât have cable. I was just looking for the sauce you put on the stuff the other day. You remember?â
To anyone else, I was sure that sounded like a bunch of gibberish, but considering heâd been my intrusive neighbor for two years now, Iâd learned how to speak fluent Corey.
I moved past him and opened one of the upper cabinets, reaching for what he wanted.
âSee, thatâs the problem. Iâm not tall enough to reach that.â Coreyâs face twisted into a frown. âWait a second, is that why you put it up so high? So I couldnât borrow it?â
Snorting, I handed him the jar of chili oil and then grabbed a clean glass for me. âBorrow?â
He rolled his eyes. âIâd return it.â
âYeah, mostly empty.â I punched out a couple of ice cubes from the tray before popping it back in the freezer and pouring myself a Jack and Coke. âIâve got exactly two cabinets to put shit in. Grab a chair next time.â
âYou got it.â Corey stared down at the jar, his forehead still pinched. âAnd you just used it on the, uhâ¦â
Shaking my head, I pulled out a small plate and reached for the remaining sourdough tied up on the counter. It was easier to do it myself than expect him to retain the few steps to make it, especially when a complicated meal to him was putting a frozen pizza in the oven. Then again, my taking over probably had a lot to do with why he insisted on raiding my kitchen all the time. That and free food.
The lone avocado left was well past its prime ripeness, but I figured that wouldnât matter much to Corey. As I mashed it up and added a few spices, I said, âYou know, I gave you that key in the first place for emergencies only.â
âI know, what do you think this is?â
âFood? Not an emergency. Locking myself out or my apartment on fire?
are instances that require a spare key.â
âFriends donât let friends go hungry,â he said, giving me a toothy grin I couldnât help but laugh at. Along with the shirt he wore that said, âYouâre ridiculous,â I said. I spooned a little chili oil over the avocado toast and handed him the plate. âIâm already selling my ass for rent money, but yeah, why not add your groceries to the list.â
âHell yeah, now thatâs the reason Iâm really here. I need aaall the dirty details.â He started toward my couch and called over his shoulder, âAnd thanks for the grub.â
âYeah, yeah, youâre welcome.â I brought my drink with me as I followed Corey, stopping to kick off my shoes before planting my ass in the chair.
My living room consisted of only a single window and a few square feet, enough to put a small futon and a sling accent chair. Iâd had to mount the TV, since there wasnât enough space for an entertainment stand, but it wasnât like I needed much. This place was far bigger than many of the studios my friends rented. Coming from an abundance of space back home to the reality of city living had been an adjustment for sure, but now it felt good. Cozy, but home.
Maybe that had more to do with living alone instead of sharing the space.
Corey sat cross-legged on the couch and turned toward me, already stuffing his face. âSo? Give me the goods,â he said around a mouthful.
I hadnât told a soul about the porn stuff and hadnât planned to, but Corey had been here raiding my fridge when I got the phone call inviting me to meet up with the owners of Xes Entertainment, and his relentless line of questioning had worn me down.
Then again, maybe it was nice to have one person in my life I could talk to about it. A lot of my guy friends were straight and would probably never come across it, but if they did, it wasnât like Iâd be ashamed of it. What Iâd done today had been so fucking hot I was wondering why I didnât get into this sooner. Even if, in the back of my mind, I had a feeling that had more to do with Donovan after the non-reaction my dick had to my original scene partner.
Stretching out in the chair, I sipped on my drink and tried to keep my face schooled into indifference so Corey wouldnât completely see through me. âIt wentâ¦well. Better than I thought it would for my first time.â
âYeah? So the guy was hot? Not one of those his-dick-is-huge-so-you-have-to-just-go-with-it porn guys?â
I sputtered out a laugh, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Lots of guys out there did this stuff because of one reason, not because they were the most physically attractive. But that didnât apply to Donovan.
He also wasnât technically a porn star. Althoughâ¦maybe he was after today.
I ran my hand over my scruff in an effort to hide my grin.
âNo, the guy wasââ
ââthe hottest guy Iâve ever seen.â
âNo fucking way,â Corey said. âYouâre not that lucky.â
âI was today.â
âShit.â He took another bite of his toast and didnât wait to swallow before saying, âI canât wait to see that.â
âYouâre not watching it.â
âOh yes I am. You canât stop me.â
âDid you forget youâll see me naked? Youâll have nightmares.â
He shrugged. âIâm not watching for you. Iâm watching for the hottest guy youâve ever seen.â
âThen I hate to disappoint you, but his pretty face is all covered up.â
âYou lie.â
âIâm not. He wore a mask the whole time.â
âWhat?â Corey set his half-eaten toast aside, giving me his full attention. âWhat kind of twisted asshole puts a mask on a hot guy?â
âDoes it matter?â
âHell yes, it matters. Masks should only be on the ugly ones.â
It was wrong, but I couldnât help but chuckle at how put out he was. âIt went along with the theme. It was a party scene.â
âDid you wear one?â
âNo.â
Coreyâs eyes narrowed. âWhatâs his name?â
Oh shit. I didnât actually know name would be listed in the credits for the scene. Donovan definitely wouldnât use his real name, but I hadnât thought to ask what heâd put down on his paperwork.
âIâm not sure,â I answered.
âHe didnât give you a name to call out?â
âYouâre a little perv, arenât you?â
âSays the porn star.â
I laughed, realizing just how strange this whole situation really was. I thought back to Donovan beneath me, my ramming into his tight body seconds before I came all over him. Had I called out his name? Or any name? I couldnât remember that part, but it wasnât surprising, considering how powerful my release had been. I was pretty sure Iâd blacked out for a second.
Shit, if Iâd accidentally said his name, surely Rafferty would edit that out, right? Iâd have to reach out to him later and ask.
I swirled the contents of my glass and took another long sip, already feeling relaxed and ready to pass out soon, even though it was far too early for that.
âWell, if you end up watching, youâre welcome,â I said with a smirk. I didnât need to see it to know what had happened between Donovan and me today had been off-the-charts scorching. So, hell, if Corey wanted to watch it, I wasnât ashamed. I just didnât need him trying to get in my bed instead of simply raiding my kitchen.
âDonât worry, youâre still not my type,â he said, turning his attention back to finishing off his food.
âYou might change your mind once you see me naked.â I winked.
Corey cocked his head. âNah. I mean, donât get me wrong, youâre hot and all, but you donât even game, bro. Weâd have nothing in common.â
I snorted out a laugh. âYouâre right. You need a fellow nerd whoâs memorized all the numbers to your favorite takeout places.â
âNow youâre speakinâ my language. And need someone who actually likes to do all that workout shit you do to look like that.â He lifted his hand, gesturing up and down my body. âAinât me.â
No, that definitely wasnât Corey. Who it was someone I couldnât stop thinking about. Someone with hazel eyes, an easy smile, and a body made for mine.