“What can I say? I like you,” Carey says, running a palm down the center of his chest, pushing water droplets to patio bricks next to his feet. He shrugs a shoulder and admits, “You’re a hard guy to catch. I didn’t know how else to go about it.”
“I don’t even know what to say. What do you want me to tell you?” Toby’s being honest, having not the slightest clue where this conversation is going between the two men. He’s confused and in a state of wonderment. He can’t tell up from down at the moment and is having problems breathing. Vertigo floods through the area between his temples and he almost faints, but he catches his balance at the very last second before falling to the patio.
Carey’s a forward man and always tries to get what he wants. One theory he lives by is simple: if you get kicked down, push yourself up and off the ground and try again. This is what he accomplishes right now. He steps closer to Toby and closes the distance between them. His arms wrap around the blogger’s back and he pulls Toby against his naked frame. His chest collides with Toby’s, and his upright dick presses against Toby’s cotton-covered stomach. Without further ado, caught up in a whirlwind of emotion that maybe both of the men don’t fully understand, he tackles Toby’s mouth with his own and provides a heavy duty kiss to the man, fulfilling his unlimited attraction.
This can’t be happening, Toby thinks. Carey’s lost his mind. With all the force he can muster, Toby squirms his hands between their touching chests and pushes Carey away, breaking free from the man and his mouth, ending the naked hug that Carey embraces him with. Toby shakes his head and is just about to wipe the back of his free hand across his mouth when…
The timing cannot be any more perfect for that little squeak Minna Bowers who happens to walk in the house, carrying a white faux leather clutch in her right hand, and wearing a short dress with heels, obviously looking for Denver, as usual. Minna gasps at what she sees: Denver’s lover on the patio with a naked man; a DPS uniform next to his feet; the DPS driver soaking wet from head to toe, fresh out of the pool; Toby’s cheeks are a robust red and his mouth agape, evidently surprised to see her. A second gasp escapes her tiny mouth, which sounds more like a squawk instead of a squeak, and she says, “Oh, Toby, I don’t think I want to know what’s going on here.” She immediately spins on her heels and heads back inside, bolting away from the unpleasant scene on the patio.
“Minna!” Toby yells at the woman, furthering the distance between Carey and him. “Minna, it’s not what it looks like!” He races after the spicy shrew, calling out her name again and again, swearing under his breath at the same time. But before he can catch up to her, explaining the situation on the patio, providing a full detailed report on the scathing heat and Carey needing to cool off, Toby watches the tiny bitch jump behind the wheel of her speedy BMW, a convertible with two seats, and vanish from the scene, leaving him speechless.
* * * *
“Get dressed and go,” Toby tells Carey the bear, pointing at the naked man, who seems to be drying off rather quickly in the sun, next to the pool. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I thought you just wanted to cool off. I didn’t know you were putting the moves on me.”
“But the pictures I sent you. I thought you knew.”
“You’re fucked up, Carey. No one sends pictures like that. I didn’t know they were from you until right now. Besides, you know I’m in a relationship with Denver Rawlston, who just happens to own this house and pool. What were you thinking?”
Carey dresses, slipping into his briefs and shirt keeping his hands busy. “You knew, Toby. You can’t tell me you didn’t. Any man in your position would have known.”
But Toby didn’t know, not that he can prove such a case. “Go!” he yells at the dressing DPS man and points to the front of the house and the man’s DPS truck, which is parked on the street with its flashers on. “Get out, Carey. Leave before I bash a fist in your face.”
Like a dog having its tail between his legs and its ears down, struck with the reality that it has accomplished more bad than good, Carey Cunningham gathers up the remaining contents of his clothes—shoes, socks, and belt—and leaves 382 Bretton Way, unable to look at Toby because of his embarrassment.