“Good God, don’t get blood on the suit!” Jimothy ripped the suit pants from Rick’s hand, which pulled him off balance, and Rick timbered to the side, straight into Jimothy. While Jimothy was nearly as tall as Rick, he was probably lighter by a hundred pounds and clearly hadn’t expected two-sixty of unbalanced cargo to come down on top of him. Together, they tumbled toward the ground, both flailing, but damn if Jimothy wasn’t going to wind up on the bottom. Rick performed a midair revolution and managed to maneuver his body under Jimothy’s as his back connected with the hardwood floor, and Jimothy landed flat on his chest, hips, legs, and everything in between.
“Ooof.”
Jimothy yelled, “Oh my God, are you okay?”
Rick wasn’t quite sure if he was okay and didn’t have time to figure it out since Jimothy squirmed like an eel to get himself up. Rick’s body, however, wasn’t a flat surface, and the squirming was making it a whole lot less flat. Plus, he was increasingly reminded he was in his damned boxer briefs plus one leg of the pants he was still wearing.
Jimothy managed to wriggle and jiggle until Rick’s lower regions were no longer very low. As he got his feet under him, Jimothy gave one big heave and lifted himself from Rick’s supine form.
The fact was, Rick might be banged up, but all he could think of was covering the evidence. The second Jimothy was off of him, he sat up and adjusted the trousers so they covered his lap. With that little bit of protection, he took stock. Aside from some tingling in his back, he didn’t seem too much the worse for wear.
Jimothy knelt in front of him. “Are you okay? I’m so, so sorry.”
“Wasn’t your fault.”
“If I hadn’t been so worried about blood on the suit, you’d still be standing.”
That wasn’t entirely true, but Rick didn’t argue. He stared at his hands and kept the pants in place because up close, Jimothy sure did smell good.
“Well, if you’re not hurt, try on the rest of the clothes I brought you and let’s get the suit pants to Benny.” He smiled. “I sure hope we didn’t tear them.”
Pure embarrassment should have caused an army of erections to recede, but somehow it wasn’t doing the job. Rick spun away from Jimothy, managed to stand while still holding the pants in place, fully aware that his ass was pointed at Jimothy, then walked like he was in a potato-sack race back into the dressing room, and snapped the curtain closed. With a sigh, he stepped out of the other pant leg and handed the trousers through the curtain, hoping Jimothy would take them. He did.
The guy must think I’m nuts, or worse, that I’m too shy to show him my cock. Whoa. That idea got a further rise from his no-longer-so-private parts. He plopped down on the edge of the chair in the dressing room and took deep breaths. It took several, but the offending member started to give up some of its real estate. Rick stood and pulled on this great-looking dress shirt.
Jimothy stared at the curtain that separated him from Rick. He blinked. Did I see what I think I saw? He swallowed. Oh my. For a cock that impressive, I’d become a bottom. He giggled.
Two eternal hours later, Rick walked out of the store with three shirts and a sweater. Everything else, and he did mean everything else, he got to pick up in three days. That included two sports jackets, three pairs of dress slacks, and two suits that he’d been told he could “break up” and mix and match. The last time he’d paid a bill that huge was for Alice’s wedding reception, and sadly, after that week, the clothes would probably hang in his closet and never get worn again except maybe to a funeral or two.
Still, Jimothy had cooed all over him for each second of those two hours, making each pin and chalk mark worth it. He’d run his hands over Rick’s shoulders and down his waist. Once, he’d even felt Rick’s butt. Sad how much he’d enjoyed that.
Jimothy walked beside him to his truck. As Rick hung the clothes on the back of the driver’s seat, Jimothy crossed his arms and stared at the ground.
For a second, nobody said anything. Then Jimothy looked up at Rick through his lashes. That expression was totally devastating. “Are you ready to get your hair cut?”
“Now?” His voice cracked.
“I’ve got a proposition for you. How about you come to the shop after it closes? I’ll make sure even Felicia’s gone. That way, I can still have my equipment, and you can have privacy. We’ll talk through the hair and the beard carefully, so I don’t do anything you’ll hate, okay?”
“That seems like a lot of trouble.”
Jimothy crossed his arms with a huff. “Rick, you need a haircut and a beard trim. You’re not going to your sister’s wedding like this.” He waved one of those graceful hands in the direction of Rick’s face. “And I won’t permit you to wear your beautiful new clothes after going to a barber shop, is that clear?”
Rick barked a laugh. Damn, the man was so cute and just as bossy as he’d promised. “Okay, I get it. And afterward I’ll take you to dinner to show off my new do.”
Jimothy got that big-eyed look, and Rick realized what he’d done. One dinner invite could sensibly have been an apology for being an asshole. Two might be a lot for a straight guy to offer his hairdresser. But hell, he liked Jimothy. He didn’t have to think about the fact that he liked him way too much.
Jimothy nodded. “It’s a deal. Where will you be?”
“Uh, I’m going back to Snake and Theodore’s to work.”
“I have to get Princess Leia and take her to my place, so I could pick you up.”
“No, I can’t leave my truck at Theodore’s.”
Jimothy smiled. “How about you come to my place and park there? It’s such a zoo downtown at night. We can drive together, and then you can get your truck after dinner.”
“Uh, okay.”
“Plus, that way, if you chicken out, you’ll have to walk to your vehicle, and it’s all uphill.” He laughed, eyes crinkling and dimples flashing. “Give me your phone.”
Rick handed it over before he even thought. Man, that Jimothy was bossy, and it was hard to describe how much he liked it.
“I put in my phone number and address. See you at six.” He handed back the phone, waggled his fingers, and walked to his car, hips rotating in that Jimothy way.
Rick had to take deep breaths again.
Chapter Eight
Rick got off the freeway on the Laguna Canyon Road and headed toward the ocean. It was a pretty drive, like you were in the middle of a megalopolis one minute and the next you were deep in nature. Sadly, the road often resembled a parking lot.
Just as his foot was depressing the brake behind a line of cars, his phone rang. Alice. He smiled.
“Hi, brat.”
“How’s my favorite brother?”
“Better than most.” He took a breath. “So, kid, how’re you holding up? Has the stress gotten to you yet?”
She laughed. “I’m good. Like most brides, I guess, I’m trying to enjoy the moments and not wish the time away.”
“I was thinking” —he hadn’t been, but now he was—“I haven’t spent much time with Hank, and I thought maybe I could take you two to dinner, like before all the crazy starts.”