OVERTIME (9 page)

Jagger wasn’t sure what surprised him more—the sex, sex, and sex comment about whatever business Landry was trying to purchase or the economical car Colton was driving. He had expected Colton to drive some kind of expensive sports car or an even more expensive luxury car. First the coach flight and now this. If Colton wasn’t careful, Jagger was going to begin to think he might have dropped down to middle class or something as equally horrible as that. “Nice ride; not what I expected, though,” he admitted as Colton unlocked the doors and tossed Jagger’s backpack in the trunk.

“I think you might need to stop rich-guy profiling me, Wildcat. Yeah, I’m comfortable but I try not to waste money on material shit I don’t really need.” He said as he slid his big frame into the tiny car. Jagger bent his body and dropped into the comfy passenger seat. There was actually more room than he’d thought there would be.

“You just blew over eight hundred dollars on a plane ticket to bring me to Key West on our fake date,” Jagger countered. “I’m pretty sure you still have some room for improvement in the not wasting money on material shit you don’t really need category.” He looked out the window to avoid looking at Colton. He could literally feel the guy’s emerald eyes burning a hole into the side of his head. Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t look.

He looked.

Fuck, those were the most beautiful eyes in the entire world.

“Anything for you is not a waste and I would have paid much, much more to get you here,” Colton answered softly. Then, totally ruining his romantic moment, he rubbed his hands together in a Disney villain gesture and added, “Now I’ve got you right where I want you, my pretty!”

“You really are an idiot. You know that, right?” Jagger countered but he couldn’t have stopped the grin tugging at his lips if his very life had depended on it. Colton brought out this weird side of him—a fun side that almost seemed normal, like any other college frat guy flirting and having a good time.

“I most certainly am!” Colton agreed. “Now, let’s get this show on the road. I can’t wait to make you swoon by showing you my rich-guy digs! I’m
gonna
drop by my place first, lose the car and your backpack and then we can grab something to eat and do a bit of sightseeing. Sound good?”

“Hey, it’s your date. I’m just the guy who is on his very best date behavior.” Shit, there he was…flirting. It felt fucking good. Scary, but good. Real scary, but real good.

Colton threw the car into gear and whipped the tiny auto out of their parking space and followed the signs marked exit. “You do realize, Wildcat, that best date behavior means
putting out
, right?”

“Hardy-har-har
. I’m not going to be
that
good of a date.” When Colton argued with a disappointed growl, he added, “I’m talking not even to first base date.”

“What is first base? I don’t even remember?” Colton asked innocently. “Is that where I get to kiss you or play with your nipples?”

“We aren’t doing either of those things,” Jagger answered with a laugh. The dude was totally contagious.

“Uh…straight for the cock and balls, then? I’m okay with that,” he added playfully. “I had you pegged for more romance and wooing, but I can get down with straight to cock and balls.”

“Shut up.”

“Give it up.”

“Not gonna happen.”

“We’ll see.”

He acted so damned sure of himself. Jagger felt so damned unsure of himself.

When they eased up to the cashier for the airport parking lot, Colton gave them an easy pay card and the lady working the exit knew him by name and inquired about business. Now, when she inquired about business, she did so with a whisper and a wink, like she was in a big secret that nobody else was aware of. Colton, on his end, visibly tensed and quickly answered ‘slow, thankfully’. With that odd encounter, they sped away from the airport and headed toward Key West. Jagger felt like he was pulling a Linda Blair as his head swiveled in every direction, taking in all the sights and listening as Colton acted as tour guide. They had flown into Marathon, so they still had about an hour’s drive left and Jagger was pretty sure he was going to enjoy every damned minute of it.

As they crossed the seven mile bridge, he admired the beautiful water on both sides of their vehicle. Colton explained that if they were traveling in the morning instead of later in the evening, the water would appear even bluer than it did now. He nearly screamed like a girl when he noticed three dolphins off in the distance, soaring in the air and then disappearing again.
There was beauty all around him—especially the man sitting a mere foot away from him. He’d noticed the water…and then Colton’s huge hands, gripping the steering wheel. He’d noticed the dolphins…and then back to Colton’s hands he would go—loving how he could see strong, masculine veins across the top and leading to the sexiest wrists he’d ever seen in his life. He’d noticed a few fishing boats on both sides of the bridge…and then, of course, back to Colton. He had about eight leather bracelets, each decorated with some sort of metal design, wrapped around his wrists. Decorating his masculinity made him look even sexier in Jagger’s eyes.

Fuck, he felt so lost. When Colton had only resided in the secret corners of his mind, he’d seemed so less…dangerous. So less intimidating. So less
everything
. Face to face, trapped in the tiny confines of the tiny car on his tiny island, Colton seemed so much more
everything
. He was funnier. He was carefree. He was fucking beautiful.

Jagger was fucking lost.

“You like my bracelets?” Colton asked, jerking him back to reality. “I notice you keep looking at them. A friend of my sells sets up a booth on Duval and sells them on weekends. We can grab you some while we’re here.”

The pretty smile on Colton’s face told Jagger that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he hadn’t been looking at the stupid bracelets. Arrogant ass. “No, thanks. I don’t waste my money on man-jewelry. It’s more your style, anyway.”

Snort. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you implying I need man-jewelry help to make myself sexy?”

Jagger’s head shook from side to side in confusion. “How the hell did you get there from what I said?” Yeah, like Colton needed any help looking sexy? He might have the market cornered on that bit of shit. The leather bracelets and Florida tan just added to the sexy package he was blessed with. Oh yeah, and the tattoos that decorated his biceps. Don’t forget those. They added their own fucking sex appeal where there wasn’t a sex appeal shortage going on.

“Who knows how my mind works, Wildcat. Anyway, I’m grabbing you some of Taylor’s bracelets if he’s set up.” He held up his hand to stop Jagger’s argument before it could even start. “Don’t argue with me. I always win. Anyway, it won’t be a waste of money. No doubt Taylor will give them to you just so other folks will see the hot guy wearing them and want their own. He works that way—walking advertisements, he calls it. It’s how I got mine.”

“You’re a walking advertisement for arrogance, that’s for certain,” Jagger muttered and just shook his head when Colton barked out a laugh. He’d thought that was going to be the longest twenty four hours of his life but after only a bit of time, he was pretty sure it was going to be the fastest—gone before he knew it, leaving him firmly lodged back in Kentucky with his boring, no risk-taking, no-touching, no-fun life.

“Okay, my innocent Kentucky native, this is Duval Street. Grab hold of something really tight because I’m not sure you’re ready for this shit,” Colton laughed. He turned down a busy street and Jagger prepared to see things he’d never seen in his life. There were people littering both sides of the sidewalk, walking along and looking a lot like tourists. Shops, bars, and restaurants were smashed right up against each other and everything looked all hustle and bustle. He saw several guys holding hands as they walked, a few kissed openly, but most just people were just scurrying along, carrying packages, laughing, and pointing at the sights. The bars were already hopping and it was still early in the evening. Chickens roamed the streets and sidewalks and cars and people paused to let them tip-toe by at their chicken-pace.

After a few minutes, Colton turned the car right and Jagger assumed they were no longer on Duval. He paused, waited, and then turned in Colton’s direction, “That’s it? I had to hold on tight for that? I may be the most boring person alive, but that didn’t even shock me.”

“Yeah…it’s not a street of debauchery and sin like everybody likes to say. To hear most folks preach it, Key West is the vortex of hell with all the gays, nudity, and drinking that goes on. Bunch of bullshit. Sure, we know how to have fun but not at the expense of innocent minors and the souls of wee children.”

Jagger frowned. “Wow. Bitter much? What’s that about?” It was weird to think of Colton having to be defensive about his lifestyle. He seemed so…out there. Comfortable. Opposite of all-things-Jagger.

“Maybe, bitter. Yeah, probably bitter. This is my home and I hate to hear all the shit talk going on about it. The
freakin’ conservative right would probably like to donate us to Cuba because of how
sinful
we are.”

Those sexy hands were gripping the steering wheel really tight now, muscles flexing and jaw clenching. His sexy full lips were pouting in fury. Jagger was pretty sure he’d never seen a better example of masculine beauty in his entire life. It made his mouth dry…and his cock wet, leaking with desire. Fuck; that was all he needed.

He took a deep breath and just dove straight in. “Probably…but only because you, Mr. Sinful, live here.” He shrugged. “Of course, I seriously doubt Cuba would want you either.”

About that time, Colton whipped the compact car into a parking space at the docks, slammed it into gear, and turned all the way around in his seat, staring at Jagger in complete and utter shock. “Holy shit. Did you just try to make a joke?” He was climbing from the car and grinning from ear to ear at the same time. He looked like he just won the fucking lottery. Jagger felt a familiar burn start to stain his cheeks.

“Shut up,” he grumbled, feeling like a fool but wanting to grin just because Colton was and everything the guy did seemed contagious to Jagger. He’d never envied another person’s carefree attitude before. His fate had been decided for him years ago and he’d accepted it, not worrying about it in years. He was a Jameson, for fuck’s sake. A Jameson didn’t grin, wear leather bracelets, or even consider sporting a carefree attitude. A Jameson worried about where his next meal came from and never ever tried to step out of the box they had been born in.

“No way, wildcat! I loved it.” Colton oozed happiness when he yanked Jagger into some sort of man-hug.

Quickly, Jagger squirmed out of it. It would be his luck to get caught sporting a hard-on just from a man-hug. He had no doubt Colton wanted to fuck him. All his doubts came from the
why
Colton wanted to fuck him. Was it just the Captain’s challenge? Was it a way to humiliate him? Was it some game to try and woo the poor kid and then joke about it to his rich friends? There were so many doubts swarming his mind, but he was sure of one thing and one thing only—there was no way somebody like Colton could possibly want to sleep with him for any reason other than something negative.

“Hey, I know this joking thing is totally new to you, but I’ve got to take this opportunity to give you some pointers. That look on your face? It
sooooo
does not go with joking. You’re supposed to smile or at least let a tiny grin tug at those incredibly sexy lips of yours. Right now? You look either really worried or really sad—doesn’t compute with my little Kentucky Wildcat jokester wannabe.”

“You realize you’re being an ass, right?” Jagger asked. That stupid little tiny grin was starting to tug at his lips. The sexy part was definitely questionable. He was pretty sure nobody had ever told him he had sexy lips. He’d gone out with a girl one time that told him he had
girl-lips
, all plump and bow-shaped. He was pretty certain that hadn’t been a compliment. She definitely hadn’t left him with the impression she thought there was anything sexy about it.

“This way,” Colton gestured toward the marina and Jagger obediently followed, noticing Colton’s ass as it traveled in front of him. First the guy’s hands and now his ass. Yeah, he was headed straight down a path he’d never been before and he was headed at a high fucking rate of speed. Having said that, the dude had an awesome ass.

“And, in my defense, I’m not being an ass. I was trying to be helpful. I want this joking thing to work out for you. I thought your somber, grouchy, old-man look was incredibly sexy and has led to many naughty dreams and shower make-out sessions between me and my hand, but the cute smile? My fucking favorite!”

A blush. “Eh…where are we going? I thought you said we were going to drop by your place and then head out again? Are you taking me out to sea to toss me overboard, never to be seen or heard from again? If that’s the case, I really want you to rethink the plan.”

Colton kept glancing over his shoulder as they walked. Finally, he yanked Jagger forward until they were walking side by side, shoulders bumping, hands innocently brushing each other every now and again as they walked down the docks together. A few people spoke or punched Colton on the arm when they passed. No one seemed at all surprised that Colton and another guy were heading toward…well, wherever they were headed.