Unnecessary Roughness (4 page)

“Sorry. Just lost in thought.”

“What are you thinking?” Connor opened the glass door to the cool sunshine.

Kyle didn’t answer right away because he was thinking about sticking his dick into Connor’s ass.

Connor met his gaze. “All right. I won’t ask. Who knows what’s going on inside that handsome jock head of yours?” He winked.

Like an anxious puppy dog, Kyle jumped. Was that a sign?
What the hell? Handsome? He thinks I’m handsome?

As he removed the car keys from his pocket, Connor laughed, shaking his head.

The apartment house was old, 1950s vintage, but seemed to be well maintained. They buzzed with the manager’s unit and she showed them to the second floor. She unlocked the door and allowed the men to walk in.

While he scanned around, Connor grumbled, “This tiny place for eight hundred fifty? What a joke.”

She gestured to a miniature room near the bathroom, which had a single bed. “It’s a two-bedroom.”

“That’s a closet.” Connor crossed his arms over his chest.

Moving behind Connor, Kyle took a look at it. He noticed the bedroom had a nice view of the toilet which strangely enough had strands of beads for a door, a la hippie-era. When he pushed them they swung with a clacking sound.

“Let’s go, Kyle.” Connor waved.

“Wait...” The manager stopped them. “How about if I give it to you for eight twenty-five?”

Kyle raised his eyebrow at Connor. “That ain’t bad.”

“What about this door?” Connor shoved the rainbow-colored beads making them shimmer and rattle again. “Is this some trendy
Mod Squad
or
Laugh-In
motif? Give me a break.”

“I could see about getting a regular door hung,” she offered.

“I don’t mind.” Kyle shrugged, imagining watching Connor through them taking a pee or just coming out of the shower naked.

“You don’t mind?” Connor asked. “That’s not much fucking privacy.”

“Privacy?” Kyle chuckled. “What the hell are you so shy about? I see you in the locker room all the time.” Kyle hoped that didn’t sound too gay.

The manager bit her lip anxiously.

“No. It’s not that.” Connor became annoyed. “Kyle, come on. We can do better than this. And who gets to sleep in the closet? This is absurd.”

Knowing they couldn’t do better than this on their budget, Kyle wandered around again. “I like it. I’ll stay in here.”

“Agh! No way!”

“Eight-fifteen,” the manager said.

“Connor, we won’t find anything decent for that price. You know we’re both on a tight budget.”

Putting his hands on his hips, Connor grumbled and took another look at the kitchen.

Kyle leaned against the wall to watch him.

“All the appliances work,” the manager added.

While Connor inspected the cupboards, opening the refrigerator and turning on the stove, Kyle imagined them alone at night. “Let’s try it,” Kyle said.

Showing his reluctance, Connor stared down at the short, heavy-set young woman. “Do we have to sign a lease?”

“Uh, how about three months?”

“The only reason she’s being so accommodating, Kyle, is because this place sucks.”

“No. I like you guys. I want you to have it. You look responsible.” She nodded, emphasizing her point. “You won’t wreck the place.”

The men exchanged glances. Kyle shrugged hopefully.

“You sure?” Connor asked him again, walking close enough to rub noses.

“Sure.” A
re you kidding, Worthington? You? Me? In this tiny place?

Connor sighed heavily. “All right.”

They followed the woman to her room where she had all the paperwork. They signed a lease and Kyle wrote out a check for their deposit. She happily handed them each a key.

Still seemingly upset, Connor stuffed it into his pocket as he descended the stairs, emerging outside. Kyle kept up with him and they stopped when they reached the car.

Kyle asked, “You okay with it, Connor?” He physically turned Connor around to face him. “What’s wrong? You change your mind about living with me?”

“Hmm? Living with you? No. No, I want to live with you. It’s just…oh, nothing. Sure, it’ll be fine.” He tilted his head to his car and they both climbed in.

Still wondering if he was pushing Connor too much, Kyle grabbed his leg before he backed out of the parking spot. “Wait.” Kyle felt intense heat coming from Connor’s body.

At the contact, Connor stared down at Kyle’s hand.

“I want to make sure you’re happy. Don’t make a decision based solely on what I think.” Kyle squeezed Connor’s thigh.

It felt odd suddenly, Kyle’s hand on him that way. Somewhere in his mid-section Connor felt a tingle that made him a little dizzy. That tingle made its way to his crotch in a matter of seconds, exciting him.
God no! I can’t get hot for him! No. Please!

“Connor?” Kyle shook his leg.

“Huh?” Connor was totally disoriented and found Kyle’s chocolate brown eyes. “What? What did you ask me?” Connor’s cock began to throb in his tight pants and he’d die if Kyle noticed.

Kyle removed his hand and stared at him.

Connor wanted to say, “God, you are so fucking gorgeous, will you make love to me?” Instead he said, “Let me get back to my dorm room so I can pack my shit up.”

“Right, I have a Ford Taurus if you need a bigger car.” Kyle exhaled loudly in what sounded like stress to Connor. “We can’t fit both our stuff in this tiny thing.”

“True.” Dropping his sunglasses back on his nose, Connor exhaled an equally deep, stress-filled breath and pulled out into traffic.

“You need help with your things? Should I follow you?”

“No. All I’ve got is clothes and books. Nothing I can’t fit into the Mig. I’ll meet you back at the new place after.”

“You sure?”

Wanting to throw a kiss at Kyle’s concerned expression Connor replied, “I’m sure.”

After dropping Kyle off at his car, Connor headed to the dorms.

“I can’t believe I just agreed to move into a tiny apartment with a jock as hot as fucking Kyle. What the hell’s wrong with me?” Rubbing his face tiredly after pocketing his sunglasses, Connor had gay fantasies and dreaded acting on them. His current roommate was so repulsive, he would never be tempted. Kyle? Kyle Baker? Six-foot-two-inches of pure, solid muscle? Dark chocolate brown hair and eyes?
I wanted to wait until I graduated to date men. I can’t do it now. What am I thinking? Wait. You’re not dating. Kyle’s not gay. Stop this. Am I fucking insane?

“Yes, I’m insane,” he muttered as he opened the door to his room and stepped inside. “Fuck it. Fuck it!” He restrained his defiant roar.
Whose life is it? Huh? Mine or my parents’? I’m sick of playing this goddamn denial game
.

But he knew. It wasn’t a game. As far as his family was concerned, he was already in the doghouse for not pursuing a career in law and bringing home a blonde bimbo named Taffy. Gay? His father would cut off his balls as well as his inheritance. Forget about paying his tuition.

Even his mother wouldn’t support that. No way. Both his parents made it very clear early in his life they were pure right-wing, George W. Republican, NRA gun-toting, hate hippie-freaks and queers, bible waving radicals.

If his dad knew how long he craved cock? That would be enough for Arthur Worthington III to take a contract out on his life.

Shaking off the dreaded scenarios of his dad making spot-checks on him, Connor felt defiant. He had to start living his own life. He was twenty not two!

Looking around the small, cluttered living space, he cringed at the food scraps and garbage. Moving directly to his side of the room, he located his suitcase and started packing.

“Hey, Connor! You leaving?” Jean, one of his female dorm and classmates, appeared to have been waiting for his return. She poked her head into his room, chewing gum and texting on her phone simultaneously.

“Yes. I found an apartment off campus. I’m sharing it with one of the other guys on the lacrosse team, Kyle Baker.” He folded his things up as he placed them in his bag.

“I know him. He’s the new guy from Oregon.” She checked the time. “You’re going now?”

He gestured to the mess. “Not soon enough.”

“No! How far away are you will you be?” She split her concentration between him and her keypad.

“Not far. Why?”

She kicked her shoe into the dirty carpet. “I don’t know. I just like you living here at the dorm.”

“Do you, Jean?” He grinned at her quickly before he went to pack his toiletries.

Jean followed him. “Yes. Who else is there to pester?” She pocketed her mobile phone.

“You don’t pester me.”

“Oh, Connor, do ya have ta go?” She hugged him from behind.

“Yes, I
have ta
.” He smiled and spotted her in the bathroom mirror’s reflection.

Pouting out her lower lip, Jean released him and crossed her arms in a huff. “Lucky Kyle! I’m so jealous of him. Where is it? Can I have your address?”

“Here.” He handed her the little ad from his pocket. “Copy it on that pad on the desk, then I need it back or I won’t find my way home. You already know my cell phone number.”

“Yeah, but you never answer my text messages.” She jotted it down and stuffed the clipping into his front pocket, getting a quick grope.

He widened his eyes at her. “Geez! You copping a feel?”

“Did you like it?”

“Even if I did, I still have to pack.” He nudged her away from him gently and continued what he was doing.

“When can I see you?”

“I don’t know. Lacrosse practice has started and I’m really busy. Can I let you know?”

“I suppose. Will you be in biology?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be in class?” He tossed his shaving kit in the suitcase and scanned around. He spotted his books and stuffed them into his backpack.

“No reason.” She followed him.

They both reacted when a light knock was heard. Another girl came into the opened door. “I just got Jean’s text. You’re leaving us?”

“Loraine, tell him he can’t go,” Jean whined.

Connor shook his head at them and removed his leather jacket from the closet, laying it on top of everything in the suitcase, then he tried to close it.

“Where are you going?” Loraine asked.

Jean filled her in as Connor sat on his suitcase to snap it shut.

“Oh, Connor, you can’t. Don’t leave us.”

Wiping the sweat off his face from his packing, Connor rested the suitcase on the floor and smiled at the two sets of sad eyes. “I’m not really leaving. The apartment is just about walking distance from campus. And you both have my phone number.”

Loraine echoed Jean’s earlier comment, “But you never return my text messages. What’s Kyle’s mobile phone number? Can we have it? Maybe he’ll at least keep in touch with us.”

“You’ll have to ask Kyle for his number.” Gus, his soon-to-be-ex-roommate, came in eating a chili dog. Connor cringed and swung his backpack over his shoulder. “I gotta go.”

The women turned to Gus and groaned.

“Do you have to be so gross?” Jean snorted at him.

“What?” He had mustard on his face. “What did I do? You leaving, Connor?”

“Yeah, I got an apartment off campus with one of the guys on my team.” Hoisting up his heavy suitcase, he made for the door. The girls trailed him, still whining. They shadowed him down to his car. He put the big suitcase in the passenger’s seat, the backpack in the trunk.

“Wait! At least give us a hug goodbye,” Jean whimpered.

Connor laughed softly. “Come here.” He opened his arms.

Both women attached themselves to him aggressively. He regained his balance after the force of their reaction and squeezed them tight. “I’m still close by. A minute away.”

“God, you smell good.” Loraine inhaled him.

As they started squirming on him, he backed away and announced, “Goodnight, ladies.”

“Call us!”

“Stop by!”

In stereo they said, “Text me!”

He started the car and waved at them as he left. His thoughts instantly turned to Kyle Baker.

Kyle was inside their new apartment unloading his things. He heard noises coming from the hall. Kyle poked his head out of the door to find Connor sweating with his effort.

“Christ! Do you do everything fast?” Connor wiped his forehead after the climb. “How did you get here before me?”

At the comment, Kyle stood straight and stared at him. “Uh, no. Not everything. I hadn’t fully unpacked, so I had it easy.” He allowed Connor inside and closed the door behind him.

Connor dumped his suitcase into the larger bedroom, the one with the double bed. “Are you sure you don’t want this one?”

“I’m sure. Why? You feeling guilty? You want to share the big bedroom?” Kyle tested the waters.

Connor opened his mouth to respond but a quick retort never materialized.

Feeling the awkwardness, Kyle mumbled, “So. Uh. No sheets or blankets and it’s too late to hit a store.”

“I never thought of that. I should have ripped some off from the dorm.”

“Tomorrow we’ll take care of it. At least it’s Saturday. We only have lacrosse practice.”

“I have a ton of work to do. If I don’t sit my ass down and start reading, I’m fucked.”

“We’ll get to it.” Kyle leaned on the door frame and used his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face. “It’s fucking stuffy in here.”

Connor glanced around. “Open all the windows. You can even turn on the air conditioning to cool it down a little.”

Kyle moved to the thermostat. “Let’s see what comes out. It does say cool air on it.”

They paused to listen. Something clicked on. Connor reached in front of one of the vents. “It does feel cooler.”

“Good. I’ll open the windows.” Kyle went room to room opening the windows that weren’t painted shut. When he returned he found that Connor had taken off his t-shirt and tossed it on the bed as he worked on hanging up his clothing.

Having already finished what he was doing, Kyle stopped short in the doorway. “You need help?”

“I think I got it.” Connor paused, pulling his hair back into a ponytail and wrapping a rubber band around it. Once he did, he used his shirt to wipe the perspiration off his face.