else, Matt was clearly interested, and right then, Alex forced himself to enjoy the tiny spark of pleasure Matt’s attention created in him. He was sure that, with a bit of effort, he could coax it into at least a semi-decent flame.
That sounds enticing, doesn’t it? Here, let’s go have a semi-decent fuck. Alex really needed to find a way to smother that little voice inside his head.
“How are you liking Riverton so far?” Matt asked. He’d turned around so that he was now casually leaning his ass against the balustrade, his back to the pool, hands on either side of his hips. He really was an attractive son of a bitch with his blue eyes, fit body, and effortless charm.
“It’s peaceful,” Alex said diplomatically, and for the first time since he’d arrived, he found that he meant it, and even more surprisingly, it didn’t bother him that much. Minus the gossiping part, of course.
“I’ve always thought so, too. It’ll be an interesting change once I leave in the fall,” Matt replied with an easy grin. He looked so damn friendly and nice that Alex was starting to feel a bit bad that he wasn’t that enthusiastic about the prospective hookup.
“College?” Alex asked.
Matt nodded. “Economics at UC San Diego. I’ve never lived in a big city, so if you have any tips for me, I’m all ears.”
Alex didn’t feel like flirting, but he did his best. He was going to get laid, damn it! “Now that’s unfair. I’ve never lived in a tiny town, and yet, I’ve had to cope all on my own. Where were you in the beginning of summer? We could have compared notes.”
Matt pressed his side against Alex’s. “Now I feel terrible, but I bet I can still give you some pointers. At least I can warn you which busybody to avoid if you don’t want all sorts of rumors to start floating around.” He gave Alex a smile. “Maybe over dinner?”
Alex looked down at the yard. Noah was nowhere to be seen, which caused an unpleasant jolt in Alex’s stomach. He let his eyes wander over the property until he noticed Noah standing in the shade of one of the sun loungers, only a small distance away from the terrace. Lacey had her hands around Noah’s biceps, and she was definitely leaning closer to Noah than strictly necessary for a friendly conversation.
Alex turned away from them, mind made up, and faced Matt, who was looking at him expectantly. “It might be too late for me, but I can definitely give you some insights about city living. We should probably find somewhere more private, though. I’d like you to fully concentrate on my lesson. Wouldn’t want anybody to disturb us when we’re working hard at learning new things.”
Matt swallowed and nodded his head. He reminded Alex so much of a golden retriever puppy, all eager and willing.
“You got a car?” Alex asked.
Matt bit his lip. “I’ve got something better. My room. Upstairs.”
So he must have been Lacey’s brother, then. Alex cocked his head to the side and studied the guy. Now that he was looking, he could definitely see the resemblance between the two. Alex smirked. As far as he was concerned, hooking up with Lacey’s brother felt like a good enough revenge for how the girl was hogging Noah’s attention. There was poetic justice in it Alex could definitely work with.
“Lead the way.”
They turned around to go inside, and Alex ran straight into a very scowling Noah.
“There you are,” Noah said. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Alex glanced at Matt before turning his attention back on Noah. “Why?”
Noah lifted his hand and casually tugged at his earlobe. Alex blinked.
What. The. Fuck.
Alex couldn’t believe Noah was going to pull this crap now. He studiously avoided looking at Noah’s hand as he leaned closer to Matt. “One sec,” he said in a low voice.
“Wanted to make sure you were having fun,” Noah said as he tugged at the earlobe again, more forcefully this time. Alex squinted his eyes at Noah.
“I’m fine,” he said, tilting his head pointedly in Matt’s direction.
“It never hurts to check.” If Noah didn’t stop pulling at his ear, the thing was going to fall off.
“Well, I’m all good,” Alex said, stubbornly refusing to pay any attention to that stupid fucking signal. Noah should have been grateful Matt was there instead of sending him those glares. After all, Matt was the person who was going to help Alex make sure he’d be able