Keeping Casey (Keeping Him #1) - Amy Aislin Page 0,67

cut off when Casey closed the door behind himself, still trying to convince Ethan that he could go on his own and that Ethan should stay and enjoy the party.

“I’d rather hang out with you anyway,” Ethan said, heading for the trunk of the car, where they’d all left their coats since they were only going from house to car and car to house and back.

“God damn it,” Casey growled. “Why do you have to be so . . . you?”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” Shaking his head, he stood on the curb on the passenger side of the car and pulled out his phone, googling the nearest place to pick up things, no doubt.

Okay then.

Popping the trunk, Ethan got his and Casey’s coats before joining Casey. He placed Casey’s coat on his shoulders, wrapped his arms around him from behind, and peered at the phone over Casey’s shoulder. “That doesn’t look too far.”

Casey leaned back against him, eliciting a quiet rumble from Ethan’s throat. “Just a few minutes away.” Pocketing his phone, he turned and put on his coat. “Really, you don’t have to come with me.”

“I don’t mind,” Ethan said with a shrug, tugging on his own coat. “It’s nice to get out of there for a bit.” A brief mental recharge before he was thrust back into the fray. “So what are we getting?”

“Just things.”

“Yeah, you said that already. But what things?”

Haloed under a streetlight, Casey fidgeted on his feet. Coughed once. “So. It occurred to me just now that we’d be sharing a room tonight.”

“I figured.”

“Alone. Just the two of us. No roommates. And I need to go to the store to get . . . things . . . supplies. In case.”

“Oh. Oh.” That last one Ethan dragged out to about six syllables. “Right. Well, uh . . .” He scuffed the toe of his shoe against the ground. “I, uh, sort of already thought of that and brought . . . things. In case.”

Casey blinked at him. “You did?”

Ethan nodded.

Frankly, he was surprised Casey hadn’t thought of this. Normally, he was the one who was prepared for every scenario.

“Oh. That’s . . .” Casey swallowed hard, Adam’s apple bopping. His voice was hoarse when he said, “Good.”

Ethan looked toward the house. “How much longer do you think this party’s going to last?”

Forever, as it turned out. Surely it only felt like forever since he was antsy with anticipation and nerves that bounced uncontrollably in his stomach. He managed to eat, though it wasn’t much, and then he fled upstairs to hunt down his backpack in the room he’d be sharing with Casey, digging out his toothbrush and toothpaste. He had garlic breath and he didn’t want that to be the thing Casey remembered about their first time.

Hell, Ethan’s first time ever.

God.

Part of him wanted the party to last long into the night. The other, larger part wanted to drag Casey to bed, party be damned.

The families with little kids left around eight, but it was nearing midnight when everyone else started trickling out. Then it was clean up time, which Ethan, Casey, Theo, and Harkrader all pitched in for because it would’ve been rude not to. And then, to Ethan’s consternation, they sat around the kitchen table, quietly chatting and decompressing while they finished off a platter of cubed cucumber chunks stuffed with cheese. Casey sat next to him, knee bouncing, hand on Ethan’s thigh, nails digging in. It sent a bolt of pleasure up Ethan’s spine, shooting his concentration to shit.

Finally, finally, the lights were turned off, the front door was locked, goodnights were called, and bedroom doors snicked closed.

And not for the first time in his life, Ethan was alone in a bedroom with Casey.

Unlike all those other times, tension and expectancy arced between them. On the night table were the “things” he’d unpacked when he’d come up to brush his teeth. Casey eyed them, then Ethan, back to the supplies.

“Should we put on porn?” Ethan suggested, only half kidding. “Make this even more awkward?”

With a nervous laugh, Casey sat on the bed, falling back and blinking at the ceiling. Ethan joined him, making sure he was right up against Casey, shoulder to knee. Bending one arm at the elbow, he held up one hand, sighing when Casey pressed their palms together.

Turning his head to look at Casey, he said, “Despite your almost-trip to the store, you don’t seem all that sure about this.”

“I am sure.” Casey met his gaze. “But it’s just now occurring