Free Boyfriend for Rent by Jamie Lake

with less swing in his hips than he usually used. He wasn’t trying to turn Hunter into him. “You can still be a man, and a masculine one at that, without walking like you’re carrying a load in your pants.”
    Hunter blushed, and burst out laughing. “Alright.”
    “So ... left, right, left , right, swing your arms, Hunter .... there you go,” he instructed.
    Hunter tried , but his limbs were too stiff and robotic.
    Casey tried a few times , but he just wasn’t getting it. Casey closed his eyes and sighed.
    “What’s wrong?” Hunter asked, frustrated too.
    Casey took a deep breath, wiping his hands across his face to calm himself. How was he going to make Hunter understand? Professor Henry Higgins hadn’t had this much of a problem with his protégé. A light bulb went off. Maybe that would work. One of the first things that he and Hunter had ever had a real conversation about had been about their mutual love of old Westerns. It was time for a change of tactics.
    “Okay, so you like old movies , right?”
    “Yep,” Hunter answered.
    “So imagine: this is not a John Wayne movie, this is a ... You know what this is? This is a Cary Grant movie.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Yeah. Close your eyes now and be Cary Grant.” Casey smiled, pleased with himself.
    He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them.
    Casey’s smile drooped and he sighed, “You don’t know who Cary Grant is, do you?”
    “Nope,” he said.
     
     
     
    _________ o _________
     
    CHAPTER 24
     
    C asey couldn’t keep his eyes off of it. Battling between Hunter’s ruggedly handsome looks and the big bowl of buttered popcorn lodged in the other man’s crotch, Casey didn’t know where to look. He forced himself to focus on something else—anything else.
    But it was so hard.
    His stomach sank as he saw this man, this perfect man, just inches away. Being cool with the fact that he liked other dudes was one thing, but Casey knew better than to cross the line. He could never risk losing this new friendship with Hunter.
    Hunter lifted a handful of popcorn and popped it in his mouth . His fingers slid out of his full lips, while his tongue was licking his fingertips, sucking slowly. Casey was so turned on in that instant, all he could think to do was throw the popcorn to the floor and lick the butter off Hunter’s fingers.
    Stop. Casey told himself. He doesn’t like you like that. You’re only going to get your heart broken and ruin your friendship. This is a job, a living situation, maybe a good friendship. Nothing more.
    And even though he knew the logic made sense, the more he thought about it, the more it saddened him. He stared at the TV screen and soon his mind drifted. It was a comedy , and even though the film was practically ancient, it was hilarious. He blurted out a laugh and Hunter laughed back. His eyes drifted Casey’s direction.
    Hunter didn’t know what it was about Casey , but he wanted to be around him all the time. Most people had failed or disappointed him in one way or another, and Hunter only hoped Casey wouldn’t be the same. He didn’t want another failure to add to his list, although he couldn’t say why it mattered to him so much that it was Casey who succeeded while others had failed.
    Through the wafting smell of buttery popcorn, Hunter couldn’t stop looking at Casey. His heart thudded wildly in his chest, but he didn’t know why. It’d be one thing if it was another chick on his couch. He would have banged her by now, legs up in the air , moaning the night away.
    But it was another man.
    Another man whose lips he was picturing wrapped around his finger, sucking off the butter and salt from the popcorn. What would it feel like, to have a man’s mouth traveling down his chest, licking every inch of it? Would it be different to have a man go down on him rather than a woman? It would be hot and wet, but would Casey’s mouth feel different than… hers?
    He pushed her name away before it could form , and then realized