Beautifully Spun by Charity Parkerson (free books to read .TXT) 📗

coat over the arm of the couch, Zayn gingerly sat. He was still unsure of his welcome. Not to mention, reeling from the sight of where Spencer lived. He knew the guy got paid an ass-ton to party for a living, but he was also in his forties. It seemed odd as hell that he lived like this.

A bark of laughter burst from Spencer. “You should see your face. Some of us don’t value possessions as much as you do.”

Zayn fought a wave of insult and embarrassment. He honestly didn’t know where to start. “There were a lot of assumptions in that claim.”

“Are you saying you don’t value money?” Spencer shot back.

“Of course I care about something I worked my ass off to get, but you’re assuming I have opinions on what you value. I don’t. You haven’t told me yet what’s important to you.”

Spencer cocked his head to one side and eyed Zayn. “Then why do you look so horrified right now?”

Zayn couldn’t hold back. “You have two vehicles parked in the same area where you sleep. Haven’t you heard of carbon monoxide?”

Spencer threw his head back, laughing. Hunger gnawed at Zayn’s gut as he stared at Spencer’s exposed throat. He hadn’t realized he had a thing for necks until he met Spencer. Fuck, he was sexy. Spencer swiped at his eyes.

“You’re funny. Like, I figured you were probably smart as fuck, but you’re pretty freaking hilarious too. I’m glad you came by.”

Zayn didn’t know if that was a preface to asking Zayn to leave, so he rushed to secure seeing Spencer again. “You should give me your number.”

Spencer sat forward and grabbed a notebook and pen from the table. He scratched out his number and passed the notebook Zayn’s way. “Same.”

Zayn tore out the area with Spencer’s number and pocketed it before writing his down.

“I don’t normally like bodybuilders. Too much muscle just isn’t to my taste.” Zayn glanced up at Spencer’s remark. He didn’t know whether to be insulted. Luckily, Spencer didn’t leave his statement hanging there unexplained. “Your body is nice, though.” He seemed to realize how he sounded and rushed to fix it. “I mean, usually bodybuilders are like cuddling with marble. You’re not like that.”

Zayn’s cheeks hurt from smiling as he watched Spencer scramble to remove his foot from his mouth. He made a dismissive gesture, wiping away Spencer’s concerns. “I get what you’re saying. I’m not currently cutting for any competitions, so I’m not as solid right now. Truthfully, I’ll probably stay like I am. I’m losing interest in the whole competition thing. Since I’ve already won a few trophies, it seems pointless.” Zayn blew out a sigh. He was tired just listening to himself. “Actually, I’m like this. Things don’t hold my interest forever. I pick up hobbies and then run with them until I’ve taken it as far as I can go. Then I’m bored with it. I’ve been over the bodybuilding thing for a while now. I’m ready to try something new.” Zayn glanced at the notebook, feeling exposed. He was unhappy. It was scary how close he had come to admitting that.

“Hey, man. Whose bad-ass car is that out front?” The words trailed off as the brown-haired guy burst through the door—like he lived there. “Oh.”

Zayn dropped the notebook on the coffee table and came to his feet. “You have company. I should go.”

Spencer eyed him, wearing an unreadable expression. He motioned the new arrival’s way. “This is my sound guy, Jinx. Jinx, this is Zayn.”

Zayn closed the distance between them and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Jinx shook his hand, but his gaze moved between Zayn and Spencer. “You too.” Despite his upbeat tone, Zayn recognized the jealousy in his eyes. He had made a mistake by coming here. Spencer’s jacket had been safely returned. They’d had an amazing afternoon. Spencer was obviously not interested. Zayn wouldn’t call.

Zayn cast a quick glance Spencer’s way, hoping it wouldn’t sting. “I’ll let you two get to work or whatever.” Without waiting for Spencer to respond, Zayn ducked out before he made a bigger fool of himself. He made it to his car before Spencer caught up with him.

“Are you really leaving without a proper goodbye?”

Zayn turned, ready to laugh off the moment. Spencer’s body collided with his and heat exploded through Zayn. Before he knew it would happen, Zayn had Spencer boxed in against the car. He held Spencer’s jaw and took the kiss he wanted. By the time he pulled away, they were panting.

“That’s more like it.” Despite Spencer’s obvious attempt at nonchalance, his words sounded breathless.

“Don’t lose my number.”

Spencer snagged Zayn’s shirt before he could get away. “I have a party out in the desert. Come. The host just puts the word out and whoever shows, shows. Come out to Hollinger Point. You can’t miss it.”

Zayn didn’t know if his heart could take it, but the day was young. “I’ll be there.” Maybe Zayn would go. He wasn’t sure yet. All he knew was, he really liked Spencer. He wanted to believe they had a chance, and he was the king of fooling himself.

Spencer tried not to smile like an idiot as he headed back inside. He wasn’t one to chase a dude, but damn. There was a definite spark. Spencer wanted to go back for seconds. He hadn’t quite had his fill yet.

“What was that all about?”

At Jinx’s question, Spencer avoided his gaze as he crossed the room. “Saying goodbye to a friend.”

Jinx didn’t let it go. “Uh, no. You practically ran after the guy. I’ve never seen that happen.”

Spencer glanced at the notebook. Zayn’s number was gone. “I’m a nice guy. What happened to the number on this notebook?”

“What number?”

Jinx sounded a little too guilty for Spencer’s liking. “What did you do?”

Jinx shifted from one foot to the other. His light blue gaze slid past Spencer—like he couldn’t look him in the eye. “I didn’t pay any attention to what was written