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much. I only expect one night.”
    Landon opened his mouth to argue with him, but Rod cut him off. “Oh. I almost forgot. I have something for you.” He bent down and rifled around in the cabinet beneath the cash register.
    Less than a minute later he stood and handed a box to Landon. He opened it up and said, “I’m going to fucking kill you.”
    “What?” Rod looked at him with puppy dog eyes, as though he was innocent. “I’m just trying to help. And it’s not like I went out and specifically got it for you. When companies make new products they sometimes send us a sample. No one used it.”
    “It’s not a new product. I have a FleshStroke at home, thank you very much.”
    “Yes, but this one is new and improved. It’s even more realistic. Feels just like a—”
    “Yeah, I get the point. You don’t need to explain it to me.”
    “I’m just trying to help.” Rod grinned and the motherfucker had Landon smiling too.
    “I don’t need your help. Plus, I prefer a hand.”
    “I have two of those as well.” Rod held his hands up.
    They both started laughing. Landon’s gut hurt, he laughed so hard. Jesus, the man was crazy, and damned if Landon didn’t enjoy that about him. “What the hell am I going to do with you?” This wasn’t the first time he’d muttered those words to Rod, as though he had to do anything with him at all.
    “You’ll get tired of me sooner or later.” Rod winked at him, but something about the curve of his lips, and the sudden dullness in his eyes, told Landon that he really believed that. It was the first hint of real vulnerability he’d seen from Rod.
    “Nah, you keep things exciting. You’re a good friend. That’s why I won’t fuck you, remember?”
    Rod sighed. “Thanks for reminding me.” Just then the door opened and more customers came in. With a straight face, Rod looked right at them. “Welcome to Rods-N-Ends, your orgasm headquarters. What can I do for you today?”
    Landon nearly had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.
    ***
    They played cards. It was a deck with penises on them that Rod pulled out when Landon continued to hang around. In between customers, they played poker and Gin Rummy on the counter.
    Around eight, Landon ran across the street and got them both a pizza for dinner. It was a weekday. Rod’s help had left a while ago, leaving just Landon and him when he didn’t have customers.
    He was surprised that Landon seemed to plan on spending his entire evening at the shop, but he wasn’t disappointed. At eleven on the dot, Rod turned out the “Open” light and locked the doors.
    “I should probably head out,” Landon told him.
    “You don’t have to.” He didn’t want Landon to leave. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Maybe that’s why he wanted to have sex with Landon so badly. Well, besides the fact that he was sexy as hell, but for Rod that would put things in perspective. People knew Rod was up to fuck, so they often fucked him and then that was that. He was used to screwing people and then being on his way. He wasn’t really used to having someone refuse to sleep with him, because they valued his friendship. It made waters…murky for him. Like he couldn’t see through things to know the outcome and he didn’t like that.
    Landon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It makes me feel like shit, but I almost fucking hate going back to that house every day. I’m pretty sure that means I’m an asshole.”
    “No it doesn’t.”
    “Actually, it does. My mom and Shanen are both so happy to have me home. Things were never easy growing up, but there was never a time in my life that I doubted my mother’s love for me, so yeah, the fact that it’s hard to be around her makes me a dickhead.”
    Every single part of Rod wanted him to ask Landon why—why things hadn’t been easy on them. Why he hated going home, but then, did he really want to open that can of worms? Did they really want to trade sob stories about their