I stared at my empty plate, not quite able to look him in the eyes. I heard what he was saying and didn’t feel like he’d embarrassed me—just that I wasn’t sure if I was ready to talk like that. Even with him.
“But I also want you to know that you can share those thoughts with me because I want to know what you want. Genuinely,” he said.
I swallowed thickly, concentrating on the swirls of sauce on my plate. “It’s?—”
Fuck. The words weren’t wording for me. I chanced a look at his face, though, and saw only patience and sweetness.
“Why was it so much easier to say dirty things to you when I didn’t mean them?” I asked, hating the whine in my voice.
He slid his hand over mine. “Not to sound too obvious, but it was easier because you didn’t mean them. And a lot of that sass was via text, so?—”
Kess stopped mid-sentence and his eyes lit up. “I have an idea.”
With no additional context or warning, he stood and walked off, disappearing into the hallway off the living room. Seconds later, he came back with his phone in his hand.
“Grab your phone, Rowd.”
The tension that’d been ratcheting up in my shoulders and chest bled out. He knew me so well. Also, I enjoyed the command in his voice. Had I ever been turned on by someone telling me what to do?
One thing was for certain: My naughty dreams just got an upgrade.
“Rowdy, your phone.”
“Oh, sorry.”
I hopped up and retrieved my phone from the counter where I’d laid it before the blow job that had scrambled my brains. Kess stepped down into the living room and sat on the massive sectional, facing away from me while I remained at the counter.
My text notification went off.
Kess: Hey, hot stuff. Who’re you doing tonight?
I chuckled. He’d sent that same text to me a few times over the last couple of years, and I’d always figured he got a kick out of using ‘who’re’ because he was basically calling me a whore.Dork.
Smiling to myself, I opened the text field and started typing.
Me: This tall, super sexy lawyer from Austin.
Kess: Do tell.
Me: He’s got a mouth like a fucking airlock, but he’s afraid of spiders. Not sure if I can work with that.
Kess: I’m sure he has a good excuse to be afraid of spiders. You shouldn’t hold it against him.
Too easy.
Me: Then what would you suggest I hold against him?
Kess: Isn’t there a Bellamy Brothers song that answers that question?
Me: Dude.
Me: That song came out before my mom was even born.
Me: Exactly how old are you again?
Kess: Old enough to know what I’m doing.
I huffed out a laugh.
