2
Liam
Three Months Later
I wasin the gym near my condo in Boystown, working tris on the cable machine. After I finished my reps, I wiped the sweat off my brow, surveying the guys around me. A cute guy was working out around the same time. Outside of his dirty-blond hair and height, there wasn’t much about him that reminded me of Ty, but that seemed to be enough to get me thinking about the kid who had forced his way past my defenses and left me planning a trip I told myself was to see Eric, but knew was really about getting to see my Pretty Thing again.
For months, that boy remained on my thoughts. There was something about Ty that was so distracting, and I wasn’t one to be easily distracted.
So many reasons not to contact him, particularly with him being Eric’s kid, but as he’d said when we were in PV, there was no harm in being friends. I didn’t have a lot of those, never had. But being officially retired, my future uncertain, I figured it was time to take him up on his offer.
I packed my bags and booked a flight for the following day. I had the freedom to make calls like that since I didn’t have the obligations that had previously bound me to my work. I’d prevented myself from texting Ty ever since I got his number, but the desire was strong, moved through my very being the way my desire to pleasure myself might have, but considering how well-trained I’d become at resisting even those, I knew I could subdue these others just the same.
Problem was: I didn’t want to.
Some part of me was subconsciously driving me toward him, pulling me the way that magnetism I felt around him tugged me toward him.
When I arrived at my Atlanta hotel, I messaged Eric to ask if he and Jesse wanted to meet me out that week, then finally pulled up Ty’s number.
I’d done that a few times since he’d put the number in my phone. I just liked seeing his name on the screen.
I thought about what he told me that night, reflecting fondly on the way his mouth moved as he said,“That means you have to make the next move. To just hang, chat…or whatever.”
Hey, Pretty Thing, you up for a chat?I finally typed.
I was trouble, I reminded myself.
But so was he.
All that fire in his eyes when he looked at me, that palpable desire. He was clever and witty and fun, and there was this spark in him I envied. Tempting as it was, I knew my own strength. I could get to know the part of him that intrigued me and resist that other part.
I mashed my thumb down to send the message, and as soon as it showed as delivered, I wondered how long he’d take to respond.
Would he leave me hanging for how long I’d made him wait for my own message? Would he not respond at all? Would he reply, acting like he didn’t know who was messaging him, despite my obvious reference? All these thoughts formed in quick succession. I was playing out every scenario, trying to sort through all possible outcomes, though in every one, there was one thing I knew for certain: I would see Ty again.
Not just because I wanted to, but he wanted it too—he’d made that more than clear.
However, Ty didn’t leave me time to speculate any further on how he would play his hand. My phone buzzed with his response, just like my nerves buzzed with excitement over seeing the message before me.You in town?
Yes.Since he wasn’t playing games, I didn’t see a reason to either.You gonna show me that aquarium you were telling me about?
It would be my pleasure.
A grin tugged at my lips, pushing into my cheeks. What the hell was wrong with me? I never smiled like that.
I liked it far more than I should have, and it tided me over until the following day, when I entered the aquarium. I recognized him from behind as he glanced through the glass of a display tank, his hand tucked in the pocket of his jeans, which fit just right around that tight ass of his. Made me think of how sexy that body looked in a speedo. How that ass had felt against my pelvis when I’d pulled him a little too close each time we’d danced—and most importantly, how he’d never resisted it.
He pulled out his phone and glanced at it quickly before putting it back in his pocket.
Was he waiting to see if I would message him to let him know I’d arrived? Did he want to see me as much as I wanted to see him? I approached him leisurely, studying him from behind, as my gaze finally moved up from his ass and enjoyed how visible his back muscles were in the navy tee he wore. Had he chosen it specifically to allow me to get a look at his physique, which seemed slightly bulkier than when I’d seen him last?
He pulled his cell out once again and checked it.
“Waiting anxiously for someone?” I asked, sidling up beside him.
“Waitingeagerly.”
I enjoyed his correction as his gaze met mine, and oh, if a glance could have knocked a man down. Being in his sights pushed a rush of energy right through me, making me feel like I really knew what it meant to be alive.
