“What?” He mutters the question, voice so low that I get the sense he’s more asking himself.
Still, I’m now committed to being up front.
“I am telling you this because it’s only gotten more intense. I would like to do something about my attraction.”
He frowns. “What?”
“I want to act on it. With you. If that sounds appealing.” Gods, this is sounding more like a job interview than when I first hired him. Which brings me to an important point. “To be clear, you can absolutely tell me no. This will have no bearing on your employment at the library. And I will do my best to direct my feelings elsewhere.”
He gapes at me. “What?”
Frustration pricks at me. “I get that this might be slightly surprising, but could you please attempt a response other thanwhat? It’s overused at this point.”
Bo blinks at me, swallows hard, then asks, “Are you making fun of me?”
Now it’s my turn to gape. “What?”
Oh no, it’s awhatdisease, and I’ve caught it.
“My … my obvious crush on you,” he says. “And you … you’re so much smarter than me. And so fucking gorgeous that I swear my eyes will start bleeding when I see you.”
Oh. Well … that’s possibly the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me while simultaneously being a little too graphic.
“This is not a joke,” I assure Bo, encouraged by his comments. “I’ve never figured out how to flirt. Never saw a reason to try. So, I’m just going to say, I’d like to do sex things with you if you’d also like to do sex things with me.”
Damn The Dark One’s plans.Sex things?Could I not have found at least a slightly more seductive way of phrasing it?
Problem is, Bo is staring at me. Hard. And the undivided attention from the first man I’ve found physically attractive in … well, ever, is making my brain a little mushy.
“I …” He trails off, clears his throat, then says, “I would like to do sex things with you too.”
Doubt is thick in his voice.
“You don’t sound sure about that.” I do my best to keep disappointment hidden, not wanting to guilt him into an encounter.
He shakes his head slowly, and my hope dips further.
“I’m sure I want to. I’m not sure this is reality though.”
“Oh.” I feel better now. And very horny. “It is. I assure you.”
With a quick step forward, I poke his side, and he gasps when I hit what must be a ticklish spot.
“Now, here is what I propose.” I point to his pants. “You take those off.” I point to the chair. “You sit there.” I point to my mouth. “I suck your dick until you come or tell me to stop.”
He’s gaping again, and I have the unfamiliar urge to nibble on his bottom lip.
“What?”
We’re back to thewhats.
“Here’s the thing. I’ve had sex before, but it was a kind of go-through-the-motions thing. At some point, my body got on board simply because of stimulation. So, I want to just take some time stimulating you and see how I react to that. Physically. Does that make sense?”
“Not really. But I’m an idiot so …” He shrugs.
Ice encases my libido.
“Bo,” I say carefully, fury shivering through my body, “I know people have called you that in the past. People you cared about.” I step in close and place my hands on the sides of his face,making sure he doesn’t duck his head and avoid my eyes. “But you willneversay that about yourself again. You do not insult my friend.”
