“Your eye. The pupil—it’s…”
“Hockey stick,” he says flatly. “Caught me right in the eye after a game. You know, that day. Guy didn’t like that I won.” His jaw tightens. “Didn’t damage my vision, though. I made sure to tell him that in the next game. Told him he’d failed… I could stillseehim losejust fine.”
“Does it still hurt?”
He blinks. “What?”
“I mean—does it hurt? There?”
The silence stretches out. He’s staring at me like I just spoke a foreign language.
Then he shifts, pressing forward, and—
Oh God.
That’s definitely not my imagination.
I can feel him,hard, pressing against my hip through layers of clothing. My face goes hot. My entire body goes hot. This can’t be real. This has to be some kind of fever dream brought on by stress and sleep deprivation.
I lick my lips nervously.
His gaze drops to my mouth and stays there.
“Your lips are too dry. Seems your mouth isn’t wet enough,” he says, his voice rough. He opens his mouth slightly, showing me the piece of gum on his tongue. Then he nods at me. “Take it, Patton.”
He wants me to take it. Right out of his mouth.
This is insane. Completely—
But he’s not moving. He’s just waiting, watching me with those piercing blue eyes, and I realize he won’t let me leave until I do it.
My hand shakes as I reach up.
“No.” He looks down at me, gaze dark, but the muscles in his face are twitching. “Take it right from my mouth. Your hands are dirty,sweet pie.”
He can’t be serious, right?
But I can’t look away from his eyes, and I’m starting to realize he is very serious.
Instead of taking the gum, my tongue darts out and accidentally touches his lower lip.
He flinches.
“Sorry,” I breathe, feeling like the world’s biggest idiot. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
He presses harder against me, and there’s no mistaking it now. He’s definitely aroused. I can feel every inch of him.
Somehow, I manage to extract the gum from his mouth with my lips. It’s warm and mint-flavored. And all of this is completely surreal.
“Your lips,” he murmurs, his gaze burning into mine as he leans in just enough, “should never be dry. They should always be wet… and yet, they’re not. Good. They should only ever be wet for me… only because of me.”
Then he pushes off the wall with his fist and steps back.
He gives me one last hard look before turning and walking away.
I stand there in the archway, heart racing, with absolutely no idea what the hell just happened.
3
