“Alright.” I shook my head, turning my attention back to my food.
“Have you ever kissed a guy before?”
The unexpected question caused me to choke on my food. After I finished spluttering and trying to not die on the dried-out bread, I turned to look at my cell mate. “Uh, no.”
I didn’t bother asking him what was going through his head because I knew he’d tell me in his own time. The last few days I’d learned that Judah always told me what he was thinking in his own way. He may seem timid as hell at first, but in reality, he was just thinking. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, just not necessarily HOW to say it.
Judah was just a bit…different than other people.
I had no clue how much time had passed, but I was sure it had to have been at least two weeks. Maybe even three. For all I knew, it could have been months. My only real indication of time was the noises that could be heard off and on upstairs. And that wasn’t exactly precise.
It wasn’t until after we had both finished our makeshift meal that Judah spoke again, his voice was quiet, but strong. “Can I kiss you? I don’t want to die having never kissed a man.”
“Uh…” ‘What in the hell?’ I thought in stunned silence. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out where the heck was his mind at. ‘How long had he been thinking about this?’
“Never mind. Forget I even asked. It was stupid. It’s not like a kiss will suddenly no longer make me a virgin or anything. So, yeah…just forget I said anything.”
“Judah,” I sighed, running a hand down my dirty face. “I’ve never…” my words faded, unsure what to say. “Why would you even want me to do that?”
“It was just a thought. It’s fine though. Probably a dumb idea anyway.” Without another word, he scooted toward his corner, resting his head against his knees and falling silent.
Unfortunately, all that did was make my own mind race.
Judah
The corner booth was a bit more secluded and the lighting dimmer than many of the other areas in the bar, which I hoped would provide us the privacy I was looking for. I wasn’t sure what frame of mind Zeek would be in when he showed up, so I wanted to be prepared for anything.
After having a few hours to talk with Eli, I had a few things that I needed to address with Zeek. The most important being my own sanity. I feared that Zeek wasn’t going to take what I had to say very well, but for my own sanity, I needed to do it.
My only hope was that he’d understand.
I gave the waitress a nod in thanks as she placed two glasses of ice water on the table in front of me. Moments later, the man in question slipped into the booth across from me.
“Hey, Kid.”
“Hey. How was the rest of your day?”
“Tiring.” He gave me a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I finally finished getting the yard mowed and did a few other things that needed done around the house.” He took a drink of his water before speaking again. “I also spoke to Destri.”
“Oh?” That was a surprise. He was so angry with her that I didn’t think he’d ever willingly speak to her again. Not after the way they’d left things.
His blue eyes pinned my own. “I didn’t want to. But we came to an understanding of sorts. As long as I don’t do something like that again, of course. Given how upset she was with me, I know I won’t get a second chance.”
“Please, don’t ever do that again, Zeek.” I laid my hand on the table, and almost instantly, his hand was in mine. “That scared me. I’ll––I don’t know––I’ll try to learn how to do that kind of stuff if that’s what you need.”
Being at the club with Eli a time or two, I’d seen how flogging and whipping was conducted. If that’s what Zeek needed, I wouldn’t run away from it. I’d be willing to learn. For him.
“No need,” Zeek squeezed my hand gently. “Mistress Destri will do it when the mood strikes.”
Something I wasn’t prepared for settled in my chest at that statement. I didn’t like the idea of Zeek going to another in order to get what he craved.Iwanted to be the one that soothed his aches, both inside and out.
Absentmindedly, I rubbed my chest with my other hand while trying to ignore the feelings bubbling inside of me.
“Oh, hey, Zeek,” the waitress greeted when she came to make sure we didn’t need anything else. “I’ve missed you.” She popped a hip out, giving him her full attention. “Haven’t seen you here in a while. Working or otherwise.”
“Yeah, I’m taking some time off.”
“Oh. Well, I hope you come back soon. You’re so good at keeping things calm here, you know.”
