“You can’t lose me. You never did.” I scoot closer, putting my hand on his chest. “You’re amazing, Nantes. You always have been. And this chemistry between us is not something to be ignored. I know it complicates our friendship, but look at us—after all these years, we’re just as connected as we’ve always been.”
My eyes roam from his face down his body. My cock twitches with interest as my tummy does a somersault. Yep, I’m attracted to him. “I’m glad you made us wait until we weren’t drunk. Now I know it’s real and not just because I was feeling horny.”
He still looks a little panicked as he searches my eyes.
“What can I say to help?”
He shakes his head slightly. “Nothing. I just have to process it all. I’ve spent a good chunk of my life suppressing my attraction to you, so it feels like a dream to hear these words coming from you.”
“So you were attracted to me when we were younger?”
He rolls his eyes. “You have to hear me say it?”
“Might be nice.”
A slight smile tugs at his lips. “Yes, Vanian. You were my first crush. Honestly, I don’t think it ever went away. It just went dormant for a while.”
“For what it’s worth, I never had a clue. I just thought you were shy with girls and focused on school.”
“Good. That’s what I wanted you to think.”
“I wish I knew sooner. About myself, I mean. Maybe I wasn’t ready before, so I’ll try not to ruminate on the past and appreciate the present.”
“That’s very therapist of you.”
I laugh, nuzzling his hand with my nose. “It’s hard to turn off.” Nantes sits up, and as I take in his nearly naked form, desire stirs within me once more. “Do you have to go to work today?”
“Um, I don’t know. Why?”
“Maybe we can hang out.”
“Yeah, we can do that.”
“And then I could take you back to bed. You could show me what else I’ve been missing.”
He startles for a second, then nods. “I’m sure they can handle things without me.”
I brush my fingers under his chin. “So, tell me how I did. Did I beat Joey?”
A smile tugs at his lips. “By miles.”
“Good. Call me greedy, but I want to be the best everything you’ve ever had.”
“Kind of rude, actually. Then what am I supposed to do when you go back to Chicago?”
Great question. “One day at a time, huh?”
“I can do that.”
We rise from the couch and walk down the hall to his bathroom, but my mind is still spinning. We could obviously work out a relationship if we wanted to, but that would break my number one rule of not letting people I care about get too closeto me. What would Nantes think of me if he knew what I really am? What happens if I’m arrested one day? It would ruin his life too. Maybe his family business.
I can’t take that risk. As much as it sucks, when this trip is over, I have to let Nantes go his own way.
Even if it hurts.
By late afternoon,I’ve managed to reschedule all my upcoming appointments for the next couple of weeks and speak to a few of my colleagues about the status of the building.
The police haven’t found the vandals yet, which is good for me. It takes the focus off any other potential suspects, and one thing I know about detectives is once they have their eyes on a suspect, they dig in and ignore pretty much everything else around it.
