Folk tossed some money on the bar and turned away, treating me to the sight of his lean, muscled back. His tanned upper arms. The curl of his golden-brown hair at the nape of his neck.
The exit was to the left. The doors to the back rooms were straight ahead. I braced myself to watch him veer sideways and walk out of my life forever, but at the last possible moment, he spun to face me again, beckoning me with the hand still imprinted on my arm. “Stop waiting, Seth. I found you.”
My brain reacted with a slow blink.
But my body was aeons ahead, unfolding from the stool and taking three steps before I remembered to pay for my beer.
I chucked a handful of cash behind me. Notes. Coins. Could’ve been a hundred Euro for all I knew, and despite the prospect of a messy divorce looming over me, I didn’t care. Money was things, not feelings. And how I felt in this moment was everything I’d spent so long searching for.
Folk took my hand and led me to the double doors at the back of the bar. Then he guided me in front of him so I could slip through first.
I stepped into a corridor. Nerves assaulted me again. Harsh and sharp. Fear clawing my gut while my heart pounded so loud I was surprised they couldn’t hear it in the nightclub. Only that warm hand in mine kept me from vibrating through the floor and dissolving into the earth’s core.
Dramatic.But I felt dramatic. Detached from reality, however hard I clung to it with my clammy, shaking fingers.
There were half a dozen doors in the corridor. Some shut, some half-open, like a fitting room in a department store. The one at the end was next to the fire exit, and it called to me before I second guessed myself.
What if—
“This one,” Folk murmured at my back, steering me towards the room. “That way you can escape if you change your mind.”
“About what?”
“About this.” Folk’s hand shifted to my back, sliding down my spine to rest at the base, and the room came up on us faster than I was prepared for.
The door was open.
I moved through it before I knew what I was doing. Found a space in the corner of the small, dimly lit room and spun to face the man behind me.
He crowded me with his slimmer body. Gripped my chin and pointed my gaze over his shoulder. “Door’s open. An exit right there that takes you onto the street. You wanna stop... you wannago, don’t hesitate. It’s okay.”
What the hell my face was doing to make him think I needed an evacuation plan, I had no idea. I didn’t want to think about it. I wanted—fuck. What did I want? I’d never done this, with any man, and in my head, it had always played out a certain way. But this dude? Goddamn. His sure hands and easy gaze made me want to hug a wall and get banged.
It made me want tokisshim, something else I hadn’t accounted for. Did dudes even do that?
Not knowing made me feel fifteen again, but the way Folk was looking at me made me feel invincible.
He was still holding my jaw. I leaned into the touch, craving the scrape of his rough fingertips. And he gave it to me, edging closer until his lips brushed mine in a kiss far sweeter than the one in my head.
Softer.
Slower.
How something that lit me on fire could calm me down, I had no clue, but as Folk deepened the kiss, his tongue gently invading my willing mouth, my heart began to thump for a different reason.
A better one.
Anxiety faded, and the burning heat of desire washed over me. I kissed him back, letting my body collide with his in a slow grind, my hands seeking a cautious grip on his muscled flank—his slim hips, my thumbs finding hot, bare skin beneath his olive-green T-shirt.
We both wore faded jeans.
I hooked my little fingers into his belt loops and tugged him even tighter against me. His rock-hard abs hit mine and I couldn’t swallow the moan that escaped my lips.
Still kissing me, Folk smiled. “This is what you want?”
It was more than what I wanted. But in this moment, want and need swirled together so fast they became indistinct. I squeezed his hips, thrusting mine a little, seeking out friction with little conscious thought, fresh sweat beading my neck and my temples.
Do I want this?
