“That probably sounds terrible,” he adds, tossing his steak and pasta around his plate. “And they’re not just that. My family is close, and they’re good people, but I’ve always been on the fringes. I’ve always felt like I don’t fit in.”
“That sounds lonely.”
“You’ve no idea,” he murmurs, swallowing a mouthful of food.
“Aren’t you close with your triplets? There are lots of pictures of you with Keaton and Keanu online.”
“We were close growing up, but it’s different now.” His tense body language suggests there is more to the story, but I don’t push him further. “And you really shouldn’t believe half the shit you read online.”
“I know the media can twist things. I can’t imagine how invasive it must be to have outsiders so interested in your family.” I pop the last mouthful of fettuccine in my mouth, chewing carefully. “What happened back at the other restaurant happens a lot, I’m guessing?”
He nods. “It’s why I usually hang around campus, or attend house parties, or avoid downtown Boston. I fucking hate judgmental assholes and bottom-feeders who try to latch on to me for what they can get.” He pushes his empty plate away, angling his body so he’s facing me head-on. Our knees are pressed together, and his fingers toy with the ends of my hair as he stares at me. “I should warn you if you continue to be seen with me you will get papped, and they’ll want to know about you. They’ll dig into your background and—”
I press my fingers to his lips, stalling him. “We’ll be careful, and I never see any reporters or paparazzi around Mattapan.”
“That’s actually how I ended up drinking at Ramshackle,” he says, his fingers winding through my hair, eliciting the most pleasurable sensations. I’m fixated on him as he explains. “I was fed up with cameras going off in my face, and I wanted to find someplace where the paps would never even think of going. I was watching the news, and there was a report about a drug-related shooting outside the bar, and it piqued my interest. I conducted some research and ended up in Ramshackle the next night. Haven’t looked back since.”
“That is the most fucked-up logic I’ve ever heard,” I admit, and my voice betrays my disbelief. “Do you have a death wish or something?”
His hand moves to the nape of my neck, and he draws me in close, pressing his forehead against mine. “Not anymore,” he whispers over my mouth, his warm, spicy breath fanning over my lips. “And I think it was fate, because that news report led me to you, and I have zero regrets about that.”
CHAPTER TEN
Presley
“Thank you for a wonderful date,” I tell him when we reach my front door. “I enjoyed spending time with you.” Butterflies scatter in my chest as I turn to face him, my spine flat against the wooden door.
“I had a good time too,” he says, planting his hands on either side of my head and leaning in. “I’d like to do it again.” He moves his head closer, his eyes lowering to my mouth for a split second before he rubs his nose playfully against mine. “When is your next night off?”
I don’t admit it’s tomorrow as that would come across as equal parts desperate and overly enthusiastic. “Sunday,” I say in a breathy tone, my body humming at the heat rolling off Kent in waves.
“That’s so far away,” he murmurs, planting a soft kiss on my cheek.
“You know where to find me in the meantime.” I attempt to quell my heaving chest as he trails a line of feather-soft kisses along my face. I’m close to hyperventilating, and he hasn’t even gone near my mouth.
“Classes are back this week,” he admits, nuzzling his face into my neck. He inhales sharply, and a jolt of liquid lust pulses low in my body. “And exams start next month, so I’ve got a full schedule. But I’ll try to stop by.”
He straightens up, pushing off the door, and I instantly miss his closeness. His perplexed eyes probe mine, and he rocks back on his heels. “I don’t know what I’m doing here except I like it.”
“I like it too.” I fist a hand in his shirt, reeling him back in. “Don’t first dates usually end with a goodnight kiss?” I arch a brow, attempting to drown out the stampeding butterflies careening around my chest, praying he doesn’t notice how my entire body is trembling at having him this near.
“I wouldn’t know.” His gaze fixes on my mouth. “This is the first date I’ve ever gone on.”
I blink repeatedly, staring at him in shock, trying to find the lie behind those words but only finding truth. “Are you seriously telling me that I’m your first date at age twenty-three?”
“That shocks you?” He places his hands on my hips.
“Yes,” I truthfully reply. “How does that even happen?” He is gorgeous and charming and I know he’s had girls crawling all over him.
“Never met a girl I wanted to ask out on a date.”
My heart swells behind my rib cage. “I’m honored you chose me, and I hope it lived up to your expectation.”
He clasps one side of my face in his large palm. “I didn’t know what to expect, beyond getting to know you a little more, and it more than lived up to that.” His eyes lower to my mouth, and his pupils darken with blatant desire. “I’m giving you that goodnight kiss now,” he adds, his voice thick with lust, before his mouth descends upon mine.
Time stops. The world around us no longer exists. There is only the touch of his hand on my face, the feel of his erection pushing against my stomach, and the hypnotic taste of his lips as his mouth moves skillfully against mine.
I drown in him. Opening my mouth willingly for his tongue and grabbing his hips, pulling his body in flush against mine. Holding my face in both his hands, he angles my head, deepening the kiss as his lips and tongue worship my mouth.
