“That’s my point.” I have to bite back a grin. “It felt more like a declawed cat paw than a punch, and we need to work on that. Since you said I’m not interrupting anything, I figure we can start now.”
“You want me to hit you again? Sold.” He stands up a little too eagerly with his fists raised, and I half expect him to start bouncing his weight back and forth.
Oh, there he goes. Rocky fucking Junior.
It’s so damn cute I almost let him, but instead I hold up my hands. “Yes, but not yet. First, you need to agree not to be a brat when I tell you what to do. You’re lucky you didn’t break your thumb.” I jump up before he runs for the hills and move his thumb where it belongs. “Never keep it straight, alright?”
“I’m not a brat.”
Yeah, you are. I just happen to love it about you.
“Okay, pretty boy. Punch my hand.”
I hold it up, expecting him to do it quickly, but he doesn’t.
He stares at it and then me. “I’m not gonna fight you, Levi.”
“I’m not trying to fight. That’s why I said punch myhand, not my face. I’m going to show you how to put some steam on it, and then I’ll feel better if you ever have to actually punch Leotard.”
Thwack.
There it is. My hand stings, but I barely moved backward even though I wasn’t expecting it.
“His name is Leo.”
“I thought you’d be happy I remembered he existed,” I toss back with a fake smile. “Do it again, this time with your hips like this.”
I reach down to adjust them, and try hard not to think about how good they feel in my hands or how easily he moves for me. I’m trying to be good here.
“I don’t understand why you’re so mean to him,” he grunts, hitting me again — harder this time. He put some emotion into that one.
Good boy.
The praise is right at the tip of my tongue, but I fight it. “I’m not mean, and that punch was better. Now try twisting your body when you do it so all the force isn’t just from your arm.”
“Youaremean. You either forget he exists or give him a mean nickname, and you’re cold with him in person. Why?” he asks, delivering a better punch than I thought he’d be capable of. If he’d hit my face again, I’d be in trouble.
Yeah, he’s mad.
Good. It’s easier that way.
“Because he doesn’t deserve you, and I know it’s not my business, so I try to shut the fuck up about it but I can’t.”
I didn’t mean to say that.
“What do you mean?” His posture relaxes as he flexes his right hand. “He deserves me just fine.”
No one does, but I can’t say that. There are billions of people in this world, and at least one of them would absolutely be able to give him everything he needs. The thought makes me sick. What the fuck is happening to me?
“He doesn’t even blow you.”
“So? Sex isn’t everything. If it was, I wouldn’t have said no.”
To what?
To me?!
Goddamnit, I still want it. I still need it.
