“Sensitive spot?” Connor asked.
“Uh, yeah, I guess,” Max said, hoping the blush he could feelheating his cheeks wasn’ttooobvious.
That was probably it. He was just reacting to Connor touching asensitive spot on his head.
Nothing else made sense.
“You look like you’re enjoying yourself,” Connor murmured, workingthe dye into the back of Max’s hair.
“I haven’t done this in a while,” Max confessed softly. “I…couldn’t afford the dye. I mean… I couldaffordit, but I couldn’tjustify spending the money.”
“I understand,” Connor said. “I also kind of… figured. Butself-care is important, and I want my poor fiancé to be happy.”
Max snorted. “Fake fiancé.”
“My friend, then. If you’re okay with me calling you a friend.”
“Friend works,” Max agreed. He liked the idea of being Connor’sfriend. “Fiancé is fine, too, honestly. I’d like to think I’ll be that forsomeone one day.”
“Someone will be extremely lucky to have you,” Connor said. “Ithink we’re done here, your head looks pretty covered.”
A tiny pang of disappointment hit Max in the stomach at thethought that Connor was going to stop playing with his hair.
“Cool,” he said, trying not to sound as disappointed as hesuddenly felt. “So now…?”
“Now I order pizza,” Connor said. “Because this was a clever ployto feed you all along.”
Max swallowed. “You really don’t have to.”
“I know I don’thaveto,” Connor said. “But I want a pizza,and I can’t eat a whole one by myself. Especially not if I order garlic bread,which I’m planning on. So you have to help me finish it, or it’ll go to waste.Besides, we’re celebrating.”
Max shifted his weight on the chair. He hated the thought ofanyonegivinghim anything, he wanted to work for it, but… maybe justthis once?
“I guess I could go for pizza,” he said after a moment. “Can I,uh… have a towel, or something? I’m getting kinda cold here.”
“Oh, of course,” Connor said, grabbing a towel from a rail off tothe side. “This should be nice and warm.”
Connor leaned over to drape the towel over Max’s shoulders, hischeek almost brushing against Max’s as he spread it out.
The same herbal, citrus scent from before lingered on him. Maxturned his head just a little, breathing it in deeply. Connor smelled sogood.
And he was suddenly so, so close to Max’s face. As he pulled back,they were no more than an inch away from each other, his eyes suddenly the mostfascinating thing Max had ever seen.
They were hazel, not brown as he’d originally thought. Greenaround the very edge, but mostly a warm rust color.
The thought that he should kiss Connor floated through Max’s mind,half-formed and not all that clear, but definitelythere. His heartpounded in his chest, urgent need welling up inside him.
He wanted to kiss Connor.
Should he?
Connor was so close, and so warm, and he smelled amazing. Hisfingers had felt so good in Max’s hair.
No one had ever really touched him like that. A low throb ofarousal had replaced the knot in his stomach, and he wasn’t entirely sure whatto do about it.
Connor moved away before he could decide whether to kiss him ornot. Max shook his head, trying to clear the thought, wondering where the hellit’d come from.
Being close to him, probably. Max hadn’t been that close to anyonein a long time.
