He extended his long muscular legs and crossed them at his ankles. He-Man was relaxed and didn’t appear to be experiencing any nerves at all. “Well, Iamyour boyfriend, Rockstar. I’m supposed to stay very close to you. GQ’s orders. You got a problem with that?”
Fuck no. I actually loved him being here. It was nice not to be alone.
I nodded my head. “I’m not saying anything. Just gonna sit here and relish in my victory.” I shoved my shoulder into his, making him chuckle again.
“Yeah,” he sighed with a new smugness. “You enjoy it while you can, but I know why you have that look on your face. Iaman excellent kisser.”
I raised my hand and tilted it from side to side to indicate I wasn’t sure. But that was a big fat lie, and we both knew it.
“Ehh, you’re okay. You’ll do in a pinch,” I replied, with a less-than-impressed tone.
He-Man threw his head back and laughed again, and I turned to just look at his handsome face. I was learning he was beautiful inside and out, and just the sound of his easy laughter uncoiled the knot a little more.
I’d always thought he was hot, but now that I was getting to know the real Michael Coleman, I saw him in a different light. He wasn’t pulling away like I expected him to. Instead, he plastered himself to my side, both of us sinking into the middle of the sofa. And that was new and confusing as fuck.
“Well, I’m crushed that my rockstar boyfriend thinks my kissing skills are mediocre,” he said dramatically. “Maybe I do need more practice.”
“I think you meanfakerockstar boyfriend,” I clarified like an idiot.
He-Man let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head like he didn’t know what he was going to do with me. I had some ideas about that.
But then he surprised me by reaching over to take my hand in his. I stared down at where he’d laced our fingers together as the rhythm of my heart began a new cadence.
It was intimate. And I had to remind myself that I didn’t do intimacy anymore.
My pulse picked up as we both sat side by side, holding hands. Our thumbs twisted around one another in a sweet, romantic gesture. All kinds of loud, confusing thoughts crowded into my brain.
“Why are we holding hands?”
I could see him gazing down at them like he couldn’t believe what he was doing. Then he lowered them onto his thigh. His mouth pulled up on the side.
“It looked heavy,” he whispered innocently. “Thought I’d hold it for you.”
His sweet, yet lame, line made me smile. I wanted so badly to grab onto him and pull him to my chest. But I knew how dangerous it was to even think that way. And if I didn’t know better, I might think he meant it.
It was better to keep this in the flirt zone for as long as I could. But fuck if he didn’t make it difficult sometimes. So I returned to the comfort of my snarky self.
“You’ve gotta get better pickup lines, He-Man. How are you gonna get more kissing practice with lines like that?”
I glanced at him, and my heart did a little… something. I didn’t want to think about him protecting anyone else, much less kissing someone. And that was fucking ridiculous, because he wasn’t mine and, if I stuck to my guns, never would be. Unfortunately, it was looking like I was out of metaphorical bullets.
I looked down at the broken heart tattooed on my skin, then ran my finger over the ink, soothing the tiny ache inside. I didn’t trust people easily, save for Cole and Patrick. I’d let Cooper in, and we see where that got me.
“I’ve never had any complaints. But I’ve also never kissed a celebrity before. Maybe I should just keep practicing with you. Wanna be my kissing coach, Rockstar?”
My gaze shifted to him, trying to read his expression. He was still so relaxed, smiling and blinking at me with those long, dark lashes that surrounded his dreamy hazel eyes. He was being sweet.
I didn’t understand. “Why are you doing this?” I lifted our hands so that he knew what I meant.
“I have a job to do. You need to get used to me touching you in public.”
Right.
This was all about the job. I could do that. It was all about work, and nothing more. A jolt of unexpected disappointment caught me off guard. It was best to keep this strictly business. But I wasn’t sure if I was immune to his charms yet. So, I shifted and cleared the unexpected emotion from my throat.
“Oh, yeah. No problem.” I smiled and tried to pull my hand away, but he refused to let go.
“Don’t let go, Rockstar. We’re not finished here.”
