I cleared my throat, deciding it was time to address one of the many things that had set us off on the wrong foot the year before, basically all of which were my fault.
“I’m sorry I punched that homophobic ginger in the face when he shoved you into the side of your car.” I wasn’t sorry, not even the tiniest bit. But I was sorry that Aspen had taken it as an insult.
My deadpan delivery of the apology seemed to amuse him a bit, at least enough for him to snort, before he covered his face with his palms and groaned.
“He didn’t shove me into the side of my car! He shoved Maddox into the side of my car, and Maddox very lightly brushed me as he fell back.”
That wasn’t how it had looked to me, but arguing my reasoning for why I’d gotten so upset wouldn’t help my cause whatsoever.
“I didn’t do that because I thought you couldn’t take care of yourself or anything,” I insisted, and he peeked at me from between his fingers. He was so cute, and he didn’t even have to try. Actually, I was pretty sure he put more effort into tryingnotto be cute, which was a totally futile waste of time on his part.
“Yeah, I know that,” he finally admitted. “You thought you were helping, defending my honor or whatever dumb shit was going on in your head.”
Well, of course when he put itthatway, it would sound stupid.
“Sorry,” I said again. It was the only safe response I could think of, or else he might discover that I was totally unrepentant and I’d punch anyone who caused him even the slightest twinge of discomfort.
“You want to know what I really need?” He said, stalking back over to the railing, though now with a fair bit of space between us, and leaning his back against it.
“What?” I asked, hoping the desperation I felt wasn’t obvious in my voice. Part of me worried he’d say something likefor everyone to leave me the fuck alone, especially annoying ex-rich coworkers who think they’re funny, but he’d sounded just a little too wistful for that.
“I just… I wish I could figure out a way to shut my brain off sometimes, so I don’t have to think about all the shit I have going on. Just… Tune everything out and stop thinking, you know?”
The brief flash of vulnerability in his voice alerted me to the fact that he’d been stressed out for a while about something, something more than just work and classes, but I knew it wasn’t the time to ask about it. We’d get there.
“I actually can help with that,” I pointed out, and he gave me a sideways glance.
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” I shifted back from the railing, hooking my thumbs into the belt loops of my jeans, and tried to think of how to phrase it without making it seem like I was just perving on him like usual. “You weren’t thinking too hard the other night behind that barn, were you?”
He blinked, pursing his lips a little as he considered. “I guess I wasn’t.”
“So, you know,” I continued, injecting the words with the least amount of intensity as I could. I wasn’t trying to seduce him. Seducing Aspen seemed like an impossible task anyway, but I knew if he was going to do anything else with me, especially more than once, it needed to be on his own terms and feel like it’d mostly been his idea. “I’m available for brain-silencing sessions whenever. I’ve been told I’m pretty skilled in my craft. I could probably scrounge up some references if you want them.”
He laughed, the relaxed sound of it sending a giddy thrill coursing through my chest as I watched him stretch his arms over his head. The hem of his t-shirt shifted with the movement,exposing a slice of his flat stomach. I couldn’t help but stare at it, more tension centering between my legs at the sight. I hadn’t been able to see much when we’d hooked up, but I couldn’t stop thinking about his body. Even more than I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it before.
“I’ll pass on the references. I believe you.”
“I guess my reputation precedes me,” I replied, and he scoffed. To my amazement, a faint pink blush rose up to his cheeks as he glanced away from me.
“More like I’ve already received a live demonstration.”
My ego swelled up like a balloon, and I was helpless against the urge to move in closer to him. Gripping onto the wooden railing on either side of his body, I caged him in with my arms, though he didn’t look remotely intimidated or uncomfortable as he peered up at me through his dark lashes. I didn’t usually get to look at him from this angle, since I tried not to hulk over him and remind him of how short he was, but he looked really, really gorgeous like this.
He had great skin, smooth and clear, the bright colors of his tattoos standing out on his light complexion, and the smudges of dark eyeliner just brought out the color of his eyes more, highlighting the sunburst of brown threaded through the green. But what I was drawn to more than anything were his plush, pink lips. I leaned in closer to him, feeling mesmerized by them.
He flicked up a dark eyebrow, the ring pierced through it shining in the reflection of the sun, before reaching up and cupping my chin in one hand. Gripping my jaw on either side with his thumb and finger, he held me firmly in place.
“What did I say?” He warned me. I guess I wasn’t doing a spectacular job of hiding how badly I wanted to kiss him. But the feeling of his fingers on my jaw was kind of hot and addictive, and I wanted to ask him to squeeze me harder.
“What, are you saving it for your wedding?” I complained.
“Gotta save something for it,” he reasoned, but he looked kind of amused at my whining. I wondered if I was the only guy shameless enough to beg him for lip to lip contact.
Sighing a little, I poked my mouth out in a pout. “I don’t know if I can wait that long, Cupcake.”
He stared at me for a few moments, blinking as he processed my words and the implication behind them, before he snorted and shoved me back a few inches.
