“Do you like it?”
Itbeing a tattoo of a penguin on his lower back, slightly above his dimples.
“Why is it holding a heart like that?”
The penguin, tattooed in thin black lines, has a heart resting on the end of its flipper, as though it’s offering it up to someone.
Darius pulls down his tee and flops back onto the sofa.
He groans. “It was meant to look like it’s giving its heart to its mate, but it ended up looking like it’s doing some kind of balancing act. It’s silly.” He covers his face with the back of his arm and I lean over and move it, looking him dead in the eye.
“It’s cute.”
He huffs again, his forehead wrinkling. “The other one is less cute.”
“Can I see?”
He smiles. “Nope. You’ll have to earn that privilege.”
“And how do I do that?”
Darius hums under his breath. “Let me get back to you on that.” He frowns, looking at my empty hand. “We need a refill before I take my next turn.” There’s a bottle of vodka on the coffee table, and he leans over to grab it, overestimating the movement and face planting onto the floor.
Darius lands on the fluffy white rug with anoomphand I cannot hold back the amused sound that bursts out of me. He rolls onto his back, a sound that is half snort, half laugh leaving his lips.
Bloody hell, it’s quite possible Iamin love.
His blond hair is spread out like a halo, his t-shirt riding up to reveal a slim, fair stomach, the edge of another tattoo peeking out from beneath the hem.
“You’re a mess,” I say, reaching a hand out. “And a liability.” I’m thankful the table was far enough away that he didn’t hit it on the way down.
Darius slips his palm into mine, still chuckling, and I pull him up with a little more force than necessary, which causes him to land on top of me, body pressed to mine, legs straddling my lap. His lithe frame fits perfectly on top of me, and on instinct, I grip his hips.
His eyes flit from mine and up to the scar on my eyebrow. “How did you get this?” He runs a finger over the mark and I cannot fucking breathe. He’s so close. So warm. So utterly perfect.
It’s not only my heart that notices. My cock thickens in my boxers and there is nothing I can do about it. Not with the wayhe’s leaning on me, touching me, breathing the same fucking air as me.
“D.” My voice is a raspy whisper. “You can’t… I can’t…”
His eyes dip to where our chests are pressed together, and he drops his hand, understanding dawning in his expression.
Wordlessly, he slides off my lap and sits next to me. The atmosphere in the room has changed, a tension thick enough to cut with a knife.
“Sorry,” I mumble, not sure what else to say.
“No, I am.” Darius looks at me. “I like you, Ollie. Really fucking like you, but I…” He shakes his head and I wrap an arm around his shoulder and pull him closer. His head lands on my chest right over my heart, which is beating so hard for him it hurts.
“It’s okay. I wouldn’t be any good for you, anyway, D. It’s better this way.” Looking down, I meet his sparkling blues. “I won’t lie and say I’m not epically attracted to you, but this – ” I kiss his forehead. “This is enough.”
“You’re wrong about not being good for me,” he says, but I place a finger over his lips and he drops the subject. We both know it’s true. Darius deserves the world, and I don’t know that I can give it to him.
He doesn’t lift his head from my chest, and we stay like that in a silence as warm as sunshine until he breaks it with a question.
“You said you were distracted yesterday because you have to do something you don’t want to. Will you tell me what it is?”
Chapter 10
Darius
