“You’re sure? That doesn’t sound very organized.”
“I keep meaning to come up with a system, but…” I shrug. It’s not like I can come up with an excuse. At any given time, I know the exact number of books in this store. There’s nothing back there that I don’t know about. But here I am, pretending like the system is built on paper and pencil.
If Chase sees through me, he doesn’t mention it. Instead, he heads into the back, carrying my clipboard.
Frozen, I hang out at the cash register for another hour, switching between spreadsheets and the newest time-wasting game on my phone. It’s a slow day, which is why I originally planned for Chase to do some work cleaning up the shelves. Nothing crazy, but over time, the books get out of position. Sometimes it’s accidental, someone slipping one back upsidedown. Sometimes they think they’re doing me a favor by turning them cover-out to attract more attention.
Either way, they need a bit of straightening up every now and then to keep everything looking neat. It’s boring and time-consuming, but necessary. And, since Chase is now in the back doing fake inventory, the task falls to me.
The romance section is the perfect place to start. There are lots of colorful spines, all lined up and waiting for buyers. I’m halfway through the second row when Chase comes up behind me and taps me on the shoulder.
“Problem?”
“No, it’s pretty easy to count books.”
“Did you need something?” He’s so close to me that I can’t breathe, not without inhaling his scent. That’s created enough problems already. Considering I’m sharing a bed with him, jerking off to fantasies is out tonight.
And every night.
He leans in a little closer. “Can you stay like that?”
12
CHASE
“What are you doing?”
That’s a very good question. I’m doing an experiment, testing out this growing attraction. Six hours, and this was the best plan I could come up with. “Just…hold still.” I swallow hard. “Please.”
I lean in slowly, giving us both plenty of time to change our minds.
The air between is electrically charged. I’ve kissed plenty of people over the years, but it’s never felt anything like this. The anticipation is so good, I want to draw it out for as long as possible. But I also desperately want to kiss him. It’s on my mind all the time. It’s been the image in my head when I jerk off in the shower in the morning.
I need the real thing.
When our lips finally meet, it’s nothing like I imagined. Not even close. The fantasy that’s lived in my head always felt distant. Good, but missing something. This is the most completeI’ve ever felt. My legs nearly give out, but I manage to brace myself against one of the bookshelves.
There’s so much more to this than a first kiss. It lacks the typical awkward moment of testing for chemistry. I already knew it would be good with Nix. We’ve got plenty of chemistry. And history. Maybe that’s why everything feels so different.
It’s tempting to keep going, to deepen the kiss and spend the rest of the night making out. That’s what old-Chase would do. The new-and-improved version I’m working on? He’s going to take things slow. Make sure that we’re developing a relationship that includes more than the physical aspects.
“No, why did you stop?” Nix reaches for my arm as I pull away.
I can’t help but smile at his outburst. It’s so very Nix to say exactly what he’s thinking. Different than what I usually have with people.
“Oh, my God.” He smacks his hand over his mouth. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I liked it, too. I just don’t want things to go too fast.” Even if all my blood is currently in my cock. Guess that answers the question of whether I’m bisexual.
“But you’re fulfilling like ten of my biggest fantasies right now.”
“Really?” My mind fills with a whole bunch of options. Later, I want to hear the details of every one of these fantasies. Figure out exactly how I can fulfill them. Right now, we have some other things to discuss.
“Um…no?” He shrinks back against the books. That won’t do. The last thing I want is for him to move away.
“We should talk about some other things first.” I take Nix’s hand, holding it close to my chest.
“Right. Things. Talking.”
