“I want to know all these things about you. Your world is different from mine. I want to see the beautiful and the ugly through your eyes. I want to see where you grew up and meet your friends. Someday, I want to know the people who shaped you into this perfect man.”
A pretty pink stole into his cheeks. “I’m not perfect.”
“Perfect to me.” I reached for his hand and tugged, but he shook it off, chuckling.
“You keep sayin’ pretty shit like that and we’ll never get to breakfast.”
“Right.” I adjusted in my seat, then pulled from the curb and headed for an off-the-beaten-path breakfast place I’d found online. The out-of-the-way spot might give my nerves about being seen with him like this a bit of relief.
“Coffee, and it’s still hot.” I gestured to the steaming cup I picked up on my way.
“Mmmm,” was his only reply.
“Sleep okay?” I asked as I navigated through the neighborhood to the main road.
“Yeah,” he croaked as if he’d rolled out of bed two minutes before I got here. “Just not long enough,” he added through a yawn.
“Was Cressmann U your first choice of college?” I asked, glancing at the oversized sweater he huddled in.
“Yeah.” He paused and cocked his head. “Actually, no. At one point, I was sure I’d go to Auburn. The commute is close enough I could’ve stayed at home, but my stepdad went to Cressmann. When I thought of living in the dorms, getting the whole college experience, I changed my mind.”
“You don’t mind having a dormmate?”
“Nah. He’s only around half the time. I think the dude’s a whore—” He stopped himself. “Eh, I shouldn’t judge. He’s very, uh, selfless with his body and stays out with whichever girl he’s into for the week.”
I swallowed to wet my dry throat. I’d once considered being promiscuous in college. It seemed an acceptable time for a person to sow their oats, to figure out who they were through carnal acts. If Asher wanted the same, I could hardly fault him for it.
“Is that how you envisioned your college life? Having sex every night, perhaps with someone different every night too?”
Asher softly laughed, but at least he didn’t lie. He might never lie to me again. The man was honestly regretful over not coming clean at the beginning. Though, had he, I would’ve avoided him, and we’d never have gotten to know each other as we had.
“Yeah, I mean, okay, yeah. I figured college would be the exact opposite of everything, not just in that one way. There’re no screamin’ kids that need help gettin’ ready for school, but I still can’t break myself from the habit of gettin’ up early. There’s no one makin’ sure I do my homework and eat, but I do.” He paused for a breath. “So, sure, I thought I’d finally see some action between the sheets since I’d not had an opportunity for it before, which, like all those other things, didn’t change either.”
“Sex doesn’t have to be in a bed,” I said before thinking better of it.
Asher laughed out loud. “Finally, I’m wearin’ you down. You got more dirty talk, old man? Hit me with it.”
I shook my head as I grinned. “That’s all you get, Playboy.”
“Awww.”
“For now,” I added in the face of his pouting.
“For now. I’ll take it. Mmmm. Why is the coffee so good?” he asked as he downed the last of it.
“I dipped my dick in it.”
Asher choked and coughed as I snickered. “You didnotjust say that.”
“Pretty sure I did.”
“All right. Okay. Keep teasin’ me and see where it gets you.”
Jesus, I did not need to do that. Not right now. Not when I was about to be in public. I cleared my throat, kept my grin to a minimum, and stayed quiet until we reached our destination. The place was near the interstate, only open until just after noon, and didn’t take reservations.
The lot was full, and the only spaces were near the back, which I would’ve taken regardless. Asher had pushed his hood back by the time we got there. His dark hair was spiked in every direction, making him impossibly sexier because of it.
“Come on,” I snickered and opened my door before he could get me aroused further. I wasn’t a prude or too dour. I might’ve appeared to be too straightlaced to have a sense of humor, but I wasn’t. But with Asher sitting in the passenger seat, looking so delicious and innocent—and knowing he wasn’t—I lost my mind a little.
