“My work family is my family. Blue is like a brother to me. Well, a stepbrother, because we still work together from time to time. Lukas is like the dad of the bunch. He’s the owner of one of the studios I work with. He really walks the walk. A lot of places give a speech about how this is a family and blah, blah, blah, but Lukas doesn’t do that. He just lives it and shows you that it’s a family instead of trying to convince you that it is.”
Rex listened as I told him about Leo, who had died tragically, leaving behind a younger brother who Lukas hired as a personal assistant so he could keep an eye on him and help him through the grieving process. He listened while I explained how Lukas protected him and watched out for him and how he gave Ash a family again.
He listened without interruption while I told him about the times I slept on Lukas’s couch, under the guise of being too tired to go home, but really I’d just been too lonely to fathom going home to an empty apartment.
“And then I got Gumball,” I told Rex. “There was some kind of massive animal rescue that happened a while ago. It was a hoarder situation and—” I stopped and turned to Rex. “You probably know all about it because it was Blue who said he’d helped with the animals when they were confiscated.”
“It was a sad situation. Most of the outcomes were good, but there were a few of the animals who were too sick and didn’t pull through.”
“Shit. I’m sorry. That’s got to be the shittiest part of the job for you.”
“It’s definitely not fun. And Bryson, he didn’t exactly understand that I didn’t always feel like having sex the minute I walked in the door. I mean, I try not to bring work home with me, but when you have to put someone’s pet down, or you’re not able to save a sick or injured animal, it’s hard to get in the mood.”
“Ah yes, because everything is less important than Bryson’s penis. What a choad. What did you even see in him? I mean, is he packing? Are you a size queen? Because he was a solid five at best, and you’re hot enough to pull elevens all day long.”
Rex barked out a laugh. “Well, he certainly didn’t make me laugh, that’s for sure.”
We’d walked for some distance, wandering the streets in a lazy pattern that brought us farther away from The Anchor before we started to head back in that general direction. The alcohol I’d drunk had long since worn off, and I couldn’t blame the floaty feeling on the grapes or the hops. It was all Rex and the way his arm felt like it belonged around me.
Maybe that’s why I stopped under a newly lit streetlight and looked up at Rex, turning in his embrace so I was facing him. The Anchor was the next block over, and I didn’t want to get in the car yet, not without kissing him. The car felt like a period at the end of the date, and I wanted to kiss him before that because it felt like now was the time to do it. Later it would be awkward, if it happened at all.
I put my hands on his chest, and Rex’s came to grip my waist. Maybe it was dumb to be this openly gay in public, but I neededa taste, just a quick one. I had to know if the floaty feeling would be fed by the press of his lips.
Slowly, giving him time to say no, or stop, or to pull away, I rose on my toes and after a pause, with my mouth just a fraction from his, I kissed him. Soft from start to finish. More chaste than any kiss I’d had in a long time. Just a brush of my lips against his, then his against mine when he kissed me back. And that floaty feeling? I was ten feet off the ground now. The world faded out, leaving only Rex and the devastating knowledge that I was in like with my fake boyfriend.
FIFTEEN
REX
I’d been kissed before,so why did kissing Perry feel like my first kiss all over again? He was sweet and tentative as he rose up to brush his mouth against mine. Every point of contact between us burned like a wildfire. The press of his hands against my chest made my fingers curl tighter around his waist. That first touch of his lips against mine was the softest, sweetest thing I’d ever been gifted and immediately I needed more.
So I kissed him back. How had this man stayed single for so long? Was everyone completely blind? The second kiss was just as sweet as the first. A soft exploration that made my knees weak and my pulse race.
Before Perry could feel the extent of his effect on me, I pulled away, but I let my gaze linger on his face. On the tenderness in his eyes.
Every minute I spent with Perry was starting to feel less and less fake. My heart had been kicked around and bruised, but apparently it was still capable of skipping a beat when Perrylooked at me a certain way. The way he was looking at me right now.
I slung my arm around his shoulders and tugged him close to me as we set off for the parking lot. The kiss still shimmered between us, this unspoken thing that we both seemed to need a moment to wrap our heads around. Had we not been in public, I might have kissed him harder, deeper. I might have mapped his mouth with my tongue and breathed him in until he was part of me.
I’d had hookups before. My own fair share of one-night stands and short-lived flings. But I always found the best experiences were with people I shared a connection with. Anyone could have sex; but great sex, the kind that left you speechless and weak-kneed, was harder to come by. I had a feeling that Perry would be firmly in the second category. A simple kiss had knocked me off my feet and left me wondering how I was going to pretend to be this man’s boyfriend when all I wanted was to make it real.
We reached the car before I could come up with a good solution to my current predicament. Did I confess to Perry that it wouldn’t be hard at all to make him a real boyfriend? What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if I told him and made things awkward between us and then I’d have to break up with my fake boyfriend.
It was a stupid thing to do anyway, I realized. This whole fake boyfriend farce. Nigel was an adult and so was I. If he couldn’t handle that I’d had a very short, very uninspiring fling with his fiancé, then maybe he and his fiancé didn’t need to be getting married after all. I couldn’t help the feeling that they weren’t a good fit anyway.
“I had a good time,” Perry said when we slid into the car.
“Even though one of my exes ruined dinner.”
Perry laughed. “He didn’t ruin anything. Relocating was a good idea. I had more fun here. Marcello’s was nice, but I was so uncomfortable there. I felt out of place. It was kind of a blessing when he showed up and tried to piss on your leg.”
My face scrunched. “There’s an unpleasant visual.”
“Not into watersports?”
“They say don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, but I can’t say that I’ve ever found the idea all that appealing. And until now, the subject has never come up.”
“All those exes and no one has ever offered?”
