Page 42 of Newly Tied

“That’s all?”

I nodded.

“Is that right? Can that be right?”

Giving him a little clench, I would have let go, but he slipped his arm around my waist to keep me close, right there beside him.

“I see a lot of people,” he said softly.

“You see the assholes we work with the most. Parties, barbecues, events, stuff like that. And then you see people like Malik occasionally, and the same with a lot of your other friends, and you date.”

“Yes.”

“But once you’ve figured out what makes someone tick, you lose interest.”

“No. I don’t do that.”

“I really wish it wasn’t so late because you could ask your mother, or Talia, or any woman you’ve ever dated, or Malik… I mean, everybody knows you do it.”

“That makes me sound terrible.”

“It’s just hard sometimes for other people, and that’s why they call me or Talia because your attention is like a drug, and once you get a taste of it, you want to have it all the time.”

“Is it?” he husked, and the rumble in his voice made my stomach flip over.

“Yes. But like I said, it’s not only women.”

“No, see, I don’t know what you⁠—”

“You do it with guys too. You invite them along, and this other person is with us constantly, and then…suddenly they’re gone.”

“It’s difficult and time-consuming to figure out what a group of people want to do. Take tonight: Malik and I thought we were doing one thing, and then plans changed. That’s not my favorite thing, you know that. I like to know what I’m doing when I leave the house.”

“We never have a plan,” I reminded him.

“But that’s how we are. That’s an us thing.”

I shook my head at him.

“What?”

“When there’s only me and you, you’re different.”

“How so?”

“You don’t seem to need a plan. Everythin’ is easy.”

He was quiet, possibly thinking about that, but when I looked at his profile, I realized that I was having a discussion with him like normal when everything had changed. Why wasn’t I attacking him and dragging him into an alley for a blowjob?

“You’re all up in your head, Del.”

“I was thinkin’ that I should be all over you, not talkin’ to you.”

“You could kiss me again,” he whispered. “That wouldn’t be terrible.”

Leaning in, I kissed his jaw, and when he tipped his head, a bit farther down on the side of his neck.

“Yeah, see?” His voice was gravelly and low. “Just that made my stomach twist up.”