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“Cute,” he murmured, “but I preferred what you had on when I arrived.” Kodi went for a jokey tone he’d used with his brothers, when Lennon wouldn’t look at him.

“With or without the towel?” There was a hint of the flirty tone he had overheard once or twice when Lennon was messing around with Frey.

He gave Lennon his full attention, pinching his chin lightly to tip back his head so he was looking him in the eyes, instead of at the ground. “Without for sure. All those lush curves and flushed skin.” He smacked his lips together. It was the only sound in the kitchen. “I bet they’re as tasty as your mouth, and the skin on your neck.”

He ran a finger over the honey skin that he could see the blue of the vein beneath, feeling the pulse leap at the base of his throat. “Right here.”

The pulse fluttered madly under the tip of his finger at his throaty declaration. Their gazes locked and Kodi’s skin prickled with sexual awareness. With Lennon so close, he could smell wildflowers and the clean scent of Lennon’s unique smell underneath. It was sweet, with undertones of sexy muskiness, that were stronger than usual but not as potent as Wednesday.

Lennon’s stomach growled loudly and broke the sexual tension Kodi hadn’t intended to create, but couldn’t seem to stop. The flushed skin and bright eyes were alluring, more so with Lennon’s scent intoxicating him. He was over the heat, wasn’t he?

Kodi forced himself to step away, reminding himself he was here to take care of Lennon, not to jump his bones. “Let’s feed you.”

Why can’t you do both?

We’re trying to show we can be thoughtful and caring.

So, you’re going to date him.

Hold on there, I didn’t say anything about dating.

Don’t be a dipshit, of course you want to date him. We don’t want anyone else doing it.

He couldn’t argue there, so Kodi shut up and opened boxes, pretending his palms weren’t sweaty at the thought of putting himself out there and asking for a date.

Lennon leaned in closer, and Kodi didn’t dare breathe when Lennon peeked into the cartons.

“You got all my favorites,” he exclaimed in a sappy tone Kodi was not used to hearing.

Kodi shrugged off the weird sensation in the middle of his chest, which felt way too much like delight. “You made me my favorite on Wednesday,” he stated, like that explained it, hiding his embarrassment behind an unnatural smile.

A shy grin appeared that had the breath catch in Kodi’s chest. “Thank you. No one has ever brought me food after my heat before.”

Okay, don’t hyperventilate, he warned himself, feeling dizzy at the raw honesty when it came with a sudden desire to hug Lennon and offer things he was nowhere near ready to think about. He coughed, breaking the spell, and looked at the cartons. “What do you want?”

Lennon picked up a fork and a box of sweet and sour prawns, tipping it onto a plate. Next went the noodles and fried vegetables. The plate was overflowing with food.

“What?” Lennon questioned on seeing Kodi’s amused grin, sliding his bottom onto the seat, his fork already digging into the food.

“Nothing,” Kodi replied, chuckling at the sheer amount of food Lennon shoveled into his mouth, hardly stopping for breath. His plate was half empty by the time Kodi had picked what he wanted.

He took the seat next to Lennon, and the familiarity of sitting and eating a meal together was not lost on Kodi. They might have had a tempestuous relationship before the spanking started, yet they’d shared many meals. But that was usually in the office when they were working late. This was the same, yet different to Wednesday, when no one could wander in and find them. He’d thought about that when he’d spent Thursday and Friday alone in the office. The difference was he liked this way more because he was free to be himself. Lennon had seen him at his worst, and yes, he’d threatened to leave because of it, but he had come up with a solution that worked for them.

The problem was, when Isley had covered for Lennon and offered to help him, Kodi couldn’t bring himself to accept it, feeling awkward and out of sorts. His mood swings were decidedly worse when Lennon wasn’t around—if he was to believe Jupiter and Laken.

He put it down to the lack of spankings he’d grown accustomed to. The one he’d gotten on Wednesday—epic as it was—wasn’t enough to curb the crazy in his brain for two whole days. Not any longer, and that was worrisome. It was the only one he’d had all week, and after having multiple spankings he was feeling the difference in his psyche. Again, worrisome if Lennon decided he didn’t want to do it anymore.

Or get a boyfriend. He said he wouldn’t be happy helping if he had one.

I don’t need reminding, my memory is perfectly fine, he snapped, the edge of panic in his chest making it hard to take a decent breath. “Are you going to stop spanking me?”

“Huh?” Lennon’s brows winged up. Chewing faster, he swallowed and glanced in Kodi’s direction. “Where’d that come from?”

He could hear the confusion at the sudden question that could appear like it had come out of the blue, which wasn’t out of norm for him. “You said that if you had a boyfriend, you wouldn’t spank me.”

“Yes. I thought I’d made it perfectly clear on Wednesday, if you want more from me, you were to come back when my heat wasn’t clouding your judgement. Isn’t this what you’re doing?” Lennon’s smooth brow furrowed as he stared intently at Kodi until he shifted on the seat, looking away.

Fuck.