Page 85 of Goodbye Note

He put his hand on my waist. “Are you sure?”

A shiver ran down my spine, sparks igniting where his fingers pressed. “Everyone needs to be touched. There is nothing wrong with that.”

He shuffled closer, leaving us barely a breath apart. “I like when I wake up cuddling you.” Arik’s admission was totally unexpected.

“Yeah?” I brushed my fingers up his arm. “So cuddling and kissing? Is that what we are talking?”

He swallowed, throat bobbing, sending my mind down a spiral of obscene thoughts. “For now.”

What did “for now” mean? But I didn’t have time to think about it because his lips tentatively nudged into mine. This wasn’t anything like when he’d kissed me before. That was rough and needy; this was slow and meek. A side of Arik I rarely got to see. He was always so sure of himself.

I slipped my tongue into his mouth. Another taste of him. This one better. Cinnamon gum and remnants of the cologne he always wore. His grip tightened on my waist while mine found the side of his neck.

My hard-on got painful. It ached under my sweats, but I didn’t dare push forward to rub against him, too aware of his feeling about dick.

He broke the kiss, laying his head on the pillow but not releasing me. His lips were red and swollen.

“Everything okay?” I asked, not wanting to push it.

“Perfect.” His pupils nearly swallowed his irises, and a smile played on his mouth.

I pressed forward, lifting up onto my elbow to join our mouths. He beamed, letting me feel the taut edges of his grin. All the doubt in my head vanished as his hand moved from my side to my hair, keeping me there. A soft moan passed from his lips as he deepened the kiss, inviting me closer. This position was easier, half hovering over him, my hips a safe distance away, hiding my erection.

And I thought I had a good handle on it. On the balancing act between this being enough and wanting so much more…until he spoke.

“Can I take this off?” He tugged at my shirt.

How many parts of me would I sacrifice to make him happy?

All of them.

And I knew it was wrong.

TWENTY-FIVE

ARIK

He broke us apart, and I thought he’d tell me no. I almost apologized before he awkwardly stripped it from his body.

I drove my teeth into my lower lip, fighting a grin. I’d seen him shirtless, of course, but this was different. His face glistened in the flicker of the screen, blues and greens illuminating the lines of his body. He was lankier than I was. Long limbs and lean muscle cut and shaped around bone with the most beautiful skin I’d ever seen.

I couldn’t hold myself back, I stroked a finger across the lines of his ribcage. His body convulsed in an involuntary shudder. “Are you ticklish?”

“Not usually, but I guess for you, I am.” He settled back onto the pillow, propping his head on his hand. “Are you going to take your shirt off too?”

“That must mean you trust me.” I continued the path into his armpit, eliciting another shiver and squirm.

“Why do you say that?” He chuffed out a breath.

“Because only people you trust can tickle you.” I traced round his nipple, raising goosebumps on his chest.

His breathing hitched, and I loved the effect I had on him. “You didn’t answer me.” His words came labored, eyes rolling.

I felt powerful.

“What question?”

“Are you going to take your shirt off?” he hissed through his teeth, eyes closed in bliss.

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