Page 85 of All Your Pucking Secrets

“Will you come in?” he asks. “I can make you a nightcap.”

I narrow my eyes at him. Does he mean an actual nightcap or is that code for something else?

“How about a hot chocolate?” he suggests.

I hesitate, torn between accepting and keeping up another barrier between us. But when I allow myself to think about what I actually want, I know I’m not ready to say goodnight yet.

“Okay,” I say.

His answering smile is beautiful. “You won’t regret it.”

I hope he’s right.

I stop the car, and we both get out and take the stairs to his apartment. He hurries ahead, while I puff along behind him, too full of good food to be bouncing up stairs.

He unlocks the door and goes straight to the kitchen. I watch as he starts up his coffee maker and prepares two hot chocolates.

“Marshmallows?” he asks.

“Of course.”

We sit side by side on his sofa while we drink. The hot chocolate is frothy and rich, and the company is even better, though we don’t speak much. When my mug is empty, I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. I’m so warm and comfortable that it would be easy to fall asleep here.

He puts his arm around me and shifts me so that I’m lying against his chest, while he rests his head on the arm of the sofa. I tilt my face up and kiss his cheek. Contentedness settles into my bones.

I must doze off because a while later, Tyler gently shakes me awake.

“Echo,” he murmurs.

Reluctantly, I blink against the brightness of the overhead lights. “What?”

“It’s time to get you home,” he says. “Or would you rather sleep on the sofa?”

I would’ve been happy sleeping exactly where I was, but for some reason, he felt the need to disturb me.

I sit up, hoping to clear my sleep-addled mind. “I’ll go home.”

He shimmies around until he’s sitting beside me with his feet on the floor. “You’re welcome to stay here if you’d like. I just don’t want to take advantage of the fact you’re worn out.”

“That’s sweet of you.” I appreciate that he’s being straightforward with me rather than pressing his advantage while he can. Honestly, I didn’t expect that. Perhaps I should stop judging him so harshly and stop expecting the worst. The fact is, Tyler isn’t the person I thought I hated. That guy was never real.

I lean over and kiss him chastely. He returns the pressure but doesn’t take the kiss further. It’s reassuring, but a pulse of want beats in my core.

I gasp. I haven’t experienced physical desire for a person since…well, since I was with him.

Even though Tyler and I have proved I can bring myself pleasure, I fear that being with an actual person would be different. I press closer to him and dip my tongue between his lips. His hand slides around my waist, leaving a trail of shivering, needy skin behind it.

I can’t get enough of this feeling.

I deepen the kiss, tasting the chocolate on his tongue, along with a hint of coffee from our dessert earlier in the evening. He cups my face with his free hand, and I lean into his touch.

But then he pulls away. Blue eyes with blown-out pupils gaze down at me, and his chest heaves. His thumb brushes across my lower lip, and I bite the tip of it softly.

“We should stop.” His voice is ragged. “We’re taking it slow, remember?”

Frustration zaps through me. Why did I say that? I can’t even remember now.

“But I want…” I trail off. “It feels so good, Ty. Just a little more. Please.”

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