Page 93 of Whiskey Neat

I nod before taking a sip of my tea.

His dad leans forward, folding his hands on the table. Maggie looks nervous and Salem is definitely tense.

“How old are you? You sure as hell don’t look twenty-eight.”

“Nope. I’m forty.”

His dad’s jaw tenses. “Forty. What happens when this is over? Does Salem lose his job?”

“Dad.”

“First of all, that’s illegal. But second…” Pausing, I direct my gaze to Salem. “He’s important to me. Actually, to all of us. He’s helped us immensely as we build out this space, and he’s become invaluable to us. If anything goes south, we’re adults and we’ll figure it out.”

Salem nods, smiling softly.

“But I think we still have some life in this.”

Salem’s lips part in surprise.

“A lot, actually. I’m pretty sure neither of us are on the way out.”

“No.”

I lift his hand and kiss the back of it, forgetting for a moment that his parents are watching, but then again, I kind of don’t care. I’m in this with Salem, and for the first time in my life, I think it’s time I face up to what’s been building between us.

I’m falling for Salem.

I’ll take feelings-I-never-thought-I’d-have for a thousand, Alex.

THIRTY-TWO

SALEM

I think I officially understand what it means when people describe butterflies in their stomach. This isn’t a subtle flutter of excitement. This is vibrant, warm, and intense. This is I-want-to-climb-on his-lap-and-melt-into-him. This is everything I’ve chased after in my adult dating life.

My mom’s soft gasp draws me back to the moment, and I summon all the backbone I spent a decade building. “The important part of all of this, Dad, is that I’m an adult and I can make my own choices. I’ll live with the consequences of those choices like I always have. I appreciate the concern for my well-being, but…” Pausing, I squeeze Indy’s hand. “I’ve never been safer than I am right now.”

Indy’s eyes soften as he smiles, and I’d swear to god those are feelings I see on his face. Could it be? The whole thing that happened earlier shifted something inside me. A stone-cold top choosing to bottom for me is unheard of in my experience, yet Indy did it. His stoic defense of me in the face of my dad is just the cherry on top.

When I look at my dad, his expression is… kind? Approving? Completely fucking foreign to me, that’s for sure.

“You’re right,” he says. “I need to back off.”

“It’s the first time we’ve ever met anyone he’s been with,” my mom explains to Indy. “I guess we regressed a little.”

“I get it. Salem is…” Indy shrugs. “Special.”

I can barely swallow around the lump in my throat, and I’m even more intent on telling him about the hundred pounds of baggage I’m hauling around. I know he’ll understand.

We finish dinner and offer to help clean up, but my mom shoos us away, so I follow Indy back down to my apartment. We stand in front of each other for a second before I launch myself into his arms, crashing our mouths together with such force I’m sure my lips will be bruised.

Indy’s laugh is muffled as he stumbles back and we collapse onto the couch. It creaks under our weight, threatening to break, and we both end up laughing. Indy brushes my hair from my forehead.

“Dinner was amazing.”

“It was. Thank you for standing up for me. For us.”

“It wasn’t a hardship.” Gently, he pinches my chin. “Your dad cares a lot.”

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