Page 53 of Pippin & Nacho

“I must have done something stupid because we were really getting into it, and our hands touched everywhere. He’s so short, and I had to bend down, but he didn’t seem to care despite me making fun of him all the time about his height. Hell, I never really cared, but I like needling Blaze. I love pissing him off. He’s like a feisty, angry gremlin, so easy to get riled up.”

“What did you do that was stupid?”

“I don’t know… that’s the problem. As we got into it, I lifted him, and he wrapped his legs around my waist. I got so fucking… Anyway… All I can think of is that he felt… me against him, and it freaked him out.”

Ajax’s face turned beet red, reminding me that maybe our entire crew was all a little bit inept when it came to sex and love. Hell, I hadn’t seen Alpha with anyone either. We had so little of it in our lives. It made Ajax more vulnerable than I’d ever seen him or expected from him.

He pulled out another cigarette and lit it, blowing out a thick stream of smoke mingled with his warm breath in the cold air, surrounding him like a dense fog.

“Then, I said his name. Blaze fucking freaked out, shoved me off him, and looked at me like he could stab me with his cold, black, soulless eyes.”

I took a drag of my cigarette as Ajax slumped lower and lower with his story. “You two just kissed? You didn’t do anything else?”

He scratched the tip of his nose with his cigarette hand and nodded. “That’s it.”

“God, Nate is so much better at this shit than I am. I know he would have some answers or sage advice for you.” What did I say to him to make him feel better? “Uhm, did he say anything else?”

He shook his head.

“Do you… like him?”

His dark brown eyes with furrowed brows met mine. “I don’t know… I was really into it, but fuck, I want to punch the fuckhead sometimes… all the time. Or just lift him over my shoulder and toss him into the harbor. But… Shit, I’d never been kissed like that before, Pip. It was so… hungry. God, I still feel him tingling on my lips.”

“Is he… into guys? I mean, I guess he is if he kissed you, but maybe it surprised him that he did it, and when he came to his senses, he got mad. Maybe he’s not mad at you at all but at himself.” That made sense, right?

His eyes grew wide, and a small smile quirked on his lips. “Do you think so? Like maybe he could be into me after all, but he got scared?”

“It’s kind of what happened to Stix and Stone.” I shrugged. “Do you want him like that? You may have liked the kiss, but is he worth pursuing? If so, you need to talk to him. One thing I’ve learned from Nate is to talk about shit.”

“We never talk unless it’s to trash talk each other. In fact, we were doing it yesterday. It got really heated before he lunged at me and yanked me down for a kiss. I was fucking stunned before I gave in to him.”

“You should try to talk, but only if you want to pursue this.”

Ajax squared his shoulders, smiling more and looking better. I smiled in return, patting myself on the back for pulling him out of whatever he was feeling. Perhaps I’d learned something from Nate after all.

“Maybe I will.”

“So you like him more than hate him then?”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. “I hadn’t thought so until that kiss. It was fucking explosive, man. I went from hate to lust in seconds. So, yeah, I would like to see where it goes.”

“Good, I’m happy for you then. Well, I’m going back in because I’m freezing my nuts off.”

Ajax lumbered over to me and lifted me off my feet to give me a hug that may have cracked some ribs. “Thanks, Pip.”

“You’re welcome,” I wheezed.

After he set me down, we both put out our cigarettes and headed back inside. When I saw Nate standing there, suddenly turning to me as if we were drawn together like magnets, my breath whooshed out of me. His smile tugged at me, forcing my legs to move faster toward him. I needed him. I needed to kiss him right there, right now, to finally claim him in front of everyone. It was time the world knew.

When I stopped in front of him, his gorgeous brown eyes grew large, as if he could read my mind. Maybe he could. I cupped his face and pulled him into a deep, heated kiss full of sloppy tongue. Nate’s cold hands slipped under my shirt, sending my cold skin into even more chills. I trembled under his touch. My hand reached behind his head and gripped his curls, ignoring all the whoops and cries from our friends.

When we pulled away, we rested our foreheads together. “What was that for?” he asked breathlessly.

“To show everyone how much I love you.”

Nate melted into me, pulling me into a hug. I held him back and rested my head on top of his.

“It’s about fucking time,” Jazz yelled.

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