Page 50 of Flash

He frowns. “What do you mean? You didn’t know I owned Ink Slingers either.” I open and close my mouth. Okay he has a point there. “And if I was trying to hide it from you, why would I have given you my business card when we met?”

A laugh bubbles up in my throat. “If I had called you or even looked at that card, we could have avoided all of this.” I laugh again, the absurdity of the whole thing washing over me.

“Does that mean you believe me?” he asks, his uninjured hand creeping across the cushion between us, like he’s reaching for me without even meaning to.

“I…” I bite down on my lip, rolling it between my teeth while I think for a second. “I want to. I just can’t shake this thought that you were sitting around with your friends telling them how I begged you to make me feel special and they’ve been laughing about it ever since.”

A growl rumbles through Arrow’s throat, and he reaches for me. If his swollen hand is bothering him, he doesn’t show it, grabbing me and hauling me onto his lap without wincing. I brace my hands on his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing, goose bumps of fear and desire spreading over my skin like wildfire. Not fear that he’s going to do anything to hurt me physically, but fear that it’s already too late to keep myself safe from getting hurt in all the other ways that matter.

“Every word, every moan, every breathless fucking gasp you gave me are mine. I told you I don’t like to share, and I’m not just talking about your body. I don’t want to share any-fucking-thing you’ve given me.” He drags his nose along the edge of my jaw and tightens both of his hands into fists, grasping the back of my shirt.

My cock swells at the possessive rumble in his voice, but more than that, the knots in my stomach loosen. I believe him. Fuck, I believe him. I tremble and let out a shaky breath.

“How is this supposed to work?” I whisper, like if I say it too loudly it might snuff out the flickering flame of hope in my chest. “Your friends are the most important people in your life, and they hate me. Plus, our shops are right next door to each other, so if we break up, it’ll be this awkward situation where we still have to see each other.”

“We’ve gone almost two months without running into each other. Are you really going to let the slim chance of things getting awkward keep us from seeing what this could be?” He brings his hand to my face, cupping my jaw and dragging his rough thumb softly over my cheek. “And my friends don’t hate you. Jag was just doing what Jag does, creating chaos. It was never personal.”

“Okay, but I’m annoying in relationships. I’ve been holding back because we said this is casual, but when I actually let myself start falling for someone, I’m desperate for their attention all the time. I text too much, I move too fast, I fill their house with plants and start dreaming about a wedding before the third date. I would have made a great lesbian.”

Arrow barks out a laugh, sliding his hand around to the back of my neck and pulling me closer so our foreheads rest against each other and his warm breath fans over my face.

“My place could use some plants,” he says, as if that was the most important point in all my rambling.

“You really want to do this? You want to take me on dates and listen to me go on and on about flowers and—”

He cuts me off with his lips on mine, dragging me into a syrupy slow kiss that melts me from the inside out. I sag into him, feeling the thunder of his heart under my palms and the warmth of his body wrapping around me like a blanket.

“Yes,” he murmurs against my mouth. Then he breaks the kiss and searches my eyes. “As long as you’re up for dealing with my constant need to touch you and claim you, to put my jacket on you so everyone knows you’re mine and glare at anyone else who even tries to look at you.”

I laugh and nod. “I think I can live with that.”

“And you’re not the only one who moves too fast. The only thing keeping me from asking you to move in right now is that I still don’t want to scare you off.”

I slide my fingers through his beard and kiss him again.

“Okay, let’s be too much together then,” I say.

“Sounds good to me, Tater Tot.”

Chapter 17

ARROW

“Mmm.” I let out a sleepy, contented sound, pulling Lewis against me under the warmth of the covers. His giggle has a light rasp to it from sleep. I slide my hands down the silky soft skin of his back, dipping them below the waistline of his underwear to palm the bouncy globes of his ass. “I understand the earthy flower smell now.” I nuzzle the crook of his neck and he tilts his head back to give me more space to drag my tongue along his skin. “But explain the cherry.”

He laughs again, wiggling against me, pressing his stiff cock against my thigh.

“Chapstick.”

“And here I just thought you were naturally delicious,” I tease, kissing my way up his throat until I reach his mouth.

“Sorry to disappoint.” He grins, hooking his leg over mine to pull himself even closer. He rolls his hips again, this time bringing the heat of his erection right up against mine through the thin fabric of our briefs.

“Disappointed isn’t the word I’d use,” I murmur, catching his mouth in a slow, drugging kiss.

Lewis hums against my mouth, matching the leisurely pace of my lips. He rocks against me with the same lazy, patient tempo while tangling his fingers in my hair. The hard pebbles of his nipples rub against my chest and his sweet little whimpers vibrate through our kiss, each one making my cock harder and harder until I can feel every pulse of my heartbeat in the swollen veins of my erection.

In the hazy, almost-morning light it’s still hard to believe last night was real. Lewis is all mine. Not casual, not just sex, but mine. I growl and nip at his bottom lip. He gasps and bucks his hips a little harder.

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