Page 55 of Tips and Trysts

“Then admit you’ve had that piercing for months.”

He shakes his head. “Look—”

“Answer my question.”

“A month.”

“A month ago?”

Everett’s face is stone. He closes his eyes, waits, and when he opens them again, his expression is resigned. “I got it done a month after I met you.”

I knew the answer and it still stings. “That was six months ago.”

“I know.”

“A month after you met me, you were actively avoiding me. On the rare occasions when we were around each other, you were a certified organic dick. But all this time, you actually had feelings for me?”

Everett nods.

“Are you out of your mind?” I demand. I gesture at his crotch. “Did you do it for me? Or did you wake up one morning, dust off your Ivy League diplomas with your eight-figure trust fund, and randomly decide to get your dick pierced?”

“I did it for you,” he confirms, bobbing his head, seemingly eager to confess for once. “I heard you talking to Valeria and Essie about your ex.”

My jaw slackens. One of my exes did have a piercing and Ididlove it—maybe too much. When he cheated on me at the end of our relationship, I was honestly just dating the piercing.

“You said it was the most magical cock you had ever fucked,” he goes on, taking a tentative step forward. “And I have this thing, princess, where I have trouble coming in second place.”

My body reacts to the words. The cockiness, the bravado—they do it for me. They always have.

He senses my indecision and takes another step forward, but I hold up my hand.

“Stay there. We’re so far from being done.”

“Understood.”

“You lied,” I go on. “You lied exactly the way I predicted in the hospital. If you liked me, how could you be such a jerk to me?”

“The night I met you was…” Everett looks to the side like he’s remembering it. “You were so pretty. Hot too. The dress you were wearing was, like…mind-altering.” His eyes meet mine again. “And you were curious about the Perseids. Even Dalton and Lander don’t give a damn about meteors, but you did.”

“So, let me guess: You pushed me away to protect your political career.” I roll my eyes. “Spare me. I’ve heard this cliché before.”

“Close. At first, yeah, pushing you away was the plan. Then I took those pictures of you.”

“Naked.”

“Mostly naked. You wore a strap-on,” he clarifies, and he absently licks his lips between sentences. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Your incredible body and how readily you showed it off. Those piercings all over you. The leather straps. It’s like you rewired my brain. I’ve been a vegan since I was eleven years old, and the sight ofleatherwas making me hard.”

“But you pierced your cock for a woman you knew you could never be with? I don’t get it.”

Everett blinks, and his expression is grave.

Oh. “You did plan on being with me,” I finally realize. “How?”

His gaze breaks.

“Tell me.” I urge, glaring. “Fucking tell me, Everett.”

“I was going to get elected first,” he admits, sighing. “After I had some credibility, I figured I could convince you to…”

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