Page 69 of Virgin Skin

“I don’t want to keep you a secret, baby. I want to take you out on proper dates and have you in my bed every single nightwithout feeling guilty about it. I want to stare at you at work without worrying that Hero is going to notice and catch on. I want this to be real.”

I spin around, my heart thrashing wildly inside my chest, and he’sright there.

“You mean it?”

His throat bobs and he lets out a breathless laugh. He nods. “I mean it. Let’s find the right time to tell him, and I’ll deal with the fallout. You’re worth it.”

I launch myself into his arms. Piston catches me, but he stumbles backward, collapsing onto the couch with a laugh. I can’t stop smiling even though it makes kissing him a little awkward, our mouths not fitting together quite right. But fuck it, I don’t care.

He tangles his fingers in my hair and traces the shape of my grin with his tongue. For once we don’t scramble to undress each other, even though my cock is hard against his thigh and I can feel his swelling with every lingering kiss. The terrifying urgency, that voice in the back of my head telling me this might be the last timeisn’t there anymore.

This isn’t the end, it’s the beginning.

Chapter 23

PISTON

After my talk withMilo last night—followed by making out on the couch for an hour and then leisurely jerking each other off until we came all over each other—he told me he didn’t mind keeping things quiet a little longer while I wait for the right moment to talk to Hero. But now that I’ve stopped avoiding the subject and lying to myself about how I feel, I don’twantto drag it out. I just want everything out in the open so I can deal with the consequences.

After spending the entire day working out how to say it, how to tell Hero what’s been going on with Milo and me, I still don’t have much more than blunt truths that might make him punch me. I won’t hold it against him if that’s the way it goes, I just hope once he’s gotten it out of his system, we can work through it and move on.

My palms are sweaty, and my heart is beating too damn hard, but I do my damnedest to look relaxed and casual as I walk over and lean against the railing near his chair. He’s cleaning up after his last appointment and it takes him a second to noticeI’m standing there. He does a double take and then offers me a friendly grin.

“Hey, man, what’s up?”

“I wanted to see if you’re up for grabbing a drink once we close up shop.” I manage that much in a steady voice at least, balling my fists up so he won’t notice my hands shaking.

“Yeah, sure,” he says easily. “Did we manage to guilt Arrow enough last night to get him to agree to come out?”

“Oh, uh…” I rub my hand awkwardly along the back of my neck. “I was thinking it could just be the two of us?”

He stops what he’s doing and looks at me, his bushy eyebrows pulling together and his forehead wrinkling. “Everything okay?”

My chest tightens and I choke out a laugh that sounds just this side of manic.

“Great. Good. Everything is good.” I shift my feet and brace my hands on the railing behind me. My sweaty palms are slippery against the metal and the shape of the smile on my face feels off, forced, too much.

Hero’s frown deepens, but after a second, he nods. “Sure,” he says again. “Give me five minutes and we can head out. What about Milo, does he have a ride home or are we dropping him off?”

I’m about to tell him Milo is going to catch a ride with Jag, but before I get the chance Arrow comes out of the back room and interrupts.

“I just got off the phone with Steele, the Big Bull guys are heading over to help his husband, Porter, with an animal hoarding situation. Sounds like they could use all the extra hands they can get.”

The relief that surges through me is shameful, but I feel like I just got a stay of execution. One more day to work out the right words to tell Hero I’m messing with his son.

“Raincheck on that drink?” he says, and I nod.

It always amazes me how all of our jokes and bullshitting melt away so easily when serious shit like this comes up. Everyone is all business, quickly closing up the shop and gathering by the back door. When I told Milo the Ink Slingers club was all about camaraderie and an excuse to work on our bikes together, that was true, but I thinkthisis the real reason we wear the matching jackets and ride together. There’s a sense of purpose in it, like maybe we can carve out just a little bit of justice in an unjust world if we stick together.

“I can drop you off back at the house if you want?” I say to Milo.

“Don’t be stupid.” He scoffs and tugs his helmet over his head, hopping onto the back of my bike like he belongs there.

I chuckle and pull my own helmet on, swinging my leg over my Harley. Milo doesn’t slide forward and wrap himself around me like I’ve gotten used to. I didn’t think three inches of space could feel so fucking wrong, but they do.

All five of our engines roar to life, echoing loudly, the exhaust turning to thick fog in the cold air. We pull out from behind the shop and fall into our usual formation seamlessly, with me riding on Arrow’s right side, Hero on his other, Jag and Tex right behind. Milo doesn’t move any closer, but he does slip his hand under the back of my jacket. His cold knuckles brush against my skin, sending a chill through me. I make a mental note to get him gloves as soon as I get the chance.

We pull up to a small house on the edge of town a few minutes later. The yard is already buzzing with activity. It looks like the guys from Four Bears Construction answered Porter’s call to action along with all of the mechanics from Big Bull. The petite, blond veterinarian is standing by the front door calling out instructions while more than a dozen beefy, animal loving heroes hustle around hauling empty crates and carrying animalsout of the house. We park our bikes on the street then report to Porter to find out where we can be the most helpful.

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