Page 34 of Inevitable

“What do you think?” Kit asked, his attention back on Micah.

“Uh, yeah, I think that should work. I can text you tomorrow and we can go from there.” Micah said to Kit, but it almost sounded like a question. Kit smiled at him softly and leaned down toward Micah's face. My nerve endings felt like they were doused in lighter fluid and set aflame as I watched him press a kiss to Micah's lips. My stomach rebelled and blood pounded in my ears.Goddammit, this is painful to watch…that should be me. Should be us. His lips should belong to me and me alone.

I turned my face away from the scene in front of me, misery and rage rushing through my body and nearly taking me to my knees. The kiss ended almost as soon as it started, but those couple of seconds were enough to slice through me like razor blades. I saw out of my periphery that Micah was walking Kit to the door, and not even a minute later, he reappeared in the living room.

“Are you really okay with a double date, B?” Micah asked softly.

No. I can't stand the thought of seeing you two together again and taking Ainsley as my date. I'd rather die. You're who I want. You are the only one I want, M.

“Yeah, I think it'll be good for all of us. Ainsley's been feeling leftout, and I'd like to get to know Kit more if things are going good for you guys,” I mustered up as much confidence in my plan as I could, but it took a Herculean effort to force the words out.

Micah just nodded and walked back over to me, stopping just short of the couch. I wanted to ask him if he was okay with the date, but I knew him well enough to see the uncertainty in his eyes, so I didn't press it. It didn't matter in the end because the date was what we needed. It would appease Ainsley and Kit, and maybe if I saw Micah happy, then my heart would have an easier time letting him go eventually. It didn't matter the anguish I went through as long as my Micah was happy and adored by someone who was worthy of his love.

“Bash?” Micah started, not meeting my eyes.

“What is it, M?” I gently asked.

His walnut eyes slowly lifted to mine, his eyebrows wrinkled slightly in question. “Would it be okay if we just went to bed? I'm really tired and I think I just want to sleep now.”

Oh.My heart dropped and my face fell, but before I could respond to him, he asked, “But could you come cuddle with me in bed like we used to?” he asked, a faint smile on his breathtaking face.

My heart kick-started to life again, and I breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want me to leave…he wanted me close. “I'd love that, M&M. More than anything,” I told him honestly.

His answering smile didn't reach his eyes, but was absolutely beautiful. My life would be well spent doing nothing but putting a smile on his perfect face. I held out my hand for him to grab, and when his palm connected with mine, that familiar electricity shot up my arm and stunned me for a moment. Ignoring it, I pulled Micah behind me into his room.

We stripped down to our boxer briefs facing away from each other, which was probably for the best because if I watched him get undressed, it would likely make my cock tent in my underwear.

We crawled into bed together, and Micah wasted no time gluing himself to my side, his head on my chest and his arm curled over my stomach. I nuzzled his hair, breathing in the citrus and sandalwood scent of him, pulling it into my lungs like an addictive drug. Nothing in this world had ever felt as right and necessary as having him in my arms. It was what my soul needed to feel complete. Micah was what I needed.

It didn't take long for sleep to tug at the edges of my consciousness, but before I slipped under I heard Micah's voice.

“Thank you for being with me tonight, BB. It means the world to me,” his voice sweet and low.

“Youmean the world to me, M. I'd do anything for you,” Ibreathed, unsure if I had said too much, but meaning every syllable of it.

“Love you, BB,” Micah mumbled, fading fast and barely coherent.

“Love you, M. Always,” I whispered seconds before sleep took me with the man I loved tucked safely in my embrace.

CHAPTER 14

Micah

The next day, my insides were a tangle of anxiety and queasiness as I did my best to mentally prepare myself for the dreaded double-date that was happening that evening. When Bash had suggested that all four of us go out together, it felt like I had been in a head-on collision that came out of nowhere and ejected me from the vehicle.

It also wasn't the first surprise to smack me upside the head last night either. When Kit had shown up out of the blue, I had been beyond nervous to have to introduce him to Bash, but I knew there was no getting out of it. Kit had been smiling and leaning against the wall when I opened the door, and he asked if I was free right then to maybe come out with him.

I had stumbled over my words, trying to explain that I had plans for a night in with a friend and we had been putting it off. His features had darkened slightly in annoyance upon hearing that, and he had inquired about which friend it was and if he knew of them. I knew lying about who it was would backfire on me in 2.5 seconds, so I told him the truth. His nostrils had done that flaring thing when he heard Bash's name, and he seemed irritated that he was there at my apartment so late.

I had started picking up on Kit's jealousy over Bash by our second date since I had made the mistake of mentioning him once or twice…or five times. Kit hadn't been entirely wrong when he told Bash we had a great time on our date, but that wasn't knowledge that I wanted shared with him like that. Bash appeared uncomfortable with the conversation, but that was arguably because he wasn't used to hearing any details about my love life before then.

I should have been more shocked when Kit draped his arm around me in a macho “he's mine” kind of way, but I didn't have the heart to remove it. I may not have been wanting to flaunt our relationship in front of Bash, but I also didn't want to offend Kit or give him any reason to think that Bash was a threat to him by slipping out from under his arm.

It had been more difficult than I thought to convince him that I couldn't exactly ditch Bash and go out on a whim, and I was worried that the situation was ratcheting up his temper with every excuse I put forth. Then Bash threw out his insane idea, and I had instantly felt overwhelmed with anxiety and bewilderment at the turn the whole evening had taken. That feeling grew tenfold when Kit had kissed me on the lips right in front of Bash.

Alright, so we had kissed at the end of our second date, but I wasn't quite so ready to repeat the gesture. Kissing Kit had been nice and he wasn't bad at it, but my mind wouldn't stop throwing out comparisons between his kiss and Bash's. All I could hear whirring through my head was that his lips weren't as soft as Bash's, that he didn't use the same pressure, that he didn't hold my face to his like Bash had, and that I didn't have the compulsion to attack his mouth as I had wanted to with my best friend that night back in May. I had to find a way to tamp down the plaguing thoughts of Bash before I tried to kiss Kit again, but he had taken the choice out of my hands.

That small, flickering hope in me that Bash might've been jealous seeing the kiss was snuffed out quick though when I reminded myself that he had offered to bring his girlfriend on a double-date to spend a dinner across from us in all our couple-y glory. There was no realm in which Bash could be jealous over me.

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