Page 94 of Beautifully Conflicted

“Disappear fool.” Cruz holds his stomach. “It’s so simple but so distressing.”

Cam flops against the back of the chair. “Too righteous. Not in this room.”

Jagger cups his dick protectively, whispering, “Don’t worry. I won’t let them touch you.”

“You still have yours?” I ask Jagger, realizing this prompt just took on a whole new meaning.

“Yes, and this gold medal round is going to give me PTSD or some shit. Heathens. All of you,” he points a finger around the table.”

“We’ve gotta play the tiles we have,” Cruz chuckles.

“Slaying small flesh? Attacking ooze genitals?” Jagger throws his hands up.

“Actually, it was attacking a jumbo weenie,” Liam corrects.

“See! Ya heathens.” Jagger shakes his head.

“What’s your pick?” Cam asks me as he wraps an arm around Jagger and tugs him to his side.

“I mean, how do I not pick the one with the scream?” I say right before Cruz lifts his arms in the air with a whoop.

“What’s the score?” Bennet asks.

Jagger and Cam each have one, and Damien has two,” Liam tallies the results.

“I win? What do I win?” I ask the group.

“We’ve only played one round,” Liam says.

“Yeah but now I’m traumatized and I need Cam to suck my dick so it feels better,” Jagger says.

“We don’t all need to know that.” Bennet rolls his eyes.

“We also don’t have to pretend we aren’t all going to sneak off to our respective rooms to fuck,” Jagger claps back.

“He’s not wrong.” Cruz’s face is a little flushed as he shrugs sheepishly.

“At least this time you don’t have to drown us out with your headphones.” Cam winks at Bennet. “You can make some noise of your own.”

“Jesus, this house is worse than the frat,” Bennet mutters to his lap before turning to face me. “Want to get out of here before it gets crazy?”

“Out of the house or out of this room?” I ask him.

“Either.”

Bennet’s already pushed the boundary by having me here, and I don’t want to overdo it, but if he can’t fully relax around his roommates there’s no hope of us moving past the secret boyfriend label. So, I decide to test his limits a little more.

“Why don’t you take me upstairs?” I suggest with a coy smile.

Bennet’s eyes rake over me, not so much in a sexual way as a debate over whether he’s ready to whisk me away in full view of everyone else. Before I can gauge what he’s decided, he stands up and holds out his hand. “Let’s see if we can drown them out.”

Bennet

Though I’ve woken up next to Damien before, this is the first time we’re waking up inmybed, and I like it way more than I expected to. There’s an intimacy to it that’s different from what I feel at his place. Maybe that’s because here we aren’t alone, so there really is no more hiding, at least as far as my roommates are concerned.

I’m also a little shocked to discover I like cuddling next to him. I’ve never been the little spoon, yet with him I find myself in that position more often than not. Considering all the shit running through my head lately, it makes me feel a little more stable to have his solid presence close to me.

I’ll probably never admit that out loud, but it’s true. I’ll probably never be as touchy feely as my roommates are, at least not publicly, but in the privacy of my bedroom… I’m more than happy to drape myself over Damien’s gorgeous body. Or to have it wrapped around mine.

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