Page 65 of Sass

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Leon

Chris rolledoff my back and star-fished face up on the mattress. “Goddamn, that was good,” he panted, absently patting my arse. “But it is absolutely and positively the verylasttime.”

“Uh huh.” I collapsed face down over the pillow and tried to suck some oxygen back into my lungs. “You know, I might be wrong,” I gasped, “but I’m not sure you entirely grasp the definition of the wordlast. You’ve used it four times already.” I listed them off. “Sunday, in this bed. Tuesday, upstairs next door. And then there was the best fuck of my life over your desk, Wednesday. At least it was until you ruined my arse tonight. And it’s only Thursday. The week isn’t yet done. Which reminds me, it’s my turn to top.”

Chris tsk-tsked and slapped my butt. “Details, details. And considering your size, you surely can’t begrudge me a vacation between repeat mountings of the Matterhorn... just saying. Besides, I can’t possibly be held responsible for my actions when you parade wantonly past my office after hours, all but naked, and then practically drag me upstairs to ravish me.”

I snorted and shuffled over to face him. “Ravish you, huh? As much as I like the sound of that, I was actually fully dressed at the time, including raincoat and drenched woolly cap, and all I did was say goodnight and mention I’d be upstairs if you needed anything. Two minutes later you were at my door, and here we are.”

“But it washowyou said it.” Chris turned and ran a finger down my sweaty chest. “There was an unmistakable subtext of ‘please fuck me’ behind the wholeupstairsthing. And I can’t help if my mind undresses you the minute I see you, ergo, to all intents and purposes, youwerenaked.”

I leaned forward and kissed his nose. “I like that you see me naked in your head, as creepy as that actually sounds when I hear myself say it, but I think that maybe it’s about time we talked about what’s happening.”

He fell onto his back with a pained groan. “Oh god, do we have to?”

I grinned and scooted up the bed. “Yes, we do.” I leaned against the headboard and tugged on Chris’s arm until he relented and let me pull him up and onto my lap.

He grumbled all the way but eventually straddled my hips, nuzzling our soft cocks together. He slipped his hands around my neck and rested his forehead on mine. “Okay, I’m listening.”

I snorted and pushed him back enough to see his face. “I’m not the one whose breaking all his rules,” I reminded him. “I’d like to know what’s going on in that beautiful big brain of yours.”

He dragged his lower lip between his teeth and eyed me like a big juicy steak. “I would’ve thought that was obvious.”

“Nope.” I grabbed his wandering hand and then the other, just in case. “Talk.”

He pouted, making me laugh.

“Come on.” I kissed him softly. “Talk to me, baby.”

He scowled. “Don’t call me that. We’re not...thatto each other. This is just sex. Cute names muddy everything.”

I swallowed a smile. Like I didn’t know that. Like I hadn’t noticed his eyes soften for just a half-second every time I called him baby or sweetheart, before his resolve to keep me at a distance rallied and they turned a cooler shade of green. I was chipping away at his walls the only way I knew how, but I wasn’t sure I was getting anywhere.

If I’d had a lick of sense, or an ounce of self-preservation, I’d have high-tailed it out of there and put my heart on lockdown after our first encounter. Falling for Chris had heartbreak written all over it, but it was already too late.

I liked the guy, always had. And now I’d had a taste of him, there was no way I was walking away before doing my best to change his mind. That was if I didn’t spook him away entirely. And if it all turned to custard, which it most likely would, I’d have to deal with it. Thisthingwe were doing, him and me, this dangerous to and fro, was so much more than sex. All I had to do was get Chris to see that too. It was my best shot. It was all I had.

“I think you secretly like the cute names,” I ventured, immediately feeling him tense.

“You know the score, Leon.” Chris eyed me warily. “I’m not what you’re looking for.”

I held his gaze. “And yet here you are.”

He pulled his hands free. “Fuckingyou, yes.ThatI can do.”

“So, let’s keep doing that,” I pressed. “Because we’re pretty damn good at it.”

He snorted but said nothing, his gaze sliding off mine as he fingered the lines of colour on my chest.

I figured it was now or never.“But we’re good at more than sex.”

His gaze shot up. Then he frowned and dropped it once again to my chest. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do.” I tipped his chin up. “Because that’s why we’re here, right? Because we actually like each other, a lot, even though you don’t want to. We talk. We argue about music. We joke and rib each other. We could be good together. Can we please give it a try?” The question came out barely a whisper, but it was too late to yank it back. “Giveusa try. I know you feel it, this pull between us that’s so fucking more than just sex, no matter what you tell yourself.”

His eyes roamed my face and he lifted a finger to gently stroke my cheek. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

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