Page 34 of One Touch

Lathan’s eyes traveled over me and lingered on my lips. I licked them and noted the heat that grew in his eyes. He lifted his gaze to mine, and the world appeared to stop. “Yeah, Bambi, we are.”

My stomach somersaulted, and I had to remind myself to breathe.Do not let him know how affected you are. When our food was called, he stood to grab it, giving me enough time to recover.

“I knew you couldn’t hate me forever. I’m irresistible,” I teased as I took a bite. Ketchup fell from my burger onto the table and I just shrugged and kept on eating.

Lathan, on the other hand, snorted, shook his head, and proceeded to cut his burger into four pieces. I bet his table manners rivaled any royal.

I inhaled the burger and fries, enjoying how the flavors melted in my mouth. I understood why this food truck was so popular. The food was delicious.

Once I was done, I sat back and rubbed my belly. Lathan was still eating his with a fork and knife. He was focused on his food, allowing me an unobstructed view of him. I kept waiting for the day that his utter beauty would not take my breath away. That day was not today.

He turned, and I pretended not to be staring. “You ready, Silver?”

“You got something…” he trailed off as he lifted his thumb up to swipe something off my chin. His touch was gentle, and the brush of his skin on mine in public had tingles racing over me from head to toe. His thumb halted, and his eyes lifted to meet mine. We stared at one another, and I forgot we weren’t in his apartment or that I couldn’t kiss him. That Iwouldn’tkiss him.

Thankfully, he came to his senses before I did anything I couldn’t take back and dropped his hand. I cleared my throat and busied myself with picking up my trash. Lathan followed suit, and we walked side-by-side toward where James was picking us up.

The crowd had gotten thicker, so I was glad we were leaving. I didn’t get noticed much in Austin, but Lathan did. It was a miracle we’d been here for hours and hadn’t been spotted yet. I didn’t know if it was because of his family or if Austin just loved him that much for his hockey skills, but it could get rowdy if the wrong people noticed him. Thankfully, we made it to the car unscathed and slipped into the open door without incident.

My mind buzzed as we rode back. What had that moment been? Was it anything or just another thing I was reading wrong? It couldn’t be what I wanted it to be. There was no way.

“Thank you for inviting me,” Lathan said as we stepped into the elevator. I turned to him, my brow lifted. He chuckled and sent my body on high alert. I loved that sound. Each time I heard it felt like a rare gift. “I know I wasn’t excited about it, but I’m glad I went. It was… fun.”

I smiled and knocked his shoulder with mine. “One of these days, you’ll realize I’m all fun, Silver.”

“Hmm, something like that.” He unlocked the door, and I followed him into his apartment. I wasn’t surprised the TV had already been replaced, but I was shocked when a new phone sat on the counter with my name on it. “I had it replaced,” he said in response.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” I shuffled on my feet, unsure what to do now. The dynamic had shifted, and where to go from here was unclear.

“I should put this—” I said.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” he interrupted. “I mean, if you’re free.”

“Oh, um, sure. I’d like that. I’ll just…” I lifted my bag of goodies.

“Yes, of course. And there’s the clothing rule to adhere to.”

I grinned. “Now you’re speaking my language.”

Lathan rolled his eyes, but the smile was evident on his face. “Meet you back here in a few.”

I nodded and put my goodies away before returning to my room. I dropped the new phone onto the bed. I’d set it up later. Pulling my shirt off my head, I dropped it onto the floor and kicked off my shoes and pants. I sniffed my armpits and cringed when the smell wasn’t as fresh as I wished. Turning on the shower, I waited until it was warm and stepped under the spray to wash and rinse off the sweat. It only took me a few minutes, and then I was drying off. I debated not wearing anything, but sitting on the leather couch for that long without clothes would be uncomfortable. So instead, I opted for my sluttiest pair of boxers. The ones that were so short my butt cheeks practically spilled out and gave my dick a nice bulge.

At the last second, I grabbed the newest bracelet I’d made Lathan and strolled into the living room. Lathan was fiddling with the remote and settled it on something as I entered. He was sitting far away from me, but I wouldn’t let that deter me. Once I was settled, I reached over and hauled his big body into mine. I spread my legs and placed him between them so he was leaning back against my chest. He stiffened but didn’t move away.

“Don’t deny you like cuddling, Lath,” I whispered into his ear.

“You wish, Bambi.”

If he only knew. The movie started, but I wasn’t paying any attention. I was more focused on his wrist and the blue bracelet he still wore. Taking it as a sign, I lifted his wrist and slipped on the one I’d made with black and silver beads.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“New rule. You’re to wear that at all times while in this apartment.”

“And if I don’t?” he challenged.

“Play around and find out, Lath. But I don’t think you’ll like the consequences,” I promised.

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