Page 60 of Tall, Dark, & Ginger

A surge of bravery or recklessness, I don’t know which, spreads through me, pushing me to taste his lips, so I do, leaning in and pressing our mouths together. Ridley grunts, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling our bodies into each other.

The kiss is so intense that I have to remind myself that we’re in public and I can’t just drop to my knees to worship his cock.

“Fuck,” he whispers against my lips. “You drive me wild, Chef.”

I slump against the wall, catching my breath and swiping my tongue over my lips to taste his kiss a little longer. He makes a point of adjusting himself and we both chuckle, releasing the heated tension of the moment.

“I’ll see you soon.”

Ridley nods. “As soon as possible.”

Forcing myself away, I look over my shoulder before I leave to find Ridley still watching me. He waves and winks as I dart out the door. Small groups of people gather right out front, waiting for rideshares or just talking before heading home. The warmer weather definitely keeps people out longer, and it’s nice to see it’s not just the college students, though I have to wonder if these people have day jobs. That’s their problem though. If they want to spend their weeknights at our bar, we’ll have them.

Only a few minutes later, I make it home and practically sprint up the stairs to my room, peeling out of my clothes on the way to the bathroom. I take a quick shower and brush my teeth, throwing on a pair of shorts before slipping across the hall to Ridley’s suite.

A shiver runs down my back as I walk into his bedroom, a tingle of excitement for what’s going to happen when he gets here. I pull back the covers and sink into his soft mattress, the same place I slept last night, and the night before that.

I can’t work out yet whether it’s the sex or the bed or special Ridley magic that helps me sleep lately, but I don’t need to. It works right now.

Checking my phone, I note the time. The bar closes in thirty-five minutes. I can entertain myself for that long, clicking on all the posts me or the bar have been tagged in today. I smile through them, shaking my head at the many posts discussing my looks. Apparently gingers are hot—a trend that definitely hasn’t been my experience before, but I’ve always been a late bloomer in everything. Why not this too?

Mostly the posts are pics of the bar and plates of my food, which I’ll take over discussing the face I had no choice in any day.

All in all, it was a damn good day, and it’s not over yet.

TWENTY-THREE

RIDLEY

I jog up the stairs,excited to see if Wren is really waiting in my bed for me. It took us a little longer to get out tonight after a small fight broke out between two buff dudes over who the cute twink was actually flirting with, only for the three of them to leave together.

Thankfully, everyone is just as interested as I am in getting to our own rooms. When I open the door to my suite, it’s silent. I glance over my shoulder at Wren’s door across the hall, but it’s closed. I guess it’s possible he got tired of waiting and went to his own room. I’ll text him after a quick shower and see if he’s up.

Peeling off my clothes as I walk, I notice the distinct feeling of disappointment spreading through me. I guess I really wanted some alone time with him again. In my bedroom, I stumble on my own feet when I see the gorgeous man snuggled in my blankets, sound asleep.

Asleep.

He’s sleeping.

A surprised smile tugs at my lips. That’s amazing. I creep into my bathroom, choosing to forgo the shower so I don’t wake him, and instead just brush my teeth and wash my face. When I return to the bedroom, he’s in the same position, snoring softly.He definitely earned some rest after today. I bet the adrenaline needed to get through it left him drained once it was all over.

I climb into bed next to him, careful not to be disruptive, and unable to stop myself, I curl my body around his, my stomach fluttering at how perfectly he fits tucked up against me. He’s warm and smells so damn good. I nuzzle his hair and kiss the back of his neck.

“Mm.” He stirs, bumping his ass against my dick, but I can tell it’s unintentional. He’s out.

I let the fantasy take over, imagining a world where this is what we do every night, climbing into the same bed, cuddling together,beingtogether. When this started between us, I can’t say I expected it to last more than a few times before he found his confidence and went out looking for guys his age who wanted white picket fences, but something about Wren and me just works. I could get used to this, but I know I shouldn’t.

If anyone’s gonna be the first to break this heart of mine, it’s Wren.

Not that I’m in love or anything. I’m somewhere past infatuation but a little more than like. I wonder what that’s called. Whatever it’s called, I kind of like it, and I really hope Wren does too.

With that thought, I close my eyes and pray the sleep gods are as kind to me as they were to him.

“Rid.”

The soft sound of my name teases me awake.

“I have coffee.”

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