Page 21 of Not That Complicated

He was practically anime.

“On occasion,” he said.

Which I hadn’t expected, at all, despite my stupid question, and now the thought of it wasdoingthings to me.

I shifted from one foot to the other.” Are you wearing any now?”

I had a sneaking suspicion that my obsession over Adam’s appearance was an avoidance tactic, but I was embracing it. Hard. Like a barnacle. The way I thought of it was like this: I could stare at Adam’s beautiful face, or I could keep getting flashbacks to staring down into the hole in the floorboards and seeing an infinitely less beautiful face.

I chose Adam.

“No,” he said. “I’m not.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

I gave him a sceptical look.

“You don’t believe me?” He was highly amused.

“I think you’re caked in Maybelline. In fact, it’s a bit patchy. You might want to blend. Right here.” I gestured at his jawline.

Adam caught my hand. I froze. He carried my hand over the distance between us, eyes intent on mine, and pressed it to his cheek.

I was...cupping his face.

His cool fingers slipped down to circle my wrist. My gaze dropped from his and I stared at my hand on him.

He really was like a freaking peach.

I realised I’d said it out loud when he replied, “Thank you. You should feel my arse sometime.”

It took a second for his words to percolate. As soon as they did, it was like a sucker punch of want low in my belly.

“Well?” he said.

“What? I...”

“Clean skin,” he said, and rubbed his cheek against my palm. Tauntingly. “I always hated having to wear foundation,” he said.

“Who…why would you wear foundation? Who made you?”

He seemed annoyed at himself for a moment and answered flatly, “Photographers.”

“You’re a model.” Water is wet, the sky is blue. Adam is a model. It all tracked.

“Was. I did some stuff. A while ago. It doesn’t matter. I never wear foundation, that’s the point.” He distracted me by rubbing into my palm again.

I don’tthinkI moaned. “What do you wear, then?” My voice was thin and breathless

“A bit of mascara on occasion. Sometimes lip balm. Sometimes tinted lip balm.”

My gaze went from his long tawny lashes to his mouth. Like he knew it would. He smirked, and then very slowly licked his plump bottom lip.

My hand twitched. I wanted to trace the damp, smiling curve of it with my thumb. Adam expected me to, I could tell.

So I didn’t.

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