Page 43 of Bang Buddies With Benefits
“Only one way to find out.” He boldly lifted the bucket by the handle and overturned it, pouring its contents down the drain. As I tipped onto my toes, watching without getting too close, Zac snagged my wrist and tugged me in front of him. “Hey, have some faith. I worked every summer since I was fourteen on construction sites so I could save up for college.”
“You went to college?” I hadn’t meant for it to come out so incredulous. “That came out wrong. I just meant that I know you helped run the bar for years before you took over.”
“I did. I wasn’t sure the bar was going to be my future for a while, and I wanted to have options.”
“What did you major in?”
“You wouldn’t rather hear about how I got all brawny carrying around heavy beams? Or how good I was with my hands?”
I glanced over my shoulder at him, aiming a smile his way and then kissing his jaw. “I already have experience with both of those things.”
“Flattery will get you…” He snuggled me closer, and it soothed as much as it revved up my heart rate. “An answer, I guess. Poly sci, with a minor in criminal justice.”
My jaw nearly hit the freshly cleaned floor. “No fucking way.”
A self-satisfied grin spread across his face, along with the pride that he’d managed to shock the hell out of me. “Yep. Earned a master’s degree in it—even graduated with honors.”
It struck me as strange that he’d never brought up this subject before. “I can’t believe this is the first I’m hearing about it.”
“We had all those rules, and you were so proud about your law degree that I didn’t want to rain on your parade.”
“We used to be quite good at raining on each other’s parade.”
“Yeah, we bantered and poked at each other a bit. Pushed each other’s buttons as a sort of foreplay. But I’d never want to say anything that would legitimately upset you.”
“You once told me that my taste in music was shit, and that if I didn’t turn it off, you’d be forced to leave before we did the deed.”
He shrugged and nipped at my ear. “That was just a cold-hard fact.”
“Ah!” I turned to smack his arm, a laugh coming out and ruining the dirty look I planned to fire his way. “Don’t think I’m not onto your game, Mister. You like to pretend you’re this badass motorcycle driver who shrugs off his responsibilities and doesn’t bother with silly things like feelings. But you care more than you put on. Whether someone’s going after your bar patron, or you’re helping your brother plan his wedding, or if some damsel in distress needs help with a broken sink.”
Zac braced his hands on the counter on either side of me. “You’re no damsel.”
“Not usually. But I was tonight, and you were my knight riding a shiny motorcycle. Little secret, you could also talk to me about whatever you want to fix on it, and I’d listen, no matter how boring.”
“I think there was a compliment in there somewhere?”
“There was a compliment in there everywhere.” That saying about a bad boy who was a good man popped into my head. “The more time I spend with you, the harder it is to deny that you’re a great guy, actually. One who’s kind, funny, and challenges me in a way I’ve been craving for a long time without realizing it. Even if it also drives me crazy sometimes.”
“Right back at you, babe.”
Holy shit. Suddenly I was wondering what he’d say if I posed the idea of becoming more.
Crackling energy snapped and sizzled between us, and I stood on the precipice, afraid to fall and afraid not to dive in. We were both wet, messy, and disgusting, and still I wanted to paint myself across his flesh and claim his as mine.
The muscles in his arms stood out as he lowered himself so that he was draped over me, his mouth crashing over mine. “How hungry are you?” he asked, stroking his tongue over mine rather than waiting for my answer.
His hands came up to bracket my face, his thumbs dragging across my cheekbones as he slowly pulled back, creating a space of a couple of inches between our mouths.
And I decided that tonight, I didn’t want to play it safe, and that meant putting myself out there. “More than food—more than anything else I’ve ever wanted—what I want more than anything is you.”
20
Zac
“Then I’m fucking yours.”
The words came out with the speed and weight of a freight train, and too late, I wondered if I should’ve yanked on the emergency brake.
