Page 23 of Numbers Boy
Steve peels himself off me and puts a hand out to help me up off the couch. “Fair enough. It’s been a while since I’ve had an actual cuddle session after sex.”
Before I can ask him what he means by that, he’s heading toward the hallway. I follow after him and point him to the bathroom door.
As he lets the water warm up and wipes himself off, I duck into my room and grab a clean pair of briefs for him. Part of me wants to take the washcloth from him so I can wipe him cleanand spoil him a bit, but he’s clearly okay taking care of himself. I can respect that boundary, even if it’s one he doesn’t realize he’s setting. Maybe next time, I’ll get to pamper him.
“These might be too big for you, but they’re probably more comfortable than going home in jizz-filled ones.” I get a good eyeful of his ass cheeks as he slides his jeans all the way down. “Although, maybe not since you’re hiding a whole lot of cake back there.”
He laughs and winks at me through the mirror. “Well, me and my cake will be waiting for you to come snuggle once you’re clean.” And then he bounces back out of the bathroom.
I grab the cloth and do my own wiping off and changing, my muscles pleasantly relaxed and heavy after our frot session. How he’s so energetic is beyond me. I’m the kind of guy who always wants to just wrap up his partner and laze about after sex. Steve’s comment about not having cuddles in a while pops back into my brain, and I decide to ask him about it after all.
As I lower myself back onto the couch, I pull over the throw blanket and smile when Steve wastes no time plastering himself up against my side. It’s a perfect moment, and I almost don’t want to ruin it with a potentially unpleasant conversation. I run my hand down his arm and twine our fingers together before asking.
“What did you mean about not cuddling after sex?”
“Hmm?” Steve looks up from where he’s now playing with my fingers, tracing the calluses and then flipping my hand over to do the same thing with my tattoos and veins. “Oh, just that my most recent ex wasn’t much for cuddling. Probably for the same reasons he didn’t want to get a pet with me. I was just a check mark on his to-do list. The pretty boyfriend to parade around to stop people from realizing he was a cheating, lying asshole.”
As Steve is talking, I can feel myself tensing, and all of my recent endorphin rush is long gone by the time he finishes. “Are you kidding me? He cheated on you?”
“Yep,” Steve confirms with a shrug, like it’s no big deal. But I tip his head up, and the sadness I find lingering in his eyes guts me. “At least twice, but I’m sure there were plenty of others.”
“Fuck, Princess, I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.” I press a kiss to his nose and lean my forehead against his.
Steve hums and leans into the touch, long eyelashes fluttering closed. “Thank you. I’m mostly over it, but I do wonder sometimes if there was something I did. I know that’s bullshit and just lingering thoughts from being with Adam for too long, but it still happens. Fortunately, my friends have helped a lot.” He rubs his nose sweetly against mine. “You’ve helped a lot, too.”
“Me?” I pull back to look in his eyes again, glad to see that some of the sadness has gone. “What have I done?”
“You look at me like I’m worth seeing. And you see more than just the makeup.”
I run my thumb along his high cheekbone, taking in each detail of his face. “You are gorgeous, inside and out. I would be glad to cuddle you anytime you want.”
“Can I… Would you…” Steve trails off as his body sways closer to mine. I can feel his heat against my body and catch a whiff of his bright, citrusy scent. I lean in, hoping to get more. Steve licks his lips and takes a deep breath, and I’m sure he’s about to either ask me out or see if he could spend the night. I would be more than happy with either one. “Would you be able to dog sit for Stacy next weekend?”
My heart falls at the abrupt change of direction, and I do my best to keep my face from falling with it. “Y-yeah, I should be able to do that.”
“Thank you,” Steve says and bites his bottom lip. His perfectly plump bottom lip that was in my mouth earlier. “I’msorry for asking on such short notice, but Henry asked us all if we could come watch him perform in a show that he found out about at the last minute.”
“Hey, it’s fine. What are friends for?” I give him a kiss on the cheek and lean back, trying to clear my head of his intoxicating scent. “What kind of show is it?”
We continue chatting while more episodes play on in the background, stealing a few kisses and soft touches every so often. When the TV finally asks if we’re still there, Steve stands and stretches, and I walk him the few feet to the door.
“Hey, thank you for tonight,” Steve says while he pulls on his coat, and I unlock the door. “I had a lot of fun.”
I spin around to answer him, but he’s much closer than I expected. I suck in a sharp breath seeing his gorgeous green eyes up close again.
“Uh.” I clear my throat when no words come out and try again, hoping that I can catch my breath enough to make a sound this time. “Absolutely. Want to do it again once you’re back from your weekend?”
He nods, and one perfect curl falls over his forehead. I brush it back so I can see his eyes more clearly. “Absolutely. Good night, Noe.”
I lean in, heart thumping at the nickname, and brush a soft kiss to his cheek. “Good night, Steve.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Steve
A FEW DAYSlater, I can still clearly picture the look of disappointment on Noah’s face when I asked him about watching Stacy this weekend. He tried to cover it up by asking all about Henry’s show, but I saw that flash of want for something more when I leaned in. Honestly, I was just as disappointed as he seemed when I ended my question the way I did. Our evening together was perfect.
Between the snuggles and the sex, each moment was better than the last. Even him calling me a princess felt right, like he enjoyed that I was letting him take control of our pleasure. Noah treated me carefully, but not like I was fragile. Like I was important to him.
