Page 46 of Tender
“Oh.”
“And I’d like this to be a date.”
“Is this…do you…is it a hookup thing? Like your marriage is open and you hook up with people who?—”
“No,” Emmett interrupted quickly. “We have in the past, but at this point in my life, that doesn’t work for me. I like you. Mo likes you. I want to kiss you, and I’m pretty sure given the chance, he’d kiss you too. Right now, it doesn’t need to be more complicated than that.”
Miles bit his lower lip, then said, “I want that, but I’m not sure I’m ready for what that means.”
“I understand. And there’s more we need to talk about. But I wanted to open the door, okay? To put a foot inside, because I think you want us too.”
Miles looked vaguely terrified, but he nodded and said in a voice barely above a whisper, “Yeah. I do. God help me.”
“I don’t know if he can, but I’m here,” Emmett said with a grin, then he leaned in close. “I’ll keep it chaste. I promise.”
Miles hummed, the sound almost involuntary, then he tilted his face up. “Okay.”
It took a moment for Emmett to find the strength to close the distance between them, but he did. And he kept his promise. He parted his lips just a little, touched his tongue to Miles’s mouth only for a second. But it lingered on and on, warmth rushing through him.
He wrapped both hands around Miles’s jaw, cradling his face and he kissed him and kissed him, and kissed him.
“Fuck,” Miles whispered when he pulled back.
“Too much?”
Shaking his head, Miles let out a small sigh as he looked up into Emmett’s eyes. “No. But…can I take some time? To, you know, think about it?”
“As much as you need. And this doesn’t need to be a thing ever again, okay? I care about you. I want you happy, however that will look for you.”
Miles nodded, then very tentatively slid his hand between them and took Emmett’s in his own. It wasn’t a promise of more to come. It wasn’t a declaration.
But it was something.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MILES
Miles barely slept,and by the time the sun was up, he knew there was no chanceof getting any more rest. After the aquarium, he and Emmett had lunch, held hands, and kissed once more in the driveway before going inside.
But as the door shut, the spell broke, and it was over. Reality had set in a little too hard, and instead of facing the choice Emmett was giving him, he escaped to the guest room with the little stuffed otter Emmett had bought him.
He curled up in bed and doom scrolled on his phone, then sent a couple of texts. One to Oliver that went unanswered, and one to Juno who said he’d get back to him soon, but he had a few things going on. And then he rotted.
Emmett brought him a sandwich and lingered, but when it was obvious Miles wasn’t going to invite him in, he smiled and dropped a kiss on his forehead, leaving him to his panicked thoughts.
He thought a long night’s sleep might help. He was wrong.
When he woke up, Miles was just as confused as ever, and he was a little terrified because he knew Cosimo had to be home by now, so he had to face the husband of the man he’d been making out with all day. The man he’d gone on a damn date with.
The man who said point blank that he wanted Miles.
What the fuck was this supposed to mean? Every fiber of his being said he wanted this—begged for more. He saw absolutely no reason at all to turn Emmett down. And yet, he didn’t know if this could last.
These were Selene’s parents after all. What the fuck was going to happen in the future when they reconciled? How could he look her in the eye knowing what he let those men do to him? Because if he cracked and gave in and said yes, he wanted to let them doeverything.
He couldn’t keep hiding though. He needed to go out there like a grown adult and face them both.
Stretching his back, he pawed around in his bag for new batteries, then put his processors on and headed to the bathroom. He could only procrastinate for so long though. Face washed, teeth brushed, hair combed, he was ready to face the day.
