Page 107 of Paradox
He bares his teeth in a smug little grin. “I couldn’t help myself.”
I point to the furthest stool from me with the axe. “That’s why I’m gonna need you to sit your ass over there.”
“What if I don’t wanna?”
“Then I’ll throw everything backbuttrout.”
Pouting, Jin maintains eye contact with me as he crawls to the chair. And with a pained groan, I start hacking at the ice again until the shards are hitting my face.
I’ve run a marathon to get to this point. It’s been twenty-four hours and the finish line is ten yards away.
All I’ve wanted to do all day is jump on him. To tell him,to hell with your rules,there are two of us here. I don’t care if you want to wait because I’ve been waiting nineteen years to find someone who makes me feel this way, and I want to try anything and everything I can think of in as little time as possible.
Holy hell, it’s been hard.
There’s been a constant ball of anxiety jumping between my stomach and my chest since Eden woke up this morning.
I don’t think I ever actually got to sleep last night, because every time I closed my eyes there was something depraved behind my eyelids. It’s not easy to sleep with an erection. Especially when you jerked off before going to bed and it was about as pointless as a squid owning a bicycle.
Neither of us were overly productive when it came to the point of our excursion today, either. Eden showed me what to do once then retreated to the fire for half an hour. And when he did come back, I left him not long after because his gruff voice and the tension he was holding in his body was too much to handle.
We ended up with three trout—because, of course we did—though Eden did manage to snag a decent sized yellow bass for me.
The whole way back I’ve been hugging the fish bag, terrified that if my arms aren’t busy they’ll start ripping my clothes off because I’m just so damn hot.
Eden’s been on the opposite side of the track, walking twice as fast as he did this morning. My legs ache because of it. Each of his strides is two for me.
I’m within steps of the porch and I want to drop everything and run inside, but I hesitate, and look to Eden.
He’s already walking to the shed, so screw it.
I run inside, dump the fish bag in the sink, and start shucking off the layers that have been weighing me down for the past nine hours.
With nothing on but sweatpants and socks, I dash to the bathroom.
I want to have a shower.
We both should have a shower.
Fuck me, I don't think I can wait.
It wasn't hot.
We weren't sweating.
I'm the one giving him something, so who the fuck cares? Not me, that's for sure.
I scrub the smell of fish off my hands and some splash water on my face—and a few other places—then grab my towel.
The cabin door slams shut. And when I say slams, I mean slams!
“Jintae?” Eden’s voice calls like a killer stalking someone through their house.
My breath deepens as I stare at myself in the vanity.
Excitement and fear; I’m starting to realize how similar they feel.
Anxiety blooms to rampant lust in my chest and I burst through the bathroom door.
