Page 102 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
He was so carefree, and I loved that about him. I took some pictures of him running in the moonlight. Yes, I could use a little more sunshine in my life.
“Tag.” Clark touched my shoulder, and took off running across the beach, dropping his socks and shoes. When he noticed I wasn’t following him, he turned around, running backwards, arms out. “Come get me.”
What a loaded statement.
“Come on,” he teased. “You’re it.”
He wanted to be chased, did he? Maybe it was time to see if what I’d felt when we’d danced in the bar was real.
Without saying a word, I took off my socks and shoes, and put them neatly on the sand. I took off after him with a little growl.
“Shit, man.” Clark laughed as he changed angles, heading toward the water, trying to avoid me.
I raced after him, trying not to let the thoughts of what I might like to do with him when I caught him slow me down. Usually, I wasn’t playing tag for innocent funsies.
No, I played for another sort of amusement.
He turned again, and I dove, tackling him to the sand. My hands pinned his shoulders to the ground as I straddled him.
Chest heaving a little, I bent forward, my face hovering close to his. “Caught.”
Clark’s breath quickened, and I felt him harden under me. Oooh, helikedthat.
I could imagine it now–chasing him, catching him, stripping off his clothes, and tying his wrists with his tie or my belt.
Making him scream my name as he came.
His scent, like a field of freshly mowed grass in the summer, flared with desire.
“You caught me. I… I’m at your mercy.” Clark’s eyes sparkled in the moonlight.
What was I doing? I let go and got off of him. “Are you okay? Apologies for being overzealous. I think we play tag differently.”
He looked up at me, still lying back in the sand. “I think I like this type of tag.”
For a moment we said nothing, listening to the lapping waves of the ocean, and looking up at the stars. Even with the lights from the resort, a vast expanse of twinkling stars filled the sky.
“When did you get a tattoo?” I finally asked. I’d noticed a small one on his leg and I didn’t remember it before.
“Have you met Gwen’s friend Mercy yet? She had a tattoo artist at her birthday party, though it’s the artist Gwen used for hers on her back. Anyway, I got Captain Everything’s shield. I’d always wanted one and it was free,” he told me.
“I’ve met Mercy. That sounds like some party,” I told him, looking up at the stars.
“It was.” His voice was soft as he turned his head to face me. “Hey, I understand if you’re not ready for more yet. I’ll wait for you, just like Gwen.”
“Why?” I looked for different constellations in the sky. Why would they wait?
“Because you’re kind. Because you’re smart. Because we like lots of the same things. Because you look hot in a pair of jeans. Because you care for Gwen as much as I do. Because you play hockey with such intensity and I can’t wait to see how that plays out in other ways. Because I wanted you from the moment you walked in on me last year, and getting to know you the past few days has only increased my crush from low-key to major.”
His look grew coy. “Need me to go on?”
I sucked in a breath and turned to face him. “Thank you.”
He’d look so good on his knees. Clark also took direction well, I noticed that when we were dancing.
Clark started pointing out constellations in the night sky, some of them I knew, and some I didn’t–and some he had different names for. Like the one he calledladybug.
Yes, this was nice, indeed.
