Page 35 of Cash

“It’s not a matter of being welcome. You’re so very welcome. I just wanna welcome you into all kinds of places, and that’s the problem.” Brick took a deep breath. “I’m worried about… you know.”

“What?”

“You ever think of abandoning your life of crime? Going straight?”

“I don’t think I’m straight no more. You know, at least not with you.” Jules winked.

“Ha ha.” Brick rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, yeah, I do.” Jules kissed Brick’s cheek. “I can’t say I’m ever gonna be a good man. I’ve done some bad things, lots of ’em, probably will again, but I swear I’ll always do right by you.”

“And your girlfriend?” Brick asked before he thought better about it.

“I dunno. Me and her have our thing, and it’s good. Real good. But it ain’t exactly workin’ out the way I thought it would. I’m lookin’ for somethin’ a bit more exclusive, if that’s somethin’ you’d be interested in.”

“I…” Brick licked his lips and swallowed hard. “I think I might be… but… okay, okay, look. How can you be so calm?”

“What do you mean?”

“If it was me?” Brick scoffed. “If I had just gotten my gay on for the first time and the guy I got my gay on with was giving me mixed signals about being together, I’d be going crazy.”

“I dunno.” Jules shrugged. “I’ll be disappointed if you don’t wanna. I like you. I wanna keep hangin’ out with you and doin’ stuff. It’s kinda fun having firsts again. But if you don’t, that’s okay too.”

“It’s okay?

“What else can it be?” Jules seemed confused. “Gettin’ mad and yellin’ about it ain’t gonna help. Why would I wanna be here if you didn’t want me to be?”

“Holy shit. You’re somehow the most emotionally mature man I’ve ever met.”

“Not bad for a criminal, right?” Jules cracked a smile.

Brick couldn’t help but laugh.

“There’s that smile.” Jules squeezed Brick’s hips, beaming back at him. “So. We doin’ this thing or what?”

“We…” Brick looked into Jules’s eyes, and he knew the next thing out of his mouth was going to be something very stupid.

Was Jules a criminal? Yes.

Was this absolutely weird and insane and Brick was maybe a tiny bit terrified about what dating a criminal might mean? Also yes.

But was that fear making this hotter, which still qualified as weird, and didn’t he really want to kiss Jules right now, and—wait a second.

What was the question again?

Brick cleared his throat, trying to ignore the blooming heat arising from being so close to Jules. He had to make a choice, stand by it, and tell him.

Jules deserved that. He’d been so kind and sweet and amazing and…

Well, fuck.

Brick realized that he had been doomed from the very second he had seen Jules that day out in his yard, and he was dumb enough to see this infatuation through to the very end, whatever that might mean.

“Okay. Fine. Yes.”

“Yeah?” Jules grinned.

“Yes.” Brick was smiling now too.

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