Page 16 of Room 1212

“Maybe…”

I felt like I was losing him. Every time we talked about his writing, he closed up and got quiet. He was constantly worried about how he stacked up to other authors, and it had gotten to the point that it was psyching him out. It seemed like he’d lost his nerve, and in doing so, had lost his inspiration.

“So, sex, huh?” I said, changing the topic to something a little more fun.

He huffed a laugh and turned back to look at me. “Yeah. It may seem stupid, but I haven’t dated much in the past few years. It’s… been a while for me, longer than I would like to admit, and I honestly didn’t enjoy it a whole lot in the first place. Romance novels always make it sound so satisfying, earth-shattering. I just wondered if I’ve forgotten what it was like. I figured maybe if I could reconnect with reality a little bit, it might center me. I wanted to start with the basics—sex, specifically.”

“I don’t know if I would count sex as the basics. Holding hands, maybe, or kissing.”

I peeked across the car to catch his adorable smile. “You’re very traditional, aren’t you?”

I shrugged. “Maybe a little.” I wasn’t the type of guy to do casual sex. I never had sex until the third date, at least, which was maybe why I’d resisted Jordan so far. But, if I wanted to manipulate my rules, I could say the book signing was our first date, the coffee shop our second, the closet was our third. Hell, I was behind schedule!

I reached a hand across the space for him to take, and after a moment, he laced his fingers through mine. His hand felt so delicate, with his long, narrow fingers, but it felt nice. His skin was warm and soft, and when he squeezed my hand, it did things to my body.

After a moment, he said, “This almost feels more intimate than kissing.”

“See?” I said, sounding far too smug. “Think of all the basics you’ve been missing out on. Not all relationships are about prophecies and saving the world. Not everyone has a fated mate out there. I don’t believe in insta-love. Relationships take time, and I’d like to believe they’re worth the effort.”

He frowned and looked at me with a little confusion. “You know you don’t have to take me to dinner, right? I’m a sure thing.”

WhywasI taking him to dinner? He’d made it clear he wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, just a fuck-buddy to experiment with. But that felt wrong somehow. My dad taught me to treat my omega better than that. And at least a small part of myself wondered if I could change Jordan’s mind about dating.

“How about dancing and drinks instead?”

“Are you stalling?” he asked.

“What’s the hurry?” I asked in reply. “I like to take my time.” And I didn’t just mean with foreplay.

“Uh, could we not go out?” His voice was strained, and he tried to take his hand back, but I refused to let him go.

“What are so afraid of?” I asked. “It’s just a little dancing.”

“Someone will recognize me, and tomorrow there will be online articles speculating about who you are, and then my agent will call and scold me about my public behavior.” He winced. “It’ll turn into a whole thing.”

That sounded like a hard way to live, always worrying about appearances. Jordan deserved to have a little fun.

“Do youwantto dance?” I asked. “You know, if everything else wasn’t an issue.”

“Well, yeah, I guess. I can’t even tell you the last time I went dancing.”

“Then we’re going dancing. You just need a disguise.” He raised an eyebrow, wondering what the hell I was up to.

Therewasnowayanyone was going to recognize Jordan now. We had started by changing him into my tank top from my gym bag, then we wet his hair to make it darker and slicked it back. He had sunglasses and wore a hoodie tied around his waist. He looked like he belonged in an 80s movie—which meant he would fit in here just fine. Entering Mickey’s was like stepping into an 80s rave, with neon-pink-and-green décor and black lights making everything glow.

“Come on,” I told him, taking him by the hand and leading the way. “It’s dark inside, and they use a smoke machine and strobe lights. No one is going to give you a second glance.”

He looked beyond uncomfortable, which was the exact opposite of what I’d intended. “Come on. If you want to have sex with me, you’re going to have to show me your moves,” I teased. “Do you trust me?”

His eyes locked on mine at that, and he nodded firmly. “Surprisingly, I do.”

“Good.” It made me feel warm to have his trust, especially since we didn’t know each other very well. I knew his books front to back, but the real Jordan Kepler? I had a feeling I was just barely beginning to scratch the surface.

Any doubt I had about whether this was a good idea or not flew straight out the window the second we set foot inside. Jordan looked around and his whole face lit up with sheer joy. This was the first time I’d seen him without all his carefully constructed barriers. “This place is amazing!” he said, raising his voice to be heard over the music.

“Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.”

As promised, we were quickly swallowed up by the crowd, shrouded in smoke and shadow. Jordan started off guarded, but as time passed with no one recognizing him, he relaxed, sipping at his drink, grooving to the music.

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