Page 40 of Free Me

“You’re welcome.” Stef finishes paying and takes my hand. “Bill will bring our order over when it’s ready. Let’s go pick a game.”

I’m not quite sure what that means until we’re standing in front of bookshelves jam-packed with different board games. “Damn. I haven’t played any kind of game in years.”

Stef smirks and hip checks me. “Not true. We played some wonderful games last night.”

“Stef.” I’m trying to be stern, but now I’m imagining them naked in my bed and I can’t stop smiling. “You’re trying to distract me, so whatever game we pick, you’ll win.” Ignoring the customer at another high top who’s engrossed in whatever’s on their laptop, I slip my arm around Stef and pull them against me. Our bodies press together from chest to hip with my thigh slotted between their legs. “For the record…” Our lips are almost touching. “… it’s working. All I can think about right now is you, naked, the taste of your skin on my tongue.” Stef breathes quickly, and I feel their heartbeat thundering against my chest. I’m sorely tempted to spin them around and press them against the shelves, kissing them in ways that are highly inappropriate for public spaces. Images of dark balconies, an ice-blue crop top, and Stef pressed against the wall of Club Cake have me hard in moments. Clearing my throat, I step back and turn to examine the games. “Which should we pick?”

“Blake!” Stef pinches my arm, and I laugh. “Totally unfair.”

This time, I lean in and kiss their lips, lingering just a bit. “I love teasing you.”

They huff dramatically. “Because you’re a sadist at heart?”

“No. Because I love how passionate you are about everything. And sometimes I can make you laugh, and that brightens my world.”

They stare at me, their mouth opening and closing silently for a minute before they wrap their arms around my neck, pulling me against them, kissing me with abandon. Stef’s fingers slide into my hair and their tongue teases at the seam of my mouth, sending shivers down my spine. I part my lips and moan, my body on fire with need as they stroke their tongue against mine. Crushing them to my chest, my body trembles with emotion. Never in my life have I felt this intensely about anyone.

There’s a polite cough behind us, and we break apart. Stef laughs and straightens their skirt. “Sorry, Bill.”

“S’alright, Stef. I got a hot man of my own at home. I know what it’s like tryin’ to keep your hands to yourself in public.” He sets our drinks and desserts on an empty high top table and points to a shelf. “This is our first date shelf. It has the classics like chess and backgammon, but if you’re lookin’ for somethin’ different, you might try any of these others. They’re simple to learn and don’t take too long to finish. That makes them easy to play, and you can talk over them without losin’ your place.”

“Thanks, Bill.” I extend my hand, and he shakes it.

“Anytime. Let me know if you need somethin’. I still have a bit of bakin’ to do before I get to go home to my guy.” He winks at us and waves as he goes back to the front counter.

When I turn around, Stef has picked a game called Love Letter. I raise my eyebrows. “Really?”

They nod. “Yes. It’s so romantic! Your goal is to get your love letter into Princess Annette’s hands while deflecting the letters from competing suitors. This game fulfills both my romantic and competitive needs. Wemustplay it.”

“I see.” Is it bad that I find demanding Stef incredibly sexy? “You know, you’re being kind of bossy.”

The spark in their eyes fades as their smile disappears. “I’m sorry. I do that a lot.”

My stomach drops. “Stef.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m trying to be better about it, but sometimes I forget and it just comes out. Here.” They shove the game back on the shelf. “You can pick.”

“Sweetheart.” I pull them into a hug. “I was teasing you.” Their body is tense and I’m confused by their reaction. “I’m perfectly happy playing whatever you want. I don’t have a preference as long as I get to be with you.”

“You’re only saying that to be nice. Nobody likes it when I’m bossy.”

I tilt their chin up and silently rage at whoever tried to dim Stef’s light. “I do.” They roll their eyes. “I promise, I do. It’s cute and kind of sexy. And I know you only act that way when you feel passionately about something. If you don’t care, you’re perfectly happy to let anyone else have their way.”

They narrow their eyes. “How do you know that?”

“Because I watch, Stef. You’re not actually being demanding, you’re being passionate. You’re excited and want everyone else to be excited too. I get it.” Stef lets out a little squeak and throws themselves at me, hugging me tightly. “Was that a good squeak or a bad squeak?”

They tighten their arms, practically strangling me. “It’s good. And I don’t squeak.”

I laugh and hug them tighter. “Okay, well, what did I do to earn your not-a-squeak?”

They huff out a disgusted breath. “I’m told that I’m bossy and steamroll over what other people want. And I’m not great at communicating when I’ve changed my mind about something. I guess I assume people will be able to tell.”

“I feel like there’s a story here.” I pull their arms from around my neck, kiss their cheek, and guide them to a seat. “Let’s enjoy our desserts and you can tell me about that.” I take a seat across from them, and we both sip our drinks. “Mmmm. This is excellent.”

We practically devour our sweets, and in between bites of food and sips of the mocha latte, Stef tells me Erik and Jules’ story. How they’ve been in love with each other forever, and how Stef inadvertently caused them to be apart for decades.

“Okay, maybe it wasn’t decades, plural, but it was close. Then it took them forever to tell me they were together because they thought I’d be angry. I’d never be angry about that! But my big mouth and bossy attitude made them think otherwise.” They push away their empty plate. “I’ve apologized, though I’m not sure I’ll ever feel like I’ve done enough to make it up to them. They could have been together all that time.”

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