Chapter 05 LENNIX
After admitting that I was too nervous to eat anything for the last two days, Sadie made it her mission to order us some pizza.
And she’s been snapping pics ever since.
Marlo is at the table next to me, joking between bites and talking with his hands.
It’s mostly about a show I haven’t seen where he thinks the best friends should just fucking kiss already. It’s been nine seasons or something.
Even Sadie has chimed in about the show’s plotline. Some stories she read online or something.
I just nod and chuckle along.
He makes me feel … bolder.
I like being around him. Getting to know him.
He’s … sweet. But in an aggressive kind of way. Like his love for the show is worthy of yelling about it and him caring about his coworkers means pranks are imminent.
It’s like if wine was a person—pretty and floral in the digestible sense, while still managing to fuck you up a little.
And I am fucked up a little.
Shoving the last bite of my slice into my mouth, I offer to grab his plate by standing and pointing. He gets the gist enough to nod and push it my way so I can toss them both.
Settling back into the seat beside him, I turn so that I’m looking him straight on.
The tint of his lips is a little faded from eating and I can’t help but imagine what they’d look like after making out with someone.
As much as I want to see if I’m right, I don’t. I grab his hand instead.
“Thank you,“
I whisper.
He turns his soft smile on me and nods. “I’m just glad it worked out. Thanks for listening to my rant.”
Chuckling, I nod. “We’ve got to be close to running out of time.”
His lips purse and he flashes a look to Sadie who nods. “He’s right. I do need to wrap this up so I can edit some before I leave town.”
The idea of leaving it all without at least … trying … it sours in my stomach.
“How about—”
“Can we—”
Marlo giggles when we both speak, making me grin, and I tip my head to him. “You first.”
His lips stretch into something a little more … seductive.
It makes my cheeks flush hot.
“That’s normally my line.“
He snickers and squeezes my hand. “Anyway. Would you be up to try a few poses? If you hate it, then Sadie can delete them.”
Again, he makes me feel bold and I’m already nodding before he finishes speaking.
“Yeah, I’d like to try.”
His eyes light up. “Fuck, yessss, okay. Let’s go to the chair.”
He’s on his feet and tugging me across the space back to the same seat I had my mini panic attack in and pushing me down to the cushions with more force than I expect from his lithe frame.
“Damn, you’re strong,“
I murmur as he leans over me with palms to my thighs, his hair falling out from behind his ear. It’s just long enough to reach the short space between us and tickle my chin.
I suppress a shiver.
His shimmering gaze is cataloging my face and I’m incapable of looking away.
Having him this close … his breath mingling with mine … it makes my chest rise easier.
I reach up and tuck that strand back behind his ear.
He hums, eyes sliding closed, and rests his forehead on mine.
“I have garlic breath,“
he whispers.
“So do I.”
“Your glasses are sexy.”
A surprised chuckle escapes me. “Thank you? I’m a little attached to them.”
He hums again, and I feel it vibrate through the side of his nose that’s pressed to mine. He’s inching closer, or maybe I am, until I feel the tiniest hint of warmth on my lips.
My lower stomach tightens at the idea of him kissing me. The anticipation is making it harder to breathe. His grip on my legs feels stronger than before. Like he’s leaning into me for support.
After what happened earlier … I like that he is. That he’s not afraid I’ll panic and run out on him like everyone else in my life seems to be.
Braving a deeper breath, I close the distance between us.
At first, he seems surprised—hell, I am, too—but then his lips are moving and he’s kissing me back.
The dam inside me breaks, and every feeling I’ve known about myself for decades floods to the surface. Every missed touch. Every urge. Every attraction to the guys in the movies and books and—
He pulls back with a smile, his sharp eyes soften, and he searches my face.
“I’m not freaking out,“
I offer, my voice cracking.
“Looks like you’re freaking out.”
I shake my head and cup his face in my hands, feathering my thumbs over his sparkling cheeks.
“You make me feel brave,“
I murmur softly.
His eyes glitter and his lips take on a cocky grin right before he slips out of my hands. His fingers trail up my arm, featherlight and teasing as he steps around the back of the chair.
I follow him with my eyes until he’s too far behind me to see, his figure blurring at the edge of my glasses. His hands, warm and light, stay on me the whole time as he steps up to my back and leans in, draping himself over my shoulders. It feels like donning a cape that has my chest puffing and my gaze front facing.
Right at the camera.
“I can feel your heart thumping,“
he whispers, lips grazing my ear. It’s not the only organ that’s taken notice of his presence, especially as he lightly wraps his arms across my chest.
It makes me imagine other things he’d do while behind me, holding onto me.
I have to cross my legs to hide the reaction from Sadie, but he’s got the perfect view from where he is.
He doesn’t say anything, but his fingers slip in between the buttons on my shirt, the tips grazing my skin.
I clear my throat and attempt to adjust my hips against the chair, though it does nothing to rid the clear bulge arching my fly.
For once, I don’t feel ashamed of it.
“Jesus,“
he breathes against my neck, feathering his bottom lip against me. He’s not quite kissing me there, but he might as well be.
“What?“
I murmur, completely distracted by his presence as he moves to my other side, urging me with a nudge of his head to tilt mine back for more space.
I let him, my eyes sliding closed, his lips back on my neck.
My pulse is pounding and my stomach is tightening.
“Someone’s happy to feel me.”
Automatically, I hang my head to look at the heat gathering between my legs, my mind wandering to all the things Marlo could do to me with those lips, and sigh.
My face grows hotter as the shutter clicks register, and I clear my throat.
“Definitely,“
I whisper, too afraid to say it any louder.
“Alright, boys. I am out of time,“
Sadie announces, dropping her camera so that it hangs by the strap around her neck.
She’s smiling, but my stomach is knotted in unease.
“Thank you,“
Marlo responds, coming around from behind me to shake her hand.
They share words, pleasantries, things I can’t hear because there’s a pulsing in my ears.
Is that it? It’s just over?