Chapter 13 #2
“Bullshit,” Ray said with a smirk. “What do you need?”
“Archer’s phone number.”
“What? Why?” Ray’s fingers pressed into my lower back, pulling me tighter against his body.
The desperate expression in his blue eyes was the same as when he pleaded with me not to give my heart to someone during a night out with Emma.
Silly man. Didn’t he know I’d hung a reserved sign on my heart for him?
“Or maybe you can call him for me.”
“Again, I ask why?”
“Cowboy Cord can’t make it this afternoon. I need someone to stand in for him.”
“Cowboy Cord? As in roping and shit? I thought you had bingo and a life drawing class this afternoon.”
A man who listened was the sexiest thing on Earth, but I chuckled at the ridiculous turn the conversation had taken.
I cycled through a deep breath and tried again.
“Cord McDonald is my very-straight friend from the gym who’d volunteered to model for the class this afternoon.
” I looked at my watch, and panic crept in again. “That starts in fifteen minutes.”
“Ah, you need someone to fill in,” Ray guessed.
“Yes.”
“And Archer was your first pick?” Hurt flashed in his pretty blue eyes.
I rose on my tiptoes and kissed his frowning mouth. “You’re my first choice. Always. But I didn’t think you’d—”
“I’ll do it!” Ray blurted. Then he angled his head and smirked. “But how much stripping are we talking here?”
“Everything goes,” I said, waggling my eyebrows.
“Atticus.” My name was a growly warning that did wonderful things to my body.
“I meant anything goes,” I replied with a wink.
“Cord was going to strip down to his underwear, but I didn’t advertise that as part of the class.
You could always just take off your shirt.
All your muscle definition and ink would give them a wonderful opportunity to play with shading and dimension. ”
“So, you’re saying you want me to take my shirt off and bare my chest strictly for artistic purposes.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Mmm. Will you be drawing too?” Ray asked.
There wouldn’t be enough easels, but I could grab a notebook and pencil. “Mmhmm.”
Ray pressed his lips to my ear and whispered, “You should probably sit where I can’t see you. I’d hate for my dick to get hard in front of everyone.”
I jerked and would’ve head-butted Ray if not for his quick reflexes. “That would be awkward.”
But I had no intention of listening. I would set up with the perfect view of his chest, consequences be damned.
Speaking of chests, mine suddenly felt too small, or maybe my heart had just expanded three times its normal size, beating against its cage and demanding freedom.
And if I didn’t get a hold of my chemical reaction to this man, another part of me would throb against its confines and demand release too.
I took a step back, but Ray came with me instead of letting me break his hold.
“Um, what are you doing?” I asked, sounding as breathless as I felt. Enlarged heart, thickening dick, and all that. Who could breathe properly under these circumstances? “The door is open.”
“I know, and I don’t care. Let’s get something straight.”
“There’s absolutely nothing straight about the way you make me feel.” Ba-dum tish. God, I had jokes.
Ray’s mouth curved into a sexy smirk as he marched me backward until my ass bumped into his desk. “I want you to come to me.”
Of course, my brain heard “come for me.” I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time he nearly made me jizz myself that afternoon. “When?”
“Whenever you want or need something—anything. I’m your guy. Not Archer or Cowboy Cody or some rando at a bar.”
“Cord, not Cody.”
“I don’t care what his name is.” Ray pressed the length of his body against mine, and I nearly combusted on the spot. “Just me,” he whispered in my ear.
“Do you talk to all your friends like this?” I pressed. “All bossy and demanding?”
“Nope.”
Had Ray just admitted he was ready for more?
I cocked my head to the side as I considered what to say next, and that’s when he ran his nose along the exposed skin.
I couldn’t have kept the whimper in my mouth if it saved the world.
Cities would burn before I surrendered a single second of this pleasure, and I needed him to know it.
“Is this like a hero complex or something?” I teased. “Do you enjoy saving me from myself?”
Ray growled, and my eyes rolled back in my head. “Nope.”
“What’s happening, then?” I had to know.
“Ten minutes,” Ray rasped.
I pulled back to look into his eyes. “Huh?”
“That’s how much longer we have until your class starts.”
His words acted like a bucket of cold water. “Fuck. I need to make sure everything’s ready to go.” I forced myself out of his hold and put as much distance as the small office allowed. “You’re really going to do this?”
“Yes. Eight minutes.”
“Ugh!” I lunged forward and kissed him hard on the mouth before whirling around and running from the office.
The energy in the art room was the only thing buzzing harder than me.
The crowd was a diverse mixture of genders, orientations, races, ages, and religions.
They’d broken into a few smaller groups to discuss the upcoming class, and I caught snippets of their conversation.
Everyone was curious about the model and eager to get started, so I walked into the center of the circle and stood next to the empty stool I’d provided for the model.
“We’re just about ready to get started,” I announced.
Mr. Sanchez pinned me with a suspicious glare. “Where’s the model?”
“He should be here any minute,” I assured everyone. “The original model was involved in a car accident today and couldn’t make it, so I had to find a last-minute replacement.”
Mrs. Cho, who sat directly across from me, rolled her eyes. “He better not be a dud.”
“Oh, I know you’re going to love him.”
The door swung open as if on cue, and all eyes turned to see who’d joined us. The attendees clapped and cheered as if Ray were a celebrity. I waved him over and gestured to the stool.
“Find a position you can hold for two hours,” I said. “We’ll stop for stretch breaks, but I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
Ray’s brow went up as if to say it was too late for that. Then he leaned into my personal space and said, “Are we still talking about the life drawing class?”
I didn’t trust my voice and nodded.
Ray reached for the hem of his shirt and slowly dragged it over his head, baring a mountain of muscle, gorgeous skin, and stunning tattoos I wanted to trace with my tongue. Ray’s nipples hardened in the cool air, and I remembered the noise he made when I’d touched them under the tree.
“I feel like I shouldn’t be seeing this,” Ms. Merriweather said from behind me.
“Hush up, Helen,” Mrs. Howard replied. “I want to see more.”
Ray raked his teeth over his bottom lip, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to swoon or giggle. “You shouldn’t look at me like that when I can’t do something about it.”
Oh god.
“Stop hogging up your boyfriend, Kit,” Mrs. Howard said. “It’s our time with him.”
Blinking myself back to reality, I hooked a thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll just be going now. I’ll see you after class.” I took a few steps back, never tearing my gaze away from Ray.
“Better watch where you’re going,” Mrs. Cho called out. “You’ll trip and hurt something vital.”
The class snickered and pulled me out of my lusty fugue state. I turned and walked over to a side table where I’d set my notebook and pencil. “You guys can begin drawing as soon as Ray gives you a signal that he’s ready.” God, that sounded naughty.
“Good to go,” Ray told the class.
I moseyed over to the front of the room to get the best vantage point, earning a raised brow from Ray. He tipped his head to the other side of the room, but I shook my head. There was no way in hell I was giving up my view.
“Take off your pants,” Mr. Brown demanded.
I bit back a laugh and seized control before things got out of hand. “This isn’t a strip club, and the model doesn’t have to do anything that makes him uncomfortable.”
“You just don’t want us seeing the goods,” Ms. Merriweather challenged. “Keeping him all to yourself.”
“That ass would look amazing in underwear,” Mrs. Howard added.
“Who says I wear any?” Ray teased.
That’s when I lost my balance and bumped into the table, spilling a collection of art supplies onto the floor. “Christ,” I muttered. “Nothing to see here. I’ve got this.”
“Good thing,” Mr. Brown said. “We’re not cutting into drawing time with the model to help you clean.”
A chorus of “lose your pants” broke out in the room as I bent over to pick up the art supplies rolling around on the floor.
The rattle of a belt buckle caught my attention, and I raised my head.
Unfortunately for me, I hadn’t cleared the stupid table first. BAM!
Everyone was too busy gaping at Ray as he worked his pants down his long, powerful thighs to notice I’d rung my bell good.
Cartoon birds weren’t circling my head, but it was damn close.
Ray paused his striptease to stare at me in concern, but I waved him off as I straightened. I wasn’t dizzy or nauseated, so I probably hadn’t given myself a concussion. Picking up my notebook and pencil, I mouthed, “Lose your pants.”
Ray shot me a wink and let them drop. Oh. My. Fucking. God.