Page 31 of It Takes Three To Tango

“Is it changing, or just a curiosity? I don’t know, as I’m trying to navigate uncharted territory here. Well, for me, at least.”

“What is it? If you want to tell me, that is,” I say softly. He looks so vulnerable and I don’t want to pressure him.

He gives a little sigh. “Maybe I’m just imagining it. After all, Florencio jokes most of the time and he flirts a lot. But I think in his way, that said, he’d like to kiss me.”

My breath stops in my throat. I couldn’t speak even if I wanted to. I try to focus on what he’s saying and not on the images that have plagued me for the past week.

“I think I’d like him to.” It’s barely a whisper and Iunderstand Rafe has confessed something to me. The uncertainty in his voice pulls on my heart, and I want to reassure him it’s okay to feel whatever he’s going through right now. But my brain can’t process it, especially not in English.

“No me sorprende. Yo también quiero besarte.”

He draws back slightly, and inwardly I curse myself. Instead of being supportive, I just messed it all up. His face creases slightly in concentration.

“I know only a couple of words there, not enough to get a context.”

I swallow. This is going to get really messy and I’m conscious it might break the trust Rafe put in me with his confession. I’ve shot my mouth off, or rather I was thinking with my dick because that wasn’t rational behaviour. But I will not lie to him.

“I said, ‘It doesn’t surprise me. I want to kiss you, too.’”

I try not to wince at how it sounds to me. Instead I wait, hardly daring to breathe and ready to offer a thousand apologies.

All my focus goes to his lips as he presses them together for a few seconds, then he parts them and licks them. I’ve already spent hours thinking sinful thoughts about those lips. This isn’t making it any easier.

I almost miss his next words.

“Okay then.”

“What?” Confusion clouds my thoughts.

“Okay then. You can kiss me.”

“Oh.” I’m really messing this up, big time. “I hadn’t expected that.”

He frowns slightly, as if he’s done something wrong.

“I’m lost here. Did I read this wrong? You said you wanted to. But you weren’t actually asking? I’m feeling a lot of things lately, and it’s all a jumble. So yeah, I could have got confused, but I’m trying to decide what I like as I sure as hell don’tknow anymore.” He pauses to take a breath and I see him about to launch into another speech. His face has closed down and taken on a nervous look. It’s all my fault. I’m such an arsehole.

I push off from the wall and stand in front of him, bracketing him with my arms where he’s still standing.

“Will you let me explain?” I keep my voice soft.

His face is still drawn, his jaw clamped shut, but he nods.

“I’m sorry. I’m making a huge mess of this. I definitely want to kiss you. I wasn’t lying to you there, which is why I said it. But I also wasn’t expecting you to agree, and it caught me off guard. I’m rather out of practice at this.” I offer up a half smile and he relaxes slightly.

“What I don’t want to do is put any pressure on you. I get that you’re going through some feelings, and I’m sorry that I messed up for you there too. Say the word and I’ll back off, give you time to think everything through, and I’ll listen and be here for you.”

He lets out a long breath through his nose, his shoulders loosen, and he tips his head back to look me in the eye.

“Will you stop apologising and kiss me?”

I lean forward and gently capture his lips, poised in case he changes his mind. He doesn’t, and I press harder. He opens his mouth and my tongue tangles with his. He opens further, deepening the kiss, and my knees almost buckle. He puts his arms round my back and pulls me closer until we’re touching knee to shoulder. My brain nearly short-circuits at having him pressed so close to me. My cock is as hard as a rock and he can probably feel it digging into his thigh. It takes every ounce of self-control not to grind against him. I catch his bottom lip in my teeth, and he lets out a little whimper. Friction be damned. I nearly come there and then. I draw back slightly, not wanting to end it, but if I don’t, I might not be able to control myself. I don’t want to scare him off.

He looks so delicious with his bruised lips and shining eyes that I nearly attack his mouth again. I push myself back slightly, trying to put a little distance between us.

“I’m glad I said yes,” he says with a smile that reaches deep down into the dormant part of my heart and rips the door right off.

“If you can’t do the job I asked you to do, I’ll send someone else. Martina has just finished a contract, so she has a week free. She can do it.”

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