Page 87 of Strange Lad

He gently puts my hands on his chest like he can read my body language. I sigh and wait for him to answer while kneading his muscles. “He’s proud of me. Proud that I’m trusting someone.”

“I’m proud of you too, babe,” I tell him, feeling better now that I’ve got my hands on him and have cried.

“He also suggested that I…open up fully. I’m deciding how to do that.”

“Okay,” I say carefully. “Like about…what happened to you?”

“Yes,” he says tightly and cups my forearms. “I don’t want you to view me differently. What we did…I felt good. Like I was strong.”

“Youare,” I insist. “You prove that every day, beautiful.”

Toying with the hairs on my arms, he sighs. “My biggest fear is having you see me for what I really am.”

“What do you think that is?” I ask, stopping my ministrations so I can be fully present. His chest is distracting me.

“Broken, Jorge. Not whole. Not enough.”

“You will always be enough for me. More than enough. I’m obsessed with you, Oli. Nothing you could tell me will change that.”

I can tell he doesn’t believe me but doesn’t argue. Instead, his hands drop from my arms to my waist while his eyes travel to my lips. “You want to tell Phoenix.”

“I do,” I admit. “He deserves to know.”

Oli’s face twists. “I don’t know aboutdeserve, but I don’t want you upset over this.”

“He knows he was wrong, babe. He knows it.”

Sighing, he leans forward to band his arm around me and tugs me closer. An embarrassing gasp leaves me as he puts us nose to nose. “I can’t promise I’ll talk to him, but if you need to tell him, tell him.”

Oh, what a sneaky shit.“You’re going to tell me that with your face this close to mine? Really?”

“Mhm,” he purrs, nuzzling me.

“After I’ve been desperate to kiss you fordays?”

“You can kiss me now, but then we’d stop talking.” He brushes his lips over my cheek, and I whimper.

“This is foul play,” I grumble, digging my fingers into his chest.

“How else am I going to get the other thirteen percent?”

I reel back, eyes wide. “Ohmygod. I said that?”

“You did.” The sexy demeanor shifts as he turns downright bashful.

Gently lacing my arms around his neck, I press my forehead to his. “It’s the truth.”

“I want one hundred, Jorge. It’s been one hundred for me for a very, very long time.”

“I could be persuaded,” I rasp and press my lips to his.

Oli

Drag The Lake

Ibroke down in Dr. Langley’s office today.

It shocked both of us because, for the first time since I’ve been his patient, I was crying in relief. Having omitted private details, I told him about Jorge—how we’d been intimate and how patient Jorge had been with me. I admitted to my therapist that, at that moment, I felt so safe, and I sobbed. That hasn’t happened with any sexual partner.

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