Page 33 of The Prodigal Son

“What about you?” I ask.

“Same.”

The server brings our drinks, and I reach for mine quickly. Jensen watches me with concern as I take a long gulp. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I just feel…nervous.

We order some food, and I feel Jensen watching me. He wants to say something. He seems almost…bothered. Is this not what he wanted? The tension in the air feels thick.

My drink goes down fast, and I start to feel at ease.

“What made you want to be a country singer?” he asks.

With a smile, I lean against the table. “I don’t know. Ever since I was a kid, I loved performing. I love music. Being able to convey so much with so little. I love writing lyrics in my songs that mean something to me and then mean something to a complete stranger, too. Is that stupid?”

“Not at all,” he replies softly. “Your lyrics mean very much to me.”

“That’s good.”

“I can tell you feel very lonely sometimes,” he says, and it’s like his eyes are boring into me. The weight of those words drags me under. “It’s all right,” he says, noticing my discomfort. “I feel that too.”

“Yeah?” I whisper.

“Why are you so lonely, Theo?”

Something about hearing him call me Theo and not Isaac burns, and I don’t like it. But the comfort of his voice is too inviting.

For some reason, I want to bare my soul for this guy, and I barely know him. Glancing down at the table, I pick at the placemat. “I ran away from home when I was seventeen,” I mutter. “And I haven’t been back.”

“Really?” he asks, leaning in.

“I came out to my dad, and he made me feel like dirt. Like I wasn’t worthy of his love. Like I’d never make him proud a day in my life.”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles softly.

“God, why am I telling you all of this?” I ask. As I look at him again, I feel something like trust, and it’s impossible to explain.

“You’re safe with me, Theo.”

Suddenly, I’m flooded with a feeling I don’t understand. Something incredibly unfamiliar. This feeling of safety.

When our food comes, I order another drink, and we finish our meal with a sense of haste. We continue to make small talk, but I’m so shaken by his offer to keep me safe that I can hardly relax into the conversation.

After we’re finished, we battle over who will pay, but I insist and give my credit card to the server first. Then, he gets up from the table and puts a hand on the small of my back.

As we make our way toward the elevator, my heart thrums quickly, and I feel every small movement. I’m a bomb about to explode.

We walk onto the elevator, and I know the moment we’re alone, something will happen. Ineedit.

He hits the button for the lobby, and the doors close slowly. The moment they do, he spins toward me. He presses a large hand on my chest and shoves me against the mirrored wall.

There’s hesitation on his face as he leans in to kiss me. For just a split second, he stops himself.

Wrapping a hand around his neck, I haul his mouth toward mine. The moment his lips touch mine, the hesitation is gone. Our lips tangle in a needy, passionate kiss.

I nearly melt to the floor when his tongue brushes against mine. The rough texture of his facial hair feels delicious under my fingers as I run them along the side of his face. And when he groans into my mouth, I practically weep. When was the last time I was kissed so well?

The hunger. The sensation. The power. It’s all so intoxicating. I want to drown in this kiss. Bury me now because it’s enough to kill me.

His teeth nibble on my bottom lip, tugging gently until I whimper. At the sound, he drives his hips against mine, our steely erections rubbing against each other’s.

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