Page 66 of Flare

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

Beck

My dick had beenon solitary confinement for two weeks and was slowly but surely beginning to resemble an inmate on death row—clutching at the bars of its prison and begging for mercy, irrespective of theveryfocused attention I’d given the poor, chaffed appendage. The only upside, I figured Rhys wasn’t doing any better, judging by the predatory looks thrown my way and the excavation-depth tongue action I’d been subjected to. It was like being rimmed from the top down with none of the satisfaction.

But dammit, we were taking it slow.

If it killed us.

Which would likely be the case.

But it was the right thing. We were building trust. I wasn’t just another fuck to Rhys, and that alone was worth the wait. Besides, I was kind of loving the whole making out thing that had no next step attached other than an obligatory jerk-off session when I got home.

Rhys had been in a safe pattern for a long, long time. He might like me, but we both knew that wasn’t going to be enough. It hadn’t been with Nolan, and I tried not to think too much about what that might mean for us. But I wouldn’t make the mistake of pressing Rhys to seek out help in the same way, either. If we ran into problems, Rhys was going to have to decide that one for himself.

But every now and then, when that flirty guard was down, I caught a glimpse of that darker side. The way he’d switch focus like he was mentally stepping back, the sudden tension behind his smile, the flicker of nerves if I pushed too close, the jolt if I touched him and he hadn’t heard me coming. And sometimes, when we kissed, I’d open my eyes to find his beautiful brown ones wide on me, studying, searching... for something.

“You’re doing it again.” Rafe smirked from his usual spot by my office window. “Smiling. I really think you should see someone about that.”

“Shut up.” I chucked my stress ball at him, but he deftly caught it mid-air. “I was just thinking.”

Rafe rolled his eyes and scooted down on his seat. “For fuck’s sake, spare me the explanation. And if you mention his name again, I might have to throttle you.”

“Who? Rhys?” I smirked and ducked as the ball flew past and hit the whiteboard before falling to the floor. “Hey, that almost hit me on the face.”

“Yes, it did.” He eyeballed me with not an ounce of apology. “You’ve somehow managed to hook one of the hottest men I’ve ever laid eyes on and have been sickeningly happy about it for two weeks. I’m not sure our friendship will survive much longer.”

“Youwere the one who said I deserved better.Yousaid you wanted me to be happy.”

“I was wrong. It happens. I suppose you’re heading there again this afternoon.”

I nodded. “He’s cooking me dinner.”

Rafe groaned. “Fuck. Me. I never thought I’d see the day when you were getting more tail than me.”

I didn’t correct him because...we all know why. He studied me and I wondered what he saw. I’d only known Rhys a month and yet Rafe was right—Iwasdifferent. I was happy. And we were totally PG. Go figure.

“So, you two are still good then?” His voice was much softer, the real Rafe, the best friend.

“It’s only been two weeks of dating, but yeah, we are.” I couldn’t hold his eye, pretty sure I was blushing.

He smiled. “Good to know. And in case I haven’t said it enough, Iamreally pleased for you.”

I did know. “Thanks. But on another note, I’m thinking of asking to drop my hours permanently.”

Rafe jerked forward in his chair, a deep frown in place. “What? Is this because of Jack and that fuckwit boss of yours wanting you to cover summer classes?”

“Jack and I need time, at least until he finishes high school. And we need timetogether. He’s not your average kid, Rafe, you know that. He’s dealing with a lot and he’s still at risk of going off-track. The shoplifting thing was a big fat warning sign, and his grades are still slumping. He needs someone solid in his corner, and for better or worse, I signed up for that, and not just in theory but in actual reliable time.”

“You’ll get bored.”

No,youwould.“Maybe I could get that book written I’ve been putting off.”

“Book shmook. You can knock one of those off in your sleep.”

It wasn’t worth arguing or telling him how watching Rhys work on his designs had dusted off my own creative urges.

Rafe fell back in his chair, looking grumpy. “They won’t approve cutting your hours. You’re the most knowledgeable in your field that they have.” His eyes widened. “Shit, would you resign?” He gaped as if the idea were incomprehensible.

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