Page 83 of Ancient History

“I went minimalist.”

“You should at least get a nameplate.” He sat on my desk, which oozed cutesy sexiness. Yes, Amos was a mad scientist who was able to cross-pollinate cute and sexy into one look.

His ass got dangerously close to my playbook. I bit my lip.

“You just came by to say hello?”

“Maybe.” He licked his top lip, sending jolts of hotness raging through me. “So, should we talk?”

I crossed my arms, unsure of where this was going. Amos’s trains of thought didn’t come with directions. “Talk about what?”

“Last night? You, me, the tree of death.”

“Yes, all those things were there.” I wasn’t sure what he wanted to talk about. Amos liked to analyze things. Past moments were historical events to be pored over, whereas I preferred living in the moment.

“Mr. Bright.” I stepped into the space between his knees and put my hands on his cheeks, where they’d wanted to go ever since he entered my office. “Talk to me. What are you thinking?”

“I’m not thinking of–”

“You love to think. A lot. It’s one of the many things I love about you.”

His cheeks reddened under my sturdy hands.

“Are we really making another go of this?” he asked in that pure tone like a child asking if there’s a santa.

“Do you want to?”

“I asked you first.” He dipped his forehead onto mine. “Hutch, I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to forget you, trying to forget the past. And now you’re all I can think about again. So if this was just another example of people saying things in the heat of sex, I need to know.”

He needed to protect himself. I could tell how awkward and tough it was for him to admit that. I didn’t want to hurt Amos. That was the last thing in the world I wanted.

I wanted to be the one to protect him.

“Amos. I’m not going anywhere. Last night wasn’t just sex, although sex was a big part of things. We connected.” I put my hand on his heart, felt it beating just for me. Unless…was this him trying to get out of saying I love you last night?

“Did you say anything in the heat of sex that you wanted to take back?”

I steeled myself for an answer, and I watched the gears move in his mind in real time before settling into a calm.

“I love you, Hutch.”

I’d never get tired of hearing him say that. It sounded just as good as it did last night. I’d been lonely and isolated for my entire adult life; knowing there was someone out there in the endless sea of people who wanted to be tethered to me was the best feeling in the world.

“I love you.” I’d never been more certain about anything in my life. “My heart has never stopped beating for you, Famous Amos.”

“If your heart stopped beating, you’d be dead.”

“It’s not as romantic when you turn my metaphor into a literal fact.” I laughed into his lips as I kissed him. I pulled him close to me, his erection digging into my stomach. “Is this what you want?”

“Do you know that humans were able to evolve because of fire? Fire allowed humans to stay up late and communicate. My fire for you has continued to burn. That’s a long-winded yes for you.”

I loved my awkwardly verbose guy. Was he my boyfriend again? Those were details to be parsed out later.

“I tried not thinking about you. Didn’t work.” He shrugged. “Apologies for giving you a big head.”

I cupped his crotch. “Feels like you’re the one with the big head.”

“Hutch.” He pushed my hand away and looked behind us at the open door.

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