Page 7 of Stumped

I tried, but he was so stressed about the Renegades losing

Men.

Tamara

Does your stranger not care for cricket?

Didn’t ask.

Tamara

How handsome is handsome?

SO FUCKING HANDSOME, TAM

He’s got the whole square jaw with scruff

Like fucking carved from marble

Bet he’s like that everywhere

Tamara

Pictures or he’s not real

I laugh at the string of emojis that follow and start to send back a bunch of my favourite ones when the door to the bar opens and Elias steps out.

“What’s so funny?”

“My cousin needs proof that you’re hot.”

He smiles and adjusts his cap, one arm sliding around my waist. “How can we prove that?”

I purse my lips and lean back into his chest. His chin rests against the side of my head as I take a couple of pictures. Then a video, because there’s something in the way his lips twitch mid-smile Tamara needs to see.

“Tam, meet Elias. He’s my handsome stranger for the night.”

“Hi, Tam. I promise to get her home in one piece,” he adds before burying his face into my neck, scruff and lips brushing against my skin. I wiggle my eyebrows at the camera and sink into Elias as he says, “What if I wanted to keep you for more than one night?”

You won’t, because you’ll get tired of me after twenty-four hours.

I’m hot and a good time, but I also have a tendency to be too much for most people to handle. He nuzzles along my neck as I text Tamara the pictures and video. Stuffing my phone into my bag, I turn and capture his mouth. He growls into the kiss, hands tightening around my waist as his tongue probes my lips. I part for him, fingers brushing up his shoulders to grip the back of his neck.

A throat clearing breaks us apart and I’m tempted to tell the person off. Until a rough accented voice says, “Are we ready, Mr. Joseph?”

“Yes, sorry. Kuriakose, this is Vera.” My date wipes his mouth and gestures to me.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Vera.” He offers me a small smile and gestures to the dark car idling beside us.

“You too.” His name has me itching to speak the words Malayalis ask each other when we meet in public: where’s your hometown? But I resist and glance at Elias to find a blush spreading across his cheeks. Kuriakose opens the door and I slide in, Elias climbing in after me. I survey the car—taking in the expensive leather and high end technology—and whistle when I see the Audi logo on the steering wheel.

“Home?” Kuriakose asks, seatbelt clicking into place.

“No, we’re going to…” Elias arches an eyebrow at me.

I want to see his home, to strip him out of his grey long sleeved v-neck T-shirt and jeans. Find out if the rest of his body is as strong and tight as his jaw. I never have trouble asking for what I want when it comes to sex, but something about this man stops me.

“Miss Vera?”

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