Page 32 of Secret Admirer

I swear I hear him say ‘my sunshine’ under his breath, but I don’t ask him to repeat it.

Swallowing my last bite, I set my fork down in my to-go container. “What do you want to do for the rest of the night?”

Bodhi shrugs, still looking down. “Whatever you want to do. I’m not picky.”

“What would you be doing right now if you were at the shelter?”

“I’d probably be in my room reading a book. I got a library card the other day when Lucille took a group to the library.”

“Really? What have you been reading?” I doubt it’s the steamy romance novels I like to read.

Cleaning up our takeout and putting it all into the bag, Bodhi answers. “I like fantasy. I started, but haven’t gotten very far into A Game of Thrones. Have you read it?”

“I haven’t read them, but I’ve watched the TV show. People areobsessedwith it and that’s putting it lightly.”

“There’s a show on TV about it?” He hums to himself, a slight smile tipping his full lips. “It must be good then.”

“It is. We can watch some of it if you want.”

“If you want.” His voice is soft as he continues to trace the lines in the countertop.

I wish he would stop being afraid to be himself and say what he likes. I’m not a selfish person by nature; we don’t have to do everything I want. If I wanted that I wouldn’t ask him.

“How about we go outside and enjoy the night? I can turn on the firepit and maybe after some of our dinner has settled, we can get into the hot tub.”

“Okay.” He answers his typical one-word answer, and inside I want to screamjust tell me what you want.

“If I got in now, I might throw up I’m so full.” I place my hand on my stomach and groan. “I should have saved my cheesecake for later. I knew I couldn’t eat only one bite and put it away.” Bodhi stands and pulls out my stool. “Thank you, kind sir. I can’t remember the last time someone had manners around me.”

Bodhi makes a strange noise but doesn’t comment.

“If you want, you can throw the trash away in the trash out in the garage while I put on a swimsuit underneath my clothes. Do you still have those underwear from earlier on?” I’m not sure where he found polka-dotted briefs, but I think only he could pull them off.

He pulls his bottom lip in his mouth and bites it. “No, I changed when I first got back to the shelter.”

I won’t lie and say I’m not disappointed, but I’m sure I’ll be equally enthralled with whatever he’s got on underneath those white shorts he has on.

“I can’t wait to see.” I smirk at him as I leave the room and head to change.

Maybe I should pull out a bottle of wine or some beers to get him to relax. If it was daylight, I’d put on my sexiest bikini, but since it will all go to waste, I put on one of many I have filling a drawer.

Heading to the kitchen, I grab a couple of beers from the refrigerator and then open the sliders that look out onto the pool. Bodhi’s already out there squatting by the firepit. It’s not cold out, but there is a little nip in the air as the night cools down. Setting down our beers, I move to the wall and flick on the switch. Low flames shoot up from the blue glass and Bodhi jumps up and backs away.

Walking over I put my hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. It took me almost an hour the first time I tried to turn it on to figure out where the switch is.” He slipped on a dark colored sweatshirt while I was changing. I wonder if he has a swimsuit or if he’d let me buy him one. Probably not if he knew what I had in mind. Something small that doesn’t cover much. “Do you want to sit here?” I indicate the outdoor sectional that makes a ‘U’ around the firepit. “Or do you want to get in the hot tub? I brought out beers for us to enjoy.”

“Whatever you want,” he quietly says and flips the top off one of the bottles of beer before taking a large swig.

Okay if he’s going to play it that way then I want to see Bodhi wet and only in his underwear again. Instead of answering, I pull my t-shirt up over my head and skim my shorts down my thighs while keeping my eyes on his. He follows my every movement with dark, hungry eyes, but doesn’t make a move.

Picking up one end of the sectional, I pull out two towels and shake them out. It wouldn’t be fun to start to dry off with a scorpion on your towel. Grabbing the other beer, I walk the short distance between the firepit and the spa, all the while feeling Bodhi’s eyes on me. Slipping in, I relax back against the wall and take a sip of my beer. “Come join me and tell me about what you did today at work.”

Bodhi stands, looking unsure, with his beer hanging from his fingertips but gives in to my request. Slowly he takes off his clothes, starting with his sweatshirt and then the t-shirt underneath. The firelight dances on his skin as he slips his athletic shorts down his long, muscular legs. I want nothing more than to run my hands and tongue along each inch of his body. I feel bad ogling and objectifying him as he strips in front of me, but I can’t look away from each dip and well-placed groove. He’s got the body of a god and could easily be a model if only the right person saw him.

“Have you ever thought about being a model?” I ask as he steps one leg inside the spa and pauses. After only a moment, he sits down on the other side and looks out at the city lights.

“When I lived in New York, I had someone come up to me and offer me a modeling job, but I thought they were only saying it to mess with me.Iwas the one perusing models to paint and not used to being on the other side. I didn’t…” He looks at me now, his eyes shadowed with an emotion I can’t name.

“Would you now? You’re still young and I don’t know what you looked like then, but you really are a beautiful man, Bodhi. Plenty of people will be knocking on your door now that I’ve given you a haircut and your beard is gone.”

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