Page 23 of Flirt
Groaning, he gentled his hold and bowed his head to rest their brows together. “You’re killing me, Cameron.”
He’d never met anyone who got under his skin quite like Cameron did. From the first moment they’d met, the guy had burrowed in and wouldn’t let go. Those sweet blushes, his pure honesty, and those goddamn expressiveeyes haunted him long after they parted. This time, Asher didn’t know if he’d be able to walk away.
When he’d left his house earlier in the evening, his only goal had been to get drunk and find someone to take back to his bed so he could stop thinking about Cameron Stone. Then, somehow, he’d ended up mostly sober and fully dressed in a coffee shop with the same guy he wanted to forget.
Then, Cameron had kissed him, and for the first time in his adult life, he’dfeltsomething. One simple, innocent kiss had completely changed everything.
~
Slouched in the passengerseat of Asher’s sleek Lexus, Cameron stared out the window until the city lights gave way to suburban streetlamps.
His lips still tingled from the kiss they’d shared, and he had to stuff his hands under his thighs to keep himself from tracing them with his fingertips like a heroine in some romantic comedy.
It hadn’t been anything like he’d expected. No urgency. Nothing hard and demanding. Just a sweet brush of lips that challenged everything he thought he knew about the man sitting beside him.
A chaste kiss that had apparently made him lose his damn mind, because otherwise, he wouldn’t be on his wayto Asher’s house with every intention of spending the night. Maybe the weekend. It went against every one of his self-imposed rules.
He wasn’t reckless or given to sudden fits of spontaneity. Quite the opposite really. Plans, lists, schedules, those things he understood. Vacations were planned down to the minute. Before he even arrived at his destination, he knew where he’d eat, where he’d sleep, and what attractions he wanted to visit. It drove his sister crazy, but she’d long ago given up trying to change him.
His past relationships had been conducted with the same attention to detail and organization. No surprise lunch visits. No random weekend getaways. He’d dated Richard for three months before ever stepping foot into his house. It had been three months after that before he’d agreed to spend the night.
Now, here he was, two accidental dates and one fairly virginal kiss later, on his way home with a man he barely knew. It didn’t feel wrong, though. The idea of spending the weekend with Asher didn’t spike his anxiety or send him into a tailspin of self-doubt. In the three years he’d been with Richard, not once had he felt as comfortable as he did just sitting in silence with Asher.
“What are you thinking about?”
“My ex.”
Asher kept his eyes on the road, but his lips pressed together for a long moment before he spoke again. “And, how do I measure up?”
“What?” Realizing his misstep, Cameron sat up straighter and reached across the console to lay his hand on Asher’s thigh. “No.No.” He shook his head emphatically. “I was just thinking that I was with Richard for three years, and during all that time, I never felt as relaxed with him as I do right now. Here. With you.”
“If you’re feeling relaxed, I’m definitely doing something wrong.” Asher glanced over, waggling his eyebrows playfully, but he covered Cameron’s hand with one of his own and squeezed gently. “Tell me about him. When did you break up?”
“About eight months ago.” He really didn’t want to talk about Richard. “Not much to tell. We were together for three years. I found out he was a lying, cheating bastard, so I broke it off. The end.”
For some reason, Asher found this hilarious. His laughter echoed through the interior of his car, and his thigh vibrated under Cameron’s hand. Damn, he was gorgeous when he laughed, and Cameron couldn’t help but stare.
“What’s so funny?”
“You dated a guy named Dick,” Asher explained through sporadic chuckles, “then were surprised when he turned out to be one.”
“I…he…oh.” Eyes wide, mouth hanging open, Cameron fell back in his seat, rolling the statement around in head a couple of times until laughter bubbled up through his lips. “I never thought of it like that before.”
Fuck, it felt good to laugh.
“Did you catch him cheating, or did he come clean about it?”
Cameron’s chuckles quieted, but his smile still lingered. “Does anyone ever voluntarily admit to cheating?”
Asher shrugged. “It could happen.”
“Well, in this case, it didn’t.” Thinking back on the memory, he snorted in disgust. “I caught him in his office with his pants around his ankles.”
This set Asher off all over again. “Shit, please tell me it was his secretary.”
Catching onto the joke, he smirked. “Receptionist.”
“Close enough. That’s priceless.”
