Page 32 of Waiting on Life
Pete snorted as he stood up and moved to where I was. He put a hand on my arm. “Your mom was right. It’s a good thing you’re pretty.”
And then the obnoxious bastard had the nerve to head for the bedroom, cackling like a loon. It was fine—I’d get even with him later. For now, though, I had a man to feed.
Toby
I was so damned nervous, and I couldn’t figure out why. Granted, Kyle was coming to my door any minute now, and he’d have breakfast with him, but it would just be the two of us sitting down and enjoying a meal. Right?
The knock at the door was shave and a haircut, which made me smile. I looked down at Waldo, who stood by the door waiting.
“He’s not feeding you, so get that idea out of your head.”
He huffed and flounced out of the room, tail held high. He had to have been a princess in a former life, I swear.
I crossed the room and reached for the door, and just as I was about to open it, a very loud crash and a plaintive “Motherfucker!” reached my ears. That was the Kyle I knew and… well, the Kyle I knew. I pulled the door open and found him on his hands and knees, picking up shattered bits of two plates and doing his best to scoop the eggs into a pile.
He looked up, a sheepish grin on his face. “Tell me you didn’t hear that.”
“Oh, I assure you, I did.” I knelt down to help. “I haven’t heard you swear in a while. The way you cursed during our first meeting, I thought it was your default.”
His cheeks pinked. “I tend tooverswear,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to offend you, so I’ve been doing my best to curb my natural tendencies.”
“What? Why would you do that? Don’t change who you are for anyone. Ever.”
The pink became crimson. As he was about to say something, he winced as he dropped what he’d picked up. “Son of a bitch!” he cried, then stuck his finger in his mouth.
“What happened? Are you okay?”
He pointed an accusatory finger at the floor. “That stupid plate attacked me.”
“They are dangerous,” I told him. I held out my hand. “Let me see.”
“No, it’s okay. You might have noticed, but I’m preternaturally clumsy. Our first meeting with the mailbox, then getting punched, and now this? It’s been a slow couple of weeks, you know.”
“Let me see your hand, you goof.”
He pulled his finger from his mouth and held his hand out to me. I took it in mine and turned it over. I couldn’t help but notice how soft his skin was and how warm his hand felt in mine. There was no blood, thank goodness, but there was a slight scratch on the index finger.
I looked up to assure him that he’d be okay, when my breath hitched. He was peering into my eyes, and though I wanted to draw away, I was trapped like a fly in amber. Kyle’s lips parted slightly, his pink tongue darting out to moisten dry lips.
“Toby, I—”
Even if I wanted to stop myself—which I didn’t—
I reached out to wrap a hand around his neck, then drew him in. The moment our lips met, those fireworks I’d often heard about shot off in my brain. Kyle’s soft whimper, that moment of surrender, was sweet and unlike anything I’d ever known. I tightened my grip, not enough to be uncomfortable, but I kept it firm so Kyle would know I was there. Or maybe it was so I’d know he was real. I wasn’t certain. He sighed, a soft sound that sent tremors through my body, and opened his mouth to me. It didn’t matter to me that Kyle was a guy anymore. What mattered was he was someone I liked, someone I respected, and someone I’d come to care for.
He pulled back, his eyes wide. “Toby?”
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed that it was okay for me to kiss you,” I whispered.
“No!” He reached for my hand. “I just… I thought you were straight.”
For thirty years, so did I. One conversation with Tammy, and the word demisexual swimming in my head, and all my thoughts were on Kyle.
“You know, my dad always said it wasn’t the body we cared for, it was the spirit of the person we were drawn to. I never realized how true that was until the day I met a foul-mouthed guy at the mailbox. He turned my world upside down, in the best of ways.”
His uncertain expression morphed into something I couldn’t understand.
“What’s wrong?”
