Page 40 of Waiting on Life
“I love it. You’re stunning.”
His cheeks pinked, and a soft smile crossed his lips. “I like your sister. I wish I had one just like her.”
“She is one of a kind.” I grinned at him. “Did you want some juice?”
“If you don’t mind.”
Oh, I didn’t. I opened the refrigerator, pulled out the bottle we kept stocked, and poured him a glass. He sat down, then reached for the juice and took the first few sips. His neck was long, lean, and sensual, and I watched, captivated, as he tilted his head back to drain the drink. When he put it back down, there was a shine on the rim where his lips had been.
“Lip gloss?” I asked, having trouble catching my breath.
He nodded. “Root beer.” He licked his lips in a slow, deliberate way. “It’s really tasty.”
I knew what he was doing, and I didn’t blame him. He was testing me, trying to see if I was going to keep my word that I wasn’t going to hide that we were seeing each other. After what happened to him, I probably would have done the same thing.
I reached out and grabbed the turquoise blue shirt and tugged him closer.
“Toby, what are you—?”
I pressed our lips together, cutting off anything else he was about to say. The few people in the bar paid us no mind as Kyle whimpered and opened for me. I swept my tongue inside his mouth, and the two of us dueled for a bit. It was heady as hell, and I doubted I’d ever get enough of it.
When I let go of him, he flopped back in the seat, his eyes wide. “Wow.”
Yeah, that pretty much summed it up for me too. “You were right.”
He cocked his head. “About what?”
“It was root beer.” I winked at him. “Does that prove I’m not going to hide you away like I’m ashamed of you?”
He gave a nod.
“And I’m willing to bet Tammy told you that you didn’t need to do all this, right?” He’d dressed the part of a flamboyant man, then teased me because he worried that I was going to be like that other asshole who’d treated him so shabby.
Kyle dipped his chin. “No.” He peered back up at me, and I could see the need in his eyes. “She said I had to trust you, and I want to, but….”
Once bitten, twice shy. I understood the problem. “I’m not sorry you did it.”
He fluttered his eyes a bit. “You’re not?”
“Not in the slightest. I want you to trust me, so I have to show you that I can be trusted. I’m not him or any of the other guys you’ve been with, and you know it, but you have expectations of me that need to be met. I’m always going to do my best to meet or exceed them.”
“But I shouldn’t have…. I’m sorry.”
I waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t be. Seriously. It’s all good.” I gave him a leering glare. “Just like what I’m looking at.”
“So you like it better when I dress like this?” he asked, then nibbled his lip.
I could see his mind working. Kyle was so transparent, it was painful.
“How bad did he hurt you?”
That seemed to pull him out of his haze. “Bad enough. The physical wounds weren’t as bad as the emotional ones. I thought I loved him, and I honestly thought he cared for me. To find out how wrong I was gutted me.”
“Yeah, you deserve way better. And for the record, I like you, Kyle. Not dolled-up Kyle, not Kyle who is dressed to relax, not the Kyle who was all sleep-rumpled… well, okay, I did find that one particularly cute. But I like the whole you, no matter how fabulous you’re being. If you like dressing up, do it. There’s nothing you can wear that’s going to make me freak out.”
“How can you be real?”
“Good upbringing,” I answered. “Speaking of which, you’re going to have to meet my parents at some point.”
