Page 12 of Beneath the Scars
I keep trying to stay in the conversation with Ryan and Zane, but all I can think about is the way Michael is touching me.
I want more.
I want to feel his entire body on mine. How would that even work? How far does his aversion to physical touch go?
I haven’t dared to touch him in return. I’m not entirely sure I’m allowed to, which just goes to show that I have no idea how we could even be sexually compatible.
Hell, what does he do when he has sex with other women?
I mentally cringe. I don’t want to think about that. I’ll just force him to tell me instead because after tonight, we are for damn sure having a conversation about this.
The way my body is crying out for his is maddening. I refuse to let him get away with the silent treatment any longer. Once Zane leaves, Michael and I will have a discussion.
“So you’re working in Greensborough now?” Ryan asks Zane.
“Yeah, I work nights for one of the hotels in the city. It’s not exactly the career I always hoped for, but it pays the bills.” Zane’s gaze moves across the table. “Michael, Addie told me you’re a police officer.”
“I am,” he says in his deep baritone voice.
“Mad respect, man. I couldn’t handle the stress of that job. All I have to do is watch a security camera.”
“It has its pros and cons,” Michael responds. It’s not abnormal that he’s being short with Zane. Michael has always had trouble interacting with new people. He’s the most loyal and kind man, but only to the people who have proven to be the same in return. After being abused as a child, it makes sense that he’d expect the people around him to prove themselves before he accepts them as a friend.
The waitress clears our plates, giving a flirty smile to the guys before flouncing back behind the counter.
“We should probably get going,” I say to Zane. “You’ve still got to drive home tonight.”
“Are you sure I can’t stay the night with you?” He gives me a cheeky wink.
“No. Addie doesn’t do sleepovers.” Michael’s words come out as rough as sandpaper.
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Since when have I not done sleepovers?”
His dark eyes bore into me. He doesn’t have to use words to tell me that I’m testing his patience.
“I was just teasing,” Zane says, trying to defuse the tension. “I have to get back for my midnight shift.”
Ryan buys our dinner, waving us off when we protest, and the four of us head to the parking lot as a group. Ryan is already standing next to the truck while Michael moves as slowly as possible.
Oh my god.He’s jealous!
A part of me preens at the idea.
Michael sighs when he realizes he can no longer delay the inevitable. He gets into his truck while Zane and I get into my car. I pull out of Jones’s parking lot and drive the few blocks over to The Café, where we left Zane’s truck.
“Daaaaamn, girl, the sexual tension coming off of that man is palpable.” He fans his face.
I bust out laughing at Zane’s teasing.
“You told me he was intense, but I didn’t believe it until this moment. I think he’s the definition of intense. I would not want to be the recipient of all of that. Woof.”
“Shut up.” I smack Zane in the arm. “But yes, I have definitely imagined it multiple times.”
Zane and I met when I was at UNC. I thought he was a student on campus for a while, but it turns out he was actually one of the janitors. I’d always see him at the library, coming in for his shifts in the evenings. He was never wearing a uniform or anything when I would see him, so I thought he was there to study.
I’d stayed late one night and found him cleaning one of the hallways. We started chatting. I mostly distracted him from his job, and he distracted me from studying. We became fast friends after that.
And while I enjoyed Michael’s jealousy, there’s not a thing he needs to be jealous of. Zane would be more likely to sleep with Michael than with me. Although that mental image comes with my own splash of jealousy.
