Page 9 of For Your Heart
Anger. Everyone can see it.
I lose track of him after a while, but when I find him toward the end of the day, he’s outside on the track running. I watch him, transfixed. Then I find I’m running to catch up with him.
Oh my fuck, I’m going to do it.
When I catch up and keep pace with him, he glances my way. There’s no offered smile this time. Not even a hint. “What’s up, Rossi?” he asks, expecting that I’ve caught him for business purposes.
“You’re gay, right?” I ask.
He slows and I’m happy that at least he looks amused. It manages to clear away some of his anger, anyway. “Yeah. Why?”
I shake my head. “My gaydar malfunctions sometimes and… I just wanted to be sure.”
Damon nods slowly. He’s just walking now, still looking at me with amusement. Probably because I’m turning every shade of red.
“Okay, so. I’m gay. Like, for real.” Damon chuckles and crosses his arms. “But I…” I what? I’m a gay virgin? Am I really going to blurt that out? “Ugh. Okay, here it is. I want to be fucked. A lot.”
His expression at least remains entertained. I’m glad to know that I can act like a fool in front of him and he doesn’t think I’m an absolute, bumbling idiot. Or maybe he does. Hard to say. I’ve spent so long avoiding looking at men at all that I have no idea what I’m looking for anymore.
“Sounds good,” he says. “But why are you telling me this?”
“Oh,” I say, realizing I missed one crucial thing. Yep, that oven cranks itself up to 400° around me right now. “I wantyouto fuck me.”
I watch as one perfectly shaped eyebrow raises. “What makes you think I’m a top?”
My mouth opens a few times, and I don’t have an answer. Wishful thinking. That’s all I have right now. So I just stare and blink while I foolishly try to find anything at all to say in answer to his question.
Four
DAMON
I haveto hand it to him—Rossi makes me smile. He’s got such excitable energy that he’s almost exhausting to be around. But I get the impression he’s very unsure in his own skin. He shouldn’t be. The man’s stunning.
When he continues to look at me adorably red in the face and at a loss for words, I take pity on him. “That’s flattering, Rossi, but I’m really not in a place to consider dating right now.”
There’s a moment that he remains behind after I resume my jog, but it isn’t long before he catches up. “No. I don’t mean dating. I’m not looking for—it’s not that I’m not interested in you for a date or anything. I mean, that would be cool. I’m not only into casual hookups. It’s not that.”
I chuckle and pause again, turning to look at him. He’s flushed. Flustered. “Calm down, man. I get it.”
He blows out a breath, his cheeks puffing. “I just want sex. That’s what I’m asking. And yes, now that it’s out of my mouth, I hear how… horrible I sound. I’m sorry. You can ignore me. But it doesn’t negate that I want sex. With you. Uh. On top.”
The smile that climbs my face can’t be helped. He’s adorable.
“If you don’t top, that’s okay. I… will. I mean, if you want me to. It’s just that you’re pretty perfect and I want you to… I’ve never…”
I take pity on him and hold up a hand to stop his rambling. “Rossi,” I say quietly and he falls silent. His shoulders drop as if I’d just told him I hated his drawing. “I’m really flattered, but I don’t think I’m in a place for any kind of relationship.”
“No strings,” he says quickly. “Just sex. You can work off some anger and I can get… fucked.”
When I start to shake my head, he takes a step back. His cheeks are bright red. The red travels down his neck and up his ears. “You can think about it. No pressure.” Then he turns and runs away.
I watch him, still amused, until he disappears back into the gym. Declan’s amusement inside me matches my own.Puppy.
A chuckle breaks free as I return to the track and run. That’s exactly what I’ve always thought about him. He’s an excitable puppy. Exuberant. Adorable.
“Flexible?”
That’s not something I’ve ever noticed.
