Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“What’s the real reason you let Raoul off the hook today?” Z braced his elbows on the table as Connelly swallowed a bite of his sandwich.
There was a twitch under his left eye. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“You know what they say about assumption.”
A dimple appeared in Connelly’s cheek. “You like to torture me.”
“It’s fun to make you squirm.”
This made Connelly laugh and it was a smooth sound, like honey and whiskey and silk. Z immediately wanted to hear that laugh again, over and over.
“Truth is, I wanted to talk to you alone.” Connelly’s lashes lowered as he stared at his plate. It didn’t matter where he looked, he couldn’t hide from Z.
“I hope you’re not about to ask me on a date, Hot Fudge.”
Connelly looked up. “What?”
“I’m not boyfriend material. I don’t even know where my heart is let alone how to give it to someone. Plus, you know I’m a dancer now, why would you even want to get involved with me? You couldn’t handle the jealousy last night and we hadn’t even fucked yet. Imagine how you’ll feel now, knowing where I am each night, what I’m doing. It would make you crazy.”
“I’d go crazier never getting to touch you again.” The confession was just a whisper but it stopped time. Connelly winced like he hadn’t meant to say it aloud and Z’s mouth dropped open on a sigh. His blood heated and that emptiness in his chest grew until he thought it might suck the world away like a black hole.
“Shit,” Z finally whispered. He looked away from Connelly’s earnest gaze, instead staring at an ancient smudge on the worn table and doing his best not to give in. It was crazy how much he wanted to break his own rules for this guy. A stranger. And why? Because he sucked great cock? Because he’d given Z the best orgasm of his life?
Or because he had a way of stripping all of Z’s shields away and making it feel like a gift?
There were two types of people in the world, those who hurt you and those who changed you.
Z knew without a doubt that Connelly was going to be both.
There was so much about Connelly that made Z want to forget they’d ever met. But what was left, hell. That just made him want to burrow deeper into the man’s obvious strength and never come out.
That was scary.
“This got intense quick, sorry.”
Z didn’t answer.
“Thing is, it’s the truth. We have amazing chemistry. You know we do.”
“It won’t end well.” They stared at each other while the world around them continued.
“Who says it has to end?”
Z sighed. “You’re dreaming. Everything ends.”
“All I’m asking for is time to get to know you better.”
“Trust me, there’s nothing to know.”
“That’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told. You have so many secrets you’ve probably forgotten half of them. You keep so much of yourself locked away behind those giant walls of cynicism and sarcasm.” Every word out of Connelly’s mouth hurt like tiny little cuts. “Most people probably take that at face value and think you’re just as shallow and hard-edged as you pretend to be, but I can see more. I want to know that part of you you’ve never shown anyone before. That part of you, you might not even remember is there.”
As he spoke, Connelly’s hazel gaze bored into Z’s and the honesty in it was like a dagger that shot straight into Z’s heart. In that moment, Z knew he could never hide from this man. Already Connelly saw too much. What would he discover if Z gave in to his request? But it was too late to run. Too late to ignore.
Way too late to forget.
The only choice was to push through and hope he came out the other side whole enough to move on.
“Z, break’s over. Table six needs a refill.” Cindy passed, giving him a questioning look as if asking if he was okay. He nodded at her then turned back to Connelly, whose eyes had never wavered.
“Okay.” He slid out of the booth. “You have my number. Give me a call.”
Chapter Thirteen
Connelly stayed late at work that night, doing his best to distract himself with the 911 reports and witness statements. He’d gotten into it again with Hopkins that afternoon and had been tense ever since.
He’d focused on the one case where they had leads, the shooting. Everything pointed to a gang recruitment. He was just waiting on the DNA and fingerprint report from CSU. A security camera had captured a male teenager running away from the scene right after reports say the shots were fired. Even with that footage circulating all local news outlets, no one had come forward with a positive ID. If the shooting was connected to gang violence like he suspected, the kid would have a record, but there wasn’t much more he could do tonight.