Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 103637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Mike had to bite his lip at the way Arden expressed his interest in him with such honesty. Any time he did so in public had presumably been a lie for the sake of their prank. Here, the admission was for Mike’s ears only. Raw, sweet like pancake syrup dripped straight on Mike’s tongue, and maybe equally unhealthy. Still, Mike enjoyed its flavor all the same.
“You’ve been burnt? Like… you’re not looking for a relationship?” Mike asked, exhaling when he thought of all the things he could do with this boy if Arden agreed on keeping things limited to sex. If feelings weren’t involved, he could let loose and experiment without running the risk of hurting Arden. That would have been perfect.
“Yes.”
Mike exhaled. There was nothing more to say, but the drawings kept circling in his head, and he didn’t want this conversation to end. “So… those things you draw. Is it like… art or more like porn?”
Mike’s heart fluttered at the little snort from the other side of the door, but Arden didn’t need to know that.
“You’re such a dumbass. It’s both. I like both. It was another shallow career path I was considering.”
Mike shrugged. “There’s nothing shallow in giving people the entertainment they want. I almost became a pro at motocross. Wouldn’t have cured cancer, but it was fun, both for me and the viewers,” he said, his voice dropping at the memories.
“You did?” The bathroom door squeaked, and opened as soon as Mike pulled away from it. Arden’s face was pink with a flush as he peeked out at him with red eyes, and the sight of him made Mike’s heart speed up. Boy or not, he was a cutie. And to know that he was also horny on top of it pushed all of Mike’s buttons.
He wanted to see Arden in stockings so fucking bad, and the glimpse of his ass Mike had caught in the shower only made that need more urgent.
“Yeah, baby. I got real big. I could have been a star by now. But if I continued on that path, I wouldn’t have met you,” he finished with a smile and gently poked Arden’s nose.
Damn, it felt good to see a smile pass those lovely features.
“Why are you so charming, and why do I fall for it every single time?” Arden shook his head but smiled, wiping tears away with his wrist. “It’s terrible.”
“I’m terribly hot. You’re terribly talented. We’re a match,” Mike said and put his arm around Arden’s shoulders, glad to feel his warmth again. And his hair? It always smelled of jasmine.
“The power couple of the Smoke Valley MC.” Arden laughed against Mike’s chest, cuddling up to him despite no one watching. They were alone in this nondescript restroom and hugged instead of enacting Arden’s illicit fantasies. It felt good.
Mike couldn’t help himself. He kissed the top of Arden’s head and pulled him close, enjoying how his slender form fit in his arms. Unasked questions floated in the air, and the prolonged silence turned the joyful rush in his chest into a frantic gallop.
“So… I have business in San Francisco next week. Would you like to join me?” he asked without thinking, but knew it was what he wanted the moment the words came out.
The big blue eyes brightened, still glistening with dampness. “I won’t be a burden?”
Mike swallowed, his mind already in their motel room a week from now. Arden’s long legs entangled in the sheets. His cock hard as he opened his legs and gave Mike sultry bedroom eyes.
“No. I trust my family, but I’d rather keep an eye on you myself.”
“Is it the kind of trip where you book a hotel but—oops—there’s only one bed?” Arden asked, but he didn’t seem offended and slipped his cool hand under Mike’s top to stroke the small of his back.
“I’ll try my best.”
Yes. Yes, it was.
Chapter 10 – Arden
Things had changed since the sketchbook fiasco, though in non-tangible ways. Arden had been forced to admit that he did in fact fancy Mike, but he’d also made it clear he didn’t want a relationship, so the status quo remained in place. But when Mike flirted, Arden could no longer pretend he wasn’t attracted to him. So he flirted back.
They still slept separately, and weren’t a couple in any way, shape or form, yet… Mike would kiss his head in passing, or give him those little hugs that made all the butterflies in Arden’s stomach flutter. Arden would catch himself returning the affectionate gestures more frequently, the earlier unease gone, as if that restroom conversation had melted the wedge of Arden’s fear.
Mike had kept bugging him to see Arden’s new drawings, and so Arden eventually caved. Of course he did. One could only deny Mike Heller for so long, and the pictures, while embarrassingly personal, offered a peek into his dirty mind. He could allow that much. At first, he’d feared Mike would tease him, or make the drawings into a running joke with his friends and brothers, but the genuine excitement shining in his eyes prompted Arden to create more, just so he could show the erotic pictures to his protector. His body tingled with heat whenever he had a new piece to present, and the further Arden invited Mike into his secret world, the more heated their flirting became.