Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
We’d progressed quickly, to the point where we slept in the same bed almost every night. Sometimes we messed around, other times we didn’t. I just liked to be with him. I hadn’t ever enjoyed someone’s company or wanted to spend as much time with them as I did with Mickey. Sex had nothing to do with how much I liked him, though it was an added bonus. We hadn’t done more than sucking and jerking each other off, but he was frenzied in his hunger for me. He liked to experiment and enjoyed the risk of getting caught. I’d blown him on his balcony, and we’d screwed around in my office at the coffee shop. Everything felt new with him, even though most of these things weren’t new for me.
Mickey made everything better just by being himself.
“Your boyfriend should be here soon,” Maria, one of the employees working with me, said.
“Yeah, he should be.” I couldn’t stop myself from grinning.
“Oh, you’ve got it bad.”
I did, and I didn’t care. I was also getting off early tonight, which Mickey didn’t know. I wanted to spend the evening with him at my house.
On cue, the door to Extra Shot opened, and he came inside. He wore shorts and a sweater vest. I loved his style. He was so fucking adorable.
“Hey, you.” I walked over and kissed his cheek. He bit his lip, then went for his glasses before stopping himself. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Why would you think something’s wrong?”
“Because you’re acting skittish.”
“Shit. Why can’t I hide anything from you?”
“Baby, you have a hard time hiding what you’re feeling from everyone,” I teased.
“I can keep a secret, I’ll have you know.”
“Okay…” That sounded very much like he had one. Not that he shouldn’t. We all had our right to privacy.
“I’m making a mess of this. Can we start over? I’m happy to see you…but I do have something I want to tell you. It’s not bad. At least, I don’t think it’s bad. I mean, you won’t care. I know you won’t. It’s just that I’ve never told you, and—”
“Shh.” I pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Breathe. We’re good. You don’t ever have to tell me anything you don’t feel comfortable sharing, okay? That’s not the kind of boyfriend I am. I want you to trust me and to be your own person.”
He grinned and blushed, then lowered his voice. “I want to sneak into your office and blow you.”
I laughed. God, I loved this man, and…loved? Jesus. I was pretty sure I did. “I’ll never turn you down, but just so you know, I scheduled extra help so I could get off early tonight. I was thinking we could go back to my place and cook dinner together like we did on our first date.”
“Okay, I’d like that. And it’s basically perfect because I do want to tell you something…but not yet.”
Nerves twisted inside me, but I tried to ignore them. We were okay. We had to be, since he’d just smiled at me like I was his whole damn world when I said boyfriend. I would never get used to seeing Mickey look at me like that, and I hoped he could see that I looked at him the same way. “Let’s go, then. You can work at my house if you want.” I tugged playfully on his laptop bag. I was still so damn curious, but I wouldn’t ask. I’d joked about it, but if Mickey ever told me, I wanted it to be his choice.
“Maybe,” he replied flirtingly.
“Come on.” I said my goodbyes to everyone, and then we went out to my car.
During the drive, the conversation flowed well. I had to admit, I wondered what Mickey wanted to talk to me about. While things seemed fine and we were talking and acting like we always did, it was clear he was dealing with some nerves too.
“How was work?” I asked when we got home.
“It was great. We had Drag Queen Story Hour this morning. I love it, and the kids do too. We also had this library card drive that makes checking out books for the kids really fun while also making sure they get their cards. It’s amazing, really. Every time I see a kid leave with a book, I feel like they’re walking out with a possibility, with knowledge and a whole new world at their fingertips. I know that sounds crazy.”
“Hey.” I stepped up to him and cupped his face. “It doesn’t sound crazy. It sounds special. I love how much you love books. I adore hearing you talk about them, whether it’s with kids or helping an adult find the perfect book. It’s beautiful.”
He leaned in and brushed his lips over mine. Mickey initiating a kiss or a touch was one of my favorite things because it showed how comfortable he felt with me.