Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Ros had been unaware of just how much he needed this reassurance before she’d offered it. He squeezed her fingers. “It’s just so risky. He’ll cut me off if he finds out. Maybe I shouldn’t give a shit, but I don’t wanna make my life harder for no reason. I thought it would be easy to sail through college and focus on art, but this guy… he’s something else. It feels like I’m going crazy.”
“Do tell! Who is he?” Harlene pulled her feet up, sitting cross-legged on the stool.
Ros had been seeing Shane almost every day, but faced with that question, his mind became blank. How was Shane best described? Charming. Dangerous.
But Ros didn’t even know where Shane lived. And his job? Not something to boast about.
“His name’s Shane, and he really likes dogs. He’s trained quite a few.” There. Respectable.
Because what was Ros to say? ‘I didn’t have time to ask much between blowjobs and fucking’?
“Oh, so he’s a behaviorist or something like that?” Harlene asked excitedly and tapped her thighs.
“Yes, you could say that he’s a dog trainer. And… you know, really hot.” Ros laughed with heat flushing his face. “We just get along so well. I actually like that he’s a bit too cocky at times, it makes seeing him so much fun.”
“Do I get to meet him?”
“It’s all very fresh. Maybe in a while, if things progress the right way.” In fact, in Ros’s heart, things had already progressed, but he didn’t want to put Shane on the spot.
“Wow, and is he out?” Harlene exhaled and rubbed her cute face. “Sorry. Can’t believe you finally came out! That’s so huge!”
Ros snorted. “Finally? Seriously?”
Harlene raised her hands. “Hey, don’t blame me for noticing how you treat all girls as friends and never try to get into their pants!”
Ros bit his lip. “Oh yeah? You didn’t just make assumptions because I’m so into my art?”
“I don’t think it’s something everyone notices, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He sighed with relief. “I’ll fly that rainbow flag once I’ve got my degree. It’s weird how I’ve been able to keep it under wraps for so long, but the moment he stepped into the picture, I feel like I lost my mind.”
Harlene grinned. “Yeah, that’s how it usually works when you have chemistry. If he’s a good guy, you shouldn’t stop yourself from having fun. And since he’s not a student here, it’s unlikely anyone’s gonna find out.”
Good guy. Was Shane a good guy? He was a drug dealer who’d followed Ros to his room the night they’d met. But then again, who was Ros to judge anyone when he dabbled in drug-dealing himself? He didn’t even care that one of his frat brothers was a bit too into the stuff, because that guy was a douche.
“That’s what I’m thinking. We mostly keep it off-campus anyway—”
He stilled when someone knocked three times. The door opened the moment Harlene started saying come in, and Ros’s skin bloomed with heat so intense he feared it might’ve been glowing.
Shane looked so damn good in that denim jacket and pants that were such a perfect middle ground between body-hugging and comfortable that he found himself staring at him in awe.
Ros didn’t remember telling Shane where his studio was, but who cared about such details when his heart skipped a beat as their eyes met. All he could think about was those skillful hands all over him, lips touching his skin, teeth marking his thighs—
“H-hey,” he uttered, casually reaching for the bun on his head, because he knew Shane loved his long waves hanging past his shoulders.
Shane nodded at Harlene before focusing on Ros with a wide smile. “They told me I could find you here at the reception.” He let that hang in the air for a few seconds, and Harlene cleared her throat, sliding off the stool.
“Damn it, I forgot I need to pick something up,” she said, sending Ros a sly smile.
Ros bit his lip. “See you tomorrow!” he called out, but as soon as she was gone, all of his attention was on Shane. Ros should’ve scolded him for coming over unannounced, but he was too giddy to see him to be angry.
Shane walked around the studio with a bit of swagger in his wide shoulders, and the confidence with which he moved melted Ros’s insides before setting the remaining goo on fire.
“I might have slipped and told her about you,” Ros confessed.
Shane stilled, his mouth freezing, but then he grinned, placing his hand on Ros’s shoulder, only to slide it straight to his nape. “Oh, have you boasted how I almost saved you from bear mauling?”
Ros snorted. “I didn’t get to that part. I was too busy boasting about your blowjob skills,” he teased, and leaned in to nuzzle Shane’s jaw. The scratch of stubble against his nose sent a shiver down his spine, but Shane remained still, as if the touch did nothing for him. Before Ros could have asked what was wrong, the strong arm pulled him closer, and Shane pointed at the unfinished clay model of Harlene’s face.