Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
He ends on Niall Horan’s “Slow Hands,” the hour seeming to end too quickly. The second he’s out of the booth, Evan throws his arms around my neck. “Oh my God. I suck balls, but I don’t even care because that was the most incredible thing I’ve ever done in my life, Frankie. Thank you.”
I smile into his neck, rub my hands up and down his back, feeling a strange fullness in my chest. “I’m glad you liked it.”
We thank Jeremy, and I text Donovan another thanks when we get to the car. “Okay, so now dinner.”
“We’re going to dinner too?” he asks, hopefulness in his eyes.
“Yep. It’s been a few weeks since we talked about dating, and I realized we haven’t really gone on a date yet. So, that’s what today is.”
We go to dinner at this Thai place we both like. Evan is happy and talkative the whole time. It feels good to see him like this. I feel lucky that I get to. We go for a walk around the park afterward and then get ice cream before we head back to Metropolis.
“Watch a movie with me?” Evan asks.
“Of course.”
We find a comedy that looks good on Netflix before we both change into something more comfortable. I throw on basketball shorts and go without a shirt. He’s already on the couch when I get there, wearing a tee and his underwear and… “I want to wear it when we’re at home,” he says about the collar around his neck. “Even if we’re not playing. Is that weird?”
“No, it’s fucking hot. I like knowing my name is around your neck.” It might just be a playful, “if found return to,” but it also feels like claiming him.
I sit on the couch beside him. Evan picks up the remote, pauses the TV, and then climbs onto my lap, straddling me.
“You know if you sit like this, I’ll be hard in about two seconds flat. We might not get to the movie,” I tease.
“I really like you, Frankie. Like…really like you.” There’s a seriousness to his voice that wipes away my playfulness.
“I really like you too, Ev.”
“It scares me how much. I’m afraid of moving forward because I don’t want to screw up what we have, and I don’t know what you want, but…I can’t let myself keep being afraid. Not when the prize is you. I’ve never been happier than I am with you. No one has ever cared for me like you do. No one has ever meant to me what you do, and I’m going to feel really stupid if you’re not on the same page, and it’s okay. Just tell me if you’re not. We can keep going like we are, but I just want…to be yours.”
Grinning, I ask, “Are you trying to DTR?”
He rolls his eyes playfully. “Yes, I want to define the relationship. But if you’re not ready, it’s okay. We’ll figure it out. I don’t want to lose you.”
“Don’t accept less than you deserve, Ev. Not from me or anyone else.” Reaching out, I finger the tag on his collar. See his name, turn it and see mine on the back. “Does that mean now I have myself a pup and a boyfriend?” I ask, his smile hitting me right in the chest. “I want a pup and a boyfriend.” Reaching around him, I cup his ass.
“I want to be your pup and your boyfriend. I want you to be my handler and my boyfriend. We can try it, see how it goes, and just talk to each other. If we’re having any second thoughts or anything.”
I’m so damn proud of him for taking the initiative on this, for saying what he wants, because, Christ, do I fucking want it too. More than my next breath. I think I knew it before, but I realized it when I saw him in the greenhouse. I think maybe Evan’s always been mine.
“God, my boyfriend is so fucking hot. And his ass—Christ, his fucking ass. He might have a hard time keeping me out of it.”
Evan laughs. “Good thing he likes you inside him. He also happens to think you’re hot too.”
“He’d better.”
Evan leans forward and kisses me. I moan into his mouth and turn him so he’s lying on his back. We kiss until I can’t kiss anymore, rub off on each other until we’re a cummy mess and clean up.
“Come on.” I nod toward the couch. “We need to watch the movie to finish our date.”
“Our first date,” Evan adds, and we do just that.
27
Evan
Our crew of friends hangs around our condo, stretched out across the couch and love seat, as Frankie and I host game night. We all try to get together whenever we can, and since the other guys all had their turns hosting recently, we volunteered for this week.