Page 26 of Finding Grey
My own breath came in great, shuddering gulps now. The pounding of my heart drowned out everything that wasn’t Dante. I locked my arms at my sides, so I wouldn’t reach for him, but the trembling was harder to suppress. If he touched me, he’d feel it too.
And still he edged closer. “Except sometimes, it’s not a game anymore,” he was so close, right in front of me, “and everything you’re not saying,” his head bent forward, and his cheekbone brushed against mine, “becomes more real than the words.” His head turned. The warmth of his breath fanned against my lips. “Sean,” he whispered. “I want—”
A strangled sound wrenched out of me as I backed away. Dante’s head snapped up, his eyes wide and his chest heaving. I turned my body towards the counter, so he wouldn’t be able to see the erection tenting my trousers. I couldn’t possibly deny the strength of my reaction to him, but there was no need to keep the evidence on display.
“Thanks for the demonstration,” I said, my voice husky with arousal, “but I would appreciate it if you didn’t practise your skills on me in the future.” I couldn’t bring myself to look at him directly, but I could see him out of the corner of my eye. Tension held his body rigid as he stood beside me.
“Sean, I…” He sighed as he shifted from one foot to the other. Whether he fought the urge to move closer or further away I couldn’t tell. “I didn’t mean to take it that far.”
“Of course not. And you do this to everyone. It doesn’t mean anything.” I turned my head to glare at him, wanting him to back the hell off. “Even if it did, I have a boyfriend.” A semi-potential boyfriend whom I’d barely spoken to since our date almost a week ago, but that wasn’t the point. “My attention is not so easily diverted.”
“I know. Fuck!” Spinning on his heel, Dante headed back down to the end of the counter where he gripped on to the edges so hard his knuckles turned white. “I got carried away and I’m sorry. Can’t we pretend this never happened?”
“I think that’s an excellent idea.” I fixed my gaze on the counter as I took deep breaths, trying to slow the rush of blood in my veins. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I’ve got work to do.”
The kind of job I had didn’t come with an instruction manual, but if it had, I’m pretty sure asking a paying guest to go away would have been listed as a big no-no. I didn’t care.
“I’ll be in the studio,” he muttered as he stalked out of the room. The jangle of keys sounded as he grabbed them from the hall table, and then the front door slammed.
I don’t know if he went next door to sing his frustrations away or to have a private place to jerk off. As for me, a whole chorus worth of fucks was being sworn in the kitchen.