Page 142 of Fragments

I’mdestroyed, rocked to rubble like ten goddamn points on the Richter scale by this boy.

He seems so into this… Intome.

He fucking wants me again… I know he does.

Eventually, everything evens out, and while I’d love to keep his dick in my mouth forever, I pull off of him with a satisfied hum. Squirming up to lie in front of him, I hold his neck and press a super soft kiss on his lips; only one. But when I go to pull away, he grabs my jaw and kisses memore, deeper, like he’s not done.

“This doesn’t mean anything…” Lex whispers hoarsely. I think he’s losing his voice, and it’s so fucking hot. “We’re not getting back together, okay?”

I grin on his lips, grazing his face with my black fingertips. “Whatever you say, my sexy little mess.”

“Shut up,” he growls, though he’s not stopping with the kisses, totally undermining his words. “I just… wanted this. I wanted you to make me… come. That’s all.”

“So you’re using me for orgasms now?” My hands slide down to rest on his chest, thumbs circling his nipples. “Do friends do that?”

“I don’t… Who knows,” he breathes, then whines. “Stop touching me there. It feels too intense.”

“Sorry, baby.” I pout.

Not sorry. Not even a little.

“Ren, don’t fuck with me, okay?” he breathes over my mouth. “I’m confused right now… I don’t know what I’m doing with you.”

“Please,” I huff. “You’ve been confused about us since we met, because you’re always running from what you want. Just keep doing what feels good, and we’ll both be happy.”

Lex blinks at me. “Iwon’t…” I bite the inside of my cheek.I don’t like where this is going.“When it feels too good to be true, it’s because itis, Warren.”

I don’t know what to say, so I just stare at him with a desperate itch beneath my skin to somehow keep us together. He’s totally justified in not wanting to give me another chance… I get that. But it still feels shitty. Because if I wasn’t such a fuck-up, we could do it all… Hook upandbe together, like he wants.

At least, heused towant it…

Lex pulls away from me, reacquainting himself with reality. And rather than continuing down this dark path of our tumultuous relationship, he checks the fresh tattoo on his ribcage.

Biting his lip, he peeks at me. “It came out good.”

I stifle my smile. “You like it?” He nods. “I did a pretty great job considering you were sexually harassing me the whole time…”

I show him a teasing smirk, and he scowls. “Not my fault at all. You like… hypnotized me or something. You gave me the tattoo in a spot you knew would feel really good…”

I chuckle, touching his jaw. “You’re so cute, I wanna kiss the life out of you.”

Yanking his pants up, he rubs his eyes. “Enough, Ren.” He crawls off the bed, glaring down at me. “I’m serious. This can’t keep happening.”

“You sure about that?” I raise my brow.

And although I know he wants to stay fighting it, all he’s doing is blinking at me, staring at my mouth. He clears his throat and shakes his head. “What do I do with the tattoo? To take care of it…?”

“Just put some of this stuff on it for the first week,” I tell him, pointing at the Aquaphor.

He nods, then goes quiet for a moment. “Ren…?” I tilt my head. “Did you plan this? I mean, is this why you brought me in here… to fool around?”

I grab his hand in mine, placing his palm flat over my heart. “I didn’t plan it, Lex. Because Iamtrying to be your friend. But I’m also trying not to lie to you… Being able to kiss you and touch you and do all the amazing, dirty things weshouldbe doing together makes me insanely happy. I’m not manipulating you, and I’m not trying to coerce you into something. I just really miss the fuck out of you, every minute of every day. That’s it, love. That’s thetruth. Do with that information what you will. But just know, every moment I’m with you… is fireworks over the ocean.”

He blinks at me, eyes boring into mine with that beautiful shade of green that’s stolen my breath since the first time I saw it…

The boy with stormy seas in his eyes… Vibrant beauty in a dark, gray wasteland.

And then he does something I probably never would have predicted…Always surprising me.He eases himself back down onto my lap, curling up on my body and burying his face in my neck.