Page 23 of Kiss-Fist (Deaf Hearts #1)

CHAPTER TWELVE

THOM

The skies open up just as I yank on the door to the humanities building. I make it inside with a few rivers of rain dripping through my hair, but I wipe them away and glance around the lobby.

The downstairs area is the learning center. There’s a large banner behind a table that has a signup sheet for students and tutors. To the left are stairs, to the right the elevators, and beside it, there’s a small tactile map with print and braille listing out the professors and their offices.

Some of them don’t have names, but I see Robbie’s almost immediately.

Room 206.

I contemplate the elevator. It’ll take longer, but in truth, I’d like to get my heart pumping for a reason unrelated to my nerves, so I opt for the stairs. It’ll give me something to focus on instead of standing in the elevator watching the floors change.

Taking them two at a time, I reach the landing, which resembles a library. Tall bookshelves line the walls, and a few plants sit on the top shelf that desperately need watering. In the center is a desk that’s currently unoccupied, and to the right of that, a door that leads to staff offices.

I’m not sure if I’m supposed to make an appointment, but there’s no one here to stop me, so I turn the handle, and it opens. The hallway looks like my pediatrician’s office from when I was a kid. Kind of smells like it too—old carpet and fresh paint.

I count the doors until I get to 204. My heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest. Robbie’s is next. I can see the door is almost all the way open, and as I get closer, I hear signing sounds. Little pops and fizzes of breath and voice, the sounds of hands gently slapping.

I hesitate, and then I hear Robbie laugh, and my whole body aches for him. Christ, I am so, so gone for this guy.

It is a serious problem.

But at least there’s a solution.

Steeling my spine, I walk to the door and peer in. Robbie’s at his desk, kicked back, signing lazily in front of him. The guy in front of him has his back to me. He’s very tall and broad, brown skin and dark short hair set in a natural wave. When he turns slightly, I catch the edge of a beard.

Shit, he’s hot.

Dear god, please tell me this isn’t one of Robbie’s former hookups.

A beat passes, then Robbie’s gaze shifts, and his smile falters along with his hands. The silence in the room is thick. The guy in front of him turns slowly, sizes me up, then looks back at Robbie.

Realization clearly dawns on him, and he smirks at Robbie, whose ears go pink.

Does that mean he’s told people about me?

I give a sheepish little wave, then press my fist to my chest in a circle. ‘Sorry.’

He quickly signs, ‘Wait,’ then turns to his friend and signs something very fast before standing up and makes a gesture between me and him. ‘FAYID,’ he spells slowly, then adds, ‘Art teacher.’

Fayid’s smirk turns into a smile, and he offers me his hand. We shake, and then I tentatively spell my own name, and I think I got it right until Robbie waves his hand and corrects me at a speed I doubt I’ll ever be able to follow when it comes to letters.

“Thom,” Fayid says aloud, except it’s not right. He pronounces the TH like in the word “thistle.”

I shake my head and sign, ‘Like TOM.’

Fayid rolls his eyes and signs something with the words hearing people that makes Robbie laugh.

I blush, but I realize I don’t mind that much if they’re making fun of me.

Fayid claps me on the shoulder, then signs, ‘Nice to meet you,’ before turning back to Robbie, adding one last thing, and letting himself out.

I’m only just on the inside of the door, so I practically feel it when the latch clicks. I swear I’m about to swallow my own tongue.

Robbie watches me for a long moment, and then he walks around the desk and stalks toward me. His hands lift, and I have to force myself to pay attention because damn it, I am so distracted by his mouth.

‘Why are you here?’ he asks.

‘Need to ask you something.’ I stop and shake my head, correcting myself. ‘Need to tell you something.’ It’s far too late to ask permission for the date now.

He nods, coming to a stop very close to me. His hands hesitate, and then I rock my hips forward, and he takes them. Shit. He feels way too good. I dip my head low and take his mouth against mine.

He kisses like a dream. His tongue is warm and tastes of coffee, and his breath is soft as it puffs over my cheeks.

It’s too easy to spin him around and pin him to the wall.

I want to devour him—to destroy him right here in his office so he can’t ever sit at his desk again without getting at least a half chub.

But that’s not what I’m here for.

I try to pull away, but he makes a noise of protest and yanks me closer, his hard cock rubbing against mine through his trousers. My breath leaves my lungs in a rush, and I grab him by the hair, forcing his head back so I can nibble at his neck.

I know he likes this. He likes it enough to make noise, which is probably dangerous in his office. I slap my hand over his mouth, and his eyes fly wide open, but he doesn’t stop me.

His breath picks up, and I growl against him as I suck harder and a little lower, just beneath the collar of his shirt. I feel the blood rush to the surface of his skin, and he grunts against my palm .

His cock is desperately hard now—just like mine. He rubs it against me, our bodies almost frantic. God, is it always going to be this way?

I fucking hope so.

I could come like this. Far too easily, and I’m close. Shit . I wrench away with a heavy gasp and shake my head.

‘Wait, wait,’ I mouth. Robbie looks confused, so I release his hair and sign it in front of us. ‘Wait.’

He frowns and reaches for my dick, cupping it lightly. ‘Don’t want to wait.’

I groan and rock against him, but I need to get this out before we go any further. ‘I know. Wait. Please.’

He looks annoyed, but he pulls back, and I find room in my jeans to dig into my pockets in spite of my colossal boner, and I pull up my note app and begin a voice note. There’s no need to torture him with my spelling for this.

Me: I’m sorry about bothering you at work ? —

Robbie scoffs, interrupting my flow of words. ‘It’s fine.’

I hold up a finger.

Me: I know I promised not to bring this to your office. I said I’d be professional. Though I don’t mind making you come right now if you want that. But something happened with my brother and I wanted to let you know about it.

Robbie looks worried now. Like, actually concerned about me. ‘You okay? ’

I nod, then hold up the phone again.

Me: He has a new girlfriend and I told him about you. Don’t worry, I didn’t say you were my boyfriend, but well, I realized I wanted to do something more than this. Like a date.

His brows fly up. ‘Date?’ he signs. ‘Me?’

‘Yes,’ I answer. ‘It’s okay if you say no.’

He shakes his head, but I don’t think he’s saying no. He takes a beat, then gestures at the phone and signs, ‘Finished?’

‘No.’ I take a deep breath, and then I go on.

Me: Dex suggested a double date with him and his girlfriend and I said yes without thinking. She got a reservation at Bubbles and Bliss downtown.

He reads the note once, then twice, then a third time before looking up at me. ‘Hearing or Deaf?’

I know he means the girlfriend. ‘Hearing.’

‘Signs?’

I shrug. I don’t think so, but who knows.

His eyes narrow. His signs are dangerously slow. ‘Date with me. Three hearing. Me Deaf. No signing?’

Yep. That about sums up my gigantic fuckup. I nod, my cheeks hot.

Robbie stares me in the face, and then his hands go off like a bomb exploded, flying between us, large and angry. I don’t understand a single word of it, but I know whatever he’s saying, I absolutely deserve it.

Thunder cracks as he’s telling me off. The lights flicker again. And in the light of the room, he looks like he may actually dislike me.

Or maybe even hates me.

Fuck.

I really should have met Robbie when it wasn’t storm season. It makes trying to understand him hard. Harder than it normally is when he’s this upset.

Then suddenly, his signs stop, and his chest heaves. He’s staring at me sadly, almost like he doesn’t know what to do now.

I say the only thing I know how to without screwing up.

‘Sorry.’

He closes his eyes, and his head tilts back. I don’t like that communication is cut off when he does this. Not that we’re really communicating. He’s yelling at me, and I’m just standing here while he does.

I deserve it. I didn’t include him, didn’t ask his opinion or consider his feelings. He has every right to be upset.

When his eyes open and he looks at me, I sign it again. ‘Sorry.’

‘Stop saying that,’ he tells me, his signs slow and curt. ‘I know you’re sorry.’

Then, he gestures for my phone and types for a really long time.

I stand there waiting, watching the facial expressions move across his face as he types furiously.

When he hands his phone to me, my hand shakes as I take it and hit the button on the app that’ll read it all out for me because I don’t want to miss a single thing he’s said, and I think he knows that. I think that’s why he used mine.

Robbie: I shouldn’t have signed so fast you couldn’t understand.

But I’m upset. You set up a date with hearing people that I don’t know without consulting me.

You don’t understand because you’re new to this, but hearing people tend to walk all over Deaf people without realizing they’re doing it.

They make choices for them without asking them, thinking they know better.

And you did that with your brother. You made a choice without me.

Without taking into consideration my feelings or what I might need in order to feel comfortable. Or safe.

I gulp at that last one.

Leaf was right.