Page 25 of Look My Way

“Yeah, I need to get home anyway. Got an early start tomorrow. I had fun today, though.”

“Me too,” he says. As he closes the gap between us, he moves his face away when mine lowers. “I . . . uh . . . will walk you to the door.”

“Yeah . . . okay. We’re still on for our movie night, right?”

He nibbles at the corner of his lip, lifting up on his heels. “Yeah. Shouldn’t be a problem squeezing it in next week.”

“Great. You can show me all those movies of yours on Monday.”

“Monday?” His eyes snap to me.

“Yeah. My first day working on those boxes I was paid to make.”

“Oh, you’ll build them here?”

“Yes. Makes the transferring so much easier, and that way I can also make sure they fit while putting everything together. Measurements taken ahead aren’t always super reliable.”

“Right. I guess it would make things easier.”

“Yeah.” My lips pull up into a tight smile. “I’ll stop by the evening before to drop off the materials if that’s okay. It’s what I do for every job.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll be here all day long. I think Daniel has this thing he needs to be at. Some award ceremony for work.”

“On a Sunday?”

“That’s what he said, unless I heard him wrong.” I’m not sure Liam believes his own words sometimes, but here is going along with Daniel’s bullshit anyway. He thinks he’s up to something too, doesn’t he? Does he no longer care or is he too scared to find out what it is?

“Interesting. Well, if you want, I can bring over subs or anything you like when I stop by.”

“Subs?” A crimson color replaces his pale complexion. “Oh, sandwiches.”

I smirk, preferring where his mind went the first time. “What kind were you originally thinking of?” My voice grows raspy and his jaw twitches.

“Nothing . . . just tired and my mind is all over the place.”

“Uh huh . . . if you say so. I’ll see you Sunday, carino, and let me know if you want me to bring those sub sandwiches along.” I enunciate each letter of sub sandwiches, lowering my head to breathe him in one last time so I can smell that strawberry-and-cream shampoo and remember it while I get off to him dropping onto all fours for me like the type of sub I’d much prefer to feast on this coming Sunday.

Twelve

Liam

What’s become a habit for me to do around Daniel is tossed out the window whenever Zavier appears. The first thought in my head flies out of my mouth, and I try to backtrack, but he doesn’t let me. He said sub while holding my book and I . . . damn, I’m an idiot. What if he reads those books? His expression was blank as he looked over each cover. It’s obvious what each title meant and what the stories they belonged to were about.

“Obey Me.”

“Spank Me.”

“Choke Me.”

“Stalk Me”

I don’t write like that anymore. At least I didn’t think I did until he came along and started creating those old scenarios in my head again.

It doesn’t mean he’ll link it to me. He doesn’t know my inner desires that never lived outside my dreams until those books and that series. Daniel doesn’t know about them either. I don’t need another reason for him to see me as flawed and broken.

The front door creaks open and keys jingle as Daniel hangs them on the nearby hook. “Baby, you still up?”

“Yeah,” I answer almost too quickly.