Page 79 of Shadowman

He chuckled. I loved the sound when I heard it in secret, but it turned out it was even better when he was knowingly giving it tome.

“Uh, yea, you could say that,” he answered. “I took karate when I was a kid. Figured I’d get back into it. This’ll make good practice, right?”

Swallowing hard, I glanced down at his hand, hoping he’d catch on to what I was too frozen to ask. He didn’t, so I had to grab his hand myself, and the contact was…intense. I caught his pupils dilating, but I clenched my jaw and focused on taping his knuckles.

“So are you trying to… defend yourself… against someone?” My eyes lifted to his. He smiled again.

“That would be wise, I’m sure…” he hummed, brilliant blue gaze falling to my mouth for a split second. “But no. I’m auditioning for a small part in a movie that’s super actiony, and I listedkarateas one of my skills.”

My eyebrow cocked, and he laughed.

“I know, typical struggling actor lying on his resume. Anyway, now I have to actually pretend like I know what I’m doing…”

“Isn’t that acting?” I quipped without even thinking.

He laughed again, a softer, more rumbly one this time, teasing, “Wow… If you weren’t helping me right now, I’d storm off.”

I bit the grin off my lips. “You know, I’m actually a Tae Kwon Do instructor…” I flinched. “Sometimes. I mean, I’ve done it before.”If I focus on wrapping his knuckles, I won’t have to see him looking at me like the uncool loser I so clearly am.“Just saying, if you ever need a trainer, or something…”

Despite how hard I was fighting it, my eyes rose to his, and he was justgazingat me… I didn’t want to fixate on what it meant, but I could feel myself drowning in the blue pools of possible interest.

“Thank you,” Michelangelo murmured sweetly. “That would… Yea. I mean, that would be amazing.”

I simply nodded because I didn’t know what else to do. My skin was all hot and itchy.

“You seem… really familiar.” He cocked his head. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

My heart pounded harder. Fortunately, I’d finished wrapping him up because my hands were shaking and I feared he’d feel it. The look on his face was subtle enough, but invested all the same.

There was no way I was imagining this… The flirtatious smile and the batting of his eyelashes. How damnclosehe was standing to me. I wasn’t crazy. He was affected, and it was blowing up my entire world.

Maybe hewasn’tafraid of being gay, or bi. Maybe that was just my own shit I was projecting onto him. Because in that moment, he didn’t seem scared to be standing so close to another man, touching him and checking him out in public.

Glancing behind him, I watched his friends he’d come in with as they messed around with some boxing gloves and laughed to themselves. Eventheydidn’t seem concerned about their friend flirting with a guy out in the open.

And in that moment, Iimagined…

I imagined what it would be like to answer him truthfully. To say, “It’s me, baby. Your Ghost Rider.” Then cup his sharp jaw and kiss him right there, in front of barely anyone, but still somehoweveryone.

I imagined how good it would feel to touch his lips with mine—we’d never done it before. I imagined him feeding one of thoseadorable little chuckles into my mouth, and me smiling back while we kissed deeper andhungrierbecause nothing else in the world mattered.

I even imagined going to his house,invited. Watching movies and having dinner, laughing and touching, and so much more kissing… Havingrealsex. No mask, no games. Fucking him to pieces because he wasmine, then falling asleep with his head on my chest and my fingers in his soft hair.

In a matter of seconds, I imagined having aboyfriend. But not just any boyfriend…Michelangelo. The sweet, smiling optimist to my brooding, furious fighter.

But here’s an ugly secret for you… I was afraid. Petrified, in fact. The idea of doing that, ofhavingthat made my heart weightless, and thatterrifiedme. I couldn’t do it.

Turns out, it was me all along.Iwas the one clinging to the shadows.

So I looked away from his face like a scared ass fucking baby, and lied, “Uh, no. Don’t think so.” Then I backed away, hastily grabbing my stuff. “But I actually… have to go. It was good meeting you.”

“Wait…” he called out after me as I reached the door. And just like that first night in his bedroom, I stopped. “I didn’t get your name. For the lessons?”

I peeked at him over my shoulder. “It’s Byron… Kang.”

His lips parted, still with the bright blue confusion and incessant want in his eyes. But I just…couldn’t. I ran off before he could get out another word.

Needless to say, I wanted to punch myself in the face after that whole… charade.