Page 83 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

“You? Meddle? No way.”

Gabe pushes his shoulder. “Sod off.”

“I think you made the right choice,” Ellis says. “You’re such a chatterbox. You’d end up getting your license revoked.”

“You’re not wrong, but I don’t appreciate your tone.” He tries to sound offended, but Ellis’ smile tells him he failed. “Well, that’s the story. I know it’s ironic, but I found I have more of an impact on people’s lives from where I am now.”

“I can attest to that. We haven’t known each other that long, but you’ve already changed my life.”

Gabe can only stare at him. How did they go from teasing each other to Ellis dropping a bomb like that? A bomb that unleashed a swarm of butterflies in Gabe’s stomach.

He’ll blame his next words on the butterflies. “And it’s only the first date. Imagine how I could change it on the second. Or third.”

And now Ellis looks like a deer in the headlights. Great job, Gabe. So much for ‘no funny business’. He wishes he could take the words back and shove them down his throat, then sew his mouth shut. Since he can’t do that, he patiently waits for Ellis’ reaction. Except his reaction is nothing like Gabe had expected.

“Do I need to wait until then?” Ellis’ eyes widen, as if he can’t believe what he just said.

Gabe can hardly believe it either. This is the man who freaked out when Gabe asked him out to dinner, the man who has never been with a guy, who is so scared of opening himself up that he rarely says what he wants.

Until now.

Or maybe not. Maybe it just came out. Maybe Ellis didn’t mean it.

Gabe doesn’t say anything, giving him time to take it back, to change his mind.

Only Ellis doesn’t do either. He looks at Gabe, determination setting in his stormy-blue eyes.

Dear god.

“I’m ready to change your life whenever you want,” Gabe says, not even recognizing his voice with how deep it is. It’s both a way out for Ellis, and a promise. Because whatever Ellis tells him he wants, Gabe issogoing to grant him his wish.

“Now would work,” Ellis croaks out after what feels like a small eternity.

“Yeah?” It’s a redundant question. He can feel the desire and anticipation rolling off Ellis, but it feels important to let him voice what he wants.

Ellis licks his lips. “Yeah.”

Instead of throwing himself at him like a harlot, Gabe slowly inches closer, placing a hand on his knee. He needs to take this slow. Like, a-line-at-the-post-office slow. Ellis is overwhelmed as is, Gabe can feel that much. But he can also feel his nervous excitement.

He does his best to rein his energy in, not wanting to overwhelm him further. He probably doesn’t do a good job, because the moment he touches him, a shudder wracks Ellis’ body, his eyelids fluttering.

Crap. Too much.

He goes to move away, but doesn’t get far. Ellis’ mouth lands on his, firm and demanding, his fingers sliding into Gabe’s hair andpulling.

An unrestrained moan is torn out of Gabe’s throat, way too loud in the otherwise quiet room.

Ellis pulls back, looking disoriented and surprised. “You like that?”

“You found my weakness.”

“Oh.” Ellis’ hands twitch where they are still entwined in Gabe’s hair. He gives it a small, experimental tug, pulling another wrecked sound out of him. “I didn’t even mean to do it. I just needed something to hold on to.”

“Well, you can hold on to me like that any time. Except maybe not in public. I need to preserve some dignity.”

“What dignity?”

Gabe gapes at him. “So this is how it’s gonna be?Fine.” Throwing caution to the wind—and relying on his mojo to gauge how far he can go—Gabe pushes until Ellis lands flat on his back, a squeal of surprise escaping him.