Page 63 of The Pretender

“For example, you could fuck his mouth or ride him while the vibrator drives him crazy.”

My cock swells as my body heats. Definitely hot.

“The most important thing is to pay attention to him so you know when he’s close. Then you pull back right before he goes over. If you’re fucking him, you stop. Vibrator, pull it out. Whatever you’re doing, you take away the intensity until he’s a whimpering mess begging you to let him come.”

“You sound like you have some experience with this.”

“You asked me for a reason, didn’t you?”

“Because you’re more worldly than I am.” I lean in closer. “You’ve done it before?”

“Lots of times. God, I love a needy man.”

I run through Brogan’s tips in my head. “I can order that stuff online, right?”

“Yep.” Brogan grins. “So, you really like him, huh?”

I nod in spite of myself. “He’s pretty great.” I kind of want to admit the charade to Brogan, but that’s too risky. I hate lying to my family, but at this point, we’re so deep, we need to keep it going.

“Is he the one?”

Forcing a smile to my face, I shrug. “Only time will tell.”

“I guess so. It’s low-key weird that you’re being so nonchalant about him when he’s the first man you’ve ever brought to meet the fam.”

“It was just because of the circumstances, not because we were taking the next big step.”

Brogan nods, studying my face. “If you say so.”

“I say so.”

“You’re funny.” They drag a hand through their messy locks. “Cute.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That you think spending a few years away from home would change my ability to see right through you.”

Does Brogan somehow know I’m hiding the full story? “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You like him,” Brogan teases. “Likehim, like him. Maybe even another L word.”

“No. It’s not that serious.”

“Oh, it’s not?” They give me an “okay, sure” look, nodding and pursing their lips. “My mistake. I guess those googly eyes whenever you look at him are a figment of my imagination.”

“I don’t have googly eyes.”

Do I? Does Balt notice? The last thing I should do is catch feelings for him in a situation where the outcome is known. That’s what makes this fun. We can go all in, knowing there’s no risk of broken hearts at the end of it.

“Balt is… wonderful. He’s kind, and of course he’s been a huge help.”

“And?”

“And we’re both on the same page with where this relationship is going. It’s casual. He has his own life and I have this now. Besides, he’s a Taurus.”

Brogan gasps. “A Taurus? I don’t believe you.”

“Well, he is. Long term, it won’t work.”