Page 44 of Worse Fates

However, I notice his bouncing knee.

“What’s making you nervous, Golden?” I reach for his cheek but hesitate, uncertain where we stand after my apology. But with a quiet mercy he leans into my cupped palm, easing my apprehension.

Gaze softening, my heart swells as my thumb traces the soft curve of his jaw, the tips of my fingers bouncing across his curls. No words could truly encapsulate Golden’s perfection in my eyes, but, “You are divine,” will have to be enough.

“I’ve been called a lotta things, but that's…” His smile is a fragment of something bigger, but shines with a vulnerabilityhe’s kept securely hidden. “Well, it’s gotta be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said.”

“Oh, Golden.” I breathe. “You’re going to have me wrapped around your little finger, aren’t you?” I don’t mention how my cock thickens at the very idea of Golden laid out, his dark curls a halo on silk pillows, as he shyly details exactly how he yearns to be pleasured.

He chuckles, shrugging one shoulder. But then his brow furrows in confusion as he hugs his middle. “I’ve never felt this way before, like I’m out of control.”

“Tell me what you’re feeling?” I push aside my desires, Golden has mentioned this before and his happiness and security comes above all other matters.

Golden shifts, eyes not quite meeting mine. “An ache, kinda like a bruise but I want more? I’m hot, and a bit like I can’t catch my breath.”

Frowning, everything he describes sounds like… “You feel aroused?”

“Thisis what being horny feels like?” Golden makes a face. “God, it’s exhausting, how does anyone get anything done?”

I edge closer, keeping a palm on his cheek while guiding his hands to rest on my chest, satisfaction blooming when his tension drains. Soulmates crave connection; Golden appears to feel this need more than anyone I’ve known.

When Golden shared he remained a virgin at twenty-five, I, while surprised, was more than happy to move slower than I have in the past. However, I hadn’t expected he’d never felt desire. But I don’t want Golden to feel judged, or think he’s anything less than utter perfection.

“Everyone is different, beautiful, and we experience the world in different ways,” I say. “So, arousal is something new for you?”

“I guess?” he shrugs. “I know when people are hot. But… I dunno, attraction has always been like one of those fancy paintings behind glass, it’s nice to look at, but I don’t really get the appeal.”

“Thank you for telling me, love.” And I brush my lips across his forehead, near bursting with happiness when he cuddles into my chest. “So, what sexual experience do you have?” I ask, my tone light, flirting.

Golden rubs the heel of his hand to his forehead, trying to hide his blushing. “Do we need to talk about this now?”

“We don’t have to.”

He blows out a raspberry. “Alright, but it’s not much so don’t be disappointed.”

“Never,” I reply. “So not sex, but perhaps some playful touching with another?”

He squirms, suddenly finding a fraying piece of string particularly interesting. I take his silence as his answer.

I nod again, hiding my surprise. “When was your first kiss?”

“About eight minutes ago?” Golden tries to make it a joke, but his knee continues to bounce.

This time I can’t hide my shock. “I was your first kiss? You should have said. It should’ve been more special, I would’ve—”

“It was perfect.” He interrupts, grinning impishly. “I wouldn’t change it, so you’re not allowed to, either.”

Letting loose a sigh, I brush my lips across his in the gentlest of kisses. “As long as you’re happy, I suppose.”

He chuckles. “It was in a garden full of flowers, Lucero. C’mon, how much more romantic could you make it?”

I smirk. “How does a full orchestra sound?”

He laughs, shaking his head and how my heart doesn’t burst for this man, I’ll never know. For a time we stay wrappedwithin each other, our foreheads touching, his hand begins to gently stroke my chest.

I press another kiss to each cheek and pull back.

“How often do you touch yourself?”