“Did you want me to clean the, um—” He raised his hand to the curve of my shoulder and ran his knuckles down its slope, swallowing heavily before he finished. “My marks?”
I reached up and encircled his wrist, dying to do it all again. Immediately. “No. Leave them.”
His smile was pleased as he nodded.
I brought his hand to my mouth and planted a kiss on top of one of the flower tattoos on his knuckles. “There is something else I want, though.”
“Anything,” he replied, and I kissed another flower, my stomach tightening with nerves.
“Let me take you on a date.”
His smile froze, and I internally panicked as my foot edged closer to that fucking hamster wheel, but then Liem was on me.
I automatically wrapped my arms around him and planted my feet firmly to the earth, hugging him to me tightly as he hugged me back.
“Time and place, Cody,” he said against my neck. “And tell me what to wear.”
33
Cody
It’d taken more willpowerthan I’d ever used before to leave Liem at the Locc so I could set about my plans, but I’d done it.
I was doing it.
I, Cody Louis(e) Desmond, was taking Liem Lott on a date.
And I was going to be fucking prepared. I dropped by a store on the way to the rental and perused a few aisles, even though the tiny, shitty voice in my head told me I could be getting ahead of myself, and then I purchased them.
That voice was wrong. It had to be. I didn’t know a lot, but I knew that Liem Lott was mine, and it was time to show him that. Everything that had happened in that classroom had been a good start, and the bag of fresh groceries dangling from my hand, the box tucked under my arm, and the notebook were next.
I walked the short set of steps to the front door of the bungalow I’d booked for the night, thankful I was able to check in early, but annoyance flared as I climbed.
Those five steps reminded me that I had other business to tend to as well.
Once I unloaded the groceries, I did a quick check of the house, which was almost a massive error in judgment.
It was too perfect.
Cozy and private, with two bedrooms and one bathroom, all spacious enough to move around but not sterile. The backyard was entirely private, and there was even a hot tub. My mind immediately went places when I saw it, and I had to bite back a groan as I imagined Liem, steam billowing around him and the night sky above.
Jesus.
Maybe I should’ve planned a public date. Though, it wasn’t like that would’ve lessened the risk of me trying to tear his clothes off, based on our track record.
You could call Liem right now,suggested the devil on my shoulder that suspiciously also had Liem’s voice. I could implode my plans and just act on my desperation for him.
But I didn’t.
My shoulders slumped, and I sighed as the adrenaline of the idea left me, and I moved on with my set agenda, which contained one small hitch.
I could not call his dad with a boner. Especially as I already had bad boner karma after what happened at Miss Barb’s house.
Burnt frames and smoky glass….
I’d barely thought of the things from Miss Barb’s house since storing them in Dad’s garage. It was just something else I needed to come clean to Liem about, and I planned to do that today. Before this went further.
My hot tub fantasies would have to wait.
