Page 59 of The Risk Taker

I can’t help but smirk. “You like the sound of that?”

He swallows, his throat working hard. “Yeah.”

“Does it scare you?” I ask him, arching my brow.

“Yeah.”

At least he’s honest. But I can also see how much it fucking excites him, which excites the hell out of me.

I’ve heard enough straight-guy-is-curious stories to know how they usually end. I’m forced to sneak around, be shoved back in the closet until they decide they don’t like dick after all and go date a girl they can parade around at family brunch. I promised myself I’d never sign up for that.

But for Nathan?

That rule suddenly feels negotiable.

He drags a hand through his hair. “I’m confused,” he admits when I don’t say anything. “I don’t know what the fuck to do.”

“I didn’t either,” I say with a shrug. “About myself. About any of it. It’s not some switch you flip. It just happens slowly.” I let out a slow breath. “One day you’re looking at a guy and yourealize he’s hot. Then you’re looking a little too long. And then it’s not just looking anymore.”

He stares at me and I can tell he’s processing, the way his fingers twitch at his sides, the way his chest moves as he breathes hard.

My eyes drift to his bare torso and I lick my lips. I wonder if he admitted this to me because I’m one of the only guys he knows who’s out? Maybe all he wants is to explore his sexuality and I just happen to be here.

I lift my eyes to his. “You know any guy would kill for a chance with you, right?” I tell him, tilting my head. “If you wanna explore this with someone else?—”

“No.” He cuts me off before I can finish, shaking his head hard. “I don’t… I don’t want to do this with anyone else.”

My heart lurches in my throat.

Because I’ve been flirted with a lot, I’ve been wanted before, but I’ve never been the only option before.

He exhales, his eyes darting away, and I catch the flush crawling up his sexy neck. “I shouldn’t have even said anything,” he murmurs. “I don’t even know if… if you’re even attracted to me.”

“Oh, Hayes,” I murmur, a low chuckle rumbling in my chest, “you have no idea how many times I’ve thought about those pretty lips wrapped around my cock.”

His breath catches and his mouth parts a little, those brown eyes widening. He swallows again, his bulging throat begging for my tongue. Fuck me, he really has no clue what that does to me. “Yeah?” he manages.

“Mmh.”

Another harsh breath leaves him. “Do you…” he starts, hesitates for a few seconds, then tries again. “Do you think of the other guys like that?”

I snort. “I mean… Ryan’s attractive, sure. Austin’s basically my brother so that’s a big fat no, and Cole’s only hot when he’s not plotting someone’s death. But no,” I admit with a shake of my head. “Never like that. It’s too weird.”

Nathan’s breathing quickens a little. “But you thought of me?”

“Yeah,” I say, without an ounce of hesitation. “I thought of you.”

Silence stretches between us, his eyes locked on mine, so warm and gorgeous, and fuck, it should be illegal to look that good.

He holds my gaze as his tongue drags over his bottom lip, wetting it, which makes my cock twitch in my sweats.

I edge in before my brain can veto the idea, taking one step, then another, until there’s barely an inch of air left between us. No clue how I’m still breathing.

He smells so good, and is so close and all I want to do is close the distance and see what he tastes like.

His breath snags when I lift my hand and trace the narrow strip of skin just above his waistband. Just one slow stroke with my thumb, but his chest jumps like I’ve done a lot more.

His chest is rising and falling fast as hell, and those gorgeous eyes drop to my mouth, then flick back up a couple of seconds later. He’s conflicted as hell, but he’s still not moving away.