Page 17 of Oracles Always Win

ButIcouldn’t stop my decadent and explicit thoughts now that they’d started.Gagewas so much better at seduction thanSally.Hewasn’t even touching me anymore, but my lips were still parted as if in anticipation of another kiss.

Ihadn’t paid close enough attention during our first kiss becauseIhadn’t known it was real.Itwas time to rectify that oversight.

Gage’sgaze was fixed on me, like a predator would fixate on its prey.Myfight or flight instincts should have kicked in, but they stayed absurdly quiet.Ididn’t care if he wanted to devour me.Noteven a little.

NowthatI’dhad a moment to catch my breath,IrealizedIwanted him to touch me again.Ifhe did,Iwouldn’t run away this time.

Nomatter how muchIthoughtIshould.

Theclap of billiard balls hitting one another made me jump and reminded me whereIwas.Shit.Ihad a job to do.Icouldn’t stand around gawking at customers.

“Right, uh,Gage.Okay.Whatdo you want to drink?”

Ignoringmy question,Gageleaned closer, causing his midnight black hair to fall over his forehead and shift around his horns. “What’syour name, beautiful?Iheard someone say the nameJake, is that right?”

Beautiful?Noone ever called me beautiful.Cute, occasionally.Adorable, unfortunately.Butnever beautiful.

“Yep,”Sallysupplied. “Hisname isJake.”

Anothersmile slipped overGage’smouth.Thisone looked sinful, despite the cute dimple.

“Drink?”And…Iwas back to squeaking again.

“What’staking so long?” one of the menGagehad come in with shouted. “Arewe waiting for the ale to ferment?”

“Fuckoff,Isaac,”Gageshouted back.Hiseyes never left mine. “Sorryabout that.Iguess my friends are getting thirsty.”

Inodded.Notsure what to say.

“I’llhave one wheat ale, and two pints of the darkest ale you have on tap,” he said.

“Yep.Cando.”

Ididn’t want him to leave, feeling strangely content to have him close, but he was distracting and in the way.Notbecause he was ginormous or anything like that, but because my body kept gravitating toward him.

“But… uh…”Imotioned for him to move. “Ineed room to work.”

Henodded but didn’t move away.Instead, he leaned closer until his lips brushed my ear.Hisbreath fanned across my neck like a caress. “AndI’dalso like to continue what we started earlier.”

Heatrocketed through me.

Ithad been real.

Iwas nodding before he even stepped back. “Uh…Right…Yes.Metoo.”

Icouldn’t believe this was happening.Iwas going to lose my virginity.Myfreak out moments earlier was nowhere in sight.Hallelujah.Ijust prayed my dick didn’t fuck this up for me again by suddenly going on strike.

“Youare real, right?”Iwhispered.

Hisforehead furrowed at my question, but he nodded.

“Itwas you, wasn’t it?Earlier…”

“Youthink you could confuse me with someone else?”Theamusement in his voice told me he knewI’dnever mistake him for anyone else.Ienvied his self-confidence.

“No.Notat all,”Isaid.Thekiss replayed in my mind.Heatrose in me as if he had me up on the console table again with his hips wedged between my thighs.ThenIremembered again howI’dleft things between us.Fuck. “Itouched you.Like… there.”Mygaze dropped to his crotch and back up again. “Withmy hand.I’mso sorry.Idon’t normally…Imean…Ididn’t…Shit.I’mso sorry.Idon’t usually, like ever, do things like that…”

Heleaned in close again and my panicked words tumbled to a stop. “Iwon’t sayIwasn’t surprised, but the way we were grinding before that,Iconsidered the touch consensual.Youasked me to kiss you, andIdid.Afterthat, everything else happened naturally.And, for the record,Iwanted way more than a little pat.ButI’dbe happy to touch you back, you know, just so we’re even.”