Page 17 of Dreams and Reptiles

My favorite.

“Whoa, look at that one,” he said, thankfully unaware that I was sniffing him. He tapped the screen to bring an image to the front. I leaned closer at the same moment that he turned to look at me. “Oh.”

“Sorry.”

“Are you?” He wrinkled his nose and grinned. “I’m fully aware that one kiss on Pride does not a courtship make, but I thought…” But the way he pressed his hand to his throat, and how his eyes widened the slightest bit, said different.

“So not sorry. You’re really something. I hated that I got called away that night,” I answered truthfully. It had been ages since I’d been moved to get close with someone, and that night I’d thrown all caution to the wind. Dancing with Francis had netted fantastic results.

“Oh.” There was relief in his smile. “Okay, then.”

We stared at each other, our breathing audible this close. My gaze traveled from his eyes to his lips and back again, while he did the same. I’d dreamed about that kiss plenty over the past couple months, and being close to him again had me desperate for another. But also for more than a kiss. For closeness, the contact that said, “I want nothing more than to be here with you.”

“There are a few ways this can go,” he began, gesturing between us with a long finger. “Now that we’re neighbors, one school of thought would be to remain just that. Neighbors.”

“That would be one option,” I muttered, pouring as much distaste into the statement as I could muster. I hesitated to offer the multitudes of ideas I had, partly out of self-preservation, and partly out of, well, fear that he’d had a change of heart.

“Your dislike of that option has been noted,” he said with a laugh. “Option two: We could pick a house, get naked, and explore the possibilities.”

My hand involuntarily went to the front of my shorts, and I cleared my throat. “That option is intriguing.”

The air between us was supercharged. It was obvious we were both interested. Our previous encounter was cut off before we’d had a chance to really get close. I knew we would be hot together. Blazing. We’d likely ignite something out of control.

Then what? I doubted it would be enough for me. But it could be enough for him, and then I’d have to see his comings and goings and dates and boyfriends indefinitely, right next door.

Maybe a hookup was all he wanted.

“Or option C? D?” he asked, tapping his chin with a finger. “What are we up to?

“C.”

“Right. Option C, the aforementioned courtship.”

“C for courtship. Easy to remember. Okay, so, like dating?”

“It could be like dating, or like bonding.”

“Bonding like atoms? Chemistry? That would involve touching…” I ran the back of my fingers down his arm and took his empty hand in mine. His other still held my phone, which neither of us were looking at any longer.

“Or,” he said breathily, tangling our fingers, “bonding, like, doing things together, seeing what the other likes.” He lifted his chin and turned into me, his knee brushing against mine, his dark eyes so fucking dreamy.

“I like things. Things are good.” I desperately wanted to cup his jaw and show him what kind of things I wanted to do with him, to him, but I needed to be strong. Things with Francis would undoubtedly rock my world, and then I wouldn’t want to let go, or be let go.

I didn’t want that outcome.

“Kendall, I like you.” He accentuated that with a hand to my chest. “And since we're neighbors now, we need to continue to like each other, so as much as I want to do things with you, how about we start with less naked things. Like, you could come over, I’ll cook for you, and we can sit down and eat like civilized men. Or we could go out, and you can show me your favorite places in Farty Buttons.” He handed me back my phone with an eye roll.

“Excuse me, Farty what?” I laughed so hard, my body was instantly racked with hiccups.

“Soggy Bottoms? Farty Buttons? Whatever this town is called. Who named this place, anyway? Oh no!” He covered his mouth with his hands. “I hate the hiccups. Here, turn around, and I'll scare you.”

His flustered attempt to turn me around only made me laugh harder. I held on to his hand and pulled him flush against me and squeezed, loving the press of us. “They’ll go away, just give me a minute.” Holding him against me as my hiccups died down was perfect. If I were a weaker man, I would have thrown out the option I’d been fantasizing about: let me pleasure you until we both walk funny.

Francis placed his hand on my cheek, and his shallow breaths ghosted across my lips. “I want you, but I really want to know you, Kendall. You don’t know me, and the past year of my life has been… Let’s just say I moved here to start over. So even though I know things would be so right between us, I want to know you first. Could you possibly, eventually, want the same thing?”

“I already do. Let’s plan a real date and go from there. What do you say? Shake on it?”

“Kiss on it?” Francis pushed up on his toes, but he waited for me to meet him. So I did.