Tempting Him by Isabel Lucero
43
“I think I love him.”
The room explodes. Renzo, Trevor, Dom, Dex, and even Ronan, who’s generally pretty quiet, create a ruckus in my small apartment when the words leave my mouth.
“Are you kidding me?”
“For real?”
“Are you just in a sex daze?”
“It’s about time!”
“Holy shit.”
I make a face at all of them. “Okay, it’s not that crazy.”
“He just got into town,” Renzo says.
“Right, but we’ve been talking on the phone for over five weeks. Every. Single. Day. Before that, we spent nearly two months together, either physically together, or again, on the phone. So it’s not just sex. I know him. He’s opened up so much to me. We developed this amazing friendship.”
“The age difference doesn’t bother you?” Ronan asks.
“No. I hardly think about it. I guess you can tell we’re not the same age, if only because he mainly dresses in suits and I’m still a jeans type of guy, but it’s not like he’s got white hair and wrinkles. He’s in his early forties, which is hardly old. Just older than us. And he’s so fucking hot it makes me sick. People will trip all over themselves to get a piece.”
They laugh at that.
“So, are you gonna tell him?” Dom asks.
“No!” I drag the word out as I arrange dishes on my kitchen counter. “No way. I’m not about to freak him out.”
A knock on the door has me scrambling around the counter, heading through the living room. My friends laugh at my excitement but I ignore them. When I turn the knob and yank the door open, my lips pull into a wide smile.
He ditched the suit and came in a pair of dark blue chinos and a white Polo shirt. His eyes sparkle when he sees me, and I can almost read the lewd thoughts behind them as he looks me up and down.
“Hey.”
My teeth sink into my lip before I respond. “Hey.”
He leans in for a kiss, his hand gripping my hip.
“Ahem,” an obnoxious Renzo says from behind.
I roll my eyes. “Brace yourself.”
After closing the door, we walk the few steps to the kitchen area where my friends congregate around the food I have out.
“This is Renzo, Ronan, Dominic, Trevor, and Dex.” I turn and glance back at my man, standing confident with an easy smile. “This is Aleksander.”
He shakes each of their hands, offering a nice to meet you or how are you to each of them.
“So, you’re the one,” Renzo says with a sly grin.
Alek drapes an arm over my shoulder, his other hand dipping into his pocket. “Which one is that?”
“The one that got our Jayden to settle down,” Zo says with a wink in my direction.
I throw him a look, but Alek chuckles, glancing at me. “Maybe I made him want to settle down, but he made me want to live. I suppose we’ve both done something for the other.” When everyone, including me, is stunned silent, Alek laughs. “I wasn’t one to want to settle down until him either. I guess it was kismet.”
I stare at him for several seconds before I plant another kiss on his lips. He’s gonna make it hard to keep those three little words from slipping.
“You see?” I say to my friends, hoping they understand why I feel the way I do.
“What?” Alek asks, a grin on his face.
“Oh, yeah,” Trevor answers, as a few of them nod along.
“I feel like I’ve been left out of something,” he muses, not offended in the slightest.
I laugh. “Don’t worry about it. Food is done, by the way. I don’t have seven seats at my dining room table, so four of us can eat there while the other three eat at this little bar.”
Dex, Dom, and Trevor sit at the bar while Ronan, Renzo, me and Alek sit at the table. Everyone is still in the same area, because it’s not like the apartment is huge.
“You made this?” Alek asks.
“Well, kind of. Ronan and Zo came over early and helped.”
“It’s good,” Alek says, taking another bite of the chicken parmesan pasta.
“Nothing fancy. Don’t expect me to be Chef Boyardee.”
He laughs. “I won’t. I’m hardly a cook myself.”
Conversation ebbs and flows, but it never feels awkward. We always find something to talk about, and the guys ask him questions about his work while he takes interest in what they’re doing now that they’ve graduated. Well, Ronan’s still in college, but he talks about his job and his future plans.
After a couple hours, once dinner is long gone, we hang out in the living room, watching TV, but mostly just talking. I can’t explain how good it feels that everyone seems to get along.
Eventually, my friends start getting up, giving us time alone. Alek shakes everyone's hand again, and once the door closes after they’ve gone, I let out a breath.
“I think they like you.”
“Good,” he says with a grin from the couch. “Now come show me how much you like me.”
“Oh, it’s a whole lot. I’m not sure I have the capability,” I tease.
“I look forward to the effort then.”
Before I get to the couch, my phone dings multiple times. I open it up and see the messages from our group chat.
Zo: He seems like a good guy. I’m happy for you.
Dom: Tell Mr. Missionary that I approve.
Dex: You definitely seem to be in love. Congrats, bro.
“I can confirmthat they like you,” I say, flashing him the phone as I sit next to him.
He studies the screen, holding the phone in place so he can read them. His eyes linger longer than they should need to considering they’re all short messages. I realize he’s probably dissecting Dex’s text.
His eyes flicker up to mine and he offers me a sexy smile. “Hmm. I think I like them, too. Might need to talk to this Dom about my nickname.”
I laugh, dropping the phone to the cushion. “You’re probably stuck with that one.”
“Then I guess the only thing to do is bend you over this couch and have my way with you. Can’t do missionary now.” He leans in and nips at my lip. “But about that other message.”
“Hmm?” I murmur, scooting down, allowing him to settle between my legs.
“You know the one.”
His lips skate across my neck before he bites down on my earlobe.
“Renzo’s?” I ask, playing dumb as I rub his back with my hands. “He likes you.”
“Mmhmm,” he murmurs, kissing down to my collarbone. “The other one.”
“Dex?” I ask breathily, lifting my hips in an attempt to get some friction.
“Does he know something I don’t?” he questions, his tongue licking up the middle of my throat, over my Adam’s apple, until he kisses my chin.
“What do you mean?”
I wrap my legs around him, wanting him closer.
“Don’t play games with me, Jayden,” he growls, sending a shiver up my spine.
“I didn’t say anything definitive,” I reply, kissing his lips. “Just thoughts.”
“Any thoughts you want to share with me?”
“I don’t know,” I reply honestly.
“Well,” he says, punctuating it with a kiss before easing back into a sitting position. “I have some thoughts.”
My pulse spikes and my stomach clenches. I scramble up to sit next to him, both nervous and excited. “What kind of thoughts?”
He holds my hand in his as we face each other. “As you know, I’ve never done the relationship thing, therefore I’ve never allowed myself the opportunity to know what true, deep feelings are like. However, during our separation this last time, through all the conversations, and knowing what it feels like to not have you, I started wondering if this was it. How do you know?” he muses, eyes vulnerable. “I kept asking myself that. How do you know? Well, I guess I knew when I came back for the festival. For you.
“You see, I spent that time talking to my therapist, warring with myself, and missing you. I didn’t want to be without you. I loved who I was when I was with you. I loved that you made me challenge myself, and how I wanted to be better for you. I was happier when we were together and miserable when we were apart, and if that isn’t love, then I guess I don’t know what is.”
My breath leaves my lungs in a rush. “You love me?”
He grins, squeezing my hand. “Was that not clear?” he says with a laugh.
I stutter, looking for words. “I mean, I guess I didn’t think you...I don’t know. I’m surprised. I didn’t want to scare you. I wasn’t sure where you were at, but if I’m being honest, I wondered if you did when we were in Chicago at my parents house. The things you said, and my mom reiterating everything you were doing and giving up for me. How could I not see it? But you have to know how much you mean to me. For the first time in my life, I felt content, and I know that seems like a mediocre word, but I never felt satisfied and fulfilled, you know? Until you. I was my happiest with you. I never felt more at home, even in a hotel.”
“God, I love you,” he says, hand going to my neck, bringing me in for a kiss.
I pull away. “I love you, Alek. More than I can properly explain, but I do.”
We come together again, our mouths connecting, tongues tangling, souls entwining.
Tonight, we make love.
