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“I like it when you touch me,” I whispered as his hand travelled from my cheek to the bare skin at my neck. I heard him inhale right before he bent and pressed his mouth to the exact spot he just caressed. I trembled, and he kissed me again, sending a bolt of arousal shooting through my body.
“Shay,” I whimpered, and then his mouth was on mine, and I closed my eyes. His kiss was gentle that time, explorative where earlier it had been shocking and full of need. His hand swept around to cup the back of my neck, while his other hand went to my waist, pulling me close. His lips were soft, his taste drugging, and I found myself falling into the sensation.
Our tongues met in a gentle dance, and his breathing turned gruff as his arm tightened around me like a steel vise. I felt captured, imprisoned in the very essence of him, a place I was quite happy never to leave.
The kiss deepened but then gentled once more, and finally, he released me. We both were breathing heavily, and my eyes fell to his bed. I wanted to lie down with him and let him kiss me for hours, but his dad was right downstairs, obliviously watching the television.
Shay’s eyes followed mine to his bed, and he sent me a desperate look like he was begging me not to give him ideas. For some reason, it caused a soft laugh to escape me.
“Don’t worry,” I murmured. “I wouldn’t dream of going near your bed with your dad downstairs.”
A breath left him, like a silent groan. He’d left his phone downstairs, so he went to his desk and snagged a scrap of paper before scribbling something for me to read.
What if he wasn’t downstairs?
Now, I chuckled, and Shay smiled that heart-stopping smile of his. I swiped him gently on the shoulder, exhilarated by his flirting. “It’s still his house. It wouldn’t be right.”
Something in his heated expression said he disagreed with me. I needed to change the subject; otherwise, I might give in and drag him to his bed anyway. Remembering the odd exchange between him and Rhys during dinner, I asked, “What was the app Rhys was talking about earlier?
Shay’s expression seemed hesitant like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell me about it. Finally, he picked up the scrap of paper and wrote, It’s a text to speech app. He suggested it as a way for us to communicate more freely.
I felt a headache coming on when I managed to decipher what he’d written, though I couldn’t tell if it was because of my dyslexia or from what it inferred. If Rhys was suggesting a text to speech app, then that meant Shay must’ve told him about my reading difficulties. The familiar shame swept in, and I found it hard to breathe for a second.
Suddenly, my brain was concocting all sorts of scenarios, like Rhys scoffing at me being a grown woman who couldn’t read very well, or him and Stephanie out with their friends, laughing about the ridiculous situation of a woman who couldn’t read seeing a man who couldn’t speak.
I tried telling myself it was my own lack of self-esteem that created these fictional scenarios. That in real life people were far more understanding of learning difficulties. But I still couldn’t shake the feeling of being exposed when I hadn’t given permission. I was unhappy with Shay telling his cousin about me when I’d told him about my dyslexia in confidence.
I blinked to dispel the moisture forming in my eyes, my nose stinging in a way that told me tears weren’t far behind. My hands shook a little, and I plastered on a smile that wobbled at the edges as I tried to disguise my upset. “An app like that could certainly be useful for us. I better get going.”
Leaving his room, I hurried down the stairs, grabbing my coat and scarf before he had the chance to help me with them. I noticed him picking up his own coat, so I turned to him, placing a hand lightly on his chest, “No, I … I’d like to walk home alone today if that’s all right.”
His eyes were questioning, his expression falling at my statement. I hated myself at that moment, but I needed some time to untangle my feelings. Shay might not have understood my need to keep things about myself private. Rhys was his cousin and one of his closest friends, someone he obviously liked to confide in. But my secrets weren’t his to share, and I didn’t know how to explain that to him right then, so I needed to go.
Shay opened the door for me, and I stepped out. His expression was still crestfallen as I turned to him. “Please let your father know I appreciated you both having me for dinner again.”
