Page 53 of Open Liner
When I pulled back, Rory was watching us intently. He fit the tattoo shop vibe, dark hair, gauges, and covered in tattoos. He was a slender twink with a glint in his eyes, who looked like nothing but trouble, and I could see at once why he and August got along—complete opposites.
“I approve,” Rory said. “I’d give you the don’t hurt him speech, but you’re both consenting adults and can figure out your own shit.” He snagged his keys with a jangle. “With that, I’m off to let you fuck like bunnies.”
August opened his mouth in protest, and I placed my finger over his lips.
“Thanks.” I winked back, and Rory let out a bark of a laugh.
“This one’s a keeper, Auggie,” he called back as he headed for the door.
The second it shut with a click, I sank into the seat beside August. “As much as I want to fuck your brains out right now, I think we need to talk first.”
He straightened in his seat, his eyes growing wide.
“Nothing bad, I swear,” I said, lifting my hands. “In fact, the opposite of bad, I hope.”
“I’minlovewithyou,” August blurted out.
“Wait, what?” My brain tried to parse the words, not daring to hope they were what I thought I’d heard.
His cheeks reddened, and he ducked his head. “I’m in love with you.”
Butterflies erupted inside me, giddiness lifting me up like champagne bubbles. I tilted his chin up so his eyes met mine. “Well, then, lucky me. Because I’m in love with you too.”
“No shit?” He tilted his head to the side, those hazel eyes widening.
A laugh burst out of me. Fuck, he was so cute. “Yeah, baby. In case it wasn’t completely obvious, I’m gone on you. I thought relationships were too difficult to bother with. That no one would be able to deal with me as-is, and you swept in and proved me wrong. Everything with you is easy in a way I’m not used to. You just get me like no one else has managed to.”
“Are you sure I’m not too needy?” August asked. “It’s been an issue before.”
I stroked my thumb over his lower lip, and he let out a puff of air.
“Nah. You’re perfect for me. I didn’t realize how much I was missing out on until I met you.”
He swallowed hard and leaned in to press his lips against mine. I savored the kiss, the sweetness that trickled through me like honey. Iwove my fingers through his hair, loving the way he responded, how he melted for me. I climbed onto his lap, straddling him as I kissed the hell out of my man. I loved that we were so close in size, that I could perch here without breaking him.
He wrapped his hands around my waist and returned every kiss with a ferocity that promised he meant everything he’d said.
When we broke for breath, the smile he gave me was radiant.
“So does that mean you’re my boyfriend?” he asked, chewing on his spit-slicked lower lip.
“Hell yes,” I said, pecking another quick kiss on his lips. Euphoria burst through me, and I couldn’t bother containing it.
He wrinkled his nose. “What are we going to tell your sister?”
I sucked in a breath. This was what I’d struggled with the entire time I’d been attracted to August and quickly falling, but I’d come to terms with it at last. “That you’re mine. Serena’s reasonable to a fault—if anyone could handle this news, it’d be her.”
“You’re not wrong there,” August said with a grin. “I think our breakup was the most chill thing from her end.”
“Yeah, that wouldn’t fucking happen with me,” I growled. “You’re not going anywhere, get that?”
He beamed back at me. “God, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”
Those words sank right into the core of me. All the times I’d never felt like enough, second rate, the backup option.
But August treated me like a first choice. Like I mattered to him as much as he mattered to me. And damn, I was obsessed.
“Same,” I admitted, brushing my thumb against his pretty lower lip again. “I’m so fucking glad Serena sent me over here to bring your stuff back.”
