“Scout, darling, baby, please.” He groaned and tried to take my phone away, but I moved my arms out to avoid him.
“Peacock for Pride. That checks out. Sloth is a snail, ha, that’s kind of funny. Envy a snake.” I rattled them off, and Arsenio scowled at me.
“I don’t like this game.”
“You’re a lion.”
He perked up, and my eyes went wide. I was just taking a guess. He refused to tell me which sin he was. His eyes told me everything. He crossed his arms, and his eyes changed instantly. “Is that so?”
I nodded. “Yes. I think so. Gluttony is a pig. Lust is a goat. Greed is a toad, and-” I swallowed hard. “Wrath is a lion.”
“I see.”
Thick silence stretched between us.
“What makes you think I am not one of the other sins? I like snails.” He tried to keep a straight face, but his lips twitched at the corners. I laughed, and instantly the Arsenio I knew and adored was back.
“You are definitely not a snail. A lion fits you much better. You’ve got a gorgeous mane.” I ran my hand through his perfectly styled hair. I tussled it and leaned up to kiss his cheek.
“Flattery will get you nowhere.”
“Well, until you tell me otherwise, I have to assume.”
“You can assume whatever you’d like. I’m not telling you.”
He pulled me onto him, chest to chest, then poked my own chest tattoo.
“Why do you get to demand answers when I don’t get to ask about this?” He traced the lines of the thick scar only he knew was there. Much like him only moments before, I shut down.
“Fair enough. Do you want to watch a movie?” I rolled off of him when I felt him throb in his boxers against my thigh. He sighed. We hadn’t had sex in weeks, and we both knew why he had come here today. Still, it didn’t feel right anymore—Arsenio and me. I suddenly felt foolish in my sexy nightgown.
“I’ll probably just fall asleep. No movie. I’m exhausted.” He sighed and shifted away.
“Busy night?” I asked. I climbed out of bed and began shutting the lights off. I was ready to sleep too. He yawned and stretched. When I returned to bed, he pulled me into a snuggle, and we rolled into the spooning position.
“We were prepping for the next big event.” He revealed and quickly tightened his hold on me, as he knew the statement would make me react. I jerked but forced myself to relax. He hugged me tightly for a long minute before letting me go.
“Seriously?” I asked.
“Do we have to have this conversation every month?” He kissed my neck, trying to win back my favor. I wasn’t amused.
“It’s horrible.”
“To each his own. I’m making it something special this time. I invited Desiderio to experience it,” he boasted. I stiffened.
What?
I turned in his arms to look at him. “You can’t let him play.”
Desi had muscles. I had seen his thick-toned arms and his six-pack abdomen when he took his t-shirt off for me to wear the other night. Still, he was slim, and I’d seen the men who attended Arsenio’s events. The ones that played his game were massive. If Desi participated, he’d be smashed into the ground.
“I think you underestimate my friend. I’ve known Desiderio for many years. He can hold his own if need be.”
I opened and shut my mouth quickly. I had spent all day getting to know his friend. Desi would never play in those games.
“That’s the issue. He doesn’t need to hold his own in your basement. That—” I paused and waved my hand. “Is a choice.”
Arsenio sighed deeply and relaxed away from me, settling in for sleep. “I will not invite him to play. But if he asks, I will not stop him. Are you happy now?”
