“Don’t forget to mention you’re a massive pain in it.Maybe you’ll finally get that raise.”
“And here I was taking it slow as to not hurt you.”
Baz’s heart jumped at the implication that Sami—at least on some basic, animalistic level—cared.Not that he believed for one second that Sami had gone easy on him.
“Gotta say, though, you seemed to have one hell of a good time anyway.Am I detecting a bit of a pain kink?”Sami wiggled his eyebrows.
And he ruined it again.Baz grabbed the pillow from under his head and slammed it into Sami’s face with all the strength he could muster after having his brains fucked out.
“Hey!”Sami chuckled.He beamed brighter than a lighthouse guiding wayward ships to safety.Baz couldn’t help but lean in.He had never understood moths better.
“You deserved that.”
“I still haven’t heard you deny it.”
“Who can’t read clues now?”
“Baz, baby, I want you to know, this bed is a safe space.We can talk about what gets you going, and I will make fun of you, but it won’t leave this room.”His little finger traced along Baz’s.Baz ignored the tingle in his hand.
“You are insufferable,” he said, failing to put any bite into his voice.“No, I don’t have a pain kink, and no, you didn’t hurt me.But how nice of you to care.”
“That’s just the sort of kind, loving person I am.”Sami hummed.
“You are so full of shit.”Baz—well, he didn’t know exactly what sound he made.It couldn’t be a giggle because he didn’t go around giggling with his one-night stands (okay, two-night stand, but the point still stood).
“Oh, yeah?What are you gonna do about it?”Sami inched closer.He rolled on top of Baz’s chest, leaning in still.A round two, so quickly?Ambitious, but Baz never could resist a challenge.
He strained his neck to lift his head and met Sami’s lips halfway.Except that Sami didn’t devour him like he expected him to.The touch was… sweet.Sensual.
A thumb swiped over his cheek, leaving a burning trail on Baz’s skin.Even when Baz opened his mouth, Sami only lightly sucked on his bottom lip.So innocuous, so different from all the other kisses they had shared.
Baz would rather cut off a finger than admit it out loud, but… Sami was a good kisser.
He trailed the smooth, leathery patches on Sami’s arm.So firm, yet so soft under his fingertips.
“Boiling water,” Sami mumbled.The roughness in his voice sent a shiver down Baz’s spine.“Spilled it all over myself as a child.”
“Oh my god.You’ve always been an idiot.”
He could picture it too well—the mouthy kid ignoring his parents’ instructions and literally getting burned, screaming and crying, and not learning a thing from it.Other kids put their palms on the stove.Of course Sami had taken it a step further.
“I prefer ‘naturally curious,’ thank you.A trait that makes for great lawyers, by the way.”
Baz could think of several other adjectives, but sure.Curious, why not.“Must have been painful.”
“I don’t remember it, but apparently, I blacked out and gave my mother a heart attack.”
Baz had a feeling he used to do that a lot.Still might.
He traced over the point where the unharmed skin turned into scar tissue.He just couldn’t stop.
Sami explored him in turn.His thumb followed Baz’s cheekbone, his jaw.A simple touch like that had no business making his chest flutter.None of this did.Baz shouldn’t even know what it felt like to be touched by Sami.And yet, they had ended up here once more.Would again.Baz was a realist—Sami had never asked for permission, and he didn’t trust himself to slam the door into Sami’s face the next time any more than he did today.
No, abstinence wasn’t an option, not with someone this intoxicating.The second-best thing he could do was establish ground rules.
“You’re not gonna tell Ian.”
“Oh, no?”
