Sami’s smile was so delicate, so breathtaking, it ought to be persevered in a museum for the admiration of generations to come.
“Really?”
Strange thing to seek validation for.Good thing sanity had never taken up much room in their relationship.“Sure.”
“Thank you.”Sami’s voice was barely more than a breath, as tender as his thumb tracing Baz’s cheekbone.
Sami tugged at his shirt, begged him closer.Even as they kissed, he remained passive, so… vulnerable.The urge to swaddle him in a blanket and hold him until whatever burdened him lost its power overcame Baz.He resigned himself to gently scratching Sami’s scalp instead.
“Anyway,” Sami mumbled, his eyes closed.“It’s your turn.I’m feeling lazy.”
How could he talk about turns when something was upsetting him?Sex, even as great as theirs, didn’t fix everything.
“Did something happen?”
Sami’s eyebrows jumped up.His cheeks turned red.“Eh.No.Just a long day.”
“Oh,” Baz muttered.It didn’t feel like enough.What was the protocol when the guy he had sworn to hate showed up to their hookup sad?“Do you, maybe, wanna talk?”
People loved talking about emotions, didn’t they?It seemed to help in the movies.
“No,” Sami whispered.Before Baz could argue, his lips got squashed under Sami’s—harder, more desperate.Still… wrong.
Baz pulled back, keeping both arms wrapped around Sami’s lower back.“Are you sure?”He could see the battle in Sami’s eyes, saw the bob of his throat when he swallowed hard.
“It’s just…” Sami pressed his lips together, just for a second.Baz pictured himself freeing the soft skin, white under the pressure, from the abuse.“Ian.He’s a world-class dick.”
The only news here was that Sami seemed upset by that.“You said I’m a dick too.”
“But you’re the fun kind I can tease and have a good time with.He’s the lowball-a-bunch-of-kids-with-cancer type.”
Did Sami just admit that he knew Baz was on the right side of this case?
“Is that a conscience I see?”
“Shut up,” Sami chuckled.It ran out of steam too quickly, too heavy to reach its usual melodic heights.
“What did he do?”
Sami tilted his head down.His vacant gaze focused on something that wasn’t there on the floor.His forehead was so close… Oh, what the hell.They were about to do nasty things with each other.Baz brushed his lips over the hot skin to smooth out the wrinkles.
Sami’s arms tightened around his middle.More and more of his weight melted against Baz as Sami buried his face in the crook of Baz’s neck.His scruffy beard tickled Baz’s skin.
Oh.
Hesitantly, ready to withdraw at any second should he cross a line, Baz stroked up his back, his neck, then sank his fingers back into the thick hair.He wished he could tell Sami everything would be okay, but he didn’t want to risk lying.
For a long moment, neither of them moved.Then, Sami sighed.
“He has two rules.‘Screw ups will not be tolerated,’ and ‘every screw up is Sami’s fault.’Some days, he’s worse than others.That’s all.”
That was exactly the kind of unjust, tyrannical boss Baz had pegged Ian for.The kind of person he had taken Sami for, too, though he could see now that he had been wrong.Even Sami deserved better.
“Why don’t you quit?”
Sami peeled himself out of Baz’s embrace.“It’s not that simple.”His tone rammed an icicle into Baz’s heart.He hadn’t meant to make it worse!
“Okay.Sorry, it’s none of my business.”
