“What?” It comes out louder than I expected. Lowering my voice, I slide around the banquette, moving closer to Felix. “No. Absolutely not. Felix, I care about you. We might not have, uh, had the most conventional path to friendship, but I count you as a friend now. I empathize with your current situation, I’m attracted to you, and I want to help if I can, but there’s definitely a benefit for me in my offer. I’m worried that you’ll feel pressured or like you don’t have other options, which would make me the worst kind of scum for preying on?—”
He cuts me off with his mouth on mine, a hard, clumsy kiss, what with our awkward positions and me being midsentence. But his hand comes up to cup my cheek, and his lips are soft and warm, and the rush of tingling adrenaline that courses through my body does not care that this isn’t a technically perfect kiss. It’s perfect anyway.
When he finally pulls back, we’re both breathing hard and shakily. Felix swallows and looks me in the eye.
“Was that okay?”
I nod. “Very okay. So much okay.”
He nods too. “Good. Okay. Um. I’m gonna need a minute. Could you go back over there and not touch me for a bit?”
“We can leave,” I offer, but he shakes his head.
“No. I want to eat this food and enjoy this evening with you.” There’s a determined bite to his voice, but his face is miserable.
I start to slide back, glancing around to see if anyone was offended by us making out in public—too bad if they are—but nobody seems to have even noticed. In fact, tucked away in thebooth, we’re pretty shielded from prying eyes. I can’t even really see any of the other patrons—an arm here and there, the back of a head, the corner of a table, sure, but not faces.
The idea that takes shape in my mind makes my old self cringe in horror. It makes professional me shake my head. But the me who only cares about Felix’s comfort and well-being thinks it’s an excellent idea.
“What if I help you out with that?” I offer quietly, making a telling gesture before laying my hand on the tabletop. “Then we can finish dinner at our leisure.”
Felix’s eyes widen. “Ari,” he hisses. “You can’t mean… We’re in a restaurant!” But the longing glance he gives my hand tells a different story.
“Nobody’s paying attention,” I murmur, sliding closer again. “We’re so private and cozy here, and the tablecloth hides everything anyway. Let me take care of you.”
He’s tempted. “What if this is like a gateway drug?” he frets. “What if having sex in public once is a signal to my hormones that it’s okay, and I end up being one of those disgusting people who jerks off in the grocery store?”
One of those… what? This took an unexpected turn. “That’s not going to happen,” I promise. “We’re going to fix your hormones, remember? Regular sex. They won’t get so bad that you need to… jerk off in a grocery store.” I shake my head. “Not that you ever would, anyway.”
He bites his lip, teeth worrying at it, then heaves a huge sigh. “Will you kiss me again while you…?”
A smile takes over my mouth, tugging at the corners, and I lean in close to feather soft kisses along his jaw. “Of course.”
Color stains Felix’s cheeks. “I still feel like I should say no… but I don’t want to.”
“Does that mean…?”
His gaze meets mine. “Let’s defile this booth.”
Choking back a chuckle, I move to sit right beside him, our legs pressed together, then angle so my torso is facing him. I want to watch his face while we do this.
His breathing has already picked up pace, and I’ve barely touched him. Excitement races through me. If this is how he reacts to innocent contact, I can’t wait for what comes next.
I adjust the tablecloth, checking that it definitely hides what I plan to do to him, and then I lean in and brush my lips along the line of his jaw. His head turns immediately, and I capture his mouth with mine, not holding back. This isn’t the time for gentle kisses.
Felix clearly agrees, because he’s devouring me, and I fucking love it so much I barely realize I’m moaning.
As easy as it would be to spend the next hour kissing Felix, Kent’s probably going to check on us soon, and I refuse to give up this opportunity. So I break away from Felix’s delicious, puffy, wet lips and reach for the small bottle of olive oil that’s presumably supposed to be used for the bread.
It’s the work of seconds to get my right palm slicked up and Felix’s pants open, his underwear pulled down to give me all the access I need. I can’t see his dick—the carefully draped tablecloth is blocking my view—but I can feel the thick weight of it in my hand. I hope Felix’s hormones are in overdrive tonight, because I definitely want that in me later.
“Ready?” I murmur, capturing his earlobe between my teeth for a gentle tug.
“I’ve never been more ready,” he breathes, his voice raw and shaking. My poor Felix.
“Don’t worry, Fe. I’ll take care of you, nice and quick,” I promise. I begin with a slow, firm stroke, and he makes a choked sound that might have been a gasp, and then I set up a steady rhythm.
If I had the time he deserves, I’d slow the pace a lot and tease him more, but since I’m pretty sure Kent will be back any minute now, I keep my strokes quick. When my thumb grazes over the head, his breath hitches, so I repeat it, my eyes on his face as his mouth falls open. He’s so sexy, so fucking hot.
