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Unacceptable.
It also wasa tell.This had been something bigger than a hot night with someone new for Auden. O’Neal meant more to him than he was admitting—maybe even to himself. If this was just about friendship, Auden would’ve had an adult conversation with her about not continuing to hook up. But he didn’t. He ran.
Which meant there was something scary to run from—and Len planned on finding out exactly what that was. Even if it meant Auden was going to be pissed.
In kink terms, Auden was a dominant. He didn’t switch like Lennox. But tonight, Mr. Dominant needed a lesson, and Lennox was ready to teach it. He glanced over at the gorgeous woman sitting next to him and smiled. A lesson and a willing partner in crime.
O’Neal kept surprising him at every turn. She was fire trapped under glass. Her upbringing had deprived her of the necessary oxygen, but now that she was out on her own, the flames were starting to grow. She couldn’t yet name what she wanted or desired or craved, but she let herself feel things, allowed herself to sink into those feelings when they happened.
Their kiss at the library hadn’t been tentative or shy. She hadn’t let her fear or inexperience hold her back. The sounds she’d made when he’d deepened the kiss had slid under his skin and singed him from the inside out. She was starved, and for one selfish moment, he’d wanted to be the one to throw all the kindling on that burgeoning fire, every stick and leaf he could find. To show her all the delicious ways that he could make her burn.
But Lennox knew his role.
O’Neal was attracted to him. He had her attention. But Auden had her heart.
Maybe she didn’t realize that yet, but Lennox could hear it when she said Auden’s name. She said it like a prayer. Plus, he could see it on her face. He knew what it looked like to love Auden Blake. He’d seen that look in his own mirror.
The difference for O’Neal was that she actually had a chance of Auden loving her back.
Lennox parked the car in the driveway and peeked over at O’Neal. “Ready?”
“I don’t know how to do this,” she said, staring up at the apartment like it was a gauntlet. “How am I supposed to act?”
Lennox squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. Just follow my lead. And if you want to stop at any point say…water.That you need to get some, drink some, whatever. That will be your way to say no to me.”
“Water.Okay. Got it.”
He took a breath. Never in his life did he imagine giving a woman a safe word who probably had never even heard the terms kink or BDSM before. He was mad at Auden for breaking the rules, but right now he was tiptoeing precariously close to crossing lines too.
He just had to hope he didn’t fuck it up and fall face-first into a bigger problem.
* * *
Auden slidthe pan of seasoned ground beef he’d cooked into the oven to keep warm for the tacos and slammed the door shut. He didn’t know how to cook many things, but when they got sick of pizza and sandwiches, he pulled out one of the few basic recipes his mom had taught him.So you won’t starve at college,she’d told him one day when she’d dragged him into the kitchen for lessons. Now, all he needed was for Lennox to get home so they could eat.
Tonight was supposed to be movie night, but they hadn’t had one since O’Neal had come over. Just the idea of a movie night made Auden’s shoulders bunch with tension. He glanced at his phone sitting idly on the counter.
He should call her. Talk. Explain why they couldn’t continue what they’d started.
He fuckingmissedher.
But like every other time he’d looked at his phone, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The thought of saying the words aloud and hurting her made him feel nauseous. He didn’t know how to apologize for crossing the lines that he had. He didn’t know how to explain why being with him was a bad idea. He couldn’t tell her that he was wired differently, that he craved things he’d never ask her to do. That he could never be the kind of guy she’d actually want to be with.
He groaned and grabbed a beer from the fridge, his appetite withering. Maybe he’d just leave the tacos for Len and go to bed. He headed into the living room, and the lock on the front door turned.
The door swung open and Len stepped inside, wearing a suit, which gave Auden pause. The guy could stop goddamned traffic looking like that. But before he could ask what was with the outfit, someone else stepped in behind him.
Auden froze, the sip of beer he’d taken burning back up his throat.The fuck?
Len shrugged out of his suit jacket and smiled. “Hey, Aud. Sorry, I’m a little late. I picked up O’Neal on the way for movie night. Hope you made enough for three. Smells great.”
O’Neal wasn’t smiling. She lifted a hand in a wary greeting. “Hey.”
Auden’s grip tightened on the beer bottle, a combination of panic and relief rising up inside him and battling for dominance. Panic, relief, and straight-up desire. He tried to ignore the fact that she somehow looked sexy in a loose pair of black cotton shorts and a gray Bennette U T-shirt. He didn’t have the right to have those thoughts about her anymore.
“Uh, hey. I didn’t know you were coming.”
Lennox glanced between the two of them. “Yeah, O’Neal said y’all hadn’t been in touch.”
