Roommate Arrangement (Divorced Men's Club #1)(73)

Payne is smiling, and I’m finding it hard to know if that’s good smiling, or … The idea of Payne ever getting back together with Kyle is slim, but that insecurity is still there. He loved him at one point.

“Not working?” Payne asks.

I shake my head, and he does a double take.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, fine. Totally.”

His eyes are trained on me as he crosses the living room to stand in front of where I’m standing.

I swallow around the obstruction in my throat and force myself to meet his gaze. “Umm, hi.”

“Hello.”

“Did you have a nice day?”

“I did.”

Because … why? “Oh.”

He chuckles and takes my hand to lead me to the couch. When he drops down on it, he pulls me into his lap. “Isn’t me having a nice day a good thing?”

“Umm. Yes. Maybe. Well, it is, but it depends what was nice about it …”

“Well, you’re definitely not okay. What’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t start lying to me now, Bo-Bo.” Then he leans in and brushes his lips over mine. “Tell me.”

Relief flows through my body, and I grab a fistful of his shirt. “Ford said you went to Boston, and I was worried you were seeing Kyle and going to get back with him.”

“Huh.”

I bite my lip. “Did you?”

“See him or get back with him? Because if I did one of those things, I wouldn’t be holding you right now.”

“You went though?”

“I did.”

“And you didn’t, umm, tell me.”

“No. It was something I had to do for myself. I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t sure I’d get the outcome I wanted, and then you’d know I failed. I didn’t want to disappoint you. I thought I’d duck down there and back before you’d even know I was gone, then I could have surprised you with the good news.”

“Good news?” I ask hopefully. “You got him to sign the divorce papers?”

Payne’s grin is immediate and butterfly inducing. “I did.”

“Wow. It’s over. You … you never have to see him again. Shit. How do you feel?”

“Fucking incredible. He still had so much hold over my life, and now it’s over. Which means … now I can move on properly.” Payne’s low voice dips. “You’ve done something I never would have thought possible. When I left my old life behind, I’d been convinced that was it for me. All I wanted was to become a bitter, grumpy asshole who only ever wanted to rely on cheap hookups. And yet … here we are.”

“Cheaply hooking up?”

He presses a kiss to my forehead. “I trust you. More than anyone I’ve met. And my self-preservation is trying to warn me against it, but I can’t stop myself. You’re fun and quirky. You’re gorgeous and have a big heart. And I know I’m not in a position to offer you much more than, well, me, I guess, but if you still want me, baggage and all, then I’d like to see where this goes.”

“You are one stupid guy if you think that isn’t all I’ve ever wanted,” I say, cupping his face. My heart is in my throat. “But if this is too soon for you … if you think you need time to see what else is out there …” I wish I could force myself to shut up and take those words back, but even though it would kill me if he walks away now, it’d kill me more if he does it in a year or two because we happened too fast.

Payne kisses me again. “No. I don’t need to see what’s out there, when everything I want is right here. I was worried that maybe you were a rebound, and I didn’t want that for you, but after seeing Kyle, I’ve figured it out.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re the one who was always meant for me. And I’m sorry it took me so long to figure that out.”

I can’t hold back. Our mouths collide, and I moan at the contact and the way I’m able to actually do this. For real. Maybe forever.

“You’re mine?” I murmur against his lips.

Payne nods. “Just … promise you won’t hurt me.”

“I couldn’t. Ever. Not even if I tried.” I bury my fingers in his hair. “You’re perfect. I’ll remind you of that every day.”

Payne’s mouth finds mine again, and we sit there kissing until my cock hardens and needs to be touched. I squirm and start to whine.

“I need you.”

Payne wraps his arms around me and stands. “Oompf. You are not a light guy.”

“Maybe you’re just getting weak in your old age?”

“We’ll see how weak I am when I’m fucking you into the mattress.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

He chuckles because we both know I’m full of bullshit.

As he strips me down, kissing every bit of exposed skin he can, I lean into the touch. Knowing Payne is the one touching me wakens every nerve in my body. It doesn’t only feel incredible physically, but emotionally, I’m in heaven.

He lays me back, grabs some lube, then draws my cock into his mouth as he works me open. My fingers find their way into his hair, loving the things he’s doing with his tongue. The tightness, the heat, it’s where I want to be forever.