Free Waiting for Clark by Annabeth Albert

around us, and tried to tell him all that with my lips. Maybe I hadn’t realized these things back when we were kids, but I saw clearly now the person I wanted to be for Bryce. Part of me had been scared before, not ready to confront this thing between us, but I’d waited too long for this moment to shrink away this time.
    “I know you’re part iguana, but I’m roasting here.” Bryce laughed a bit uncertainly as he tugged me out of the steamy bathroom.
    He went right to the ebony wood nightstand beside the bed, rummaged through a drawer and tossed some things on the bed. The lube and condoms were interesting, for sure, but I was also interested in what else the drawer might contain. I peered over his shoulder, trying to see—
    “Stop that.” He shut the drawer firmly.
    “I want to see your toy collection.” I faked a pout. “I know you have one. I’ve always been too broke to afford the good stuff, but I figure you’ve got to own some impressive… collectibles.”
    As predicted, that got a good laugh from him. “It’s a drawer of sex toys, not rare action figures, and if you’re nice I might show you some things. Later .”
    Later. I liked the sound of that because it meant Bryce was thinking beyond tonight, even if he didn’t consciously realize it yet. I had no intention of letting him play this off as a momentary insanity thing, but that was a conversation for later as well.
    “Action figure sex toys might be wicked cool though. I could think of a few uses for a light saber…” I gave him a wink as I bounded onto the bed. After so many years of making do with a single, Bryce’s giant king felt like an island paradise, and I barely restrained my urge to bounce and roll. “Now get over here.”
    He laughed. “You’re different than… Never mind.”
    “What? You expected me to be boring in bed?” The muscles in my neck jumped. Didn’t he know me better than that?
    “Nooo.” He stretched out next to me, less tense than he’d been in the bathroom. “Well, maybe a bit. You’ve always been so… buttoned up. But it’s more the… forcefulness I didn’t expect.”
    “You’re not complaining.” I didn’t make it a question. I could see from his straining dick and the deep gold of his eyes that he liked it when I took over, even if the quirk of his mouth said he wasn’t too happy about how much he liked it.
    I pushed on his shoulders until he was flat on his back, then lowered my mouth to his. The needy way he met my mouth made me growl low in my throat. So much barely contained hunger. He could easily seize control, devour me, but instead he made little impatient noises while I licked my way into his mouth. Slowly. Just to torture both of us, and maybe also to prove that we’d go at my pace and he’d like every second of it.
    Pulling back to breathe, I let my hands wander over his fuzzy chest, trail over his mesmerizing tattoos. I’d known him with far less fuzz and acres of golden skin— a teenager’s body belying his deep voice and strong facial features. But this Bryce had grown into himself. The tattoos totally fit who he was, and I wanted to spend hours tracing them with my tongue. All man. All mine.
    With anyone else, this was the point when I’d ask how they liked things, but with Bryce I simply watched. If I paid attention, he’d show me what he liked, even if he couldn’t put it in words. Sure enough, after a few moments of me stroking his chest, Bryce grabbed his towel, spread it next to him and wordlessly flipped over on to it.
    “You planning to catalog the exact colors of my tats all night?” His tone was all brash, but his feet twitched restlessly.
    “Nope.” I remembered what he’d responded to in the shower and nipped at his shoulders, biting and licking my way down his spine.
    “Better be writing a check you plan to cash.” His voice was a low rumble. His glutes twitched as I moved between his legs. Yup. One only had to be observant with Bryce. And patient.
    I