Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 119011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Just like they had with Zolt.
What really freaked Leo out was what that act could change in him. If he crossed that line in the sand, what would that say about him? Where would that lead him? What would he become?
As if his life wasn’t complicated enough.
He was so lost in thought, smelling the dusty air of the parking lot that the door opening behind him made him flinch. But it was just Zolt.
The moon was high in the sky above the naked hills, almost full, and when Zolt emerged out of the shadow and into its cool glow, Leo found himself frozen to the asphalt, staring at the firm chest covered by a thin layer of cotton, at the way the front of his pants clung to his crotch, at the intense color of his blue eyes.
He felt like he should say something, but didn’t know how to produce speech.
Zolt cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head, his casual posture oozing masculine confidence even in this brief moment outside of the pawn shop. “Look, I gotta ask… do you actually mind all the comments, or is this some pretend-offense?”
Leo’s first instinct was to play it cool, like he would have if his brothers teased him. “Of course I don—” Halfway through the sentence, it occurred to him that Zolt was here because he wanted to know, and offering him lies would have been counterproductive, “No, you know what? I do fucking mind it. It’s not on.” Leo had to take another drag of smoke to calm the rage buzzing inside him now that he’d been reminded of what happened inside. “I wouldn’t let my friends tease a chick like that. It’s fucking bullshit. I can’t exactly punch them, ‘cause they’re your friends, at your house, but I’m sick of this crap.”
Zolt’s features twitched into a tense mask, and he crossed his massive arms over his chest. He was quiet for several moments but met Leo’s gaze in the end. “Sorry. I suppose I’m being petty, and I enjoyed seeing you squirm back there more than I should have.”
Leo got so blindsided by the honesty of that answer that he didn’t know what to say for a while. “Have I now been punished enough?”
Zolt’s eyes narrowed, but as he took a step closer to Leo, the corners of his mouth turned up, stretching the small scar that never stopped fascinating Leo. “We shall see. But I’ll tell them to turn it down a notch.”
“Thanks. I mean… seriously. Even if I was gay, I wouldn’t be into fisting.”
“Oh, so you actually know what that is!”
Leo snorted and pushed at Zolt’s arm. So ridiculously sturdy. “I’m straight, not a prude.”
Zolt captured his gaze from up close and leaned forward, as if he were to make a move on Leo again. But no. He stepped back and took himself out of Leo’s personal space, leaving behind a void Leo couldn’t quite put his finger on. “So there’s more to you than a boy scout in biker gear?”
Leo smirked, enjoying the smoke in his lungs, but his thoughts stubbornly went back to the way Zolt’s lips had tasted of whisky. He was pathetic. “It’s smart to have people underestimate you, but I’m surprised you still do.”
Zolt licked the scar. “I don’t know you that well. But maybe I will, since you’re staying indefinitely.”
Leo nodded. “No way around it. We’re stuck together.”
And no matter how dreary that seemed, Leo was excited rather than nervous. Something about Zolt had piqued his curiosity from the start, and it wasn’t just his muscles or the low, sexy voice. Leo wanted to know how his days looked, who he was when the shutters of his shop went down and he sat on that sofa to play video games.
But most of all, he wanted to know about the scar that had felt so soft against Leo’s lips.
Chapter 8 - Leo
Zolt had been true to his word, and with the exception of the occasional dirty joke, his friends behaved themselves for the remainder of the night. Once the atmosphere loosened up, Leo finally focused on the console game and even ordered pizza for everyone. But at two in the morning, with all the guests gone, Zolt’s presence in the same room was like someone clicking their pen time and time again. Next to Leo’s face.
Zolt hadn’t asked him for help with the clean-up, but Leo was eager to pull his weight and quickly washed the dishes while Zolt took out the trash and used some kind of air freshener to dull the thick odor of tobacco. The smoke had nowhere to go but into the ventilation system—since there wasn’t a single window in the apartment.
“Did you meet all of them at the gym?” Leo asked, because the silence was making him twitchy.