Bad Boy Ink (Get Ink'd #5) - Ali Lyda Page 0,55

I don’t know...you’re thinking twice about being with me.”

At that Aiden’s eyes widened, the hazel color leaning green and bright with delight. “No! Hell, no,” he added emphatically. “That’s not it again. I can’t wait for more being with you.”

My pulse quickened and my cock twitched. “Okay then, what was it?”

His nose crinkled, so adorable I had the urge to kiss the tip of it. “I overheard you talking to everyone and it made me realize what you must deal with every day. We talked about it at the park—how we’d judged each other. But I didn’t know until yesterday how much you get judged and how unfair to you that is. I mean, those guys love you and they still missed, like, this entire part of you.”

Aiden thrust his hands in his pockets, his shoulders rounded. “I did that, too. And I said I was sorry, but I want you to know how sorry I am for assuming the wrong thing about you. I feel like we’ve all punished you just for being a nice fucking guy.”

Laughter burbled up and I tried to suppress it but I couldn’t—I snorted. “I’m sorry! I appreciate it, I really do. That means...so much to me to hear that from you. But the wording… ‘nice fucking guy’ is a pun, right? Because they thought I was literally a nice guy busy fucking.”

Aiden tried to look irritated and rolled his eyes, but I saw him struggling to contain the laughter. Soon we were both laughing, shoulders bumping into one another while I walked him to the library.

At the bottom of the huge brick steps leading into the college’s library, I grabbed Aiden’s hand and tugged him close. Someone across the lawn whistled but I didn’t give a damn.

“Hey,” I said, pulling him flush to my body. The close proximity had me reacting instantly: semi-erect cock and heat rising to my skin. “Thank you.”

He pressed his forehead into my collarbone, fitting so nicely that I sucked in a breath. How could two people champing at the bit to beat the other fit together so fucking well?

“You said you wanted something special,” he said, his words muffled in my T-shirt. “Do you have an idea of what that would be for you? Who that could be for you?”

Was he...was he asking if I could get serious with him? My heart skipped a beat before thumping so loudly I was certain he’d hear it. A part of me could easily see Aiden in my future. He stimulated my mind as much as my body. He was whip smart and snarky and didn’t put up with bullshit. And he knew me now, in a way even my closest friends at the shop hadn’t. If that wasn’t special, I didn’t know what was.

But.

But it was so soon to think of anything serious. But there was still the job on the line.

I couldn’t know anything for sure, so I kissed the top of his head, his now short hair tickling my nose. “I have an idea. You’ll just have to stick around to find out the answer, I guess.”

Aiden made a tiny, content sound that sent a jolt of hunger straight to my cock. “Go,” I said, before I grabbed him and found a janitor's closet or empty classroom to nail him in. “I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

He groaned and pulled away from me with exaggerated reluctance. “Fine,” he huffed. “I suppose I can wait. But,” he added huskily, “not for long.”

16

Aiden

Thank God I listened to Bryce when he said we should make note cards. I tended to have a great memory and didn't think I would need any reminders for the case, but as we stood in front of an auditorium filled with my classmates, all ready to hear how we cracked our case—my mind was a complete blank.

Bryce stood next to me, solid as a pillar and just as supportive. If there weren't a hundred eyes locked on us, I'd probably be leaning on him. As it was, I was listening to him ramble through our introduction, grateful I wasn’t doing this alone.

If someone had told me I’d be thankful for someone’s help in school a year ago, I would have laughed in their face. And then looked at their bank accounts just to fuck with them.

But it turned out that cracking the case only earned us an A if we were able to present it to the entire class. There weren't many things I absolutely sucked that,