Faker - Sarah Smith Page 0,84
out into a string of pitchy giggles.
He pulls me into a hug. “You’re okay, then?”
The water seems to have restored a bit of the strength that Tate pulled from me just minutes ago, because I have the energy to push him back while still laughing.
“Of course I’m okay. I’m freaking fantastic. Tate Rasmussen, that’s one hell of a mouth you have on you.”
Gripping his chin with my hand, I pull his face to mine. Our foreheads touch, and he finally lets a smile break free.
“You had me worried for a sec.”
“The only thing you should be worried about is how I’m going to get you back for that.”
My free hand falls to the waistband of his gym shorts, which are highlighting his rather impressive hard-on. I begin to tug his shorts down, but Tate stops me with a soft hand on my wrist.
“Not tonight.”
“Why not?” I whine.
“This was enough for one evening. You should rest.”
“But what about you?” I point my eyes back down to his burgeoning erection. Even in the passing seconds, it loses zero steam.
“I’ll be fine.” Pink cheeks flank his flustered smile.
“I want to, though.”
“I do too. But tonight I wanted to just focus on you.”
I bite back my grin, but my face still heats. He is too good to be true. Again my gaze falls to his nether regions.
“Your concern is sweet, but I’m a dude. I’ve been waiting out boners since I was eleven.”
My head falls back in a laugh. In this moment, it’s like we’re horny high schoolers aching to round the bases.
When I turn my head, I catch a glimpse of a paper taped to one of his cupboards. A list of Ilocano words are printed on it, along with their English definitions. Manang (older female sibling or cousin). Ading (younger sibling or cousin). Wen (yes). Escuela (school). Ubbing (child).
I step away from him to get a better look. There’s a faint image in the background of the paper. As I move closer I realize it’s the backside of the android picture I pasted on his computer screen all those months ago.
“Why do you have this?” I point at it, stunned.
He swallows hard. “I thought it was funny, so I saved it.”
I lift an eyebrow at him. “So you could write Filipino words on it?”
“I’ve always wanted to learn,” he stammers.
I walk up to the dark cherry cabinet and touch the paper. “You could have fooled me. You looked pissed that day. I assumed you tore up the picture and threw it away.”
I turn my gaze back to him. He’s sporting that adorably flustered look again, only this time with crossed arms. I can’t believe he kept that android picture. And I can’t believe he’s teaching himself Ilocano.
“I’ll explain in the car. I should drive you home anyway.”
He grabs his keys from the kitchen counter and heads for the door. As much as I want to demand he carry me up to his bedroom this instant so we can finish what he started on the couch, he’s right. All of my limbs tingle, and I feel the faintest tinge of soreness at the lower part of my torso. My body has enjoyed enough thrashing pleasure for one evening, it seems.
Comfortable silence accompanies our drive back to my place. It’s the perfect time to bask in my afterglow.
“Teaching myself a different language is on my bucket list,” he says, parking behind my car in the driveway.
“Ilocano is an interesting choice. I would have assumed you’d choose Tagalog. It’s more widely spoken.”
“I can’t lie; you were my inspiration. I remember you saying to Will around the time I started at Nuts & Bolts that your family spoke Ilocano, not Tagalog.”
I can’t believe he remembered.
He turns off his car. With our heads leaning against the headrests, we turn to each other. The green and yellow glow of the dashboard lights bounces off his skin. He looks like a beautiful alien.
“You could have asked me, you know. I’d be happy to help you learn some phrases and vocab.”
“I was too nervous to ask when I started learning months ago. Introvert problems. Like you said before, I’m a loner to a fault.”
“I never said it was a fault.”
The dashboard lights have faded, and now it’s the gleam of a nearby streetlamp hitting us. The silver-blond hair on his arms makes him shine like a diamond.
“You sure you’re okay with it?” he asks.
I frown at him. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not the most outgoing person