Tempt Me (Tattoos and Temptation #1) - Mia Monroe Page 0,43
He shakes his head, chuckling nervously. “God, I hope I don’t freak you out saying this, but I honestly believe that you were meant for me, Felix. This entire journey that I’ve been on led me to this moment. It feels so right. Yeah. That.”
A tear slides down my cheek. “It is a happy tear,” I explain with a smile as I brush it away. “I always thought you would only be a dream for me.”
“You’ve always liked me?”
“Always. You were how I knew I was gay.” I laugh. “My entire romantic experience has been shaped by memories of you. I have looked for someone who made my insides melt with a smile, like you do. Someone who looked at me the way you did even though I knew you saw me as a child, as just Lucien’s baby brother, but still, the way you looked at me made me feel special. Seen. I always wanted that, but I did not find it until you looked at me again.”
“Felix…”
“I would show you the cookies or cakes I made, and you would gush your praise and tell me how delicious they were. I was making them for you.” I blink away more tears. “I am so emotional because I never thought I could tell you these things. It feels so good to let them out.”
“I’m so honored. I did see you as special. You were funny and sweet and very talented. I kept the drawing you did of me, you, and Lucien on the porch. It’s in a box somewhere, but it made me smile so much that you would make that. Include me. I loved it.”
“You kept that?”
“Yeah.”
“That makes my heart sing. Merci, Apollo.”
He leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “No, merci, Felix, for sharing all of this with me.” He smiles. “I think we can really have something amazing here. Do you agree?”
“Of course.”
His smile grows, and thankfully I’m sitting, or I think my knees would buckle. “I’m so excited. You’re my first boyfriend.”
I laugh. “You are my best.”
“I’ll take that.” He kisses my hands again. “What do you want to do today? Can you hang out?”
“Yes. Can we get breakfast and go look at apartments?”
“Yeah, the guys usually brunch on Sunday mornings. Or do you want to be alone?”
“Brunch with friends sounds nice.”
“Cool.” He glances around the room for a second. “You could move in here, you know. I have space.”
My mouth falls open until clarity, thankfully, washes over me. “That is a beautiful idea, but I think I should get my own place for now. We are new at this and have more to learn. It’s only been a little over two weeks, no? We should not put all the eggs in one bush.”
Apollo scrunches his forehead. “What?”
“You know, if you have all the eggs in one bush...” I frown. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“No. Do you mean, don’t put all our eggs in one basket? Or maybe you meant, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush?”
I twist my lips. “Maybe I just meant we should go slow and be sure. Honestly, Apollo, I don’t want to be asked to be a roommate. If you ever ask again, I want it to be as your lover. Your partner.”
“I understand. I got ahead of myself.”
“It makes me feel good.”
“Okay, so I propose we grab some brunch, go apartment hunting, come back here, and you can teach me some more things with our clothes off.”
I smile. “Excellent proposal.”
An hour later, after a quick stop at my home so I could change clothes, we arrive at the restaurant where the guys are meeting for brunch. We take the two seats next to Tate and Nix.
“You look cool like that,” Tate says, acknowledging my hair pulled back in a messy bun, a beat-up T-shirt, and jeans.
“Thanks. I didn’t have time to get pretty.”
“You’re always pretty,” Apollo says, winking, as he studies the menu.
I laugh softly while picking out my meal. I’m starving, so I order a huge breakfast platter with pancakes, eggs, two kinds of meat, and potatoes. Apollo fills my mug with coffee.
“Merci.”
“You’re welcome.”
“So,” Tate says, nudging my arm gently. “About looking pretty. Can I just say that you were giving me life last night?”
“What do you mean?”
“I really like showing off my feminine side in private, and I would like to be braver in public, but I still hold back. You walking in like that last night, in heels and makeup, was