the swell of his ass cheeks, dripping into his crease. I pant and moan, slowing my strokes but unwilling to stop staring at how perfectly debauched Ranger looks covered in my release.
I shuffle off him and get a towel to clean him up. Even if it should be illegal to clean up such a pretty, pretty mess.
“Wait,” he grunts.
“I’m going to get a towel.”
“Come here first.” I crawl back up the bed and lie down next to him. He lifts his arm and drapes it over me, a smile on his lips, his face looking thoroughly relaxed, which I take as evidence of a job well done. “I’m a little crazy about you too,” he says. My heart leaps into my throat. Before I can try to backtrack or reassure him I didn’t mean anything serious by it, he presses a soft kiss to my lips. “Lie here for a few minutes. Then we’ll shower together again. I liked that.”
“I liked that too.” I kiss him one more time, then rest my forehead against his, closing my eyes, and sink into the moment while it lasts.
23
Ranger
“What does it mean when a guy tells you he’s kind of crazy about you?” I blurt out as soon as Lucky picks up. I’ve only been contemplating that very question for the last forty-eight hours, trying to play it cool with Julian while at the same time panicking every time I think about him.
I hear someone talk in the background. “It’s Ranger. Go back to sleep, Mase,” Lucky says softly, and I can hear him walk away.
Oops. I cringe. Guess I should’ve checked the time before I called him at seven in the morning on a Saturday. In my defense, I’ve been awake for two hours already. Apparently, that’s what happens when you go to sleep at nine. Who fucking knew? I’ve done my yoga routine, greeting the sun and all that crap, and I’ve even had breakfast already. Major points for adulting today.
“I love you, but why the everloving fuck are you calling me at the ass crack of dawn to talk about your love life?” Lucky mutters, still sounding like he’s half-asleep. That won’t last long. We’re the same: instantly awake. “You couldn’t wait until a more godly hour? What are you doing up anyway?”
“Sorry? I forgot to check the time.”
“Are you okay?” Lucky’s voice is sharp now, and I feel awful.
“I am. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Want me to call back later?”
He scoffs. “Like I could fall asleep again now. I’m already making coffee, so spill.”
“I’ve been sleeping better…getting up earlier as a result.”
“That’s great, but not the kind of spilling I meant. Who said he was kind of crazy about you? When did it happen, and why is it a problem?”
Calling my brother was a spectacularly bad idea, wasn’t it? I’m never gonna hear the end of this. What the fuck was I thinking? “Julian.” I resign myself to the inevitable.
“Ah. You took my advice about having some casual fun with him.”
“Yes.”
“And was that statement uttered with a clear state of mind, or can you attribute it to the throes of passion?”
I snort. “Have you been reading romances again?”
“I’ll have you know I’m intimately familiar with the throes of passion. In fact, last night we—”
“Yeah, yeah. I believe you. Don’t need details, man.”
“Damn. Just when I was about to give you a play-by-play…”
I shudder, even though I know damn well he’s messing with me. “Can we focus on me again?”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
Right. The throes of passion. “I don’t think it qualified.”
“Want me to make sure? Just say the word…all the words, in specific detail. This is one area where I won’t mind you being long-winded.”
God, he’s such an ass. But I don’t know who else to ask. “He was giving me a massage.”
“With a happy ending?”
I think back on the unforgettable feeling of Julian’s fingers in my hole, electrifying my spine, my balls, my dick. Some of the details are a little hazy. It was impossible to pay proper attention, what with him leading me straight to paradise’s door, but I’m pretty sure I shamelessly fucked myself on his fingers. Hello, prostate, nice to meet you. I clear my throat. “A very happy ending.”
“Was it good?”
“Yeah.”
“And he told you he liked you.”
“He said he was kind of crazy about me…and I said I was a little crazy about him as well. And now I’m wondering what that meant and what the fuck is happening here.”
“It sounds to