loved their strength and roughness. Ben swallowed and cleared his throat. His eyes darkened as he watched Dae’s fingers strum their song on his hand. Dae turned it over and stared down at his palm as he grinned to himself.
“Hmm, you have a long lifeline—go you—but this love line looks a little…neglected. It tells me you’re rather depleted in the sex department. You prefer a relationship to a casual fuck, and you’ve still to find the man who satisfies you. I also see a man, close to you, who desires you and wants to fulfil your desires.” He traced the faint love line on Ben’s palm gently. “You deserve to have a special someone in your life to keep you sated.”
He looked up at Ben’s wide-eyed gaze and congratulated himself on being so wily.
“Wow, you can see all of that in my palm? I’m impressed. I mean, who knew?” Ben withdrew his hand and reached for his mobile. He dialled a number.
“What are you doing?” Dae asked in confusion.
“Calling Ryan to make sure we’re on for Friday. I mean, if I’m meant to be with him, then I suppose I should do a little wooing before I get laid on Friday.” The phone rang on the other side.
“What the fuck?” Dae sputtered. “That’s not what I meant at all. Terminate that call immediately.” He reached for the mobile, but Ben held it away, chuckling.
“You can’t tell me to go for my dream then take it away from me. What kind of genie are you?”
“Djinn,” Dae fumed. “Now hang up. I wasn’t talking about Ryan, that little shoodlepopper.”
“Oh?” Ben raised one brow in amusement. “Then who were you referring to?” He sniggered. “And what the hell is a shoodlepopper?”
Dae finally grabbed the phone and held it to his ear in triumph. “Hah, if that upstart answers, I’ll—”
He was interrupted by a broad East London accent. “Hey, Ben, what’s up? You calling me for a booty call?”
Dae stared at the phone in horror as he saw Ben in splutters of laughter, bent over in mirth. “A booty call? Who the hell is this?”
Ben recovered enough to snatch the phone away and answer. “Hi, Darrall. Sorry, I must’ve pocket dialled you. Don’t mind my friend. He was trying to be clever, but it backfired.” He continued to have a conversation while Dae looked on in frustration. Finally Ben winked at him. “Cheers, mate. Nice to catch up. I’ll see you soon, yeah?” He rang off and laid his phone down, still chuckling.
Dae glared at him. “You son of a banshee, you set me up,” he said frostily. “You were never calling Ryan.”
Ben shrugged his shaking shoulders. “Sorry, but you were so into it, and I knew you were bullshitting me.” His chuckles subsided. A speculative expression crossed his face. “I’d love to know, though, who you were referring to in your Madam Zara impression. Was it perhaps you?” He stood up and moved over to Dae, whose mouth had suddenly gone dry. He uttered a squeak as Ben reached out and caressed his jawline. Oh God, his fingers are as rough as I thought they’d be, and they feel incredible on my skin. His back grew warm as his tattoo came to life with the seductive touches.
“Am I allowed to accept your invitation? We’ve been living together for nearly a week and I think we both want whatever this is building between us.” Ben’s thumb ran along Dae’s bottom lip, his touch filled with a promise of more to come.
Dae hadn’t counted on Ben making the first move. The man standing before him, with a flash of heat in his eyes and his voice husky with want, was a world away from the often grumpy yet sexy individual he’d grown used to.
“Do you know I jerked off in the shower this morning thinking about you? You were lying in my bed and I so wanted to move the covers away and see that gorgeous tattoo up close and personal.”
Underneath his flimsy gown, Dae’s cock swelled and brushed against the silk, making him groan in pleasure. On his back, skin fluttered and tickled as his tattoo responded to the caresses.
“You did? Why didn’t you call me to shower with you?” Dae’s nerve endings were on fire, synapses firing with pinpricks of welcomed heat.
Ben leaned in and nuzzled Dae’s neck. “I didn’t know if it was what you wanted. I’m not a man who presumes.” His lips brushed against Dae’s warm skin.
Dae closed his eyes