Starting from Scratch (Starting from 2)

“He’d tell me who I shouldn’t hang out with and what I shouldn’t be doing. Like I gave a fuck. After a while I got smart and started doing every stupid thing he told me not to, hoping he’d stay away for good. I got a nice long reprieve when I told him I was bi. He absolutely lost his shit. He walked out and didn’t come back until Mom died. And that was a whole other scene.” Ky released a long breath of air, then fell beside me on the sofa.

I reached for his hand unthinking and swiped at my eyes. “I’m sorry, Ky. I shouldn’t have pushed or—”

“Hey.” Ky held my chin and rubbed his thumb along my jaw. “Don’t do that. I’ve done my time in therapy too, you know. I’m okay. I’m not gonna let the ghosts win.”

“Good. I’m…thank you for telling me.”

“Well, you kinda didn’t give me a choice,” he said, tousling my hair good-naturedly.

“I’m the worst,” I admitted. “But tonight makes sense now. He sounds…troubled.”

“Maybe. Maybe he’s had an epiphany. I don’t know. And I don’t have the words to say how much I dislike him. I got nothing. Hate is too strong. I wish I felt nothing for him at all, but I’m obviously not there yet because there’s something in me that wishes he’d change back into the guy I thought he was when I was Ollie’s age. That guy was my hero. That guy gave a shit. At least I thought he did,” he huffed. “There’s nothing sadder than a fallen hero, Char. God, I don’t want to be him.”

“You’re not him,” I said vehemently.

“No. I’m not.”

I waited a beat then nodded. “I get why you didn’t leave me at the bar now. I’d want a buffer too. Even me.”

Ky narrowed his gaze. “What do you mean, ‘even you’? You’re the only one I would have wanted there.”

I cocked my head. “Why?”

“I trust you.” He squinted, then let out an awkward laugh. “The real truth is…I’m kinda crazy about you. I think about you way too much. I want to say it’s ’cause I’m curious about this physical thing between us, but it’s more than that. I like you. You’re passionate, funny, a little insane, but you’re still, um…reliable.”

“Reliable? That’s the worst compliment ever.”

I huffed, hiking my foot under me to give myself some leverage before I let him have it.

“I’m kidding. Hey, your foot’s on the sofa.” He tapped my shoe and gave me a mock scolding look that should have put us firmly back into our usual “coworkers who bicker” zone. I rolled my eyes as I toed off my left shoe.

“Better?” I waited for his nod before putting my socked foot in his face.

Ky caught my ankle, peeled my sock off, and tickled my foot before I could protest. I fell against the sofa and tried to kick him away, but he held on. He gave me a slight break when he grabbed my other foot and chucked off my shoe. Then he crawled between my open legs and started a new round of tickle torture. When I almost kicked him in the nuts, he climbed over me and captured my wrists, pulling them above my head.

“Truce,” he growled, bringing his face a little closer to mine.

I licked my lips, noting the way his gaze followed my tongue. He looked mesmerized and damn, I felt the same way. My breath hitched. I swallowed hard and willed myself not to wrap my legs around his waist and hump him. Bad idea. Don’t do it, don’t do it. But then he lowered himself over me, tilting his hips suggestively to grind his cock against mine. That was all the encouragement I needed. I opened my legs, tugged my hands free, and pulled him against me before fusing my lips to his.

We made out in a passionate collision that was equal parts give and take and flat-out ravenous hunger. Ky didn’t miss a beat. He drove his tongue inside my mouth, humming into the connection as he molded himself to me. I hiked my legs higher and lifted my hips as he wedged his hand under me, clutching my ass as he tongue-fucked me and gyrated against me rhythmically. When our tempo faltered, we concentrated on finding skin.

Ky bit my bottom lip and dragged his teeth over my jaw as he worked on the buttons of my oxford shirt. He yanked the hem from my khakis and reached for my belt buckle just as I untied the drawstring on his board shorts and slid my fingers under the fabric. I grabbed his ass cheeks and groaned at the feel of bare skin and delicious friction. His earlier boast about having a huge dick was certainly true. If I could just wiggle my hand between us to touch him…I sucked his tongue as I made my move, grazing my thumb over the head of his cock.