“You ready to go, babe?” he yelled across the room.
“Yep!” Ari and I answered at the same time. I turned to look at Ari, silently questioning why he’d answered too.
“Oh…yeah…I, uh, need a ride home,” Ari explained as he grabbed my arm and steered me toward Seth.
Even though my wrists were, in my opinion, top notch healed, Ari was careful with his touch. Hell, even that annoyed me. Did the entire state of Colorado think I was helpless and weak?
“Hands off, Arizona,” Seth growled when we were within hearing distance. “That’s mine. Find your own.”
Ari rolled his eyes, but his hands dropped to his sides. It would have bothered me to think Seth hurt his feelings, but I seriously doubted Seth scared or intimidated Ari in the least bit.
“Fine,” Ari snipped. “I don’t want yours anyway.” His entire body wiggled in an exaggerated display of dislike before he added, “I’m not into that kinky shit the two of you do in your playroom.” For sheer meanness, he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “Because of that, I won’t take him away from you. Asshole.”
Seth pulled me into a polite hug, kissed the top of my head, and laughed at Ari. “You don’t know what you’re missing, Arizona. Not only is there a really good chance that you would enjoy it, you seriously need a strong Dom to take you into hand and spank that ass of yours until some of your sassiness tones down a level or two.”
Polite. Hug. Kiss on top of head.
Fuck. That. Shit.
I turned to face him, grabbed both of his cheeks, and yanked him down for a smoldering kiss. When our lips met, I gave him everything I had to offer…used every skill he’d taught me in our three months and twenty-seven days together. My body melted against his hardness, craving the feel of his muscles more than I craved the very beat of my own heart. Whenever we touched, it always felt like an explosion of fireworks would erupt inside of me.
He didn’t resist my horny attack and even returned my kiss, just not with his usual level of passion. I wasn’t certain what caused his hesitation and if my heart wasn’t linked so tightly with his, I might not have even noticed. But, I noticed. There was hesitation…a nervousness that I couldn’t begin to understand. Embarrassed, I finished my kiss and stepped away from him. On a bright note, he kept me plastered to his side by linking his arm around my waist. On a much dimmer note, even that touch felt somewhat nervous or uncomfortable.
I cleared my throat, giving myself time to squash down the feelings of panic, and asked, “How did the meeting go? Do I get to finally make myself useful again? Do something besides desk duty?”
My heart splintered with each passing moment. He didn’t want me anymore. What other explanation could there be for his sudden lack of passion?
“We’ll discuss it at home,” Seth answered shortly, but softened the answer with a pat to my ass. “You ready?”
Ari’s eyes darted between the two of us, a confused expression on his face. Not one to hold anything back, he said, “Seth, either you’re really constipated or there’s a stick up your ass. You’re acting weird. Stop it.” Turning to me, he said, “And don’t think I’m letting you off the hook about what happened earlier. Tomorrow. Lunch. Honesty.” He turned and looked nervously at the elevator. “For now, let’s get the hell out of here. I’ve got things to do and places to be.” He grabbed his backpack from his desk and said, “I need a ride home. Let’s go. I don’t have all night to watch the two of you do the awkward dance.”
Seth looked at me and I shrugged my shoulders, letting him know I didn’t have a clue. I had bigger things to worry about than Ari’s need to do things and go places. There was a damn good chance the man I loved was falling out of love with me.
“What’s his deal?” Seth whispered as we followed Ari to the elevators.
“Not a clue.”
Seth frowned. “What’s your deal?”
By this time, we were standing in front of the elevator doors. Ari paced back and forth, a lot like I’d done earlier. He was right; it turned annoying pretty quickly. Turning to Seth, I answered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“What’s taking the elevator so long?” Ari interrupted. “Does it always take this long? It never takes this long.” He glanced at his watch and swore. “Fuck this; I’m taking the stairs.”
Seth reached out and grabbed Ari’s arm as he tried to make his escape. “Nobody’s taking the stairs, Ari. We’re on the fifteenth floor! The elevator will be here in a few seconds. Calm down.”
As if on cue, the elevator dinged, and the doors slid open.