And then the end of the meeting came around. That’s when I unraveled like a toilet paper roll sent tumbling down the street.
“Thank you for coming today, Oliver.” We were wrapping things up. Beckham was typing something on his computer, but his eyes were jumping back my way. They were a pair of eyes that had been floating through my dreams for weeks now, and I genuinely thought I’d never see them again.
I didn’t want to feel that again. I wanted to see Beckham and his hypnotizing eyes at least one more time. Just once—that would be all I needed to get him out of my system.
“Beckham, what, uhm, are you up to tomorrow? Like, besides working I guess. You work often? This must be a really difficult job, I can’t even imagine where you’d start. Guess that’s why you’re the detective and I’m just the vet student, huh? But if you ever need a fecal sample analyzed—not yours, obviously, but your dog’s—do you have a dog? Shit, okay, I’m talking way too much about shit. Literally shit… shit. I should, uh, get going.” I had forgotten my original question, and my cheeks were blazing hot. Beckham’s smile threw me off, and his smile seemed to be growing wider. The green-and-gold eyes were frying all my circuit boards.
For a brief and terribly frightening moment, I thought I recognized a flash of hesitation in Beckham’s expression. “I’m free tomorrow afternoon.” He chuckled, the sound instantly throwing me back to the night we met. Our walk along the River Thames was magical, and even despite my anxiety attack, the entire night could be described the same way. I could still remember Beckham’s apartment, his smell, the way he felt when his hard dick was pressed up against—
Okay, relax. I’ve got to stand in like three minutes.
“Great, tomorrow afternoon it is. I’m thinking we can walk the Wynwood Walls and grab a bite to eat?”
“Sounds good, mate. I haven’t been to the walls yet, it’ll be fun.”
“It sure will.” I managed to hold eye contact without melting into a puddle. I didn’t know what exactly it was about Beckham that undid me in record time. Today he looked exceptionally attractive, with a five-o’clock shadow and a white polo shirt that hugged his chest and arms in a way that made me jealous.
Imagine that: jealous of a polyester-cotton blend shirt.
“And thank you for taking my case.” I meant it. More than anything. Things finally felt like they were moving in the right direction, and I hadn’t had that feeling in years. It felt like someone had turned on a fan and all the smog floating around me was on its way out the window. I could breathe a little better. Still not a hundred percent, but I was getting there.
“Thank you for coming to me for help. It’s not going to be easy, I won’t hide that. But I’m dedicated to helping you.” He cocked his head. I gulped.
“I, uh, still think about that night. A lot.”
What the hell made me just say that?
His sparkling eyes lit with a flame, his lids lowering. The stare pinned me in place. “A lot, huh?”
I nodded and managed to swallow, even though I was forgetting how to control any particular part of my body.
“Just how much?”
“Every night.” I licked my lips. This was a new level of crazy, fueled by the insane attraction I felt toward this man. “And then every morning.”
He chuckled, the sound settling deep in my chest, taking root.
“I think about that night, too.” The admission wasn’t as strong as mine, but still, I’d take it. Beckham leaned forward in his chair, placing his elbows on his desk, his hands fisted and covering his mouth.
“You, uhm… I’ve never met someone like you.” I didn’t know what was going on, why I felt the need to fill silence with more proclamations, but I did. I barreled onward. “I was a mess that night. A lot of other guys would have called a cab and sent me off before even taking me upstairs. You… you helped me. You understood.” I tried to ignore the growing heat between my legs. “You also really, really turned me on that night. If it wasn’t for how nervous I felt that night, I would have…”
I would have given you anything you asked of me, Beckham.
He moved his hands from his face, giving me a clear view of the sexy set of lips already glistening wet and ready to be kissed. He grinned and sat back in his chair, dropping his hands on his lap. I couldn’t help but notice a bulge in his khakis. Part of it was covered by the desk, but he was sitting back far enough for me to see that he was equally as excited by our reunion as I was.