Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63481 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63481 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Gadiel grinned. “You’re a genius!” He threw his arms around Will’s neck and kissed him on the scruffy cheek.
They both froze.
Um.
He probably shouldn’t make a habit of kissing his bodyguard. But. It was an innocent kiss on the cheek. There was nothing wrong with it.
“Hardly,” Will said after a few seconds of silence, his body firm and warm against him. “It’s a pretty obvious choice for a tourist.”
“Yes, and that’s why it didn’t occur to me,” Gadiel said, blushing. Pull away, idiot, he told himself sternly, but his body didn’t obey him, utterly content to be where it was—which was all over his bodyguard’s personal space. He felt boneless and terribly needy, wanting Will’s arms around him, wanting to be held tightly against Will’s firm chest. Ugh, it was so damn pathetic. It was his touch deprivation. As soon as he and Scott got together, the problem would be gone and he’d stop feeling so touchy-feely with men he had no business being touchy-feely with.
Gathering all his willpower, Gadiel stepped back a little. “I’m not a tourist, so I was really overthinking it. I’m glad I have you—to tell me when I’m missing the obvious answer.”
“Glad I could help,” Will said, rather stiffly. “Have fun.”
Gadiel frowned. “But you’ll be there too.” Obviously. It seemed unthinkable that Will wouldn’t be there. Gadiel needed him there. Needed him with him.
“Why would I be there?”
Gadiel opened his mouth and closed it before finally saying, “It would look a tad suspicious if it’s just me and Scott. You have to be there too.”
A grimace distorted Will’s face. “I don’t particularly want to be the third wheel on a dinner date.”
“Pretty please?” Gadiel said, giving him his best puppy dog eyes. “Come on, Will! You have to help me!”
“Gadiel—”
“I need you. There’s no one else I trust.”
Will went very still. He stared at Gadiel with a strange expression before heaving a sigh. “All right, I can’t do this,” he said, running a hand over his face. “I can’t keep lying to you.”
Gadiel’s brows furrowed. Lying?
“What are you talking about?”
Will raked a hand through his hair. “I’m Scott’s cousin.”
Gadiel looked at him blankly. “What?”
Sighing, Will pulled a face. “Scott talked me into becoming your bodyguard so that he could have access to you. He’s embarrassed by it—he didn’t want to be seen as desperate, so he didn’t want me to tell you about it.”
Gadiel closed his mouth, unsure what to think. Unsure what to feel. He supposed in a way it was flattering that Scott had gone to such lengths to be able to see him, but...
“Don’t be mad at him,” Will said. “It was poorly thought out, but it wasn’t malicious. Scott doesn’t have a malicious bone in his body. I’d know—we grew up together.”
For the first time, Gadiel noticed how similar Will’s eyes were to Scott’s—at least in shape and color. He hadn’t noticed that before, maybe because their expression was completely different. Scott’s eyes were kind and flirtatious. Will’s were steady and guarded, except for the sardonic, amused twinkle that sometimes appeared in them.
Gadiel liked Scott’s eyes very much. Will’s eyes... their gaze on him always made Gadiel feel odd. Squirmy. Agitated. He could never sit still when Will looked at him intently; he wanted—he always wanted to act, do something.
But it was irrelevant.
What was relevant was the fact that Will had been lying to him.
“All right,” Gadiel said. “I guess I get it. I’m not mad at him. But I’m very mad at you.”
Will’s eyebrows drew together. “Me? Why?”
“I barely know him. He doesn’t owe me honesty. But you—you aren’t supposed to lie to me. You’re my bodyguard.”
“Me being your bodyguard doesn’t mean I owe you honesty.”
“Not your honesty!” Gadiel said, frustrated by his inability to express himself better. “Your protection. Your loyalty. You’re like, mine. My—my person.”
Will stared at him. “I don’t think bodyguard means what you think it means,” he said slowly.
Gadiel scowled, knowing that he was probably right, but... “I’m very cross with you,” he said again.
Will had the nerve to look amused. “You’re adorable, kid.”
“Don’t call me kid. I am angry, dammit!” He was. He was very angry. Probably angrier than the situation called for, but he could do nothing about the hurt, betrayed feeling that twisted his insides into something tight and uncomfortable. Huffing, Gadiel turned his back to Will.
“Gadiel,” Will said after a moment, his voice almost hesitant, at least by his standards.
“Don’t talk to me,” Gadiel said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Will put his hand on his back, his fingers touching Gadiel’s bare neck.
Gadiel shivered, hating the needy, touch-starved creature in him that wanted to lean into the touch, despite everything. He was angry, dammit.
“Come on, don’t be a baby,” Will said, his voice low. “This is ridiculous. You can’t be not angry with Scott but be angry with me.”