“Did you want it to be specific to you?” I asked gently as I parked a little way down from the building. Milo hadn’t asked, but I figured that neither of us needed Luther or James ruining what was otherwise a pretty damn good day.

“No. I didn’t want… Okay. That’s a lie. Maybe I was flattered. At first. But then he made me feel… I dunno. Slimy? Used?”

“Yup. That’s George. He’s a charming bastard when he wants to be.”

“I’m never drinking again.” Milo gave a firm nod, meeting my gaze. “That was it. I’m not going to say I’ll never be a dumbass again, because I’m still me, but I also don’t want to be that guy who never learns his lesson. Not anymore. I want…something more. To be more.”

“I believe in you.” Patting his arm, I put all my conviction into my voice because I sensed he needed that, needed someone who believed he could change. And maybe no one had said that to him in a long time because his eyes went glassy and his lower lip trembled.

“Thanks,” he whispered.

“I mean it.”

He didn’t reply, instead leaning into my touch. Moving slowly, he turned toward me and stopped when our faces were millimeters apart. It didn’t take a genius to see what he wanted, and while I appreciated the hesitation, no way was I turning him down, not in that moment. I nodded slightly, and that was all it took for him to find my mouth.

Like the first time, it was sweet and slow at first, and his hesitance was even more of a turn-on now that I knew I was the only one to ever do this with him. And even though he’d been the one to initiate the kiss, his deliberate, soft movements made it easy for me to take the lead. He was a fast study, mimicking me as I nipped at his lips. I sucked on his lower lip, and he shuddered, groaning softly then immediately doing the same thing to me.

Pulling him closer, I did what I’d been dying to do for days and deepened the kiss, exploring his mouth. He tasted sweet, like chocolate, and vaguely spicy, and his inquisitive tongue was about to make me unravel. His little noises were even better—gasps and whimpers and soft groans like he was as utterly desperate for this as I was.

But I was also a little too aware of being in a public parking lot, engine still running, and the last thing I wanted was to out Milo to his jerk friends. Reluctantly, I pulled away, breathing hard.

“Not as terrible as the first one?” He gave me a soft, shy smile.