Page 105 of Man On

I sigh. “You’re right, I’m sorry. But I didn’t know what this really was for a while. If it was just a thing, or if it was going to be a thing. You know?”

“So, which is it?”

My eyebrows shoot to my hairline. He gestures with his hand, waiting for me to answer. But I don’t know. I know what I want this to be, but I don’t know if it’s even possible. There’s a whole lot of complicated layers here.

Lane chooses this moment to yell from the shower. “Alright. My ass is officially clean enough to eat!” I can hear him chuckling at his own joke, and I roll my lips.

Miah glares at me, eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Get the fuck out before he realizes you were here,” I tell him, physically pushing him to the door. “And keep your fucking mouth shut.”

Miah giggles maniacally as I throw him out into the hallway, miming a kick in his direction.

“Bon appetit!” He yells from down the hallway. That fucker.

I’m still chuckling when I walk into the bathroom and strip off the pajama pants I’d thrown on.

“What’s got you all giggly this morning?” Lane asks as I step into the shower behind him. It’s a tight fit, but I can slide the door closed and still have a foot or so of space between us. Not that I need it.

“Clean enough to eat, huh?”

His slight blush, combined with the cheeky smirk, reassures me he’s not freaking out this morning. I was worried that once he had any time alone, he’d start feeling bad about what we did last night. And I don’t want that. I want him to feel as good about it as I do. Because for me, it was life altering.

My hands roam over his body, admiring how the water flows over all those muscles. I kiss the back of his shoulders and up his neck while one hand cups his ass.

“Are you sore?” I murmur against his ear, fingers caressing gently between his cheeks.

“A little,” he admits, dropping his head back on my shoulder.

“Good,” I growl softly. I don’t know why, but I really, really like the idea of his ass being sore. He turns his head to kiss me, moaning when my fingers press gently against his used hole.

“Now let me kiss it better,” I say against his mouth before dropping to my knees.

CHAPTER 32

LANE

“What do you mean, Miah knows?!”

To his credit, Noah looks sufficiently chastened. He’s legitimately sorry, and that’s all fine and good, but he should have told me.

“How long?”

“Lane—”

“How. Long.”

“He got confirmation the morning he came to drop my stuff off in the hotel.”

I huff. That was weeks ago.

“What kind of confirmation?” I ask, biting my cuticles. I’ve already worn a path in our small dorm apartment from my pacing. I’m trying not to freak out, I really am. But I’ve barely come to terms with myself and this—relationship, or whatever it is. I’m not ready for anyone else to know. Especially someone with a big mouth and a tendency to gossip. I suppose it’s a good sign he’s managed to keep it to himself this long.

I knew it was too easy when there was no real fallout from the night I accidentally punched Miah. I’m not sure which guys from the team witnessed any of it, but I know they were there. No one said anything or looked at me sideways, though. And I just so happened to end up in a room with Noah at our next away match?

Noah thinks he’s protecting me, but I can’t protect myself if I don’t know what’s being said behind the scenes. It’s times like these that I feel small, despite my size.

My arms cross, and I aim a glare at Noah, demanding an answer. His eyes glide over me, and he bites his lip.

---