Page 52 of Pack Nightmare

“I used to watch this with my mom when I was little,” she answers, her voice dropping slightly. “I haven’t seen it in a long time.”

Shit. “You want to watch something else? The world is our oyster. Or at least, all of Netflix.”

“No! Milo… this is perfect. I love it.” She settles back into a pile of cushions and peers at the food between us, sniffing. “Ok, which of these cheeses is the stinky one? Because that one’s got to go. It smells like dirty feet.”

A surprised chuckle rips from my lips, my chest expanding as I relax. “Hey, Roquefort is a delicacy, I’ll have you know.”

“Maybe for rats,” she grimaces. “Seriously, it’s strong. Does it even taste good?”

“Well, you’re not going to like it if you hate how it smells. You’ve already decided you don’t like the scent, so I think the flavor is going to be a fail.”

“Then… can we chuck it?” Her hopeful expression is teasing, but of course I don’t want her to have to smell it if she doesn’t like it.

“Your wish is my command.” I fish the plastic wrap from the basket and remove the offending cheese from the tray, wrapping it tightly and tucking it back into the basket. “Better?”

Lex draws in an exaggerated breath and sighs. “Yes, much better. No more feet. Thank you.”

We dig into the snacks, and I explain and name some things she doesn’t recognize. Once we’re done eating, I move the food aside so we can scoot closer. The low pile of cushions creates a comfortable backrest, and Lex nestles into my shoulder with a contented smile.

Her cherry vanilla scent fills my nose, and the effect is confusing. She calms and simultaneously excites me, and I’m torn between tucking the covers up around her chin and tugging her face to mine.

“Milo?”

“Yeah?”

“What are you thinking about?”

My heart thumps. Sometimes she says stuff that almost makes me feel like she can read minds, before I remember that she likely was sensing my emotions.

Forcing myself to breathe deeply and calm my nerves, I reply in a smooth voice, “Not much. Just thinking that I enjoy being here with you.”

She sits up, bracing her weight on her arm, and staring at me with one eyebrow raised.

Shit. “What?”

“Is that all you were thinking about?”

“Thats the gist of it, yeah.” A sweat breaks out along the back of my neck. “Why?”

“Because your heart is pounding a mile a minute.”

Oh.

I swallow my nerves with a difficult gulp. “Would it make me somewhat… less cool if I admit that I’m just the tiniest bit nervous?”

It was the right thing to say. She leans in closer.

“Why are you nervous, Milo?” Her voice is a sultry whisper.

My heart races even faster, and instead of giving her a typical ‘nothing bothers me’ answer, I decide to keep on my honest kick. My tone is softer when I say, “Because you’re here with me, alone.”

“Why does that make you nervous?” She leans in even closer, and her warm breath washes over my lips.

My voice drops to a near-whisper. “Because you drive me crazy, but I’m trying to behave myself.”

And that was apparently the exact right thing to say. Lex leans forward and kisses me, a repeat of our first—and only, up to this point—kiss, except this time she’s the one grabbing my neck, pulling me closer, claiming me.

In a swift move, she straddles my lap, bearing down on me with insistent kisses, her fingers trailing over my shoulders and back, her hips moving back and forth, rubbing against my swiftly growing erection.

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