Page 180 of Out of Bounds

It meant a lot to me that Kassie had single-handedly maneuvered my schedule around so I could get some sleep but I had a fucked up sleep schedule for a pretty long time and I knew how it operated. I never took naps and now I had to pay the price for it. But I didn’t want to open up my laptop and work on homework or try to watch the gameplay videos that Coach Lawson sent me. I just wanted to hold Kassie.

“I took a nap—I don’t do that,” I admitted.

“Uh-huh, I napped too. Once the defense coaches sent out the message, I slept for a couple of hours with you. I didn’t just shove you over you and bolt to the door.”

She waited until they canceled?

I rubbed her back, glancing down at her. “You took a nap with me?”

“Yep.”

“That’s interesting.” I grinned. “Very interesting.”

“What’s interesting about it?”

“Have you ever cuddled with a guy like that before?”

There was an audible pause and one look down at her confirmed to flush to her cheeks. She gave me an exasperated look when I caught her eye. “I think you’re forgetting I did all that to get your ass to go tosleep.”

“Which I’m sure you’d do for anybody.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Hush.”

“You didn’t answer the question.”

“No,” she finally said reluctantly. “I wouldn’t do this for anybody else.”

I chuckled and made a noise at the back of my throat, pleased as hell. My girlfriend kept her reservations about people andIwas the one that she went out of her comfort zone with. I couldn’t hide the smirk.

“You already had pussy twice,” Kassie muttered. “Put your boner away.”

Even if I couldn’t sleep, I was goddamn happy. With the sweet smell of her strawberry lotion and her hair in tangles over my arm, I’d trade in sleep for this. There wasn’t anywhere else I wanted to be. And she’d believe that eventually.

71

Kassie

I’ll Come Too

His ass didnotstay awake.

I woke up a few hours later, dehydrated and muscles aching like I’d gone through one of his workouts. Which—I mean—I had, I just didn’t expect to be so sore afterwards. Leaning up, I took a good, long look at my boyfriend, with his head back against the pillow, mouth open, breathing deeply, his right arm halfway hanging off the bed, that man wasout, stone-cold.

“Ha,” I whispered. “Got you.”

Gently, I picked up his arm and brought it back to the mattress. But what I wanted for real was a picture. Photographic proof that Mr. Intense could sleep the normal amount of hours like the rest of us, if heallowedhimself to.

Or…?

My mouth fell open and I pushed up from the bed, careful to be quiet. He didn’t even budge. Of course he didn’t, hecameand then he fell asleep. If Ryan hadn’t taken his little celibate sabbatical, he wouldn’t have ruined his sleep schedule. The answer to his sleeping problem? Pussy.

I couldn’t wait to tell him. This would piss him off for sure.

With a cup of water from his kitchen, I grabbed my phone, and sank into the couch cushions, pulling up our text messages. I took a long drink of water, thinking about the best way to do this. It wasn’t enough to text it. I’d have to snap a picture or he’d say something dumb like he was just closing his eyes or he was pretending for my benefit or—

“Kassie?”

My eyes flickered back towards the door frame. That couldn’t be Ryan. He was passed out. Not even close to consciousness. But the deep, throaty lilt, so exhausted, he might as well mumbled out the word, could only be from him. The bed creaked and I could hear his footsteps.

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