Page 121 of Playing Flirty

“He’s tall like you and Shaun, I suppose?”

He nodded.

“Good. The taller they are, the harder they fall. He won’t even see me coming.”

William laughed and pulled me close, and I curled into the shape of him.

“Maybe I should come to the wedding, even if it’s only to see that.”

I met his gaze once more, wanting him to look at me and believe me. “Before the game presentation, you also said you weren’t good enough, and when you said it, I almost laughed at how ridiculous and incorrect it was. Because, William, you are the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me.”

A soft breath escaped him and he leaned forward and kissed me. “Seeing as how I’ve ended up with you, I have to believe I’m worth something.”

I melted against his lips. “Shaun would love for you to come. He hasn’t filled the role of best man, either.” I pulled away from the kiss and met his gaze with my own. “I’m not trying to pressure you.”

“I want to be there for Shaun, and Neema. I want to see you in that dress.” William sighed. It was as though I could see the gears turning in his mind. “I can’t hide from him forever, I guess. I’ll come on one condition.”

“What?”

He kissed my nose. “That we do this again and again and again, and the morning before the wedding for some extra courage.”

“I’m ready as soon as you are.” I curled toward him.

William tugged the blanket up, covering us before wrapping an arm around my waist as if he were an extension of me. It felt that way. It felt like…

Home—something I’d never had.

Round 40

My phone blared from somewhere inside the apartment. Opening my eyes, I moved to answer it but found myself weighted down by a warm, heavy leg draped across my hips. I wiggled under William until I faced him and then kissed him until he stirred.

He cracked his eyes open partway, a smile already on his face. “Mmm. Now this is how I like to be woken up.” Propping himself on one elbow, he furrowed his brows. “What’s that sound?”

“My alarm. I forgot to turn it off now that I’m unemployed and all.”

His frown gathered, and I smoothed it out with a kiss. He tilted his head and caught my lips with his.

When I eventually peeled myself away, I threw on the T-shirt he’d been wearing, enjoying his lingering scent as if I hadn’t inhaled him all night long.

I ran to the living room, where I found my phone. I turned the alarm off, and my attention caught on his laptop. It was still open and laying sideways on the couch where he’d tossed it. I lifted it, thinking I’d take it to him, and the screen lit up with a spreadsheet titled Life Goals.My heart stilled.

It wasn’tmyLife Goals.

“I forgot about that.” William towered behind me, pressing his bare chest against me while peeking over my shoulder.

My body fluttered at his nearness. “Will you tell me about this?”

“I was serious when I said that I want to be good enough for you.” He lifted my chin and gazed down into my eyes. “I want to think about my future with you in it. I want Life Goals with you. I’m stepping up at work and have employed some of the other developers to help me with a game I’ve been working on for ages, and especially over the last few days.” He swallowed, and his already flushed cheeks darkened. “Remember I said I had a presentation?”

I nodded, my focus turning to the spreadsheet. He’d created goals for himself, for me, and forus.

“I told you.” Moving my dark hair to one side, he kissed my neck. “I’m going to be the best for you, because you are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

Taking the laptop, he dragged me back to bed, grabbing his mouse on the way. I snuggled as close to him as possible, dipping one of my hands in between his thighs to continue feeling his skin, his heat, and knowing I could do this because he wanted me to.

My cheek pressed against his side, I could feel his racing heart as he clicked through a file called Overpower.Confusion stirred within me as the program loaded.

It took a few minutes to start up, and William looked down at me with dark, furrowed brows. “It’s not done. This is the most basic idea of it, but I wanted to show you first and get your input because… if you don’t like it, then it won’t make sense. It won’t exist.” His words left him in short, jagged bursts.

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