Page 112 of Caught Stealing

“There you go again, assuming you could ever be the thing that makes me happy,” he notes with a tiny smirk.

I’m not sure what I was expecting his reaction to be, but that certainly wasn’t it. Neither is the twinkle in his eye. Nonetheless, if he wants to play a little game of back and forth, I can do that. Especially when we both know he’s full of shit.

“Oh, Nix. You win this game, and I can promise you, you’re gonna be really,reallyfuckin’ happy afterward.”

His smile is an all-out grin now, and my God, it does something to my heart that I can’t control—not that I even want to. In fact, I want to lean into the feeling instead. Let the words on the tip of my tongue roll right off, right here and now.

Lay all the cards on the table for him to see and hope he feels the same way.

After all, it feels like Phoenix is finally taking the steps he needs to make the things he wants for himself a priority. I hope that’s the case, and all the worries and concerns I word-vomited to my roommates last month were unmerited. Yeah, we still haven’t told Kason about us, but clearly, his reaction makes it seem like he’s not opposed to the idea anymore.

Or I’m reading far more into things than I should be.

I’m all for taking baby steps; the biggest is him letting go of the guilt eating at him for allowing his happiness to come first for once. Telling Kason will happen eventually.

Yet despite the progress he’s seemingly made, the last thing I want to do is rock the boat while we’re gaining a solid footing. So I swallow down the words I so desperately want to say in favor of some much more logical ones.

“You better get going.”

He nods, tossing a glance over his shoulder before looking back at me. “I’ll see you after the game, right?”

The grin I give him is instant. “Can’t get rid of me if you try.”

“So you’ve proven,” he says with a laugh as he walks backward. “I’ll see you later, baby.”

God, I’m never gonna get sick of hearing him call me that. Or ever get sick of him in general.

He’s everything I didn’t know I wanted, and now I doubt there will ever be a day when he isn’t.

The door to the hotel room Phoenix and Theo are sharing isn’t even closed when I start ripping clothes from Phoenix’s body. In fact, he doesn’t have time to think or breathe or drop his bag to the floor before I’m peeling his suit jacket off his toned, muscular shoulders.

“Someone’s eager to make good on their promises,” he murmurs with a low chuckle.

Eager? Try fucking desperate.

“I’ve been waiting hours. Can you honestly blame me?”

They say football games take forever, but the wholenine-inningsshit really takes an eternity. Especially when they’re the only thing standing between you and the guy you love spending the night getting hot and sweaty between the sheets.

“I’m certainly not planning to complain.”

“Good. Then get naked,” I demand while working the buttons of his shirt open; the slow and tedious process making me want to rip the damn thing off instead. Yet eventually, I’m able to free it from where it’s tucked in his pants and drop it to the ground.

“Mmm,” he hums as he unbuttons the jersey I’m wearing, only to leave it hanging open down the center once he does. “You look so fucking sexy in my jersey. I almost don’t want to take it off you.”

Running my tongue over my bottom lip, I whisper two words sure to bring his fantasy to life.

“Then don’t.”

Phoenix’s eyes flare with heat and desire as he stares at me, burning with an intensity they never have before. Like all coherent thought has left, leaving behind nothing but primal urge and carnal lust. Like the mere thought of owning me this way is everything he’s ever wanted.

That look alone spurs me into action, and I shove his pants to his ankles. He does the same, peeling the layers of clothing from my body one by one, but far, far slower than I’d like. Especially when all I want is the both of us naked and on his bed.

My wish that’s granted moments later when the two of us blindly fall to the mattress in a messy tangle of limbs and tongues—both of us stripped bare save for his jersey still hanging open over my torso.

Phoenix rolls on top of me before sliding his hand into my hair. Gripping the strands in his fist, he pillages my mouth some more, coaxing my tongue to battle with his. The aching throb my cock makes has me ready to plead for more friction than just the slow grind of his hips against mine.

I need all of him.

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