Page 65 of Fair Catch

“You’re cute if you think I’m waking up at the ass crack of dawn for anything.”

“I’d argue that I’m cute regardless of what I think, but fair enough.”

That he is, but there’s no chance in Hell of me admitting it to his face. Not anytime soon, at least. I’ve already shown him a damn good portion of my hand; he can work for the rest of the cards.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t give him a tiny peek.

“You’re all right to look at, I guess,” I concede, dragging my gaze down his torso and back up for good measure.

It’s weird, all the things I’d noticed before when it came to his appearance but never thought of as attractive until now. It’s almost as if they’d started to unlock overtime, as we’d gotten to know each other.

Like his cologne or bodywash or whatever the hell it is that makes him smell so fucking good that I can discern from here, even over the cleaning supplies. It used to be annoying, giving me headaches if I smelled it for too long. Now, I could douse my entire body in it, and it wouldn’t be enough.

The freckles dotting the bridge of his nose and cheekbones, spilling over both of his shoulders. The flecks of brown in his green eyes that only come out when the light hits them just right, like they are right now.

The pale scar that peeks out above his left eyebrow, only visible at the closest distance.

“You know you’re staring, right?” he asks, a shy little smirk forming.

Damn. That’s sexy too.

Shaking my head, I murmur, “Just taking in all the things I didn’t seem to appreciate before.”

“Like how much you enjoy having me around?”

I roll my eyes. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves there, Kase.”

“You don’t have to admit it, I already know I’m right. It’s just too bad you didn’t figure it out sooner instead of trying to get me out of the house at every turn.” He must notice the way my eyes widen, because he smirks and nods. “Yeah, I saw right through that offer you made about helping me with the dating app.”

I’m baffled. Absolutely mind-boggled that he outplayed me.

“Then why did you let me do it?”

“How else was I gonna make you so jealous you’d come storming in and ruin my date?”

Rolling my eyes and rising from my seat, I mutter, “And on that note, I’m leaving.”

I move to push by him, heading for my room, but his hand reaches out, snagging my wrist before I can make it out of arm’s reach. He holds me captive, our gazes colliding as he reels me in, not letting go until I’m in his arms, his mouth only inches away.

The overwhelming urge to plant mine against his is fucking intoxicating, and from the way I catch him staring at my mouth, he must be thinking the same thing.

“I thought you said you’re going to bed?” I whisper, hating how soft and off-balance the question comes out.

“I am. But you forgot something.”

Leaning in, his mouth lands on mine, kissing me far gentler than any time before this. It’s slow, sweet, and corny as hell, but damnit, it makes my stomach flutter with a swarm of stupid butterflies that have appeared out of thin air.

The chemistry between us is as electric as it is sudden; a lightning strike I never expected to hit. Yet, now that it’s here, I can’t ignore it, and I most certainly can’t will it away.

Truth be told, I don’t want to.

My entire body is vibrating all over again when his tongue sweeps across mine, just the lightest of caresses while his hand changes the angle of our kiss. The command in it has those butterflies fluttering their wings even harder, making me damn near nauseous with want.

Kason breaks away first, breathing heavily and pressing his forehead to mine. “I’ll see you tomorrow after practice, then? And we’ll talk?”

I nod, my nose brushing his with the movement before I move to step back.

But once again, I don’t get far, and he pulls me in for another kiss. I have to force myself to pull away after a few seconds, or it’s possible a round two really will happen before either of us make it to our rooms.

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