Page 76 of Fair Catch

“After the sexual tension from that conversation, going to a party was the last thing I thought you’d be asking me.” Hayes frowns, smacking my hands away. “Uh, also, it’s my night to pick the horror movie, remember? Or is that why you’re trying to skip?”

Considering Hayes has been choosing the most disgusting, off-the-wall horror flicks on his nights, I don’t think anyone would blame me if that’s why. In reality…I kinda just want to hang out with my guy in public.

“We can still do that after the party.” I wrap my arms over his shoulders, pinning him against my car. “C’mon, it could be fun.”

His hands land on both of my hips, holding me against him. “So could jumping off a cliff attached to an elastic band, but you don’t see me doing that on a Saturday evening,” he points out.

“You came with me the last time I went to a party.”

He arches a brow. “The one where you got stood up? Why in the ever-loving fuck would you wanna go for a repeat of that?”

“It wouldn’t be a repeat, because the guy I’m seeing now isn’t the type to just leave me hanging the way some random dude-bro off a dating app would,” I rebut. Smirking, I wait for him to come up with some kind of argument for that. Because if I know Hayes as well as I think I do, he’s got a smartass remark on the tip of his tongue he’s waiting to unleash.

Only, it never comes.

Instead, Hayes isn’t able to hide his grin from me referring to him as my boyfriend.But then the antisocial side of him still manages to roll his eyes just fine. “Fine,” he grumbles. “But when we get back to the house, I’m ordering Thai and leaving you to starve.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“You willing to bet on it?” he asks, cocking his head to the side. “Because I’m pretty sure we’ve got that head of lettuce in the fridge you mentioned wanting to eat instead.”

I blanch just thinking about it.

“How ‘bout a compromise?”

Hayes cants his head, evidently intrigued by my offer. “I’m listening.”

I hold my hand up, ticking off the night’s itinerary on my fingers.

“Go to the party for an hour—two max—then we go home, orderanythingbut Thai, and watch your movie choice. Sound good?”

He tosses his head back and forth, making a show of thinking about it when I know damn well he’s gonna say—

“I think I could—”

I don’t let him finish, pressing my lips to his to seal the deal.

Nineteen

Hayes

I’m out of bed long before Kason, already completely showered and ready to take on the day by eight in the morning, and feeling more chipper than ever. Not because of the fucking phenomenal session of sixty-nineing Kason and I had last night—though the sound of him choking on my cock will live rent-free in my head for the rest of my life—but because today is the best day of the fucking year.

Halloween.

It might be childish, but with my love for all things creepy and spooky that go bump in the night, it only makes sense for October thirty-first to be my favorite holiday.

Nothing—not a goddamn thing—will ruin this day for me.

And that includes Kason sleeping the damn day away whenwehave things to do.

When nine-thirty hits and he’s still nowhere near awake, I sneak back into his room. He’s peacefully sleeping, soft little snores coming from where he’s now sprawled across the entire mattress since I snuck out.

I know I should let him sleep—after all, the game last night really took it out of him—but I’m too impatient to wait.

Crawling over his body, I press my lips to his neck, his jaw, his mouth, until he begins to stir beneath me.

“Good morning, sleepy head,” I muse, smiling at the way he grumbles in grogginess.

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