Page 59 of Ice Cold Rival

“Well, we can’t have Boo devastated. Yeah, my bag’s outside.”

“Yesss,” he said.

He popped outside to retrieve it, then ushered me upstairs to his room. I’d been there a few times before, but for some reason, we always ended up at my place for sleepovers. Talk about a hostile environment.

Tonight was different. Reece was different. I dropped Boo on the massive bed to let him explore the master suite and watched Reece pace between the bathroom and his dresser. He was giving off weird nervous energy he hadn’t had downstairs.

“We’re on our own tonight, so if you’re hungry, our choices are either PB&J or takeout?—”

“Reece.” I stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Are you okay?”

His gaze zeroed in on me, and his shoulders relaxed. “Sorry. I had a come to Jesus talk with Cole and Mase earlier. I told them the truth, by the way. But it made me start thinking about what we’re doing.”

“Whatarewe doing? We agreed neither of us wanted to be in a relationship, which made the whole fake dating thing work, but this doesn’t feel like a relationship for show. Most of the time, we’re not even around other people.” I gestured at the empty house surrounding us.

He lifted my hand and kissed it. “I don’t know, but I like it. I freely admit I have no idea how to be in a real relationship. This thing between us hasn’t been fake in a long time. Maybe it never was. Neither of us wants to admit it, but I know you feel it too.”

I did, yet I couldn’t deny there was a tiny part of me terrified I’d let a relationship rule my life again.

Reece must have seen the growing panic on my face because he rubbed up and down my arms. “Nothing has to change. The world at large can keep believing we’re dating, and you and I can figure it out as we go. No pressure. You can back out at any time, but I hope you won’t.”

His calm explanation eased the tightness taking over my chest. I didn’t want another Toby. Another perfect match approved by my family, who ignored me at best. Another opportunity to take a back seat in my own life.

Reece was offering me a different path. He’d never ignored me or belittled me, and my obsession with him was starting to feel like yet another thing I wasn’tsupposedto have. Screw supposed to.

I wanted Reece, and I wanted to see what would happen if I gave him a chance to prove my fears wrong.

“Okay, but I’m not agreeing to only one night.”

“Kenzie, I’ve been breaking that rule since I rescued your panties from Deacon’s floor.”

“Stole,” I corrected.

He grinned, and I took a step back from the mischief in his eyes. Not fast enough. I squealed as Reece grabbed me around the waist and hauled me onto the bed under him.

“First, I’m going to feed you because you’re going to need your strength. Then we’re going to pull up the cop show on your list and watch at least four episodes. Then it’s orgasms until dawn. Feel free to scream my name as many times as you need.”

I smacked his shoulder and tried to wiggle out from under him. “I’m hearing a lot of promises and not seeing a lot of pizza.”

Reece pushed himself up off me into a plank, and I squirmed my way free like a baby cow. Completely uncoordinated, knees trembling, and wondering how I’d gotten onto the floor. When I blew my hair out of my face and glanced at the bed, Reece winked and slowly lowered himself back to the mattress.

“Show off,” I muttered as I hopped up to grab my sleep tank from my bag.

If we were staying in his room—which I preferred, just to be clear—I was doing it in comfort if not style. Boo took the opportunity to claim my bag as his new bed. He curled up in the black tote, disappearing into the void with everything except his eyes.

A couple of hours later,after binging several episodes and eating way too much pizza, I grabbed my toothbrush from my bag and started toward the bathroom to wash up for bed. The whole evening felt surreal in that I’d had fun, but there’d also been a slow burn simmering under everything we did.

Sharing Reece’s bathroom while we brushed our teeth felt positively homey. I rinsed my mouth then leaned my hip against the counter to watch him.

“You know, this is another thing I’ve never done. Shared bathroom time with a guy. Maybe I should put it on my list.”

He raised a brow. “Vetoed. Your list is meant to be things you’ve always wanted to do.”

I shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe I didn’t realize how nice it was until now.”

Reece put his stuff away and waved me ahead of him out of the bathroom. “Well, you can’t put it on there now because you just experienced it with me.”

The bedroom was dim, with only the light from the bathroom illuminating the space. I expected Reece to plunge us into darkness, but he left the light on. The thump of clothes hitting the floor came from behind me, and I smiled.

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