Page 4 of Micah

I’m not a stranger to setbacks when it comes to Avery, but I’m done with the obstacles. One way or another, I’m turning the second floor into her dream space.

Because this is meant to be. Not just the photography studio.

The house.

The dog.

And the wife.

3

AVERY

DoI have better things to do than tiptoe down the hall toward Micah’s room? Yes, yes I do. Like the three different photoshoots worth of pictures to edit. Or the four calls I need to return about scheduling future work. Then there’s the pitiful website that not only needs an updated portfolio but also a complete overhaul.

But I’m so damn tired that the only priority I have right now is a nice long nap.

As soon as I’ve successfully snagged one of Micah’s t-shirts, that’s exactly what I plan to do.

The discovery was accidental. A couple weeks ago, one of his shirts ended up in my load of clean laundry. It looked so damn comfortable that I wore it to bed that night.

It was magical.

Exhaustion heavy from several nights of tossing and turning with worry, the ultra-soft cotton clung to me like a lover’s hands. I slid between the sheets of my bed, let go of my money troubles, andfinallyslept like a baby.

The next night, I wore my own pajamas and slept like dog shit.

Which is why I’ve secretly been sleeping in one of his shirts every night since. I’m careful to pilfer no more than one at a time, replacing each one in his closet after a wash, hoping he won’t notice them missing.

I stupidly added the last t-shirt I stole to his load of laundry this morning before I left for my bakery shift.

Could I take a half decent nap without one of his shirts? Probably. I mean that mound of bread dough wasn’t exactly cozy. But I have too much work to do to chance shitty sleep, even for an hour.

A few feet from Micah’s door, I hear the familiar groan of the shower nob turning. Though it’s in dire need of some WD-40, I’m grateful he hasn’t gotten around to addressing it yet. I wait a couple of extra minutes in the hall, until I hear water splashing against the shower floor, and slip into his bedroom.

Closing his door quietly behind me, my gaze lands on a pair of jeans piled on the floor. My traitorous body choosesthatmoment to overheat. Electricity hums, causing tingles in all the naughtiest places.

“It’s a pair of fucking jeans,” I whisper-scold myself. Until Declan moved out, I swear I had the ability to ignore Micah’s utter hotness in a pair of jeans slung low on his hips. I shake away the wicked thoughts trying their best to form and focus on the path to the small walk-in closet.

This inconvenient crushwillpass.

It has to.

Sleeping with your best guy friend has consequences. I’ve personally watched it dismantle and destroy a close friendship. I had a front row seat to the destruction, and I don’t care to experience it for myself. I refuse to lose Micah because I couldn’t keep from throwing myself at him in a weak moment of lusty curiosity.

Whether he’d actually ravage me or just be thoroughly mortified at the very idea is a question I don’t want the answer to. It’s safer this way. Staying friends. Keeping this stupid crush to myself until it fades to the nothingness it really is.

I slip inside Micah’s closet, close the door ninety percent of the way, and search the wall of cube shelves filled with t-shirts. After the photoshoot yesterday, I’m feeling particularly fond of one of his Daisy Hills Volunteer Firefighter options. Wetness pools between my legs as I remember the sexy way he posed for the camera. As though it came naturally to him.

Then add Henry into the mix…

A whimper escapes my throat. “Time to go,” I whisper mumble to myself. Once I’m in the safety of my room with the door locked, I’ll strip down to nothing but this shirt and find some release for the coiling tension building in my core.

The sinking ship like moan echoes from Micah’s shower.

Shit!

I mean to dart out the closet and run away, but my feet get tangled in a pile of laundry and I fall onto my knees inside his closet. Thankfully, it’s carpeted, muffling the worst of my crash to the floor.

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