Page 74 of Home in Nevada

I brush some of his blonde hair out of his eyes, letting my hand linger for a moment. "Jamie, you know how I felt..."

My voice trails off, but it doesn’t matter. I know he does. It’s written all over his face, in the way he’s looking at me now.

"Confused? Because you had a hard-on, by accident?" Jamie asks, his voice teasing.

I laugh a little. "No. I was mad. Jamie... I thought something was seriously wrong with me for how I felt about you. For a long time."

Jamie goes quiet for a moment, then asks, softer now, "...Is there something wrong with what we’re doing?"

"No," I say quickly, smiling at him. "I’m just kind of... slow. Jamie, I’m sorry. Back at my apartment... I’ve never seen you that mad at me before."

"I was drunk," Jamie says, brushing it off. But I know better. I can tell he doesn’t want to talk about it, but I can’t let it go.

"Nah, that was real, Jamie," I say gently. "I know when you’re pissed off at me."

He shifts uncomfortably, and then, out of nowhere, he blurts, "I don’t like that you cried." His voice is quiet, but I can hear how much it’s still bothering him.

"We don’t have to talk about that part," I say, looking away. The memory stings—me slipping up and crying when Jamie said he was leaving. Everything just came crashing down all at once, and I couldn’t hold it in.

But now, I need to know. "You’re still going to tell me if I piss you off, right? You promised, on the phone." I can feel the fear bubbling up. I don’t want to losethisJamie—the one who’s talking to me, who’s really letting me in for once.

"Jeff," Jamie says, smiling up at me. "I promise. But you have to stop acting like you don’t know what you’re doing." He reaches up and squeezes my arm, his touch grounding me. "Because you totally know what you’re doing."

"Maybe," I say with a grin, "but do you? Because I hate to break this to you, but you’re a million times out of my league."

Jamie smacks my arm. "No, I’m not. Stop."

"You’re a ten, and I’m like a five," I counter, dead serious.

Jamie’s laughing now. "What? Are you fucking kidding me?!" He pauses, his eyes scanning me up and down like he’s appraising me. I start feeling good about myself again—until his smirk returns.

"...You’re a six, at least," he teases.

That does it. I lunge at him, tickling him mercilessly. Jamie twists and squirms, managing to wiggle out from under me for half a second before I grab him and pull him back, pinning him down into the mattress.

Chapter 18

The one where Jeff takes charge (and it’s kinda hot).

"SayI’maten,"I demand, grinning.

"Dude, you’re a ten, Jeffrey, you’ve always been a ten!STOP!" he yells, laughing so hard he can barely breathe.

I stop, but before he can catch his breath, I kiss him, pressing my body against his. His laughter dies in my mouth as I slide my hands under his shirt, feeling his skin, his warmth. Desperation kicks in as my tongue slips into his mouth, and I pull back just long enough to tug his stupid sweatpants off. They come off so fast, it’s almost funny.

Jamie’s lying beneath me now in just his tight little underwear, his body a masterpiece of lean muscle and soft skin, glistening faintly with sweat. He looks up at me with one of those unreadable expressions that always throws me, like he’s daring me to figure him out. His chest rises and falls, his breath still fast and shallow, but he doesn’t say a word.

I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face as I work to pin both of his hands above his head with one hand while I straddle him.

"Sorry," I say, my voice low and teasing, a smirk tugging at my lips. "I took your pants off by accident."

The slow, wicked smile that creeps across Jamie’s face is enough to make my pulse race all over again. God, he’s gorgeous.

I smile back, completely captivated by the look in his eyes. He doesn’t say anything—he just keeps looking at me, and for once, I don’t feel the need to fill the silence. It’s enough just to be here, with him, like this.

I lick my lips before kissing Jamie, still holding his wrists pinned above his head. The way he presses up against me, trying to free his hands, sends a thrill through me. I don’t let go. Instead, I break the kiss and trail my lips to the soft skin of his neck, pressing gentle kisses down to his collarbone. Jamie arches into me, his body tense with restrained desperation. I slide lower, trailing my lips down his shoulder. My tongue flicks against his skin, tracing the edge of his armpit before moving to his nipple. I pause there, teasing gently, earning a sharp inhale as his body shudders beneath me.

I grin against his skin. I can feel how hard he is under me, and it’s enough to make my own control falter.

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