Page 42 of One Touch

Revealing my involvement with Miller would force me to label myself, and that meant being vulnerable. I’d finally accepted my attraction to him, but I didn’t know what that meant. Was I gay? I didn’t find other males attractive, so that label didn’t feel right either. Choosing something felt akin to placing myself in another invisible prison.

“Good morning!” Reese greeted me as I entered the kitchen. “Did you sleep okay?”

At their question, my eyes immediately drew to Miller. He was at the island, mixing something in a bowl with Cam. His back was to me, and my eyes traveled over his ass before I remembered Reese had asked a question.

“Oh, yes. I did. That bed is really comfy.”

Reese studied me. Their eyes darted from me to Miller, and something flashed behind their glasses. “I’m glad. There’s fresh coffee in the pot for you.”

“Thanks.”

Reese squeezed my arm as they passed and left me to grab a mug and fill it with coffee. I rested against the counter as I took in the room. Braden and Landon were working on the table. They had it pulled apart to add an extra leaf in the center to expand it. Reese was by the stove, and when the timer sounded, they pulled out a pan of biscuits. Cam left Miller and joined Reese at the stove, so I took the opportunity to move.

“What are you making?” I asked.

He glanced over at me, and I watched as his gaze dropped to my lips before returning to my eyes. “Pancakes, but they’re healthy-ish. I promise you can eat them on your diet plan.”

“Are you on my diet plan?” I whispered and moved closer. “Because I want to eat you.”

Miller coughed and spilled batter onto the counter, drawing everyone’s attention. His face turned red, and I smiled as I took a sip of my coffee. My brother eyed me, but I kept my expression blank. Okay, maybe it wouldn’t be too bad keeping our relationship—or situationship—a secret. If I got to tease Miller all day and got him to squirm, it might be worth hiding it.

“If you’re going to stand there, you should help,” Miller shot back. I rolled my eyes but did as he asked. Mostly because I didn’t want to lose my spot and have one of the others swoop in. I didn’t care that they were in a relationship. Miller was mine, and I didn’t want to share.

We fell into an easy rhythm that we’d perfected living together and on the ice. He poured the batter, and I added the toppings. He flipped the pancakes, and I added them to the serving tray. We moved in synchronicity without even having to talk. It was as easy as breathing.

I hadn’t noticed that everyone else had stopped what they were doing and was watching us until we were finished. Miller moved to take the pancakes to the table as I placed the dishes in the sink, but we both froze at the eyes on us.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

“You’re fucking,” Landon said, his eyes wide. “Miller’s who you’re seeing?”

“What? No,” I replied on instinct, the denial so ingrained that I hadn’t even thought before responding. But the feeling of unease I’d felt earlier multiplied at the lie, and when I looked at Miller, at how my words had affected him, it tripled. I hadn’t considered his feelings in all of this. Of what it might mean to him to hide what we did behind closed doors. He deserved better.

Landon crossed his arms and lifted a brow, not buying my lie for one second. “Uh-huh. First, you’re a shit liar, bro. Second, I went to wake you up this morning and your room was empty. Third, I’ve never seen you help make anything, and yet you jumped right in with Miller like it’s something you’ve done a million times. Should I go on because I can.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. Words escaped me.

“Lathan accidentally came into my room drunkenly, and he’s too heavy to carry. That’s all. Nothing going on here. He’s not gay,” Miller defended.

I both loved and hated it.

“We all know that’s not the only label available,” Landon argued.

“Maybe we should let them keep their private lives to themselves,” Reese suggested.

“Fuck that, I’m so invested in SilverFahn,” Cam said. “Do we have any popcorn?”

“Cam!” Reese admonished but then giggled as he batted his eyelashes at them.

“Silence!” I shouted and rubbed my temple. “Thank you for the out, Miller, but I don’t need it.” I took a deep breath and met his gaze. His eyes softened, and I let myself soak in the soft blue hue mixed with green. “I don’t know what I label myself as, but I know it isn’t gay.” I took a deep breath and released it slowly while I continued to hold his stare. I could do this. “But it doesn’t matter what the label is. I do know this… I like what Miller and I are. Together.”

Noise exploded around us, but I blocked it all out as I gazed at the man I’d become obsessed with. The man I’d missed more than I’d realized this week.

I once believed telling others would ruin it or be too much for me to handle. It turned out that hiding it had been even more challenging. I was so tired of concealing myself, of not doing the things that made me feel good. Miller smiled, and it was as if a hundred pounds lifted off my shoulders at the gesture. Telling people wasn’t a prison. It was freedom.

CHAPTER17

MILLER

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