Page 85 of The Roommate Experiment

His hands come to rest on my hips, his thumbs pressing into my skin. The casual intimacy of the gesture, the ease with which he touches me now, fires up my spine in a series of small bursts and tingles.

“So,” I drawl, walking my fingers up his sternum. “Was there something else in store for me today?”

“I was going for casual pushups in the living room, and in case that didn’t work, I would’ve gotten on my knees and begged.”

I raise an eyebrow, fighting a grin. “On your knees, huh? Seems I got you there anyway.”

Dylan chuckles, his eyes darkening a fraction. “I’d say it was more of a voluntary surrender. You make it hard to resist.”

I bite my lip to suppress the flutter in my chest. “If you surrendered, does that mean I won?”

His hand slides up my back, pulling me even closer. “Call it what you want, but I’m pretty sure we both won that round.”

I run my hand up his chest with a teasing smile. “Did you follow a TikTok tutorial on that, too, or are you a natural?”

Dylan laughs, his grin widening. “No tutorial needed for that one.” Then he turns serious. “You know, I didn’t really need TikTok to figure out how to get your attention. I only had to find the courage to show you how much I wanted you. How much I’m in love with you.”

My heart does a slow somersault in my chest, and I blink. His playful demeanor fades into something more intense, more honest. The moment stretches and expands as if time itself is holding its breath, waiting for me to respond.

My mouth goes dry. “You said you weren’t sure it was love?”

“Did I? Then I was wrong.” He pushes a lock of hair behind my ear and in the most natural tone, with the most open expression tells me again, “I love you.”

“I—” My voice fails me. I have no witty comebacks, no banter to use as a mask, the raw truth staring me down.

He tilts his head, observing me. “You don’t have to say it back. I already know. I already feel it.”

But I want to say it. To make him understand what this—whathe—means to me.

The words are swirling under the surface, waiting to be spoken. It’s not fear holding me back, but the magnitude of what they mean. Saying them will change everything in the best way possible. I meet his eyes; they look at me, steady and patient, prepared to give me all the space I need to tell him when I’m ready.

The thing is, Iamready. “I love you, Dylan Thompson.”

Dylan’s gaze softens and hardens at the same time. “Say it again.” He brushes his thumb along my jawline.

I let out a small laugh, the sound bubbling up from somewhere deep inside. “I love you, Dylan Thompson.”

He groans, burying his face in my neck and biting down. If we were in a shifter romance, I’d be marked now. Then he lifts his head again, his face brighter than I’ve ever seen it. “You know, hearing you say that… I could get addicted to it.”

I playfully narrow my eyes at him. “I’ll have to ration them out then, keep you on your toes.”

His grin turns wicked as his fingers tighten their grip on my hips. “Oh, I’ll find plenty of ways to get you to say it again.”

“Will you be using sex to bribe me?”

He leans in. “Not bribery, just… incentives. I can make it worth your while.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” I run my fingers through his hair again, savoring the slight shudder he gives me in response. It’s surreal to be in his arms with nothing left unsaid between us. The years of wanting, they’ve all led us to this perfect moment. “I can’t believe this is real.”

Dylan pulls back enough to look at me, his eyes holding mine with such intensity the hairs on the back of my neck rise. “It is real, Hunt. We are. And we’re just getting started.”

I lay my head on his chest, enjoying the steady rise and fall as he holds me. “I love you.” I test the weight of the words now that they’re out in the open, now that they’re ours.

“I love you, too.”

His arms wrap over me, cocooning me in a fortress. I’m physically trapped, but for the first time in years, I am free. Free of doubt, free of all the walls I built around myself. I listen to Dylan’s heartbeat, and the world clicks into place.

“I never want to wake up without you,” I tell him, my voice thick with emotion.

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