Page 20 of Maverick
I snickered, unable to resist teasing him. “Because you were about to piss your pants?”
“Shut up!”
Rising from the bed, I dug around in my bag and offered him a pair of my sweats. “Wouldn’t be anything I’ve never seen before.”
He accepted the clothes, his “thank you” barely audible.
I didn’t need to see much to imagine the flush that spread across his cheeks. The rosy hue that he very rarely let slip… but I was one of the chosen few who’d ever gotten to witness it. My heart thundered against my ribcage.
With the high from my orgasm fading, I realized how cold the room was, and exhaustion began to sweep over me. I cracked the bedroom door, making sure the coast was clear before Reese darted across to the bathroom to change.
The bed was calling my name. My new one at home was comfortable enough, but it had nothing compared to the one I’dbe sleeping in for the weekend. My muscles seemed to sing with relief as I crawled under the heavy down blanket. Though as I rolled around to find the right position, it occurred to me that the bed might be too big for one person. I wondered if Reese had gotten a chance to choose a room.
I wondered if he wanted to share mine.
The thought scared me. Who was I to think that one tipsy, alcohol-induced blow job changed anything about our past?
But that didn’t stop me from wondering. I sat up, wondering what the consequences would be for waiting outside the bathroom and hauling Reese back into bed with me. Wouldheeven want that?
Groaning, I threw myself back down onto the pillows. How was I supposed to do the casual thing with Quinton if I couldn’t get Reese fucking Taylor out of my head?
The door creaked open again and as if he’d heard me thinking about him, Reese stood there. I didn’t move, only to glance in his direction. God, I really didn’t needanothervision of Reese to haunt my memories. He was bare from the waist up, wearing nothing but my sweats. They were too big for him—almost comically so—but it only added to the adorable picture he painted standing in that doorway. He hovered there almost sheepishly. “Shy” was never a word I’d have used to describe Reese, but it worked on him. “Quinton?” he asked, glancing at the empty mattress next to me.
“Says he’s not a good sleeper. He didn’t want to keep me up.”
“CanIsleep here?” he asked in a voice so quiet that had I not been paying such close attention, I wouldn’t have heard it.
“Yeah,” I said before I could stop myself. “I guess that’d be okay.”
Reese dropped his clothes to the floor and shuffled across the room, pants hanging low on his hips. He climbed into the bed, stifling a yawn. “That whole ‘rough sleeper’ thing isn’t going tomesh well with your addiction to cuddling.” As he talked, I could see him staring at my chest.
Working a hand under the blanket, I hooked my fingers around the waistband of Reese’s borrowed sweats and tugged him close, snickering at the yelp the move produced from him. He got the hint quickly, but still hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Mmhmm…”
Truthfully, I needed him to lay down before I started second-guessing myself. I was already in deep, I knew that, but I at least wanted a little bit of sleep before I had to face the consequences of my actions. Whatever bug or flu I had was still working its way out of my system and even though I wasn’t sniffly, snotty, and contagious anymore, the long days on the field still drained every bit of spare energy I had.
I sensed Reese about to open his mouth again, so I tugged him down to my chest, combing through his damp hair. Now that he was close, the scent of soap wafted up my nostrils. It wasn’t his usual stuff, but it didn’t smell any less intoxicating.
“Just get some sleep, Reese,” I murmured. “We can talk about it tomorrow.”
Thankfully, he didn’t argue anymore. He rested on me, arm thrown over my stomach and this thumb stroking my ribcage. Slowly, his breathing evened out and he drifted off into a deep sleep, if the soft snoring was anything to go by. The sound had a smile quirking my lip.
I missed him.
His touch, his sounds, histaste. I missed everything about him.
Christ, I was fucked.
10
QUINTON
No one sawme hovering outside Maverick’s bedroom. At least, I thought so.
After showering off the sand and grime from the beach, I snuck up to the third floor to escape the noise. I hadn’t expected Reese to be sneaking into the room that had been reserved for Maverick. It was the only way I could ensure that he’d be on the trip. After a grueling two weeks of training, I couldn’t imagine going away for the weekend without him, even if he hadn’t chosenmeto share his bed that night. I had to admit that seeing his reaction to Reese’s arrival amused me.
Sure, there were nerves in those pretty green eyes, but he’d settled into gently teasing Reese like nothing had ever happened between the two of them.
