Page 36 of Catch
Decision made, I was kissing her. Just once, before I forced myself to go to bed.
Raising my hand to knock on her door, I didn’t even make contact before I heard a loud scream coming from the other side. Without thinking, I shoved at the door, pushing it open, heart pounding, unsure of what I was about to face. I just knew she needed me, and I was right where I should have been.
Chapter Twenty
LOXLEY
My heart was racingas I walked away from Miles. I couldn’t believe I had asked him if he was going to kiss me, but at that moment, it felt like that was exactly what should have happened. We were both so clearly drawn to each other, swaying to Sammi Smith in a dimly lit living room.
Maybe it was the emotions of the day, but I felt closer to him than I had to anyone in a very long time. I wanted him to kiss me—I needed to know what it felt like to be kissed by Miles Brooks. It would have been another layer of freedom, another piece of the solace I had found inside his home.
But I couldn’t blame him for being hesitant. We both knew I would eventually have to return to Nashville. I was under contract, and would already be facing consequences for running away.
Plus, I had only known him for a week.
I retreated to my room, forcing myself to create space, to tamp down the temptation of falling any deeper into him. If getting closer to him was a bad idea, then swaying in his arms had been downright reckless.
But I knew he was still awake. I could hear his footsteps against the wooden floor, pacing, sometimes passing my door. Isat cross-legged in the middle of my bed, waiting. Hoping. I just wanted one of us to decide that it was okay to act on what we both so obviously felt.
I was just about to give up and lie down when I noticed a shadow under the door. Miles was standing in the hallway, lingering. My heart pounded as I silently urged him to push through, to put an end to the uncertainty.
But as I was staring at that thin strip of light beneath the door, something darted across it. A dark, fast movement.
I screamed.
The door burst open, and Miles came rushing in. But instead of pulling me into a passionate kiss, he frantically looked around, trying to figure out what had caused my panic.
I was standing in the middle of the bed, pointing toward the dresser near the door, my breaths coming in sharp gasps.
“A mouse,” I finally managed to squeak out.
“A mouse?” Miles asked, turning in the direction I was pointing.
I nodded, tears welling in my eyes. There wasn’t much that scared me, but the thought of a rodent scurrying across the floor while I was trying to sleep was more than I could handle.
“Shit. It’s okay, Lox,” Miles tried to soothe me. “We’re surrounded by a million trees. The little guy probably just got lost.”
“The little guy?” I shrieked, staring at him in horror. He was acting like that thing wasn’t capable of training four turtles to become crime fighting ninjas.
He crouched, peering behind the dresser. “It’s behind here,” he confirmed, preparing to move the heavy piece of furniture.
I watched, petrified, hoping the thing wouldn’t decide to scurry up his body and latch onto his gorgeous face.
As soon as Miles nudged the dresser, the mouse squeaked and bolted—straight under the very bed I was standing on.
I screamed again, and for reasons beyond my own understanding, grabbed a pillow and hurled it at the floor. I barely missed Miles as he dropped to one knee, peering under the bed.
“Lox—” he started, but I was already scrambling onto the highest point of the mattress, preparing for battle against the tiny terror lurking beneath me.
“Don’t ‘Lox’ me, Miles. I’m not okay.”
“I was just going to say I can trap it with one of your shoe boxes. Can you grab me one?”
“Miles,” I warned. “I think maybe we should just burn this house down. I’ll buy you a new one. There will be cats and owls everywhere for mice control.”
He laughed as he let me panic-talk, and walked to my closet himself to grab a shoe box. Bending back down to his knee, he silently made a plan and then looked back up to me. "Alright, let’s do this. If I die, tell my Grams I fought bravely."
"This is not funny, Miles!" I whisper-yelled, eyes darting around the floor like the mouse might launch an aerial attack.
