Page 128 of Off Camera
“Do you want me to? Or do you want to be alone?”
“I don’t want to be alone.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” I lean against the wall and bite back a smile. “But give me a minute. This is one of my fantasies and I’m trying to take a mental picture so I can remember it in six months. A beautiful girl in my bed and willingly reading a comic book? I can’t make this up.”
“Take an actual photo,” she says, not bothering to look up. “It’ll last longer.”
“If you insist.” I pull out my phone and snap a shot of her, laughing when she lifts her middle finger my way. “God, you’re gorgeous.”
Avery pats the spot next to her. I join her on the bed and grab theBatmancomic I’ve been reading from the bedside table. She rests her head on my chest and curls up against me.
“This is nice. We should do it more often.”
“Play hooky and read comic books?” I ask. “I’m down. Who cares about work anyway?”
“I know I already said it, but thank you, Reid. Thank you for showing up for me. Thank you for letting me stay here. I feel so safe around you, and today all I want is to feel safe.” She pauses before adding, “You take care of me, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”
“I was scared.” I hold her close. “I know you can take care of yourself, Ave. Butfuck. I was worried something was going to happen to you. That I wouldn’t get there in time. It terrified me.”
“You did get there in time, and I’m so glad I can count on you.”
“You can always call me. I’m always going to be there for you.”
“Even in two weeks when our teams play each other again and our rivalry is in full force?” she asks.
“Yup.”
“Even if it’s two in the morning and I’m stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire?”
“Even then.Especiallythen. I swear to god, Sinclair, if you pull some independent woman shit and try to change it yourself, I’m going to be pissed.”
“Wow.” Avery tilts her head back so she can look at me. There’s a gleam in her eye that wasn’t there before, and my heart is in my throat when I stare at her. “Sounds pretty serious. Are you catching feelings for me, Duncan?”
I am.
Big, scary, terrifying fucking feelings.
Now that I have her in my arms, I don’t want to let her go.
My chest feels impossibly tight when she smiles. Tighter still when she puts her hand over my heart.
“Guess you’ll have to stick around to find out, Sinclair,” I say. “Through Christmas at least.”
Her smile is devastatingly bright. “You mentioned something about two Christmas gifts. That seems a bit excessive, and I don’t appreciate you upstaging my one gift for you.”
I laugh. “To be fair, one of the gifts I didn’t have to do anything to get. Someone else made it happen, and I can’t take all the credit.”
“Do I get any hints?” she asks.
“Nope. Do you want to exchange them before we go to Maven and Dallas’s place? It’s always chaos over there.”
“Is it rowdy?”
“It’s gotten more tame over the years. The first time the three of us got together, we roasted marshmallows, drank scotch and watchedDie Hard. When June came along, we had to make a few modifications. You’ve seen Maverick, though. He’s a loose fucking canon.”
“June probably would’ve loved a glass of scotch. It pairs much better withThe Night Before Christmasthan cookies and milk,” Avery says.
“I’m in agreement, but I don’t think Dallas wants CPS called on him,” I say.
