Page 47 of The Game Plan

“Don’t go,” he says, before he lowers his head and kisses me thoroughly. So thoroughly I see stars behind my eyes.

Miles pulls back and licks his lips. “So, yeah.”

Something deep within me spurs me into action. I slide my hands up to his chest, mapping the strong contours of his muscles. He tenses beneath my touch before he lets out a gusty sigh, relaxing. His warm breath drifts over my face, minty fresh.

I clear my throat. “Is there a reason we’re outside?”

His face tints pink, but he meets my eye. “I want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

Oh. Maybe I skipped a few steps and just assumed we wanted the same things. I start to disentangle myself from him. He ducks his head and kisses my cheek this time, first one, then the other. That knot in the pit of my stomach lessens its grip on my intestines.

So maybe he’s not great at the delivery. Maybe my mind keeps going to the dark place of its own accord. That doesn’t mean he’s in the dark place with me.

I run my gloved thumb over his cheekbone. “What page is that?”

He swallows thickly, clears his throat. “Look, I like you, Sam.”

“I like you, too.” In case all of the kissing wasn’t making that obvious.

“I want to be with you.”

“Hey, I want to be with you, too.” My attempt at humor falls flat. He swallows again, and I relent. “I’m interested in seeing where this could go.”

He maps my cheek with his thumb. “Yeah?”

I nod dumbly. He dips his head, like he wants to kiss me again, but pulls back at the last second. His eyes flash with an emotion I can’t identify.

“My roommates are all inside.”

“Do you… not want them to know?”

“No, that’s not…” He clears his throat. “I don’t have any expectations for tonight. For us. We can just watch a movie. We don’t have to… you know.” His face flushes.

Sex. He’s not presuming we’re going to rush to the finish line. I like him, yeah, but maybe we should talk a little before we hop right into bed. I’m not opposed to a one night stand; I just want more than one night with him. It won’t be nearly enough.

I tighten my arms around him. “I like the idea of a movie.”

Cuddling on the couch again? Maybe some light making out? Sign me up, baby, I’m all in.

His smile takes my breath away.

“Come on, you must be freezing.” I can feel the chill on the fabric of his sweatshirt. “Let’s go inside.”

He offers me his hand, and I take it. It feels right, my hand in his.

Inside the house, none of his roommates so much as look up when we enter. Wes is in the corner with a book. Barrett, Tucker, and Amir are on the couch playing a video game. Greg is in the armchair, watching the action.

There’s only one open seat.

Miles swallows. “We can…”

I push him toward the armchair. His eyes are locked on mine as he takes the seat. Shedding my winter outerwear, I perch on his knee, balancing my weight over his thigh.

He sighs contentedly, pulling me into him. I’m not small by any means. Thick, some people might call it. Muscular. He balances my legs over his legs, spreading his thighs to more easily distribute my weight. His arms come up to wrap around me, pulling me into his chest. He presses a kiss to my temple.

“So this is a thing,” Wes says blandly, turning a page in his book.

“Yeah, it’s a thing,” I tell him. “You okay with that?”

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