Xander was planning to make me waffles for breakfast. It’d only been a handful of days.
And yet…
starving.in.seattle: you’re ruining me for all other men, you know
catdad_93: that’s the plan
I laughed, but I also brushed my thumb over the phone screen like I had a thousand times before. Before Xander was someone I could touch and kiss andsee, before I could watch the corners of his eyes crinkle when he broke into a smile, before I could hear him laugh with me.
My chest felt impossibly tight.
starving.in.seattle: vanilla it is
starving.in.seattle: I know you’ll be exhausted, but can I drop in for one kiss when I’m done here?
catdad_93: I’d love that
I love you.
The thought came to me all of a sudden, but it didn’t seem strange at all.
starving.in.seattle: then I’ll see you soon
23
XANDER
Milo gruntedas I pushed him up against the stack of hay bales in the barn, and I kissed him before he could object. Okay, okay, I’d dragged him in here under false pretenses, but the way he kissed back told me he didn’t mindthatmuch.
“You don’t need my help,” Milo said when I had to back off for air, cheeks already flushed, hair mussed, eyes dark.
The look on his face was so precious I couldn’t help laughing. “Sure I do,” I said. “I need to make out with you. Can’t do that alone, can I?”
“I’m gonna be in so much trouble if Seth finds out I’m not doing my job,” Milo said.
“I’ll make it worth your while,” I promised, curling my hand around his shoulder to hold him in place while I kissed him again, pinning him to the hay bales that blocked us from view. No one would be in the barn, anyway, until tonight, so we had it all to ourselves. “Missed you.”
“Missed you, too,” Milo said. “Did you sleep, at least? You look like me after three nights of sleeping at my desk.”
“I’m sure you’re cute even after that, but I wish you wouldn’t.” I leaned in for another kiss, taking charge this time and keeping it light but thorough, like I’d dreamed of last night. Just lying there, kissing Milo, with no hurry at all.
I wanted so much more of this than I was going to get.
“The camera is hot, by the way,” I said, running my fingers down the strap looped around Milo’s neck. “This is exactly how I always imagined you.”
“While you were fantasizing about my hands?” Milo asked, smiling one of those smiles I couldn’t get enough of.
“Separately.” I smiled back at him, running my fingers back up to splay over his shoulder. I paused to kiss him, keeping it light again in the hopes that it’d make him want more. “You’re way better in real life than anything I imagined, for the record.”
“Not sure whether or not that’s a compliment,” Milo said, but he was still smiling. “You’re just like I imagined you. For the record.”
“Constantly horny?”
Milo laughed. “No. No, perfect. Way too perfect for me.”
“Then I’m not like you imagined me at all,” I said, brushing my thumb over his lips. “No one’s too perfect for you. Least of all me.”
“Agree to disagree,” Milo said, resting his forehead against mine. “And I wouldn’t sayconstantly.”
