“What are you thinking?”he murmurs, his fingertips brushing my neck, sending tingles from my neck straight down my body.
“I’m thinking I really like that you’re here.”
His eyes hold mine, and what passes between us is more than I ever dared to hope for.
“We never finished our game from the plane,” he says.
I flash back to Two Truths and a Lie.“Only because you didn’t follow the rules and refused to take a turn.”
His thumbs stroke down my bare arms.“Fine, here goes.”He clears his throat.“One, I don’t hate Denver as much as I used to.”
My lips twitch.
“Two, my knee is less fucked than I thought.“
He trails off, and I pull back enough to look up at him.
“And?”
Clay looks past me.“Three…I’m falling for a girl.I never expected it to happen.I never looked for her.But she found me anyway.And I’m really fucking glad she did.”
My chest tightens.
“Please don’t joke about that,” I whisper.
“You think I am?”
“You’re Clayton Wade.You barely let anyone in.You don’t fall.”
He pulls me closer.“You said yourself—people change.”
My heart thuds.
I want the physical connection, but I want more than that, too.
I want him to see all of me, even the things I’m trying not to look at.
But this is the first time he’s said anything hinting at a future.
What would that even mean?He’s about to embark on his season, a demanding rush of grueling games and media appearances, not to mention his secret ambition to land himself in a job halfway across the country.
“I spent the last month putting myself back together,” I start.“Spending time with you helped, I won’t pretend it didn’t.But I don’t want to just be someone you pick up and put down when it’s convenient.”
“I know.And I’m not that guy,” Clay says, his voice low and urgent.“Let me take you home and prove it to you.”
My heart hammers against my ribs.“After Harlan and Mari leave.”
He brushes his lips along my throat, making me shiver.
“After.”
30
CLAY
“The fuck are you doing?”I ask Miles as I join him in the dark yard.
Most of the guests are inside, dancing and drinking and celebrating.The cold evening makes the hairs lift on my arms even through my shirt and suit jacket.
