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“Yeah. I mean, I liked it. I like him. I wouldn’t mind, you know, figuring this thing out between us.”

“Then you should tell him that.”

“What if he feels like it was a mistake?”

Garrett tilted his head to the side briefly, eyebrows raised skeptically. “You said he was into the kiss.”

“I did. I mean, he was. But what if he changed his mind?”

He shrugged. “I guess you’ll find that out when you talk to him.”

The thought of telling Kieran I was into him, that I wanted more than a one-time kiss, made my stomach ache, but Garrett was right. I had to say something. I had to know if he felt the same way.

The rest of the day, as morning bled to afternoon and time slipped away while I worked, I kept thinking about Kieran. About the kiss. About how my body had reacted to touching him and how his body had felt against mine. Did he want more or did he see it as a huge mistake? There was only one way to find out.

Chapter Seventeen

Kieran

Iwas rattled the day after the kiss, all day and into the evening, and when Lena texted to say she had a project to work on and would be home late, anxiety built in my chest and shoulders. I knew what that meant—if Ellis came home, it would just be the two of us in the house. Would it be awkward? Would he try to avoid me? He’d left that morning while I was in the shower. Was that a coincidence or was it by design so he didn’t have to see me?

Too many thoughts swirled around in my mind, causing the anxiety to burn inside my chest. I had made sure to keep myself busy during the day, as usual, job hunting, working on professional development courses, and texting with Micah, who’d called and interrupted the kiss the night before.

He wanted to check in, he’d said. Wanted to see if I was planning on coming back or not. Wondering if he was asked to call by Max, our producer, I’d given him a vague answer, both grateful for and annoyed by the interruption at the time. Grateful because I needed a fucking moment to breath and to figure out what the hell was happening, but annoyed because, well, I’d been enjoying myself, and it seemed like Ellis had been, too, the tension that had been building between us finally cracking into something tangible.

As the sun began to sink in the sky, my anxiety ramped up, knowing Ellis might be home soon. I tried to relax by watching something on TV, but it was pointless. All I could think about was the heat of Ellis’s mouth on mine, the expanse of his muscles under my hands, the soft groans of pleasure he made that rumbled deep in his chest as our tongues met again and again.

I found myself shifting in my seat anxiously, trying a half-dozen different sitting positions and finding none of them comfortable or natural feeling. Everything felt like it was too obvious, like it looked too much as if I was just waiting for Ellis to arrive.

I was just about to give up on the TV, though I had no idea what else I was going to do with myself, when the sound of Ellis’s car pulling into the driveway stood every nerve ending I had at attention. After a few deep breaths, I forced myself to look as casual as possible and braced for the moment the door opened.

The second Ellis walked in, my heart rate sped up, pounding hard in my chest. I crossed my legs, my ankle resting on my knee, and leaned back onto the couch. A beat later, I stood up, shoving my hands into my pockets. Act normal, I told myself. I wasn’t sure if I remembered how.

“Hi,” he murmured, toeing out of his sneakers and avoiding my gaze, glancing down the hallway instead. “Where’s Lena?”

“She had to work late.”

He nodded wordlessly and finally looked at me. “I… should we talk?” His tone was cautious and measured.

My throat was tight and I swallowed hard, trying to sound casual. “Do you think we need to?”

He hesitated for a second before stepping closer to me. My breath caught in my throat, chest tightening as I waited for him to speak.

“Not especially,” he murmured.

My voice cracked when I spoke. “No?”

He shook his head and moved closer still. A beat passed before he reached out and pulled me to him. Before I knew what was happening, we were pressed together, lips parting, tongues meeting. Heat burned between us, the kiss immediately becoming deep and hungry. One of Ellis’s hands made its way into my hair and tugged gently, drawing a desperate moan from deep inside of me.

After several long moments, Ellis walked me backwards until I bumped into the couch and sank down, pulling him with me. We broke apart long enough to strip our shirts off and once they were gone, Ellis turned my body sideways and pushed me down, flat on the couch. The next second, he straddled me, powerful thighs bracketing my hips, his erection clearly visible through his jeans, and he dipped down to kiss me once again.

I moved my hands between our bodies, frantically unfastening his jeans and shoving my hand into his pants. The second I made contact with his cock, he groaned and rocked his hips into my touch.

“Shit,” he murmured against my mouth, eyes half-closed.

I hummed in satisfaction, stroking him as much as I could manage in the awkward position, pressing the heel of my hand deliberately against the head of his cock as I slowly moved my hand in and out of his jeans. Wetness seeped through his boxers, leaving a damp streak on my palm.

My body felt as if it was on fire, my hips thrusting up against his ass as I stroked his cock, our mouths moving together in deep, hungry kisses. Ellis sat back a little and moved his hands between our bodies, working to get my jeans open.