Chapter 24 #2
He pulls out of my embrace to look at me, his brow arched with equal parts curiosity and amusement.
“Oh yeah? And what makes you say that?”
“Well, you see…I found something interesting in my bag before the game.” Slowly, I pluck his drawing from where I stashed it in the side pocket of my duffle, and muse, “Was this your way of asking me to be your valentine, Little Reed?”
His cheeks tint with the deepest shade of pink I’ve seen yet when he realizes exactly what it is I’m holding, but it’s the shift in his expression, becoming more guarded and wary, that has me kicking myself for teasing him.
“I know it was stupid, but—”
“It wasn’t stupid,” I declare, shaking my head. “I love it. The art, but also that you trust me enough to give it to me. So thank you.”
His gaze traces my face before he whispers a soft, “You’re welcome.”
I smile, cupping the side of his face. My thumb skates over his cheekbone, where blush still tints his skin, darkening his freckles ever so slightly. Sometimes I have a hard time deciding if I love those more than the cracks in his irises, and right now is definitely one of those moments.
“You know, you’re pretty damn cute when you decide to be nice,” I murmur.
“And when I’m not nice?” he counters, brow arched. “What am I then?”
“Hot as fuck, obviously.”
He rolls his eyes but doesn’t hesitate to kiss me back, long and slow, when my lips land on his. His fingers slice through my hair, holding me in place, and I can hear my pulse thundering in my ears with every second we remain locked like that.
Because this freely affectionate side of Logan? It’s unlike anything I could’ve expected.
It’s something I can’t get enough of, and I never want to lose it.
He pulls away all too soon, but his hands linger at the base of my skull, playing with the hair there while he looks at me with a gaze full of unspoken tenderness.
Which just makes me want to haul him back in for another kiss.
Unfortunately, I can’t trust myself not to get carried away, so instead, I unlink his hands from my neck, slide one of his palms into mine, and lead him down the hall toward the exit.
“I see you found something new when you raided my closet today.”
His cheeks heat some more as he looks down at the jersey before picking at the hem.
“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. It’s obviously way too big for me.”
“Just makes it easier to strip off you later.”
“I thought the point was to keep it on while you fuck me?” he whispers conspiratorially. “You know, all possessive and claiming and shit?”
My teeth scrape over my lower lip before I shrug. “Well, I don’t need you wearing a jersey with my name on it to claim you. Knowing your ass is filled with my cum does the job just fine.”
Logan’s face turns beet red, and he glances around to make sure we’re still alone. Which we are, obviously. Everyone left ages ago, apart from his uncle and possibly the reporters.
“Oh my God, Cam. What if someone hears you say shit like that?” he hisses.
“Then they’ll know I do a damn good job of taking care of my boyfriend,” I state matter-of-factly. “And since we’re on the topic of caretaking, did you happen to eat before the game?”
“Yeah, but I made enough for you too.”
I arch a brow. “Yeah?”
He nods, his cheeks now returned to their normal color. “Pesto chicken, since I know you like it.”
And once again, Logan Reed makes my heart flip flop in my chest. Makes it a little hard to be mad about him ruining my plan to take him out to dinner for a real date tonight.
Oh, well. Guess it’s on to plan B.
After holding open the exit door for him, we head over to where his car is parked in the main lot, still hand in hand. He doesn’t let go once we reach the driver’s side, instead choosing to turn to face me.
“You want me to drive you around to the player lot?” he asks, but I shake my head.
“Nah, that’s okay. I just realized I forgot something inside, so I’ll go through the building.”
Let the record state: I didn’t forget shit. But I need an excuse for why it’s going to take me a bit longer to get home. However, my adorably oblivious Logan takes my reply at face value, simply whispering a soft “okay” in response.
His light-brown eyes look more of a golden amber in the glow of the lights illuminating the parking lot, and I just…
Ugh. He’s so goddamn cute looking up at me with those damn eyes and with my jersey hanging off his body.
I could just eat him. Not in the cannibalistic way, obviously.
More like pinning him against the car and biting the apples of his cheeks while he smiles.
This must be what people mean when they talk about cuteness aggression.
But I rein it in…for the most part.
I still walk him a couple steps backward until he gently collides with the driver door of his car. But instead of nipping at one of those rosy cheeks, I curl my hand around the side of his neck and brush my thumb over it.
“Thanks for coming tonight,” I murmur, smiling gently.
“You already thanked me.”
I hum, bobbing my head back and forth. “Technically, I just said I was glad you came.”
“Well, if you wanna get technical…” He trails off, his lips twitching into a smirk.
It takes me a second to pick up what he’s putting down, replaying my comment, then his, only for a sharp laugh to slip out.
“You know, your mind might be deeper in the gutter than mine is,” I admonish playfully.
All he does is shrug before supplying, “You’re too busy being deep in something else.”
“Oh my God, you little perv.” I chuckle some more, shaking my head. “What the hell am I gonna do with you?”
“I’m sure you could think of a few things.”
“Yeah, I probably could.”
There’s a wicked glint lighting up his gaze now, and once again, I’m slammed with that inexplicable urge to just…take a fucking bite. So I do the next best thing by kissing him, slowly molding my mouth to his for a few seconds, then gently nipping his bottom lip before pulling away.
“I’ll see you at home, all right?” I murmur.
He nods, and I can’t stop myself from stealing one more kiss, despite knowing we’ll both be back at the house—alone—within the hour. It doesn’t matter, though. I’m an addict when it comes to Logan Reed, and I will take whatever fix I can get, regardless of how small.
After I somehow extract myself from him, I pull open his car door, allowing him to slide into the driver’s seat. But before I close it, I lean down in the opening and cock my head.
“Oh, and Little Reed? The answer is yes.”
“Yes?” he echoes, brows drawn together.
And now it’s my turn to shoot him a devious look.
“Yes, I’ll be your valentine.”