16. Miles
16
MILES
I t's late when I crack the door and look out into the hallway.
“Stay,” I whisper to Waffles, who doesn’t lift his head from his spot curled up on the floor.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself, and head down the hall. Everyone else seems to be in bed, the house quiet.
I stand in front of Brooke’s room and knock gently on her door.
It’s half a dozen heartbeats before the door cracks. Her face appears on the other side, her makeup from earlier scrubbed off and her hair pulled back.
“Everything okay?” she whispers.
“Can I borrow your phone charger? Want to make sure I don’t miss my alarm for the morning.”
“Oh. Sure thing.”
She glances toward the nightstand and I spot the charger there.
I push the door open. She’s wearing pajamas too, only hers are silky blue shorts and a button-up top that skims her breasts.
She stifles a laugh at my appearance.
“What?” I protest as I glance down at the borrowed pajamas that are comically short on me.
“You’re definitely taller than Jay.”
“Six-four.”
“And a half.”
I grin.
“Is Waffles okay?”
"Yeah. He’s out cold in the guest room. Thanks for the hospitality." I try to keep my tone light, even as my pulse quickens. I'm hyper-aware of how close we are, how easy it would be to reach out and touch her.
"I should thank you. You gave me a place to stay all month."
"Why didn’t you move in here?" I ask, even though I'm selfishly glad she didn't.
She cringes. "That would mean living under my mom's expectations, her rules. I wanted to call my own shots and you gave me that.”
She takes a step backward, and I follow.
"And thank you for having my back."
The look in her eyes is a confusing mix of emotions. I want nothing more than to pull her close, to show her how I feel. But I'm acutely aware of where we are, of her family sleeping nearby, of her brother down the hall.
“It’s a damned privilege to have your back. Not only because it looks every bit as good as your front.”
Before I can talk myself out of it, I capture her hand and tug her toward me. The house is silent except for the heater running, dark except for the soft glow of holiday lights through the curtains. I'm lost in her eyes, so beautiful and earnest.
I kiss her.
She inhales in surprise, but her hands skim up my abs to my pecs.
I groan, desire warring with caution. "Princess, we can't do this here."
“You started it,” she breathes.
“Fuck. I know.”
I can't resist her.
I pull the door closed behind me.
Then I'm kissing her again, my hands diving into her hair as I tip her face up to mine. She tastes like mint and something that’s only Brooke.
"I don't know if I can handle you in my brother's pajamas," she whispers.
"I'll take them off," I murmur back as I kick them down my legs with a grin. “Please handle me.”
Her laugh against my mouth is the best fucking feeling in the world.
We stumble across the carpet, and I unbutton her top and push it off her shoulders. The shorts are next, falling in a heap at her feet with a tug from my fingers.
I lift her and wrap her legs around my hips to carry her the rest of the way to the bed.
"Where are you going?" she demands as I set her down and take a step back.
"Want to see you." I search out every inch of her in the darkness. The bright holiday lights outside the window lend a warm glow to her curves.
"You've seen me before." She props herself up on her elbows, her lips parted in a way that makes my dick twitch.
“Yeah, but you’re different today.” Her head tilts with curiosity. I tell my libido to calm down for a hot second so I can explain. “Seeing you here with your family, I get it. The pressure and the expectations you deal with every day. What you’ve been raised around. It’s a lot.”
“Ah, so you can see the stress?” she murmurs with a smile. She’s not offended, another thing I love about her. “I think there’s a serum for that.”
“Nah.” I shake my head slowly. “I’ve never seen you look as beautiful as you do right now.”
She reaches for me, and I let her.
As we come together, I'm aware of the intensity of my feelings for her. It's not just physical. I want to protect her, support her, make her laugh. I want to be the one she turns to when she needs strength.
Jay’s my friend and teammate, but I saw tonight how important their relationship is, too. The last thing I want is to complicate things or come between them.
So I show her with actions what I'm not ready to say with words.
Afterward, as we lay tangled together, I plug my phone in and set her alarm for 5 a.m. It's risky, staying here, but I can't bear the thought of leaving yet.
"Don't even think of moving before I wake up," I murmur against her ear, tightening my arms around her.