Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
My heart ceases to beat, maybe even crawls deep in my chest and tries to hide. “What? I’m not in love. We’ve been dating for, like, two seconds.” But in some ways we’ve been dating for a while now…and had been friends before that. I’ve been slowly falling for Kason longer than I let myself realize.
“Is there an agreed-upon amount of time that has to pass to fall in love?”
“Ha-ha.” I nudge him with my arm, but his words get stuck in my head. Am I falling in love with Kason? Am I already there? How in the hell does someone know what real love is?
Hayes must be able to tell I’m spiraling because he says, “Should I not have said anything?”
“It’s fine. I’m just…”
“Losing your shit? I did that when I realized I was falling in love with Rylan. Fucking hockey players.”
I snicker, my mood lightening some. Just earlier tonight I was stressing out about realizing how much I like Kason, and now this. I don’t really think I get love—at least not for me, because I’m not sure anyone has ever loved me before.
But then, that’s not true, is it? I believe Hayes and Donovan love me. That the bond we’ve built is the most real thing I’ve ever had. Could Kason be that for me too?
I don’t have much time to think about it before I hear footsteps coming from down the hallway. I don’t know how I know it, but even before I look, I can sense it’s Kason. I look up just as he turns the corner, walking with Rylan, decked out in the same black suit he’d worn to the game. My stupid, annoying, maybe-in-love heart soars. His gaze catches on mine, and he gives me a cocky, mischievous grin.
“Aww, see how they look at each other? I thought it was just my Madsies all swoony over his boyfriend, but Anthony is in deep too. So cute,” Rylan teases.
“You’re an idiot,” Kason replies, which is something Rylan hears a lot.
“What are your intentions with my best friend? Because for real, he’s down bad.” Rylan eyes me with a playful gleam. Kason thumps his head, and Hayes just shakes his before going into Rylan’s arms. “Actually, I’m busy with this cutie. Just be good to him.” He winks at me, then nuzzles into Hayes’s neck.
If anyone is down bad, it’s definitely Rylan, but I don’t have the chance to say it. Before I can get any words out, Kason’s finger hooks into my belt loop, and he pulls me close.
“I got a shutout for you.”
“Now you sound like him.” I point to Rylan.
“He wants to be me,” Rylan jokes, but we ignore him.
My arms encircle Kason’s waist, this beautiful man who is looking at me like I matter, like he’s been waiting to see me all night. How did I get so lucky? “Yes. I saw. Thank you. It was really fucking hot, so I’m definitely putting out tonight.”
Kason chuckles and pulls me closer. When I tilt my head up, he covers my mouth with his right there in the hallway outside the locker room. People walk by and he doesn’t care, doesn’t hide who he is and who we are together. The world needs more people like Kason Maddox.
“My place or yours?” he asks.
“I don’t care.” I take a deep breath, think about the closet convo with my friends earlier, don’t let my fear get in the way of being honest. “I just want to be with you.”
The way he smiles at me, you’d think I just gave him the moon. It settles something inside me, while at the same time making me feel like I’m somehow more than I ever felt before.
“I just want to be with you too.”
We say quick goodbyes to Hayes and Rylan, and then Kason takes my hand. I go with him, unsure if there is anywhere I wouldn’t follow this man.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Kason
I take Anthony back to my place. I like having him in my house, in my bed. Him telling me he just wants to be with me tonight is a big deal. I could see the nerves in him, feel them, but he worked through them, for me. Because he wants this, because he’s trying and there’s nothing that feels better than that.
My street is dark and quiet when we arrive. I open the garage and pull in, closing it before we get out, in case there are any photographers lingering around.
“You hungry?” I ask when we go through the garage and into the kitchen.
“I’m sure you are after that game tonight. You sit. I’m taking care of you tonight.” Anthony pushes up and presses his lips to mine, sweetly.
I’m about to tell him he doesn’t have to, that I don’t want him to have to go through the hassle—especially with how late it is—but the way he’s looking at me, the intensity in his green gaze tells me this is important to him. That Anthony wants to do something special for me. “A sexy man cooking for me? You don’t have to ask me twice.”