Page 139 of Make the Play

“Because you were too far away.”

He responds with a groan and another kiss, his lips moving slowly across my jaw to my pulse point.

“I need to say something,” he murmurs against my ear. “Before this goes further.”

My pulse skips as he leans back. “Okay.”

His throat bobs, hand gently caressing my side.

“If we do this again,” he says quietly, “it doesn’t go back to what it was.”

I still, and his eyes flick to mine, so earnest it hurts.

“I mean it, Zo. I can’t pretend this is casual. I’ve tried, but… I fuckingcan’t.”

I want to crack a joke. Say something flippant to fill the silence, but nothing comes.

“Then don’t.” My voice is barely more than a breath. “I don’t want you to pretend.”

His eyes flare. “Alright… no more pretending, no more masks. No more meaningless bullshit.”

My breath stutters, but I nod anyway.

“I wantallof you,” he says. “And whatever comes with that. The PR, the contract, the fallout, we’ll deal. I just…” He swipes his thumb slowly across my lower lip. “I need to know that when I fuck you tonight—and I really,reallywant to fuck you—you’re not gonna act like it doesn’t mean anything tomorrow.”

My chest constricts because this man, this ridiculous, Golden Retriever, frat boy menace, is offering me everything. I blink, stunned by how calm his voice is when mine feels like breaking.

“I can’t promise I won’t panic,” I whisper. “But I won’t pretend this means nothing.”

His brow twitches, and I meet his eyes.

“I want you,” I tell him, a reassurance. “I just… don’t always know how todothis.”

His gaze darkens, roaming my face.

“Well lucky for you, I’m really fucking good at showing you how it’s done.”

Then he’s kissing me again, fiercer now. He pulls my T-shirt over my head and groans when he sees I’m not wearing a bra.

“Fuck, baby. You came to my door like this?”

“I didn’t plan—”

“Don’t lie,” he rasps, already lowering his mouth to my breast. “You knew what you were doing.”

His tongue flicks across my nipple with the barbell before his mouth closes over it entirely, sucking slow and deep while his hand toys with the other.

My head tips back with a moan.

“God, you havenoidea what this does to me,” he mutters against my skin. “You walk around in my hoodie, licking spoons in front of me, talking shit while looking likethat.”

“Like what?”

He lifts his head, eyes blazing. “Like my fucking dream, Zoe.”

The words punch something loose in my chest, but I don’t have time to think, because he’s already tugging at my shorts and dragging them down.

“Shit,” he breathes, nuzzling the inside of my thigh. “You were gonna go to sleep like this? So needy and wet, and you weren’t even gonna tell me?”

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