Page 90 of Arrogant Puck

I just shake my head and get up to clean the takeout boxes, saving the leftovers in containers that actually have matching lids. When I come back to the couch, I sit a little closer to her than before. Not close enough to be obvious, but close enough that our thighs almost touch.

We watch another episode, and somewhere during a particularly ridiculous argument about loyalty tests, Sage leans her head against my shoulder. I stiffen at first—I’m not used to casual affection, don’t really know how to handle gentle touches that aren’t leading to sex. But she stays there, warm and trusting against my side, and eventually I relax into it.

This is what friends do, right? Watch shitty TV and fall asleep together on the couch like it’s no big deal?

Her breathing gets deeper as the show continues, and when I look down, her eyes are closed. Her sleeping face does something to my chest, makes it tight in a way that has nothing to do with lust and everything to do with how my heart squeezes tightly in my chest.

“Fuck,” I whisper under my breath.

I glance at my phone to check the time.

Lexi: Hey, are you back in town x

I ignore her.

It’s getting late, and Sage’s neck is going to be killing her if she stays in this position. I turn off the TV and carefully shift her in my arms, lifting her up. She mumbles something incoherent but doesn’t wake up as I carry her through the house.

I should take her to the guestroom. That would be the right thing to do, the respectful thing. Instead, I find myself walking toward my bedroom, telling myself it’s just for tonight. That she’ll sleep better in my bed.

I lay her down gently and slip in beside her, staying on my side of the king-sized bed. She’s beautiful in the moonlight streaming through my windows, peaceful in a way I’ve never seen her.

“You put me in your bed?” she murmurs without opening her eyes.

I pull her closer to me, unable to resist. “Where you belong.”

She chuckles softly, settling into my pillow. “You’re funny.”

She closes her eyes, and we drift to sleep.

I wake up the next morning with Sage draped over me like a blanket. Her leg is thrown across my thighs, her head on my chest, one arm curled around my waist. And my dick is rock hard underneath her knee, pressing against her through my boxer briefs.

“Sage,” I mutter, trying to shift without waking her. My hip is aching from staying in one position all night. “Baby.”

She readjusts herself, somehow managing to get even closer, and I can’t help but chuckle. She’s such a snuggler, completely unconscious of personal space when she’s asleep.

Then her eyes flutter open, and she immediately pulls back when she realizes our position. “Hey, you asked for it by bringing me in here.”

“I’m not complaining,” I say, rolling over and putting my arms around her before she can escape. I pull her back against me and nuzzle into her neck, breathing in the scent of her skin.

“Hey,” I say, turning her to face me. Our faces are inches apart, and I can see the flecks of red in her brown eyes. “Kiss me.”

She stares into my eyes, and I can see her thinking, weighing her options.

“Only if you want to,” I whisper, giving her the choice again like that night in Milwaukee.

She leans in and kisses me, soft and sweet and perfect. The warmth spreads through me like wildfire, and I press my hips against her instinctively. She moans into my mouth, and the sound goes straight to my dick.

“Slater,” she whispers against my lips, and hearing my name like that is something out of a dream.

I kiss her deeper, pouring everything I can’t say into the contact. “Sage,” I groan. “If you want, I—”

“Just enjoy my kiss, Slater.”

I smile against her mouth. “More than you know.”

I roll on top of her, grinding myself against her through our clothes. The friction is incredible, and I groan with the effort of holding back. “Okay, let’s get up.”

I force myself to get out of bed before I do something stupid like beg her to let me inside her. She stays in bed, her eyes following my movement as I stretch. I catch her checking out my shirtless body, her gaze lingering on my chest and abs before drifting lower.

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