Page 75 of Someone Like You

Phil was hot now. He was still shivering and still felt shards of ice puncturing him all over, but his face and his chest were on fire.

Hereallywanted to kiss Ian.

“Abby said something like that once. Back when we were dating.”

“Speaking of Abigail… I just had a life-changing conversation with her.”

Phil’s eyebrows rose. He didn’t know which part of that single sentence was more disconcerting. Ian and Abby hadjusthad alife-changingconversation? To talk about what?

Actually, he knewwhat.

Him.

But tosaywhat?

“Just as in… recently?”

“As injust now. Not goin’ to lie, for a moment there I thought she was out for blood. That woman knows how to intimidate a guy.”

“Shedoes,” Phil had to agree. He was proud of his pint-sized cherry bomb.

Ian gave the edges of the hoodie a perfunctory tug. “She accused me of breakin’ your heart.”

The heart in question, which had been very much broken until mere minutes ago, missed a few beats. Phil would have never put it like that, but…

“Yeah, well…” He ducked his head with a sniff. “Youdid.”

Ian splayed a hand on Phil’s naked chest. Beneath it, Phil’s heart throbbed in anticipation. He wanted more of that touch. More of that warmth. He wanted to tear Ian’s clothes apart and soak up the beautiful heat of his body wrapped up in his arms.

“My goal was to preserve your relationship,” Ian stressed, his hand gliding up until it curled around the nape of Phil’s neck. If it was a reproach, it didn’t sound very reproachful. More like enamoured.

Kiss me, Phil whimpered inside.Please, just fucking kiss me.

“But you and your pearl-clutchin’ morals had to go and spoil it all.”

“My most sincere apologies for having a conscience.” Phil shoved the feverish yearning under a mask of phoney indignation. “At least If I lose Abby it’ll be because of the truth rather than a lie.”

Ian scoffed out a muffled chortle, his expression mellowing. “That’s not what’s happenin’.”

“What’s happening then?” Phil’s tetchy tone only seemed to amuse Ian further, bringing out those dreamy dimples Phil was so hopelessly weak for. Ian’s thumb stroked the underside of his jawline, back and forth, so tenderly Phil’s knees instantly turned to mush.

“If you want,” he muttered, “you’ve got a free pass for a foot in both camps.”

Phil’s mouth fell open, but no sound came out. He replied what he’d heard in his head a few times to make sure he’d processed it correctly.

No mockery.

No sarcasm.

Only anticipation.

A foot in both camps.

AbbyandIan.

It was more than he could have dared to hope for.

It waseverything.

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