Page 17 of Scoring in Cedarwood

“I wanted to go out.”

“Where to?” Tanner asked.

“I didn’t plan ahead.”Fuckety fuck.The man who normally detailed his life to the tiniest detail had no plans whatsoever.

“Would you be interested in staying in?”

“Since my plans are rather loose, yeah, I could stay in.”

“Good. I need you.”

He had to have heard Tanner wrong. “Need me?” he blurted.

“Yeah.” Tanner kissed him. The momentary touch of his lips on Dane’s pleased and surprised him. The action flew by, making Dane wonder if it’d even happened.

Dane blinked. Tanner had kissed him, but he doubted himself. Was the memory of Tanner’s lips and the scruff on his chin real or imagined? His heart fluttered and he wanted another kiss. He wanted to caress Tanner and feel the roughness of Tanner’s whiskers once more. He wanted to gaze into Tanner’s eyes and commit the color patterns to memory.

Tanner slid his palms over Dane’s bare chest. “Don’t you want me to kiss you?”

“I do, but only because you want to.” Not because he’d been forced or any other reason. “I’m taken aback. I assumed you’d have a date tonight.”

“I have a game tomorrow,” Tanner said. “I very much want to kiss you because it feels right.”

He hooked his fingers into Tanner’s front pockets and pulled him tight to his chest. Dane shouldn’t be acting so boldly, but he needed this. He slanted his mouth over Tanner’s. The scrape of Tanner’s day-old whiskers on Dane’s cheeks sent shivers down his spine. He bumped noses with Tanner. When the ballplayer opened to him, Dane slid his tongue into Tanner’s mouth. He swallowed Tanner’s moan.

Tanner threaded his arms around Dane and stuffed his hands into Dane’s back pockets. He broke the kiss. “Yes.”

“Good?” Dane rested his forehead on Tanner’s and sighed. Up close, he noticed the flecks of cobalt in Tanner’s eyes and the dusting of freckles on Tanner’s cheeks. Dane licked his lips. “This isn’t smart.” But he loved every second of being a twosome.

“Nope,” Tanner said. “It’s forbidden.”

“It is.”Being bad has never been this good.

“We shouldn’t.”

“Huh-uh.” Dane swayed with Tanner in his embrace. He brushed his mouth over Tanner’s, kissing him again. “We could get into trouble.” He didn’t care. “Could get deep.”

“We’d be in over our head.”

“Yeah, but I don’t give a shit.” Dane wanted more of Tanner. He hadn’t let go in this way in forever.

“You don’t?” Tanner stiffened. “We should stop.” He patted Dane’s ass but didn’t pull away. “I know better than this and so do you. If neither of us cares that we’re breaking the rules, then this can’t end well. I still have to live with you until the end of September.”

“I know.” His cheeks and the tips of his ears burned. Part of him couldn’t shake the embarrassment. He knew the rules. Any other time, he’d have been the one enforcing the code of conduct. The rest of him detested the rules. “I still want you.” Despite the argument, he wasn’t swayed.

“Good to know.” Tanner released him. He flopped onto Dane’s bed and sighed. “We are so fucked up.”

He frowned. Confusion clouded his mind. What had just happened? One minute he’d been tangled up with Tanner and now? Tanner was on his bed, but not inviting him to join in. “Tanner.”

“I’m sorry.” Tanner shook his head then scrubbed his face with both hands.

Dane sat beside him. “For what?”For teasing me?

“I need you.” Tanner rolled onto his side and caressed Dane’s thigh. “I want nothing more than to be with you, but I’m messed up.”

He should put on a shirt. Instead, Dane stretched out opposite Tanner. “I’m not wild about being teased, but I won’t take advantage of you in this manner. You’re hurting. Talk to me.”

Tanner didn’t speak right away. He swept his gaze over Dane a couple of times then palmed Dane’s hip. “I didn’t want to come to Cedarwood. When I learned about the trade, I was pissed. I trashed my apartment then cleaned it all up because I needed to get the deposit back. But I had a chip on my shoulder. I downplayed my feelings because I didn’t want to be labeled difficult.”

---