Page 40 of Perfect Storm
Levi’s jaw dropped. “Are you fucking joking? You must have . . .no.”
“No?” It was impossible to not be a little smug. He was Aidan Flynn, after all, and Riley had claimed more than once that he’d come out of the womb smug.
Contrary to predominant belief, he didn’t lean into that smugness as often as everyone claimed, but he leaned into it now. It felt good, and it felt even better when it lit Levi’s face up with an irresistible combination of indignation and enjoyment.
“You must have . . .ugh. Did you cheat, dude?”
“Cheat?” Aidan laughed, not even offended like he might’ve been, because it was so obvious that Levi didn’t really mean it. “No way. I didn’t need to cheat to beat you.”
Levi choked out a laugh. “Fuck you, bro.Fuck you, bro. Give me another round.”
The planets and stars had aligned during that last one, Aidan finding a Zen-like zone that had guaranteed his win. He wasn’t sure that would happen again, but at least it had happenedonce.
Aidan restarted the game, and this time it was more neck and neck, Levi clearly making a real effort to win. Aidan couldn’t say hewasn’ttrying hard, either. In fact, he could probably say that he was working even harder than he had during the race he’d won.
Then he finally,barely,pulled away, right before the finish line and Levi yelled. Before Aidan could brace himself, Levi was pushing them both off the couch, landing with a breathless gasp-slash-laugh on the ground, cushioned by the plush rug over the hardwood.
“Oh shit, shit,” Aidan gasped, another chuckle escaping him. “Youcheated this time.”
Levi stared down at him, licking his lips, and it hit Aidan like a truck. Levi was on top of him, his body blanketing Aidan’s own, his arms braced on either side of Aidan’s head. He was big and solid and warm, those strong thighs pressing into Aidan.
Aidan’s breath caught in his chest. “Cheater,” he repeated, because he was playing, and it felt so good, he didn’t know why he’d stopped. Orwhenreally. After that first Super Bowl win? Before, even?
When he’d lost the constant presence of Landry after college, because he’d apparently relied on his best friend to regularly yank him out of his own ass?
Levi was smiling down at him, like he’d gladly taken his older brother’s mantle. Maybe he didn’t even realize he’d done it. Didn’t even know therewasan open position, or that Landry had once slotted in there, as easy as breathing, and there was no question it was going to be Levi, now.
“I had to dosomething,” Levi claimed. Then his head dipped an inch lower, eyes slipping down to Aidan’s mouth.
Suddenly, Aidan’s tongue was too big for it. Dry and unwieldy.
He’d certainly never wanted to kiss Landry before. The thought had never crossed his mind, not once, but he couldn’t stop catching strays when it came to Levi.
Aidan half expected Levi to finally say something about it. Oh so casually, of course, like,hey, you thinking about Michigan too?Because Aidan was sure as fuck thinking about Michigan.
About what it might’ve been like if he’d drunk like two and a half glasses of whiskey less on the night they’d made s’mores, or if his stupid brother and his even stupider best friend hadn’t been in the house when they’d kissed in the kitchen. Or if Levi hadn’t had to go to LA so unexpectedly to deal with his contract.
But Levi didn’t say anything. Just kept gazing at him like he was merely enjoying the heat between them and wasn’t particularly wedded to the idea ofdoinganything about it.
It made Aidan feel insane. Feral. He wanted to push himself up and bite Levi’s bottom lip.
It made him want to do all the things.
But he wouldn’t, because while hefeltinsane, hewasn’tinsane.
Instead, he gathered his strength and pushed Levi off.
If Levi was disappointed, it didn’t show. He just laughed again.
Meanwhile,Aidanwas having trouble hiding his own disappointment. Why else push him off the couch and full-body tackle him to the ground if Levi wasn’t interested in doing anything about it?
Levi rolled over onto his side and just looked at Aidan, like Aidan was supposed to know what the fuck that look meant. He was a quarterback, not a mind reader.
“Why am I not surprised that youdoing somethingwas tackling me off the couch?” Aidan asked, raising an eyebrow.
Levi just shrugged. Like it wasn’t a big deal. Like the last time they’d been this close they hadn’t been kissing. Except they had been.
“What else did you want me to do?” Levi was talking around it again, and that made Aidan want to grind his molars in frustration.
