Page 72 of Hot for Teacher
“Eli told me,” Noah said easily. “They had a meeting. Apparently it was super pathetic, and now Eli’s given his full approval.”
“And that’s his official diagnosis?” Chase asked. “Lovesick?”
Just saying it out loud made the ache in Chase’s chest worse. Or maybe better?
“Oh yeah,” Spencer chimed in. “Lovesick for sure. Guy almost bit my head off when I called you handsome.” He cackled. “He’s gonna be fun to tease.”
Chase smiled at the thought—Spencer and Killian in a room together. Noah too. All the people Chase cared about. Meeting. Getting to know each other.
Chase could have that. He could have everything he was too afraid to say he wanted, if he could just admit it to the one person who needed to hear it most.
But maybe it wouldn’t hurt to practice a little first.
“I like him,” Chase said, directing his words to the ceiling. “I really, really like him. Maybe even more than like.”
It was definitely more than like, but Chase was allowing himself a few baby steps here.
Spencer rested his head on Chase’s other shoulder, and Noah patted at Chase’s chest. “We know, bud. We know.”
23
Killian
It was late, but Killian was still awake. Wide awake.
Sleep hadn’t been kind to him this past week, not unless he was willing to down an unhealthy amount of whiskey. There were too many empty spaces in his house, spaces that should have held Chase within them. And of course, that empty pit in Killian’s stomach where the usual warm sense of rightness lay.
And since Killian wasn’t in any hurry to make himself into a maudlin alcoholic, he was both sober and, as he’d already established, wide awake.
He had ten minutes of Friday left. The first Friday in months that Chase Adler hadn’t been in his bed.
All because Killian had been a pushy asshole, demanding promises from someone who’d just been yelled at by his dick of a father.
Killian should have held his tongue. He should have beenmore patient. Hedefinitelyshouldn’t have stalked the boy today, let himself be seen by—
There was a knock on Killian’s door, so quiet he almost missed it.
Killian set down the book he’d been staring at blankly and rose from the couch, his heart pounding hard enough to escape from his chest. Because while theoretically it could have been Devon or Prince knocking, both of them would have texted first. There was no one else who would come over unannounced. No one except maybe …
Killian opened the door, locking his knees to keep from sagging into the wall.
“Chase.”
There was Killian’s beta, painfully handsome as ever, wearing a baseball cap and soft, worn athletic clothes, with a bag slung over his shoulder. The duffel Chase had started bringing over when he’d begun staying the night.
Killian tried not to read too much into that. He failed completely.
Chase smelled like baby alphas, not even an ounce of Killian’s pheromones to be found, but for once Killian didn’t mind, because he washere. On Killian’s doorstep.
Chase’s expression was smooth and placid, without a hint of what he might be thinking underneath. “Sorry I didn’t text first.”
“Come in.” Killian tried to make it sound like a request, but it came out like a desperate, barking command instead.
Chase’s lips quirked up at the corners the slightest bit, and then he stepped inside.
Killian made room and then closed the door, locking it behind them. He was doing his best not to give off the feral energy of an alpha about to kidnap his beta and force him to stay forever. He was no doubt unsuccessful.
Chase set his bag down in the entryway and straightened, looking to the couch. “Can we sit?”
