Page 24 of Scoring Slater
"No. We haven't."
The elevator pinged and the doors to their right opened. Noah's hand flexed once and held on as they stepped inside the empty car. Slater hit the button for his floor. It dawned on him that he didn't know where Noah's room was located. They'd checked in separately and weren't exactly on friendly terms the other day.
The car stopped at the seventh floor. "This is me."
A tentative teasing smile curved Noah's lips. "I assumed so. I saw you hit the button."
"Oh, right." Chuckling, he shrugged. "Didn't think."
As they walked down the hall, he dug his room card from his jeans pocket. He had to release Noah's hand so he could open the door. After flicking on the light, he waved Noah inside, then followed and set the card and his phone on the desk.
Hands shoved into his jeans pockets, Noah stood in the middle of the room. His gaze bounced like a loose puck from the chair to the window to the bed to Slater. "So…"
Time for answers. He leaned his hip against the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. "You said we needed to talk."
"We do. Or, I do. I have things to say."
"Why did you bid on me?"
Noah's tongue swept over his lips. That searching, searing, soul-stirring gaze from the elevator returned and tugged on Slater's heartstrings. "I couldn't stand the idea of you falling in love with someone else."
Slater gaped at him as the words sunk in and imprinted in his mind. He pushed away from the desk and took a step closer to Noah. "But you said—"
"I know. Best friends, roommates, and teammates." He dragged his hands through his hair. "But I was sitting tonight at a bar, thinking about us, about how much I love being with you, and I don't want to lose you."
"Lose me? What are you talking about? You aren't going to lose me."
The corners of Noah's eyes and mouth turned down. "Are you sure? Because for the last few days, it's seemed like I've lost you. Things have been different. More distant. It sucks."
"Ithassucked." He couldn't hold back the admission any more than he could stop himself from moving closer to Noah.
"And if you met someone else, even more would change. So much would be different. I could handle that if I didn't have feelings for you, but I do."
His heart beat faster as hope battered the defenses he'd built. Slater drew in a breath. "So what are you saying?"
"I want to try. Us, being a thing, I mean. A more than friends thing."
Shock shot through him as fast as a slap shot, then happiness followed on the rebound, but wounds still fresh forced the question, "Are you sure?"
Eyes clear, gaze direct, and determination etched in every line of his handsome face, Noah strode forward, eliminating the space between them. He cupped his hand against Slater's cheek and stroked the skin with his thumb. "So damn sure."
Heat radiated through his chest as Slater drank in every detail. The planes and angles of Noah's face, the blue eyes that seemed to see into his soul, the faint scent of spice from the hotel's shampoo and body wash, and lips parted and perfect.
Noah was everything to him, and holding up an offering of everything Slater wanted.
The urge to kiss him pulsed with every heartbeat. He leaned in, and Noah surged forward with a hitch in his breath.
Soft lips closed over Slater's mouth and the hand stroking his cheek moved into his hair. Slater grabbed fistfuls of Noah's shirt and held on as his system short-circuited from the tender touches. His thoughts spun and desperately fought to keep up with his body.
A skillful tongue teased along the seam of Slater's lips and then licked into his mouth. Groaning, Slater pulled Noah closer. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss, and skated his fingers up Noah's sides. Intoxicated by the feel of hard muscle covered by soft cotton, he roamed his hands over the wide expanse of Noah's chest and then slid up to caress the warm skin of Noah's neck. So many inches to touch and explore.
Noah traced a finger down the line of shirt buttons at the center Slater's chest and stomach, then back up again. "I like when you wear my clothes."
He sucked in a breath as the touch descended once more. "Me too. It's hot seeing you in them. Even hotter picturing getting you out of them."
"You think about that too?" Noah's mouth moved to the base of Slater's throat and sucked, drawing warmth to the surface.
He could only moan as the sensation sizzled his nerve endings. Skin hot and tight and blood tingling, he threaded his fingers in Noah's thick hair and directed that talented mouth back to his lips. "There's a lot of things I think about doing with you."
