Page 100 of Bonus Game
“Riley.”
Riley jerked and lifted his head, frowning when he realized he had somehow made it from the fridge to the couch without noticing, and was now standing beside Kingston and staring at the floor like an idiot.
“Shit, sorry.” Riley offered the bottle to Kingston. “I’m so tired that I spaced out.”
Kingston studied the bottle with an unreadable expression, taking so long that Riley began to wonder if he had hallucinated the request. But before he could say anything, Kingston plucked the bottle from his hand and set it onto the coffee table.
“Turn the lights down so my eyes stop burning and get over here,” Kingston ordered, but his tone was soft.
Confused, Riley left to find the switch, dimming the lights enough to give the apartment a moody but comfortable atmosphere. When he returned to the couch, Kingston shuffledforward and from where he was leaning against the arm, and gestured for Riley to get in behind him.
Kingston appeared unbothered by the casual way he’d offered physical contact as he grabbed the throw blanket from the back of the couch and began draping it over his legs, but he stopped when Riley refused to move.
Kingston’s pretty face crinkled into a deep scowl, and Riley was momentarily caught up in how dark his freckles turned when his cheeks were red.
“Do you need me to hold your hand foreverything?” Kingston barked, finally snapping Riley out of his trance. “Sit down before I waste a good beer by throwing it at your empty skull.”
Riley bit back another apology and quickly sat down, rearranging himself around Kingston’s large frame until he had him between his thighs and pressed into his chest. Riley allowed himself to marvel at their closeness as he settled his chin onto Kingston’s shoulder, and the scent of his rival filled his nose.
He had cuddled with Jake and Allen so many times he’d lost count, but it felt different with Kingston. Riley didn’t think it had anything to do with him not being a woman; it just felt…rewarding in a strange sense.
Kingston acted like he hated touching of any kind, so being invited into his space held meaning. Riley was beginning to think that he understood that meaning, which helped ease the guilt twisting inside him until then.
“You smell like Jake,” Kingston muttered, the tips of his ears turning pink.
“I used his shampoo,” Riley admitted. “Did you use Allen’s? Your hair smells like flowers or something.”
Kingston scoffed, and the sound reverberated along Riley’s spine. “Honestly, I think it was bodywash. I forgot to check before using it.”
Riley smirked, remembering how distracted they had been in the steamy shower. Kingston had been so docile post orgasm that he had allowed the hugging and kissing to carry on for a total of three minutes before he’d finally pushed him away.
“You’re warm, too,” Kingston added. “And dumb.”
It was good to know Kingston’s sweetness had a very brief time limit.
“You liked fucking me,” Kingston stated, not giving Riley time to answer before he said, “Even though I’m not a girl.”
Riley thought they had moved pastthispart of their arrangement, but if spelling it out was what he had to do to make Kingston believe his conviction, then he could do that.
“Ireallyliked fucking you,” he said, pausing to give the words time to sink in. “I’m starting to realize that I’ve probably been attracted to guys a lot more than I thought I was, but you’re the first one who’s made me want to act on it.”
Riley’s arms were wrapped around Kingston, so he felt when the man suddenly tensed. He didn’t want to rush him by asking stupid questions, so he settled for pressing his nose into Kingston’s neck and letting his lips touch the heated skin that was turning redder by the second.
“Even Jake never made you want to…”
Kingston trailed off, leaving Riley to think carefully about his answer. Kingston was obviously fishing for information that held relevance to him, but it was hard to imagine what kind of topic could have his loud-mouthed rival so choked up.
Riley wasn’t the brightest bulb in the shed, but using their previous conversations to piece things together helped lead to what he hoped was the right path.
“We’re supposed to keep things simple between us,” said Riley. “Rivals with benefits who can blow off steam together and still hang out and be friends.”
Kingston went unnaturally still in his hold, but Riley could feel his heart thundering—felt his pulse racing against his lips.
“That was the agreement,” Riley continued. “The last few weeks have been fun even if you frustrate the hell out of me, but I don’t know—I’m not sure this is going to work for me.”
Riley sent a silent prayer into the universe that he was on the right track because he was either going to walk away from the conversation happy or wearing a black eye, and he wasn’t sure which one was more likely.
Still, he needed to take a fucking chance because he didn’t want to give Kingston time to put more walls up between them and squander what could be a good thing. He knew he was moving way too fast, but if Kingston was as crazy as he was, he might just go for it.
