Page 124 of Over the Line

I was just worried it would because I was a ball of nerves and a mental wreck and⁠—

The elevator stopped. I got out and stepped into the parking garage. The temperature outside was in the sixties, but this far underground, a chill seeped in through the concrete, and my breath came out in a thin cloud of vapor. I rolled my shoulders beneath my hoodie and paced as I waited.

Garrett was on his way down. But how was this going to go? Were we on the same page?

What if he was coming down to say, “Hey, now that I’ve got you alone—we can’t do this anymore”? Or was that just my anxiety about all this coming through with irrational reasons to freak out?

Or maybe it wasn’t so irrational. The longer I was with Garrett, the more worried I was about losing him. About blowing this. About going to back to the lonely existence I’d had before him, only this time with the knowledge of how good I could feel with him.

I swore into the silence of the garage.

Then the elevator dinged and my heart went into my throat.

Please be him, please be him, please be⁠—

Oh, fuck yes.

And the instant our eyes locked—ooh, no, this man had not come down here to dump me.

He strode toward me, the hunger in his eyes chasing away the cold, and as soon as he could reach me, he slid a hand up into my hair, and then his mouth was against mine and my back was against the cold concrete, and my whole world was right again.

Oh my God, I wanted him. Sex wasn’t an option right now, but just holding him and kissing him was enough. Orgasms could wait. His touch and his warmth—I couldn’t wait for those, and I didn’t have to. Holding him like this was like downing a bottle of cold electrolytes after a grueling shift. Hell, after a whole game. This must’ve been what it felt like to come out of the desert and sip ice water.

Garrett pressed his forehead to mine and panted against my lips. “I’ve been wanting to do that since the last time I left your house.”

“What?” I grinned. “Pin me to a concrete wall and kiss me?”

His laugh made me even dizzier. So did his next long, languid kiss.

“I just needed a minute alone with you,” I breathed. “We can’t stay away long, but⁠—”

“A minute is better than nothing,” he murmured, and then he had my mouth again.

No, a minute wasn’t nearly enough, but it was damn sure better than nothing.

“I love being on this trip,” he whispered shakily when we came up for air, “but I also can’t wait until we have a night to ourselves.”

“Same. I can’t wait until we have some time alone.”

“Mmph. Seriously.” He pulled me in tighter and let a long kiss linger. “I don’t even care if we’re in bed. I just…” He ran his fingers through my hair. “Miss being able to touch you.”

I couldn’t help moaning softly. Hearing my own thoughts rolling off his lips was exhilarating in a way I couldn’t quite define. As if we were closer to the same page than I’d imagined.

“Me too.” I caressed his cheek. “The sex is amazing, but this is the part I miss the most.”

His soft expression made my knees weak.

It also reminded me of my dad’s words.

“That man isn’t subtle either, is he?”

No. No, he wasn’t. I could see exactly what he meant in that moment.

Running my thumb along Garrett’s cheekbone, I swept my tongue across my lips. “My dad caught on. To us.”

His eyebrows flew up. “He did?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Apparently I’ve never been subtle when I’m into someone, and now is no exception.”