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A few times now, she’d tried to broach the subject of what they were without seeming like a cliched needy woman, but either she’d chickened out, or he’d evaded the conversation with surprising skill. She’d meant what she said when they began this…whatever it was. A full-blown relationship wasn’t on her radar. But now that they were a month deep and couldn’t seem to make a full day without seeing each other, things had changed. They could pretend all they wanted, but the arrangement was more than friends who had naked sleepovers. And she loved it. She loved every second of spending time with Keith and the friendships she’d developed with his siblings.
She was in deep water and terrified to rock to the boat.
Keith dropped down on the couch next to her and handed over the Diet Dr. Pepper now always on hand in their fridge. It’d become her drink of choice since alcohol no longer provided the majority of her hydration. “Here, babe.”
Smiling broadly on the outside, which still didn’t match the magnitude of her internal smile, she took the offered beverage. “Thanks.” Would it be a setback for all womenkind if she admitted she loved when he called her babe?
He twisted the top on his soda then settled back on the couch with his arm around her shoulders. As though she belonged there, Mickie snuggled into his side.
“Keith,” she whispered, so hopefully Jagger wouldn’t hear. “Please don’t feel like you can’t have few beers when I’m here.” Her face heated. They hadn’t spoken about her alcoholism. She couldn’t explain it without delving into the rest of her messy past. The thought of sharing everything had stark fear tearing through her every time the notion entered her mind. Which was frequently these days.
Keeping her true identity—for lack of a less dramatic description—secret from the people who’d come to mean the world to her had guilt gnawing at her stomach daily.
Keith cupped the back of her head with his large hand, making it so she couldn’t turn away from the heat of his intense gaze. “I know. I’m good with soda.”
She traced the Patriots’ logo on his T-shirt. “No, I know. I just mean that I don’t want you to change your normal behavior because I’m hanging around. Just do what you would do any other time you watched the game.”
His lips curled up in the rare smile that made her chest flutter wildly. The man melted her heart and her panties without even trying. “This been stressing you out?” He kept his voice low as well.
If Jagger and Ronnie overheard, they kindly pretended to be oblivious, ragging each other and paying her and Keith no mind.
She shrugged. “A bit. I just noticed you don’t ever drink when I’m around, even if your siblings are.”
“We all have a few on occasion, but none of us are big drinkers. Result of our upbringing.”
Another topic they steered clear of. Nodding, she said, “That makes sense. I just want to make sure you know you don’t have to do anything special because I’m here.”
He ran a finger down her cheek. Though embarrassed, she couldn’t tear herself from the intensity of his gaze. She felt like a schoolgirl, giddy and excited every time she was near him. Totally ensnared in his world.
“Well, you’re pretty damn special, so everything I do when you’re here falls under that category.”
Once in a while, he spoke to her with such sweetness she felt she wasn’t the only one who wanted more than their current arrangement. Maybe it was only her imagination, but those moments had her spinning wild fairy tales in her head of happily ever after. But they always died a quick death when she remembered who she was and the secrets she kept. “Thank you,” she whispered as her throat constricted.
He kissed her. A deep, passionate kiss typically reserved for private moments. His hand cupped the back of her head, holding it in place as he ravaged her mouth. Within seconds, she almost forgot they weren’t alone. The urge to rip off his clothes, straddle him on the couch, and ride him to bliss was nearly impossible to ignore. When his hands and mouth were on her, she never wanted it to end.
“Switch seats with me, Ronnie,” Jagger said on a groan. “I’m not sitting next to this shit all game.”
With a tiny growl, Keith ended the kiss. Heat rushed to Mickie’s face as she settled under his arm once again.
Ronnie snorted from her spot in an overstuffed chair, lounging with her legs dangling over the armrest. “Hell no. I was here first. You snooze, you lose, buddy.”
“I wasn’t snoozing. I was in the kitchen getting you a drink.”
With an unrepentant smirk, Ronnie lifted her beer. “And I thank you for it. This is good stuff.”
Jagger flopped back on the couch, grumbling about being stuck next to the horny teenagers.
