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I can’t help myself; I kiss back. His lips are chapped from the cold, and he has a tiny bit of stubble that he needs to shave; the friction has me swallowing back a moan. We stay like that for a few minutes, pressed tightly together, kissing until we’re breathless and have to break apart for air before going at it again. His hands don’t wander, but I can feel his growing hard-on, and I’m on the verge of giving in to a quick blowjob if he wants it when the door opens.
“Found them!”
Izzy walks into the room with a shit-eating grin on her face. “You two aresuchdorks.”
Chapter 32
James
In the morning, it’s torture getting up. I’m forced to leave a stunning, gorgeous, naked Bex in my childhood bed to go run in the cold. On the morning of Christmas Eve.
And I’m not even the first one downstairs.
My father looks up from his stretching as I sit down on the last step to put on my sneakers. “Nice of you to join us, son.”
“Slug,” Izzy says, poking my cheek as she walks by. “Were you up late getting frisky with Bexy?”
I roll my eyes. “One, she doesn’t like to be called that. Her name is Bex. And two, on the list of things I’m not discussing with my little sister, my sex life is in the top three.”
Seb stifles a laugh as he stretches out into a lunge. “Getting frisky. Nice one, Iz.”
“We were just about to leave without you,” Coop says, shaking his head solemnly. “The Heisman winner is getting sloppy.”
Dad straightens up and claps his hands. “Troops! Your mother insisted on sleeping in because of the holiday. Coop, Seb, Izzy, you start on Amberly, James and I will tackle Greenwich. First ones back get to pick the first movie of the day.”
I race my brothers out of the house.
Even as a much older man who hasn’t laced up his cleats in years, my dad nearly smokes me for the first couple of blocks.With the cold morning air stinging my cheeks, I pick up the pace, weaving in between cars parked on the side of the street.
“So,” he says eventually. “You brought her home for Christmas.”
I swipe at my forehead. “Yep.”
“After we agreed no girlfriends.”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen. It just... evolved.”
“After you pretended to be with her. I could have told you how well that was going to go.”
“She’s not like Sara.” I sidestep a pothole. “She’s nothing like her, actually. And I really care about her.”
He stops suddenly, and I nearly bump into him. He eyes me, chest heaving. “Christ. You’re in love with her.”
I’ve been trying to avoid saying it, even to myself, but there’s no point in denying it. It may have started out as a fake relationship, but Bex has worked her way into my life so thoroughly that I can’t imagine a version of it without her being mine. She’s the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about before I go to sleep. I dream about her. If I thought I could convince her, I’d move her into my house, so I don’t have to spend even one night without her in my arms.
And my father can see those thoughts running through my mind, as clear as if they were written on my forehead in fucking Sharpie.
“James,” he says heavily.
“It’s different this time.”
“Until she gets in the way.”
“Sara didn’t—” I pause, scrubbing a hand over my face. “She didn’t get in the way. She was sick. I made the choices I did because I cared about her.”
“Exactly.” He reaches out, squeezing my shoulder. “Beckettseems like a nice girl. I’m not saying she isn’t. But we talked about needing to choose the game. I thought you understood that.”
“I’ve been choosing the game all season.”
