I have to hand it to him; he’s not far off. “The mac and cheese would be a close second. Not a bad guess.” He goes back to looking up at the sky, and I do the same.
“Logan asked me if I’d come to his game next week,” he says, his voice a little unsure.
I sit up quickly. “And what did you say?”
His eyes meet mine. “I told him I would. Hopefully, you’re okay with that.” When I don’t answer, he sits up and reaches for my hands. “Should I have said no?”
I gasp. “Oh, goodness, no. I’m glad you said yes. It’s just …”
He squeezes my hand. “It’s just what?”
Taking a deep breath, I turn my head away so he can’t see the fear in my eyes. “I don’t want Logan getting hurt or let down. His father’s done enough of that to him.”
“Hey,” Kyler murmurs, letting my hand go so he can grasp my chin. “Look at me.” I willingly let him turn me toward him. He slides forward on his chair to get closer to me. “I want to go to his game, Maeve. The last thing I want to do is disappoint him. I will do everything in my power not to let that happen.”
My eyes burn, and I nod. “Whatever you do, don’t make promises you can’t keep. At least, not with him.”
He cups my cheek. “I won’t.” His fingers brush over my skin, and chills fan out over my skin. “Do you want to know what else I want?”
“What?” I whisper.
His gaze drops to my lips. “You.”
And just like that, he slowly moves toward me, his lips so close to mine. I suck in a breath before we connect. His hands are warm against my skin, and I melt into him. I’m the one who deepens the kiss, and he pulls me closer.
“What are we doing?” I say, breaking away first.
His smile makes me tremble. “I know we didn’t get off to a good start, but I know there’s something between us. You can’t tell me you don’t feel it.”
“I do. I tried to fight it and lost.”
He laughs. “Thank God for that. What we have to decide now is how we’re going to go forward. What do you want us to be?”
I know the answer in my heart, but I’m not ready to speak it just yet. I stand and pull him up with me. “Right now, you’re my date for Thanksgiving dinner. Actually, I’m only inviting you to cook the turkey. That’s really what I want.”
“I can’t believe I’m actually jealous of a turkey right now,” he says, laughing.
I lift on my toes and kiss him again. “I want to spend my time with you, Kyler. I’m sure we’ll figure everything else out in time.”
“I’m good with that.”
Pulling out my phone, I look at the time. “It’s getting late. I should probably head home.” A part of me doesn’t want to leave, but I don’t want to make the first move. I’m dying for him to do it.
He takes my hand. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
We go inside, and I grab my purse and keys. My heart races out of control because my body knows what it wants. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed not having an intimate connection with someone. When Kyler opens the door, he starts to take a step out and stops.
“Wait.”
My breath hitches. “What is it?”
He cups my face in his hands. “Stay. I don’t want you to go.”
I can’t help but smile and also feel relieved. “I don’t want to go either. I was hoping you’d make the first move.”
His eyes darken with need. “Well, here’s me making it.” Shutting the door, he locks it and turns back to me, removing his shirt and throwing it over the top of the couch. “Just let me know if or when you want me to stop.”
I shake my head. “That’s not going to happen.”
As he moves closer, I steadily take steps back until I can’t go any further. He places both hands on the wall, caging me in like a prisoner against his body. It’s thrilling and intoxicating; I love it. It’s been forever since I’ve felt this kind of heat with anyone.
Leaning down, he lightly grazes his lips along my neck on up to my ear, his warm breath tickling my senses. “I want to touch every inch of your body,” he murmurs huskily. “I don’t know what it is, but when I saw you the other day, something clicked. I knew I had to talk to you.”
“And I knew I needed to stay far away,” I whisper back.
“Do you still think that now?”
I bite my lip. “No. All I want is for you to get closer.”
Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I hold him tight as he kisses me. I don’t know what will happen between us, but I know I’m falling for him already. Kyler groans in my ear and presses his arousal into me. “By closer, does that mean I can make love to you?”