12

Miles

Nothing About This Is Casual

Even if I snuck into Cleo's hotel room that night, I wasn't satisfied. The concerns were right. I understood them. But I couldn't help cursing under my breath when I left her room at four in the morning, all to pretend like I barely knew her during practice the next day.

How was I supposed to do it? Pretend like she didn't affect me like she did?

After lunch, we had an hour, and I leaned against one of the columns outside of our training facility. Some of the Marrs team hurried out to take advantage of the break, but I wasn't waiting for them. I counted down the seconds for the redhead vixen with her nose glued to her clipboard.

"Ms. Bennight," I greeted.

She threw a glance over her shoulder and strode over to me. "Mr. Locke. How can I help you?"

Let me eat your pussy again.

"I have some questions about Marrs," I said instead.

"Questions about Marrs?" Cleo paused while a few of her colleagues walked by. The two of us fell silent, waiting for them to leave.

Fuck, move faster .

Finally, she shifted back to me. "Miles, this isn't—"

"A campus tour?" I suggested.

Her voice dropped to a low whisper. "I can't go to your apartment."

"I wasn't thinking that. We can stay strictly on campus."

"Strictly campus?" She shot another look behind her and straightened her blazer. In a louder voice, she nodded. "Um, Mr. Locke, as a representative of Marrs, I would be happy to oblige."

I forced down the grin. "Thank you. I was hoping we could touch on a few—"

Cleo jerked up, eyes wide.

"—topics," I smirked. "To get a firm understanding between us."

"Stop that."

I tried to hide the grin, but I couldn't stop it.

"Coach Lawson talked to me this morning," Cleo murmured out of the side of her lips, but she didn't need to do that.

We were at the beginning of summer. The KYU campus was mostly cleared out anyway. Only a handful of students remained.

"He thought KYU might be trying to swipe me."

I made a noise at the back of my throat. Really, I couldn't let myself think about that. The idea of Cleo transferring over to KYU was too good to be true. I knew she'd never leave Marrs. But imagining her only a few minutes' walk away at all times, or tangled up in the blankets of my bed, was so sweet, it was better than a fantasy.

"You wouldn't even think about it, would you?"

The guilty look on Cleo's face sent a pang through my heart. Slowly, she shook her head. "I was getting set up as a higher intern when Lawson joined. He switched everything up, tripled my salary, and set me in my current department himself. I owe him a lot. And I…I couldn't leave my Marrs family."

I could be your family .

But I had to be content with what I could get. If I showed her how truly obsessed I was with her, she could leave.

I had to be content with the scraps.

Cleo paused in front of the library. "We're going here?"

"Yep. Only an hour break, no arcade today." I held the door of the library open for her. "I realized you were right."

"Which time?"

I grinned. "Why don't I know more about my campus? So I asked around the football players and they said the view from up here is insane."

"Is it?" She slipped past me, and I got a full look at that ass in one of those tight skirts she wore.

"It's a good view," I said. "But I can think of a better one."

She leaned back and smacked me on the shoulder.

My heart squeezed. It could be so easy with the two of us. If she'd just let me have her. My fingers twitched to grab her waist, but I controlled myself long enough to step to the front desk.

"Oooo!" The librarian took a long look at me through spectacles. "What can I do to—uh—assist you today?"

"I'm looking to book a study room for the eighth floor," I explained.

"Eighth floor?" She paused at her computer. "Would you like some assistance upstairs? Some of the locks stick—"

"Actually, we'll be fine." Cleo pushed from the side and set her elbows on the counter, beaming a big smile at the librarian. "We can manage. Thank you. Your help is appreciated."

The librarian blinked for a moment and hurried with the key, passing it off to me with a mutter. Across the lobby, Cleo's heels clicked as we neared the elevator, but she wove her arm through mine and practically tugged me down.

"She was totally flirting with you."

"What?"

"You didn't notice? How could you not?"

"I had no idea." I shrugged. "Wasn't even paying attention. I was trying not to think about how much I wanted to kiss you."

The elevator door dinged open, and Cleo walked in with a hard blush.

"Well—that's—actually, I shouldn't even say anything about her." She sighed. "We're adults. I'm being ridiculous."

Once the doors closed, I strode over and propped my arm against the wall. Cleo glanced up at me and all words washed away. Her breathing slowed. I watched her, drank her in, and ran my tongue over my bottom lip.

"You can be jealous, Cleo."

"Jealous?"

"I'm jealous too," I murmured.

I dipped down low while the elevator beeped, bringing us closer to our destination. How could she be so beautiful? It broke my heart just looking at her. I locked her against the wall, not allowing her to move.

Finally, I could touch her waist.

Finally, I pressed my lips against her, drawing out one long kiss from her, deepening it with the seconds that passed. Tasting her. Touching her.

The elevator beeped again, and Cleo pushed to the side, slipping away from my arms, panting hard. I squeezed my eyes shut.

" Miles. "

She struggled to breathe normally and smoothed back her hair before the door opened.

Hanging back in the elevator, I watched her walk out, watched that ass in that skirt, and resisted the urge to adjust my pants, hiding how much I liked pinning her against the wall.

I shook my head and followed after her, like I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Even if she was going the wrong way.

I gently reached for her arm and guided her towards the right, toward the line of small study rooms that overlooked the rest of campus.

It was quiet. It was perfect.

"Cleo." I slipped in the key for ours and opened the door. "I like that you were jealous."

She pressed her lips together and gave an embarrassed look down at the ground. With a sigh, she stepped into the study room.

"But I don't. Because this is just a fun, casual—"

"Nothing about this is casual, vixen."

Her eyes darted up to mine.

"And I want to say this." I closed the door behind me. "If another man puts his hand up your skirt, you'll have to clean up my image after. Because I'm going to jail."

"Miles…."

"It's the truth. Do you like me?"

She sighed. "Of course I like you. You know that."

Good . Because I'm fucking obsessed with you .