10. Arlo

Were my hands totally shaking when I said it? Yep, but did I say it anyway and try to act cool afterward when he blushed and those hazel green eyes of his shone like they were filled with a million stars? Again, absolutely.

We get to the room, and it’s amazing. The door opens up to a large living space with a curved white leather couch and armchairs set around a glass coffee table in the middle. There’s a small kitchen area with a coffee machine and glass water bottles all lined up perfectly beside it.

“This is nice,” Harrison says, popping his bag beside the couch and heading for the large windows opposite us. It’s too dark to see the river now, but in the morning, the view will be amazing. “I meant what I said, you can have the bedroom,” he says, nodding to his left, and I roll my bag through to the room where an enormous bed with far too many pillows awaits. There is a bathroom to the left of it and more large doors on the right with a view of the river.

Other than Gordon’s house, I’ve never stayed in a place this nice. It must have cost a lot. I’ll go down before him in the morning and take care of the charge.

“You still hungry?” Harrison calls, and I leave my bag at the end of the bed and head back out to the living room.

“Starving. Do they have anything good?” I ask, sitting next to him on the couch and leaning over slightly to see the room service menu in his hands. He leans in, too, and his leg rests against mine, sending heat flooding through the fabric of my pants. I swallow the lump that has risen in my throat and try to focus on the menu.

He turns page after page, and all the while my attention slips to how good it feels to be this close to him. Touching him. Maybe if I use more of his flirting tips on him, he’ll start to see me as more than Gordon’s little brother.

I wait until he turns the next page, then put my hand over his on the paper and lean in.

“Oh, that looks delicious,” I say, slowly sliding my hand over his. He doesn’t flinch or move away.

“Ah…the, umm, which one?” he asks slowly, and I take my hand off his and turn my head to make complete eye contact. I push my glasses up the bridge of my nose a little, then move my fingers to brush back the hair by my ear and smile.

“The chocolate dip for two. Would you share it with me?”

His cheeks blush, and I hold his gaze, trying not to show how absolutely terrifying this is. He’s so close. He smells so good, and I’m sure my heart is beating so loud he must be able to hear it.

“Umm, sure, did you want to get anything more…filling, too?”

I bite my bottom lip, thinking of exactly what I would prefer to have in my mouth right now. My face burns, and I look back at the menu and take a few steadying breaths to try to regain my composure. He still hasn’t moved, not even a muscle. It’s like he’s frozen beside me, that could be either really bad or really fucking good.

“I’ll have the gnocchi, you?”

“Umm, maybe the burger.”

“Awesome, how about you order, and I’ll check out this mini bar for something to drink?”

“Sure, okay.”

I push up from the couch, regretting breaking contact the second the warmth of him is gone. I’ll just have to find another reason to sit that close to him after.

He orders quickly and I pull out the tiny bottles of gin and grab two glasses, dumping a mini bottle into each.

“How are you feeling about tomorrow?” he asks, and my stomach flips for a whole other reason. It was nice thinking about Harrison and not what I have to do tomorrow. Sure the events are getting easier and having him there is a big reason for that, I know it. But I don’t know if I will ever be okay with speaking in front of people, reading in front of them.

I down one of the glasses of gin and turn to face him.

“A little better after that, but still freaking out.”

He laughs. “You will do great, just like the last time. All you need is a good night”s sleep, but there’s something you need to know…umm, it might kind of affect that.”

I’m not guessing he’s about to tell me he plans to spend hours in bed with me despite wishing those are the next words out of his mouth.

“I’m sure whatever it is I’ll be fine.”

“You say that now, but…”

“What is it?”

“I’ve been told I’m a bit of a snorer.”

I laugh. “Is that it?”

“I don’t think you get how bad I am. The guys on tour said it was like trying to sleep next to a freight train.”

“You shared a bed with some of the guys on tour?”

His eyes go wide.

“No, a room, not a bed. There were two beds. Always two beds. I’ve never…not with any of the guys on the team.” Oh wait, I maybe have hooked up with a guy from the team at some point.

“I’m sure they were exaggerating. How do you know I don’t snore, too?”

“Do you?”

I shrug. “I’ve never been told I do, but anything’s possible.”

“Well, you really do need a good sleep, so if I keep you up, just wake me up and kick me out. I can sleep in the truck, seriously.”

“You’re not sleeping in the truck,” I say, grabbing another bottle of gin from the fridge and refilling my glass before taking him the other.

“You say that now, but just wait until Harrison the tank engine is blasting down your door.”

I laugh, and we relax into easy conversation on the couch, waiting for our food. I do the hairbrush thing another one or two times, but I don’t think I’m doing it right. Either that or I just have zero effect on him, which I guess is more likely.

The food arrives, and when the server lifts the metal dome off the chocolate dip for two platter my mouth waters at the thought of licking the melted chocolate off Harrison’s naked chest. My dick twitches, and I push the image away before things get awkward.

After we eat, I go to grab the platter, but my cast makes it difficult to lift, and Harrsion takes over.

“Are you trying to steal all the dessert?” he asks, picking it up.

“I thought we could eat it out on the balcony and get some fresh air before bed?”

“Sounds great. Lead the way,” he says, but instead of walking right out to the balcony off the living room, I walk through the bedroom.

“This one has a view of the city lights,” I say, not looking back to see if he’s following.

I pull back the door and lean against the railing. The other balcony probably has a view of the city, too. This is stupid. I’m not going to be able to seduce Harrison with a few flirty looks and a little melted chocolate. I only just learned how to flirt and am probably messing up. He’s this gorgeous fucking baseball guy and I’m…well, me.

“It’s pretty out here,” Harrison says, standing beside me and leaning down against his folded arms on the rail.

“It is now,” I say, turning to look at him.

“You’re getting good at that.”

“How good?” I ask, and when his gaze moves to my mouth, I do something I’ve never done in my life. I make the first move and start leaning toward him.

His tongue swipes over his lower lip as I get nearer, the warmth of him drawing me in closer and closer.

“I promised Gordon,” he whispers a breath away from me, a dark stare boring into my soul.

“Gordon isn’t here,” I reply, holding my position. My hands are shaking as they grip the railing, and I’m sure I can hear the tapping of my cast against it, or it could be my racing heart, but what I do know is that my whole body is waiting, hoping he wants this, wants me.

His stare moves to my lips again, and then he leans forward, his large perfect lips pressing against mine, and it’s incredible. Electricity surges through my whole body. His mouth opens a little, and it’s all the invitation my tongue needs, and I deepen the kiss. He moves his arms from the rail, turning his whole body toward me, leaning down as I push up onto my toes. His hands slide slowly up my arms until he cups my face and breaks our kiss.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he says, peering down at me with big sad eyes.

“Why?” I ask, and my hands slide to his waist. I don’t want him to move away. I don’t want to stop doing this. I don’t want him to regret doing it either.

“You”re Gordon’s little brother. I promised this wasn’t about getting…wasn’t about this.”

“Did you help me just so you could do that?”

“No—” He almost pulls away, his face shocked, but I hold him there.

“Then you have nothing to worry about. But if you don’t want to do it again…”

“You want to do it again?” he asks, and a flurry swarms inside my stomach. I want to do so much more than that, and I almost say that, too. He’s changed me in so many ways in such a short period of time. It’s like I’m a whole other person around him. Confident, brave.

“I really, really want to do that again.”

His smile is big, and the corners of his eyes crease just a little in the most perfect way.

“Then do it?” he says, and I don’t hesitate, pushing up on my toes again and mashing our mouths together.

He spins me to press my back against the rail. His hands go to my hips, and then he lifts me up to sit on the edge. Like they know exactly what to do, my legs wrap around his waist, and my arms around his neck. I’m taller than him in this position and leaning down over him gives me a sort of control I’ve never had. I squeeze my legs tighter around his middle, pulling him hard against me and sliding my fingers through his hair. He tries to say something, but it comes out as a muffled moan, and I pull back.

“Sorry, what?”

“Do you want to go inside?”

“Absolutely,” I say, glancing at the large bed behind him.

He slides his hands under my ass, lifts me from the rail, and carries me into the bedroom.