Caught Stealing (Leighton U, #2)

by C.E. Ricci

But hey, what doesn’t kill you just gives you seriously fucked-up coping mechanisms and one massive self-destruct button.

the feeling is there regardless. Like a bad omen. A premonition that this is only the beginning.

“Yeah, Hold. I took a page straight from your playbook and let someone get on their knees for me in the upstairs bathroom with a bunch of other people right outside. Best blowjob of my life; the scent of weed and stale beer truly was the best kind of aphrodisiac. I get why you enjoy it now. Ten outta ten, highly recommend.”

None of it feels right because he’s not the person I want to be kissing. Because he’s not his best friend.

“Clearly, you have zero self-control.” “Oh, believe me, Nix,” he whispers, attention now fixed on my mouth. “If that were true, you’d be on your back beneath me right now.”

“Why are you doing this?” I whisper. “Because it’s all I can think about anymore.” His attention drifts from my eyes back to my lips. “You’re all I think about. And I can’t do anything to stop it.”

“Don’t you dare,” he whispers harshly while tightening his hold on my hip. “You’re not ending this now. I’m not fucking done with you.” Then he crashes his mouth back to mine, and I drown all over again.

God, he’s beautiful. Beautiful and finally fucking mine. “I want both,” he finally says slowly, fingers dancing down my bicep. “I want you to drive me to the brink of insanity only to stop and let me return the favor.”

“You have to stop looking at me like that.” My eyes follow the lines and planes of his face as I murmur, “I wish I knew how.”

I’m going to Hell for this. But fuck, the road to Hell has never tasted so sweet.

I swallow down those little sounds, taking them for myself. After all, they belong to me. He belongs to me.

“God, I really am going to Hell for this.” My mouth curls into a grin against his lips. “That’s okay. I’ll meet you there.”

Let him mark me, brand me, stake his claim. I’m already his.

A man I hardly recognize stares back at me, and the craziest part is, it’s not a bad thing. Because the guy looking at me, the guy searching out Phoenix in the mirror, has changed. Has grown and evolved into someone I didn’t think myself capable of being. And it all happened because of Nix.

“I don’t have clothes, though,” I murmur, my lips a whisper over his. “Unless you stole more and have them stashed in the back of your closet again.” His chuckle against my mouth sends my stomach into backflips. “I haven’t made that a habit, sorry to say. But you’ve already worn my hoodie once. I don’t think it’ll kill you to do it again tomorrow.” “Fair enough,” I whisper. “Then I’ll stay.”

The smile I felt against my lips only grows at my agreement, yet what really does something stupid to the slab of meat in my chest is the way his hand curls around the back of my neck and he kisses me. As if all he wanted was a yes. As if all he wants is me.

“Apparently Nashville thought the QB for New England was gonna go for a Hail Mary, but he threw a short pass to one of his receivers. The same one from earlier—Grady. He caught it and ran it in for the winning touchdown.”

“So you’re a cuddler, huh?” I murmur before wrapping my arm around his waist. “Just with you,” he whispers, his eyes still on the screen while he hits play. “But don’t let it go to your head.”

“I know I’m probably going to sound like an asshole for saying this, but fighting for your own happiness should always be your priority.”

“Eyes and mouth, Nix.” His attention flicks between the two before settling on my lips. “Choose you.”

“You’ve never looked better in your life. Ass in the air, my number on your back. It’s a sight dreams are made of.”

“Then claim me. Own me. And if the jersey isn’t enough, feel free to mark every inch of my body with your cum.”

Nothing about being with Holden is a mistake. Nothing about him feels like one…apart from how it’s destroying a decade-old friendship right before my eyes.

“You’re not sorry about what happened with Holden, you’re just sorry you got caught stealing him in the first place.”

It’s not stealing if he’s meant to be mine.

it’s what people cross oceans for, what they write songs about. It’s the kind of love that only comes once in a lifetime.

The one worth breaking all the rules for.

“Eyes and mouth, Nix. Eyes and fucking mouth.” “Not this time,” he says, even as his voice breaks on the last word. “Yes, this time. This time and every single fucking time, baby. Because I see your fear—hear it in your words—and I know it’s what’s controlling you. What’s making you run away right now when we both know you love me too.”

“Forget about me and forget about Kason.” My thumb swipes over his cheekbone, and I don’t miss the way he leans into my touch. “Forget us and choose you. Your happiness, your future.”

“I’m yours, Nix. Always. You have to know that. So choose you, baby. ‘Cause I’m choosing you too.”

watch with unmatched amounts of jealousy as Oakley slips his arm around his boyfriend’s waist.

“I love you, baby. And I’m so fucking sorry for making you think otherwise.” I think my heart might burst right out my chest when I realize…they match his mouth. Finally.

“You fuck me up, Nix,” he murmurs, his lips brushing mine with every word. I smile against his mouth. “I know, baby. You fuck me up, too.”