Thankfully he texts back quickly.

Cory: LOL. Sorry, but that’s funny.

Maddox: Not helpful. She laughed really fucking hard when I teased about her having an obsession with me. That’s not a good sign.

Cory: Laughing can be a good sign, because it could be a coverup for her actual feelings.

Maddox: I don’t know. I feel like I’m pushing my luck here.

Cory: Up to you, but remember when you told me I just need to fucking go for it with Natalie? I think it’s your turn, buddy.

Maddox: I’m so not good at this shit. When I want to make a move, I make a move, but easing into it, so much fucking harder.

Cory: I don’t envy you. Good luck.

Maddox: That’s it? That’s all the advice you’re going to give me?

Cory: Natalie is in lingerie, stroking my thigh. Yeah, that’s it. Night, man.

I drop my phone on my nightstand and mutter, “Lucky bastard.”

I could only imagine what I would do if Kinsley walked out of the bathroom in lingerie and started stroking my thigh. Pretty sure my head would pop off my neck while I aggressively shouted “Awooooga.”

The door to the bathroom opens and I hopelessly hold my breath as she walks out in a pair of shorts and tank top, her regular nighttime garb, and even though I’ve seen the outfit many times, I will say this: it doesn’t get old to look at how tight her top clings to her torso and chest.

“All yours, big guy. Or should I say . . . my obsession?” She laughs some more and I just roll my eyes, as I go to the bathroom to get ready. While brushing my teeth, I think about how I can make a small step tonight, how I can switch up the friend-zone routine that I’m currently stuck in.

Holding hands and facing each other, that’s a change I can make, especially since Cory thought it was definite friend-zone material. Nerves bloom in my stomach from the thought of it, of spooning her, holding her close to me all night and breathing in her scent, soaking up her warmth, living in a world where I can hold her like that without any repercussions.

But what if she pulls away?

Do I fake insanity and go sleep with Herman?

I guess there’s only one way to find out.

I turn out the bathroom light, toss my clothes in the hamper, and head to the bed where Kinsley’s getting comfortable. I slip under the covers and gather courage as I turn toward her. She’s facing her nightstand, messing with her alarm on her phone. I prepare to make the move.

Before she can turn over, that’s my window.

She sets her phone on the nightstand—that’s it, move man, move—I sweep in behind her, loop my arm around her waist, and pull her into my chest.

She startles, going stiff, and I hold my breath for what she’s going to say, for the rejection.

It seems like minutes tick by as I wait for a response, and just when I’m about to release her because I’m afraid she’s catatonic, her body relaxes and she melts into me.

Holy fuck.

Cautiously, I let her settle in before I shift. She rests her head on her pillow and wiggles a little closer until her ass is pressed against my pelvis.

Shit, maybe this wasn’t the best idea.

I bite on my bottom lip as my neck strains, my mind going anywhere else but the feel of her soft butt cheeks sliding over my crotch.

I take a few deep breaths and when I feel that I have things under control, I snuggle in closer, moving my head to hers where I breathe in her scent. Fucking delicious. I want this. More than anything. I want this.

I hold back the sigh of relief and instead, clutch her tighter.

She grips tightly to my arm wrapped around her and she quietly says, “Okay, if you spoon me like this, I might very well become obsessed with you.”

I know exactly what I’ll be doing every fucking night.

“Good night, babe.” I kiss the side of her head.

She sighs and says, “Good night, Maddox.”

“These late-night games are really cutting in on my time with you,” Kinsley says while sitting on my kitchen counter, sharing a bowl of popcorn with me.

“Missing me, Kinny?”

She shrugs. “Miss your grunting around the apartment. Complaining about something I changed.” She nods toward the sink. “You didn’t even notice the new dish soap I got you.”

“Yeah, not something I would notice. Let me guess, it’s saving the world?”

She nods. “The last dish soap you will ever use.”

“Figures.”

In the locker room, Cory asked me how last night went and when I told him I spooned with success, he laughed, gave me a high five, and said keep going. I have momentum, and I have to run with it. So that’s what I’m trying to do.

She’s sitting on the counter, I’m standing right next to her, I could easily slip between her legs and hold her, but I have to figure out how to get there.

“How was your day?”

“Good. The rowdy bloodhounds are starting to cause a commotion. I’m glad Herman’s not there. I think he’d be a nervous wreck if he was. I keep him in my office and take him out for walks, away from the loud ones. He seems content.”

“I hope you’re not falling for him.”

“Me? Falling for an animal? Pishh.” She waves her hand in front of her but I know better.

Standing tall, I hold my breath as I slowly reach out and part her legs, only to slide in between her at the counter. My hands fall to her waist and because of the counter height, we’re eye to eye, so I watch intently as she has a sharp inhale from my touch . . . but doesn’t move away.

I’m in.

Looking her in the eyes, I say, “It’s funny how you think you can lie to me. You once fell in love with a frog we found outside, and then you cried for days because you couldn’t find him again.”

“Mr. Toady was a gentle soul. I didn’t want him to get hurt.”

“It was a tiny frog, not a toad. You should know better, Kinny.”

She rolls her eyes and then glances toward Herman. “He’s a good dog. I feel sad for him that he lost his best friend and has no idea why. I tell him all the time, but I know he doesn’t get it.”

“Isn’t that how it is with all of the animals?” I ask, moving my hands to her thighs where my thumbs make gentle passes over her skin.

She glances up at me through her lashes, and I can see the question in her eyes, wondering what I’m doing. But she doesn’t ask. She brings her attention back to her connected hands. “Herman is a little different. He was found four years ago, on the streets. His leg was all mangled, he was flea ridden, and was deathly skinny. His owner took him in, took him to a vet where they amputated his leg and brought him back to life. It was a long road of recovery, but he made it and he bonded with Mr. Klawson. He was the only human he ever trusted, and then four years later, his security blanket was taken away.” She shyly shrugs. “I have a heart for Herman.”

Hell, after that story, I might have a heart for the dog as well.

“It’s one of the reasons why I like you, Kin. You have such a beautiful soul for those who need it. Me being one of them.” I slide my thumbs under her shirt and tense, waiting for a reaction, but she doesn’t give me one. She reaches up and tugs on the brim of my hat before twisting it around so it’s backwards.

“You act like I saved you, but I didn’t. Without you, I would have been lost through our childhood.”

The pads of my thumbs caress her soft skin, and I feel myself getting lost in the smoothness, the motion of my touch, the way her breath catches when my thumbs run inward toward her navel. “You had Bradley there for a while,” I say, speaking of her high school boyfriend, who I couldn’t stand and who couldn’t stand me.

Kinsley rolls her eyes and places her hands on my shoulders, slowly moving them closer and closer to my neck. “You and Bradley never got along, which I’m pretty sure is the reason he broke up with me.”

I take a small step closer, my heart pounding so hard as her thumbs start to rub along my neck, gently, like she’s trying to slow down my pulse with the lightest of grazes. Little does she know, she’s making it skyrocket with every stroke.

She’s touching me, she’s not backing away, she’s letting me feel her more intimately, and it’s causing my head to swim with hope, causing me to feel lightheaded with need. I want more.

I want to reach all the way up her shirt, bring her head closer to mine, and taste her lips. That brief swipe of her lips against mine didn’t give me time to taste her, and God, I want to taste her. Everywhere.

With her legs still spread, I pull her closer across the counter so she’s right up against my chest, our heads only a few inches apart. Her hands curl up so the curve of her thumb and forefinger cup the lobes of my ears and her fingers curl into the short strands of my hair. Slowly, the tips of her fingers massage the base of my head where my neck connects with my skull, and I swear to fuck, I could beat my leg up and down like a dog it feels so good.