up, I lay down on the sofa and pulled him on top of me for a cuddle. I wanted to hold him for a little while.
SportsCenter continued playing softly in the background as I tried to muster up the energy to reach for the remote to change it. The orgasm, mixed with the relief that Mikey hadn’t stormed out or broken up with me, made me relaxed to the point of dozing.
Just as I drifted off, I heard his soft voice muffled against my chest. “I have feelings for you, too.”
I fell asleep with a giant smile on my face and Mikey V. exactly where I wanted him. In my arms.
Everything was going to be okay.
20
Mikey
I didn’t sleep well, despite pressing myself closer to Tiller than the small Super Bowl tattoo he had on his calf. Usually, sleeping against him was as good as being knocked out with hard drugs, but I couldn’t stop the anger welling inside me. I was almost thirty years old, well beyond the age when my parents should have a say in who I dated or slept with.
At first, I’d wondered if I was making too much of it. I certainly didn’t want to get into World War Three with my father over a temporary hookup with Tiller. But after the way the gentle giant had claimed me in front of Sam the other night and talked about enjoying the double date as a couple with Winter and Gent, I thought maybe it was okay for me to assume this was more than a temporary fling.
He’d told my father he had feelings.
So I waited until he’d downed his breakfast and headed out to a doctor’s appointment before I started trying to come up with a plan. Meanwhile, Gary Civetti called to arrange a meeting in Aster Valley on Monday. They were still in the area and were excited to hear from me. I went ahead with my plans to fly out in the morning so I wouldn’t be tempted to go to the game on Sunday. Even if my parents knew about Tiller and me, I still wasn’t ready to see him put himself in the line of fire against the Steelers.
Once I made my travel arrangements, I grabbed my keys and set off for my parents’ house. I wanted to get it out in the open, tell Mom and Dad that things were real this time. Tiller wasn’t a fling like Nelson had been. He was the real deal. This wasn’t a crush or a lark. This was someone I had true feelings for. I didn’t just like Tiller Raine. I loved him.
I jerked to a stop in the back hallway just as I was reaching for the door to the garage.
My stomach tumbled in crazy loops as the knowledge of my certainty hit me all at once. It was true. I loved Tiller. Desperately.
The breaths came quick and sharp. Oh fucking hell, I’m in love with Tiller Raine.
I reached out and grabbed the wall next to me as my head spun. Why was this such a surprise? I’d had a crush on him for a long time. Even though I’d been in denial most of the five years I’d worked for him, there was no denying how close we’d become in that time.
What if he didn’t feel the same way? I knew he cared about me. He was a kind man, and we were close friends if nothing else. But what if… what if he didn’t care about me like that?
I entered this little janky mental cycle in which I had to remind myself he’d told my father he had feelings for me, and then my brain countered the reminder with all the reasons that probably hadn’t meant what I’d thought it had meant.
“Fucking hell,” I muttered to the garage door. “What am I saying? He looks at me like I’m a piping hot supreme pizza and he’s spent days eating nothing but raw beetroot.”
I finally got ahold of myself and made my way out to the SUV. Sliding into Tiller’s “backup” car was always a treat. It was smooth, buttery leather with a hundred percent less shitmobile ambiance than my ancient Volkswagen Golf. I loved the SUV so much, Tiller had suggested I change the tag to a personalized one that said MIKEYV. I may have even considered it for a brief moment while petting the steering wheel one day, but in the end I’d reminded myself I was perfectly happy with