Page 15 of Pucking Tangled

FIFTEEN

Waylon

Waylon leaned against the kitchen counter, tapping his foot on the floor nervously while nursing his second cup of coffee because the first wasn’t nearly enough.

He was the only one up this morning. Not unusual, but he was a little disappointed when he came in from his morning run and Mia didn’t greet him.

Funny how one could get used to someone’s presence after such a short amount of time.

He missed her at dinner, and hadn’t so much as ran into her in the passing after walking in on her yesterday.

That didn’t stop him from thinking about her all night.

The way her thighs clenched and her back arched. The deer-in-the-headlights look on her face when she’d been caught. How she whispered his name. And the confused expression in her eyes when he forced himself to walk away.

Every time he thought about it…about her…his dick hardened and his resolve slipped a little more .

Which was exactly why he should probably make his escape before she came looking for her caffeine fix.

He had a game to think about.

He didn’t need the distraction today.

It was too late for that though.

Mia shuffled into the kitchen in that damn hoodie she loved so much and the bootie shorts that did nothing to hide her full ass. If the dark circles under her eyes and her wild hair was any indication, she hadn’t slept well either.

He cleared his throat and set down his mug. “Morning.”

“Waylon,” she squeaked like she hadn’t noticed he was there.

Reaching over top of her, he pulled out a coffee cup and filled it for her. She hesitated as she took it from him, like she was afraid that he might bite her at any moment.

“Did you get any sleep last night?”

She took a sip before answering. “Not really.”

“Yeah.” He nodded slowly, watching her. “Didn’t think you would.”

Mia glanced at him briefly, her mouth tightening like she wanted to snap something back but was still weighing her words.

“You’ve been thinking,” he added, tone dropping slightly.

Her head tipped. “You’re real observant this morning.”

“Hazard of being around you. Hard not to notice when you’re wound up, Blondie.”

She narrowed her eyes at the nickname, but there was color rising in her cheeks. “I’m fine.”

“Of course you are. Never said you weren’t.”

Mia’s jaw tightened. “Are you seriously going to pretend it didn’t happen?”

There it was. The first crack.

Waylon’s lips twitched into a small, dangerous smile. “You want to talk about it?”

She swallowed hard. “Do you?”

He took a step forward, slow and deliberate. Her spine stiffened, but she didn’t back up. Brave girl.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about it,” he confessed, voice low. “Not for one damn second.”

Her eyes widened slightly. For a brief moment, he saw it—the spark, the hunger, the same pulse-pounding pull he felt clawing inside him.

But then she rallied, crossing her arms, raising an eyebrow. “Then why did you walk away?”

He ran his thumb across her lips. “I told you. Casey would kill me.”

“And I told you, Casey doesn’t make decisions for me.”

Waylon moved even closer. He could feel the heat of her body and there was no way that she could miss the effect she was having on him. “Want to know a secret, Mia?”

Her mouth opened, then snapped closed again but she nodded.

“I don’t do this. Ever.”

Mia arched a brow, challenging him. “You don’t do what, exactly?”

“I don’t let myself get twisted up over anyone. You seem to be the exception.”

Her gaze shifted, dropping to the floor. “Lucky me,” she whispered.

“Look at me,” his voice cracked. “Please.”

Her pulse fluttered in her neck and her eyes met his as she held the coffee cup against her chest like it was her protective armour.

“I can’t pretend yesterday didn’t happen,” he whispered. “But I am trying, real hard, to respect what feels like a really precarious situation. And things none of us are ready to acknowledge.”

Mia stood taller even though her voice came out quieter—vulnerable. “You mean like the fact that you’ve all shared women before?”

His chest tightened.

Fuck. She knew.

And he wasn’t really sure how he felt about that.

No use denying it though.

“Yeah, Blondie. Like that.”

He could practically see her pulse drumming in her neck. The curious look in her eyes. And damn it, he could almost smell her arousal. He could tell she was processing his words. Torn between demanding answers, feeding her curiosity. Or running away.

He wasn’t blind. He saw the curious glances. The intense stares. The reactions that each one of his housemates had to Mia. He couldn’t blame them.

Yeah, they’d shared a woman before. But not like this.

Mia was different.

She would always be more than a casual hook up.

Whether she knew it or not, Mia held the power to destroy them all with one little word.

He exhaled slowly. “I can handle a lot of things, Blondie. Awkward tension between my roommates isn’t one of them. But if you need me to pretend? I’m willing to try. As long as you stay.”

Her breath caught, lips parting slightly like she hadn’t expected him to admit it so openly.

“You’re impossible,” she whispered, shaking her head with a frustrated laugh.

“And irresistible,” he chuckled, desperate to restore even the tiniest bit of humor to the situation. “It’s okay, you can admit it.”

Mia huffed, but smiled before biting her lip to hide it. “Debatable.”

Waylon checked his watch. “And while I’d love to stay here and continue this…stimulating conversation…I should get moving. There’s a hockey game or something happening today,” he said, picking up his coffee.

“Ah. Right. Better go make sure you’ve got your lucky socks,” she laughed.

“Don’t knock my lucky socks. We made it this far, didn’t we?”

She rolled her eyes and gave him a gentle shrug. “Get out of here. That’s enough of you for the day.”

And despite everything burning beneath the surface, that sass was enough—for now.

Luca

Jogging down the stairs, Luca was anxious to snag his protein shake and head to the arena.

As soon as he rounded the corner into the kitchen, he spotted Mia.

Even when she was standing near the coffee maker, looking like she’d barely slept a wink, she still managed to knock the air out of his lungs.

He felt the slightest twinge of guilt, knowing he was likely the reason why she hadn’t gotten any rest.

“Morning, MiaMoo,” he said with as much brightness as he could muster. “Please tell me no one used the last of the protein powder.”

Mia jumped like he startled her. “Oh. Shoot. Hi. Good Morning.” She smiled. “There’s a brand new jar in the pantry. It arrived yesterday before everyone got home.”

“Thank goodness.” He sighed in relief and headed straight for the pantry.

He filled his shaker with the powder and water, pretending not to notice how stiff Mia seemed. But of course he picked up on it. He seemed to be in tune with everything about her lately.

He shook the bottle aggressively, keeping his tone light. “Rough night?”

“Rough night. Weird morning,” she confessed.

Luca’s brows pulled together. “I’m sorry. I can’t help but feel like I might be partially responsible for that.”

Mia shook her head. “No. Please don’t apologize. It has nothing to do with that. I promise.”

“Hm.” There was something she wasn’t telling him.

He passed Waylon coming up the stairs when he was on his way downstairs. Did something happen between the two of them?

Luca wanted Mia to trust him enough to truly open up, but he wasn’t going to push her. He couldn’t. So he did the one thing he could do, relied on sarcasm.

Luca leaned back against the counter beside her, taking a long drink of his shake. “If Waylon’s fucking with you…more than usual, I mean…I’ll knock him out. Just say the word.”

The truth was, if he came to blows with Waylon, Luca would probably get his ass kicked. But if it meant defending Mia’s honor and protecting her? It would be worth it .

Mia threw her head back and laughed. “Oh my gosh, Luca.”

He smiled. God he loved making her laugh.

“I’ll be sure to let you know if I need you to rough anyone up.”

“Offer still stands. Full enforcer package,” he teased.

“Appreciate that, Rookie,” she winked. “Ready for tonight?”

“One-hundred percent. We’ve got this one in the bag. I’ve got a good feeling.”

Mia nodded. “Good. Because, no pressure, but if y’all lose this series I have a feeling Skeeter’s going to be so depressed.”

“Just Skeeter?”

She smirked. “Maybe.”

He chuckled, but underneath the humor, his stomach flipped again.

I want her to be happy.

I want her to be safe.

I want her.

Those three truths were starting to collide in ways that terrified him.

It was only a matter of time before something cracked.

And Luca didn’t know whether to pray for it or dread it.

He finished off his shake, quickly washed the shaker bottle, and sat it on the drying rack.

“I know I’ve thrown a lot at you in the last twenty-four hours, but I, uh…I need a favor.”

A favor that he wasn’t planning on asking but in the moment, it felt like the right move.

“Ooookay. You have to tell me what it is first, before I agree to it.”

Luca chuckled. “Fair enough.” He paused for a beat. “I wanted to invite you to the game tonight. I can set two tickets aside if you want to bring someone with you.”

There. He asked.

Why did that feel harder than admitting he was a virgin?

It wasn’t like he asked her to wear his jersey, too. Though that would be a sight to behold.