“Wow. You really must have loved balls growing up.”
I stepped into the middle of the room and did a slow spin. The walls were lined in a border decorated with footballs, baseballs, and basketballs. There was an entire bin filled with the real thing beneath one of the windows trimmed in, you guessed it, ball curtains. Even the twin-sized bed had a baseball diamond comforter, complete with a couple of throw pillows in the shapes of a mitt and a bat.
“Yeah, my mom has a tough time accepting we’re all grown men now. With me being the baby, it’s especially bad.” He motioned at a stuffed bear propped on top of the dark blue dresser.
“Aww. It’s so cute.” I nudged him in passing before snagging the stuffed bear from its perch.
“She still comes in here every week to vacuum, dust, and change the sheets.” Soren closed the door and slid off his ball cap. His light hair was plastered to his head.
“She loves her baby boy.”
“But at the same time, she’s trying to fix her ‘baby boy’ up with the first girl he brings home.” Soren moved toward the adjoining bathroom, kicking out of his sneakers as he went.
The baggies of ice started to slip from my fingers. I decided to set them on his nightstand before they fell. “Am I the first girl you’ve brought home?”
Soren answered with a shrug.
“Me?”
“Would you be eager to bring someone home if you had three siblings like mine to contend with?” He disappeared in the bathroom, the sound of a shower cranking on following. “I had to make sure the first girl I did bring home was tough enough to handle it.”
“I think that’s a compliment, so thanks?” I settled onto the edge of his bed, clutching the old bear to my stomach.
“That’s definitely a compliment.” His head appeared past the bathroom door. “I’m going to take a quick shower and then I’ll be out to ice. Scouts honor.”
“You shouldn’t even be moving around on that ankle.”
“Please. I was riding my bike with a broken leg a week after they’d put me in a cast.”
I heard the slide of a shower curtain and tried to focus on something other than the fact that Soren was, yet again, naked in the shower. This time, it was while I was resting on his childhood bed.
“I’m just going to wait here. Enjoying your balls.” I bit my lip when I heard his chuckle echo against the shower walls.
“My balls are always willing to volunteer for your enjoyment.”
After that, I had to lie back. All of our banter and tension and emotion had come to a head. I knew it was only a matter of time before it all came to fruition and the anticipation of that had me squirming in his bed, unable to get comfortable.
A couple of minutes later, the shower cranked off. A few seconds after that, Soren emerged from the bathroom, covered in nothing but a white towel around his waist. At least this one was bigger and fluffier than the ones at our apartment. I swore those ones were so thin, I could see every muscle and movement of his anatomy beneath it.
“For the record, this isn’t some half-naked ploy to seduce you, I swear.” Soren tugged at the towel as he walked by me toward the dresser. “I just didn’t want to change back into that nasty uniform.” He pulled open a couple of the drawers and riffled through them before pulling out a few pieces of clothing.
“I believe you,” I said, feeling seduced no matter his intentions. If I had to be tormented by another low-slung towel or pair of sweats, I was going to lose my mind.
When he glanced at me, he froze.
“What?” I asked, sitting up on my elbows.
“If I tell you the truth, you’re going to think I’m a perv.”
Now I definitely wanted to know. “I already think that.”
He rolled his head, cracking his neck a couple of times. “It’s just that when I was younger, I used to fantasize about finding a girl in my bed like that. Baseball diamond comforter and all.” His forehead creased as he looked like he was second-guessing what the hell he was confessing to me right then. “I guess it just took me by surprise seeing you like that.”
I lie back down, all the way, turning my head so it was facing him. “What did you fantasize about?”
“No lady should ever be given a sneak peek into the depraved mind of a teenage boy.” He grunted, his head shaking. “No way I’m opening that door for you.”
Why in the hell was I so turned on right now? I felt like what resided between my legs had taken over for my brain and was controlling my whole body. All facets led to him.
My eyes closed so I could try to focus on something other than my hormones. “Ice. We need to ice your ankle.” And I need to ice my libido.
Soren limped over to the bed, his jaw moving when he stopped at the edge of it. The way he stared at me alone felt capable of making me come undone.
“Here.” I cleared my throat and slid off the bed. The more vertical I got, the more blood flow seemed to return to my brain, which was so totally counterintuitive.
Soren took my place on his bed as I shuffled a few pillows behind his back. When he lifted his swollen ankle, I stuffed another pillow beneath it, as gently as I could.
I caught him smiling at me as I placed one bag of ice over his ankle. “What?”
One eye squeezed shut as his head shook. “Perv mind.”
My eyes lifted as I reached for the other bag of ice. “You’re totally picturing me in one of those cosplay nurse outfits, aren’t you?”
“I totally am.”
Grumbling, I set the other ice bag on his head, giving his chest a shove. His hand formed around my wrist before I could pull it away.
“What’s going on?” His voice, like his expression, was different now. All lightness was gone.
“What do you mean?”
“This. Tonight. Right now.” His other hand formed around my same wrist, his light eyes connecting with mine. “Something’s different.”
When I shrugged, he waited.
How could I explain it? How could I even go about trying to explain it? Putting the way a person felt about another into words was quite possibly the most daunting task known to mankind.
Instead of trying to explain it with words, I came at it from a different angle. Settling onto the edge of the bed beside him, my hand floated to his chest. I took a moment to memorize the warmth of his skin, the push of his ribcage against my palm as he inhaled. Then I leaned forward, my eyes holding his up until the last moment, when my lips touched his.