His head is already shaking before I can finish. “I know.”
“I’m terrified you’ll break me, but you were right.”
“I was right?” An uptick in his tone pulls a smile from me.
“Well, rare occurrences do happen every so often.” I knock his shoulder with mine. “This pull to you is just as magnetic as it was when I was eighteen. I’m not naïve enough to believe in fate, but I can’t deny this.”
His hand leaves mine and he swivels his body to face me. Everything slows. I don’t think about the fact we’re in public or the lady on the park bench. It’s just me and Dean as his hand lifts and cradles my face. The love overflowing from his eyes as his lips descend toward mine has me choking back emotion.
There’s no rush to his affection. In fact, some might think it’s our first kiss with the gentle way his lips land on mine. His tongue licks the seam of my lips and I part them for him. We kiss under the dark sky of Chicago with the quiet ripple of waves from the lake only steps away and chaotic nightlife of a big city in the other direction. Somehow, we find our happy medium and enjoy our kiss like a slow dance that could go on forever.
Grover’s front paws land on my legs and I pull back. Dean takes his time pulling away, his large palm lingering on my face. “I’m going to have to have a conversation with him.”
I smile down at a panting Grover who just wants some affection for himself, and then I lay my head on Dean’s shoulder.
“I’m not sure we’ve ever done anything like this,” I say, a quiet satisfaction in my voice.
His hand grips my knee. “I think we’re getting old.”
Grover lays down at our feet after I pet him briefly.
“I like it,” I say.
“I like anytime you’re near me.”
A new rush of flutters ignites in my stomach. I love the magnetism between Dean and I when we can’t get enough, but I love this, too.
“I’m not going to sleep with you tonight.”
He chuckles. “Okay.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to because my body is literally begging for me to strip you every time you enter a room.” He chuckles again. “But I still want to spend the night with you.”
“Okay.”
I lift my head and wrap my arms around his neck. “You’re so accommodating.” My lips press to his cheek and right away, Grover’s paws land on Dean’s knees.
“I have no complaints. I’ve already gotten so much more than I’ve deserved from you. I could care less…well…I can’t lie. I want inside of you as bad as I did that time you borrowed my teammate’s catcher equipment and wore nothing else underneath, but what I’m trying to say is, I’m good with this, too.”
I chuckle at our shared memory. I was so sexually uninhibited with this man.
Dean leans forward and clicks the leash on Grover’s collar then stands, holding his hand out for me. We make our way back to his condo. When we near his building, I’m still surprised that he lives somewhere so nice. Don’t get me wrong, after we married, we talked a lot about the money he’d be getting paid if he went pro. The nice things we’d buy. That we’d be able to have nannies, so I could come to every game and travel with the team. Pipe dreams of poor kids. Now that I’m older and smarter, I don’t think I’d be following my husband around from town to town.
Clark rises from the desk when we walk in the condo building’s foyer.
“How was the walk Grover?” he asks, staring down at the dog whose tongue is hanging out of his mouth and seems in desperate need to lay down.
“It’s a beautiful night,” Dean remarks, pressing the elevator button.
“Having a beautiful woman at your side helps.” Clark nods his head at me and I’m sure I must be blushing.
“You’re right about that,” Dean says, his hand seeking mine. “It’s amazing how much things change when you have that.”
Clark smiles and the elevator doors open. “Have a good night,” he says.
“Good night, Clark.” We each wave and the doors close.
“I still can’t believe you have a doorman.”
“Half the city has one.”
I shake my head. He’s crazy.
“I’d ask you to move in, but I’m not going to ruin the night.”
“Do you ever stop pushing?” I ask.
“No.”
“Fair enough.” I shrug.
The elevator doors open, and we end up at his condo door moments later.
“I just want to give you everything I couldn’t before,” he mumbles as he shuts the door behind us, unhooking Grover.
“Was I not supposed to hear that?” I ask, not walking into the rest of the condo. As comfortable as I’m getting with Dean, his condo says he’s a different man than I remember.
“Drink?” he asks, walking around me and into the kitchen that extends to the family room.
“Sure.”
I sit on the breakfast stool, watching him move around his kitchen. The only sound is Grover’s slurping from his water bowl. Dean bends down into his freezer and I enjoy the show of his ass prominently on display. If I only had a quarter to bounce off it.
“Milkshake?” He pulls out vanilla ice cream. Kicks the freezer door shut and then opens the fridge, pulling out chocolate sauce.
The man and his chocolate shakes.
“Perfect.” I smile at him.
While he digs around for the blender and other supplies, I can’t help but feel helpless. You don’t come from a large family and not have it ingrained that you should never be sitting down when others are doing things.
“Are you going to tell me what you meant?” I ask.
His hands land on his granite countertop and his eyes peer into mine. “It’s nothing really. When I blew out my shoulder, I ruined the chance to give you a life like this.” He raises his hand in front of him. “Before you say anything, I know it’s not what you would’ve gotten if I had been drafted. Maybe not right away, but eventually if I’d made it you wouldn’t have wanted for anything.”
I slide from the stool and round the corner of his counter, my gaze never leaving his. His body swivels in my direction when I approach, and I place my hands on his cheeks. “Do you think that’s why I married you?”
“No, but I’m sure it helped.” He tries to turn away, but I keep hold of his face to force his gaze to remain locked with mine.
“You want to know why I married you?”
He says nothing.
“I’m going to tell you.” I slide a hand down his chest, slow and seductive, until I cup his package. Bad idea. Such a bad idea. “This. Your giant dick.”
His eyes flare and it grows to full chub in my hand. I’m teasing him now, but I just wanted to lighten the mood. I’m so not used to us being this serious.
I step back and start scooping the ice cream into the blender. He comes up behind me, his hands gripping my hips, his chest pressed to my back, his dick pressed against my ass.
“You’re playing with fire,” he whispers.
“I like matches.”
“I don’t have any extinguishers.” He picks up the chocolate sauce and squirts it into the blender.