She reached for her burrito and took a hefty bite, pieces spilling out all around her, but she couldn’t have cared less. I almost dropped to my knees and proposed right there. Any girl who ate like that and actually enjoyed it I wanted to share every meal with until I left this earth.
When no one said anything in response, she looked up, almost unsure as she swallowed. “Don’t you guys agree?”
“Sorry, I was too busy watching you eat to formulate thoughts that revolved outside of getting you naked,” I said.
Mac laughed as she gave me a sweet look. I was being a total caveman, and she found it endearing.
“I think you’re right. That basic kind of human nature, I guess, hasn’t really evolved,” Chance said.
Mac cleared his throat. “Let’s be honest, and I’m not trying to be offensive.” He looked at Christina, and she gave him a face that told him to continue. “Girls want to hook up with guys they think are going to be successful. Especially guys they think are going to be rich or famous. They want a part of that.”
“You’re not wrong. They do,” Christina agreed. “Women are drawn to men they think are powerful.”
“So, you think I’m powerful?” I asked, nudging her leg under the table with my own as I took a bite of my taco.
“Who said I was drawn to you?” she fired back, and Mac and Chance both laughed, fueling her on.
“You don’t have to play hard to get. I already got you, remember?”
She playfully raised her eyebrows. “For now.”
“Okay, I don’t like what’s happening. Let’s get back to girls being cleat-chasers and you loving me,” I said quickly, and she practically choked on the drink she had been taking.
“Love,” she stuttered, and Mac and Chance both stood up at the same time.
“That’s our cue,” Chance said before Mac looked at the nonexistent watch on his bare wrist.
“Gotta go. See you at the field. Bye, Christina.”
They disappeared in a fucking instant.
“You scared them away.” I looked at her, pretending to be shocked.
“You scared them away with all your love talk,” she mimicked, emphasizing that the blame was squarely on my shoulders.
I shrugged. “Oh well. Not my fault if they can’t handle grown-up emotions.”
Her face scrunched up like she wasn’t sure if I was fucking around with her or being serious. And even though I was no expert on love, I thought about her all the time. When I looked to the future, my future, I saw her by my side. Or maybe I was by hers? Was that love? It sure sounded like it to me.
She dipped another chip into her salsa, watching me the whole time, before taking a bite and chewing it in slow motion. I grinned.
“You think I’m up to something, but I’m not,” I said before she could say a word. And just like that, my mind was in the gutter again. I wanted to be all up in her something. Hell, I wanted to be all up in her everything. “I’m coming over tonight after practice. Unless you’re working?”
“I can be done working by then,” she said, still eyeballing me like I might pull the proverbial rug out from under her at any moment.
“I actually do need to head to the field though. I’ll see you later?” I kissed her cheek first before turning her face and kissing her mouth, tasting the zing of hot salsa on her lips.
“See you later.” She smiled, her eyes so soft and filled with so much emotion that it fucking melted my insides.
No one—and I mean, no one—in my entire life had ever looked at me the way she did.
Practice had dragged by at a snail’s pace. I wasn’t used to feeling bored and wishing I were somewhere else during those hours. I had always wanted to be on the field, in the cages, or working hard to improve my game and chances in the draft. But not today. Today, I had been officially, one hundred percent distracted. I couldn’t stop thinking about my girl. Not even the sight of Logan and his piss-poor attitude fazed me.
The need to be with Christina consumed me like a fire with no help in sight. It raged, devouring everything in its path until there was nothing left to burn. We’d go up in smoke together, our ashes now one, and everyone else could go to hell.
In any other circumstances, I would have considered this moving too fast, but this wasn’t a normal relationship. We had years of history under our belts, and we’d slept together before. More than once. But there had been no post-sex cuddles or sleeping over after it was over. Sex in the past had usually been a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am type of deal that I suddenly wasn’t very proud of.
Nothing about our situation now was the same as before. And even though it wouldn’t technically be the first time that we shared our bodies with one another, a strange anticipation lingered like it was. Parts of this were completely brand-new. I almost wished we’d never done it before, so I could treat her the way she always deserved to be treated—with care, with reverence, with love.
I balanced the pizza, breadsticks, salad, and wings that I’d brought over in my hands as I pressed the call button, and knowing I was on my way, she buzzed me in. Her front door flew open before I had a chance to kick at it, and she yelped in surprise before taking some of the food out of my grasp.
“Thank you,” I said as I closed the door behind me and followed her toward the kitchen.
“You bought enough to feed us for a week,” she said, looking at the sheer amount of food that covered her countertops.
I wasn’t sure if Lauren would be around, and I had no idea what Lauren ate if she was, so I’d bought a little of everything.
“Uh, you haven’t seen me eat pizza. There won’t be leftovers,” I said, and she let out a nervous giggle.
“Are you hungry now?” she asked as she opened a cupboard, but her eyes were asking me something else entirely. They weren’t talking about the food.
I wondered if she knew how easy she was to read. How every single emotion she felt was written all over her face, no matter what her words said.
I took a step toward her, wrapping my arm around her waist before kissing her senseless. Her body relaxed in my grip, molding against mine.
I pulled away for only a second to say, “I’m hungry for you,” before I continued kissing her and moving us out of the kitchen and in the direction of her bedroom.
If I had expected Christina to hesitate or push me away, I would have been wrong. She practically climbed my body, wrapping her legs around my middle so I had to hold her up by her ass, like she’d been counting down the seconds for this moment to happen.
“Lauren’s not here,” she admitted once we reached her doorway, and I kicked off my shoes without breaking contact.
“Good,” I breathed against her, my mouth fused to hers once more as I walked through, closed the door behind us, and deposited her on top of the bed.
She scooted back, giving me room to join her, but I could tell something was on her mind. I climbed on top of the bed, my body hovering over hers, and she looked so vulnerable, so trusting.
“What’s the matter?” I asked as her hand snaked around my neck, and she pulled me down.
Her tongue found mine as she teased, nipping at my bottom lip before kissing me deep. She was trying to distract me.