I should tell her right now.
But it’s like I can’t. The lump in my throat won’t let me. The tightness in my chest definitely won’t let me either. I chicken out.
As usual.
Instead, I think about what we did last night. We watched a couple of movies on Netflix. Ordered a pizza that was pretty decent. At one point, she got on her knees on the floor while I sat on the couch and I watched her suck me off, my hands in her hair, her shiny peach lips working my dick over.
That was hot. No surprise there.
We had lots of sex throughout the night. Again, as usual. I’m exhausted, running on empty, but I still feel good. On top of the world, really, and the reason is because of the woman sitting next to me in my truck.
I glance over at Eleanor to find she’s on her phone, typing away as she texts someone. I don’t ask who. It’s none of my business, right? Who am I to want to know her every move? I’m just the guy she had a hot weekend with, that’s it.
Yet it seems like so much more. For me it does. I’m halfway in love with her, I think. Big words from a dude who’s never really done this thing before, but yeah. I’m feeling it. I’m feeling her. I want her to be a part of my life. Does she feel the same way?
We don’t talk much on the drive, and I think it’s because she’s sad. I’m sad too. I didn’t work today. They’re giving us a few days off to get settled after everyone’s big move, but later this week, we start training, in preparation for preseason.
I’m ready for it. I need the distraction.
When I finally pull up in front of the airport drop-off, I put the truck in park and look over at her. If I can’t be honest about who I really am, I can at least tell her how I really feel. “I don’t want you to leave.”
Her big blue eyes meet mine, her lower lip trembling. Oh shit, she’s going to cry. Don’t know if I can handle that. “I don’t want to leave either. But I have to work tomorrow.”
“I know. You have a life. I get it.” I nod, pretending that I do, but deep down I just want to keep her. Not let her out of my sight. That’s crazy. I know it is.
But it’s how I feel, so…
“Maybe I could come back and visit you? In a couple of weeks?” she suggests.
“Definitely,” I say, sounding way too eager, but I don’t care. I want her to know how I feel. How much she already means to me.
“This is moving so fast,” she admits, her expression shy, her gaze cast downward. “Probably too fast.”
“It’s perfect,” I tell her, reaching out and settling my hand on her knee. I give it a squeeze. Remind myself I can’t do anything inappropriate in front of the airport. She has a plane to catch. “Really. This weekend was—perfect.”
We smile at each other, and then we both get out of the truck. I grab her suitcase and bring it to her. We stand on the sidewalk, surrounded by all sorts of people, the Vegas heat seeming to shimmer in the air around us, and I stare at her, never wanting to forget this moment.
The time I dropped off my future girlfriend at the airport.
Yeah, I’m a complete sucker for this woman. It’s cool. I’ve got this.
Hopefully she won’t hate me when I confess the truth about my profession.
Pulling her into my arms, I give her the tightest, biggest hug I can. She clings to me, her face buried against my chest, her arms stretching around my middle. I slip a couple of fingers beneath her chin and tilt her face up, pressing a soft, sweet kiss to her lips, and she goes in for another one. Then another one.
“I have to go,” she whispers shakily, her lips tickling mine when she speaks.
“Text me when you get on the plane. And when you land,” I tell her.
She nods. Presses her lips together, like she’s trying to contain herself. Like she might break out in tears.
“Let me know you make it home safe, okay?” I cup her cheek. Stroke her skin. Memorize her face with my eyes and fingers.
“I will,” she says once she releases a shuddery breath.
We kiss again, like there are magnets in our lips and we can’t resist each other. Finally I break away and she grabs the handle of her suitcase. I remain standing where she left me, watching her enter the airport, the doors sliding shut the moment she walks through them. I stand there and wait and wait until finally…
I can’t see her anymore.
She’s gone.
“I’m home,” Eleanor singsongs, her sweet voice filling my ear and making me feel instant relief.
I’m lying in bed, going in and out of wakefulness as I waited for Eleanor to call me. So freaking tired after the wild weekend we had, but I knew I wanted to hear her voice one last time before I fell sleep.
“Your flights were okay?” She mentioned she had to fly to Los Angeles first, then Monterey.
“Yes. And luckily enough, Stella came and picked me up at the airport, so I didn’t have to catch a ride home with a crazy Uber driver,” she explains.
“Wait a minute, you were going to take an Uber home this late at night?” I don’t like the sounds of that. Too many scary stories about freaky drivers on the internet.
“My flight was so late, I figured I didn’t have a choice. But Stella came through,” she says.
“Thank God for that,” I mutter.
“Worried for my safety?”
“Always,” I answer quickly.
“Aw, that’s so sweet.” She hesitates for only a moment before she says, “I had a really good time this weekend.”
“Me too.”
“My thighs are sore,” she admits.
I chuckle. “Guessing your pussy is too.”
“Mitch,” she chastises. “You can’t just—say things like that.”
“What do you mean? I say things like that all the damn time.” It’s true. I talk crude to her and while she puts on a bit of a to-do over it sometimes, I think secretly, she likes what I say.
“I know, but not over the phone.”
“Get used to it, baby. This is how we’ll have to communicate when we’re not actually together.” I smile when an idea strikes me. “Maybe we could FaceTime each other naked tomorrow night.”
“Whaaat?” Ha, I scandalized her.
“Yeah. I’ll call you and we can give each other a full body scan and show off our best parts. In fact.” I find myself warming up to this idea. “Maybe I could watch you touch yourself, and you can watch me touch myself, and we can get each other off. I wonder, do other people do that? Have FaceTime sex?”
She’s quiet for a moment. Long enough that I thought I lost her. “I have no idea,” she finally says.
“You want to do it?”
“Um…”
“Just say yes. You know by tomorrow night you’ll be dying to see my giant cock,” I tease her.
“Mitch.” She gasps. “You shouldn’t talk like that. It’s—shocking to hear.”
“Like I said, get used to it. This is what you do to me.” I lower my voice. “I miss having you lying next to me.”
“I miss you too,” she says on a sigh.
“We need to figure out when you can come back and see me.”