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He stepped inside behind me, and as I closed the door, he strode to the family room and paced behind the sofa. He ran his palm over his face and turned back to me. Dropping his arms to his sides, he balled his hands into fists and scanned my face, but he didn’t speak.
“What happened at the game?” I asked, stepping into the room.
He blew out a breath. “I asked your dad to pull me.”
“What?” My breath stuttered out of me. That didn’t sound like him at all.
Brows furrowed, he put his hands on his head, his arms out. “Yeah, he was shocked too.”
I shook my head and slipped my coat off. I dropped it over the back of the sofa before I rounded it so I was looking at him head-on.
He took me in, starting at my ponytail and working his way down my wrap dress to my legs and the flats on my feet. “You look gorgeous.”
My stomach jumped at the compliment. I hadn’t ever paid attention to how much Chris complimented me. Not really. But it stood out in this moment. Especially since Jude hadn’t said anything about how I looked, which was kind of shitty. Like he hadn’t bothered to notice.
With Chris, I always felt seen.
“Thanks.” I smiled, but the expression slipped instantly, and Ishook my head. “Chris, wait. What happened? You spent all last season pissed off that you couldn’t finish a game, and now you’re telling me you asked to be pulled?”
He frowned. “Some things are more important than baseball, Avery.”
Wearing a mask of determination, he closed the distance between us.
“You were on a date.” He bit the words out. “With some guy. And I had to say this before you had time to decide whether you liked him.”
He traced the line of my jaw with one finger, eliciting the same kind of spark inside me his touch always did. I fought the shiver that threatened to race up my spine.
I couldn’t meet his eyes. If I did, there’d be no stopping that reaction. And I knew that buzz that heated my stomach would hit like it always did when he looked at me with a tender expression on his face. And then I’d want more.
He stepped impossibly closer, his gray Revs shirt pulling tight across his chest, theRand theSsettling on swells of his pecs.
I desperately wanted to reach out and run my hands over his chest, rest my head against his sternum.
I wet my lips. “Say what?”
“Pick me,” he whispered.
My heart flipped in my chest, and I snapped my head up. “What?” The word was barely more than a breath.
“If you’re ready to date, if you’re looking for someone.” He cupped my cheeks and took in every inch of my face before finally meeting my eyes. “I’m right here.Pick me.”
I swallowed and grasped his wrists. “What?” Clearly, my brain was malfunctioning, since that was the only word I could form. I didn’t understand. I’d tried to kiss him weeks ago, and he’d acted like it was the last thing he wanted.
“I’m probably messing up again. Like I did when you kissed me. I screwed up so fucking bad that day, and I waited way too long to fix it. Because now I’ll have to contend with that jackass.” He stumbled over the words. “But I’ve been waiting a year, Avery.A year.”His eyesflashed. “But if you’re ready.” He released his gentle hold and dropped to his knees in front of me. “I am literally begging you to pick me.”
I stared down at him, all but gaping. How on earth could he think that Iwouldn’tpick him?
He squeezed his eyes shut, and a look of defeat overtook his features.
“Wait.” I dropped down in front of him, mirroring his pose, and clutched my hands to my chest. I swallowed past the lump in my throat, searching for the words to explain it. “I thought you didn’t want that.”
He opened his eyes again and searched my face frantically.
“When you didn’t want me to kiss you, I thought?—”
“Avery.” He cupped my cheek again. “I’ve wanted this since the night we met. I was giving you time to figure out what you wanted. You said you were taking time off to find out how you deserve to be treated. I respected that. I wanted you to know what you’re worth, because you’re worth everything.”
My heart stuttered painfully in my chest. God. That was exactly how he made me feel. Worthy. Deserving. And I hoped I made him feel that way too.
