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Waiting for you in baggage.
His reply warms me some, liking that he’s already here waiting for me. We’ve mostly kept the promise of video chatting daily, only missing random days here or there when our schedules are too full to align. He’s incredibly busy with training, practice, press, and promo. The team even asked him to start an Instagram page because he never had social media before, so that has taken up some extra time, even though I know he’s been getting help from the team. It all adds up, and some days, the only time he has to connect with me is a few minutes before he crashes at the end of the day.
I hate it, but I also know it’s new and it will calm down and get easier. The schedule is temporary; we are not.
I’ve reminded myself of that so many times over the past few months. It all seems so silly though when I turn the last corner and he comes into sight.
Cillian’s eyes scan over all the other wayward passengers, thumb playing with his bottom lip the way he always does when emotions take over him. The thrumming stops as soon as he spots me and his shoulders drop in a sigh of relief, as if he didn’t believe me when I told him I was here.
Strangers pass between us, occasionally blocking my view of him as I weave through on my way to him, until I finally stop only inches away. I take in his form that seems impossibly bigger; he’s bulked up and it’s evident beneath his joggers and form-fitting dark tee.
“Hey, Isla Cole,” he says, his sky-colored eyes bouncing quickly between mine.
“Hey, Wylder.”
“Come here.”
Without hesitation, I jump, knowing he’ll catch me in his strong grasp, his hands instantly cupping my ass to hold me in place as I wind my legs around his hips. Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I dig one hand into the thick hair, pulling his face up so our lips can land on each other. His tongue plunges into my mouth as I breathe him in, the familiar scent that eases every tense knot in my body.
“I’ve missed you,” I tell him as soon as he lets me up for air.
“You have no idea,” he mumbles back, but I do. Even on my busiest days, the ache of his absence was a dull pain my heart never forgot.
“Well, I’m here for two nights. Let’s not waste time in a dirty airport.”
He laughs, pressing a few more kisses to my lips before lowering me back to my feet. He fills me in on his day-to-day routine on the way to his house, then peppers me with questions about my course schedule.
“How’s the family?”
“They’re good. Mom’s taken up knitting, making scarves for all the guys on the team. Willa’s wreaking havoc as a high school senior.”
“Probably leaving a trail of broken boys in her wake,” he teases.
“You know it.”
He holds my hand the entire ride. I raise our entwined fingers, studying all the new marks his skin wears. I’ve been witness to his bumps and bruises for so long, I feel like I have to chart new maps of him. I can’t wait to strip him down and do just that.
“Take me to bed or lose me forever,” I tell him as he piggybacks me through his front door.
“Fuck, Cole, you don’t even have to fucking ask. Bed was going to be my first stop.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” a light voice says from around the corner. A blonde woman comes into sight a moment later. “Tor let me in before he left. I thought I’d be done before you got back from the airport.”
“Hey, Trina. What’s going on?” Cillian asks her as I drop from his back.
“I brought by some dinner. I thought it would be nice if you didn’t have to worry about that.”
“That’s great, thanks,” Cillian responds, while I try to figure out who this person even is. “Isla, this is Trina, one of the team photographers. Trina, this is Isla.”
“Hi,” she exclaims, her eyes bright and cheeks a bit flushed. “It’s so nice to meet you. Cill speaks of you all the time!”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Woman I have never heard of before this very moment. I offer a hand, and she shakes it with the same bubbly enthusiasm her words hold.
“Okay, okay, I’ll get out of your way now. But the fridge is stocked!” She gives Cillian a hug, and I get a quick wave as she hurries out the door.
“The fuck?”
“Yeah, she’s on the, uh, exuberant side,” Cillian says.
