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Oh. I guessed that was Lance. But her version of the story hadn’t included the part where they slapped tongues.
A very real, very hard to ignore wave of rage surged through me. I took deep breaths and focused on Belle’s sleeping form. It always pissed me off when people made assumptions. It was why I never bought the stories flooding onto Belle’s website about what she'd supposedly done to sabotage the wedding. Maybe I got tired of the stories people slung out there about me, most of which were gobbled up by the general public without an ounce of doubt.
So I took all that rage I felt swirling around inside and tried to let it seep out of me. I’d talk to her when she woke. In calm, soothing tones, I’d ask her about the picture and give her a chance to explain.
At least that was the plan.17BelleI woke up with a startled intake of breath. I sat up, then pressed my palm to my forehead and groaned.
Headache.
Horrible breath.
The events before I’d passed out came rushing back. The bottle of wine I’d nearly polished off by myself was still on the coffee table, and-
I let out a little shriek. Chris was sitting in the loveseat across from me. He looked sweaty and… weird.
“What is going on?” I asked. “Why are you so sweaty?”
“I went for a run.”
“You’re not wearing shoes.”
“I ran around your apartment.”
I didn’t really feel like laughing, but the idea of his huge frame bounding around my apartment in small circles was highly amusing. “Wait. Don’t you have a game today?”
“Tonight.”
I nodded. It was strange to think about Chris as the NFL player. I guess part of my brain set that entire half of his persona aside because it was too much to comprehend. Too much to really think about how a global superstar athlete was becoming so entangled in my life.
“Why did you run around my apartment?” I asked.
“To vent my anger.”
I frowned, then thanked him when he handed me a glass of water, which I proceeded to chug. “Why are you angry?”
Chris pointed his phone toward me. “I thought about going to murder this guy while you slept, but figured I’d give you a chance to explain before I end his life.”
“Oh shit.” It was the picture the guy at the coffee shop had snapped. I knew it was going to look bad, which had been part of what had me so upset in the first place. But between Chris waiting for me in my apartment when I came back and all the wine, I’d completely forgotten. “Is it too cliche to say that isn’t what it looks like?” I waited for Chris to shout at me. I’d been with enough guys to know how this was going to go. I could probably have written the script with my eyes closed. He’d accuse me of lying, go start some drama with the other guy, and gradually get more and more suspicious of me until neither of us could stand each other anymore.
Except all Chris did was let out a long sigh and sink back into his chair. “Oh, thank God.”
I waited. “That’s all?”
“What do you mean?”
“You believe me?”
“Shouldn’t I?”
“I mean, yes? I just didn’t think you would.”
Chris walked over to me, planted a kiss on my forehead, and then playfully pushed me back down to lay where I’d been sleeping. “I’m going to go get you something to eat and drink. Then I’ve got to be at the team facility.”
“Okay,” I said, not really knowing what else to say.
Chris came back a little while later with a blueberry bagel, some cream cheese, a raspberry brittany, and a steaming cup of coffee. He also handed me two pills and told me to take them.
I eyed the pills in my palm. “Are these aphrodisiacs or something?”
“They are for your hangover. And those diamond cutters you call nipples have already shown me I’ve got all the natural aphrodisiac power I need when it comes to you.”
I swallowed the pills to avoid having to respond to that. “Thank you, Chris. And I’m sorry about last night. I don’t normally drink. Not like that, at least.”
“No? You should try it more often. You say some hilarious shit when you’re drunk. What was it you called me, Big Daddy? And for the record, Big Daddy absolutely would’ve loved everything you tried to get him to do.”
I swallowed, but my mouth felt bone dry. “You’re making that up.”
Chris bit back a smile as he backpedaled toward my door. “Nope. Thankfully, I’m not. So I learned a lot about my future wifey last night, including the fact that the only thing keeping her from turning full blown sex-fiend on me is a thin veil of inhibitions. Lucky for you, I’m a gentleman, so Big Boy didn’t let you go for the ride you were begging to take.”
