“Why would you think I’d leave?” Layla inquires, even-toned as she wraps her arms around my waist.
“I worried last night was too intense for you, and you’d want to run. That I came on too strong, and you couldn’t handle that.”There. There it is. The root fear of why I haven’t had a long-term girlfriend in years. Either a woman has only been interested in me for the fame and fortune, or they leave once they experience the real me.
“You didn’t scare me at all, Max,” Layla whispers. “I liked it.”
“Yeah?” I mumble against her hair.
She tilts her head up to look at me, nodding. “I did. You were intense, sure. But I liked knowing I did that. I made you lose control. And knowing you’re as gone for me as I am for you? I really liked that.”
I let out a huge breath of relief. “Thank fuck. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d scared you off. The rest of the season definitely would have been brutal.”
Layla presses her head against my chest, snuggling in closer. “We have to discuss that. We’ll need to be on our best behavior at work. Strictly professional. Not even a sneaky text or lingering gaze, alright? I don’t want to lose this job.”
“I know.”
“I have to get to the field,” she murmurs. “Meeting with one of the trainers to go over some things before you guys leave today.”
“I wish you were going with us.”
“I do too.” Layla pats me on the back as she releases me, and I begrudgingly let her out of my arms. I sit sullenly on the edge of her bed as I watch her get dressed.
“Will you do me a favor?” I ask.
“Sure.” Layla pulls on a short-sleeve Raptors tee shirt.
Grabbing her hand, I pull her between my legs. “Will you sleep in my bed while I’m gone? I’ll feel better knowing you’re there.”
Layla smiles sweetly, nodding, then leans down to press a soft kiss to my lips. It feels perfect.
Shefeels perfect.
On the airplane, I pull Jake aside.
“I need some help,” I tell him.
“Dude, this better be something that doesn’t involve an actual crime, looking at a suspicious mole on your ass, or determining which one of your balls is bigger.”
“What the —” I choke on my own spit. “Is there something wrong with you? Why the fuck would you jump to those three options?”
His face clams up. “No reasons. What do you need help with?”
Christ. Maybe I should ask someone else. “I need some advice on how to admit an accidental lie to someone I care about.”
Jake follows me to my seat, plopping next to me. “I need more information. First of all, how does someone accidentally lie? Either you lie, or you don’t. You’re trying to rid yourself of guilt because of a technicality.”
“Let me reword. I found out an online friend is someone I know in real life, but didn’t immediately tell her.”
Jake’s eyes bore into mine, and I can see the wheels turning. When his eyes widen comically, I wait for the explosion. “You’ve been talking to Layla online? Are you fucking serious?”
Slamming a hand over his mouth, I curse inwardly. Fuck. I didn’t think he’d assume it was Layla, and then connect the dots to figure out that I’m also talking to Layla online. “Jesus, man. Want to announce that shit to the whole fucking plane?”
He continues to mouth off behind my hand, his eyes wild as his hands swing around. I take a deep breath, waiting until he calms down. Once he’s quiet, I remove my hand.
“You good?” I ask.
He nods. “Probably a great idea to cover my mouth right then. I had a lot of pent-up anger that needed to get out. But please tell me I’m wrong. Seriously, Max. This is bad.”
Lowering my voice, I lean into him. “I didn’t know it was her. Hell, I didn’t even know it until halfway through. But we kept talking, and then we were talking in person, and now she’s living inmy apartment, but she doesn’t know about our online history. How the hell am I supposed to tell her without crushing everything?”
