“Okay. You want to use the restroom while I get us some coffee?” I asked. At his nod I led him inside the house and gestured down the hall. “First door on your right.”
He squeezed my hip and then strode off, his presence surreal and very welcome inside my childhood home.
When he emerged, I had two piping mugs in hand. “I thought we could head out front. The porch swing has always been one of my favorite spots.”
“Wherever you want,” he agreed, following my lead as the dogs leaped at our feet.
I handed him his coffee, black, the way he took it, and settled on the swing, draping my mother’s handmade quilt over my lap to guard against the chill in the air.
“It’s beautiful here,” he noted appreciatively as he sat by my side on the swing. “Where is everyone?”
“Steph went into labor early this morning. I stayed to help clean up after the storm.”
A soft smile tugged at his luscious mouth. “Good timing for you to be here then,” he murmured, his gaze on the sprawling acres in front of us. “I thought a lot about what I was going to say when I got here,” he began quietly. “Had a lot of time to think in the car,” he added dryly. He turned to me, waiting until I met his gaze. “I’ve said it in so many words before, but I need you to really hear me. I love you, Ellie, and I’m all in. All. In. I think maybe if you’d met my parents, spent time with my family back home, you’d understand what that truly means. I don’t take those words lightly. I’ve never said that to another woman. And I hope to God you’re the last one I say it to. I couldn’t give a fuck about football. What they say about me. What I care about is you. About keeping you safe and happy. About convincing you to build a life with me. I know I’m coming on strong, but I think my mistake has been not stating my intentions earlier. You’re mine, babe. From the moment those gorgeous green eyes looked at me with that intelligent skepticism laced with that soft bit of hope, I was done for. I can’t change that my life is in the limelight,” he continued as I stared at him in dumbfounded adoration. “I regret like hell being with me has made this so painful for you. If I could change it, you gotta believe, I would. What I can do, what Iwilldo, is protect you. I’ll always stand up with you as my partner, my equal against the press, against the game, against anyone that dares challenge it. But Ellie—” He swallowed, a note of vulnerability entering his expression. “—I can’t do all that if you’re not in this with me. So, I have to ask: I’m all in. Are you?”
The fact that he doubted it, that I’d made him doubt us had me promising myself right then and there that from here on out, I’d never give this man anything but everything.
“You bringing up your parents again makes me realize how similar our families likely are,” I murmured. “My dad didn’t come from money, but my mom did. Her parents didn’t want her dating my father. But,” I shrugged, “she loved him. Eventually, she left everything to be with him. They built a life together regardless of what anyone else thought, of what anyone else believed they could do. I grew up with two parents that fought like hell for each other, so I know something about being all in. But I’ve never felt it—until you,” I admitted freely. “I’m sorry I made you doubt it—it had nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. Yes, I struggle with my past being in the spotlight—of knowing it’s going to give Brian a platform to spread vile lies. But the fact of the matter is, I knew it wasn’t over—not really, it never has been. This just gives me a chance to work through it knowing you’re in my corner.” I smiled. “But I worry about what this could do to your career, to your image,” I admitted.
“I don’t give a fuck,” he growled.
I squeezed his hand, biting back a smile. “I’m getting that.”
“We’ll figure it out,” he replied confidently. “As long as we’re together. As long as you don’t shut me out or run away. Promise me, Ellie.”
“I promise,” I replied.
“Thank Christ.” He groaned in relief, standing abruptly and hauling me up with him. I took his hand, pulling him through the house and up the stairs, directly to my childhood room.
We tore at each other’s clothes, both desperate to be closer. “No one’s coming home soon?” he demanded as he practically tossed me, naked, onto the bed.
“No. Last text, Steph wasn’t even fully dilated,” I explained quickly, desperate to have his beautiful body closer to mine. I sat on the edge of the bed, unsnapping his jeans and shoving them down his thighs.
“Good. Would hate to meet your father for the first time with a shotgun shoved in my face.” His chuckle turned to a groan as I took him in my mouth, rabid for the taste of him.
“Ellie,” he breathed, his hands clutching the back of my head like a lifeline.
Before I was anywhere near done, he pulled away, ditched the rest of his clothes, and guided me to my back.
“This bed is really small.” His gorgeous mouth quirked into a grin.
I laughed. “Well, seeing that you’re the only other person to have been in it, I didn’t need much space.”
His gaze lit with pleasure. “Is that a fact?”
“It is,” I confirmed, crooking my legs so he could lie in between them. I ran my hands over his head and down his shoulders, appreciating the peaks and valleys of the muscles that held me close. “You know what else is a fact?” I asked, holding his eyes. “I love you too.”
His eyes heated, and in the next second he was inside me.
“Say it again,” he ordered as he swiveled his hips in a move guaranteed to make me scream.
“I love you,” I gasped, pressing my heels to his firm ass. “Oh god,” I keened as he drew back, only to power inside me with enough force to move me up the bed. The headboard smacked against the wall as he took me with unrelenting, toe-curling strength.
“Every time I get inside you, swear you get tighter and wetter,” he groaned, leaning forward to nip the spot on my neck that made me crazy. His hand moved between my legs, knowing my body better than I did, touching me exactly how I needed.
My entire body flushed with heat as I cried out, distantly aware he was following me over.
“We didn’t break the bed,” I panted, holding him close.
