I leaned back, looking at her face, at her expression filled with apprehension. I brushed my fingers over her cheek. “Yes. I do. I told you I did.”
She sighed. “I know, but we were pretty drunk the other night.”
“I wasn’t.”
She frowned.
“I wasn’t,” I protested. “The only drink I had was the one you saw me with at the bar when that douche frat boy was trying to hit on you.”
Her eyes widened. “So you really meant it?”
The confidence I’d only ever seen her wearing, slipped slightly.
“Luck, what’s this about?”
She shook her head, dropping it. “Nothing.”
I gently tipped her chin back up. I wanted her to look in my eyes and see the sincerity, to believe every word I was saying to her… Because if she looked hard enough, she’d see her name carved into my soul.
“Emerson, tell me. We need to be honest with each other.”
She sighed. “It’s just that over this last year, you were this enigma to me. I never thought or expected to see you again. And now you’re here, and it’s still hard to believe that it’s real.” A soft smile curled on her lip. “But we have this insane chemistry, and ever since Saturday, all I want to do is jump you, like I have no self-control whatsoever. And it’s overwhelming.”
I smirked. “I’m still not sure what the problem is.”
She tried to look away but I wouldn’t let her, tipping her chin so her eyes rose back up to meet mine. “Did you really think of me a lot? This isn’t just another hook-up? You’re a professional athlete, and I know how that works.”
I stared at her, blinking, unsure what to say. I reached out and began twisting the end of her ponytail in my fingers, choosing my words carefully, not wanting to scare her away, but needing her to understand.
“Sweetheart, I thought about you every day.”
I studied her reaction, her pupils flaring in surprise, her lips parting slightly for a sharp inhale.
“Really?”
“I haven’t even looked at another woman in eleven months. I’ve been slowly going crazy.”
“What about the first month?”
I winced, but now was not the time for lying. If this was going anywhere, it had to be truth or nothing.
“I’ll be honest; I did briefly try and fuck you out of my head.” Her face dropped slightly, making my heart beat faster. “But it didn’t work. You’re right, we have this insane chemistry. I’ve never felt it before or since. Finding you again has been all I’ve wished for, so yes, I want to date you. I definitely want to jump you, but I also want to do all the bits in between. I want to know everything about you.”
Her freckles danced across her nose and cheeks from her smile as she leaned in to kiss me, but I pulled back before she could. I needed to know this wasn’t one sided.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Is this just a hook-up for you?”
Like me, she waited to answer, gathering her thoughts. “I’ve thought about you so much over the past year, and if the last two days is anything to go by, I don’t think I’ll get you out of my head any time soon.” She stared up at me through thick, black lashes. “No, it’s not just a hook-up. I want to try for the bits in between too.”
I put my arms around her, enveloping her in a crushing hug, surrounding her mouth with mine again. Her hands cupped the back of my head, pulling me in even closer, wanting me as much as I wanted her.
“Get a room!” a distant shout rudely jolted us out of our teenage make-out session, and I pulled back, laughing.
“I will get a fucking room,” I muttered, moving my lips to her cheek. “Come on. Let’s walk back and get some breakfast. It’s probably not the best idea to be going at it in public.”
