My forehead thuds against his chiseled chest. He knows me better than anyone, and if my reaction to the sex dream I had is anything to go on, then his prediction is spot on. It doesn’t make me want to keep being greedy with him any less.
“Fine,” I grumble, looping my hands around his neck and pulling him down. “But I need another kiss to ease the rejection I’m feeling.”
“Don’t tease me. This isn’t that, and you know it,” he says, pulsing his hips forward, letting me feel how his hard length presses against the front of his jeans. “You do that to me, Hermosa. Only you. Feel how utterly crazy I am for you—how much I need you.”
“I feel it, alright.” There’s no ignoring how hard and thick he is. “You’re not making this any easier. So how about you shut up and kiss me.”
He does just that. His lips descend on mine. Plunging his tongue into my mouth as his fingers tangle with my hair, tipping my head back and commanding my mouth. His kiss steals all the air out of my lungs, and I can’t believe this is what we have been missing out on all this time.
When my hands fist in his shirt, pulling him tighter to me, he breaks the kiss. “I need to go. My willpower can only handle so much.” His voice is gravelly and low as he takes my hand and pulls me to the door.
“Fine, be that way. You should know the only regret I have is waiting this long to kiss you.”
“You weren’t ready until now.”
One more kiss that starts chaste and turns to more, and he’s gone. Leaving me struggling to wrap my mind around the fact that kissing my best friend has left me breathless and desperate for more of him. More of us. I hope like hell he’s right and I’m ready because the way I’m craving him now makes me question my sanity. Kissing my best friend has made me unwell.
Chapter 17
Let the Dating Begin
Present
The scowl on my face is burning as bright as any lighthouse, warning my teammates away as I storm up the stairs of the team plane. I plow down the aisle, earbuds in, eyes down, heading toward the back, where no one will bother me. Right when I get everything I want, and finally tell the girl I’ve wanted for three years how I feel, I have to leave for a trip.
Should I be crabby? No, but I can’t help it. After kissing Delilah and convincing her to give us a chance, all I want is to be with her, but instead I’m on my way across the country to Boston. I have only been able to see her once since the other night, and it was a quick visit to the coffee shop on my way to the stadium before practice this morning.
You wouldn’t think it would be a big deal, but I waited so damn long for those few kisses. Getting her alone and exploring the rest of her body is the only thing I can focus on. It’s almost enough to make me kick myself for holding back when Delilah was pushing for more. So here I am, stomping around the team plane like an oversized baby, drawing looks from everyone on board.
My phone vibrates in my pocket as I sit alone in the back, my leg bouncing in place. I glare at it before I look around the plane to find the culprit.
Hendrix:
Is it safe to come sit by you?
He’s smiling at me from his seat like my sour mood is amusing, which is ironic because he’s just as much of a grump as I am these days. He may as well join me—misery loves company and all that bullshit.
I lift my hand, waving him over. It’s for the best. If I had to deal with Dean or Dom right now, I’d probably lose my shit and shove them out of the emergency exit. Those two are so carefree. They float through life, enjoying it for everything it’s worth, and right now, that alone is enough to annoy me.
He slides into the seat across from me, pulling his headphones off and letting them hang around his neck.
“This morning when you walked into the stadium you were like Mary Poppins, whistling and smiling from ear to ear. What changed between now and then to turn you into”—he gestures toward me—“this?”
He’s not wrong. I was on cloud nine after I leftBuns & Roses. Delilah grabbed my hand and practically dragged me into a small storage room before leaping into my arms and kissing me senseless.
She claimed her brain needed the reminder that we made the right decision to stop it from falling into an overthinking death spiral. I kissed her until she was soft and pliant in my arms, her eyes glossed over with lust. When I set her down, she declared, “Much better,” before making my coffee and kicking me out, so I wasn’t late for batting practice.
“I kissed Delilah,” I finally admit.
“I’m not sure I see the problem. Isn’t that what you wanted? Did she not like it?” He’s scratching his jaw and looking at me like I’m a caged animal about to pounce.
“She loved it. It was some of my best work.”
“Are you sure? You seem agitated for someone who just got everything they want.”
“Yes, I’m fucking sure. I changed my mind, go back to your seat,” I grumble as Hendrix cracks half a smile. It’s the closest I’ve seen him get to losing his perma-scowl since he and Poppy broke up.
“Just trying to remind you that whatever’s got your panties in a twist probably isn’t that bad if you finally convinced Lilah to give you a shot.”
