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She turned to him eagerly. This must be it. His big declaration that he wanted to go public. Mental fist-pump time.
“Yes?”
“Maybe going to the wedding together isn’t the best idea, since it’ll be so hard for us to keep our date secret.” He touched her cheek. “You know, just like you said. It would be easy to get too…familiar where other people could see us.”
Though her smile didn’t falter, her mind whirled. If he thought he was backing out of their secret wedding date, he had another think coming.
Okay, so perhaps she’d ease up the lid on the off-limits box one more time, all gingerly-like. While doing so, maybe she could suss out his feelings on the whole public relationship deal without completely revealing her own thoughts on the subject.
“Well, as far as you remaining hands-off when you’re with me in public, it’s sort of a necessary evil. I mean, it’s not like we have another option.” Do we? C’mon, say we do.
“Nope.” He kissed her fingertips. “Vic alone would be a pretty persuasive deterrent. My sister is one hell of a bulldog when it comes to those she cares about.”
“She cares about you, too. So much. You’re her big brother. I always envied her one of those.” She couldn’t keep the wistfulness out of her tone.
“I used to think of you as a little sister.”
“Careful, we’re wandering into Game of Thrones territory now.” She grinned up at him as he tugged on her hair.
“Notice I said used to? That was pre-wanting to screw your brains out.” He adjusted his hold on her and skimmed his hand up her belly to toy with her nipple. “Very pre, I might add.”
“Uh-huh. Nice save, lecherous one.”
His grin didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Glad you have me pegged. I’m oh so eager to corrupt you.”
Something in his phrasing, though teasing, struck a chord in her, as if there was more behind what he’d said than the obvious. But as soon as he put his mouth and hands on her, boom, forget it, all rationality went out the window. He probably knew it, too. “Get busy then.”
“Oh, I will.” He nipped her earlobe. “Seven a.m. will be here way too soon, and I still have a lot of corrupting left to accomplish.”
Seven a.m., right. How could she expect him to want to be her public date at his sister’s wedding when he wouldn’t even spend a whole night with her, let alone tell her where he was going so early? When this was over, he would saunter away without a fuss. He’d never fight with her, because even that required more effort than he was willing to expend. If she balked, he’d be out of there.
This was all they would ever have. It was about time she stopped toying with the possibility of more and went with the flow.
She swallowed the tightness in her throat and reached down to cup his hardening cock. “No time like the present.”
Chapter Nine
At seven a.m., Bryan pulled up to wait for Dillon at the job site that was suspiciously quiet. No one else from the team had arrived yet. The sun was starting to break over the mountains in the east, casting a pink glow over the street a few blocks from the one he’d grown up on. A kid’s bicycle lay on the lawn next door, forgotten there during yesterday’s play.
He’d been that kid once. A long-ass time ago.
Resigned to wait, he sat on the top porch step of the A-frame house and rotated between his palms the travel mug of tea Jill had insisted on making for him. He tipped his face close to the escaping steam.
He hadn’t wanted the tea, but she’d foisted it on him saying the herbs would improve his focus for that day’s training. He’d take any help he could get. His knee was hurting like hell, probably due to his feats of spectacular athleticism with Jill.
Smiling, he sipped. So fucking worth it.
He checked his phone. Nothing from his agent, despite the two messages Bryan had left. Maybe Hank was busy. The time before the free-agency period opened up was usually a busy one for him, but Hank was normally better about returning calls.
Unless he was avoiding him. After Cade’s call yesterday, that possibility seemed even more likely.
What was he supposed to do if the team dropped him? Stay in Haven? Shack up with Jill? They both knew that was a bad idea, even if she seemed to have forgotten it. All that talk about them going to the wedding as a public couple. Didn’t she realize what she was asking?
It was bad enough that Vic would have a meltdown. Worse would be how he’d inevitably disappoint Jill. Even if he couldn’t find a way to stay in football, he couldn’t just start a new life here. Not with her. She’d want things from him he didn’t know how to give. His time with his father had reminded him that some things—like long-term relationships—were better left for other men.
Men like Dr. Pete. He’d hate knowing she was with someone else, but she deserved someone like that. Someone who would stay with her. Someone who was more than a football player.
Hell. Maybe he was fooling himself—and her—by not ending this now.
