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Seth bursts into a fit of laughter while Lucas rolls his eyes. I didn’t think it was that funny, but maybe Seth is just as nervous as me. Alex shuffles forward, moving his head from side to side and making me cringe at the very loud cracks coming from his neck.
“Ugh, that was the worst three hours of my life,” Alex groans.
“The joys of second class,” Lucas murmurs.
Now it’s Rachel’s turn to roll her eyes. “Economy,” she says while poking Lucas’s shoulders. “And it’s not that bad.”
“First class would have been better,” says Lucas, earning a nod of agreement from Alex.
“And way out of budget,” adds Rachel. “Besides, now we have more money to blow in the great Windy City of the Midwest.”
“Hey, Hunter,” says Lucas while sidling close to me, “don’t you think you could’ve gotten us first-class tickets? Seeing how now you’re a famous and wealthy NFL player.”
Rachel groans while Seth shakes his head.
“Lucas and Alex have been talking about this the whole flight,” Seth whispers in my ear. His nose wrinkles and he lurches away from me. “Christ, Hunter, do you have enough cologne on?” He coughs and shakes his head.
“Too strong?” I ask nervously.
Seth waves a hand in front of his face. “I’d say.”
“You okay, Hunter?” Lucas asks, narrowing his eyes at me. “You look like you’ve lost a lot of weight.”
My gaze drops to Rachel and I see that she’s staring at me, waiting for my reply. Her brows are furrowed in concern, her hand tightening on the handle of her carryon. She knows something is up. I want to tell her. I really do, but the moment I open my mouth, I say, “Training has been a bitch. And game days are pretty stressful.” I chuckle and slide a hand through my hair nervously, hoping I’m not slurring my words. “It’s kinda hard to sleep at night when thousands of people are watching you. Some hoping I fuck up. The others praying I don’t.”
Seth grimaces. “Yeah, that must be stressful. It’s a good thing you have Dr. Forrester to talk to you about all this.”
“Yeah,” I say, my gaze dropping to the tiled floor. “It’s a good thing.”
“Well, I don’t know about you guys,” says Alex, “but I’m ready to head out. Can’t say I enjoy hanging out in airports.”
“Yeah, sure.” I grab Rachel’s suitcase and start walking toward the parking lot. My hand slides into my jeans and I grab my keys. “Do you think you can drive?” I ask while glancing over my shoulder at Lucas. “It’d be nice to catch up with Rachel.”
Lucas makes a face and I expect him to press me for more. A part of me feels guilty for asking him, given he’s been up so early and traveling all day, but I’m worried about Rachel’s safety. I can’t put her in danger. I would never forgive myself if anything terrible happened to her.
“Sure,” says Lucas, although I can tell he’s pretty grumpy about it. I toss the keys to him before he can change his mind and grab Rachel’s hand, lacing my fingers with her.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” I whisper to her as we leave the airport, my skin prickling with the chilly air.
Rachel smiles up at me, but I can still see the worry lurking in her gaze. “I am, too.” She tugs me closer, her lips near mine. “Now, what do we have planned for today?”
I look her over, taking in her large sweater and her thigh-high boots. My cock twitches and my face heats, finding it very difficult for me to look away. My feet trip over the stairs in front of me, and I grunt as I scramble to climb them.
Rachel giggles, her hand covering her mouth, looking absolutely adorable. “Cat caught your tongue?”
I waggle my eyebrows. “You did that on purpose.”
“I did not!” she shouts while swatting my shoulder.
I don’t know if it’s the alcohol suddenly kicking in, or if it’s Rachel, but I feel drunk and high all at the same time. We enter my car with Lucas and Alex sitting up front and Seth taking the seat behind Lucas. Rachel slides into the middle and I sit next to her, my hands touching her bare thighs, her knee while she buckles her seat belt.
“Hunter.” She laughs while reaching over and tugging at my belt. “Safety first.”
I buckle myself in without looking away from her. I’m ravenous for her. I can’t believe I haven’t seen her since the end of June. I should have visited her sooner. I should have asked that she come during a weekend. But how could I, when she has classes and I have to train all day? I’m lucky I get these next few days off. I should be at the gym, given we have a game on Sunday. Honestly, I find it hard to care. My love for football is no more. I don’t even enjoy watching the games anymore. My passion has dried up in these few months, replaced by anger, frustration, and guilt. I’m going to enjoy these next few days with Rachel. She leaves Saturday afternoon. I need to make the most of our time together.
I stroke Rachel’s hair away from her face. Lucas is already driving and I see flashes of the city from Seth’s window. He’s busy looking outside while Rachel stares back at me. She giggles as I caress her cheek, her chin.
“Hunter,” she whispers when my other hand grabs her knee.
