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“I keep those words fresh in my mind on the days when I feel like my life or my job is hard. Not everyone gets to live to be seventy or eighty. Not everyone gets to make their dreams come true like I have. That’s why I always try not to take my job for granted, give back when I can, and live life to the fullest—to not let opportunity pass me by.”
She bobs her head and then shuts her eyes, dropping her arms from her body. “You sure are something else, Maddox Taylor.”
“I hope that was meant as a good thing.”
“It is, but it shouldn’t be.” Reaching up, she digs her hands into her hair and takes a step back from me, shaking her head and glancing away. “God, we shouldn’t be alone right now. You shouldn’t have followed me in here.” She points to the door. “You’re supposed to be out there with the kids, showing the fans who you are and being the NFL quarterback that everyone knows you as. You’re supposed to be building excitement for this next season so they don’t think you’re pissed about your new team, not worrying about me and my issues at the moment. You shouldn’t be sending me flowers or booking me massages...”
Taking another step closer to her, I pull her hands from her hair and grasp her upper arms gently, forcing her to look at me. “I will always be grateful for the life I have and the shots I’ve taken because they’ve led me here. But right here, right now? I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be at the moment, regardless of what the public is saying, Penelope. I had to make sure that you are okay.”
She blinks up at me before I point off to the side of the room.
“Those people? The fans who are watching behind screens? They don’t know who I really am. And they don’t have to know everything about me in order for me to do my job—including who I spend my private time with.”
Her eyes widen.
“But those shots I’ve taken? It’s because I’ve known the risk was worth the reward. Andyouare worth it. Us together—our connection and chemistry—is worth it to me. It’s why I followed you in here... because I care about you. I can’t stop thinking about you, and as hard as this will be, I can’t deny that I don’t care what the consequences may be. All I’m asking for is a chance for us to figure out what this is between us without pressure from the outside.”
“I have a past, Maddox.” Suddenly, I can see her fight is dwindling, but I’m glad. Because her voice is raw right now, so I know this is the real woman coming through, the one who has me wrapped around her finger. “I’ve been hurt.”
And there it is. Her words strike a chord and give me just a morsel of the reason she’s fighting this so hard.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ve been there, too.” I lower my head and rest my forehead against hers, breathing her in. Then I whisper, “But there’s very little reward without a little pain, Penelope. Don’t you feel this?” I take her hand and place it on my chest, right over my beating heart. “This is how my heart beats every time I’m around you.”
“I wish I didn’t feel it, too, but I’d be lying if I said that I don’t—that I’m not curious.” She growls and pulls away as I release her from my hands, lifting part of her shield up again. “But how is this supposed to even work? It’s not like we can be seen together out in public, just the two of us. One picture snapped at the right time would create a clusterfuck.”
“I can be creative. And hell, that’s what phones are for. We can talk all night long like two teenagers sneaking around.” I waggle my eyebrows at her. “It’ll be fun.”
A hint of a smile graces her lips. But then she swallows, her lips fall again, and that little divot between her brow returns as she stares into my eyes. “Are you sure about this?”
“About eighty percent.” I shrug as her mouth drops open.
“That’s it?” She throws her hands up. “That doesn’t make me feel better about this situation—”
“How can we ever be one-hundred-percent sure of anything, Pen?” I cut her off. “Life is too short to question whether certain things will work out the way we want them to. Sometimes you just have to have faith and jump in, make a decision from your gut.” I point to my stomach, and when she doesn’t say anything, I continue. “Ilikeyou. I want to know everything about you. I just need you to let me. And I promise, I’ll give you all the juicy dirt on me, too.”
Rolling her eyes, she says, “Fine. But we have to take this slow. I don’t do relationships, Maddox. What you got from me already is the extent of time I usually spend with a man, and I won’t apologize for it. How I’ve lived my life is how I’ve been surviving, and it’s been working just fine—until you came along.”
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pull her in so her palms land on my chest. She gasps. “I can go slow. I can be patient with you, Penelope. Hell, you made me work for your attention that first night, so I have no problem putting in the work again.” Nuzzling my nose against her cheek, I feel her relax a bit in my arms. And then I whisper in her ear, “And the next time I get you in my bed again, I won’t let you run away.” Leaning back, I find her eyes again. “But know this—this isn’t just about sex for me. As often as I relive that night and as much as I want a repeat, that’s not the only reason I’m pursuing you. I want you to trust me on that.”
“No sex?”
“I didn’t say that. But maybe we take things a little slow...” My dick is strongly objecting to this idea, but I know this arrangement is necessary to help her understand my intentions here.
“I don’t know... I like things hard and fast.”
“Fuck. At some point, that will be absolutely necessary. But right now, the only thing I want to do is taste your lips again.”
She inhales sharply but doesn’t say anything, so I take that as my cue to make my move.
Gently, I cup the back of her neck and stare down into her eyes before cocking my head to the side, going in at the perfect angle. The space separating our mouths diminishes, and when her soft lips meld against mine and she grips my shoulder and pulls me closer, my entire body comes alive.
It’s a soft press at first, and I wait to feel her out, to make sure that this is what she wants. But when she grabs the back of my neck and brings me closer, I know. This is exactly what she wants—and thank fuck.
Like the flip of a switch, Penelope takes over my mouth, moving her soft, pillowy lips over mine. God, her mouth has entranced me since that first night, and tasting her again now is even more addicting than it was the first time—and that’s how I know this isn’t only lust. Because kissing Penelope again just feelsright, deep in my bones. Which scares me but gives me hope at the same time.
I’d thought I’d been with the right person before, and then I learned very quickly that you can think you know someone, but they can surprise you when you least expect it and show their true colors.
But right now, this need and desire I feel for her is more than just physical, so I owe it to both of us to see what it means. This could crash and burn and be a monumental mistake, or it could be something real. I just hope we both survive the process of figuring out which it is.
