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I groaned into her mouth. She felt electric in my arms, my fingers flexing against the soft curves of her hips, wedging her tightly to my body even as I had to stoop down to kiss her. I wanted to go deep, taste more of her.
I picked her up and pressed her against the concrete wall, and she hissed at the cold sensation. I didn’t care. I’d warm her back up again. She wrapped her legs around my hips, clinging to me as our tongues fucked.
I almost didn’t hear the distinct clicking sound of a shutter, or the cleared throat that echoed down the hall. I was too consumed by her.
But when I turned around, several cameras were pointed in our direction, and the ASPN reporter was giving me a look with one perfectly raised eyebrow. Andrea Esperanza. I’d slept with her once on the road, and it had been a mistake.
“New girlfriend, Cooper?” she asked, but her voice was frosty. Yeah. I’d hit and quit it once, totally drunk after a particularly hard loss out in Seattle. Andrea looked harder at Nova, who was looking at the sophisticated reporter like she wanted to run away. “Isn’t that the girl Rigby Engman was flirting with at the last game?” Andrea gave me a disappointed and yet somehow gleeful expression. “Your best friend's girl is a bit cliché, even for you, River.”
There was no way I was ever going to get Andrea to change the narrative. So I did the only thing I could think of in that moment. “You’re right. This is my new girlfriend. Now fuck off, Andrea.” With that, I turned on my heel and strode away, Nova’s hand in mine.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I didn’t stop swearing until we reached my car. We had to wait for fucking Rigby to be done. My best friend, who’d told merepeatedlyhe was interested in Nova. And I’d just claimed her in front of the nation.
I climbed into the driver's seat and slammed my hand on the steering wheel. “Fuck!”
“I’m sorry,” Nova said softly, hunched in the corner of the car like she was scared of me.
I sucked in some deep breaths. I never wanted her to fear me. Never.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. I kissed you. I said those stupid things. That's all on me.”
“I kissed you back…” She trailed off, and my mind was drawn back to the memory of her lips on mine. She shook her head, like she was trying to escape those memories too. “I shouldn’t have. Rigby and I… I mean, this afternoon we—”
“I know what you did this afternoon, Nova. I was in the house,” I snapped.
Watching from the hall like a fucking peeping Tom.
Her face flushed red, and she turned back toward the window. I messaged Rigby, telling him I was heading home. Telling him I was sorry, because now he’d have to go in there and deal with fucking Andrea trying to blindside him.
Me: Reporters caught me kissing Nova. Think I stole your girl. I’m sorry. Taking Nova home.
God, I felt like such a bastard. He didn’t message me back, and maybe I was too late. Maybe he was already in there, being grilled about Nova and I, instead of talking about the fucking sport we were all here for. He was going to punch me in the face, and I definitely deserved it.
I started the car and pulled out into the heavy traffic leaving the arena. We were silent the whole way home, and I felt like a complete and utter asshole.
Because I didn’t regret kissing Nova. I just regretted getting caught. I was an asshole because I wanted to do it again. Over and over, until I was branded on her lips forever.
ChapterTwenty-One
NOVA
My thoughts were whirlingso fast that it was hard to latch on to any of them. Except the one that thumped around in my brain like a shoe in a clothes dryer.
I’d kissed River. And really, really liked it.
We drove home silently, and as soon as River stopped the car, I had the door flung open and was all but running up to the nursery to check on Huey. Not that I thought he was anything but happy and healthy—and probably sound asleep—but I needed an excuse to get away and center my thoughts.
Didn’t help, though. Once I’d laid eyes on Huey, who was sound asleep in his crib, I went and flopped down on my bed and chased my thoughts for what felt like hours.
I’d let Rigby tongue-fuck me in the kitchen this afternoon, and hours later, I was enjoying his best friend’s lips on mine. Did that make me a whore? Did I care if it did?
I didn’t regret either action, which was what made it worse. What I regretted was the possible consequence of me not being able to keep my libido in check.
Huey needed the guys; that was becoming more and more clear. They loved him, and he adored them. The relief of having others to lean on during this parenthood thing was so all-consuming, I would almost become a nun to keep it. I wasn’t sure I could go back to doing it alone. I would if I had to, but I was strong enough to admit it would be hard to be a solo parent.
I also didn’t want to come between River and Rigby. I’d only had to peek at River’s face to see the regret painted all over it. He regretted that he’d kissed me, and that hurt. I hadn’t expected it; I hadn’t even initiated it. But I’d hoped for it, somewhere deep down, and that's why it felt so bad.
