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“At exactly the wrong time.”
I shake my head. “Not possible. Can’t you feel it? Everything is finally falling into place. Right now. Right here. And it’s going to be perfect.”
She stares up at me, her face full of emotion. Nodding, she says, “Yeah, I think I know what you mean.”
I pull her in for a hug, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. “Now, you go hit the gym. I need to see if I can rustle up some groceries and tidy up my place. You’d be surprised what a mess a couple of guys can make in two days.”
I all but jog down the stairs of her building and out onto the cold sidewalk. There’s a small grocery store on the other side of the Athletes’ Village campus. Light snow begins to fall and I stuff my hands in my coat pockets, finding myself feeling warm and happy in spite of the bleak day. I am in love. For the first time in my entire life, I am madly, completely, crazy in love. And I know it’s insane to feel like this after only a few hours, but I do. I just do and there’s no stopping it.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and text Hunter: I’ll be entertaining a lady this evening. Can you teach me how to make that pasta sauce, then make yourself scarce?
A moment later, I get a message back from him. Uh-oh! Sounds serious.
Me: I hope so.
Hunter: Who the fuck is this and why do you have Clint’s cell phone?
Three hours later, I’ve tidied our little apartment, done all the dishes, learned how to make a Bolognese sauce, made a huge salad, and prepared a pot for the angel hair pasta, which Hunter said not to cook until she gets here. I’ve also showered again and shaved so I won’t give her whisker burn. I stand, staring out the window, watching for her to come hurrying up the sidewalk. The sky is growing dark now, and I actually don’t even like the thought of her walking alone over here. She’s too little to be out in the world without someone to protect her. I consider going over to her place to walk her here, but then realize that she might be coming straight from the gym.
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Hunter, who is getting ready to hit the town with the rest of the team, comes out of his bedroom. He pulls his coat on and shakes his head at me. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Like what?” I turn and look out the window.
“Like an old lady. Tidying, cooking. You even shaved your beard for once.”
“I don’t know how many old ladies you know, but most of them don’t have beards.”
Hunter chuckles. “You know what I meant. She must be something for you to go to all this trouble.”
“She is, man.” I glance over my shoulder. “And if you tell anyone, you’re going to wake up tomorrow morning with no eyebrows.”
I don’t have to wait long after Hunter leaves for her to show up. As soon as I see her, I rush downstairs and out the front door of the building to meet her. She looks lovely, her hair is down, curling out from under her wool cap. Her hands are shoved deep into her jacket pockets and she looks chilly. I’m overwhelmed by the need to warm her up, unable to stand seeing her so cold.
“Hi,” I say, trying to sound casual, even though I’m anything but around her.
She looks up and stops walking, clearly surprised that I’m out here waiting for her. Suddenly, I feel like an idiot. How to play it cool, Clint.
Dani smiles and warmth flows through my body. “Hi, yourself. Have you been waiting out here for me?”
“Just happened to see you out the window and figured I’d come down.” I shrug. “In case you forgot which apartment I was in.”
“I remember.”
I take her hand and lead her into the building, my heart pounding in my chest for some stupid reason. I want everything about this evening to be perfect for her. When we get inside the apartment, the warm air, along with the smell of the pasta sauce, greets us.
“Wow. Smells wonderful in here.” She says, pulling off her hat. “Did you really cook?”
“No big deal. It’s just pasta and some salad.” I spin her to me and unbutton her coat, then slide it off her and hang it up on the coatrack. Picking up her hands, I warm them in mine, then lift them to my lips and kiss her cold skin. When I look at her face, she has this expression I can’t quite read. It’s like she’s in shock but she’s happy about it.
“You’re going to make it impossible for me to say no, aren’t you?” she says, her voice thick with emotion.
“That’s my plan.”
“Please don’t do this if you don’t mean it,” she says. “I’ve been hurt before and if it happens again, I…I just don’t think I could take it. Especially not right now.”
I lower my face to hers and let my lips hover above hers. “I mean all of it, Dani. I’ll never hurt you. Not now. Not ever.”
