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Dropping her hand, he braced himself with his hand on the back of the couch and leaned down and kissed her. “You, Natalie Beckett, have a crazy amount of energy. What are we going to do about that energy?”
Running her hand up his chest, she said, “I have an idea.”
“But then what would you do after that?” He laughed at her. “How about before the wedding planning? What did you do?”
“I was in school.” She then ran her hand back down his chest.
“I am starting to think that you’re not using your brain enough.” He kissed her forehead.
“I want to do something, not think about something,” she argued.
“When your mom said she skipped grades, I thought of you. You didn’t try in school, you never needed to. So, you got in trouble and used your talents for evil, not good.” He grinned at her.
“I did use up a lot of time thinking up ways to torture you,” she admitted, sliding her other hand under his T-shirt.
“Your job doesn’t stimulate your mind. You need something to make you think.” He tapped her head with a finger.
“I know of something else that needs stimulation.” She winked at him, and her hands trailed down his body.
“Later. Right now, I have an idea.” He stood up and pulled her to her feet.
“But my idea is probably so much better.” She wrapped her arms around him.
“Let me make a call, and I will meet you outside.” He pushed her away and went to the bedroom.
Watching him go, she huffed out a breath. What was he thinking? Grabbing her tennis shoes on the way out of the house, she sat on the front step, putting them on. Slowly she tied them as she wondered if he was right. Was she not using her brain? Had she ever needed to? In high school, she hadn’t really needed to study; once she had heard how to do it or listened to the lectures, she knew the information. It was just easy.
In college, she had dived in headfirst and overachieved because her body was still recovering. Maybe if she had applied herself like her mom had, she would have been something today. Not just a librarian, but a doctor or a lawyer. Smiling, she knew she had no interest in either of those things.
Looking down, she wondered what Sam was planning for her. Was she dressed OK? She was wearing black basketball shorts long enough to cover her scars and an orange Tigers T-shirt. It was Sam’s, but she had not done laundry lately, and her clothes were getting limited. Maybe he was going to bring up the laundry thing.
Her hair was loose and long, and the breeze was making it go into her face as she waited, so she pulled the elastic band from around her wrist to put it up in a ponytail.He was taking forever.
When he came out, he was still in his shorts and t-shirt, so she was fine in what she had on. All he did was walk out the door and smile at her, keeping his secret to himself. Taking her hand, he started to walk away from the house.
After a few blocks, she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Where are we going?”
“To the high school.” He squeezed her hand.
“Why?”
“Do you want to play a little volleyball?” he asked from out of nowhere.
Squeezing his hand back, she said, “Oh, I think I can beat you at that.”
His laugh made her smile—she loved that he was so easy to tease. That he didn’t get mad at her for making fun of him. As they drew close to the school, she saw there were a few cars in the parking lot. Something must be going on today.
When they stepped onto the school property, the doors on the cars opened. Sam bumped her shoulder and said, “I’m not playing with you. These guys are.”
Leaning into him, she asked, “And who are these guys?”
But he was busy pulling his keys out of his pocket as the girls approached them, calling out to him in welcome.
“Thanks for coming, ladies. This is my girlfriend, Natalie Beckett.” He nodded at her, and her knees went a little weak. Girlfriend. They hadn’t even talked about it, but she loved it. “Natalie is also Mr. Beckett’s daughter. Natalie, this is Ava, Olivia, and Kylie. They’re the captains of the volleyball team this year.”
Shaking the girls’ hands, she wondered what Sam was up to. Was he really thinking she could hold her own with three girls in their prime? She hadn’t touched a volleyball in six years, and a lot had changed since then. All she could manage was, “Hi.”
CHAPTER21
