Chapter 22
“This is niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice,” I mumbled under my breath as I pulled into the gated community.
It was half past seven by the time I arrived at Lamar’s townhouse. I parked, and then I sat there for a few minutes. Closing my eyes, I said a quick prayer that I wouldn’t embarrass myself, and then I headed to the door.
Taking in a deep breath, I rolled my shoulders back. Here goes nothing.
The seconds ticked by, and anxiousness crept back up my neck. Looking down at my white tennis dress with my colorful sneakers, I had second thoughts. While in my closet, the casual yet cute dress had seemed perfect. But as I waited, I felt like I was doing too much and not enough at the same time.
Before I had time to pull out my mirror from my handbag to give myself one last look, the door swung open.
“God, you’re beautiful,” Lamar greeted me, taking a step back. “Come in.”
With my cheeks flushed, I tugged at my pleated skirt. “Thank you,” I murmured, eyeing him in his basketball shorts and white T-shirt.
It didn’t make any sense for him to look that good.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, checking me out as I entered his garage.
“I’m glad to be here,” I said nervously. Taking another deep breath, I prepared myself to launch into my speech. “I—”
My sentence had barely begun when he scooped me up in his arms and hugged me close.
I gasped before melting into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He held on to me tight, and closing my eyes, I squeezed him back. He kissed the top of my head and whispered something I couldn’t hear.
And he just held me.
Having his body pressed against mine erased any and all worry, doubt, anxiety, and fear. The longer we stayed in that embrace, the easier it was for everything to fade away.
It was just me and him.
He dropped his head, nuzzling his face against mine. “I got you,” he whispered against my skin.
A shiver ran down my spine.
I lifted my head, and as soon as our eyes locked, warmth washed over me. My heart thumped loudly while his face hovered over mine. It was as if he were seeing me, reading me, and I was fully exposed. I inhaled shakily, and my knees felt weak.
Nodding as if answering a question I hadn’t asked aloud, he leaned down, and his nose met mine. He paused momentarily, searching my face, and then when his lips brushed mine, time stopped.
His mouth moved over mine with slow, dawdling kisses that cleared my mind but flooded my body.
I wasn’t thinking at all, just feeling. The way his beard tickled my face as he overpowered me and the way his hands ran up and down my back so slowly was soothing.
The way his tongue danced with mine and the way he grunted his approval when I sucked on his bottom lip was so sexy.
But it was the way he seemed to sense that I needed him to be there for me first and then to desire me second.
It had been only a couple of minutes, and I’d cycled through distress and had arrived at desire by the time we pulled apart. My nipples were hard, my panties were damp, and my plan completely flew out the window.
He cupped my face with his hands. “Can I show you around before we talk?”
I nodded, unable to find my words.
He placed a sweet kiss against my lips and then grabbed my hand. “This is the garage.” Pulling me past a four-door luxury sedan, he walked me through a door. “And this is the den…”
Looking around, my eyes were wide. “Oh, my goodness. This is so cool.” A big-screen TV, football paraphernalia, and brown leather furniture created a footballer’s dream space. “Is this where you watch the games?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Or movies.” He pointed to the bar in the back and showed me the bathroom around the corner. “If I have anybody over, this is where we chill.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Excuse me for a minute.”
“You’re good,” I told him. “I’ll look around.”
I made my way to a bookshelf, and I eyed the titles. Almost all of them were sports books or biographies by sports figures.
“Tuesday is the only day I have off, so I can make it work, but it’s last-minute,” Lamar explained, before he burst out laughing.
“I get it, I get it. But damn, E. Nah, I’m going to make it work.
” He paused. “I’m going to ask her. Well, it’s not like you gave me time to plan it out.
Your ass just told me about it!” He let out a loud laugh. “Yes, she’s real!”
With my interest piqued, I glanced over my shoulder at him.
“Uh-huh,” he mumbled. “Yeah … oh … true, true … oh, word?”
Figuring the conversation had shifted from me, I turned back toward the bookcase, and that’s when I noticed the bookends.
He had photos inside block-shaped frames. Pictures of him with his mother, Bill, and other members of his family were displayed. Gingerly, I picked up a Little League photo of Lamar and a man I instantly knew was his father.
They look just alike.
The proud looks on their faces said so much as little Lamar held up a trophy almost as big as he was. The way his dad was smiling, that trophy could’ve been a Super Bowl ring.
“I’m going to ask her, and then I’ll hit you back,” Lamar said, again grabbing my attention.
“Aight, hold on.” He hit a button and then looked up at me.
“I muted the call.” He held it up to show me.
“Erickson and Tara are flying in on Tuesday, and they want to have dinner with us. I know it’s last-minute, so I’d understand if you can’t make it. But I’d love for you to be there.”
I grinned. “I’d love to be there.”
“You sure? I don’t want you tired on your way to work on Wednesday.”
“If you can go to work tired on Wednesday, so can I,” I reasoned. “Besides, I’m looking forward to meeting your friends.”
“They’re looking forward to meeting you, too.” He smirked and unmuted the phone. “She said she’ll come.” His shoulders shook as he laughed. “Aight, I’m gonna get back to her, but I’ll see you Tuesday.”
He ended the call and then shook his head. “I’m sorry about that.”
I walked back toward the couch. “It gave me a chance to check out your photos.” Jutting my thumb over my shoulder, I widened my eyes. “Boy, you look just like your daddy!”
Lamar chuckled. “Yeah, that’s what they say.”
“I really like this space,” I told him, taking everything in. I ran my fingers along the back of the couch. “And this looks comfortable. May I?”
“Of course.” He smirked, folding his arms over his chest as he watched me. “Anything you want.”
I sat down on the couch and then the love seat. “This is really nice.”
“Thank you.”
I ran my hand over the seat next to me, gliding my fingertips over the buttery-smooth material. Part of me wanted him to sit next to me while I shared my truth with him. But the other part of me wanted him on the couch so I could have more space between us and I could look him in his eyes.
If we’re touching, I might forget what I need to say.
“I like this spot. Where’s your spot?” I wondered.
His smirk gave way to a smile. “Where you are now.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah.” He licked his lips. “I guess that’s just one of the many things we have in common.”
I found myself grinning.
“Sit so we can talk,” I insisted. “I’ll let you get your spot back.”
“It can be yours.”
“Oh really?”
He nodded. “When I said you can get whatever you want from me, I meant it. So, if you want my spot, it’s yours.” He walked over to me, but he didn’t sit. “But let me give you the rest of the tour first.” He reached out to me.
“Oh! I’m sorry.” I placed my hand in his and he helped me to my feet. “I thought this was where you chill when you have anybody over.”
Pulling me close so I was flush against his body, he held my gaze. “You’re not just anybody.”
My stomach fluttered. “That’s good to hear.”
After a swift kiss, he placed his hand on the small of my back. “Now here’s the real tour,” he said as he escorted me to the door that took us to a set of stairs.
When we got to the landing, I looked around in awe. “Wow.”
His home was beautiful.
As he showed me around, I couldn’t help but be impressed with the three-story townhome.
The downstairs alone was almost the size of my entire apartment, and it was just a den, a bar kitchenette, a bathroom, and the garage where his other car was located.
The next level had the kitchen, dining room, and the living room.
The third level had his bedroom, a guest bedroom, and a sitting room.
I thought we were done, but then we climbed another set of steps to a loft floor where his office and a roof deck were located.
When he opened the door for us to go onto the deck, I was speechless.
Or so I thought.
“I can’t even imagine what your rent would be,” I blurted as I stared toward the skyline.
“I own it.”
My head whipped around toward him. “What?”
“It’s mine. I bought it.”
“When you said you live in a townhouse, I didn’t think you meant you own it. This is amazing.” Awestruck, I shook my head. “Are you a Gates? A Carter?” I asked jokingly.
Laughing, his brows furrowed. “A Carter?”
“Shawn and Bey,” I clarified as I peered over the railing. “Is this typical practice squad living?”
“Hell nah!” Still laughing, he shook his head. “Most people on the practice squad live in a hotel so they can have that flexibility because we can get dropped at any time.”
“So, what made you buy?”
“I know myself well enough to know that I needed a home. A place to come back to. In the back of my mind, even if I had to go to a different team, if I got a nice enough place, I could rent it out or later on, I could sell it. But I knew it would be a good investment.”