22. Until You
22
Foster
I’m in such a rush to see Hadley when I finally make it home, I accidentally swing the door closed with a little too much force. I cringe as the bang echoes through the house, and movement in the living room catches my attention. Hadley is sitting on the couch with wide, frightened eyes.
“Sorry about that,” I say as I walk into the room, my eyes drinking her in.
She was obviously sleeping. Her blonde tresses are mussed, and she has sleep lines from the pillow streaked across her face. Her expression settles into a small smile when she sees it’s me, and my chest burns with emotion. Then her mouth falls open in a wide yawn, and she blushes as she quickly raises a hand to cover it.
She looks more beautiful than I’ve ever seen her.
I want to see her like this every morning in my bed. Or hers.
Clearing my throat, I rub a palm across the back of my neck. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
She shakes her head, then runs her hands over her hair to smooth it. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
I see it the moment she realizes where’s she’s sitting and memories of what we did there just last night flood her mind. Her blush deepens, and she leaps to her feet, turning left, then right, then left again before pacing around the coffee table and stopping way too many feet away from me. My mouth curves into a smile as I walk toward her, keeping my pace slow and steady so as not to spook her.
“Hi,” I murmur when I finally stop, so close to her that I imagine I can feel the heat of her blush on my skin.
“Hi,” she whispers back, twisting her hands together in front of her.
Reaching down, I cover her hands in mine, holding them still. The little hitch I hear in her breath when our skin connects drives me a little wild, but I somehow manage to contain it. Leaning even closer, I tilt my head as I hold her gaze.
“Is that really how you want to greet me? With just a simple hello?”
Her gray eyes light up, and she slowly shakes her head. “No.”
“Show me.”
It’s a dare, and she knows it. I want her to feel comfortable around me. Not shy. Or embarrassed. Or scared to show me affection because she doesn’t know how I’ll react. I need to erase the aftermath of that first kiss from her mind. Show her that I’ll never back away again or reject her touch.
Pulling her hands free of mine, she slides them up my chest, over my shoulders, and locks her fingers behind my neck. My heart begins to pound as she leans toward me slowly, her pink tongue darting out to moisten her lips. I copy the movement, leaving my own lips slightly parted in preparation for her kiss.
At the very last millisecond, she swerves, bypassing my mouth to press a quick peck of a kiss to my cheek. Releasing me, she dances away before I can grab onto her, her bright laughter ringing in my ears. Narrowing my eyes, I charge toward her. She squeals, turning to run, but she doesn’t stand a chance.
Not to toot my own horn, but I’m one of the fastest tight ends in professional football. Hadley West will never outrun me.
I wrap my arms around her waist before she’s made it two steps. She screams and tries to wriggle free, her laughter belying the fear she’s trying to project. I pull her back against my chest, holding her there while I dip my head to press a warm kiss to her cheek. She relaxes for a moment, then turns in my embrace until she’s facing me once more.
Her smile is gone, and her expression is serious as she lifts her hands to cup my cheeks. She pushes up on her toes, and I meet her halfway. Our mouths crash together, our lips melding and tongues tangling in a ravenous kiss. My hands slide down to grip her ass, lifting her until her legs curl around my waist.
It feels right, having her in my arms like this. Like the space remained empty all this time, waiting for Hadley to fill it.
As our kiss slows, I loosen my grip on her ass and her legs drop to the floor. Pulling back, I give her a smile. She returns it, and I can’t help but lunge forward to press a few more quick pecks to her lips. She laughs through it, and happiness shimmers in her eyes when I pull back to look at her once more.
“I’m starving,” I say.
“Oh,” she says, attempting to twist out of my arms. “I fell asleep, so I didn’t make anything. I can––”
“Hadley,” I say, cutting off the stream of words as I tighten my arms around her, thwarting her escape.
“Yeah?” she asks, blowing a breath through her lips.
“I want to take you out to dinner. My treat.”
“Really?”
“Really,” I say firmly, then release her. “Something casual, though, and within walking distance, if that’s okay with you. It’s gorgeous out.”
She nibbles on her bottom lip, sending sparks shooting right to my balls. Forcing myself to keep a casual expression, I shift my weight to ease the ache.
“The diner?” she asks. “They have great food, and it’s casual.”
“Sounds great,” I say, then peck another kiss to her lips before releasing her.
“I need to freshen up, first,” she says, inching backward.
“You look perfect.”
That sweet, beautiful blush reappears, and she titters out a nervous laugh. “I look like I just woke up, and I’ve got a stain from lunch on my shirt.”
She points to the tiny brown spot on her t-shirt, and I chuckle. “I’ll wait here for you.”
She nods and rushes from the room. I close my eyes and breathe in deep, releasing it slowly through my nose. I need to get my shit under control. My baser instincts are screaming at me to blow off dinner and follow her up to her room. I know she’d welcome me with open arms and feverish kisses.
But I refuse to do that. I have a plan, and I’m sticking to it. I’m going to do this the right way. Slow and steady wins the race, and Hadley’s moved so slowly, I want her to feel like she’s winning with me.
The same way I feel with her. Like a fucking winner.
A few moments later, she rushes down the stairs in a new outfit and freshly brushed hair. My eyes take in every inch of her. Looking casual, yet gorgeous in a white tank top, jeans, and a pair of well-worn tennis shoes, she takes my breath away. She’s carrying a plaid flannel shirt in one hand and pauses to tie it around her waist, cinching it tight enough to accentuate her curves.
“You look beautiful,” I say when she finally looks up to catch me staring.
“Thank you,” she says, then cocks her head. “You look beautiful, too.”
I chuckle and look down at myself. My jeans are loose-fitting, and my t-shirt is dark gray in color. Very indistinct and unworthy of such praise, but I’ll take it.
“You ready?” I ask with a smile, offering her one elbow.
“I’m ready,” she says, tucking her hand through the crook and allowing me to lead her to the door.
We chat and laugh as we walk downtown to the diner. We pick an isolated booth in the corner, and I slide in next to Hadley rather than taking the seat across from her. We order cheeseburgers, fries, and milkshakes, and I try not to think about all the extra cardio I’m going to have to do tomorrow to burn this meal off.
The food is good, but the company is amazing. I feel so relaxed with Hadley, and I can tell she’s starting to feel that way around me, too.
Afterward, we decide to take a walk around Sublime. She’s quiet for a few moments, and I can tell she’s got something on her mind. I don’t push, though. She’ll get there when she’s ready.
“Have you ever been in a serious relationship?” she blurts, getting there much quicker than I expected.
I tense up, this being the one topic I never like to discuss. She must sense my change in demeanor, because she starts to backpedal furiously.
“God, I’m sorry, Foster. Don’t answer that. It’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s fine,” I say when she looks like she’s going to keep apologizing. “And the answer is no.”
“No?” she asks, obviously unable to stop herself. “Why not? I mean, you’re…you. I can’t imagine why some lucky lady hasn’t snapped you up, yet.”
I stop walking, and she turns to face me. I don’t want to have this conversation right now, but this feels necessary.
“I don’t do serious,” I say. Her face falls, and pain streaks through my chest. “Wait. That didn’t come out right.”
Taking her hand, I pull her over to a bench. We sit, and I turn my body toward her, rubbing my thumb across her knuckles.
“I didn’t have a happy childhood. My father barely tolerated my mother, and on my twelfth birthday, he walked out. I never saw him or spoke to him again.”
“I’m sorry, Foster.”
I shake my head and give her a sad smile. “My mom had a drinking problem, and it only got worse when he left. She blamed me for her failed marriage and her broken heart. She got pregnant with me when they’d only been dating for a few weeks, and he married her out of obligation, so obviously, I was the problem. She was angry all the time, and eventually drank herself to death. I was seventeen when she died, and I believed every hateful word she’d ever spat in my direction.”
“Oh, Foster,” she breathes, her beautiful eyes filling with tears.
“I decided in that moment that I would never fall in love. I’d never risk my heart. I’d never end up like my mom, broken and lashing out at the people I was supposed to love the most.”
I reach out with my free hand, swiping my thumb across the trail of tears streaming down her face. She doesn’t pull away, but her expression is hesitant, like she’s processing everything I’ve said and wondering what it means.
“That was how I felt, until now, Hadley,” I say softly. “Until you.”
“What does that mean?” she whispers, sniffing back her tears.
“It means…I can see this thing between us going somewhere. You have to know I never would’ve touched you if I didn’t want what we have to be more.”
As the words spill through my lips, I realize they’re true. Hadley is everything that is good and kind in the world. I know how lucky I am that she wants me.
“I want that, too,” she says after several beats of silence.
Then she leans in and presses her lips to mine in a soft, gentle kiss.