Chapter 23 Johnson
Johnson
Which starts with feeding her.
“Okay Goldie, let me show off all the goods—”
She looks amused and whips out a reply. “Moving us along fast there?”
I chuckle, loving the fact that she’s not holding back her wit with me. “Not those goods. Put a pin in that discussion though.” She turns a little pink, but doesn’t lose the amused expression.
I open up the picnic basket, and after setting aside the two plates and utensils I brought, begin pulling out the food. “We’ve got herb-seasoned salmon—it’s cold, but it’s nice that way. And then three kinds of cheeses, crackers, and a salad.”
“Oh, this looks so yummy.” She starts setting things up on her plate, and then I do the same.
“It’s all healthy, since I’m in season, but hopefully it’s still tasty.” I don’t mention that I’ll probably need a second dinner later to have enough calories for the day. “I brought a little white wine, in case you want some? And seltzer too.”
“I’ll take the seltzer,” she says, a look of curiosity coming over her face. “You aren’t bothered when people drink in front of you? I mean, because of…” Her voice trails off.
“No, I mean I’ll drink beers with the guys when we’re out of season, as you’ve seen before.” I’ve always been able to keep my dad’s choices separate in my mind. “I’ll stick with seltzer myself though, since we’re in season.”
She smiles at me. “Okay. This salmon smells so good. Where did you get it?”
I answer her, and as we begin eating, we chat more than we did on the walk. She asks me about my family, and I explain how Lainie is struggling now that she’s back at work, with only my mom as true support.
“That’s got to be hard,” she sympathizes. “For both of them.”
“I’m definitely hoping they let me help more soon.”
“Do they make it to any of your games?” Most of the players have family come in and out during the season, so her question makes sense despite their current chaotic lives.
“Mom does, but Lainie doesn’t like watching me get tackled. She’s always worried I’m hurt after a sack, stuff like that. So she’s more hit or miss.”
“It’s definitely not fun to watch your family member getting hit. At least Landon’s usually the one doing the tackling. Have you had any bad injuries before?”
“Nah, just the typical bumps and bruises, like these beauties.” I show her two black-and-blues on my arm.
“Ouch.” She crinkles her nose.
“They’re nothing out of the norm, but I’m glad to have ten days to heal this time. Do you ever get aches and pains from running, with doing so many miles?”
“Yeah, my right knee can get finicky especially, but it settles down with rest.” She looks thoughtful for a moment. “Speaking of running, can I ask your opinion on something?”
“You don’t even need to ask, Goldie.”
She then explains the request from Tolliver’s coach.
I keep my expression neutral, but I get more excited as she explains their conversation.
The validation of her NCAA accomplishments is so warranted—and hopefully will be the exact thing to push away the negative echoes of her experience with that Smalls guy.
In the meantime, she looks at me in earnest, wanting reinforcement. “I’m leaning yes, because it feels like another step in making my running what I want it to be. Worst case, it’ll be a single conversation and over quickly. If Jasmine and I click, maybe I can help her.”
I grab her right hand and feather our fingers together. “It sounds like you don’t have much to lose.”
“Shelley seems really nice, too. Honestly, it’s the kind of thing I would’ve said yes to without hesitating before—well, you know, before everything happened at the NCAAs my senior year.”
I stroke her hand with my thumb. “You deserve to feel good about track again, Grace. Maybe this is one piece of that.”
A small smile comes over her face. “Thanks. I think I’m going to say yes. I’ll call her Monday.”
“How does it work, anyway? Is there a track and field season she would be prepping for?”
“Well, right now, it’s cross-country season.
At least for me, cross-country meets were for working on my conditioning and helping the team get points.
The NCAA indoor track and field championships aren’t until March, and the outdoor ones, not until June.
So you have to pace yourself for where you want to peak. ”
“You can compete in all of them?”
“Oh, yeah, you can. And like, in high school, I was seriously vying for wins in everything, cross country and track meets. But in college, it’s best to specialize a bit more.”
“It’s a whole new world for me,” I acknowledge.
We’re quiet for a moment, and she sets our plates in the basket, having both finished our food in the course of our conversation.
The sun is starting to set, with orange and gold streaks shooting through the blue of the sky. The light streaming over her emphasizes her natural glow—she’s radiant.
“You’re so beautiful,” I slip out.
“Oh, Johnson, you do know how to woo a lady.” Despite the tease, she looks half uncertain at how to take the compliment. “I—I didn’t wear as much makeup as I sometimes do. I wanted to be comfortable, and I wasn’t sure how active we would be.”
I immediately read between the lines. “You wear makeup even if it makes you uncomfortable?”
She looks out over the stream. “Yeah, I mean, I have lots of friends who love glamming up. But I prefer less over more. My mom taught me a certain way of styling myself though, so it’s really ingrained.”
My response comes easily. Now that I know more about Grace, I can see the path that made her feel stuck on this front.
“Well, every version of you is gorgeous to me. Be the one you want to be.”
A mix of awe and happiness shine through her eyes in response.
“You unexpectedly have a way with words, Johnson.”
“I mean everything I say.”
She bites her lip like she’s deciding whether to say something out loud.
“Including that we’re going to come back to that other conversation?” she finally asks.
I didn’t expect her to be the one to bring it up, but I have zero complaints that she did. I love that she’s confident enough with me to go there.
“Oh yes, that especially. I fucking loved that list. Let me start there. I’ve looked at it several times daily since I got it.” I don’t mention how it’s all I could think about when I’ve gotten myself off in the shower every day since she sent it.
I’d have expected her to blush again now that we turned to this topic, but she doesn’t. “There were some mimosas involved when I sent it, but I’m tired of only reading about the good stuff in books. I want to live it.”
“I’m glad you shared it with me.”
Her eyes lock with mine. “The thing is, I feel safer with you than I have with any guy, ever.”
I swallow. What a compliment, and a feeling of hers I want to keep secure. “Well, that’s nice to hear.”
“And I’m ready to begin trying stuff from the list. Tonight. I don’t want to wait.”
A wide smile breaks on my face immediately. “Okay, Goldie. You’re on.”
She blows out a breath of air, maybe in relief that her desire is out there.
Seeing her reaction gives me the confidence to lay my cards on the table. “I already had an option in mind?”
Her eyes light up with curiosity and excitement. “Which one?”
I whip out my phone and click on the shared Note.
“How about two—together, at the same time? These two?” I point to the options I was considering.
>>Be watched
>>Watch you touch yourself
“We’ll go back to my place,” I add.
“Both tonight?” she asks. I nod, and her eyes look eager. “Yes, please.”
Game on. There’s just one more preliminary topic to address. First, I tap on my lap, indicating she should sit down on it, holding my arms open so I can wrap them around her once she does.
Only when she takes a seat on my legs, I realize one problem. She’s at a slight angle, and the left side of her ass is snug against the front of my jeans.
My dick’s more than happy to show his appreciation. Shit.
“Grace…” I’m trying to keep it together because we really do need to talk about this.
“You’re hard,” she says in awe. “Oh, sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud.”
“Oh, don’t hold back a single thought. Not with me. But yeah, this is what you do to me. You and that list.”
A look of satisfaction comes across her face. We’re only separated by a few inches, and watching her react to her power over me is making me desperate to kiss her.
No, we need to have this conversation.
“Okay, let me get back on track here.” I will my dick to behave so we can get through this.
“I know your list has a lot of things we can do in a few different ways. I’m thinking, it might be best to wait to have actual intercourse, for lack of a better word?
Not just because it’s your first time, but also since we’re still working on seeing where things go with us? ”
“Yes, I’m definitely not ready,” she agrees, understanding dawning on her face. “I’m glad you asked, though. I’d assumed, but now I realize it would have been good to explain.”
“As long as we’re on the same page, we’re still going to have a lot of fun.” I wink. “And crush that list of yours.”
A devious look comes over her face, one that I suspect Grace has only shown me. “Let’s start then.”
You don’t have to ask me twice, Goldie.