Chapter 19 #2
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, trying to refocus. “How many more seasons do you think you have left to play?”
He shrugged. “Depends on my body. On management. All the things I have no control over. If I were to take a guess, maybe two, three, or four if I’m lucky.”
Something twisted in my chest at how somber he had become. I could sense him counting down the days and thinking about what his life looked like once he retired.
We went back and forth for the next hour. We talked about leadership. Growth and team culture. He answered everything smoothly. Never once taking his eyes off mine. I pretended to focus on my notes, even though my mind was nowhere near the page.
“Okay, final question. Who is Nate Sandler? Not the football player, but the man?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m the guy who doesn’t like to lose. I’m loyal, a hard worker, and I give one hundred and ten percent in whatever I do. And when football ends, I want to find something real. Someone to share my life with.”
I scribbled that down, thankful that I had my recorder with me because I wasn’t sure I would be able to read my handwriting with how badly my hands were shaking.
I wanted to lighten the mood. Tell a joke. Do something to distract us both from what was happening. But I couldn’t concentrate on a damn thing.
“Are we done now?”
I looked up from where I was pretending to read my notes. “Huh?”
The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile. “With the interview.”
“Yes,” I said on a shaky breath. So much for keeping my tone steady. “Why? Do you have something you want to add?”
His gaze drifted down to my mouth. “No. Now that the interview is over, do I walk you out and pretend that we’re finished?”
“Do you want to walk me out?” I asked, closing my notebook and sliding it into my bag.
He pushed himself out of the recliner and crossed the room. He stopped at the edge of the couch, looking down at me.
“No, Becca. I don’t want to walk you out. What I want is to finally be able to kiss you.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. My stomach was filled with nervous butterflies as he bent forward and cupped my face.
His eyes glazed over me as he leaned in closer. “No more excuses, Becca.”
He took my wrists, slowly dragging me off the couch and pulling me to his chest. It seemed like he was testing me to see what I would do. Did he honestly think I would pull away after all the weeks of wanting, wondering, and waiting?
With both hands, he took my face, and a moment later, his mouth was on mine. All I could think was, finally.
All the weeks of pent-up tension were finally coming to a head. I melted against him with a sweet sigh slipping past my lips. This wasn’t just chemistry or attraction. This felt like the beginning of something that had been waiting a long time to happen.
His tongue swept across mine as we both kept going, neither one of us wanted to stop.
Everything about this moment was perfect and better than anything I had imagined in my head.
Nate deepened the kiss and pulled me closer to his chest. My hands went to his shirt with an urgency I didn’t know I had.
His mouth traced my jaw, my throat, and my collarbone. I don’t think I’d ever been kissed like this before.
“Becca,” he moaned. “I don’t know how to stop kissing you.”
“I know the feeling,” I said, meeting his lips and loving the way he seemed to lose control. Each heartbeat made my blood pump faster, and I was suddenly aware of how little space existed between us.
He brushed his calloused thumb along the inside of my neck. “We should stop before we get carried away.”
My hands slid down his arms, but neither one of us moved. Our chests rose and fell with heavy breaths. I glanced toward the couch where my bag and notebook sat. I rested my face against his shoulder. “I should probably get going.”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
As much as I would have loved to stay and continue doing what we were doing, I had to read through my notes and send the final piece to my editor. If Daphene found out about that kiss, she would not be happy with me. Now I felt guilty and had an urgent need to wrap this up.
I walked over and grabbed my things. Nate carried my bag, walked me to the door, and held it open.
He pressed a quick kiss to my lips and rested his forehead against mine. “Let me know when you send the article in.”
“I will.”
“Once it’s done, I want you to clear your schedule.”
I peered up at him. “For what?”
His eyes were smiling. “Our first official date.”
I gulped, but somehow managed to nod “When will that be?”
He smiled at my eagerness. “It’s our bye week, but I still have practice, meetings, and physical therapy. How does Friday sound?”
I looked down at my feet, feeling shy suddenly. “Friday night sounds perfect.”
A look of quiet satisfaction crossed his face. “Good. It’s a date.”
As I walked out to my car, I could still sense him in the doorway, watching me.
My heart was still racing as that kiss played on repeat in my head. It was, without a doubt, the best kiss I’d ever had.
I was already in much deeper than I had planned to be.