Chapter 20 #2
“Well,” I coughed into my hand, “did you just wake up one day and decide to be such a relentless reporter?”
She wrinkled her nose. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
“You’re a badass, trust me, it is.”
She pushed the strap of her purse higher up her shoulder. “I guess I got that from my dad.”
“Are you close with your folks?”
She glanced over at a vendor who was selling some type of weird metal sculptures.
“I was always closer to my dad than my mom.” Her voice grew with sadness. “Until he passed away a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry.” I reached for her hand, not caring if anyone saw us. Any words that came to mind felt inadequate. I have never lost anyone that important to me. It was obvious from her tone that she still struggled with his death.
“He was the best.”
“What about your mom?”
Her mouth pressed into a thin line. “We don’t have the best relationship.”
“How did you end up in sports journalism?” I asked, brushing past the topic of her mom. I didn’t want to push. Especially since she didn’t seem that interested in unpacking that baggage tonight.
“You’re going to love this.” She grinned as we stopped at the first booth. “My dad was a high school football coach.”
I stopped in my tracks. “No shit.”
“Yep, I was the team manager of the Fairmount High Bobcats varsity football team.”
“Damn. I feel like I missed out. Our team manager was my coach’s uncle, a seventy-year-old bus driver.”
She laughed lightly, but it quickly faded. “I went to every single game and learned so much from him. Not just football, but baseball and basketball too.” She laughed at my stunned expression. “My dad was a total jock. You would have loved him.”
“I have no doubt I would have.” I leaned forward. “The bigger question is, would he have approved of me?”
She let out an unladylike snort. “He probably would have warned me away from you. He loved sports, but he didn’t trust the players around his baby girl.”
“Smart man.” I whistled, noticing how her entire face lit up when talking about her dad. “He must have been pretty proud when you got your degree.”
“He was.” Her fingers traced the edge of one of the ugliest scarfs I’d ever seen. “Sometimes it doesn’t seem real that he’s gone.”
Becca and I continued talking. I guided the conversation back to lighter topics.
The crowd was getting thin, and some of the vendors were already closing up their stands for the night, but neither one of us was in a hurry to leave.
She stopped at the next booth, and I followed her line of sight. It was a weird-looking painting that was bursting with color, but I had no idea what it was.
“That’s kind of cool?” She stepped closer to get a better look.
I squinted at it. “I don’t know. It looks like a little kid spilled paint cans and mixed them all together.”
She smacked my chest. “It’s an abstract painting.”
“It looks like an abstract mess to me.”
She glanced at me. “I take it art isn’t your thing.”
“I play football for a living. What do you think?”
She shook her head as we continued wandering through the tents. Some of this stuff was so cheap and hideous, we found ourselves laughing so hard our stomachs hurt.
She was in the middle of smelling some handmade soaps when I called her over. “Becca, get over here.”
She set the soap down and looked at the white coffee mug I held in my hands. “We are totally getting this.”
She snorted when she read what was on the mug.
Can I quote you on that?
I pulled my wallet out and handed it to the older woman watching us in amusement.
“That is so cute.” She smiled. “I’m pretty sure this is going to be my favorite morning coffee mug. Thank you.”
We wove our way through the crowd, where a few more people recognized me. Some approached and asked for a picture, while others just waved and gave me high-fives.
I worried that someone would see us, but then I remembered we weren’t doing anything wrong. We just had to keep things low-key until the article went to print.
“Oh, my God.” She stopped dead in her tracks.
I tilted my head to the side and stared at her in horror. “Absolutely, fucking not!”
In her hand, she held out a small keychain that read: Little Woodpecker Club molded in the shape of a woodpecker.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not carrying that keychain out in public.”
“Since when do you care what people think?”
“I don’t want people thinking I got a small pecker.”
She busted out laughing, reached inside her purse, and handed the lady her credit card. She turned to me with a triumphant smile. “Now we’re even.”
“We most certainly are not. I got you something cute, and you want to repay me by getting me something insulting.”
“Are you really that intimidated by a little keychain?”
“You realize if the guys in the locker room see this, I’m toast, right?”
“You’re the team captain, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
A low rumble rolled through the sky. I glanced up.
Shit. A thunderstorm.
Becca noticed too. “Ugh, we probably should get going.”
“Yep,” I said, just as a tiny drop landed on my arm.
We started moving quickly. People around us were doing the same.
The wind started picking up first. I grabbed her hand as we made our way toward my car. I could feel her body shiver as the cold air swept through the parking lot. It was crowded when we got here, so unfortunately, I had to park farther in the back.
“Are you cold?”
“A little.”
Another crack of thunder boomed from the sky, much louder this time. Becca jumped slightly beside me.
“Not a fan of storms?”
“I don’t like how loud they are.”
I glanced down at her with a smirk. “That’s kind of what they’re known for.”
“Shut up.” She laughed.
We were halfway across the parking lot when the first big drop hit. And then another right before it turned into a complete downpour. We broke into a jog, laughing as the water pelted down around us. I wasn’t talking about a drizzle or a sprinkle. It was a complete deluge.
I fumbled for my keys as we got closer to my Audi. I hit the unlock button just as we reached the car.
I rushed ahead, pulled the door open for her, and urged her to get in.
She was just about to hop in when another crack of thunder hit the sky. She jumped right into my chest. I didn’t know if she even realized she gripped my shirt, holding on for dear life.
I stared down at her, and suddenly everything stopped. Rain poured down around us, soaking through our clothes, but I couldn’t get my body to move.
Her hair was sticking to her cheeks. Her clothes were drenched. There were tiny droplets of rain stuck to her lashes. Somehow, she still managed to look beautiful.
Her breaths were coming out in pants. I wasn’t sure if it was from the storm or how close we were standing. All I could focus on was how good her breasts felt against my chest.
When her fingers curled into my shirt, I knew I had my answer. Her lips parted slightly as she gazed up at me.
I reached out and traced the curve of her jaw with my thumb. “God, you have no idea how badly I want to kiss you.”
Thunder rolled through the sky again, but it seemed further away.
“What’s stopping you?” There was a dare in her eyes as if she didn’t think I’d actually do it. I was never one to back down from a challenge, but I knew once I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop.
My hand lingered on her face, and when her gaze dropped to my mouth, that was all the confirmation I needed. I said, fuck it.
I was going for it. I didn’t give a shit if we were in public.
I gripped her face tight, pressing my lips to hers. The rain. The thunder. The noise. It all disappeared.
Becca’s lips were soft but still trembled from the cold. Her tongue swept against mine, like she was just as needy for this as I was.
I reached around her back, pulling her flush against me. I deepened the kiss, allowing my fingers to get lost in her wavy locks. Her fingers tightened in my shirt as if she were afraid I would pull away.
Not a fucking chance, sweetheart.
Rain continued to pour down around us, but all I could focus on was the warmth of her mouth and the way she pressed into me.
I slid a hand up her back, wondering if she could feel how hard my pulse was hammering against my ribs.
I tore my mouth from hers. “Tell me to stop.”
Her hand moved from my chest to my jaw. The touch was gentle, so I wasn’t sure why it felt like the ground was shifting under my feet.
“Please don’t,” she whispered.
I kissed her harder this time, trying to savor the taste of her mouth and the way her body melted against mine.
Becca tilted her head as my tongue swept deeper into her mouth. This was the type of kiss that made your pulse race and your thoughts scatter into a million pieces.
I tightened my hold on her waist, pulling her closer until there was no space between us. “Becca, you’re soaked.”
“I am,” she whispered against my lips. “But not from the rain.”
Christ. My mouth was hungrier this time.
I lifted her off her feet and pressed her against the car.
I didn’t care if anyone saw. I didn’t care if we were both drenched. All I cared about was tasting, teasing, and claiming every inch of this woman.
A loud crack of thunder broke in the sky. I pulled back, just enough to breathe.
My forehead rested against hers. “I think that kiss was better than the last one.”
Becca let out a slow, breathless laugh. “Well, then I guess we should probably keep practicing just to be sure.”
I brushed the strands of wet hair away from her cheeks. “Will you come home with me?”
Her eyes held mine. They were steady and calm. The complete opposite of the chaos raging in my heart.
“Yes.”