Chapter 21
BECCA
I stepped out of Nate’s shower with the steam still sticking to my skin. I pressed my palms against the vanity and stared at myself in the mirror. My hair was damp, and my cheeks were still flushed from that kiss.
I sighed as the sound of rain tapped against the window. It was lighter now. The storm outside had passed. I wished I could have said the same for the havoc in my head.
I glanced down at the blue-and-white football jersey with his name and number stretched across the back and chuckled. We put our wet clothes in the wash as soon as we got back. When he told me he had something for me to wear, this wasn’t what I had in mind.
I slipped it over my head before I could overthink it. The fabric swallowed me instantly, hanging loose down my bare legs, and hitting halfway down my thighs.
I brushed my hair back and walked into the primary bedroom.
The first thing I noticed was the glow of the fireplace and Nate sitting on the loveseat. He was freshly showered, with one arm stretched out along the back, dressed in a white T-shirt and sweats.
His eyes lifted as soon as I got closer, allowing his lazy gaze to sweep over me. “You look a hell of a lot better in my jersey than you do Jax’s.”
“You are impossible.” I shook my head, fighting a smile.
“You can keep it.”
“Thank you.” I turned around. “Should I get a Sharpie so you can sign it?”
“Stop acting like you don’t want to keep it because it smells like me.”
I rolled my eyes but was still smiling as I moved toward the fireplace. I rubbed my hands together, letting the warmth chase away the chill. “You started a fire.”
“Technically, I just flipped the switch.” He pointed to the outlet on the wall. “I figured you would be cold.”
“Thank you.” I took a seat next to him, feeling the cushions dip beneath me.
Now that I was here in his bedroom, I felt awkward and unsure how to act. I tucked my legs underneath me, curling my body into the corner of the couch. “I’m jealous. I would love a bedroom big enough for a cozy sitting area like this.”
“It definitely has its advantages.”
I went to grab the throw blanket off the back, but his eyes widened. He snatched it out of my hands and walked over to the closet. “Let me get you something else.”
“What did that blanket do to offend you?” I laughed as he handed me a beige throw.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “That was my ex-girlfriend’s.”
“Oh.” My body stiffened, hoping he wouldn’t notice. I wished there was a way I could rewind the last two minutes and pretend I never touched the damn thing.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t even thinking,” he quickly rushed out like he had just stepped on some type of emotional landmine and was trying to stop it from exploding. “I don’t have a sentimental attachment to it or anything. I just forgot it was there.”
I rolled my lips together. “You don’t need to apologize.”
He settled in next to me. “Sorry for killing the mood.”
My fingers toyed with the edge of the blanket. “What happened between you two?”
He rubbed his hands along his thighs. “You really want to talk about this? Now?”
I wrapped my arms around my knees, pulling them into me. “Not particularly, but I am curious.”
He lifted his brows. “This is off the record, right?”
I picked up a throw pillow and shot it at his stupid head. “I can’t believe you just asked me that.”
He laughed. “Sorry, old habits die hard.” He met my eyes. “I just need this conversation to stay between us, okay?”
I nodded. “You have my word.”
He glanced toward the fire and back at me. “My relationship with Lydia ran its course. I don’t know if I outgrew her or if she outgrew me, but our priorities started to shift toward the end of our relationship.”
I tugged the jersey down over my knees. “Did you not end things on good terms?”
He huffed out a laugh, but there was no humor in it. “It ended in a disaster. Honestly, I couldn’t wait to get out of it. It was over before we officially ended it.”
“You were together for a long time, right?”
God, I hoped I didn’t sound too invasive. I didn’t want him to think I was digging and pushing boundaries. I was asking solely for my own personal reasons.
He sighed. “We were. She always said that she understood the challenges of my career, but once she saw how crazy my schedule got, she started complaining that I was never around and football would always come first. I tried,” he added quickly.
“Flew home whenever I could. Called every night. Sent flowers, but no matter what I did, it was never enough. She said my fame went to my head.”
I could feel his quiet frustration as he recounted every argument and disagreement they must have had.
“It sounds to me that she was unhappy and was looking for someone to blame.”
“Exactly. So, when I caught her cheating, she blamed it on me and my career.”
“Wow.” I sat back. “I had no idea. How did you find out?”
“I was supposed to fly to Phoenix for a sponsorship meeting, but the weather was bad, so they rescheduled. Imagine my surprise when I showed up at her apartment.”
No wonder he kept things locked down. All the chatter and speculation suddenly made sense. And hearing him talk about that type of betrayal gave me a whole new sense of understanding that I had never had before.
“I’m sorry.”
“It happens.” He shrugged. “Honestly, I should have been more upset than I was.”
“You still didn’t deserve that.”
“No one does.”
Wasn’t that the truth?
He leaned back slightly. “What about you?”
I ran my fingers through my damp hair. “I’ve dated, but nothing as dramatic as your relationship.”
His gaze dropped to my mouth. “Anyone serious, other than your fake boyfriend, Tommy?”
I kicked him playfully in the side. “You are never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Nope. Now tell me about all the losers you’ve dated.”
“Wow, okay, then.” I laughed. “For the record, they weren’t all bad, just weren’t right for me.”
“Anyone serious over the years?”
“Yes, and he wasn’t terrible,” I added quickly because I felt that was important to say. “We just weren’t right for each other.”
“So, I don’t need to hunt him down and beat the crap out of him for breaking your heart?”
“No, and if you were to ask him, I was the one who broke his heart.”
A small smile broke out across his face. “What did you do, my little heartbreaker?”
“I didn’t do anything.” I glanced down at my hands. “He didn’t care for my job, or the long hours, and he really hated the travel and time apart. Sound familiar?”
He leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. “He was an idiot.”
I laughed. “You don’t even know him.”
Aaron wasn’t horrible, but we clearly weren’t meant for each other. As strange as it sounded, I was glad he found happiness, because loving someone didn’t always mean they were right for you.
“I don’t need to know him.” He held my gaze. “Any man who is stupid enough to let you walk away deserves to regret it.”
“Well, technically, he walked when he asked me to choose between him and my job, and I didn’t choose him.”
“Exactly. He was never man enough to deserve you in the first place.”
He leaned in closer. Close enough to where I could feel the heat coming off him. His hands went to my face, our gazes locked.
“I’d also like to add, if you’re looking for someone who is up to the challenge, I know a guy.”
I smiled despite myself. “Oh, really. Anyone I know?”
His hand slid from my cheek to the back of my neck. “You’re looking at him.”
I inhaled sharply when he slanted his mouth over mine, slow and certain, like he knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn’t rushed or sloppy, and it made me wonder how much practice he’d had. And that bothered me, even though it shouldn’t.
My hands lifted instinctively, curling around his forearms. I didn’t want to rush this because when a man kissed you like you were his entire focus and his entire reason for living, you savored it.
Suddenly, I understood why women probably fell for him.
I did my best to take control of the kiss, but it was almost a battle of wills between us, with neither one of us wanting to surrender first. And honestly, I don’t think either one of us cared who won at this point.
His lips trailed a path down my throat, while my hands explored every curve and defined muscle on his chest.
“Not gonna lie, seeing you in my jersey is doing something to me.”
I stroked my nails down his stomach and back up. There was no rhyme or reason to my path. All I knew was that I wanted to touch every inch of him, so I allowed my hands to wander.
“I didn’t realize you were possessive over a piece of fabric.”
His hand slid from the back of my neck down to my arm. His blue eyes darkened. “I’m only possessive when it comes to you, apparently.”
I gasped when he picked me up and carried me over to the king-sized mattress, setting me down gently.
I leaned up on my elbows, watching him pull his shirt over his head in one fluid motion, revealing strong shoulders and a broad chest. He wasn’t bulky but looked exactly as you would expect from someone who spent most of their life training at the gym.
When he tugged at the waistband of his sweats and stepped out of them, all I could think was, oh, wow. Okay. This was really happening.
Nate bent down, planting one knee on the bed, and captured my mouth with his. My heart raced so fast, I was afraid it would burst from my ribs.
“Tell me again why we waited so long to do this?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, guiding him toward the mattress.
I arched into him while his hands found purchase in my hair. “Because we were trying to be responsible.”
“Well, that was stupid.”
He shook his head with a chuckle and reached inside his nightstand to grab a condom.
“There is nothing stupid about this,” he said, setting the foil wrapper down.
“What would you call it then?”
He swiped his tongue over his lips and smiled down at me. I loved being the reason for that smile. “I would call this about damn time.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” I moaned as he pressed kisses along my jaw and down my throat.