9. Guy
GUY
In this moment, I’m not thinking about anything but Nicole. I’m not worried about the next game or how I played in the last one. All I’m thinking about is how good this feels. Hell, it feels right.
I break the kiss and rest my forehead against hers. “Sorry. I told you we could take it slow, and I practically ravage you the first chance I get.”
Her lips are red and swollen. “I asked for it.”
That makes me smile. “Yes, you did.”
I hold a sandwich out to her, and we settle back onto the blanket. We eat in comfortable silence, and every time I glance at Nicole, she has a huge smile on her face. “What are you thinking about?” I ask.
She blinks at me. “This is fun. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’m really enjoying myself.”
“Good, because I’m hoping to get a second date out of you.”
She chews the bite she just took, swallows, and sets her sandwich down. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“What made you ask me out?” She looks down at her hands. “I’m just curious because I’m nothing like the women you’ve dated.”
She holds up her hand before I can answer. “And I’m not putting myself down or trying to get you to compliment me. The truth is the truth, so I’m just wondering why me.”
Before I can say anything, she shakes her head. “Forget it. God, I sound pathetic. Ignore me.”
I set my sandwich down and move the food out of the way. Then I shift behind her and pull her back against my chest. My fingers move through her curls, and she melts into me. It takes everything I have not to kiss her, but I know this conversation matters. “When I first saw you, I wanted you.”
She lets out a breath, and I can hear the disbelief in it, so I continue.
“I was sitting in that bar hard just from looking at you. Then we talked, and there was this pull between us.” I tighten my arms around her.
“Tell me you felt it too.” She doesn’t answer, but she doesn’t have to.
“I’ve never felt anything like it before.
I’m not sure I could explain it if I tried, but I know I want you in my life.
I wake up thinking about you. Hell, I step up to home plate about to swing and I’m thinking about you. ”
She leans farther into me, so I continue. “I understand why you’re hesitant. Everything you know about me comes from gossip magazines and social media. But I’m asking you to get to know the real me.” I hold her tighter. “And if you do that and decide you’re not interested, I’ll leave you alone.”
Even as I say the words, I’m not sure they’re true. I don’t know how I could ever let her go and forget about her. It feels like she’s completely taken over my life.
Nicole turns in my arms until she’s facing me. She searches my eyes, looking for any sign that I’m lying. I don’t blink or look away. More than anything I need her to understand how real this is for me. “You mean that, don’t you?”
I nod. “Yes. This is important to me, Nicole. You’re important to me.”
She leans closer. “Okay.”
I pull back enough to see her face. “Okay? Okay, what?”
She shrugs. “Okay, I’ll get to know you.”
I wrap my arms around her and crush her to my chest. She circles her arms around me, and when her lips touch my neck, I go still. She kisses me once, twice, and then again. I groan, and I can feel her smile against my neck. She kisses her way up before nibbling my earlobe.
“You like that?” she whispers.
My whole body trembles, and there’s no hiding it. She gasps and leans back to look at me. “What was that?”
My voice is thick with desire. “I told you. I react this way to you.”
She smiles. “Just me?”
I cup her chin. “Just you.”
She sighs, and I kiss her. I roll her onto her back and hover over her.
My knee presses into the ground between her thighs, and our bodies fit together as she holds on to me like she never wants to let go.
My hands tangle in her hair. She moans and tilts her head, giving me better access to her mouth.
I’m not sure how long we stay like this, but it isn’t enough.
Before I take it too far, I pull away and rest my forehead against hers.
We’re both trying to catch our breath, and I’m not sure she realizes she’s still moving against me.
She wants more. I want to give it to her, but not here and not like this.
I groan. “We should head back before I take advantage of you in the middle of a field.”
She laughs, and I reluctantly roll onto my back.
She turns toward me. “Are you okay?”
There’s no hiding the bulge in my jeans. “I will be. I just need a minute.”
I watch her as her gaze moves down my body and her eyes widen. “Wow. That looks painful.”
I reach down and adjust myself because she isn’t wrong. “I’ll survive.”
She sits up and starts packing the food into the backpack. Her cheeks are flaming, and I’m not sure if it’s from the makeout session or the sight of my erection. After a minute, I force myself up and help her.
We’re quiet as we feed the horses the apples we brought. After giving them a few more rubs, we climb back into the saddles and start toward the ranch. The closer we get, the quieter Nicole becomes.
I’m about to ask what’s wrong when I pull back on the reins. “Shit.”
Nicole stops Daisy beside me. “What’s wrong?”
I close my eyes and blow out a breath before looking at her. “I’m sorry.”
Her eyebrows lift. “Sorry for what?”
I gesture toward the house. She follows my gaze, and her mouth falls open. Several cars are parked out front that weren’t there when we left, and the porch is filled with people. Every one of them is looking in our direction.
“Who are they?” she asks.
I clench my jaw. “My family.”
Dammit, Ozzy. I swear I can see him smiling from here. Son of a bitch.
Nicole looks ready to turn Daisy around and take off. I reach over and grab her reins. “Hey, if you don’t want to meet them, you can get off Daisy and walk straight to my truck. I’ll tell them we have to go.”
Her eyebrows climb even higher. “Is that what you want?”
I’m not sure if she’s testing me, so I decide to tell her the truth. “No. I want to take you up there and introduce you to my family.”
She lets out a long breath. “Fine. It looks like I’m meeting your family.”
I lean toward her and give her a quick kiss. “They’re going to love you.”
I can see every question in her eyes. Is this too soon? Am I sure? Does this mean something?
As soon as we reach the barn, I climb down and help Nicole off Daisy. She looks nervous, so I pull her into a brief hug. “This is going to be okay. It’s going to be good.”
She laughs nervously. “If you say so.”
“They’re going to love you,” I assure her again.
She leans her head back and looks at me. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
I hand the reins to Jason, and he tells us he’ll take care of the horses.
After thanking him, I take Nicole’s hand. Together, we walk toward Ozzy’s house where most of my family is waiting.