Chapter 9
MICAH
She was curled into me like she was made to be there.
Bare legs tangled with mine, soft ass pressed against my stomach, and her breath warm against my forearm where it wrapped around her chest. The comforter had slipped down, exposing her bare back and shoulder, and the first light of morning spilled in through the open blinds, painting her skin in pale gold.
My arm was half asleep, but I didn’t move. Couldn’t. Not when I had her like this. When I could still feel the phantom echo of her coming around me only a few hours ago.
She’d set her alarm before we passed out, something early and brutal because she’d taken the morning shift. I hadn’t argued. She needed to prove to herself that she could balance this life she was building. But that didn’t mean I was letting her wake up to a blaring fucking siren.
So when the clock hit one minute to six, I reached over her and killed the alarm with one quick tap.
Then I rolled on top of her.
She stirred beneath me, shifting slightly, a sleepy sound catching in her throat.
I braced my weight on my elbows and kissed her, slow and deep.
Her lips were soft, warm, and still swollen from everything I’d done to her last night.
And again, when I’d woken up sometime before dawn, hard and aching, needing her like air.
It had taken me just a moment to realize that she wasn’t a dream.
I didn’t have to ease my aching cock with an ice-cold shower.
Instead, I’d kissed her neck, jaw, and mouth until she moaned in her sleep and opened for me.
No condom. No hesitation. Just bare, raw heat as I pushed inside and lost myself.
Probably shouldn’t have done that…three times.
Especially since she’d been a virgin. I doubted she was on birth control.
But I couldn’t seem to remember the condom until I was deep inside her, and by then, I was past the point of pulling out and wrapping up.
Truthfully, just the thought of something between us made me want to beat the shit out of something.
And the thought of knocking her up hadn’t exactly deterred me either.
Now her eyes fluttered open, hazy and dark with sleep.
“Morning, baby,” I whispered against her mouth.
She smiled shyly, her cheeks blooming with a pretty pink color.
It fucking wrecked me. That she could look adorable and devastating in the same breath. That she was in my bed. In my arms. Mine.
I kissed her again, this time on the tip of her nose, then her jaw, then trailed lower, just far enough to earn a shiver before I forced myself to pull back.
“Time to get up,” I said reluctantly as I climbed off the mattress.
She groaned and buried her face in the pillow. I let myself really look at her naked body stretched across my sheets, then forced myself into motion before I lost all self-control and dragged her under me again.
I made her breakfast. Eggs, toast, fruit, and a cup of coffee with cream and one sugar, just how she liked it. She padded out of the bathroom in one of my T-shirts, hair damp from the shower, her scent mixing with the aroma of food and coffee in a way that made my cock twitch.
“You didn’t have to do this,” she murmured, tying her hair up with a loose band.
“You bake for me. I cook for you. That’s how this works.”
She gave me a look that said she didn’t believe that for a second. “I think it’s supposed to be something about one person cooks and the other cleans.”
I shrugged. “I was paraphrasing.”
Sliding onto one of the barstools at the island, she looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “Then who cleans?” I opened my mouth, but she held up her hand as realization dawned on her face. “Don’t say it.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you that someone comes in to clean and straighten the apartment every day.”
She shook her head, clearly exasperated, then took a bite of her eggs. After eating for a few minutes, her forehead puckered, and she glanced at me sitting on the stool next to her, drinking a protein shake.
“Food okay?” I asked, looking at her plate for signs that I’d burned something.
“Yes. No, I mean, yes, the food is great, but I need to apologize.”
Confused, I waited for her to explain.
“Earlier, what I said…or didn’t say…about you having a cleaning service.
I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to make you feel bad for it.
There’s nothing wrong with you using your hard-earned money to give someone a job.
A perfectly respectable job, I might add.
I was basically accusing you of being a snob, but it was really me who was being that way. ”
I reached out and drew a finger softly down her cheek. “You’re too hard on yourself, baby. I didn't even notice it. But thank you.”
Her tension began to leech out as she turned back to her breakfast.
I didn’t want her to feel bad about what she’d said. But the wheels in my head were spinning, forming an idea of how I could use this to my advantage.
Deciding to go for it, I twisted my still so I was facing her. “Does this mean you’re going to let me pay for—”
“No,” she interrupted firmly, giving me a look, but it was softer than I expected.
I just grinned and kissed her before sauntering back to the bedroom to take a shower.
When we were both ready to go, she tried to grab her keys and head for the subway.
I blocked the door.
“Micah—”
My eyes narrowed at her. “Don’t. I’m driving you.”
“You have practice—”
I knew exactly what she was going to say.
“On Long Island. I know, you’re in the opposite direction.”
“Then why—”
“Because I’m taking care of you, baby. Let me. Even if it’s just a fucking ride.”
She looked up at me, a thousand things flashing behind her eyes. But she landed on something sweet and almost shy. “Okay.”
At The Tight Line, I kept my hand possessively on the small of her back as I walked her in. Heads turned. Eyes followed. Lionel barked out a laugh. Someone else whistled low under their breath.
But I noticed Derek at the register. He didn’t laugh. He looked like he’d just bitten into a lemon.
Interesting.
Did he have a thing for my woman? I’d have to dig more into that later.
I guided Rylin toward the kitchen. Before she could vanish behind the swinging door, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her in close.
“Micah—”
I kissed her. Hard. Possessive. Deep enough to leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that she was mine.
When I pulled back, she was breathless and dazed.
“You’re off early, right?” I asked, my voice a little rough and my jaw clenched. It was taking a fuck ton of effort to stay in control.
She nodded. “Four o’clock.”
“Good. Be ready by six. We’re going on a date. Pack a bag.”
Her brows lifted, but she didn’t argue.
“Yes?”
She smiled. “Yes.”
“Good girl.”
Her breath hitched, and I kissed her again, one last time before heading out.
I glanced at Derek, the look on my face a clear warning. He met my eyes for a beat, then scurried away like a frightened little mouse. Good.
That night, I showed up at her place early.
Which was saying something, considering I’d left practice late, rushed through a post-game film review, and still managed to get across the city in record time.
I parked outside her building and waited by the door, shifting from foot to foot like a damn teenager on prom night. The streetlight above me flickered, casting amber light over the sidewalk.
Then the door opened, and I forgot how to breathe.
“Fuck.” Need saturated my voice. “You look…damn, Rylin.”
She was wearing a summer dress that hugged her like a second skin until it flared around mid-thigh.
Pale blue, soft-looking, with a V-neck that showed off just enough cleavage to make me sweat, and a hemline that ended high enough to keep me guessing about what she was wearing—or not wearing—underneath.
Her legs were bare, her skin glowing, and her dark, honey-colored hair was softly curled over her shoulders.
The fabric was a little worn, but it had clearly been cared for, so no one would notice unless they were inches from her. But she smiled nervously and fingered the hem of her dress, unsure. “Is this okay? I wasn’t sure. I don’t have anything really fancy.”
I took two steps forward and cupped her face in my hands. “You look incredible. Fucking edible.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she bit her lip. The smile that bloomed next was what I lived for—genuine and happy. The one who told me I was demolishing her walls.
“Oh! I forgot my purse.” She turned on her heel and vanished back inside.
I followed, taking one step inside the apartment.
It was a small studio with a couch and small end tables, a tiny kitchen, and a nook with a bed and cubbies that sectioned off what I was sure was her space from the rest of the place. Most of the apartment was cozy, but clean.
There were touches of her everywhere.
She rounded the cubbies with her purse and stopped short when she saw me looking around. Her eyes were wide, swimming with mortification.
“Um...I know it’s not much. It’s pretty much the size of your closet. The maintenance guy was supposed to paint, but…”
“Baby, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth.
You think I always lived in a penthouse?
” I stalked over to her and dropped my arm onto her shoulders, steering her toward the door.
“The place Raiden and I shared in college would make this place look like a penthouse. It was falling apart. The ceiling leaked, the air-conditioning units frequently went on the fritz, and Raiden swore we had a ghost living in the crawl space.”
Her shoulders relaxed, and she giggled.
“This is cozy.”
Her eyes twinkled, but she gave me a look that said she thought I was ridiculous. I just laughed and guided her out to the car.
When we reached the restaurant, the hostess lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw me but didn’t say a word. Which was why I liked this place. Low-key. No bullshit. The owners were very strict with their employees when it came to interactions with famous people.