Chapter 33
FOURTH-AND-SHORT: FOURTH DOWN WITH ONLY A YARD OR TWO NEEDED.
Troy, being the smart ass he is, had a barrel and grapes delivered to the kitchen in time for dinner.
I leaned over, plucked one, ate it, before asking him, “Do you plan on delivering this to my room in the event I get hungry later?”
He wrapped his arms around me, roared with laughter, and then said, “If you want a midnight snack, I’ll come out and get you some so your feet don’t get cold.”
I place my arms around his neck and lean back, trusting him not to drop me. “Awfully presumptuous of you, Mr. Walsh.”
“I’d like to presume much more than that, I assure you.”
“Oh? Do share.”
“First, we eat.” He gestures to the reserve wine bottle. “I didn’t plan on making you push out our wine for supper.”
I fling a hand to my forehead. “Thank goodness. We might be here for a few decades. Since we both know I’m deplorable in the kitchen—”
“Understatement,” Troy mutters.
I ignore him. “What do you need me to do?”
“Can you get the place settings ready? Also, pour us a few glasses so they have time to breathe?”
“Consider it done.”
Together, we’ve drained the last drop of wine from the bottle. I’m feeling warm and content from that and the delectable butternut squash ravioli, but neither compares to the look Troy gives me over the rim of his glass. He’s been staring at me like this for most of the meal.
Courtesy of the liquid courage I have pulsing through my veins, I blurt out, “What is it?”
“How did you know there’s something I wanted to ask you?”
Instead of answering him, I reach out and run a finger along his chin. “Have I mentioned how incredibly expressive your face is?”
“Umm…no?”
“It is.” Warming to my topic, I trace his eyebrows and pause at the corners of his eyes. “Right here, when you really laugh, your eyes crinkle.”
“What else?”
I drag my finger down to the base of his jaw. “When you’re angry, your jaw locks. Your face turns fierce. Protective.”
He captures my fingers against his cheek. “What do you see when I look at you?” His voice holds a note of wariness.
My lips part, but the words won’t release because some part of me is afraid if I say them I may just ruin what we have. Instead of forcing the issue, Troy turns his head and presses a kiss to the center of my palm. “Actually, if you don’t mind my interrupting your facial analysis—“
Feeling a reprieve, I press a quick kiss to his chin. “Go ahead.”
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“Sounds serious.”
“It’s not,” he reassures me. Then he laughs. “Okay, maybe it is? I guess it depends on your point of view.”
“Right now, it’s being driven by the fear on your face.”
“Yeah. Okay. So, next week, I’m flying to London.”
Disappointment surges through me hearing the news. “Oh. How long will you be gone?”
“Worried about how long you might have to survive on your own cooking?” He quirks a brow.
“No. I wasn’t thinking about that at all,” I frown. “But thanks. Now I’m going to.”
He sets his glass down. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t think about it. Come with me.”
I blink at him a few times to make certain the wine hasn’t impaired my hearing. “Are you serious?”
He rushes out with, “I’m just going for a few days. The Lightning are playing the Colonials there—part of the international game series. Despite my no longer being a member of the team, I’m still friendly with the coaching staff.”
“Ahh, that makes sense.”
“I’ve got tickets.”
“Of course you do. Let me guess. Private box?”
“Club level. Fifty yard line,” he corrects me.
“How would you get there?” I ask casually.
“I was thinking we’d fly commercial. It’s really not worth it to charter a private jet for this short of a…” His words stutter to a halt as he realizes what he disclosed.
“Let me get this straight.” I confirm, certain he’s pranking me. “You want me to go with you to an NFL game where my ex is playing?” I’m internally cringing over the social media blowup if I’m spotted.
But then, I recall I never had anything to be ashamed of. Just as I’m about to ask more, Troy lays out his whole idea for the trip.
“It wouldn’t be just that. We’d go, three days. Maybe four? I’d love to take you to a vineyard in Kent I’ve been wanting to visit—different climates change the flavor of the wine. I’m certain you’d love it.”
I lay a finger on his lips to stop his adorable babbling. “Troy, you want to go to an NFL game—an Oklahoma Lightning game, at that—with me?”
His face transforms from anxious to assured. “There’s no one else I’d rather be with.”
The same something that fluttered in my chest when he talked about endings twists again. I now realize what it is—fear. Fear of losing this haven Troy and I have here at Tenuta delle Ombre that will be ruined the moment the paparazzi get a good swipe at us.
Taking my silence for a no, he offers me a lopsided smile. “No pressure. I just thought you’d like to experience more than just the vineyard this visit. These international games? There’s no comparison.”
For a moment, I wonder why I was never invited in the past, but then the hard slap of reality hits me. Bryce never wanted me with him; Troy can’t bear to be without me.
He hurries on, “I’ve gone enough times alone that I know there would be no comparison if you were there with me.” Then he tacks on, “Plus, I’ll buy you emotional support wine.”
I scoot my chair back and make my way around the table. “That’s a pretty big sell, Mr. Walsh, but you’re leaving something important out.”
He pushes his chair back enough for me to straddle his legs. “What’s that?”
Excitement flutters in my chest when I whisper what I really want—him, naked in our hotel room—in his ear. Immediately, I feel his cock harden beneath me. “Think you can handle that?”
His fingers grip my hips so hard, I think they might leave marks. His smile is slow and sure. “Let me see if I got this right. You want me to distract you before and after the game by making love to you?”
My eyes hold his without wavering when I answer, “Non-negotiable terms.”
“You drive a tough bargain, Maya.” He says nothing after, just studies me intently for long moments. “But one I’m more than ready for. Are you?”
Am I? My pulse races, but I still manage a small nod.
He pulls me in close so I’m resting my head against his shoulder. “Then I’ll book the flights tomorrow. Kent, London, the game, and home?”
I suck in a deep breath, knowing he’s asking for so much more than a confirmation of our itinerary. This is about us coming out to every known news outlet and to my ex.
Am I ready after just a month of being with Troy twenty-four hours a day? What have I learned about him that I never knew about my high school sweetheart?
He’s honest. Kind. Loyal. Troy gets in the trenches with the people who work alongside him. He places family first and love above all.
Damn it, yes. I may not be ready to commit to forever, but I’m ready to take the next step with this man. I can already picture the way he’ll look down at me beneath a gray London sky. The way he’ll laugh when I shout obscenities at the referees. How he’ll hold me close in the middle of the night.
My newly kickstarted heart says, “You know I’m not flying to London to watch football, right?”
He kisses me slowly. When he lifts his head, he murmurs, “I’m counting on you doing it for me.”