Chapter 30
Alex
Before our lips touch, I already know this kiss will be different than the one outside of the hotel.
There’s an honesty to this moment that wasn’t present last time.
Then, we were too focused on battling wits and getting the upper hand.
Tucked within this small stall beneath the warmth of the shower spray, I’ve never felt more sure that this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
I used to get this whole-body calm after dropping into a wave at exactly the right moment. It always felt like the energy vibrating in my muscles matched that of the water. With my lips a hair’s breadth from Tenny’s, a similar sensation of rightness washes over me.
Sliding my fingers into his hair, I softly press my mouth to his. His low grunt followed by his fingers framing my waist sends heat tumbling down my spine. I smile at how Tenny’s lips taste like the ocean, how his fingers twitch possessively at my sides.
I take my time deepening the kiss, relishing the way Tenny responds to each touch.
One of his hands comes to gently frame my face while his other hand presses against my lower back with the perfect pressure.
The way he’s being careful with me, even though he could use his tongue to knock the thoughts out of my head, only makes me more certain of my decision.
The second I swept my fingers beneath Tenny’s collar, I realized something else I’d been afraid of.
Him.
I’d been terrified of falling for Tenny, only to be hurt again.
But just like with the ocean, that fear wasn’t rooted in logic.
Because the reality of the situation was that I had kissed Tenny after one fake-date but was never clear with him about what I wanted.
Had I told Tenny that I wanted us to date exclusively, I’m certain he would have honored that wish.
Instead of facing logic, I got into the weeds of fear, doubting his motives, thinking the worst of him. Just like I’d done with the ocean, I worried that I’d get hurt again even when I’d been cleared to surf nine months after my accident.
Before regret over lost time can churn in my stomach, I focus back on the man in front of me. His beard scruff scratches my cheek in the most delicious way as he kisses down to the sensitive spot beneath my ear. When his lips settle there, sparks shoot over my closed eyes.
Banding my arms around his neck, I jump and wrap my legs around his waist. Tenny easily catches me with one hand, his other tilting my jaw so he can kiss me deeper.
A pliable sound escapes me, and he hums in response, rocking our foreheads together before kissing me again.
My heart feels like it’s simultaneously liquified and beaming beyond the confines of my body.
Then something shifts.
Tenny’s confident, controlled approach unravels into something frantic yet heart-wrenchingly earnest. Between mind-altering sweeps of his mouth, he murmurs against my lips.
“I want to be with you all the time.” Kiss.
“Do you have a passport?” Kiss. “How do you feel about chinchillas?” Kiss.
“Also, how attached are you to your car?” Kiss with a low groan.
“Holding you is better than hitting that grand slam.” Kiss.
“Tell me that I get to do this again.” Reality-shattering kiss. “Please, Alex.”
Goosebumps shoot over my arms at the broken sound of his plea. Taking his face in both of my hands, I pull back to look at him. Tenny’s blue eyes blink open, and the shock of connection sprinting through my veins feels stronger than the pull of the tide.
“Yes,” I say, breathless.
“Yes?”
The corner of my mouth slips up. “Yeah…to everything. Kissing like this. Chinchillas. Passports. Everything.”
Tenny’s shoulders rise and fall with a largely drawn breath, water shifting between us as he exhales.
“Are you sure? Everything is a lot.”
My full smile lifts my cheeks as I lean forward to press a quick kiss to his lips. “I like a lot.”
He shakes his head again, sending droplets flying.
My hand finds his cheek, my thumb pushing a rivulet of water away from his eyebrow. “I like you, Tenny. Your chaos, your joy.” My hand slides down to flatten against his chest. “Your tender heart.”
He freezes for several seconds, muscles rigid. “I can be too much. People have even said I have firehose energy.”
My brow furrows. “You’re not ‘too much.’”
When Tenny looks unconvinced, I try another approach. “And so what if you have firehose energy? High-pressure water makes good waves, and I know you’ve never seen it, but I’m quite good at riding waves.”
“You’re not just good; you’re incredible.” The quick way he tucks his bottom lip between his teeth after his admission makes me smile.
“Did you look me up?”
“Maybe,” he says, sliding his gaze to the side.
The light weaving through my ribs is impossibly bright.
“Tenny.”
“I might have watched a video…or twenty,” he tells me, still not looking at me.
I frame his face again, settling my thumb over the corner of his jaw to bring his focus back to me. “I listen to a recording of your laugh when I’m stressed over a deadline. There’s something about it that soothes the tightness around my spine.”
A shuddered puff of breath leaves Tenny’s lips before he blinks at me for several seconds.
I’m unable to hide my grin. There’s something incredibly empowering about being able to reduce this strong, successful, chatterbox of a man to stunned silence.
There’s a tight twist just beneath my heart when his eyes trace my features like he can’t believe I’m real.
My fingers slip into his wet hair. “I really like you, Tenny. Exactly as you are.”
As Tenny bands his free arm around me, I tighten my hold on his waist, interlocking my ankles at the small of his back. I pour everything into my next kiss, trying to convince him my words are true.
A thought flickers to life in the back of my mind like a spark illuminating a dark room. Maybe while helping him with his superstitions, I can show Tenny that he’s perfect the way he is.
Tenny has loads of confidence on the field.
I’m always interviewing him because he truly is one of baseball’s best players.
But knowing that there’s this tender underlayer to him makes my chest contort.
I want everything for him—success on the field, incredible friendships, a life filled with the kind of joy he gives others.
I want to be the one there for him at the end of a bad game—and not just for a sound bite.
I want to press my thumb to the divot that forms between his brows and then distract him with kisses.
My mind wanders into a daydream about all the ways I could show up for Tenny when an annoyed voice shouts his name.
My stomach drops when I realize the person calling for Tenny is unmistakenly female.