Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
CHLOE
The first thing I notice when I start to wake up is the throbbing in my head. The second thing is the pressure around my waist. Opening my eyes, I look down and see an arm draped over me.
Brantley.
Embarrassment hits me as the events from the night before roll through my mind. Not only did I drink too much and make him come get me, but I pulled him into bed with me.
Did I really dry hump him? Like a fucking teenager?
God, what must he think?
His arm tightens around my waist as he buries his face into the back of my head.
“Good morning,” he rasps as he kisses my hair.
“Morning.”
“How are you feeling?”
“A little dehydrated and embarrassed.”
I feel him pull away and instantly miss his warmth.
“Turn over.”
Reluctantly, I do as he asked.
This is it. He’s going to tell me that what I did last night was too much and turned him off.
While I brace myself for his rejection, Brantley has something else in mind. He leans in and kisses me softly. He washes away my fears with his kiss. He only pulls away when we are both breathless.
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“I literally crawled into your lap and got myself off.”
“And it was fucking hot.”
I roll my eyes. “Please, like that was the first time it’s happened to you.”
“No, it wasn’t, but it hasn’t happened since high school, and none of them were you. Seriously, I loved it.”
“Are you sure you aren’t just saying that to make me feel better?”
Brantley grabs onto my waist and pulls me on top of him while he rolls onto his back. My legs cradle his hips as I straddle him. My breath catches when I feel him right where I want him with just two pieces of fabric separating us.
“This is what happens when I just think about you. Trust me when I tell you I was into it.”
I place my hands on his chest and lay my chin on top of them as I study him. Either he’s telling the truth or he’s one hell of an actor. He’s also insanely attractive first thing in the morning. His hair is messy, eyes a little glassy, and he’s got a pillow crease on his cheek.
“Fine. I’ll let you have this one.”
One of his hands leaves my hip and moves up to my face, where he tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.
“Good. What do you have planned for today?” he asks.
“Nothing that I know of. Why?”
“Well, I have a game later, so I was wondering if you would like to hang out with me before. Maybe get some breakfast.”
I smile at him. “I love that idea.”
His eyes light up. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Should I tell him I want to go to the game with him? Do I wait to see if he invites me himself? Would that be too much too soon? Spending the entire game together?
“What is it?” he asks as he frees my lip from between my teeth.
“I could always go to the game with you if you want,” I say, making him freeze. “No pressure, though. If you’d rather…” Before I can even finish my sentence, he cuts me off.
“No, I would love it if you went with me. Are you sure?”
I roll my eyes. “Am I sure? Really? You know I love hockey. Hell, I love the Foxes so much I now work for them.”
When Brantley chuckles, I can’t help but close my eyes and smile.
“I would love for you to join me. Have some quality time with no one else around while doing something.”
“Are you sure you won’t have people to woo?” I tease.
“I’ll make sure that I don’t.”
Just the fact that he’s willing to go the extra mile to make sure our time isn’t interrupted means more to me than he will ever know. It’s nice knowing that he wants me for me. That he accepts all my flaws and quirks.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. It’s the least I could do.”
“I’m scared,” I tell him without thinking about it.
A little line forms between his brows, and I fight the urge to rub it with my thumb.
“What are you scared of?”
“How much I like you.”
Brantley’s eyes soften. “Trust me, I get it.”
“Yeah?”
“I feel the same way about you. I’ve never felt this before. I want to keep going, but at the same time I’m worried I’ll fuck it all up.”
“I feel that way too.”
His hand tightens on my hip. “That just means that we can be scared together, but you know what?”
“What?”
“I don’t think we have anything to be scared of. I think this is all going to work out the way it’s supposed to.”
“I hope you’re right,” I tell him softly.
“Now come on, let’s figure out breakfast and what we want to do today. What sounds good to you?” he asks.
“You know what I could go for right about now? Some French toast,” I tell him.
“That sounds good. There’s a great little bistro down the block that makes some amazing brioche French toast with berries.”
“And bacon,” I demand.
“Always bacon.” He kisses my nose.
Brantley gets out of bed, and I watch as he stretches. His boxers ride low on his hips, showing off his V and doing very little to cover his cock.
Soon.
Soon enough I’ll have my hands on it. At this point it’s not a matter of if but when.
“I’ll meet you downstairs in twenty?” he asks.
I tear my eyes away from his body and nod. “Sounds good.”
Brantley smiles as he walks out of my room, and I fall back onto my bed. A feeling of rightness settles over me. Just when I think Brantley will walk away and tell me I’m too much, he does the opposite. Every time I underestimate him, he surprises me.
He’s going to stay.
I don’t know how I know that, but I do.
brANTLEY
Today has been perfect. I got to wake up with the woman who consumes all my thoughts and have a chill day with her before heading to the arena.
Somewhere she will meet me so we can spend the rest of the night together.
Almost a full day together. Not once has she annoyed me.
Yeah, she’s been her normal self and said ridiculous things and almost caused bodily injury, but I’ve found nothing but humor in it.
Life with Chloe Spears is anything but dull.
I let myself into my office and sigh.
If only she would have come with me. The game doesn’t start for another two hours, but I came in early to get some work done. Things that I couldn’t put off any longer.
A knock on my door has me looking up.
“Hey, bossman. One of the guys radioed and said you needed to talk to me,” Drew, my head of security, says.
“Hey, thanks for stopping by.”
“Of course. What can I do for you?”
“This won’t take long, but take a seat.”
The man sits down across from me and crosses his ankle over his knee.
“I have a favor tonight.”
“Name it,” he says with no hesitation.
“You know my friend Chloe?” He nods. “Tonight she’s going to join me in the box. Outside of her, I want no one coming in.”
A smile crosses his face. “Did you finally ask Miss Chloe on a date?”
“I did.”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “It’s about time. She’s as sweet as pie. A messy one, but sweet nonetheless.”
“She is,” I agree with a smile.
“Yeah, I can make sure you don’t have any interruptions. I’ll stand guard outside the elevator myself.”
“You don’t have to do that. You can make one of the other guards do it.” He starts shaking his head before I even finish my sentence.
“Nah, it will be my pleasure.” A look I can’t quite name crosses his face. “Especially if that weaselly guy comes by again.”
“Are you talking about one of my friends?”
“Not the brothers or the other one, no. The one who’s only started coming around recently.”
“Louis. My business adviser.”
“Sure.”
I frown. “Has he caused problems?”
Drew shakes his head. “No, nothing like that. There’s just something about him, if you know what I mean.”
“I get it. Trust me.”
Drew slaps his thighs and stands. “All right, I’m going to go update everyone and make sure everything is set for tonight’s game. Do you need anything else?”
“No, that’s it. Thank you.”
“Of course. Have fun on your date tonight.”
I watch him walk away and shake my head. If I didn’t know better, I would say he’s more excited for my date than I am.
Speaking of my date…
Quickly I contact food and craft services so they know to properly stock the suite ahead of time and to let them know we won’t need an attendant on hand tonight. I verify three times that they will have all the things Chloe loves in the suite before we arrive, much to the manager’s annoyance.
I know I’m being a pain in the ass, but I can’t help it. I want to make sure the date goes flawlessly.
After that’s done, I see that I have an hour and a half before Chloe said she would get here.
Shit, I better get to work.
The timer on my phone goes off, and I see I have fifteen minutes left before her designated arrival time. Well, shit, I got more done than I thought I would. Then again, that’s not much of a surprise. I think most people manage to knock out a lot of work when they have a time crunch.
Saving everything I was working on, I close out of the tabs and power down my computer. As I’m shutting off the lights to my office, my phone vibrates, and I glance at the screen.
Chloe
Just parked. I’ll be right up!
Me
See you in a minute.
Instead of going to the suite, I head to the private entrance. I see her before she sees me.
God, she’s beautiful.
She’s gorgeous when she’s dressed up, she’s beautiful as we hang out at home, but dressed in Foxes gear with her hair half pulled back?
She’s absolutely breathtaking. She’s got on an old-school Foxes graphic T-shirt and jeans.
She’s paired her outfit with a pair of black-and-white Vans.
It’s simple, classic, and completely her.
Her eyes come up and meet mine. A small smile plays on her lips, and I can’t help but wonder what she’s thinking about. In true Chloe fashion, she doesn’t leave me guessing long.
“You have a little bit of drool on the corner of your mouth,” she teases, making me laugh.
“Can’t blame a guy for liking what he sees,” I quip.
When she’s within arm’s reach, I pull her into me and lean down.
When my lips meet hers, her hand comes up and rests on the back of my head, keeping me in place.
I grab onto her hips and kiss her deeply as I pull her into me.
I become so consumed with her that I forget where we are. We only stop when someone catcalls.
I open my mouth to go off, but Chloe’s laughter stops me.
“That doesn’t bother you?” I ask, knowing most women hate being catcalled.
She shrugs. “Sometimes it’s not bad. It’s all about intent, and that was harmless.”
“You amaze me more and more every day.”
She winks as her cheeks turn red. “Don’t you forget it. Now come on, are you going to show me this private box of yours, or are you all talk and have us sitting in the nosebleeds?”
I scoff as I take her hand in mine. “Like I’d ever make you sit at the top. Come on.”
Even though I spent most of the day with her, I’m excited to spend more time with her.
“I missed you,” she says quietly.
“I missed you too. Now come on, let’s go watch some hockey.”