Chapter 31
Brielle
Sunlight filters through the crack in the curtains, bird calls twittering outside the window. I stretch my arms overhead and roll to my side. Through the smallest crack in my lids, I watch Damian’s toned chest rise and fall in a slow, steady rhythm.
The cloudlike bed steals any motivation to get up and moving, and luckily, today is Saturday, so I don’t have to.
I let my hand roam Damian’s chest. Every divot and crease, every carved muscle.
Every inch of his skin from his long fingers to his slim hips.
He groans in his sleep, the first glimmer of wakefulness starting to take hold.
I run my hand over his pecs again, settling it against his heart.
He covers my hand with his, holding me tightly to him.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he croaks, his voice low and rough.
“Good morning. It’s supposed to be a nice day today. Do you want to do something?”
“What did you have in mind?” He other arm wraps around me, cupping my ass in his strong grip.
“I don’t know. Something fun.”
“I can get us tickets to the New England Hawks game, if you want.”
“Seriously?” I lift up to look at him better. “I’ve never been to a baseball game. You would take me?”
“I’d find a way to take you to the moon if that’s what you wanted.”
“Just a ball game is fine. I’m not that high-maintenance.” My chest rumbles with barely contained laughter. It feels like I’m living in a fairy tale.
“Let me make a call. Do you want box seats or stadium seats?”
“You ask that question as if I know the difference. Whichever ones you want is fine with me.” A wide grin tugs at my cheeks. I can feel the excitement already building.
He chuckles, bringing his lips up to mine. “With this level of enthusiasm, you’re going to want stadium seats.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
He growls against my lips. “You know what it does to me when you call me that.”
I pull his bottom lip into my mouth, giving it a small tug. “I can’t seem to remember. Maybe you need to show me again.”
Damian flips me onto my back playfully. The surprise of it makes me laugh out loud. His hard body covers mine, his eyes shining with laughter.
“Maybe I need to teach you a lesson so you don’t forget next time.”
“Maybe you do, boss.”
I can’t believe I’m at the historic Hawks Stadium. The crowd of people is insane. The Hawks have been killing it the last few years, their winning streak one of legends. And because of that, the stadium is filled with overexcited, overintoxicated fans.
I am in love with every second of it.
Damian and I shuffle through the throng of people packed in the concourse. Concession stands selling outrageously expensive hot dogs, sodas, and pretzels have lines a mile long. Damian cuts through one of the lines, and he reaches his arm out behind him to grab my hand.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe how many people are here,” I exclaim.
“Yeah,” he grumbles. “Stay close. I don’t want to lose you.”
His glower doesn’t have the same effect underneath his Hawks ball cap. I adjust the hat on my head as well as Damian threads us through the crowd.
As soon as we got to the stadium earlier, I made Damian take me to the pro shop so I could get a hat or a shirt or something to show my support.
Damian, being Damian, got me both, plus a New England Hawks water bottle.
I made him get a hat for himself, too. It is essential for the experience, in my opinion.
Much like the foot-long hot dog I’ll be eating later.
Damian finds the right entrance to the stadium and starts to head down the stairs.
And then down further.
And then a little more.
“Where are our seats? We’re going to be on the field if we get any closer.”
“I could only get us Row C on such short notice, but they were down the first-base line, so I figured we would make it work.”
I laugh as Damian finds our row. We shuffle through a few folks who had already taken their seats with muttered “sorrys” and “excuse me’s.”
As soon as we are in our seats, I lean in to give him a kiss. “Thank you, babe. This is amazing.”
He studies me for a minute, an expression I can’t identify on his face, before he smiles and kisses me again. “I’m happy to. Let’s just hope the Hawks win for you.”
“Did you not call in that favor ahead of time? Really, I’m surprised to find you slacking like that.” I lean against him. His arm wraps around my shoulder.
“Oh, they know,” he jokes.
The warm, late May sun beats down on us, making the last few days of spring feel like summer. The first walkout song starts, and I’m almost out of my chair with excitement.
“That’s the other team,” Damian laughs.
“I know, but this is just so cool.”
“Have you never been to any baseball game?”
“No. This is my first one. I want to take in the whole experience.”
“I’ll have to get us football tickets next. Or would you prefer basketball or hockey?”
I don’t know enough about sports, but I don’t think those teams are playing for another couple of months.
“I want whichever is your favorite,” I tell him, the idea of planning a future date making my insides flutter.
The New England Hawks give up one hit in the first but get the third out before he can make it home.
Their star pitcher, Asher Callahan, is starting tonight.
He’s a good-looking guy, with sandy-blond hair and deep blue eyes that scream trouble.
The kind of looks that get him whatever he wants, and he knows it.
It’s still early in the season, but the energy in the stadium is off the charts.
The teams switch places a couple more times, the game still tied at zero. But they’ve still put on a good show, despite the score not reflecting that.
Earlier, one of our players was out after the most epic diving catch. Plus, we got to witness what is apparently called a “pickle.” The stadium went nuts for that one.
The Hawks’ two hits in this inning have a man on first and third. But the two outs that followed has left them stranded.
And then Dallas Knight steps up to the plate.
He reminds me a bit of Damian, all dark hair and dark eyes, a honey-brown complexion and intense look of concentration.
Until the official picture of him shows up on the screen as he gets up to bat.
A playful smile stretches across his face, making him look boyish and charming.
The sound of the bat hitting the ball sends the entire stadium into silence as we collectively watch the ball soar through the air. It flies over the wall, and the entire place erupts in cheers.
I jump to my feet, almost knocking my hat off my head with my flailing arms. Damian is right there with me, hooting and whistling like the rest of the crowd as the players round the bases.
Sweat, food, and beer surround us, yet I haven’t stopping grinning the entire game.
“Oh, oh, oh.” I whack Damian’s arm. “The hot dog guy. The hot dog guy.”
Damian shakes his head, just like he did when I stopped the popcorn, hard seltzer, and nacho vendors. His cheeks crease in a wide smile as he takes his card out again to pay for it.
“You don’t have to pay for everything. I can get us the next round if you want,” I tell him.
It’s obvious we come from different classes, and since we’ve mostly spent our time in the comfort of his house, it hasn’t been an issue.
But I don’t want Damian to think that I expect him to pay for everything, like I’m some freeloader.
“It’s money well spent, beautiful. I’ve dropped a lot more money on a lot worse things than making you smile.”
“Speaking of smiling, you might want to watch out, or your cheeks will get stuck that way.” I poke at his rounded cheek.
“Yeah, they already hurt from being overused. You’re going to need to make me frown more.”
“Sorry. I like your smile. It’s my mission to pull as many of them from you as I can.”
He leans in and places a quick kiss to my lips. “If anyone can, it’s you.”
Actions stop for a bit during the seventh inning. The big screen pans to the fans, getting the crowd engaged. It’s mostly kids dancing or the superfans with their faces and bodies painted the team colors.
“This is so much fun. We should do things like this more often,” I say. It’s more of a test of the waters to see where his head is at. Did he even realize he was making plans for the future?
“I agree. I haven’t been to a game in years before today. But I don’t remember them being this much fun with anyone else.”
He tilts his head to the side to kiss me without the hats getting in the way.
Out of the blue, the crowd around us cheers loudly. Someone behind us taps my shoulder.
“The screen,” the man yells.
I look up to the big screen where Damian and I are sitting front and center, the words Kiss Cam blinking across the top.
Damian turns his hat around with a smirk. He holds the back of my head, tugging my hair enough to tip my head back. His lips find mine in a hard, slow kiss. It steals my breath, the roar of the crowd fading away.
The people around us slap our shoulders and jostle us in enthusiasm. Damian smile shines down at me, pulling me tight to him with a hug. The camera’s moved on to other couples, but my heart is still thumping wildly in my chest.
It isn’t just the kiss. Or the way he makes me feel all tingly, even after the weeks we’ve spent together. Or the way he commands my body to do as he pleases.
It’s the care and attention he provides.
It’s the smiles that light up his face when we’re together and the small, kind gestures that he does without hesitation.
It’s the protein smoothies he makes me drink because he knows I would eat all carbs and sugars if left to my own devices.
It’s the way that he shares his time, his home…
his heart… with me. Being with him here, in public instead of in hiding like we have been is a totally different experience.
I haven’t put much thought into hiding our relationship. It was something that came with the territory of dating my boss. It was what I asked for from the beginning. What I wanted.
Or what I thought I wanted, anyway.
But this version of us… this makes me want something more. Something I hope Damian is willing to give.
The Hawks manage to hold on to their lead through the end of the game, only letting one run in the entire time. We make our way out, the crowd dispersing faster than I would have thought possible, like some weird twilight zone situation.
On the drive home, I connect Damian’s phone to the Bluetooth and put on the playlist that he’s made of songs I like. Anytime he catches me singing along or vibing with the beat, he adds it.
Really, I can’t be surprised that I’m falling for him.