Chapter 11 #2
“I will when I play for the pros.”
“When you play for the pros,” she repeated with a bigger smile on her face. “What’s it like to know exactly where your life is going to take you?”
“What makes you think I know that?” I frowned, and she tsked, playfully rolling her eyes.
“Please. You know.”
“I do.” I nodded, leaning down, dipping as low as I could because of our height differences until my lips hovered just above the shell of her ear. “You’re part of that life now, little bird.” I kissed her cheek before pulling away.
She blushed furiously as she stared up at me. “You’re crazy.”
“Maybe, but it doesn’t make that any less true.” Her eyes softened.
“You really believe that.”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “Like you said, I know it.” I winked. “What did Fergie want?” I managed to ask casually.
“Oh, to apologize for cancelling the hike.”
“Did you tell him we still went?”
“I did.” She grinned, and fuck me, it felt like she glowed. “I showed him some of the pictures I took.” The pride shone through her.
I remembered the way she’d taken her phone out to snap pictures of the view, and then it hit me, the slight shyness that had crept in, and now I realized it was because she’d wanted to take a picture together but for whatever reason hadn’t asked.
Why hadn’t I thought about it? Because anytime you look at her, your brain goes haywire, you idiot, a deep voice in my head growled.
How could I have not insisted on taking a goddamn picture together Saturday?
Hell, the entire weekend, for that matter?
That was something I could fix and start working on from here on out.
“Let me see your phone,” I requested. She handed it over without a second thought, trusting me completely.
I leaned in and shook my head because the angle wouldn’t be right. I dipped lower and picked her up, wrapping my arm around her waist as her feet lifted off the ground, forcing Sadie to wrap her arms around me. She squeaked and held on tight.
“What are you doing?” She laughed. I grinned at her, raising the phone and snapping a picture of us looking at one another.
“We didn’t take pictures of us at the hike,” I explained and saw it in her face. Yeah, she had wanted to capture the moment but had been too shy to ask. Fuck. I’d messed up.
“I didn’t know if you would want—“
“I want,” I cut her off, dipping my head to kiss the tip of her nose. “I don’t want there to be a moment we share without some kind of proof.”
“Proof?” She laughed, and I kissed her cheek while snapping away. “You’re crazy.” She posed in the frame, tipping her head towards mine as I snapped another.
“Crazy about you.” She turned, and I snapped a pic as her eyes went warm and almost molten before she leaned in and kissed me.
And, of course, I took a picture of that, too.
Somehow just taking pictures with her had slowly helped soothe the green-eyed beast inside me.
“So, you’re heading to practice.”
“Yeah, once Jer and Ferg finish getting our drinks.”
“Good.” She smiled.
“Any plans? Maybe I can stop by later.”
“I wish,” she groaned as I begrudgingly put her back on the ground. “I really do wish, but I won’t be back until late, and if I’m honest, I need to do some reading and get some sleep because Tuesdays and Wednesdays are pretty busy for me.”
“Oh?” The thing inside me started to feel uneasy again. Usually, she didn’t have anything Monday nights other than a class that ended at six.
“I have tutoring tonight.” I schooled my features, not trying to give away the fact that this was something out of her norm.
“Thought you didn’t have anything after your class,” I asked, letting too much slip out.
“What?” Her smile stilled.
“I mean, do you usually do that on Monday nights?” She didn’t know I knew the answer, but I couldn’t give it away. I’d done more than my fair share of slip-ups this last weekend with small things I got lucky she hadn’t asked how I’d known.
“Umm, no, but she needs a little extra help and texted me a little bit ago. And since I didn’t have anything going on tonight, I figured some extra money wouldn’t hurt.” She winced like she thought she’d somehow messed up.
“Right.” My shoulders softened and I relaxed. At least I knew where to find her.
“I didn’t know—“
“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain to me, little bird.” Though I would have to figure out a way to get her to let me help her so she wouldn’t have to balance so many damn jobs.
“There’s that cute nickname again. You do remember my name, right?” she asked, stepping away, brushing imaginary lint off her work polo.
“Sadie Flores, you think I could ever forget you?” I pulled her back in my arms. It was the only way that breathing felt marginally possible now that I had broken the seal and given in to the temptation she didn’t know she was. I’d been very open about how I felt when it came to her.
“I mean, we had a good weekend—“
“Great weekend,” I cut in, and she playfully rolled her eyes.
“Okay, fine. It was a great weekend,” she corrected, then her tone changed. It softened. “Best weekend I’ve had… ever.” My chest puffed up at that. “But—“
“But?” My brows rose to my hairline.
“We didn’t really make plans or talk about what happens now.”
“What happens now? Honey, you’re mine and I’m yours.”
“You’ve mentioned that.” Her lips twitched and she was looking at me like she thought I was being cute.
“I’m just not very sure about what that means.
I’ll be honest, Jay, I haven’t really dated and I need stuff to be clear.
We’re seeing each other? We’re“—she looked around and leaned in closer–– “fucking? Friends with benefits?” she whispered low enough for my ears only.
Immediately, I shook my head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You’re my girl, Sadie.”
“Your girl.” Her brows bunched. “Like your girlfriend?” She didn’t hide the surprise in her voice.
“Like mine. So, yeah, my girlfriend, my woman, my wife and mother of my children one day.” She stared back at me and then shook her head, pushing on my chest.
“Stop playing around.”
“Baby, I play a lot of games of the field, but when it comes to you? You’re not a game I’m playing.”
“You didn’t ask me to be your girlfriend,” she mumbled. My lips twitched.
“Why would I do that?” I frowned.
“Why would… because it’s the right thing to do.”
“Hell no.” I chuckled. Her eyes widened then narrowed.
“Hell no?”
“That would mean you could say no.” I pulled her closer, making sure to brush the front of my body along hers. I didn’t miss the way her breath hitched in her throat and the apples of her cheeks bloomed brighter.
“Jason,” she whispered, giving me more of her body weight by pressing her perfect tits against my chest.
“Will you be my girlfriend, little bird?”
“Would that make you my boyfriend?”
“Of course.”
“In that case… yeah, I’d like that.”
“Good.” I leaned in, and just before my lips touched hers for our first official kiss, someone cleared their throat behind me.
“Lucas.” I stilled and winced. I knew that deep all-too familiar voice. “You want to tell me why you, Ferguson, and Fletcher are at the fucking dining hall instead of my gym?”
This was not the moment to have a hard-on tenting my gym shorts.
But even with the way Coach’s voice could feel like a fucking bucket of ice water being tossed over my head, Sadie’s sweet body was still pressed against mine.
She peeked her head over my shoulder, and if Coach weren’t there, I would have laughed at the look on her face.
“Shit. I mean shoot. I didn’t see you there, little lady. Please forgive my… French.”
“Oh.” She stepped aside, and I quickly realized what she was doing: giving me enough room so that when I turned, her body would be shielding my precarious situation.
“No worries. I’m sorry he’s late to your practice…”
“Coach Freeman.”
“Coach Freeman. Wait, didn’t you play for the Angels?” she asked, and I blinked.
“I did,” he confirmed. His broad shoulders relaxed. Then I watched as my sweet, shy now girlfriend completely charmed my grumpy-as-hell coach.
So much that when Ferguson and Jeremy strode over with an extra protein shake they handed Coach, he simply smiled at my girl, told her it was a pleasure to meet her, and waved goodbye before walking with us to the weight room.
Jer and Ferg both looked back at Sadie, who had got back to work, and then at me. I knew that look. The girl looked innocent as hell, but she was magical. There was no doubt about that.