Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
ELLA
Women's Locker Room
His words hung in the air like mist from our shower. The heater hummed and burned all the oxygen from the room as I lifted my eyes to get caught in his stare.
"Crazy as it sounds, I've been in love with you probably since that first night.”
My heart flipped over. "Maddox?"
His hand on his forehead hid his eyes. "I’m not all that great at the romantic stuff. But I don’t want to walk away. Not again. I'd rather fight, even if it seems impossible right now."
"That’s pretty romantic, actually." Since the first night? My lungs inflated like a balloon. It rose and took my heart with it.
He dropped his hands, and his lips turned up in that sexy smirk that stirred heat into my stomach again. "On Valentine’s no less."
I hugged my knees to my chest. His eyes drifted lower and I realized there was no "strategic placement" of this towel that would hide essential parts of my body. Which, of course, he’d already…thoroughly examined. But still.
"You do realize”—his brow formed a peak in the center of his forehead—“my heart’s as naked as I am right now."
I pulled at the edge of the towel again. “This thing doesn’t hide much, either."
His eyebrows lowered and a blue flame lit in his eyes.
"I think I fell for you somewhere between your kiss and your right cross."
He tipped his head and gave me a look that I think was supposed to be a glare. But the way his hair fell over his forehead, his gaze was pure fire. It flash-heated my skin, and warmth settled into other places that liked having his attention.
"I've wanted to be with you—since the night we met, too. Still do. I don't want to walk away either. "
"Every game, I played like you were waiting for me in the stands." His eyes fell away.
My heart ached and bled to be closer. I scooted to sit beside him, joining our hands as I leaned my head on his shoulder.
We stayed like that for a long moment. Quiet, save for the hum of the heater and the soft hush of his breath. Connected. His lips brushed my forehead and my eyes warmed. The locker room blurred at the edges. "This is the weirdest Valentine's Day I've ever had."
"At least it'll be easy to top next year."
A laugh bubbled up to my chest. I pressed my lips shut as my eyes fell to his…sex. Maybe we should just go back to the shower.
"How did you end up here?" He tightened his grip on my hand.
"At the game?" I let out a long sigh. "We bet on some bar trivia challenge at an impromptu girls' night. Liesl and I both lost. I'm pretty sure Kanami hustled us."
"Let's make it interesting with a little bet." Kanami poured margaritas from the pitcher into our glasses.
"Bet?" Liesl stared. "Since when do you bet?"
"You bet on”—his mouth quirked up on one side—"trivia?"
I grumbled. "Tell me: What celebrity has an Instagram account dedicated to rating onion rings?"
He chuckled. "That's the question you lost on? Onion rings?"
"I guess it was worth it," I said with a huff.
"You seemed like you were enjoying," he said with a shrug and a smirk, "some things."
I gasped and pulled my hand from his grip. He laughed but tugged me back to his side. His arm wrapped around me as the towel slid down and pooled in my lap.
"I think there's a rule that you have to be the Valentine of the guy you have a semi-public romp in the shower with. You know, on Valentine's."
"Sounds like it should be a rule." I turned to face him.
My breasts pressed into his chest, and other parts of my body thirsted to be closer.
"But, are you sure that's what you want, when you could be surrounded by all your many fangirling 'dates?
'" The words tasted bitter on my tongue.
"Vying for your heart—or to take you home? "
"Not one woman has been anywhere near my, ahem"—he gestured toward his semi-erect length—"heart since that night."
I rolled my eyes and couldn’t help but giggle. The mini-roses he gave me came to mind. I brought my hand up to cup his cheek. His stubble rubbed prickly edges against my fingertips.
"I don't want anyone else, Ella." His voice rumbled in his chest, hitting that perfect pitch that turned my insides into wobbling jelly.
I leaned into his shoulder. He tilted his head and his eyelids slid shut, like that first night, as he waited for my kiss. I stopped. "Hm, maybe you should ask me?"
He opened those grey-blue eyes and stared straight through me. "Will you, Ella, take this grunt, Maddox, as your official valentine for the balance of eight hours?"
"Oh, that's all?"
"And be his girlfriend after?" His mouth tucked up into that smirky grin.
"There's always a catch." I snickered as he narrowed his eyes at me. "I mean, I will."
"Can I kiss my valentine now?"
"Hm, depends." I held his gaze as I slid into his lap. And the towel that wasn't much of a towel slipped away.
His hands settled on my waist. "On what?"
I grinned. "Do I get to kiss you back?"
"Oh hell yes." He dipped his head, lowering his lips to mine.