Page 41 of Secret Love

He holds his hand out and I take it, my stomach doing its own little dance.

“I guess I'm glad now that we came in my truck.” He laughs. “Those guys are something else. I guess they all piled into Sadie’s compact SUV.”

I crack up, imagining it. “That thing isn't big enough for all of them.”

“Theyarea bunch of circus clowns, so I guess it works.” We both crack up at that. “Maybe they took an Uber, who knows? Penn probably went home with that brunette he was dancing with, so that would be one less brute.”

The drive to my house goes surprisingly fast. It's about half an hour to get there. We talk about Cassidy and the steps she’s been implementing at school. And we talk about what his schedule is like when football starts back up. It sounds like a whole other life than the one he has right now. I'm reminded of what he said about Bree not expecting to be married to a professional football player.

“Did you not play football when you were dating Bree?”

“I did. But so many don't make it. Her dad played…got picked up by a team, but never made it off the bench. I think she just thought it was a passing dream, that I wouldn't get very far and it wouldn't last long. And then she'd have a nine-to-five husband. And well…it didn't go that way.”

“I’m surprised she wasn't so excited for you. It seems like a really big deal. I mean,understatement of the century.” I laugh awkwardly and he joins in. His laugh is big and gravelly, just like him. “Clearly, I know nothing about sports, but…the Super Bowl? That's kind of huge, right?”

He laughs again and wow, I really like making him laugh.

“You’re kind of adorable,” he says. “In a complete and utterly fucking perfect way.”

Oh, I can't even breathe for a few seconds. I just stare at him and he glances over at me like he didn't just shake my world upside down. He smiles and looks back at the road.

I swallow hard and thank him in a raspy voice. I don't even know what to do with myself. I’m floored by this man. When we pull up to my house and he idles in the driveway, I want to invite him in. It feels too soon, but I feel more than ready. The Cassidy thing is hanging over my head, but God have mercy, I want him so much.

He turns to look at me. “I’m going to walk you to your door,” he says, his voice like velvet. “I’d really like to kiss you too, but I’d understand if you're not comfortable with that.”

That feeling of fire licking up my body? That's what Henley’s words do to me. I nod and realize when he gets out of the car and walks around to my side, that I didn't really make it clear what I wanted. He holds his hand out and I take it, climbing out. We walk slowly to the front door, and when we reach it, I turn to face him.

“I’d really love for you to kiss me,” I whisper.

His lips are on mine before I’ve even gotten the words all the way out. Warm, full, soft lips that send me floating in the clouds. Firm and dominant yet yielding. My mouth opens to his and I let him inside. A little groan escapes my mouth when I taste the cinnamon from the gum he’d been chewing. My body feels swept away and yet anchored with the way he holds me. I’m greedy.My hands try their best to reach everything they can, his chest, his neck, his back, his hair.All so good.I tug on his hair and he breaks away, both of us breathless.

“Tru,” he whispers, “that was?—”

“Incredible,” I finish.

“I’m trying to think of an even better word, but yeah, speechless.” He leans his head against mine. “Thank you for an amazing night,” he says. He gives me one more quick kiss and then backs up, still watching me.

Our eyes are hungry, but we grin at each other like fools.

Finally, I turn to unlock my door. When I step inside and turn, he still stands there, smiling at me. He puts his hand over his heart.

“You’ve given me a lot to think about tonight,” he says.

I smile and go inside, collapsing against the back of the door. A feeling of utter elation in my bones.

When Monday rolls around, I have no idea what to expect from Henley Ward. I've been both relieved and disappointed that he hasn't reached out to me since Saturday night. But the overwhelming feeling leans toward disappointment. He has my number. I thought I might get a text or something to clarify what to expect when I get to his house this afternoon. We’d already set up a time for today, so there was no need for him to reach out over the weekend really, except maybe to talk aboutthe kiss we shared.

I’ve had an impossible time getting my mind off of that kiss.

It basically rendered me useless yesterday.

I did laundry and cuddled with Earl, watching sappy movies and imagining Henley as the hero in every single one of them. He's much better looking than all of them put together, so it wasn't hard to do.

When I pull up to the gate, a guard waves me through, giving me a friendly smile. I gasp when I see the beautifulchalet at the end of the driveway, the lake shimmering in the background. The mountains surrounding Silver Hills are one of my favorite things about the town, but this lake, it's spectacular as well. Henley lives on the same lake as Weston and Sadie, but it was too dark to really enjoy it when I was at their place. This afternoon, the sun highlights the water and when I park the car and get out, I stand there for a moment, just taking it in.

“It's a nice view, isn't it?” Henley says.

I turn around and he’s standing a few feet away. He's in jeans and a white T-shirt, bare feet. I've never seen anything sexier.

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