Page 22 of Make Your Move

The house is quiet when I get there, and there’s a soft glow from the TV in the living room. I kick off my shoes at the front door and make sure it’s locked behind me before walking into the other room. I see Riley first, and she’s lying on her side on one part of the sectional, snoring lightly. My eyes survey the rest of the space and land on Nova.

She’s still wearing the outfit she wore to the game, and she’s curled up with her arms pulled in by her chest. My footsteps are light as I pad across the hardwood floors. Pausing by the couch, I give myself a moment to look at her. She looks innocent and peaceful. Carefree and content.

Nova stirs, her head moving as her eyelids flutter open. She gasps, abruptly moving her body to try to sit up as her eyes grow wide. I take a step back, instantly feeling like an asshole. I didn’t do anything to disturb her, but I also didn’t want to scare her. She kicks out her leg, and her foot connects with Riley’s forehead.

“Ow, fuck,” Riley curses as she lifts her hand to her head. She looks at Nova and then sees me standing there at the same time Nova does. “Hey, Lincoln.”

“What’s up, Riley?” I say with a soft laugh before I look at Nova. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake either of you. I just got home and was going to get a drink from the kitchen.”

Riley yawns and shakes her head. “Thanks a lot,” she mumbles as she rolls over to face the back side of the couch. “I’m going back to sleep.”

Nova sits up, tipping her head back as she looks up at me. Her lips part, she glances at Riley, who had no trouble falling back asleep, and then rises to her feet. “I’ll join you,” she whispers as she motions toward the kitchen.

She waits for me to move, and I step in front of her, quietly walking out into the open space. I walk over to the fridge and grab two water bottles before handing one to Nova. She takes it from me, twists off the cap and takes a sip.

“I’m sorry for waking you up.”

Nova shakes her head at me. “It’s okay. I didn’t plan on sleeping down here anyway, so I’m glad you woke me up.”

I watch her for a moment as she takes another sip of her water. She walks over to the side door and checks the lock. She’s still wearing an Aston Archers jersey, and I see Rowan’s number on the back of it. My eyebrows pull together, and I narrow my eyes.

“Why are you wearing a Taylor jersey?” I ask her, quickly fixing my face to something less confrontational as she turns back around to face me.

She glances down at her jersey and looks back at me as she shrugs. “He’s my favorite player on the Archers.”

There’s a twinge of jealousy that pricks my skin. “Not your brother?”

“Have you seen Rowan’s save percentage?” she asks me as she leans forward and props her elbows on the counter. She lowers her chin to her hands and rests her gaze on mine. “Nash doesn’t have any record that comes close to touching that.”

I will admit, Rowan Taylor is known for being one of the best goalies in the league. He has made some crazy saves and set newrecords. During the season, he tends to lead the scoreboard for most saves.

“Well, I guess we’re just going to have to get you a new jersey,” I tell her as I lean back against the side of the fridge.

She tilts her head to the side, her eyebrows drawing closer. “Why’s that?”

“Because you have a new favorite player.”

Nova’s eyes shine brightly at me, and she stands upright as she bites back a grin. “Oh, do I?”

“Yes, you do,” I concur as I push off the fridge and walk toward her. I should turn in the other direction and head up to my room before I do something I shouldn’t do. Instead, I walk around the island, stopping when I reach her.

Nova turns to face me, her eyelids falling shut more as she tilts her head back to look up at me. I reach out to her face, my fingertips brushing against her cheek as I brush one of her curls away from the corner of her eye. She inhales sharply as I tuck it behind her ear, and my fingers dance along her jaw in feather-like movements.

“I think my number will look much better on your back,” I murmur as I stare down into the hues of blue swirling in her irises. Her plump lips are parted, and her chest rises and falls quickly.

I watch her expression transform as a fire is ignited in her gaze. The corners of her lips begin to lift, and she’s locked in on me as she smirks. “I guess we’ll just have to see, won’t we?”

“We will,” I agree as I drop my hand away from her face and lean close to her ear. The smell of her perfume invades my senses, and I inhale deeply. Her breath hitches as my lips just barely graze the outer shell. “You should probably get up to bed, Nova.”

“You’re right,” she murmurs, her voice barely audible and breathless. “You should too. You’ve had a long day.”

“I have.” I take a step away from her, our gazes colliding once more. “Sweet dreams, Nova.”

The tension hangs heavily in the air, encapsulating us both. I turn around, heading out of the room as I leave her in the kitchen without another word. My heart pounds erratically in my chest, and my cock twitches in my pants. I know if I don’t walk away right now, I’m going to end up giving into the temptation of her.

We’re one molecule away from spontaneous combustion.

And I’m not sure if either of us would make it out unscathed.

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