Page 53 of Tangled with the Tight End

His body settles on me as his chest rises and falls like he’s been climbing a set of stairs. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

“No.” I raise my arm, cup his cheek, and smile. “I was admiring your handsome face and how well it goes with your smokin’ hot tight end.”

“Well….” he drawls and kisses my lips. His mouth is soft but firm against mine, and another butterfly flutters in my belly. “Thank you, Ma’am. I happen to adore your sweet ass as well.”

I stretch under him and sigh. I’ve never felt this content in my life. I could spend every day curled up next to him, surrounded by his strength, and loving every second of it. But it won’t be every day. In less than two weeks, he’ll be gone, and who knows when he’ll return.

“Don’t.” He leans his elbow on the bed until his hip is propped on the mattress, depositing some of his weight off me. I instantly feel colder and pull the covers up to trap in the warmth. “There’s no expiration date. Yes, I must return to my job, which will take me away for several weeks, but I’ll be back. And I hope you’ll come and see me and Gino during that time.”

I lick my lips as some of the anxiety melts away. “I’d like that. Are you going to give me a ticket to your games?”

“Absolutely. I expect you to be in the suite wearing my jersey and screaming my name. And if you aren’t, I’ll be disappointed.”

I wrap my arms around him, one around his waist and the other around his shoulders. “Thank you for coming here last night. Thank you for not letting me push you away.”

He kisses the tip of my nose. “I don’t think I could’ve physically survived without seeing you again.”

“You’re too much.” Who is this guy? The first time I met him, he was prickly as a porcupine, and now, he’s sweet, attentive, and a beyond generous lover. And I almost pushed him away out of fear.

How could I have thought settling for a life without romance, love, affection, friendship, all of that was a worthwhile choice? Because you didn’t know. How could you know? You’ve never experienced anything like this. Yes, you’ve had other lovers, but they didn’t feel like this. This is the real thing.

His fingers trace my face. “I’m not exaggerating. When you said you didn’t want to see me again, I was angry. But more than that, I was hurt. Hurt that you didn’t feel anything when you looked at me besides a one-night stand or a holiday fling.” The hint of vulnerability in his eyes indicates that he’s still haunted by my words.

“I was scared that I’d feel too much for you and lose you. I thought I’d be better off if I pushed you away so I didn’t get hurt, but I was wrong. I was gutted by the thought of you and some gorgeous nanny falling in love and living happily ever after.” I swallow over the lump in my throat. “I was a fool to push you away.”

“For a second, I thought about telling you to kiss my ass, but I’m glad I came to see you instead.”

I smack his bare backside. “It’s a tempting ass.” We’re together now. I don’t want to think about what could’ve happened.

His eyes twinkle. “Someday, when you’ve been a good girl, I’ll let you kiss it.”

“Hmm….” I hook my leg around his thigh as heat floods my core. All it takes is one good girl and a growl, and I’m ready to spread my legs. I’d feel weak if the man didn’t make me feel so powerful.

“What’re you doing today?”

“Besides you?”

“Yes.” He chuckles. “Besides me.”

“I need to go to the café for opening and take the baked goods up to the lodge. After that, I can probably get away.”

“Good. I need to grab Gino and go to the lodge to work out. I’ll be busy for four or five hours.”

My mouth drops open. “You’re going to work out that long?”

“How do you think I got these thighs and ass?”

I press my lips together. That’s a lot of working out. But it’s for his job, and he’s good at it. “I’m just surprised it takes that long every day.”

“It’s not every day, but I’m out of shape after surgery and being immobile for several weeks. It’s going to take a lot of effort to return to football shape. Especially since I have no intention of getting hurt again.”

“How did the injury happen?”

“It was a freak incident. Dillion, one of the defensive players, had his legs cut out from under him by a rookie that didn’t know what he was doing, and he landed on my knee. I saw it coming, but there wasn’t time to straighten it to avoid the collision.”

My stomach clinches. “And that won’t happen again?”

“I can’t promise it won’t.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “But I’m going to be in the best shape I can be, and at this point, the teams are only playing the best of the best.”

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