Page 59 of A Quarterback for Christmas

Bella:Do you need me to let you in?

Drew:That’s where this gets tricky. I already went to the door, and your dad answered, looking suspicious. When he took the shorts, I couldn’t exactly ask to see you since he still thinks you hate my guts.

Bella:How do you know where my dad lives?

Drew:We’ve celebrated a lot after games here.

Bella:Okay, well, since you know it so well, go around the back. I’m staying in the bedroom in the basement. I think Dad’s already in bed. I can let you in, and he’ll never know.

Drew:See you in a sec.

I stuff my phone in my pocket and rub my hands together, hoping to get some warmth back into my fingertips. Blowing out a few long breaths, I take some sharp inhales, the same way I would before a big game. Bella’s not a game, though. She’s more important than that, and I don’t want to fuck it up. Not with her. Not when I’m finally getting the chance.

I peer out of my front window and check out the sleepy neighborhood only five minutes from campus. There’s still a thick layer of snow on the ground, but now that the blizzard has stopped, there’s a bigger potential for black ice hidden under the thick sheets. Most people aren’t stupid enough to drive through these conditions, let alone walk around at night, but here I am doing both. For a girl that potentially hates me, but loves to fuck me.

As I step out of my car, I’m fully aware of the loud crunching my big body makes against the snow, so I slow down. I need to take my time because I don’t want Coach to see me. He mentioned he owned an assault rifle once, and I’d rather not test out the truthfulness in that statement tonight.

Skittering across the house and around the backyard, I make sure no one sees me. Bella’s waiting at the door when I get there. A weary smile covers her face, and she looks exhausted, but my heart is full because she’s wearing my shirt. One I hadn’t realized she’d stolen.

The wind blows through her blonde locks when she opens the door and breathlessly calls my name. Standing in front of her, I do what comes naturally. I hug her and place a gentle kiss on hercheek. She pulls back, seemingly surprised by the gesture, but smiles nonetheless.

Bella takes my hand and silently leads me to the room she’s staying in for the next week. She shuts the door and sits on the bed, watching me expectantly. Does she want me to make good on that apparent booty call? My eyes drift to the ceiling as I contemplate whether I’m willing to take that chance with her dad and my mentor upstairs.

Come to think of it. What the hell am I even doing here? She’s my coach’s daughter, and we aren’t in high school anymore. I’m in college, trying my best to get into the NFL, and the one man that holds a candle to my future is the one I’m lying to.

But then I see her bite her lip and gulp.

It’s her. It’s always been her, whether I like to admit it or not. She’s had a hold on me that no one else comes close to having.

“Hey,” I whisper.

“Drew.” She purses her lips, focusing on her hands instead of me. I’ve noticed that’s something she does whenever she’s nervous. “What brought you here?”

“Figured we should talk about…things.” Why are we both so bad at this? Is it because neither of us wants to show our hand first? I’ve made it pretty clear I want her, but she’s the one that literally took the plunge with the whole bathtub thing. It’s my turn to return the favor by coming here tonight.

“Yeah, things.” That doesn’t sound promising, and my body deflates because I can already predict what will happen.

“Here we go.” I sigh, running my hand through my hair before crossing my arms as I wait for her to tell me exactly how she feels.

She finally pops her bottom lip out and says, “I just don’t think anything can happen between us.”

There it is. I should have expected it from the first kiss. She’s just not that into me. “But something has already happenedbetween us.” What am I fighting for? She hasn’t wanted me since high school, yet my pride can’t let her admissions go.

Bella draws in a sharp breath and leans her hands onto the bed. I hold back the urge to rush toward her and kiss the shit out of her, just to prove that she feels as much as I do. “Why are you acting like this, B?”

“Like what?”

“Like this thing between us is no big deal?”

She turns her head to look out the window, refusing to make eye contact with me. “You and I don’t fit, Drew.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what you think it does. You’re my dad’s protégé, and he’s got a temper hotter than the Florida summer. I can tell you right now that he won’t be happy to find out that you fucked his daughter while stuck in a snowstorm.”

I wince at her wording. “It wasn’t fucking, Bella, and it wouldn’t be just that moving forward. I want to date you.”

“I know that, but he doesn’t. All he sees is his best player getting distracted by his haphazard daughter and losing his chance of a championship redemption next season.”

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