Page 70 of A Quarterback for Christmas

Shit, is this the biggest mistake of my life? I guess I’m about to find out.

Chapter 18

Drew

I should have been more shocked than I was to see someone gawking at me and waving like a creep from my backyard at six a.m., but when my eyes connected with Bella’s, I felt electricity. I could feel her presence before I looked up, and when I saw her face in the dark, all it did was make me hard. Who knows, maybe I’ve got a voyeur kink.

Taking my time to acknowledge her, I bring my treadmill to a slow, gentle stop because, after that shitshow at the gym she pulled, I figure making her wait isn’t such a bad thing.

I thought everything was over between us that day at Coach’s house. I was more than ready to move on and try my luck with someone interested in me, but turning Bella down only made her more persistent.

As I hop off the treadmill, I watch Bella’s ever-growing eyes as I stride to the door. Her jaw slacks and she must be freezing in just a sweatshirt and pants, but you’d hardly be able to tell because she’s staring at me with such intensity, my nipples go hard.

As I get closer, the St. Michael’s block letters on her sweatshirt come into view, and I hold back my smile because it’s mine. I wondered where that went. She can keep it; it looks better on her anyway.

Her tight leggings are stretched over her now cast-less feet, which is nice to see, considering the last time I saw her, she was tripping over gym equipment and my best friend.

Bella’s hand drops to her side when I grapple the door and push it. I let the door drift open in invitation but don’t say a thing because I want her to make the next move.

Bella’s body shifts from side to side, but she refuses to make a decision, so I help her along by taking a step back. It’s enough to make her follow me inside.

Turning away, I stay silent as I shut the door and make my way to the bench press because I can’t have her thinking I’m ready to jump her bones, no matter how true it is. Taking a seat on the bench press, I grab the fluffy towel draped across it and wipe my face down.

Bella’s standing on the other side of the room, still watching me like some creeper, twitching every now and again.

Might as well give her a show.

Wiping the towel across my chest, I flex my biceps and shake the sweat out of my hair. It’s not the first time I’ve seen her gawking at me in this room, but I want to see how far I can take it before she comes over to me.

It takes a few minutes to wipe myself dry, but Bella still makes no move to talk.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

She shuffles on her feet, noticeably wincing when she bounces on the side she hurt. “I, uh.” She shakes her head, looking uneasy, and I smile because I’m the reason she’s acting like this. Before winter break, she’d barely look at me since her nose was so high up in the air. But now she can’t stop, and I’m reveling in it. “I came to see you. Wanted to make sure you were okay since you haven’t responded to any of my messages.”

Ah, all those desperate messages I received last night. Gotta admit I was surprised at just how persistent she was, but I refused to give in since I wanted to speak to her in person.

“I think you’re the one who needs checking up on. Weren’t you last seen falling into Jacob’s arms?”

Bella lets out an awkward chuckle, taking a few tentative steps toward me. “I’m okay. No more foot injuries for me.”

I raise a brow before asking, “and Jacob?”

“I didn’t injure him, did I?” The worry makes her stand directly in front of me, toe to toe. “The guy has a chest as hard as Henry Cavill’s. It wasn’t exactly a soft landing. I presumed he’d be fine, but maybe I was wrong.” She’s babbling now, and usually, I’d find it cute, but she’s talking about my best friend’s chest, and I don’t like it.

Gently, I place my palm against her mouth, catching her by surprise. She immediately stops talking, her eyes widening, and I feel her tongue graze across my palm as she wets her lips, which makes my dick twitch. “You didn’t hurt Jacob.”

Removing my hand, she stays quiet, but her lips are puffy and pink. What I wouldn’t give to suck on the bottom one right now.

“Can I sit here?” She points to the space next to me, giving me an awkward smile, so I shuffle to the side.

“Yup.” I pop out and then rest my elbows on my knees. Looking at her through the mirror in front of me, I ask, “Why are you here, Bella?”

“I told you. I wanted to see you.”

“Could have seen me on campus.”

“Campus is complicated.” She sighs, running a hand through her messy ponytail. “You’re always surrounded by people.”

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