Page 14 of A Game Of Love

Parts of me are still a little insecure. This is all new, and I’ve never had a real boyfriend before. And no, Jonas doesn’t count.

“Never. Because I wanna show you off too, baby.” He rubs my back. “I wanna show all the fuckers out there what they will never have. Because you're ours, baby. All ours.”

“It’s going to cause waves, you know,” I sigh heavily, leaning back to look at him.

“Me and you dating?” His brows furrow.

“No.” I shake my head. “Well, I mean, I’m sure the puck bunnies are going to just love the fact you're not on the market anymore.” I roll my eyes. “What I mean is, when Toby and I work things out and make things official.” Saying the words out loud sends a wave of excitement through me but also a little bit offear. I’m afraid that something is going to go wrong between now and then, and I might lose him.

Can’t blame me for being skeptical about this stuff. Look at the past.

“You mean being in a relationship with more than one person?” he asks, and I nod. “Are you worried about what people would think?”

“God no,” I snort. “I think I’ve made it clear more than once that I couldn’t care less about what anyone thinks about me or how I choose to live my life. Loving more than one person isn’t bad. And I’ll never let someone convince me that it is.”

His eyes sparkle at the use of the word. I want to tell him, to say those three little words to him so badly. But I’m not there yet. And I love him even more for being so understanding about it because he hasn’t looked disappointed once when I haven’t said it back. Just nothing but understanding and love. Sometimes, I think he’s too good to be true. But I’m not willing to question it. I’m happy for once. I won’t let anyone take this away from me.

“I’m just worried about you, what your family would think, and if you're ready for some of the backlash it might bring you. What would the team think of you sharing a girl with your best friend?”

“If my family loves me, they will want me to be happy. Being with you makes me happy. Being with me and Toby makes you happy. As for the team, what I do with my life is none of their business. As for my friends, I’m dating one, and she’s dating the other.” He grins. “I’ll be fine, baby.”

“You sure?” I ask, nervously chewing on my lower lip.

“Yes. I’m sure.” He reaches up and tugs my lip free. “Now, stop chewing on that sexy lip. You have nothing to be worried about.”

If only that were true.

“I’m going to go shower, get dressed, and then we can go over to my parents.”

“Sounds good to me. I need to shower, too.” He leans in, pressing a kiss to my lips. I grin as I climb off him, letting out a little gasp when he slaps me on the ass.

“Did I mention how fucking drop-dead sexy you look in my shirt,il mio cuore?”

“No.” I grin as I walk towards the door. Pulling it open, I grin over my shoulder at him. “But I bet I’d look better tangled in your sheets... naked.”

His eyes flash. “Oh, you play dirty, Shorty!” he shouts at me as I give him a wink, laughing while I close the door behind me.

Heading into my room, I’m walking on sunshine as I gather my things for a shower.

“You look like you're in a good mood,” Bee comments, amusement in her tone.

“I am.” I smile over at her. “For the first time in my life, I feel like everything might be okay, you know?” Things with Toby are still up in the air, but they’re looking promising, and I’m choosing to see the positive side and not focus on the negative anymore.

“Yeah.” She smiles, hugging her pillow to her chest. “I get what you mean.”

Grabbing my shower caddy, I stand before her. “I’m falling hard for your brother.” I want it out there, nothing between us. She already knows we’re together, but I want her to know I’m serious about him. He’s not just some guy to me. He’s the second half of my heart.

“Really?” Her smile grows brighter.

“Really,” I whisper, nodding my head.

“I’m happy for you,” she says with so much genuine affection. “You're perfect for him. You're just what he needed.”

“I could say the same about him.”

Chapter 4

Lillianna