Page 114 of Through the Water

21

Killian

“A ballpark at night is more like a church than a church.”

-W. P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe

Ihadn’t slept soundly in a week.

Without the heat on, the cab of my truck had eventually grown cold, leaving my knee stiff and achy. I’d been forced to wake a half-naked Ari, trailing kisses over the skin beneath her collarbone until she sat up with a sleepy grin.

That had only led to more kissing and touching before I managed to convince her—and myself—that she did indeed want to put her dress on before going back to True North.

I’d arrived back at my condo just after midnight, too keyed up to sleep. After tossing and turning for a couple of hours, I’d called Bailey to lay out my plan. He’d been half-asleep and not entirely sober at the time, so I’d ended up repeating the entire thing over a late lunch the following day.

The rest of the week had been filled with physical therapy appointments, radio interviews to discuss my contract, and a meeting with the Hurricanes’ GM to make my plan a reality. Every night, I fell into bed exhausted, but wired, as I imagined how Ari was going to react to my surprise.

Incidentally, it was also when I discovered it was possible to miss someone so fiercely that it made your chest flare with pain.

A man in love did not do well on his own.

I needed to see her more than once a week—to hear her voice at the end of the day when I got home. Anything to alleviate the near-constant heartburn I’d been experiencing.

Hopefully, in just a few short minutes, all of the sleepless nights and feelings of reflux were going to be worth it.

The light ahead changed from yellow to red. I slowed to a stop, before cutting my eyes over to the passenger seat, where someone was fidgeting with her blindfold.

I lifted an eyebrow in question. “What are you doing over there, girl?”

“You stopped,” Ari protested, one side of her mouth quirking up. “That means we’re there, right?”

“So impatient.” My hand moved to caress her thigh, and she jerked away with a startled gasp.

“Gah, Killian! Warn me before you do that. I can’t see anything, remember?”

I clicked my tongue against my teeth with a low chuckle, finding her stern expression cute. “What—did you think someone else was touching you?”

“No, but I could have hurt you just now—so badly.”

“Really? I think I’d enjoy the hell out of that.” I smirked as a red flush crept up her throat and flipped on my signal before turning into the lot.

Ari’s hands immediately went to the blindfold. “Are we here?”

“Almost.” I pulled up to my reserved spot and shifted the truck into park. “But don’t take it off yet.”

She exhaled an impatient sigh and dropped her trembling hands back to her lap. I studied them with a frown, before leaning across the console.

“It’s not a bad surprise,” I murmured as I brushed my fingers over her neck, watching as the pulse jumped in her throat. “I promise.”

“Okay, can I take the blindfold off now?” she asked, sounding slightly defensive.

“No.” With that, I got out and made my way around to her side. Overhead, the sky was gray and gloomy, and the forecast was calling for heavy rain within the next few hours. The air felt different, charged with something. Then again, it might have just been all the caffeine and nervous energy running through my veins.

The impending wave of storms had forced me to tweak my plan at the last minute, but I wasn’t going to let it ruin my evening.

Ari looped an arm around my waist when I helped her down, clinging to my side as I led her across the parking lot. Maybe the weather didn’t scream romance, but I had no doubt we’d make our own.

Pete, one of the security guys, let us inside and gave me a thumbs-up before disappearing back into his office. Then, it was just the two of us.

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