Page 22 of Your Secret to Keep

My heartbeat races in my chest, all over tea on a fucking love seat. I’ve completely lost it. I don’t have a grip on anything. I set the mug down mostly because I don’t trust myself to nervously shake and spill it.

“To be fair, sometimes I don’t think it’s real either,” she offers, holding the mug with both hands, the steam drifting in front of her face.

“I get that. Sometimes I still feel like that. No matter how many years I’ve been in the league. I’m kind of hoping it doesn’t go away. It helps keep things in perspective.”

Lia keeps situating herself, trying to get comfortable with her legs underneath her but she doesn’t stop fidgeting. She sets her mug down and tries to adjust the back cushion. I lean back and do the “give me” gesture with my hands.

When Lia realizes what I’m trying to get her to do, and she actually does it, I feel like I’ve won something. She takes her long legs and stretches them out over the top of my lap.

Instead of picking my tea up, I rub one hand on the side of her calf and to her knee. I’d be lying to say I hadn’t thought about my hands, and mouth, on her legs. I wonder how long it’d take for me to kiss all the way up them. I laugh and can feel her looking at me.

“What are we doing?” she asks.

I don’t say anything at first, but turn and look at her, tilting my head and resting it on the top of the love seat. “I don’t know.”

“We really should be friends.” Lia leans forward, her hands close to mine. “Just friends.” Her voice comes out breathy and unconvincing.

“If that’s what you want,” I reply as she takes a hand and runs it along my arm until it lands on my shoulder. I do my best not to react because her hands on me make me want to do the same to her.

“What does that mean?” she fake-whines, putting her arms around her knees, which are still on top of my legs.

I put two fingers under her chin, tilting it until she’s looking at me with the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen in real life. “It means I don’t want to bejustyour friend,” I murmur. She doesn’t say anything, but it feels likeshe’s leaning into the touch—or maybe I’m imagining it. “But I’ll take what I can get.”

She lets out a shaky breath and her fingers push through my hair, scratching until they land on the nape of my neck. Her eyes are dark as they roam over me, jumping from one feature to the next.

Lia swings her legs off mine and my heart drops to the bottom of the deepest part of myself. Fuck. I thought she was going to kiss me. Say something I wanted to hear. I look down at my knees, my hands resting on them, and I’m about to stand.

But then Lia puts one knee on the side of my leg and picks the other one up and over until she’s straddling me. Both of her hands push my hair back, until they’re hooked around my neck. She throws her blonde hair to the side, pressing into me.

“It has to be a secret. If we do this. I tried looking through my paperwork but I couldn’t find—”

“They can’t fire you for dating me. It may be frowned upon, but it’s not in the contract you signed,” I insist. The look she gives me, hesitant and curious, has me wondering if that’s something I should’ve kept to myself. “Also, if it doesn’t interfere with your work, Megan would never.”

“How do you know that?”

Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Well, I can’t turn back now.

“I asked my lawyer. I mean, he doesn’t know it’s about you,” I assure Lia. “I used hypotheticals, but he also signed an NDA, so you have nothing to worry about.”

She gives me a tiny smile. Her lips barely move, but I know she’s not mad.

“When did you learn this?”

“I called him on my way home from my first game back. After we were in the locker room.” The words tumble from my mouth before I have achance to chill them out. I’m not saying I should’ve lied to her, but I’m painfully aware of how needy and desperate I sound. I could’ve said last week or a few days ago, but instead I rambled about the first possible time I knew she’d be working with my team.

Lia presses her forehead to mine and whispers, “I like that you did that.”

Before I can respond, her lips are on mine. I smile into the kiss at first, and I feel her smiling back. Fuck, the way I want to make her happy. My hands splay across her lower back as she arches, pushing closer and closer to me. Her tits move into my chest, and I let my hands down further until my fingers are kneading her ass.

Her lips are soft, almost velvety and full. They press into mine and I kiss her back with my tongue touching along the seam of her mouth. When she lets me in, she tastes like vanilla and peppermint, which I’m guessing is from the tea.

Lia tilts her head and I put one of my hands in her hair, feeling through the strands. When she breaks the kiss, I realize she’s laughing.

“I’m sorry. Nothing’s funny. I’m sort of freaking out. Like, I’m making out with Brooks Pittman on my couch.” Lia’s voice runs out of her mouth, almost dancing in excitement, and it feels like a compliment.

I put my mouth back on hers, kissing through her laugh and pulling her chest flush with mine. I hold onto her for the way she showed up for me pre-game and how she gave in tonight.

“Tell me about it. I’ve got Lia Stone on my lap, and I feel like I’m fucking dreaming.” Her cheeks pinch when I say her full name.

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