Page 154 of Plus Size Player

Taisha bumped me with her hip. “You sound like you have a good one.”

My lips curled upward even though I tried to fight against it. Fortunately, my phone vibrated in my pocket, and I had a reason to distract myself from the giddy feeling talking about Russ gave me.

Russ: I’m pulling up in a white Jeep with dark tint.

“Look at that smile!” Taisha teased before giggling. “I’m happy for you, girl.” She checked her phone. “My sister is here. I’ll see you Wednesday.”

“See you Wednesday!” I called behind her as she exited the airport.

Nina: Taisha just walked out so I’m going to wait a minute and then head out to you.

Russ: Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.

Grinning, I put my phone in my bag. There was no one around so I didn’t even have to mask it. Pulling the suitcase behind me, Iswept my eyes up and down the pickup line until I saw a white Jeep with tinted windows. As I approached, Russ slipped a baseball cap on and hopped out. Wearing jean shorts and a white T-shirt, he stepped onto the curb and grabbed me around my waist. Holding me in his arms, he lifted me from my feet and buried his face in my neck.

I squealed, holding him around his neck.

A horn honked and I happened to look up just in time to see Taisha in the passenger side of a blue sedan. I froze, my body tensed, as she pointed at Russ’s back and gave me a thumbs-up before the car continued out of the airport exit loop.

Sliding me down his body, Russ placed me on solid ground and crashed his mouth into mine. The kiss took my breath away and cleared my mind. Everything faded away except him, his hands, his kiss, and his passion. I gripped his T-shirt and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. We didn’t say anything to one another. But what we communicated was full of emotional words and declarations that gave me butterflies.

“You can’t park here,” a gruff voice yelled at us. “Move it along.”

We pulled apart abruptly and I saw a police officer angrily gesturing.

“Move it!” he yelled louder.

“Okay, okay,” Russ replied, putting his hand on the small of my back and opening the passenger-side door for me.

After getting me into the car, he grabbed my bags, put them in the back, and then climbed into the front seat.

“It’s good to see you,” I told him.

He turned the car on and grinned. “You missed me?”

I nodded. “I did.”

As he pulled off and headed toward the highway, he grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. “Good. I missed you, too. I’m glad you’re back.”

“I’m glad to be back.”

We talked about my trip and what he did over that morning. As we turned into my neighborhood, I dragged my fingers over the dashboard and took in the luxury features of the Jeep.

“Did you rent this for our date?” I wondered.

“Yeah. I knew I wanted to be the one to pick you up, but I didn’t know if the others knew what my car looked like.”

My eyes widened. “You rented this just to pick me up?”

“Well, I wanted to be the one to pick you up, so I made a way to do it and still keep us safe.”

My stomach flipped. “Russ…” I waited until he parked to finish my thought. “You didn’t have to do that.”

He swiped his thumb across my cheek. “There was no way I wasn’t going to be the person to pick you up.” He leaned over the middle console and planted a sweet kiss against my lips.

“That’s so sweet. I was trying to figure out what the surprise could be,” I murmured between kisses. “But honestly, I don’t know if anything is topping that.”

He pulled out of the kiss and stared at me. “There’s been a change of plans.”

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