Page 50 of Fumbled Love

So, as I stood outside Kinley’s door, my palms were sweating, and my heart beat like a drum in my chest. I’ve gone out of my mind missing her and panicking that I wouldn’t be able to make her doctor’s appointment tomorrow.

Realizing I couldn’t stand here like a pussy forever, I knocked on her door. I heard the click of the lock, and the door swung open. Jesus, she took my breath away. One look at her and my insides turned soft.

“Maverick?” She blinked, and before I could catch my breath, she lunged forward, and I caught her with ease. The force of her jump had her blond hair falling into her face. I pushed it back slowly as her arms went around my neck. “I thought you were flying in tomorrow morning?”

“My meeting got canceled today, so I hopped on an earlier flight,” I managed to answer between breaths. I lifted her up and curled my hands under her ass.

“Lucky me.” She wrapped her legs around my waist and her ankles locked around my back.

“Now, kiss me, woman. It’s been too long.”

Kinley didn’t need to be told twice. She pulled my mouth to hers for a hard kiss. The taste of her and the feeling of her in my arms brought me a sense of peace that I never knew I needed. I didn’t know what I ever did on this earth to deserve her, but I would do everything in my power not to screw this up.

“Are you still staying until Sunday?”

I grimaced. “Actually, I have to be back Saturday night.”

To say Coach wasn’t happy that I took a couple of days off during playoff season was an understatement. If I weren’t on injured reserve status, I wouldn’t have a chance in hell of pulling this trip off. I had to meet with him privately and the team owners to explain my situation. I had less than forty-eight hours before I had to be back.

“That’s only like a day and a half.” She buried her face in my neck. At that moment, I was tempted to say fuck the twenty-five-million-dollar contract. She would be worth every last cent I had to forfeit.

“I’m sorry. I had to pull a lot of strings to get the time off,” I explained, hoping she would understand how important it was for me to be here.

“I get it. Really, I do.” She pulled back and ran her fingers along my scruffy jaw. “I just wish we had more time.”

“Me too, sweetheart,” I said, giving her one last kiss on the lips. I liked being able to kiss her whenever I wanted to. It’s only been a week, but in my opinion, it was a week too long.

”You’ve got to be freezing.” She pulled on my arm and dragged me into her apartment. “It’s cold outside.”

If you asked me, it was colder than death out there. Why people chose to live here, I would never understand. I dropped my bag to the floor and glanced around. This was my first time here, and nothing like I expected. It was a living room/kitchen combined with a bedroom off to the side and a bathroom next to it. A door in the middle of the room looked like it opened to a tiny patio. There was a small gray couch facing a wall holding a small flat-screen TV and a matching recliner with a gray and white blanket folded along the back.

The floors were painted dark wood, and the white walls were covered with all that Peace, Love, and Faith shit that women seemed to go crazy over. Scented candles were scattered around, and a writing desk was nestled in the corner.

Kinley took my hand and led me to her bedroom. “I know it’s small, but you can put your bag on the bench and hang your coat up in the closet.” She motioned to where a small wooden bench sat underneath a windowsill. “I was about to make dinner. Are you hungry?”

“Starving.” And not just for food but for her kisses, her touch, and her smile. I’d missed her and our conversations, and I’d gone too long without sleeping next to her.

She took my hand in hers and led me into the kitchen. My eyes darted around as she whipped something up for dinner. The apartment was definitely small, but she made it a home, which was important.

She placed a vegetable panini on the table and sat down.

I took a bite and moaned out loud. “This is delicious,” I commented in between bites.

“Thanks. I hate eating out all the time, so I try to keep my weeknight meals healthy and simple. I get the ciabatta bread from a local bakery and it’s just pesto, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and spinach.”

“It’s heaven is what it is.” I smiled in satisfaction.

“If you like the sandwich, you’re going to love the soup I’m making tomorrow. I stopped at the grocery store after work so we would have food to eat this weekend.”

“Oh, yeah?” I lifted my eyebrow.

“Yes, I wanted to prove to you that I could cook.” She smiled, and I refrained from telling her that I didn’t care if we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as long as we got to spend the next day and a half together. That’s all I needed. “So tomorrow, I am making a pot of homemade Italian Wedding Soup.”

“You’re never gonna get me to leave.”

She laughed from across the table, and all I thought about was she was too far away. She must have read my mind because she reached for my hand. “In case you couldn’t tell by my enthusiastic greeting at the door, I’m not in a hurry to have you leave any time soon.”

The bracelet on her wrist caught my attention. “You’re wearing it?” I said, staring at the bracelet I gave her for Christmas.

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