Page 34 of Mr. Irrelevant
We lie there, clinging to one another while we return to awareness, our chests pressed together so tightly, I swear I feel our hearts sync to the same rhythm. My entire existence just got turned on its head, and if it weren’t for her soft breaths tickling my ear as she attempts to recover, I’d swear I was dreaming. It all feels too good to be true—me finally telling Livvy that I’m in love with her, and her actually saying it back. But I know it was real.We’re real. We always have been…even when we were trying so hard not to be.
“Wow,” she says on a soft, warm giggle. “I wasn’t expecting any of that.” I groan, burying my face in her neck, the residual embarrassment from how everything played out making me want to crawl under a rock and stay there for the foreseeable future. Just because it ended the way it did doesn’t mean she wouldn’t rather have had it happen a different way.
“I’m sorry. It slipped out.” I lift my head, hoping she can see the sincerity in my eyes. “I didn’t want you to find out how I felt like that. You deserved better than some hormone-driven admission while your arms and legs were cuffed to each other. But I couldn’t hold it in any longer, Liv. I love you so fucking much.”
She shakes her head, the sweetest expression etched across her flawless features. “It waseverything.To be honest, it’s a miracle I wasn’t the first to blurt itout—I’ve been struggling not to tell you the same thing for weeks. So what if I have dried cum on my forehead?” she jokes, reaching up and running her fingers over what’s left of my first release. “We are who we are, and that was perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
I huff a laugh, all the tension in my body releasing at her words. This girl is the other half of me, and I’m so grateful that out of all the empty parking lots in this great big world, we were in the same one that night. I know she basically chased me down because I was sucking ass on the field, but none of that matters now because it brought us together, and now I get to call this smart, talented, beautiful girl mine forever.
“Well, good,” I say, kissing the tip of her nose as I crawl off her body and reach for her phone that’s still recording on the tripod. Plucking it from the mount, I hit the red button to cut the camera, handing it over. “Because it’s all on video for you to relive whenever you want. A sweet memory of our first love declaration that can also be filed away in your diddle drawer.”
She scoffs playfully, swiping the device from where it hangs between my fingers. “You’re gross.”
“Whatever you say, Dimes.” I dip my chin dubiously, not believing for one second that she won’t be rubbing her pretty little clit to the image of me fucking her face when I’m on the road. I know I would. “Now, give me my checkmarks. Both of them.”
“Actually,” she replies, her teeth sinking into her plump bottom lip. My dick twitches and I zero in on the motion, ready to fuck her into the mattress again, butshe catches me off guard with her next words. “You get three.”
Confusion washes over me as I try to recall the things I read when she flashed me her list that night. I know there were things I wasn’t able to catch in the short time she gave me, but aside fromSex in publicandRide a pierced dick, we’ve done everything that I’m aware of. “What was the third one?” I ask. “And what else haven’t I seen?”
She swallows, her cheeks turning an adorable shade of pink as a shy smile lifts the corners of her mouth. “There was just one thing that you’d have had to scroll down to see, and I probably would’ve throat-punched you if you tried.” Intrigued, I raise a brow, daring her to show me what I missed. She taps her pink fingernail against the screen several times, then turns the phone to where I sit beside her.
“Make him fall in love with me,” I say, reading the words as my heart flips behind my rib cage. My gaze lifts to hers, her bright blue eyes shining with emotion. My expression softens, and I take her face in my palm, ghosting my thumb along the warm skin. “Best checkmark I’ll ever earn, baby. But you didn’t have tomake medo anything. I love you because I was born to do it, and I’ll spend every day showing you how grateful I am to be the one you gave your heart to.”
A tear falls down her cheek, but I wipe it away quickly, pressing my forehead against hers. “Whatever happens next—no matter what anyone thinks or says about us being together—we’re going to be okay. I’ll always protect you, alright?” I know we may face abumpy road when we decide it’s time to let everyone in on our secret, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the months that I’ve known Livvy, it’s that I’m stronger with her by my side. Without the help and support she’s given, I’d still be trying to prove myself to all the wrong people, never feeling like I was worthy of the position I’m in. And I’d like to think that I’ve made a difference in her life too, showing her that she’s perfect the way she is, and that she deserves someone who isn’t threatened by her brilliance.
She nods her head, sniffling as her chin lifts confidently. My chest swells with pride, and I press my lips to hers gently, grinning into the kiss because I’m just so goddamn happy. I can’t wait to show her what else I have planned for the weekend, but first, we need to get cleaned up.
I reluctantly pull away, finding the floor with my feet and lifting her into my arms as an adorable squeal bursts from her throat. “Hey!” she argues, kicking her feet in a halfhearted attempt to get away. “Put me down!”
I chuckle, hoisting her over my shoulder like a rag doll and landing a firm but playful slap to her ass. The quietest little moan rumbles against my back, and it takes everything in me not to turn back around and spend the rest of the night in bed worshiping her. But we have plans, and I don’t want to be late. Swiping the Twizzlers and a bottle of water from the dresser, I head toward the bathroom. “I’m going to put you down,” I say, “in the shower. I can’t take you out for the next part of your birthday celebration with crusty jizz in yourhair.” She mutters something about me being disgusting, but I know she loves being marked by me just as much as I love doing it.
I step into the shower, waiting for the water to heat to the temperature ofhell degrees, just like she likes it, before lowering her feet onto the luxurious stone floor. Knowing that her body is probably in need of sugar after what we just did, I open the package in my hand, offering her a piece of candy. I’m grateful when she takes it without arguing, doing a cute little dance as she happily chews. She lets me wash her as she eats and drinks, all the while telling me about the interesting parts of her trip, like being here with me is the most normal thing in the world. I soak it all in, thankful for every moment I get with her, and excited for what’s to come.
THIRTY-THREE
LIVVY
“I’m nervous,”I say, looking over at Maddox as he puts the rental car in park. My hands are balled tightly in my lap, my foot bouncing so fast that I swear it’s vibrating the entire floor.
He kills the ignition, turning toward me. “Baby, we don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with,” he reassures me for the hundredth time in twenty minutes. “I told her I was leaving everything up to you, and that if we didn’t come, it was nothing personal. I’m staying an extra day, so I can see her after you go back to Cleveland if you want to get out of here.”
After our shower, Maddox told me what he had in mind for the weekend. Some of it is being kept a secret, but when he asked me if I’d like to meet his mom, I had mixed feelings. Of course Iwantto meet her. I’m planning on a very long and happy future together—one that our families would play a huge role in. He told her that we’re keeping things quiet for now so we don’t disrupt the remainder of the Renegades’ season, andshe understood, so it’s not a matter of worrying that it may get out. The anxiety that has me ready to bolt like an Olympic sprinter right now has nothing to do with her, and everything to do with me.
I lift my head, my uneasy gaze locking onto his. “What if she doesn’t like me?” I ask. My stomach churns at the thought, and I take a deep breath, shifting in my seat because I can’t seem to sit still.
He reaches over, pulling my hand from where it’s clutched inside the other, and weaves our fingers together. “Baby, she’s going to love you. Even before things changed between us, every one of our phone calls somehow made their way to you. I tried talking about other things, but even if it was just to tell her how the owner’s daughter ripped me a new asshole over my throwing form—which she thought was hilarious, by the way—I just couldn’t stop myself from bringing you up. She even called me out on my obsession a few times.”
I can’t stop the smile that melts across my face, making the tightness in my chest release a little. “What did you say?”
He shrugs, his boyish charm on full display as he dips his chin. “WhatcouldI say? She’s right. I’m Founder and CEO of the Olivia Grant Fan Club, Dimes. I’m a fucking fool for you, and as soon as you’re ready, the whole world will know it.” He huffs a quiet laugh, squeezing my hand. “My mom sees how happy you make me, and she’s already so grateful for it. All you have to do is be yourself, and she’s going to fall in love with you just like I did. I promise.”
My shoulders drop, the remaining tension in my body ebbing away at his reassuring words. I sink back into the seat, nodding. “Okay.”
“That’s my sweet baby,” he replies with a wink. “Now, stay right where you are. If I know my mom, she’s watching from the window. I’ll get an earful if I don’t open the door for you.” I bark a laugh, whipping my head toward the house, and sure enough, the silhouette of a petite woman lurks behind the sheer curtains.
Maddox gets out of the car, running around the hood before pulling my door open with an exaggerated sweep of his arm. “After you.” I stand, smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles from my long-sleeved dress as a shiver passes through me. We’ve had a very mild early winter in Cleveland, which is pretty normal for us until the lake effect snow turns the entire city into a snow globe after New Year’s. Maddox told me to plan for cold weather, but I certainly didn’t do a good job of packing accordingly. I expected to be holed up in a hotel room for three days because that’s our norm—not freezing my proverbial balls off in an upscale Connecticut housing development.
“I tried to tell you,” he teases, tucking me into his warm body with an arm around my shoulder. I roll my eyes at his reprimanding tone, knowing he’s right, but refusing to admit it out loud. I’m grateful for the warmth that radiates from his skin, soothing me in more ways than one as he leads me down the stone walkway. Even though he reassured me that everything would be okay, nervous energy still buzzes through mylimbs as he pushes down on the door handle and ushers me inside, pressing his lips to the top of my head in a comforting gesture.
