Page 95 of Catching Our Moment
“I did, and I can’t thank you enough for holding my hand through it.” I ran my hand over my face and forced a self-deprecating smile. “And literally picking me up off the floor.” I shook my head.
She laughed. “Girl, no problem. Give me a call when you get back home. We can compare schedules and see when we will both be back. We can try this again, with regular seats and without the spotlight. Or maybe we could just get together again, with or without these monsters.” She patted Davy affectionately on the chest.
I leaned over and hugged her. “Sounds great.” I waved them off, tossed the remainder of my pretzel away, and checked my texts.
And my hopes of no one seeing my exit were dashed.
I give that dive a 9 out of 10. I couldn’t see the landing. That was from Wyatt.
Is that what they call ‘falling for a man’? From Aliya.
Are you okay? From Grace.
Mom, why did you do that? From Aaron.
What the hell, Kelcie? Did you have to make such a spectacle of yourself?” From James. And as an afterthought…Is Aaron in Charlotte with you? I didn’t agree to that. What the hell is going on?
Great.
I only texted Aaron back. I’m fine. No need to worry. I was surprised, that’s all.
I gripped my phone as a lifeline, stood against the wall, stared down at myself, and surveyed the area. The friends and families of players were waiting for them to come out, and I begged the fates not to let anyone recognize me.
I didn’t think I’d ever felt like such an imposter.
Why was I there?
The sandy-blond threads in his hair caught my attention, a beacon of light as he came closer to me. The smile on his face was just as bright. He dropped his bag and picked me up in the air, catching the attention of everyone around us.
“Kelcie,” he growled into my hair before gently putting me down on my feet, immediately cupping my face and kissing me as if I was going to disappear. Flashes went off around us, and I vaguely sensed people watching. But when Shaw kissed me, especially with the voracity and passion he was showing now, everything else faded. My concerns, my fears, my limitations. He was happy. I wanted to let go and be that happy too.
Why did that seem so terrifying?
38
Shaw
I had everything I’d ever wanted in front of me…and it terrified me.
I had to get out of that locker room as quickly as possible. I had to know—to reassure myself that she was there. That she was waiting for me. That she hadn’t left.
I smiled for the cameras, gave brief, vague statements about my recovery—yes, I was happy to back, to see what the future holds, one game at a time—and then politely skirted past people as if they were linemen.
We could do this. I knew we could. Her, me, and Aaron.
It wasn’t until I had her in my arms that the niggling of doubt disappeared, and I breathed in her scent, felt her warmth, and was able to believe in this happiness that was descending on us. I kissed her because I couldn’t not kiss her. It was as necessary as breathing at that moment. I needed the connection to dispel all my doubts.
I didn’t care how many sites this kiss ended up on. I didn’t care how many rumors or PR issues it would bring up. I needed to kiss my girl.
So, I did. It was a great kiss. Possibly in the top five of all our kisses. Possibly slightly indecent. I stopped my hands from roaming over her ass, but just barely. My hand loved resting there—sue me.
Coming out of our lust-induced fog, I said, “Let’s go home.”
We barely made it in the house before I was tearing her clothes off her. Call it the potent mix of an adrenaline rush from the game, or the blissful high of her being there…I don’t know. But I never needed anything more than to be a part of her.
Jacket gone. Shirt gone. I gently pushed her on the ottoman in my living room, and she giggled at my domineering move as I undressed her down to her lace bra and panties that were sheer enough to leave nothing to the imagination.
“Fuck,” I mumbled as I surveyed her, my hands stroking the inside of her thighs as I knelt in front of her. My hands traveled up higher until my thumbs met at her apex, tracing it lightly. I roamed up her body until our eyes met, and the lust in her eyes was a jolt of an aphrodisiac I didn’t need.
