Page 140 of Blindside Me
The metal exit door is cool against my palm as I shove it open. I scan the half-empty parking lot and come up empty. Where is she?
Movement by the line of trees catches my attention, and my shoulders relax for the first time all night. Jade stands off to theside, with her hands tucked in her pockets, and head tilted up like she’s counting stars.
My feet move before my brain catches up.
She turns at my steps, and that smile breaking across her face wrecks me. “Thought you’d be signing jerseys.”
“I had somewhere else to be.”
And then she’s in my arms, or I’m in hers. I can’t tell who moved first. Just that we’re pressed together, her face buried against my neck, my arms locked around her waist like she might disappear if I loosen my grip. She smells like vanilla and cocoa and something uniquely her that I’ve missed so much it physically hurts.
I breathe her in, nose buried in her hair, eyes squeezed shut against the wave of emotion threatening to drown me. This is real. She’s real. We’re real.
“Your heart’s racing,” she murmurs against my skin.
“Yours too.”
She pulls back just enough to meet my eyes, not breaking our embrace. Her gaze searches mine, asking questions she doesn’t voice.
“You didn’t have to do the announcement.”
“I did.” My voice is rough. “For me as much as for you.”
Her fingers brush the nape of my neck, and Jesus, that does things to me. “You’re not big on public displays.”
“I’m big on not losing you.”
Her forehead meets mine in a quiet yes.
“Jade?”
“Hmm?”
I pull back, just enough that she can see I’m not screwing around. I’m shaking, but I try to hide it. “I meant every word. I love you.”
Her eyes flicker, stormy blue, then soften. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” It’s like I finally let myself breathe. “And I’m done pretending I don’t.”
A smile blooms, slow and dangerous, and I want to drown in it. “Good. Because if you ever try to ghost me again, I’ll haunt you.”
“Deal.” I grip the back of her coat, grounding myself. “But you gotta know, I’m not fixed. There are days I’m all splinters. I’m trying, but I don’t know how to be the guy who never screws up.”
She tilts her head, studying me like she’s memorizing every flaw. “I don’t want the version of you with the sharp edges sanded off. I want you.” She pauses. “I love you, too.”
My chest swells. I close the gap and kiss her, hard, like there’s no one left watching, not even the ghosts. It’s wild, soft, and urgent all at once. She tastes like hope and everything I nearly lost. She melts into me, hands clutching my shoulders, like she’s afraid I’ll disappear again.
Not happening. Not this time.
When we break, both of us are breathless.
“Where to now?” I ask. “Food? Talk? Barton’s?”
Jade doesn’t hesitate. “I need to get drunk, but not off alcohol.” Her hand slides down, palm pressing against my crotch. My dick twitches, eager as hell.
“I like the way you think, Trouble.
“Yeah, then decide. Yours or mine?”
