Page 19 of Overtime Goal
We were quiet on the way back to the hotel. In the elevator, I asked, “Looking forward to going home tomorrow?”
“Fuck yes. We’ll be busy, but at least we can sleep in our own beds.”
That made my stomach twist again, so I didn’t reply. When we reached my room, I opened the door and turned back to say goodnight. Riley walked inside before I could speak.
He walked toward the bathroom like he owned the place. At the door, he glanced back over his shoulder. “Up for another movie? Pick something, and I’ll be back in a minute.”
9/
riley
While I stoodin the bathroom, I wondered why Logan was acting so weird. Everything had been fine at the bar. We’d all been laughing and blowing off steam after a big win, and though I hadn’t been wild about those women crawling all over me, I wasn’t going to sit it out. Blunt and Edwards were on a tear, and I figured I’d hang with them, maybe talk some shit, and knock back a beer or two. Being seen flirting with women wasn’t a bad thing; many fans expected that as much as they did a good point total.
Logan had been talking to Gabe, so I left them to it. But the next time I looked across the table, Logan was gone.
“In the men’s room,” Gabe had said.
A few minutes later, I was back in fuckboy mode when Logan said he was leaving. I looked up, and he yelled the same thing across the table, making my gut flutter. I nodded at the girl I’d been chatting up and ran around the table to Logan. “I’ll come with you.”
His frown had been so deep I thought he might tell me to sit back down. It would’ve stung, but I had no right to tell him what he could do. He stayed quiet, looking like he wasn’t sure what to do with me.
By the time I finished in the bathroom and went back into the room, Logan had changed into sweats and a pink T-shirt that made his face glow. He pointed at similar clothes he’d laid out on the bed.
“For you,” he said. “Figured you’d be as ready to get out of the suit as I was.”
I changed quickly, trying not to notice the way his biceps stretched the sleeves of his shirt. We got on the bed and picked an old flick,True Lies. His blond hair stuck out from running his hands through it, and while queueing up the movie, he caught the tip of his tongue between his teeth. He was just the usual, handsome Logan, doing an everyday thing, and my stomach relaxed for the first time since we’d left the bar.
He looked like a fucking snack, but that was nothing new. If I hadn’t been wiped from the game, I might have kissed him, but kissing was dangerous territory. It could lead anywhere, and despite all we’d said in Chicago, I wasn’t ready to go there. Our friendship came first, and I didn’t want to fuck up what we’d just fixed.
He glanced over and smiled for the first time since we returned to the room. Our gazes locked, and the lamplight dancing in his blue eyes made my heart trip over itself. Once again, I was so fucking tempted to kiss him.
While I considered it, he patted my hand and asked, “Ready to watch?”
Halfway through the movie, I was struggling to stay awake. We’d shifted until our arms were touching, and when he snored, I placed a hand on his chest.
He grunted. “Huh?”
“We’re both passing out. I should probably go back to my room now.”
“Mm. If you’re sleepy, why not stay?” He turned his head and gave me a lazy smile. “It’s safe, I promise. I won’t jump you or anything.”
I scoffed. “I’m not worried about that.”
“Good. It’s settled then.”
He turned on his side and rested an arm over my chest. While I tried to get my mind around the way my body was vibrating inside, he snored again. Even asleep, he made me feel safe. I may not have been ready for sex, but we could be affectionate.
My thoughts drifted as I relaxed into his touch. As the room dimmed and then dissolved, I slipped straight into the memory I’d tried to avoid, the night in LA when everything between us changed.
That night, after our kiss on the beach, we’d gone back to the team hotel. Some teammates hanging out at the lobby bar had called out, asking us to join them. Eager to get on with business, we said something about a rain check and kept moving.
When we reached our floor, my room was the second one down the hall. As soon as the door clicked shut behind us, I pushed Logan against it. I’d done this so many times with women, I knew how to take charge, kiss them, and get us to the part where clothes come off. But that night, with Logan, my confidence slipped. I wanted him so badly I ached, but I didn’t know how to start.
He slid his hands down my arms as I pushed in close and brushed our mouths together. His lips were soft and warm, easy to fall into. When I cupped the back of his neck, he pulled me close and locked his arms around me. What started slow turned hot, and a moan slipped out before I could stop it.
When I deepened the kiss, he groaned low in his chest, the sound shooting straight to my balls. He opened for me, and I stepped closer until we were chest to chest. He tasted like the chardonnay from dinner. Our tongues moved in a lazy rhythmwhile his stubble rasped against my cheek. That was new. Not bad, just different.
We wrestled for control with our mouths, but I didn’t care who won as long as neither of us stopped. The fire between us had grown into a blaze, and every nerve ending in my body crackled with need. I pulled back and whispered, “Never done this before.”
