Page 79 of Heat It Up (Off the Ice)
My eyes adjust to the dim light of the moon. Sofia’s leaning over me, her eyes bright with concern. Needing to prove to myself that she’s real, I thread my fingers through her hair and guide her mouth to mine.
I just want to hold and kiss her. I never want to let her go again. Except I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know how to keep her and how to have the new future I’ve been working hard for. I don’t know how to have them both.
I don’t say any of this to her. Instead, I relish the feel and taste of her mouth, of her skin. I relish each of her moans as my hands explore her body and her sounds as she comes.
I relish making love to her while I still can.
Sofia falls asleep in my arms soon after. I watch her sleep for a few minutes as the sky clears, and the moonlight pours into the room and glows around her. She’s an angel. An angel who has buried her way into my heart. But is it enough? She’s more than enough for me.
But am I enough for her?
Chapter Forty
Sofia
My steamy dream starring Kyle fades and I open my eyes. It takes a few seconds to understand why I was dreaming about him, the arm around my waist and his chest against my back being my first hints.
We did go out for pizza, but returned to his apartment to find Nik and his female friend had left. Not wanting to go back to Muumu’s so soon, I’d stayed to watch a movie. The next thing we knew, it was too late to drive home.
I blink the sleep from my eyes and check the alarm clock. Then shoot upright, the sheet tumbling down and pooling around my waist. Crap. It’s already 9:07 a.m.
“Hey,” Kyle murmurs, and I’m not sure if he’s complaining about me moving or if he’s saying ‘hi’ in Finnish.
“I’ve gotta get going,” I tell him, the words rushing out in one long word. “Joni’s meeting me at my grandmother’s place, and I still have to shower and pack.”
“Or you can stay in bed with me and forget about the wedding.”
I can’t tell if he’s serious or kidding, although the temptation is there to do as he suggests.
I kiss Kyle’s shoulder. “As tempting as that sounds, I do need to go.” I grab my clothes and head for the bathroom to have a quick shower before Kyle decides to join me.
Which is exactly what he does, but this time he’s on his best behavior and doesn’t do anything other than gives me a quick kiss.
I leave him in the bathroom where he’s toweling off and return to his room. I straighten his bedding, and notice an envelope from the athletic department at a university in Seattle.
“You almost ready to go?” Kyle asks behind me.
I whip around, still holding his pillow in my hand. He looks from the pillow to the envelope on the table. There’s no missing that I’ve seen it.
“I’ve been offered a job there. An assistant coaching position.”
Everything inside of me crumbles, but I manage to pull off a grin. “Oh, wow, that’s awesome, Kyle. You’re perfect for the job.” I wrap my arms around his neck, give him a quick kiss, and rest my head on his shoulder so he can’t see the tears in my eyes. “I’m so proud of you. You deserve it.”
I don’t even know why I’m reacting this way. It’s not like we’ve made plans to be together after the summer is over.
He holds me close, and I can only hope he doesn’t notice I’m shaking. “When do you start?”
“They want me there in two weeks.”
“That’s good. You’ll be finished with your coaching job here by then.” I pull away. “We should go now.”
An odd tension lies heavy in the air as Kyle drives me home, neither of us saying anything. I try asking him a True or False question, but he doesn’t answer. The rest of the trip is spent in silence, other than the radio.
Joni is walking to the entrance of Muumu’s building when we pull up. Kyle honks his horn and pulls into a spot, then walks with me to where Joni is waiting.
“I just have to pack,” I say. Both guys follow me into the building and walk behind me on the stairs. I can feel them glare at each other as we climb the steps.
I unlock the apartment door and open it. Muumu is standing in the hallway and I hug her, needing her more than ever to keep me together. Even though she has no idea what’s wrong, she squeezes me tight.
