Page 65 of The Pucker and the Princess
I shake my head. “Nah. If anything, it was the opening we needed to actually talk about what happened. You guys helped more than you know.”
“Good. Happy to hear it.”
We exit the player’s area together, and Nick quickly walks over to where Tina’s waiting for him. No kids tonight. Sometimes she brings them, but just as often she has them stay home with the nanny.
It takes me a second to find her, but I don’t even try to repress the giant grin that comes to my face when I spot Marissa. And it’s gratifying to see her face light up at the sight of me, too.
She maneuvers out from behind the women blocking her and puts herself in my path. “Hi,” she says when I reach her, sounding shy for some reason.
“Hey,” I murmur before wrapping an arm around her waist and tugging her close. She lets out an adorable little squeak of surprise, her hands going to my shoulders, but she sinks into me in the most gratifying way when I kiss her. God, I love that I get to just do that now.
When we part, she darts a look around, subtly running a finger under her lower lip, her cheeks a delightful shade of pink. I can’t stop grinning, and she shakes her head at me, though she’s still smiling too.
“Are we going out for a drink like normal?”
I study her face to see if there’s more to the question. “Or?” I prompt when she doesn’t say anything else.
Her smile grows wider. “Or we could go home,” she murmurs.
A surge of blood goes south, and I genuinely have to think for a second. But this is so new, and I’m hitting the road again tomorrow, so I don’t want to waste any time we have together right now. “You know I love going out after a game, but tonight let’s just go home.”
“Home it is.” She steps back and laces her fingers through mine. “I took a taxi here, so I can just ride back with you.”
My eyes widen, and I dart a look at her. This is new.
She shrugs. “It seemed like a good idea. Was I wrong?”
I shake my head in a firm denial. “No. You’re perfect.”
Her head turns sharply in my direction, her look incredulous, and she lets out a bubble of laughter. “I’m glad you think so.”
From her response, I know she’s thinking of all the ways she’s been told she doesn’t measure up in the past, but I mean it. For me, she’s perfect.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Marissa
Dozer leadsme by the hand through the crowd and out the door to his truck. It’s nice getting to just go home with him and not having the extra frustration of dealing with traffic, especially since we’re going to the same place.
Once we’re in the car and driving home, he reaches over and rests his hand on my leg. It reminds me of last week when we were so keyed up, emotions running so high after our conversation, but still so much uncertainty.
Now, the sexual tension is as thick as ever, but I know what this is, what we are, and while it’s still early, I’m confident we both want more or less the same thing—a relationship. A partner. Someone to grow with, someone to support, and who gives the same support in return. Most of that was already in place, really, we just needed to acknowledge that we’re both attracted to each other as well. That even though we might not have thought we were ready for a relationship when we met, sometimes the perfect relationship falls into your lap.
And if I had any lingering doubts about him genuinely wanting to be with me, the way he kissed me tonight in front of everyone laid any niggling worries to rest. That kiss was as much a claiming as it was a greeting.
“Do you mind if we spend tonight at my place?” I ask, rubbing my hand up and down his forearm.
He gives my leg a little squeeze, glancing over at me as he confidently navigates his way through traffic. “Sure. Do you mind if I run upstairs to grab a couple things first?”
“Of course. I can come with you, if you want. Or I can just meet you at mine.”
He gives me a hungry look. “If you come up with me, I’m not sure we’ll make it back down to yours.”
Grinning, I shake my head. “Okay. I’ll go to my place, and you grab whatever you need and meet me there.”
We talk about the game the rest of the drive, with him lamenting the loss, his muscles pulling tight as he talks about how this might affect their chances at making the playoffs.
“You’ve still got lots of time, though,” I point out. “It’s early December. The playoffs aren’t for months.”
