Page 86 of Fair Play
God, she’s pretty.
“Hey.” I speak quietly so as not to startle her, and she looks up with a sweet smile.
“Hi.”
“Sorry. It took a while to get out of there.”
“No worries. I got a lot done on my paper.” She puts her computer to the side and stands up, reaching for me.
I pull her close and press a kiss on the top of her head. “I’ve missed you too,” I whisper.
“I’m sorry if I sounded needy or whiny before.” She’s firmly nestled against my chest. “I just don’t like all the secrecy. Not being able to touch you when I see you. Wake up with you. Eat ice cream standing at the kitchen counter…”
“I don’t like it either. And you weren’t whiny.”
“But definitely needy.” She glances up, a touch of mischief in her eyes.
“Needy is okay when it’s me you need.” I drop my mouth to hers, kissing her hungrily.
“Why does everything feel so complicated all of a sudden?” she asks, frowning as we pull apart. “It was so easy to be together in the beginning.”
I guess the honeymoon is over. At least I’ve learned enough from two divorces not to say that out loud.
“Life is hard,” I reply. “And relationships are harder. Take it from a man who’s been divorced twice.”
“I’m notthem,” she responds, her eyes narrowing in irritation. “And you’re not who you were when you were with them either.”
I smile.
This is one of many reasons I’m crazy about her and why it’s so hard to think about the future objectively when we’re together.
“Let’s run away tomorrow,” she whispers after a moment.
“To where?” I ask curiously.
“I don’t know. Vegas? San Diego? Santa Barbara? Somewhere no one knows us and we can sit at a restaurant holding hands or walk around without being afraid of being seen. I don’t know—I just need for us to be together. I know my timing sucks but?—”
“The timing is actually perfect,” I interrupt. “I’m off tomorrow, and everyone I talked to plans to do exactly that—spend quality time with the people they love. And there’s no one I’d rather spend my day off with.”
She lifts to her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine.
“Should we get a hotel room somewhere?” I ask.
“Absolutely.” Her eyes glitter with a different kind of need and I cover her mouth with mine, taking deep pulls of her tongue until we’re both breathing hard.
“Will that hold you over until tomorrow?”
“Absolutely.”
We leave early,though at different times. Then we meet at my mom’s house since that’s a safe place to leave her car while we’re gone. I send my mom a quick text, letting her know that the Mercedes is in the garage and that Billie will pick it up later, andthen we head to San Diego. I booked a room at a Marriott that’s right downtown, and we go there first. Because…well, because Billie wants to.
The moment we’re alone we’re all over each other, kissing, licking, touching, and fucking like it’s been five years instead of less than two weeks. I can’t get enough of her and it’s the same for her. We’re somewhat insatiable, which is also new for me, because in the past sex has been more like a fun interlude that’s over the minute I get off.
That’s not the case with Billie. It’s like being sixteen again, where my dick is hard again five minutes after we’re done. But we didn’t come all the way to San Diego to spend the day in bed—we could have done that in L.A. I understand what she wants and that’s to feel like we’re really a couple.
It was her idea to keep this from Bodi until the season is over, but I think it’s been harder on her than on me because I’m the kind of guy who keeps things buried anyway. Thoughts, feelings, everything but hockey. So this is just par for the course.
Except I’m trying to do better. Be better. Make friends and create a life that means something. So even though spending the entire day—and maybe the night—in bed with Billie sounds wonderful, I know it’s not the right thing to do.
