Page 35 of Shot on Goal at a Second Chance
“Is that why you went to Connecticut this time?” My stomach clenches so tight I might puke all over his tailored suit. Would serve him right, too.
“Yes, but it’s not what you think.”
Tears build behind my eyes, but I don’t want to cry. I shed way too many tears in the past over this man. How could I be so stupid to think he’d actually want me more than his career?
“Then what is it?”
He moves toward me. “Yes, ESPN did offer me a position.”
Instinct drives me to back away again, but he’s faster, catching my arms in his firm grip. Fighting my tears, I blink. “And that’s what you’ve wanted, right? Sarabella would have meant settling for you, wouldn’t it?”
His dark eyes wash over me. “Before I got here—yes. But then you and I reconnected.”
More like reunited, and I let him in all the way when my heart said to slow down, be cautious, make sure he won’t hurt you again.
I pull away from him. Might as well get the hard part over with. “When do you leave?”
He sighs. “Did you not hear the ‘but’ in that statement?”
“Yes,buuuuut…you haven’t exactly explained yourself.”
He pushes his jacket open as he splays his hands on his hips, giving me a glimpse of how his shirt tugs across his chest.
Not wanting a reminder of how well we fit together, I glance away.
“Rebecca, look at me.”
The memory of the day he first told me he was leaving—traded—still lingers. I can’t look at him now, not while he tells me he’s moving to another state. Again.
In one swift move, he closes the distance between us and holds my head between his hands. Not harsh, but gentle and firm. “Is this what you want?”
His question confuses me. “For you to leave?”
He nods.
I open my mouth, but the words are stuck.
His eyes devour me with a need that goes beyond attraction. “What do you want, Rebecca?”
Something fierce rises in me, pushing me to fight for us. “I want you to stay, Zach.” I stare back at him, almost daring him to make a liar out of me.
The tension in his body settles. He rests his forehead against mine. “Good. Because I already told them I wasn’t interested. This is my home now. Here with you.”
His declaration evokes a soft gasp from me.
And then his lips crash down on mine. He kisses me with all the passion he usually does but also with a deep emotion that has my senses reeling.
Zach drags his lips beneath my jawline to my ear. “I love you, Becks. I always have, and I always will.”
I’m hungry for his mouth to return to mine, but not until I say it back. “I love you, too, Zach. I don’t think I ever stopped loving you.”
His kiss is tender and sweet this time as if he needs me to know how much he cherishes me. And that’s exactly how I feel—wanted, desired, cherished.
I lean away. “You could have led with that.”
His languid grin returns, letting me know he intends to keep kissing me. “What? The part about loving you?”
I laugh. “No, about turning down the offer. Would have saved us both some stress.”
