Page 63 of Make You Love Me

“Thank you… about a month ago. Was a bitch healing with my football uniform and all, but I had to get it done,” he says.

“I love the fact that you now have the beach and the mountains on you. Two of your favorite places.” I sit up to inspect the artwork further.My hands roam all over his forearm and bicep. I turn his arm so I can see every intricate detail. When I flip his arm over, I stop and my eyes jump to his.

“Greyson—” is all I’m able to get out. The words lock in my throat as I take in the infinity rope design that intricately laces through the anchor tattoo on the inside of his forearm. Just like my charm. The placement is beautiful and the ocean scene around it looks like something out of a drawing. I notice two sea horses near the anchor, and I choke up.

“I told youalwaysBabygirl, and I meant it when I said it,” he says to me, cupping my face in his palms.

“Always,” I say, barely able to keep the tears from falling. His arms wrap around me as my lips lock on to his.

I feel at peace, finally. I’m not completely sure where we go from here, but I haven’t felt this at ease since the last time I was in his arms.

Chapter Twenty-One

Cuttingmybikeoffas I park in front of Ethel’s massive house, I approach the front door with my nerves running wild. Even though we’ve been on plenty of dates over the summer, I know Lottie is keeping her guard up, so this feels like unfamiliar territory.

I told myself I would take it slow and not rush into things, but it’s so fucking hard not having my hands on her. I’m trying my best to take it slow, which I am doing a shit job at as she reminded me mid-week after she found me waiting, yet again, to walk her to all her classes. That night when she agreed to let me pick her up from kickboxing after my football practice was over, I confessed to her that this was a hard transition for me but that I would back off some if she needed me to. Thank fuck she asked me not to. Lottie made a confession of her own, she said she was working hard on erasing the image that video of me instilled in her brain.

My chest ached at that. I couldn’t imagine the roles being reversed and seeing a video of her with someone else.Amber will pay for that shit, mark my words.

Knocking on the large wooden door, James answers and welcomes me into the house. He may be Ethel’s right-hand guy, but he’s always been decent to me, so I reach out to shake his hand.

I see Lottie coming down the stairs,looking sexy as hell in tight black ripped jeans, little black biker boots that I have never seen before, and a tight burgundy long sleeve shirt. A total biker babe, and I love everything about it.

Damn, maybe I shouldn’t invite her to the Rebel Knights’ cookout next week. They’ll all be salivating like drooling dogs.

“Look at you… are those boots new?” She blushes.Fuck, I've missed that.

I grab her and pull her into a hug as I whisper, “Sexy as hell, Babygirl.”

“Oh Greyson, I didn’t think we would be seeing you again after the summer.”

This bitch. Just the sound of her voice pisses me off.

“Good to see you too, Ethel,” I reply, not even attempting to smile at her. She was a big reason for our demise, and I don’t take that shit lightly. I hope to keep our interactions brief, hating the fact Lottie has to live with this lady.

Lottie grabs my hand, pulling me towards our exit as she says to her grandmother, “Oh, I forgot to tell you, you’ll be seeing a lot of Greyson again and please add him to my guest list for the Gala.” Not sure what that’s about, but if Lottie wants me to go, there’s no question for me… I’ll be there.

Before the door shuts behind us, Ethel huffs out, “We will talk about this later, young lady.” I can’t help but let her words worry me.

“I’m so done with letting her dictate my life.” She pauses to smile up at me and says, “Let’s Ride!” Lottie’s statement eases some of the dread I feel.

Reaching into my saddlebag I hand her the helmet I bought over the summer. Giving her a quick kiss, I say, “Sunset rides are for us pretty girl. Now hop on!”

Having her warmth wrapped around me as we cruise down the road has me overwhelmed with peace. I have been in a constant state of anxiety since I drove away from her that day. The happiness she brings me is unmatched to anyone or anything else in my life. Knowing she was in the stands last night watching me playbrought back some of the love I have for football. That’s when I realized I have just been going through the motions without her.

I wish I could have introduced her to my dad and nana after the game last night, but I didn’t want to push that on Lottie. I’m hoping like hell that she agrees to go with me next Saturday to the cookout my Dad and the club are having. He’s noticed the change in my attitude since last weekend and is bugging the shit out of me to meet my girl.

Last night at the afterparty Lottie and I made out until Nox busted us up so we could go pick up Emerson. I’m so ready to sink myself inside her but I’m letting her set the pace. Can’t say I hate the lead up either. The anticipation and little touches when I know exactly how good she feels on my dick are driving me crazy in all the right ways. I know when she does decide to open that side of herself up to me again it’s going to be explosive between us. All the pent-up love, anger… desire.

As we get closer to our destination, I find myself not wanting the ride to end. Between Lottie’s thumb rubbing soft strokes across my stomach and her gentle kisses to my back, this feels like what I want my heaven to be like.

When we pass the first entrance for Mountain Ridge University, I feel Lottie perk up as she points over that way. I look back and read her lips, “Can we stop?”

We pull into the beautiful campus that sits in the valley looking up to the vast ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, hence where the name of the college came from. They must have an away game today because the campus is quiet for a Saturday this time of year.

Finding an empty spot that has a great view of the mountains, I park the bike and Lottie hops off.

“This is so crazy. I was just looking this place up yesterday. I planned to talk to the guidance counselor about it,” she says as she whips her helmet off and looks around.

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