Page 69 of Reckless Goals

I knew she was no longer talking about the game, she was talking about us. About me. Why I could no longer resist the need to be with her.

“I woke up wanting to kiss you,” I whispered the confession. “And I want to wake up and kiss you tomorrow.”

“You can kiss me whenever you want,” she smiled.

Our conversation flowed into other things that we had never talked about. She asked me about my college days and I asked her about her favorite foods. I also found out that while she didn’t speak Spanish, she was able to memorize her favorite songs. Like me, she had no idea what she was saying.

For nearly three hours, we talked and laughed. We connected on another level, and made plans for things we wanted to do together. But then she started to yawn and several minutes of quiet went by before she spoke again.

“Who’s telling Coach? Or maybe we don't have to tell him at all?”

“I thought he already knew. He may figure it out when I come to all your games.”

“Rhys,” she pushed my chest and buried her head back into my shoulder. “You know I can’t focus when you’re there.”

“We found a cure for that,” I teased. “I just have to make sure you’re very, very satisfied.”

ChapterThirty-Five

Ash

Ifell asleep in Rhys’ arms and we never moved. When I woke up, I realized he was still dressed and his shoes were still on. He had an arm thrown over his head, while his other arm stayed securely wrapped around me.

It must have been early because the sun was up, but dim, as it peeked through the edges of my curtains. I had no classes, and nowhere to be, so I cuddled back into Rhys and closed my eyes.

When I’d heard that knock on my door, I’d known it was either Rhys, or my mother. Since I hadn’t heard from her in almost a year, I jerked the door open expecting to see Rhys. I just didn’t expect him to look so haggard and tired. The world had been weighing him down in the few hours since I had seen him.

It all made sense when he told me why he came, though. It was the same reason I had spent the evening curled under my blanket and fighting back tears. We wanted each other so bad, but both seemed to be using our baggage, and our goals, as a shield.

Rhys showed up and broke those walls down. All my fears of him reconnecting with his ex were gone, and for the time being, he was mine. Not just once, or for a few nights. We were together, and that fact was spiking my adrenaline.

“Rhys?” I whispered, needing him to wake up. “Rhys?”

He moaned and turned his head, then peeked his eyes open. His voice was barely a whisper, strained from still being half asleep. “Hey baby.”

“Are you sure about this?”

His eyes got wider and his brow creased. “More than sure.”

“Good.” I leaned up and kissed his lips, then placed my head back down on his chest. “I thought maybe it was a dream.”

I felt his chest shake a little as he laughed. “No. But I’m glad being with me is something you’d dream about.”

I closed my eyes again with a smile on my face. Rhys kicked his shoes off and they fell on the floor at the end of my bed, then he turned and moved me to my other side, spooning me from behind. His mouth got close to my ear and his arms squeezed me around my stomach.

“I have to leave for Kansas City later for a game tomorrow. When I get home, I want to take you out.”

“Like a date?”

“Yeah, like something couples do, instead of just fucking their way through my apartment.”

“But we can still do that too, right?”

He laughed again and I felt the warmth of his breath against my cheek. “You don’t even have to ask. Get some more sleep. I set your phone alarm for nine.”

Closing my eyes again with a smile, I settled into his arms and let myself succumb to a few more hours of rest. It felt like I had blinked when the alarm started going off, but I felt rested.

Rhys sat up and turned my phone off, then ran a finger down my back. “I gotta go catch my flight.”

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