I usually don’t enjoy being benched but sitting on the sidelines gives me extra time to watch Paige while she watches the game. Coach Denton wanted to let our backup quarterback get some playing time in since we’re so far ahead, and right now, I’m thankful for such a huge lead.
God, she’s so fucking beautiful.
I could watch her all day and never tire of looking at her gorgeous and expressive face. I want so badly to tell her I still love her, maybe more now than before, but I don’t want to freak her out. It’s only been a couple of weeks since we got back together.
That’s another thing we really need to talk about. We haven’t discussed our relationship—whether or not we’re officially a couple—but I think it’s time. She needs to know she’s the only woman I want. The team is going on the road again in a couple of days, and I don’t want her thinking there will be other women on the side.
As far as I’m concerned, there will never be anyone else.
Movement on my right catches my attention, and I turn to see Will Edmonson sit down next to me. His expression is bleak, as usual. I don’t think I’ve seen a smile on his face since before
his fiancée, Candace, died in a drunk driving accident over a year ago. I spent weeks checking on him after it happened. He was in bad shape, and for a while, I was worried the darkness of his depression would consume him.
He and I bonded immediately when I first joined the Wolves. We’ve always been pretty good friends, but helping him get through the worst of his pain only strengthened that bond. He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever met, and it kills me seeing him still struggle. I didn’t truly understand, but now I look at him and all I can think about is what I would do if Paige died.
My stomach clenches painfully, and my chest feels tight at the thought. I look back up at the stands to assure myself that she’s safe and push the horrible thought from my mind.
I have a new respect for what Will has gone through. I think Will Edmonson might just be the strongest person I know to go through all that and still get through every day.
He catches me looking at him. “Everything alright?” he asks.
“Yeah. Sorry. Zoned out for a minute.”
“How’re things going with your girl?”
I glance back at Paige. “Good. Really good. Great, actually.” I can’t help the grin that
spreads across my face and the warmth that floods my body simply thinking about Paige. Just seeing her sitting there, knowing she’s here for me, still feels surreal sometimes.
“Do you love her?”
The question takes me by surprise. Will doesn’t normally ask such personal questions—I suspect because he doesn’t want anyone to turn the tables and ask him anything personal.
“Yeah, man, I do.”
He nods once, then looks back out to the field. “Then don’t let her go.”
Looking back at the field, I reply, “I don’t intend to.”
I can see his smirk in my peripheral vision. Despite the shit that man has been through, he’s happy for me. I glance behind me again to look at Paige one more time because I just can’t help myself. She’s staring at her phone, her brow furrowed in what’s either frustration, concentration, or a combo of the two. Even from this distance, I can tell she’s nibbling on the inside of her lip, which also tells me whatever she’s thinking about is making her nervous. Cheering draws my attention back to the game, and I decide to ask her about it later. There’s nothing I can do now anyway.
After the game, I emerge from the locker rooms, showered and clean, in a pair of jeans and my black fitted Henley with the sleeves pushed up. Paige sees me instantly, and desire pulses deep inside me when her gaze slides up and down my body, her eyes heating and her lips slightly parted.
I’m immediately taken back to the hallway during halftime. Fuck, she looked so damn sexy as she came on my fingers. My whole body is clamoring to be with her, to taste her on my tongue and feel her body as she convulses from her climax with me buried deep inside of her. She feels it too, if the heated look in her eyes is any indication.
The attraction has always been there, but it’s different this time. Stronger. I’ve never felt this pull toward any woman other than Paige, but even back then, it wasn’t quite like this. It’s like it’s matured and grown as we have.
I walk straight toward her, confidence in my steps and desire in my eyes. I need to feel her lips on mine. Right. Fucking. Now.
The moment I’m in front of her, I gently grab the back of her neck and draw her mouth to mine. Her body crushes against me, and she lets out the faintest moan in the back of her throat. I let out a low groan of my own as all the blood in my body rushes south.
Fuck, she tastes amazing. I can’t get enough of this woman. I deepen the kiss, holding her close to me and loving the feel of her gripping my biceps like she’s clinging to me for dear life.
A sound in the background brings me back to where we are, and I reluctantly tear my lips from hers. “We need to get out of here, or I’m going to end up taking you against this wall.”
She lets out a breathless laugh. “I’d probably let you if you keep kissing me like that.”
She looks up at me, and I’m left speechless. My God, she’s so damn beautiful. Her cheeks are flushed, and her lips are red and swollen from my kisses.
“Okay, yeah, seriously, we need to get out of here. The last thing I need is for the media to snag a picture of us going at it against a wall,” I say, grabbing her hand as we make our way toward the exit.
I’m glad I convinced her to take an Uber to the game because now I can keep touching her instead of being separated from her. I want as much time with her as I can get.
We make our way to my car, and I hold the passenger door open for her. She’s quieter than normal, and I can’t help but wonder if everything is okay. She seemed fine when she met me outside the locker room, but now it’s like her mood has shifted.
I hop in the car and start driving toward my favorite pizza joint. I stumbled upon it when I first moved here and became friends with the owner, Antonio. He always makes sure I have my privacy from snoopy paparazzi, and he makes the best damn pizza in all of Los Angeles.
I glance toward Paige, who’s staring out the passenger-side window looking lost in her own thoughts. I can just barely catch her reflection in the glass as we drive past streetlights, and the worried expression on her face immediately puts me on guard.
“You okay?”
She turns to me and smiles, although it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just kind of tired, and I think I might be coming down with something. Can we take a raincheck on dinner?”
I’m a little surprised by her request. “Uh, sure. Do you want to maybe come back to my place? We can just hang out together. I’d really like to spend some time with you before I head out of town again.”
She almost looks guilty when she replies, “I really think I should just go home. If I am coming down with something, I don’t want you to get it before you go on the road.”
Disappointment seeps through me, but I cover it quickly with a nod of my head. “Yeah, okay. I’ll take you home.”
“Thanks,” she mumbles, turning her head to look back out her window.
I navigate through downtown toward her apartment, worry gnawing at my gut. Paige is lying. She was never very good at it, and knowing her as well as I always have, I can see all the signs. The way she won’t make eye contact and nibbles on her lip while she restlessly messes with her hands. I can’t help but wonder if this has something to do with her job. My mind shifts back to our last dinner date when she hesitated. Is she still questioning where her loyalties lie?
“Can I ask you something?”
She turns toward me. “Sure.”
I hesitate, thinking about how I want to phrase this. “I know your job is really important to you.”
“It is,” she confirms.
“And you know that my privacy is really important to me.” I briefly glance over at her, but it’s long enough to see guilt shadow her face. My stomach clenches.
She finally responds, “I do.”
I decide just to spit it out. “My question is this—are we in agreement that we’ll keep our professional lives separate from our personal lives?”
I can feel her eyes on me, but it doesn’t soothe the fear that’s stirring in my belly at her lack of response.
“Can I ask a question of my own?”
“You still haven’t answered mine,” I point out.
“I will, I promise, but I would really like the answer to mine before I answer yours.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“Where do you see this going with us?”
Without hesitation, I respond, “I want us to be exclusive. I have no intention of dating anyone else, and I’d like the same assurances from you.”
“Okay. I can do that. Anything else?”
“I just want to be with you, Paige. Any way you’ll have me.” That’s a lie. I want to marry this woman, without a doubt in my mind. She’s it for me.
I glance at her in time to see her smile at my response. “I can think of lots of ways that I’d like to have you.”
Her smile turns saucy, and while I’d love nothing more than to play along, I need an answer.
“So, are you going to answer my question now?”
Her tone turns serious. “Jack, I will always look out for you. I agree that we should keep our work separate from our relationship.” She hesitated only a moment before she answered, but it was long enough that I don’t feel entirely comforted by her response.
Before I can push deeper into the conversation, I pull up at her apartment. I park the car, walk her to her door, and give her a brief kiss before heading back out into the warm LA night. It’s almost ten p.m., but it’s still pretty warm for October.
I look up toward the window of her apartment and see her lights on, but she’s not standing by the window like I wish she was. I also wish I knew what she was thinking and why she lied to me about not wanting to go out tonight. This is an aspect of our relationship that’s new to me, and I hate it. We never kept secrets before. Paige always confided in me about everything.
I get back in my car, processing the conversation we just had. I want to trust what she said, but there was something in her tone and expression that has my defenses rising. And I can’t help wondering—can I trust Paige?
