Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43375 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43375 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
My hand drifted to my stomach without me consciously deciding to move it.
“Oh my,” I whispered.
Marissa’s smile softened when she noticed. She didn’t say anything else. Just squeezed my knee like she understood exactly what was happening inside my head.
The noise from the stadium surged as the teams lined up on the field. Cheers thundered around us, vibrating through the glass.
Micah was down there, playing his heart out.
And now I had something else to tell him when the game was over.
Something big. Terrifying. And wonderful.
I leaned back against the couch, one hand resting on my still-flat belly as I watched the field, my heart racing for a whole new reason. Counting down the minutes until I’d see him again.
16
MICAH
By the time we made it home from the stadium, the adrenaline was still working its way through my system. I’d taken hits all night—my ribs were sore, my ankle was tight, and my neck was stiff. But nothing got to me, not really. The whole game, I knew she was up there. Cheering for me, wearing my name, and sitting with the other women, who knew exactly what it meant to belong to someone like me.
Now, I was the one watching. Leaning against the kitchen doorway, still in my dress pants and button-down shirt—the dress code Lennox insisted on when arriving or leaving the stadium on game days. I hadn’t even put away my gear bag; it was still by the door. My whole focus was on the woman in front of me.
She was barefoot, her hair down in soft waves, wearing a pair of tiny sleep shorts and one of my long-sleeved shirts that hit mid-thigh. The hem fluttered as she moved, her hips swaying while she pulled something out of the fridge.
“I made you something.” She glanced back at me with that little smile that did dangerous things to my chest.
I pushed off the doorframe and walked over, stopping behind her as she set a small glass dish on the counter.
“It’s chocolate mousse layered with peanut butter cream and pretzel crumble on top.” She bit her bottom lip, like she wasn’t sure if I’d like it.
My mouth was already watering, but not for the dessert.
Still, I took the spoon she handed me and reached around her to scoop a bite. It melted on my tongue. Rich. Decadent. Fucking perfection. But not as perfect as the heat radiating against my chest from the back of her body.
“Holy shit, Rylin. That’s incredible.” I set the spoon down and moved in even closer, one hand finding her waist, the other curling around the curve of her hip. I leaned down and brushed my mouth over the shell of her ear. “But I bet it’s gonna taste even better when I’m licking it off your pussy.”
Her breath hitched, and a little whimper fell from her lips.
She didn’t have a chance to reply before I turned her to face me, gripped her ass, and lifted her onto the counter. Her knees fell apart instinctively, and my body filled the space between them. I kissed her like I was starving. Like I hadn’t had her in the middle of the night and again this morning. Deep and possessive.
Her taste was as succulent as her dessert. One of my hands slid up her shirt, grazing the soft skin of her ribs and the curve of her breast.
And right there, with her breath fanning hot against my cheek and her nails sinking into my shoulders, I couldn’t hold it back another second. “I’m so fucking in love with you, Rylin.”
She froze for half a second, like her brain needed to catch up to her heart. But then her lips softened, and she met my gaze intensely. “I love you too, Micah.”
That was everything. I kissed her again, slower this time, pouring everything I felt into it. Then I pulled back and gave her a crooked smile. “Now you can’t argue. You’re moving in.”
She laughed, tugging at the front of my shirt. “Pretty sure you already took care of that. I’ve got more stuff in your apartment than mine.”
“Still not official.” I let my hand slide to her bare thigh. “But it will be.”
Her smile lit up her whole face. It was the look that decided it for me. I wasn’t waiting another fucking day. I kissed her one more time and then lifted her off the counter.
“Where are we going?” she asked, breathless, laughing as I carried her down the hall.
“Bedroom.”
Her arms looped around my neck. “So bossy.”
I kicked the door open, crossed to the bed, and set her down gently on the edge. “Stay there.”
She tilted her head. “Micah?”
I stalked to my dresser and opened the drawer where I’d hidden the little box and closed my fist around it. My heart pounded harder than it had during the final quarter of our toughest game. When I turned back around, she was still seated, watching me with amused curiosity.