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Authors: Elley Arden
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“Then what
is
the point?”
She growled. “You can’t sweep into town after five years of no contact and do shit like this!”
Shit like what? What was he doing?
She smacked his hand away.
Then it made sense. “So this isn’t about your dad’s gym. This is about you and me.”
She looked stricken. Eyes wide. Nostrils flaring.
Bingo.
Wait a minute. He was the asshole who had hurt her?
“Of course it’s about my dad’s gym.” She stumbled over the unconvincing words. “That’s all I care about. And you,” she jammed a finger into his chest, leaving behind a sting, “can’t solve this with your magic checkbook and Lombardi Trophy.”
Maybe he couldn’t solve the mind-bending crap that was happening between them, but the foreclosure of the gym? Definitely. “You wanna bet?”
“No! What I want is ... ” She hesitated. “What I want is … ” She shoved her fingers into her hair. “What I want is for you to forget I ever asked you to help me. Go home and spend time with your mother. Just leave. Leave! You’re good at that.”
Yep. He was the asshole. “T … ” He reached for her again, but this time she backed away. “You’re mad at me. I get it.”
“Do you?”
“I do.”
“I don’t think so. I think you see me acting like this and you think I’m pissed because you called to cry about missing home, and you called to cry about Abigail cheating on you, and you called to cry about how worried you were that you wouldn’t go in the first round of the draft, and then you never called again. And you’d be right, but not completely, because what really pisses me off is that after all of that, you can sweep into town and make me want you again.”
Damn. Just damn. He couldn’t even breathe. “T …”
“Don’t ‘T’ me.”
“Okay.” He put up his hands in surrender. “Okay, but do I get a chance to respond to that?”
Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. I kind of want to take it all back.”
God help him, he chuckled. “I don’t want you to. I needed to hear it—all of it. Especially that last part. I’m sorry. I was a selfish idiot. And while I don’t expect it to happen right away, I hope you can forgive me someday.”
She chewed on her bottom lip.
As much as he wanted to keep talking until she said she miraculously forgave him, her struggle broke him. “Come here.”
She didn’t move except to square her chin, and then she looked at his open arms and made a face. “I don’t want any strings. Do you hear me? None.”
He heard what she was saying, but he was struggling to understand her as much as she seemed to be struggling to understand herself. Was she trying to define whatever was happening between them?
“No strings,” he said. “Got it.”
But it was probably too late for that. Looking at her shivering against the cold with a strange determination twinkling in her eyes, Cam knew he hadn’t completely cut the strings that came from being with her in the first place all those years ago. No matter how much time passed, she would always be his first. And that had weight. He had no idea what being with her again after all these years would prove, but the pull was so strong.
He went to her and leaned in until he felt her warm breath on his face. “No strings,” he said again.
And then he kissed her. A smooth, firm press of his lips. No hands or arms to bind her. A sweep of his tongue to open her mouth. A taste of the heat inside.
Her fingertips grazed his jaw, and he stepped closer, angling his head and deepening the kiss on the leverage from her hand that was now sliding over his cheek.
She gripped his jacket with her other hand and made a throaty noise that echoed in the night. Hell, even if this came with strings the strength of steel cables, he’d take his chances.
When she finally broke free, she looked up at him through glassy eyes. “Whatever happens from here, it’s just sex,” she said.
“Deal.”
• • •
Tanya took him by
is
the point?”
She growled. “You can’t sweep into town after five years of no contact and do shit like this!”
Shit like what? What was he doing?
She smacked his hand away.
Then it made sense. “So this isn’t about your dad’s gym. This is about you and me.”
She looked stricken. Eyes wide. Nostrils flaring.
Bingo.
Wait a minute. He was the asshole who had hurt her?
“Of course it’s about my dad’s gym.” She stumbled over the unconvincing words. “That’s all I care about. And you,” she jammed a finger into his chest, leaving behind a sting, “can’t solve this with your magic checkbook and Lombardi Trophy.”
Maybe he couldn’t solve the mind-bending crap that was happening between them, but the foreclosure of the gym? Definitely. “You wanna bet?”
“No! What I want is ... ” She hesitated. “What I want is … ” She shoved her fingers into her hair. “What I want is for you to forget I ever asked you to help me. Go home and spend time with your mother. Just leave. Leave! You’re good at that.”
Yep. He was the asshole. “T … ” He reached for her again, but this time she backed away. “You’re mad at me. I get it.”
“Do you?”
“I do.”
“I don’t think so. I think you see me acting like this and you think I’m pissed because you called to cry about missing home, and you called to cry about Abigail cheating on you, and you called to cry about how worried you were that you wouldn’t go in the first round of the draft, and then you never called again. And you’d be right, but not completely, because what really pisses me off is that after all of that, you can sweep into town and make me want you again.”
Damn. Just damn. He couldn’t even breathe. “T …”
“Don’t ‘T’ me.”
“Okay.” He put up his hands in surrender. “Okay, but do I get a chance to respond to that?”
Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. I kind of want to take it all back.”
God help him, he chuckled. “I don’t want you to. I needed to hear it—all of it. Especially that last part. I’m sorry. I was a selfish idiot. And while I don’t expect it to happen right away, I hope you can forgive me someday.”
She chewed on her bottom lip.
As much as he wanted to keep talking until she said she miraculously forgave him, her struggle broke him. “Come here.”
She didn’t move except to square her chin, and then she looked at his open arms and made a face. “I don’t want any strings. Do you hear me? None.”
He heard what she was saying, but he was struggling to understand her as much as she seemed to be struggling to understand herself. Was she trying to define whatever was happening between them?
“No strings,” he said. “Got it.”
But it was probably too late for that. Looking at her shivering against the cold with a strange determination twinkling in her eyes, Cam knew he hadn’t completely cut the strings that came from being with her in the first place all those years ago. No matter how much time passed, she would always be his first. And that had weight. He had no idea what being with her again after all these years would prove, but the pull was so strong.
He went to her and leaned in until he felt her warm breath on his face. “No strings,” he said again.
And then he kissed her. A smooth, firm press of his lips. No hands or arms to bind her. A sweep of his tongue to open her mouth. A taste of the heat inside.
Her fingertips grazed his jaw, and he stepped closer, angling his head and deepening the kiss on the leverage from her hand that was now sliding over his cheek.
She gripped his jacket with her other hand and made a throaty noise that echoed in the night. Hell, even if this came with strings the strength of steel cables, he’d take his chances.
When she finally broke free, she looked up at him through glassy eyes. “Whatever happens from here, it’s just sex,” she said.
“Deal.”
• • •
Tanya took him by
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