22. Maddox

Chapter 22

Maddox

Sleep eluded me as thoughts of Bristol filtered through my mind.

Was she thinking of me, or had that life-altering kiss already been forgotten?

In the darkness of my hotel room, I checked the bedside clock for at least the hundredth time in the last two hours. It read: 3:08 AM.

Fuck, I would be dragging tomorrow. I didn't even get the benefit of taking a nap pre-game like the players anymore. No, my afternoon would be spent making last-minute line adjustments and reviewing film on the Comets with my coaching staff.

Groaning, I sat up in bed, rubbing both hands over my face. Desperate to turn off my brain, I threw on athletic shorts and a T-shirt before lacing up a pair of sneakers on my feet. The hotel gym was open 24/7, and a few hours spent pushing my body to the point of exhaustion was my only hope of passing out tonight.

I snatched my cell phone and key card, tucking both in my pocket, before I opened the door, but stumbled back in shock.

With her hand raised like she was preparing to knock, stood Bristol .

A gasp slipped from her lips when the door opened without warning. When her eyes met mine, her cheeks pinkened, drawing my attention to her beautifully make-up-free face and the barely noticeable freckles along the bridge of her nose.

Since she was stunned speechless, I took the lead. "Hey. Everything okay?"

"Yeah," she breathed out.

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked, even though the answer was obvious.

She nodded.

"Me neither. Sorry if I scared you by opening the door. I was headed to the gym, hoping to wear myself out."

"Oh." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she took a step back. "I'll let you go."

When she turned to leave, I panicked, snaking a hand out to snag her wrist and spinning her to face me.

"Please don't," I begged.

"You want me to stay?" The hope shining in her eyes was enough to bring me to my knees. I knew at that moment I would give her the world if she asked for it.

"More than anything," I confessed.

"Okay." Bristol dipped her head, allowing me to tug her inside my hotel room.

I turned on a lamp. It cast enough of a glow that we could see each other without being too harsh in the middle of the night.

Gesturing to the armchairs in the corner near the window, I offered, "Care to sit?"

"Sure." She crossed the room, dropping into one and tucking her legs beneath her .

Sitting opposite her, I dared to touch the fabric of her navy silk pajamas. They were the same ones she'd bought when we were in LA. "These look comfortable."

That got a tiny smile out of her. "And modest too. Couldn't be roaming the halls this late at night in any of the other items."

I cocked my head. "Other items?" As far as I could recall, she'd left the shop with only the PJ set she was wearing and the sex toys that had fueled my fantasies of getting a chance to use them with her.

Bristol bit her lower lip, trying to hide a smile and failing. "Um. Nearly every piece in stock in my size was delivered to the hotel later that evening."

My eyes bulged. "Everything?" If a pair of pajamas cost two hundred dollars, one of everything had to be in the thousands.

She nodded in confirmation.

Jealousy churned in my gut, remembering she'd said someone else was paying for her purchase.

Jaw clenched, I gritted out, "Who's your mysterious benefactor?"

"A friend." Bristol shrugged, her eyes avoiding mine.

"A male friend?" Fuck, I sounded like a possessive asshole. But I couldn't help it.

"Would it really bother you if it was?" she asked earnestly, without a hint of sass.

"Fuck yes." My voice was strained, chest tight at the thought of her with another man.

"Why?"

I ran a hand through my hair, which was likely sticking up in all directions with how I'd been restlessly rolling around in bed for hours wide awake, thinking of her. "Because I care about you, Bristol. I meant what I said earlier. I'm sorry for how I've treated you lately. If you've moved on, I won't cause further emotional distress by pulling you in another direction. That's the last thing you need right now. It'll kill me not to fight for you, but I'll respect your decision. It's your life, not mine. But I can tell you, I'll regret losing you for the rest of my life."

She sucked in a sharp breath before whispering, "There's no one else."

At her admission, I sagged in my chair, relief washing over me. "So, there's still a chance for us?"

"What is ‘us'?" Bristol challenged. "I'm serious. How do you see this working out? It's not strictly against the rules for us to date, but it's severely frowned upon. I would be forced to come clean to my editor. I won't be the woman hidden in the shadows. Not again."

"I would never ask that of you," I vowed. "But you would be willing to risk your job? For me?"

She dipped her chin, peering at me through her eyelashes. "Isn't that what you did for me? That night at Pipes? Taking Nix on could have cost you everything, but you did it anyway."

"It was the right thing to do."

"No." She shook her head. "It was personal with him, and we both know it. You could have chosen the high road, let him walk away after he ran his mouth. But you wanted to hurt him for hurting me."

"Yes." I couldn't deny it.

Bristol took a deep breath. "Okay. When we get back to Indy, I'll set up a meeting with my editor. Then we can give this a shot. See where it takes us." A yawn split her face. "I think I'm ready for bed now."

She stood to leave, but I jumped up to stop her. "Will you stay?"

Raising an eyebrow, she eyed the bed. "I don't know . . . I'd prefer we get everything out in the open before we jump back into"—she made a circular motion over the bed—"all of that."

I flashed her a smirk. The weight constantly settled over my chest had finally lifted. "As tempting as that is, I was just hoping to hold you. But if you're not interested—"

"That sounds nice." She cut me off.

Leading her to the bed, I pulled back the covers. She crawled beneath them, and I quickly followed. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Bristol wiggled a bit, trying to find a comfortable spot on the mattress. "Sure." A teasing tone entered her voice as she added, "I promise not to use it in one of my articles."

For that, I tickled her side, and she squealed.

Pulling her body flush with mine, I took a deep whiff of the floral scent of her shampoo still lingering in her hair. Nipping at her earlobe, I relished the shiver that I could feel with how closely I held her.

"I haven't had a good night's sleep since the first night we were together," I confessed.

"That's the secret?"

"Mmhmm."

She was quiet for so long that I wondered if she'd fallen asleep. I was almost there myself when she said softly, "The girls paid for the shopping spree."

My eyes popped open. "Who are ‘the girls'?"

"The Comets WAGs and friends."

I huffed out a laugh. "Guess Braxton was right."

Bristol turned in my arms. Her eyes searched mine in confusion. "About what?"

"He said something about not wanting to go to war against Hannah and her crew. That it was a losing battle."

A sleepy sigh fell from her lips, and she snuggled her head into my chest. "Yeah, they're kinda awesome like that. "

"I'm glad you have people you can count on." I stroked her hair as her breathing leveled out.

Once I was sure she was fast asleep, I added, "But I'm here now to take care of you. And I'm not going anywhere."