8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Marketa

I wasn’t sure what led me to ask him to stay with me. I mean, I didn’t regret it, but he was still a stranger. Just not as bad as the first night I slept with him and changed my life forever. Not that I was thinking anything like this.

I did want him to come over. I was also in need of a repeat of that night. But I was okay with some serious petting or making out. We just started dating, if you could call it that, and we couldn’t rush right into sex again.

Was it just me, or did that shit just sound totally funny given our quick history?

“So, now that you have me here, what’s the game plan?”

I rolled my eyes at him but couldn’t stop the smile. Shawn was a great guy, not just a roll in the hay type. Oh, I had no doubt that he might not have slept with a lot of ladies, but he did have some. Which led me to question, all over again, why he was single.

Someone, over time, had to have caught his attention. Sure, being a pro b-ball player it was hard to find someone real, but still, it was possible. Many players found it while being on the court, not just before it.

“Chill,” I told him, pointing to where he could put his bag in my room.

Okay, we did have a couple of guest rooms in this big ass house, but I had to admit, there was something I wanted more than just another fucking. I wanted to be held. I wanted to feel his hands on my belly, even if the bump wasn’t there, while we slept.

Was that cheesy? Probably.

Did I care? Not one bit.

That was something I didn’t get in the past and I wanted now. Okay, well, let me rephrase that. I wanted to be held all night. That was something new to me.

Though I couldn’t phantom why the thought of that only seemed to be with him. Nothing else felt right.

“Chill?” I watched as he tilted his head, a smile slowly lifting those gorgeous lips. “I’m down with that. In here?”

“Yup.” I tossed him a wink as I shifted the pillows on the bed, then grabbed the controller. “I have a big enough TV here.”

“Damn, you could live up here if you wanted to.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that because it was true. Good thing I liked talking with my dad and leaving the house, or I would never set foot outside of my room.

*****

“What?” Shawn grumbled as I gently pushed him again. I didn’t want to leave the bed because falling asleep in his arms and feeling his protective hands on my innocent belly was one of the best feelings.

However, this was the last morning we had in who knows how long and I wanted to share something I loved with him. The last thirty-six hours passed way too fast, and I wanted to spend every minute I could with him before my father got home and I was forced back into reality.

“Wake up?”

“The sun isn’t even up yet, Shorty. Why would you make me get up?”

“Because I want to share a view with you that is breathtaking. I don’t get to see it every day and I’m not sure when the next time we’ll be able to share it.”

That had him peeking an eye open and looking at me. I wasn’t above being sneaky to get the things I wanted. Nor was I above blackmailing, even with simple phrases and comments.

I gave him a cheesy grin and then jumped off the bed, pulling his leg to get him moving.

“Fine, fine, I’m up,” he muttered, yawning as he finally sat up. “Where are we going?”

“Hush,” I told him, grabbing his hoodie and tossing it at him before slipping my own on.

I took his hand, once he was ready, and then led him outside and carefully took him to my roof, sitting down in the well-worn area. No one knows how often I would come up here to watch the sunrise. It was the peaceful promise I got as much as I could that it would be a good day.

“Aren’t you worried that you could fall, or something?”

“Nope. I’ve never even slipped. As you can see, I come up here a lot. Now just enjoy this.”

And with that, he did. In silence, we watched as the black faded to the pale blue and then into a burst of color. My breath hitched as I saw the orange and the purple, making me long for a way to capture this each morning.

“Is it not jaw dropping?”

“It is, Shorty.”

I glanced at him, about ready to reprimand him for staring at me and giving me some cheesy line, but instead, he was watching the same magical sunrise that I was. And in all my life, I don’t think I ever felt as close with a human as I did know.

He understood my simplicity, my love of nature, and for so many others, they just didn’t grasp it. Not getting how something like this view could ground me, could make me long for peace and solitude and moments where I could only see this.

But Shawn got it. He got me.

And I would fight for that.

“How long do you stay up here?”

“Depends. Usually not passed the full rise. I just enjoy it for a few moments, the start of the day, the call of the animals, then I head back to my room.”

He took my hand, interlacing our fingers and I looked down at it.

There wasn’t a huge size difference there, and again, it was an awesome feeling to have a basketball player who fit right with me.

“Want to go back to the room and snuggle? Or shall I make breakfast?”

“Oh, he can cook too? I hit the motherload huh?”

He lightly shoved me before helping me back to my room. We both changed and then headed to the kitchen.

“What do you feel like?”

“How about some omelets? I can start cutting some veggies,” I offered, and he nodded, grabbing some sausage, ham, and bacon.

“I’ll start here.”

I grabbed a knife, watching him for a moment as he got to work, and I couldn’t resist walking over to him and wrapping my arms around his waist from behind.

“I have to admit, I like this view,” I told him, kissing the side of his neck.

“Don’t start something, Shorty. I have no problem defiling you in the kitchen, but not in Coach’s kitchen, please.”

“Thank fucking god for that, Colter. Want to explain what the fuck is going on here, anyway? Seeing as I recall stating that my daughter was off limits.”

I turned to stare at my dad, wondering what the hell he was doing home so early. And wondering how the fuck I could lie and not get Shawn in trouble.