96

Piper

A Leap Of Faith

At three o'clock in the morning—three o'clock —my legs were jelly. I still hadn't fully recovered from reverse cowgirl. I grinned and took another sip of my water, rolling back my shoulders. My muscles were stiff. But that just meant Adam needed to get the lotion and I could put his big hands to good use.

And…probably end up having sex again.

My grin widened and I turned on the facet in the kitchen, filling up the glass. I needed to hydrate more. And take potassium tablets. Vigorous exercise means muscle cramps, something that Adam never failed to smirk about. Ever since the banquet, I hadn't slept in my room at all.

Thank goodness for birth control.

" Piper? "

I glanced up from my glass as Adam pushed through the door. For a moment, he stood there, staring, motionless.

"Hi," I called to him, leaning against the counter.

His face turned towards mine and a breath of relief escaped him. I straightened up the moment I saw his face. His eyes were too wide, he looked…panicked?

Adam cut the distance between us and pressed himself against me, dressed in nothing more than a pair of pajama pants. He enveloped me in a hug and squeezed me so tight, I almost dropped the glass. He dipped down to my neck, holding me close.

"The cup—" I stopped him. "Adam—"

He pulled back a second to put it on the counter and then he was on me again, burrowing his face against my throat, squeezing me so tight, I couldn't move.

"Baby…?" I whispered. "Hey, what's up?"

"I thought you left," he blurted out.

Oh. The quick way he threw that out made my heart squeeze. I untwisted myself from him and pulled him back to me, running my fingers through his hair while he bent down, in what had to be an uncomfortable position for him, but he never moved an inch.

"It's okay," I murmured. "I'm still here."

He bunched up my shirt and touched my back. Not to feel me up. Just…touching me.

"I'm still sore," I tried to tease him. "After last night, I definitely deserve a massage."

Adam didn't say anything. He just nodded.

Something was really bothering him. I could feel it in every way he touched me, like he was trying to stop me from leaving the kitchen. But what could bother Adam? I frowned, trying to figure it out, caressing him.

"Who was that on the phone?"

Adam was quiet for a moment. "Ryan. Coach's stepdaughter is transferring after all."

"Oh." I blinked. "He's calling you at three about that?"

Once again, silence. But it was a poignant one, heavy in the air, and I knew Adam was wrestling with something, trying to figure out what to say to me.

"Ice princess?" he croaked. "I'm so sorry."

I blinked, surprised. "What do you mean?"

Adam drew away and gazed down at me, new creases on his face. Slowly, he placed his hands on either side of me. He swallowed.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated, his voice thick. "You didn't deserve to be treated like that. I was a shitheel and a fuckhead—and when you transferred—I made your job hell and I'm so sorry and I wanted to apologize. I've wanted to say I'm sorry for so long but I thought I could just ignore it and get past it because I'm scared that—"

"Hey. Hey ." I pulled him back to me and wrapped my arms around his neck. "It's okay."

"It's not okay," he mumbled against my skin. "I'm so sorry."

That's why Adam was freaking out. This had been sitting on his shoulders for a while. And I should've accepted the apology—that's what I needed to do—because it was good for him to do that—but I couldn't fight that overwhelming need to take care of him. All I wanted to do was hold him too.

"It's okay, baby," I promised him, holding him close. "Thank you though. And I'm sorry I pushed you in a pool."

He should've laughed. He didn't.

"Adam?" I leaned over and kissed his neck. "I love you."

His shoulders finally relaxed. All that tension eased away and he kissed my neck, drawing in a slow breath. "I love you more."

The kitchen was quiet and there was a new softness between us. I ran my fingertips along the back of his neck. All these little strings connected us. All these little things kept pushing us back together until we ended up against the counter.

"I'm going to keep you safe," he whispered. "I promise."

"Do you want to go back to bed?" I murmured.

Wordlessly, he nodded.