32. Avery

The following morning, I showered on my own and came out of my bedroom to find Nathan cooking breakfast for me. I could get used to the current living arrangement.

When he turned to see me, he smiled. “Morning, sunshine.”

“Morning.” I moved over and gave him a small kiss. “Food smells good.”

He buried his face against my neck, covering me in kisses. “You smell good.”

We moved to the living room and did one of our favorite things—watched ESPN with our plates in our hands. After we finished, Nathan turned to me. His eyes were slightly somber, and I could tell something was up.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I want to give you something, but I’m not sure if you’ll think I’m an asshole.”

I narrowed my eyes. “That lead-in makes me nervous.”

He slipped a hand into his back pocket and pulled out a business card. “It’s the name of the wellness clinic I went to in Chicago when I was going through a hard time after losing Mickey and my injury. My therapist was amazing and helped me get back on my feet. Yet they have a lot of different, extremely talented individuals. Some of the best in the industry. I still go bimonthly. Just wanted to offer that up to you if you ever want to speak to someone other than me.”

I smiled shyly as I took the card from him. “Thank you, but I don’t think I can afford the same level of treatment that an MLB all-star receives.”

“Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll cover it.”

I shook my head. “No, Nathan, I can’t let you?—”

“I’ll cover it,” he assured. “You don’t worry about that. I just want you to feel the best you can. That’s all that matters to me.”

“Oh no…” I murmured, moving closer to him. “You must really like me a lot if you want me to be mentally stable, huh?” I joked.

The seriousness in his eyes remained. “I like you so damn much that it scares me, Avery Kingsley. I’m around you all day, and then I still dream about you, too.”

Butterflies.

Butterflies and Nathan Pierce.

“Thank you,” I breathed out, glancing down at the card in my hand, because looking into his eyes was becoming too intense. “I don’t know if I’m ready yet, but I’ll keep this in mind. Is that okay?”

“More than,” he agreed. “When you’re ready, just say the word, and I’ll get everything in order,” he said, kissing my forehead.

I didn’t know it was possible for forehead kisses to feel like the ultimate kind of affection until that very moment in time.

Each day that passed,I found myself falling more and more for Nathan. On my dark days, he made me smile, and on my bright days, he made me laugh. It was becoming harder and harder to ignore the feelings developing in my chest for that man.

I sat in my bed, flipping through social media late one Saturday night. I knew Nathan was out with his brothers in Chicago to celebrate Evan’s and Easton’s birthdays, but I still wished he was home. Never in my life did I think I’d get to the point of missing having him around on the regular.

The house seemed lonelier without his voice bouncing off the walls.

It was around two in the morning when I heard him stumble inside. He must’ve run into the coffee table or something because I heard him holler, “Fuck!” after a big thump sound.

I snickered at the idea of him being wasted out of his mind. That was what he got for hanging out with his younger brothers. He couldn’t keep up with those guys.

“Ouch!” he muttered once more as he crashed into something else.

A few moments later, a text message popped up on my screen.

Nathan

Your light’s on. You up?

Avery

I am.

There was a knock on my door.

“Come in,” I said.

He turned the knob and opened the door. He stood there shirtless, with his belt undone and his jeans unzipped, revealing his black boxers. He placed his hands on the top of the doorframe, revealing every muscle tensing against his body.

“Hey, Coach,” he whispered.

I smiled. “Hey, you. You’re drunk?”

“Wasted. Took a taxi home. Rest of the guys stayed at my penthouse in the city.”

“Why did you come back?”

He bit his bottom lip. “I missed you.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Too real?”

I nodded. “Too real.”

“I missed you,” he repeated.

Heart skips and butterflies.

I sighed. “I just said don’t say that to me.”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” he swore as he drew closer. He pulled my blanket off and placed a hand between my thighs, separating my legs. His thumb brushed against the fabric of my silk panties. “I was talking to her.”

A slight moan slipped from me as he edged the fabric of my panties to the side so his finger could massage my core.

My eyes fluttered shut as I shook my head. “You’re trouble.”

“You like it.”

I loved it.

Before I could reply, he lowered himself to the floor, getting on his knees. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me over to the edge of the bed.

“Nathan”—I laughed—“what are you doing?”

“You,” he replied with that wicked grin on his face. “I’m doing you. I was out all night thinking about coming home to you.”

“It sounds like you’re an addict.”

He began to pull my panties down my thighs, trailing kisses along my inner thighs as he did so. “I never want to sober up from this,” he swore before he slid a finger inside me.

Within seconds, my body reacted, my back arching in his direction.

He placed a hand against my shoulder and gently laid me back down. “Relax. Take it easy… Get comfortable,” he said. “I’ll take care of you from here on out.”

He spent the next few minutes getting me off, and when he finished, he licked his fingers clean. I tried to offer him a happily ever after ending to his night, too, but he said he just wanted to please me before falling asleep with me in his arms.

He stood and took off his clothes, turned off the light, and crawled into bed with me.

As he wrapped himself around me, he said, “I missed you.”

“Talking to her again?” I joked.

He shook his head. “No. Not this time. Night, Coach.”

“Good night,” I muttered as my heart did a few cartwheels before falling asleep that night.