22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Willow

After switching cars, asking my assistant to make it seem like I was headed somewhere else, and stopping to grab snacks, I pull into Willow's driveway almost an hour late. I try to quiet the voice in my head saying, You should be training. I shouldn't be training. I'm allowed to take a break.

My apology is more important.

I suck in a deep breath before knocking on Willow's door. My hands feel heavy and awkward. The seconds after stretch, making my stomach flip like it's a few minutes before kickoff. Can't remember when something besides the promise of a big game made me feel like this.

The door opens and Willow is wearing black leggings with a baggy quarter-zip sweatshirt. It's this light purple color, like lilacs. My mom's favorite flower.

"Hey, you made it," she says while leaning on one foot, a light jab at me being late. "And you brought…?"

"Snacks are always a must," I say, lifting the bag up.

"Well, if you brought snacks. Come on in." She holds the door open for me. Her mood is hard to read.

Immediately, I'm surprised by how open everything feels. Vaulted ceilings, open floor plan, lots of space. My apartment isn't small, by any means, but I love the way it feels in here.

"You're going to need to tell me the story behind this place." Before I finish my thought, I don't want to let her know that I may or may not know where her typical New York spots are to stay, and this one is never mentioned. I swear, I'm not a creep. I just know things.

"Sure, it's a good one." She takes the bag and walks into the kitchen, setting it on the island. "Can I get you something to drink?" Willow opens a white cabinet and grabs a glass. "I have peppermint iced tea… does that sound good?"

"Sounds great." She gives me a small smile as she pours me a glass. I hate how we're moving around each other like we're just friends.

I take a drink, and it's so refreshing. I make a mental note to start putting this in my fridge at home.

"I owe you an apology," I say, after almost drinking the entire glass, jumping right in.

"I'm listening," she says with her arms crossed across her chest.

"Last night, I bailed because Bailey showed up at my apartment. I didn't invite her, but this is the sort of thing she does when she's in town. She'll just show up."

"Bailey, like friends with benefits Bailey?" She scrunches her eyebrows and glares at me.

"Yes. I mean no. I mean, yes, it was Bailey, but there were no benefits."

She stands still as stone, like a statue.

"She did kiss me and that's when I spilled all the beans about you. Now that I'm standing here, I'm not sure there was anything to spill." Willow's expression is icy. "But I told her everything." Willow doesn't say anything, and it feels like the doubt could swallow me whole. "Bailey thinks I'm a jackass, if that helps this situation at all."

"What else did she say?" She's direct and I know I'm walking the thinnest of lines.

"Well, she insisted I needed help. She's not wrong. Believe me. She was pissed that I let her kiss me and I didn't say anything before, but she really just showed up. I don't typically greet people with HEY I WENT OUT ON A DATE WITH WILLOW SO PLEASE DON'T COME ON TO ME." I know I'm being over the top but it's my only move.

Willow looks at me with a slow blink and presses her lips in a thin line before shaking her head. It almost looks like she's trying to hold back a laugh.

"Nothing else happened?" Willow presses.

"Nothing. I spilled my guts while we drank bourbon. We played Scrabble. She beat me like she always does. It was late so she slept in my bed, but I took the guest bed. My neck has the tight muscles to prove it." I'm rambling at this point.

Willow stands without saying anything. Part of me wants to run to her. The other part is too nervous.

"I don't think you're a jackass. But you did hurt my feelings." Her voice gets terribly tiny at the end. It hurts to hear.

"I'm sorry. Really, I am."

"I thought we had this connection and then you blew off plans, after it took forever for you to find time to even make them. It felt like you were trying to get rid of me. No second date. I thought maybe I imagined our first night just being better than it was. Or something. I don't know. I can't chase people who don't want me. Not any more." She puts her hands on her forehead, like she's trying to block her eyes from mine.

Now I feel like an even bigger jackass. I take a couple steps so I'm standing in front of her. I put my fingers under her chin and lift her face up. I lean in for a kiss but pause with my lips in front of hers. I let her make the decision and close the distance. Her lips on mine, soft and intentional, make me feel even more sorry.

"I'm a dick. I didn't mean to make you feel like that. It is not in your head. I couldn't stop thinking about you. If last night taught me anything it's that you're the only one I want kissing me."

I give her another chaste kiss .

"In all transparency, I have no idea how to do this. I'm terrible at making time for things other than football and training. But you make me want to try." She smiles at me for the first time tonight. "Plus, I know you like your privacy. And fuck, I want to date you, only you. Even though I barely know how."

Willow grabs my shirt and pulls me in for a kiss.

"You showed up, in gray joggers, with snacks. I think you know how to do this. Give yourself a little credit. And you're right. I do like my privacy to an extent. I would love to keep this place under wraps," she gestures to her home. "My last boyfriend couldn't do the public thing. It hurt more than I thought it did. I don't want to do that again."

"Wait. What is the public thing?"

"He acted like being photographed was the most inconvenient thing and it just… it… wasn't for me." She picks at her fingernails.

This motherfucker.

"Believe me, I don't have a problem being seen out in public with you, if that's what you're asking. I don't know what went on with your last guy but that sounds like his own issue to work through." I dip my face down to catch her eyes. "The press is whatever. I can handle a little press." And I kiss her to put a period at the end of the sentence.

"What do you want to do?" she asks.

"Date you. If you'll have me? Knowing I've never really done this. I'll probably get a lot of it wrong. But this is your play to call." I point at her.

"Hate to be this person but… exclusive? Just you and I?"

"Exclusive. No random sleepovers with anyone else besides you. Even ones where I'm in the guest bed."

She giggles and looks at me, tilting her head.

"Dating. It sounds fun, and I'm due for some fun," Willow says. Her eyes are golden, and the corners scrunch up when she grins .

I wrap her up in a hug. I smell her hair: coconut and vanilla. I unclench my jaw and feel the relief. Part of me thought she was going to shut me down and say this was a bad idea.

"What kind of snacks do we have?" she asks, trying to change the subject.

I reach my hands into the bag and start pulling out the goods. "First, we've got caprese salad. I don't know what the fuck they put in this, and I've tried to recreate it, but it's so good. Next, these savory croissants. And last, but certainly not least, banana pudding and tiramisu. In all honesty, I picked up the tiramisu last night, so I don't know how well it held up in the fridge."

Willow nods each time I set something on the island.

"Random? Yes. But perfect. My mouth is watering." She fakes wiping drool from her mouth. And I can't do anything but stare at those lips. The same ones I've been thinking about all week.

"What?" she asks, her voice going up at the end.

And like the impulsive bastard I am. I move in front of her as she stands in front of the island and reach for her waist.

"What are you doing—" she asks while I pick her up and set her on the edge. "Oooh. Okay." She giggles. I consider that the green light.

I step even closer and put both of my hands on the sides of her face. She grins, her cheeks pressing into my palms. Before I can make the first real move, she wraps her legs around me, closing any remaining distance, and puts her mouth on mine.

That perfect fucking mouth. Which I can feel pulling up at the corners as she kisses me. My hands go from her face to her hair, weaving my fingers into it and lightly pulling. She moans in response—I pull a little harder.

Gone is the anxiety of the unknown. She kisses me back in a way that says she wants me too .

"I didn't even ask. Are we alone?" I put my forehead to hers.

She lightly pushes my chest.

"It's just you and me." She wraps her arms around my shoulders and pulls me closer to her.

She nips at my lower lip, and I can't get enough. My hands reach for the hem of her sweatshirt, not to pull it off, but to put my hands on her. I slowly rake my fingers up, feeling her bare skin, until I reach the soft fabric of her bra.

"Is this okay?" I stop and ask. Not trying to kill the mood but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

Willow nods in agreement, her cheeks flushed, and her lips red. She grabs the bottom of her shirt and lifts it up and over her head. I'm stopped cold.

She's wearing a charcoal gray bra with lace on the top of the cups.

"Fuck. Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not kidding you." She leans back on the island, putting weight in her arms. She pretends to look around the room as I get a good look. My eyes take her in, like I want to memorize every inch of her skin.

I kiss the soft spot between her neck and her collarbone. She tilts her head to the side giving me more access. My dick is hard and there's no way to hide it. I'm wearing joggers and I press into her. The whole island set-up is really working for me.

"Tripp," she rasps and makes this little noise as I grind into her. My mouth finds the tops of her breasts. My hands go to her back, feeling her shoulder blades. I run my knuckles down her spine and she shivers at the light touch.

She takes her hands on each side of my face, locking her eyes onto mine, and then pulls me in for a long, sweet kiss. Her arms reach up and around my neck and she rests her head in the crook of my neck.

Sensing the shift, I hug her back .

"Okay, definitely wasn't imagining this," she says, quietly, her mouth right by my ear.

"Huh?"

I jokingly glance down at my strained joggers. She laughs and it's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.