Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
“Don’t worry, baby. They won’t be here for another hour. Plenty of time for us to get up, shower, and get dressed.” He tugged on the sheet until it pooled at my waist. “It’ll be a damn shame to cover these perfect tits, but no way in hell does anyone get to see them but me.”
“Okay, but I shouldn’t even be here when they arrive,” I pointed out. “If your teammates know about us, Lennox might find out.”
His brows drew together, and his hand slid to grip my hip. “I don’t like keeping us a secret. You’re mine, and I want everyone to know it.”
“Only for a little while longer.” I pressed my fingers against his forehead, soothing the wrinkle that had popped up in the middle. “After you win the big game and get another championship ring.”
“I get your reasoning, but it doesn’t sit well with me.” He brushed his thumb over my ring finger on my left hand, and butterflies swirled in my belly. “I want to shout it from the fucking rooftop that you’re mine, Finley.”
“I want that, too,” I reassured him. “What I don’t want is to mess up your chance to make it to the big game because of some unnecessary drama with my uncle.”
“Never thought I’d say this, but I’ve won the championship already. I could handle never making it to the big game again if that’s what it took to have you in my life.”
There was no missing the sincerity shining from his dark eyes, and my breath caught in my throat at the weightiness of his words. “You have no idea how much I appreciate you saying that, but you deserve both—another championship ring and me. I’m not going anywhere, so you don’t have to worry about that. And your teammates shouldn’t have to pay the price for us being together. They need you to be on your game if the Nighthawks are going to win.”
“Damn, I hate that you have a point.”
Flopping down against the mattress, I scooted closer and twined my arms around his neck. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s a damn good thing there are only a few more weeks until we win the championship, and I can claim my real prize…you,” he grumbled.
I hated making Rhodes feel as though he was a secret I was keeping, but I loved how easily he talked about our future together. “Although we haven’t gone public with our relationship yet, I hope you don’t have any doubts about me being yours.”
“Not even a little bit.” He brushed his lips against mine. “Which is why I made it clear last night before I popped your cherry—there’s no going back.”
“Now that we’ve got that settled, I should get up so I can get out of here before any of your teammates arrive.” What I really wanted was to cuddle in bed with Rhodes all day, but that sadly wasn’t an option. Not until the off-season.
“I also have no doubt that we can trust my friends to keep their mouths shut until the time is right to fill your uncle in on the fact that you’re mine,” he insisted.
“You’re sure?” I asked as hope that my day with him didn’t have to end so soon started to build.
“Yup.” He nodded, beaming a confident smile at me. “Brady is my best friend. He’d never do anything to hurt me. Gage has proven time and time again that he has my back on the field. He wouldn’t do something to cross it off the field, either. And Talia is head over heels for Brady. With the lure of double dates in her future, she’ll be rooting for us.”
“You really want me to meet them?”
“I don’t just want it, I need it,” he clarified. “It’ll help tame the possessive beast inside me that’s raging over the fact that we can’t be out in the open yet.”
There was only one answer I could give him. “Then I’ll stay.”
“Thanks for putting your trust in me, baby. It means a lot to me.”
Thinking about the state of his fridge when I’d gotten a peek inside last night—after we devoured most of the cheesecake and learning how hungry sex could make you—I scrambled off the mattress. “We better get moving so we have enough time to figure out what we’re feeding your friends. There isn’t much football party food around here.”
“I have it all under control.” Getting off the bed to head into his walk-in closet, Rhodes explained, “The caterer should drop off my order in about fifteen minutes. When you’re out of the shower, everything will be here.”
He handed me a Nighthawks sweatshirt several sizes too big for me but had his name and number on the back. “That’s one way to announce to your friends that we’re together.”
“So will the fact that I can’t keep my hands off you,” he pointed out as he tugged on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.