“You okay?” I whisper.
“More than,” she replies against my lips.
Her laugh fills the room as she flips me onto my back and straddles my waist with the quiet kind of confidence that undoes me. The air isknocked from my lungs as I watch her. She’s stunning up there, braids flowing around her body that’s glittering with sweat in the pale light. Her confidence swells when she catches me watching her, and I know she sees the love in my eyes.
This is the kind of intimacy that only comes from knowing someone’s bodyandtheir heart.
“Ready?” she asks, aligning herself with me.
Not trusting myself to speak, I nod. My fingers sink into her toned thighs as she lowers herself onto me with a satisfied moan. It may have been two years since we did this last, but we still fit perfectly together. We always did, and we always will.
I bring her face down to mine. “I love you.”
“And I love you.”
The hand I slide between us expertly finds her clit, and she sighs into my mouth. Our movements start to shift to something faster and more erratic, chasing something we can only reach together.
“C-Cade,” she stutters.
“I know, baby. Me too.”
I match her pace, thrusting up into her as she pushes herself down against me. It’s only when our lips meet again that I feel her pussy flutter around my dick, and she has no other choice but to fall apart.
And I’m right there with her.
Limp with exhaustion and completely sated, my body sinks deeper into the plush mattress. I reach out to pull her closer, but she pops up and looks at the bedroom door.
She sniffs once. Then again. “What’s that burning smell?”
“Son of a . . .” There’s no time, so I leap out of bed. “My bacon!”
The melodious sound of her laugh follows me all the way to the kitchen. “You’re never allowed to cook here again! Never!”
Chapter Forty-Two
Baja Breeze is warmin that way only old family places are, with bright yellow tables, hand-painted tiles, and orange vinyl booths that squeak when you shift too much, like I am right now.
Maybe that’s why I chose Baja Breeze to finally close this chapter. It has always felt safe. From the owners, Maribel and Eduardo, letting us eat in the private room upstairs after practice, to the constant buzz of happy families.
This is the softest place to release the hard thing I’ve been carrying.
The door chimes as it opens, and I raise my hand at the woman gliding toward me. It’s only seven in the morning, but Summer looks as chipper as the painted sunflowers on the walls.
“Nice dice,” she breathes, looking down at the small cubes sitting in front of me for moral support. As she falls into the booth across from me, her hand is already deep inside her bag. The gray recorder is placed between us, but she doesn’t turn it on. Instead, she cocks her brow at me. “Andy said you wanted to talk to me about something important. Must be pretty big if you’re missing another series.”
“It is.” I slide a steaming mug of coffee across the table to her. “More important than any game.”
She wraps her hands around the white ceramic cup and grins. “Now I’m intrigued.” After taking a drink, she still doesn’t reach for the recorder. “How’s my favorite sports agent doing?”
The thought of Shay brings a smile to my lips. A big part of my decision to meet with Summer is because of her. In two weeks, the life Shay created for herself imploded, and every day since has reminded me why I admire her. She screamed and cried and then got back up. She doesn’t regret fighting for her clients because everything she did was done with love. She doesn’t regret going for Garrett Blane or the promotion, because she gave it her all. She doesn’t regret quitting because she knows it was the right decision.
If she can face the world headfirst, I’ll do the same.
“She’s Shay,” is the best answer I can give.
And thankfully, Summer seems pleased by it. “Tough as hell.”
I nod in agreement and gesture at her recorder. “I’m ready when you are.”
