The moment I got off the plane, I dropped my stuff at my apartment and rushed over here. The only stop I made was at the flower shop down the block, grabbing a bouquet of roses for the girl who occupied my every waking thought.
So fucking stupid. I played professional ball in front of millions of people for the better part of the year, yet standing here, in front of Brianna, made my palms sweat like never before.
She arched a brow as she stared back at me, shock coloring all her features. Even in casual gym clothes with her hair tossed over her shoulder, she was the mostbeautiful woman I’d ever seen. Our time apart had only increased the need pulsing in my chest, making me crave her like no one else in the world.
Brianna continued to stare at me as my words settled between us. After the longest silence of my life, she finally smiled, leaning against the other side of the door. “And what if I did leave you out here?”
I held out the flowers and appraised them.Fucking roses. The woman at the stall insisted they were the best, but now, the gesture seemed like too much, especially given the casualness of our relationship. But the red color called to me, reminding me of the dress Brianna wore the last time I saw her.
Searching my memories, I tried to remember the last time I bought flowers for a woman. Outside of my sister and her wife, it had been a good five years. I smiled, trying to hide my anxiety under my cocky grin. “Then I wouldn’t be able to give you these. Pity.”
Brianna rolled her eyes, but took the flowers from my hand. She leaned forward, smelling the bouquet with a serene smile. I could only watch, too transfixed by her to consider doing anything else. “Thank you,” she said. “They’re beautiful.”
You’re beautiful.
I cleared my throat, trying to keep those words inside. “Saw them and thought of you. Figured if you were avoiding me, it might be a good first step to earning your forgiveness.”
She shook her head. “I’m not avoiding you, Damien. I was just trying to clear my head a little...”
“Was the gift too much?” I asked, anxiety climbing through my chest. Fucking Drobrek. He’d made the trek to a little romance bookstore to look for a surprise forOllie and dragged me along. But when I walked in and saw the set of books on display, I recognized the name from talking with Bri. She’d spent almost an hour explaining how she needed to move to Montana and find herself a family of hot, broody hockey players. I then spent the hour after reminding her why her baseball player was a better option. Without a second thought, I grabbed them and a bunch of other things that reminded me of Brianna. It hurt my soul a little to spend that much money on books about hockey players, not baseball, but it was worth it to make her smile.
The last thing I added to the box before sealing it—and what I was most nervous about—was the jersey.
Brianna reached out and gave me a tight hug. “Not at all. I loved every part, especially the books. I’m shocked you remembered.”
“As if I’d ever forget that night.” I smirked, pulling back to search her eyes. God, I fucking missed her. Just being around her melted away the tension, and my entire body relaxed.
She reached down and linked our fingers. “Why don’t you come in?”
I glanced behind her, and my feet almost moved toward her, all too tempted knowing what might happen behind closed doors. But for the first time in a long time, that wasn’t what I wanted. “I have a better idea,” I said as I held my hand out for Brianna. “Let me treat you to lunch.”
“Lunch?” Brianna asked, staring at my hand like it was poisonous. “We don’t do stuff like that. Besides, I thought you weren’t supposed to be photographed with anyone. What are you going to say if someone catches us?”
“The team wants me to stay away from clubs and too messy hook-ups, I think they’ll be fine withus grabbing some food.” I shrugged. “It’s just lunch, Bri. You need to eat, I need to eat. Let’s not overthink it.”
She continued to stare at me, trying to decipher the hidden meaning in my offer. If the situation were reversed, I might do the same thing. But as much as I loved being with Brianna, today, I was taking Parker’s advice to show her what a relationship between us might be like. Even more, I wanted to talk to her, to understand her better, to figure out why she had such a hold on me. Eventually, Brianna smiled. “Okay, lunch sounds nice. But careful, Damien. Between the flowers and the invitation, you’re making this sound like a date.”
A sourness coated the back of my tongue, but I swallowed it down, keeping up my sly smirk. “Wouldn’t dream of it, angel.”
As she walked inside, mentioning something about finding her purse and a vase for the flowers, I stood in the hall, contemplating her words. A date. Was that what this was? I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone on an actual date. It had to be with Talia, but even with her, it was always more like fancy dinners or a show. We’d spent a lot of time out of the house, enjoying the Manhattan nightlife a little too much. There weren’t many quiet moments just the two of us. Realization washed over me as I looked back on our relationship, seeing it with fresh eyes. Even though I loved Talia—it might have been more about loving having someone as opposed to the woman at my side. I’d hardly taken the time to explore her beyond the surface, and yet it seemed like enough to build our lives around.
But as Brianna walked back out of the door to stand at my side, I couldn’t help but think abouthow I wanted so much more.
“This might bethe best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
I snorted, sucking back a piece of my taco into my throat. My breath sputtered around the piece of food, desperate to breathe again.God, please do not let me go out like this—not by choking on a piece of carne asada because Brianna has no idea what she just said.
As I coughed up the remnants of my food, Brianna flew to my back, thumping between my shoulder blades. When the offending piece of meat came flying out, she pulled up my face, trying to hide her smirk as she looked me over.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I said through rasped breaths. “Next time, save comments like that for after I’m finished. You tried to kill me, woman.”
“Can’t do that. Pretty sure that would make this the worst date ever.”
The same delectable blush filled her cheeks, and I liked being the one to cause it. I swallowed the thought, trying to keep my head together.This was not a date.Despite the slip of her tongue, Brianna made that clear as we walked to the park by her apartment. She asked multiple times until I almost got offended.
Brianna shook her head as she sat down on her side of the picnic table. The rest of the park was quiet today, and we were the only ones close to where my favorite food truck loved to park. In less than an hour, the whole place would be swarmed with the lunch rush, but for now, I got to enjoy my time with Brianna uninterrupted.
