“Taryn.”
Going with the easy thing, I whispered, “I’m not very experienced.” Pulling my lips between my teeth, I gave myself a second, then I added, “I don’t want to disappoint you.”
With a shake of his head, he gave me a gentle smile. “For the first time in my life, I just came in my jeans from dry-humping a girl.” Lowering his head, he pecked a hard kiss on my mouth. “You did that to me. You, Taryn. When we get naked with each other, I might actually go off like a bomb.” He tangled his fingers in my hair. “One thing I know for a fact won’t happen is you disappointing me.”
He sat back on his knees and moved my legs so we could sit on my couch. With a shake of his head, he stared down at a small dark circle on his crotch. “Can’t believe I lost control like that,” he said to himself. Silver-gray eyes found mine. “Maybe this shouldn’t surprise me so much.”
Tilting my head, I asked, “Why?”
“I feel like I’ve waited for you forever. Now I know I have a chance with you, I got overexcited.” He ran a hand through his hair, which after two and a half months was now down to his shoulders. “Kinda like the first time Coach Ellis put me in a game when I totally overshot my route. Patty has a cannon for an arm, but even he can’t pass an accurate ball fifty yards.”
He chuckled.
Turning serious, Danny slid his arm across my shoulders and pulled me in close to his side. “Now that we’re together we have all the time in the world. I promise to be patient, T. I’ve already waited five years, so I’m good at it.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. “And you are so worth the wait.”
Oh, Danny. I hope you’re notwrong.
?Chapter Twenty-Four
?Danny
After we beatour rivals the Golden Bears and won the conference championship, it was on to the postseason—the goal of every team in the league. Despite the drama going on between that jersey chaser Tory Miller, Callahan, and Jamaica (his girlfriend), and despite the girl problems both Bax and Finn seemed to be having at the moment, football was going well. Other than confining our sex life to intense make-out sessions, things between me and T were going well too. Even with my whack schedule of practice, games, and shifts at the tire shop, I was carrying a solid A- average GPA. What I didn’t count on was missing Thanksgiving with the Hamiltons.
Starting with Thanksgiving my senior year of high school, and continuing to whenever I was home on leave, I spent holidays with Taryn and her family. The captain grumbled about me being ungrateful and not spending those days with him, but from the time I was eight, when he’d split with my mom and taken me with him, we’d never done anything special on holidays. We ate takeout and watched football on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I couldn’t remember finding even one Easter basket after we left my mom. Forget about the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. The captain expected his son to grow up a real man in the real world. It didn’t matter that at the time I was still a little kid.
Spending holidays with Taryn and her family showed me what I’d missed. My mouth watered at the thought of Mrs.Hamilton’s roasted turkey with all the sides: garlic mashed potatoes, sausage dressing, green beans and bacon swimming in cheese sauce, sweet potato casserole, and pumpkin pie with real whipped cream she demanded I whip as my contribution to dinner. Somewhere along the line, I’d learned some manners and always asked to bring something. When I was still in high school, I’d stop at the bakery and pick up homemade rolls. Since turning twenty-one, I arrived with a couple of bottles of good wine.
This year, I’d be joining the chow line with the rest of my teammates and watching the pros play on the big screen in the film room of the facility. With our first playoff game scheduled for the Saturday following Thanksgiving, we’d be practicing the day before, the morning of, and the day after the holiday in preparation for our opening shot at the national championship. While I definitely wanted to play in these big games, I wasn’t looking forward to spending the holiday away from my girl and her family—or to it being eerily similar to the holidays I’d spent in the Air Force when I didn’t have leave.
When I stopped by the Coffee Kiosk after finishing a shift at the tire shop on Tuesday afternoon, Taryn surprised me. Instead of her usual “hello, hottie” greeting when I walked in, she caught sight of me and blurted, “I took a shift for my boss. I’m working Saturday morning so I can make the game on Saturday afternoon.” A monster grin lit up her gorgeous face.
Leaning in close to where she stood at the register, I said, “You aren’t going to be home with your family for the weekend?”
With a shrug she shot me a coy look from beneath her brows. “I’m spending Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon with them. I’ll be back up here on Friday night.”
“Friday night, huh? When were you going to tell me?”
A customer walked in behind me, and I stepped to the side to let them order. While I watched Taryn make a pair of caramel lattes, I repeated my question.
“You were going to tell me this when?”
“Even though the Wildcats make the playoffs about every year, this is your first year with the team. I don’t want to interfere with your pregame preparations.” She finished making the drinks, set them on the counter, and called the person’s name. Catching the incredulous expression on my face, she set her fists on her hips and glared back at me. “I’m trying to be a supportive girlfriend here.”
“By not telling me you’re going to be in town on Friday night?”
“I’m going to be at the game on Saturday. Isn’t that what’s important?”
“Spending time with you is what’s important, T. What time will you be in town on Friday night?”
“Late. I’m going to the Christmas parade with my sisters—unless it snows. Then I’ll head back here right after it finishes.”
In my pocket, the alarm on my phone vibrated, telling me to head to practice. “Look, I stopped by to see if we could see each other tonight before you head home tomorrow. Mind if I come over after practice?”
She shifted her feet. “I have a paper to write.”
I grinned. “I’ll bring homework.”
As usual in the weeks since we’d admitted our feelings to each other, our Tuesday evening study session ended with me on top of T, making out on her couch. Since she tensed up anytime I mentioned getting naked together, I’d been taking it super-slow with her. But I’d also been letting her know I wanted her. I had no idea if it was the thought we wouldn’t be seeing each other for three days or that she wished as much as I did that we’d be spending the holiday together, but whatever the reason, when I tugged at her camisole—which left a lot less to my imagination than she maybe thought it did—she let me lift it off her.
