He rolled to the edge of the bed, swinging his feet to the floor. I made a sound that closely resembled a whine, although it most certainly wasn’t one. I reached out for him, catching air as he was already out of bed and halfway to the shower.
His denial stung, but he was right, we didn’t have time to fool around. If I followed him into the bathroom, we’d wind up taking three times as long as if we showered separately, and he’d have to grab breakfast from the airport cafe.
While he cleaned up and got ready, I hefted his suitcase down the stairs and started a pot of coffee. As soon as there was enough in the pot to pour a cup, I filled my mug, drinking fast enough I scalded my throat. “Dammit!”
“Everything okay down there?” Lincoln called out.
Hell no, everything wasn’t okay. Linc was getting ready to leave and I was a selfish prick because I resented the week we’d be apart. One week, just seven fucking days, and I was being a whiny dick about missing him. I really had turned into a sap.
“I’m fine, just burned my damn vocal cords,” I called back as I tossed some sausage links into the frying pan. It wasn’t the deluxe fare Linc made for me before I left for work, but it was the best I could do.
Linc slid up behind me, pressing his chest against my back as he kissed the side of my neck. I moaned, because he’d already taken sex off the table for this morning.
Hmm, table sex. No. Do not think about sex.
Linc chuckled as I squirmed, trying to get away before I spun around to molest him and make him miss his flight. “Stop that. I tried for goodbye sex. You said no.”
“Very true,” he agreed, still grinding his semi-hard dick against ass. “But that’s what you get for not coming home with me.”
I tensed, wondering when this was going to come up again. I hadn’t argued when Linc said he needed to go home for Thanksgiving. It made sense, since we were trying to do what we could to not disrupt his relationship with Hunter.
The original plan had been for us to stay home for Christmas, too, but when Isabella’s plans changed, so did ours. He’d asked me to fly down with him, but I wasn’t ready for the big family holidays. The compromise, which had been suggested by Hunter, was that they celebrate early and Linc would fly home to spend Christmas with me. “You know I can’t miss work.”
“You could,” he argued.
“No, I really can’t take time off right now,” I countered, ducking under Linc’s arm. I needed space. What was supposed to be a nice morning was quickly turning sour. “We’re fighting for a wild card spot and it’s my job to make sure every player’s ready to go.”
“And there’s no game this weekend,” he pointed out. Leave it to me to fall for a guy who knew as much as I did about football and what went on behind the scenes. “Whether you’re there or not, those guys are already in vacation mode. The workouts they do will be enough to get by, but no one’s going to be pushing themselves. It’s not worth it on an off week.”
I hated that he was right. It pissed me off that so many of the players were already trying to weasel their way out of training for the week. They might not be in game prep mode, but that didn’t mean any of them could afford to slack off. I didn’t want to admit how much of my frustration this morning was over work, not Linc. But dammit, he didn’t have to side with the players.
“Hey, I’m sorry,” Linc apologized, grabbing my arm when I tried to sneak past him. He pulled me tight against his chest, peppering the side of my face with kisses. I had no clue when it’d happened, but I’d become a sucker for those sweet little pecks. Nothing sexual, just his way of letting me know he cared. “I know it irritates the hell out of you when players think they know better than you what needs to be done. And I shouldn’t be making you feel like shit for wanting to stay here.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” I agreed, my annoyance dissipating. “On the upside, you’ll be back for Christmas. Hunter’s really going skiing with some friends?”
“Yeah, and don’t get me started on that,” Linc grumbled. The corner of my mouth turned up in a smirk, pleased with myself for showing him that I wasn’t the only one who got annoyed by shit I couldn’t control. “I’m serious, Nix. What happens if he breaks a leg or something? He’s got to be back to school next week so they can head to Texas for their bowl game.”
As much as I loved football, part of me had been hoping Hunter’s team didn’t make it to a bowl game. That meant Linc was going to be gone for New Year’s, and I wanted that kiss at midnight. Stupid, just like most of my thoughts lately, but that was one of the perks of being in love.
Linc wouldn’t say it, but I knew he was getting tired of being pulled in so many directions. I had a feeling Hunter’s sudden plans had more to do with trying to make his dad’s life easier than with him wanting to spend Christmas freezing his ass off. Hunter wasn’t stupid; there was no way he was going to risk getting hurt right before the final game of his college career if he still entered the draft.
If his son was willing to shift things around to make Lincoln’s life easier, why couldn’t I? Maybe this was another one of those compromise moments and I should meet him halfway. “If you really want the three of us to spend Christmas together, I’ll talk to Teddy. I might not be able to get down there for a day or two, but if you’re in town, maybe Hunter will stay back.”
“Thanks, but I’m not going to ask you to do that.” The glint in his eyes told me offering had been the right thing to do, even if he turned me down. And maybe it was. Maybe I was getting better as this communication thing. “I’m going to spend some time with Hunter, we’ll visit Patrick’s family, and I’ll be home for Christmas.”
I started humming the tune, vanquishing any lingering tension between us as I plated Linc’s breakfast. I’d make myself something at a more decent hour. After he ate, I quickly washed his plate and fork while he packed up his laptop.
I stared at the empty spot at the counter, reminding myself that this was just like all the other trips he’d taken home. He wasn’t leaving the computer this time because he wanted to work with Patrick on a way to help future players stay safe. I was proud of him for finding something he could be so passionate about. His agent wasn’t pleased with him backing out of a few speaking gigs, but this was important to Linc; it was a chance for him to make a real difference.
We rode in silence to the airport. When I pulled up at the departures terminal, Linc stared straight ahead. Something was bothering him, but I didn’t know what and wasn’t going to push for him to share. There wasn’t time for a lengthy conversation with airport police already pulling up behind me, ready to tell me to kick Linc out and get moving. I leaned in for a quick kiss. “We’re good, right?”
“Yeah, we’re fine,” he responded. “I’m just sick of airports. Sick of flying back and forth. In a way, it’ll be nice when Hunter’s done playing for a while and we can see if he wants to come up here for a change.”
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. Somehow, I hadn’t thought about Hunter coming to North Carolina. He was a part of Linc’s world that was an abstract most of the time. Sure, I knew he was there and I wasn’t happy when Linc flew back to Alabama, but I hadn’t had to worry too much about flaunting our relationship in his son’s face.
If he came up to visit, there was no way in hell I was going to play the friends game with Linc in the comfort of my own home. Still, Linc needed to know I was okay with him inviting whoever he wanted to visit. “Yeah, that’d be great.”
“You’re a crappy liar.” Lincoln laughed, before pulling me in for another kiss. This one deeper, his tongue delving into the deepest recesses of my mouth, as though trying to imprint my flavor to his memory. “But I love you for at least trying to be okay with all the baggage that comes with my life.”
