Erin wasn’t sure how to cope if she didn’t.
Never before had she put herself out like that, admitted such a weakness as not being able to get someone off her mind. But at the same time, it was freeing. To stop hiding, to stop denying, to reach for something that she wanted even if there was a chance she wouldn’t get it.
Because she couldn’t carry on the way she had been without at least trying to make something work. Couldn’t keep watching Lia at training, day in and day out, and craving her. Their entanglement couldn’t possibly be any more distracting than that—not if they were both on the same page about what it meant.
When Erin had left the restaurant—the first of the team to slip away—Lia had been ignoring some of the girls’ attempts to drag her out for drinks. Had they been successful? Had she chosen to spend the evening with them rather than with Erin?
The knock came before Erin’s thoughts could spiral further, exactly seventy-two minutes after she’d arrived home. She wiped her clammy palms on her black sweatpants before crossing her living room to open it.
“Sorry,” was the first word out of Lia’s mouth, a smile on her lips. “I couldn’t get away until I’d had at least one drink with them.”
“It’s okay,” Erin said like she hadn’t spent the last hour panicking she’d scared Lia away. “Come in.” She waved Lia past her, watching her shrug out of her jacket and hang it on the rack beside her front door.
She admired the muscles in Lia’s shoulders, the way her high-waisted black jeans were moulded to her skin. Erin was hoping she could peel them off.
Lia turned, visibly taking in Erin’s appearance as she leaned against her kitchen island. “You got changed.”
“You expect me to sit around for an hour in jeans? Those come off as soon as I walk through the door. What’s the matter? Don’t like me casual?”
Biting her lip, Lia’s gaze traced over Erin’s arms, bared by her tight white tank. It lingered on her hips and the sliver of skin left bare by the sweatpants. “I’d like you in anything. But I particularly like you naked.”
“Is that how you would have preferred me to answer the door?”
“Mm, now there’s an idea.” Lia drew closer until her arms bracketed Erin’s hips, but still held herself a few inches away. “That would have been a good birthday present.”
“Not sure what the neighbours would have to say about it, though.”
“That’s true. Wouldn’t want that to be in the next news cycle. What would the fans say?”
Having Lia so close was utterly intoxicating. Thinking she could deny this pull had been madness—Erin had been powerless to resist it ever since the moment their lips had met for the first time.
“Oh, I bet they’d love it,” Erin said. “They’d come up with a name for us.”
“Fincroft?”
“Ashnch doesn’t have the same ring to it.”
Lia laughed, pressing closer, but she had a serious glint in her eye. “That’s not what this is, though, is it? It’s just sex?”
“I didn’t realise that was a question. That’s not what you want, is it?” Her heart thudded, panicking that Lia might have read more into things than Erin had intended. “Because I’m not cut out for a relationship. I thought you—”
Lia pressed her finger to Erin’s lips, the glint in her eye turning to one of amusement. “Calm down. After my last attempt, that’s not exactly something I’m after right now. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. Maybe make some ground rules?”
“Ground rules?”
Lia trailed her finger from Erin’s lips to her jaw, then down the side of her neck.
It made Erin shiver, her train of thought temporarily forgotten. “Do you want a written contract? Signed by both parties?”
“You are so…” Lia blew out a breath, shaking her head. “I can’t believe I’m attracted to you.”
Erin gripped Lia’s hips, tugging her close and erasing the scant few inches between them. “But you are.”
“I am.” The words were murmured against Erin’s neck, with Lia’s lips against her skin. Then she leaned back, turning narrowed eyes onto Erin. “That’s payback for the kiss you gave me in the bathroom. Do you have any idea how much that turned me on?”
Erin palmed Lia’s ass, making her groan. “I’m hoping I’m going to find out.”
“I’m serious about rules,” Lia said, though her hips arched against Erin’s thigh. “Last time things went sour because we didn’t communicate properly.”
