Her look of astonishment made Erin uneasy; her heart thudded painfully loud in her chest. “Yes.” In fact, Erin couldn’t remember the last time she’d wanted something more. If Lia said yes, she wouldn’t trade it for the quadruple—something she’d been wishing for her whole life. That was how much—impossibly—Lia had come to mean to her.
“I think I’m having a hard time believing my ears.” Lia leaned backwards, sitting on the floor with her legs outstretched. “Considering you’ve told me for months that you’d never be with one of your teammates.”
“I didn’t think I ever would be. Until I met you.”
“And what’s so special about me?”
“The fact that you have to ask me that, for one.” Erin shifted off the couch to kneel on the floor beside Lia’s feet. “You have no idea how remarkable you are.”
“I’m far from remarkable.”
“That’s not what every football journalist in the UK would say. You’re the best of the best, future winner of the Ballon d’Or.”
“We’re not talking about my sporting achievements.” Lia tilted her head to one side. “Or is that why you’re attracted to me?”
With a scoff, Erin crawled closer, straddling Lia’s legs but keeping her weight on her own knees. “Of course not. I play with incredible footballers day in and day out. I have for years. Do you think I’ve laid myself bare for them—physically and emotionally—like I have for you?”
“I don’t know.” Lia’s hands reached for Erin’s waist, pulling until her weight rested in Lia’s lap. “You haven’t answered my question.”
Looping her arms around Lia’s neck, Erin pressed their foreheads together. “What’s so special about you is everything, Lia. You’re kind, even when you have every reason not to be. You care so fiercely about the people around you, even when they don’t deserve it. You’re tenacious, and you’re not afraid to stand up for yourself. You’re smart—on and off the pitch, which is not something I can say for a lot of our fellow teammates. And you’re incredibly beautiful, too. Not to mention amazing in bed…”
A laugh huffed against Erin’s lips. “Speak for yourself.”
“You make me feel things I never thought I’d feel again. Things I didn’t know I was capable of. For so long, I was certain I was right to close myself off, that feeling things wasn’t worth it. And then you come along and blow all of that out of the water in a matter of months. How could I not find you remarkable? How could I possibly resist falling for you?”
“You really want to do this? Be with me?”
“More than anything.” Still, even with the way Lia was grasping at her hips, even hearing the hope in her voice, Erin struggled with doubt. “So the question is do you want that, too?”
* * *
Lia couldn’t believe Erin even had to ask that question.
Was it not obvious?
Had she not already shown how much she wanted her? How much she cared about her? How completely and utterly miserable Lia had been for the past two weeks when they weren’t talking?
“Of course I do.” She dragged Erin closer until she could feel the thud of Erin’s heart against her ribcage. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted you to ask me that?”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Why didn’t you?”
Erin laughed, and Lia closed the distance between them to kiss the laugh from her lips. It felt like coming home, like a breath of fresh air after being cooped up all day, like scoring the winning goal in a cup final.
She’d never dreamed she could have this with Erin. Never allowed herself to think of the possibility, knowing it was out of reach. But now it was within her grasp—Erin was within her grasp, her lips parting for Lia’s tongue, her skin warm between Lia’s fingertips, and her soft sighs music to Lia’s ears.
When Lia broke the kiss, not wanting to get too carried away, Erin chased her mouth, easing Lia backwards until she was flat against the floor, pinned by Erin’s body. She’d missed this so much.
The kiss wasn’t hurried, wasn’t heated—it was slow and languid, the tease of Erin’s tongue against hers warming Lia from the inside out.
Then, right in Lia’s ear, came a loud meow. It made her jump, a laugh bubbling from her lips as she pulled away from Erin to find Gerrard staring at them with wide brown eyes. “I think he might be telling us to get a room.”
“Or that it’s time for bed.” Still straddling Lia’s hips, Erin stretched her arms above her head. “It is late.”
A glance at the clock hanging above Erin’s fireplace revealed that it was nearly three a.m. She hated late away games for messing with her sleep schedule. At least Ayla had given them a day off to compensate—although, after the way they’d played, the coach probably couldn’t wait to haul them back into training and give them all a piece of her mind.
“Yeah. I should go upstairs.”
