“Can I text you?”
She nods again.
Grinning, I gently grab her face with both of my hands and pull her in for another kiss. “Good. That’s good. If you need anything—anything at all—just let me know, okay? I asked Ed to keep an eye out for you, too, while I’m gone. He’ll be working security at the door most of the week.”
Mira leans forward, stealing another kiss, before she looks up at me with bright eyes and pink cheeks. She’s a fucking vision, naked and beautiful, open and eager, with a hint of shyness. She’s everything. “Thanks, Griffy. I’ll be fine.”
“I know you will be,” I tell her honestly. “Doesn’t mean I won’t worry. I—” Fuck. I have to stop myself from sayingIlove you.It’s too soon, and I know it, but I’m shaken by the realization that Iwantto say it. “I’ll miss you.”
The pink in her cheeks deepens. “I’ll miss you too. Be safe, okay?”
I kiss her one last time as my phone buzzes again. “I will. You too, baby.”
“Tell Sebastian I say hi.” Mira offers me a soft smile, shivering slightly as I step away. She grabs the comforter and wraps it around herself. I’ve never been so jealous of an inanimate object.
“I will. Call you tonight, okay? Text me whenever.” I take a reluctant step away.
“I will. Now get out of here before Bash gets frustrated.”
That makes me chuckle. Sebastian Navarro is one of the most patient men I know. Even if he got frustrated with me, he’d never admit it. She’s right, though, I need to go. With one last, lingering look at my beautiful wife, I finally turn and head to the door. I grab my duffel bag and suitcase, forcing myself to get into the elevator and head down to the lobby. I say goodbye to Ed and thank him for looking out for Mira before bracing myself for the late-winter temperatures.
Sebastian pops the tailgate of his SUV when he sees me. I toss my stuff in the back next to his, then climb into the passenger seat.
“Hey, man, sorry about that.”
He shrugs. “No worries. Wake up late?”
“Nah, just running a little behind.” My mind is still filled with my naked wife as my teammate pulls onto the road and heads toward the airstrip the team’s plane will leave from. “Thanks for picking me up.”
“Sure thing,” Bash says. “Mira’s car still in the shop?” I filled Sebastian in on the situation with Mira’s car when I asked him for a ride. Obviously, I didn’t tell him I was the one paying forthe repairs, but I did tell him I wanted to leave her my car for the week.
“Yeah. Not sure when it’ll be done. That thing is old as hell. I worry about her driving it.”
Bash glances at me from the corner of his eye, one brow rising. “She’s a big girl, Griffin. And if she needs help, she can always ask her brother. I don’t think you need to worry about her.”
His words make me bristle, and even though I know he doesn’t realize he’s poking at a sore spot, he is. Because I want to tell him I have every reason to worry about Mira. That she’s my goddamn wife, and it’s myjobto worry about her. No, not my job, myprivilegeto worry about her. But I can’t say any of that. Not without obliterating the tentative trust I’m building with her.
“She’s my roommate,” I say instead. “And my friend. I’d be an asshole if I didn’t worry about her at least a little bit.” I’m going for nonchalant with my tone, but if the way Bash looks at me is any indication, I don’t quite achieve it.
“Right. She’s your friend.” The way he says the wordfriendhas me shifting uncomfortably in my seat. Does he suspect something? The guy is way too perceptive, but he’s also a genuinely good guy, so he won’t make accusations without proof. Still, it gets my hackles up.
“You trying to say something, Navarro?”
Sebastian runs a hand through his dark hair. Light from streetlamps and the headlights of oncoming traffic bounce across his face as he drives. “Just that you and Mira are both adults. And you’ve been different since she moved in with you. More focused, settled. Like you’re finally comfortable in your own skin in a way I’ve never seen in all the years we’ve known each other. And Mira? She seems happy. It was obvious that things ending with her ex shook her confidence a bit. But sinceshe started living with you, she’s got her light back.” He glances at me. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you don’t even spare a glance at any woman that isn’t her.”
Shifting uncomfortably in my seat, I shrug. “She’s Maddox’s little sister. And she’s my friend.”
“Is that all she is, though?”
“He’d kill me,” I respond, unwilling to answer the question. Bash will see right through me if I lie.
My friend and our goalie hums. “Maybe. But if you were serious about her and she was serious about you? He’d get over it. He only wants what’s best for her. And you.”
“He wants to set her up with his agent’s nephew,” I say, some of the bitterness I feel about that leaking into my tone. “Because he’s serious and responsible and the kind of guy Maddox thinks Mira needs.”
Sebastian’s eyebrows rise. “And you’re not serious and responsible?”
“Am I?” I bark out a bitter laugh. “Or am I just the fuckboy comedic relief?”
