But Bettie was alone, lying on top of the bed, with her cell in her hands.
“My darling. Come in.” Her deep-burgundy-painted lips pulled wide.
I stopped at the side of the bed and held the railing that framed the top of her mattress. “Before things get busy, I wanted to come in and say goodbye. Notgoodbyegoodbye, I know I’ll be seeing lots more of you. Just goodbye for now.”
Her hand went to my cheek, her thumb grazing my skin. “My gal, that smile ...”
“I forgot lipstick. It’s somewhere in my bag—”
“You don’t need it. If I had your lips, I wouldn’t cover them in anything.” She removed her red glasses and set them on her lap, her stare never leaving mine in the process.
I put my hand on top of hers. “Thank you.”
She was silent for a few seconds, her head tilting, her gaze deepening. “Happiness looks beautiful on you.”
“How do you know my smile isn’t a lie?”
“My dear girl ...” She patted my cheek before linking her fingers with mine. “I’ve seen the lie, and right now I’m witnessing the truth.”
Chapter Eighteen
Gavin
A couple of months ago, I never would have thought I would drop my son off at his grandparents’ to pick up a woman I was seeing, standing outside her apartment building, waiting for her to come down so I could take her to my place for the night. I never would have thought I’d spend two days planning an evening she wouldn’t ever forget.
But here I fucking was.
And as Emily walked through the door and stepped onto the sidewalk, the first thing I noticed was that she had a surprise for me. It wasn’t in a box, wrapped in paper with a bow.
It was on her body.
Goddamn it, this woman was fucking perfect.
The moment she was within reach, I pulled her against me, my lips pressing to hers before she could even get a word out. Even though the taste wasn’t enough, I pulled my face back so my eyes could take another dip down the front of her.
“Where did you get that T-shirt?”
Instead of the Deers T-shirt I’d asked her to wear, she had on Tampa’s logo and colors.
“I went shopping.” That smile, it was fucking beautiful. She locked her hands behind my head. “I know the Bears is your team, owner-wise,but since you played for Tampa, I figured this would be a little more special.” She rubbed her palms down my chest.
“The only thing better would be if my name and number were on the back.”
She pushed against my pecs. “You’re saying you’d love that?”
The thought alone had me grabbing her ass. “I would.”
She wiggled out of my grip and turned around, lifting her long blond hair to show me my name at the top of the T-shirt, spanning across her shoulders, and my number below in the center.
“Emily ...” I pulled her back against me, my arms crossing her chest, and in her ear, I whispered, “What are you trying to do to me?”
“I just went in for a shirt. When I saw this one, I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to wear you ... that’s all.”
“I like that. I like that a whole lot.” I kissed her neck, her warm scent so heavy in that spot. “I cannot wait to take it off you.” I released her to turn her toward me. “But that isn’t going to happen until much later.”
She bit her bottom lip. “What do you have planned?”
“You’re still not getting that answer out of me.” I opened the door to the back seat and climbed in after her.
