Page 60 of Golden Goal

Chapter twenty-four

Holt

My heart races as I stand not so patiently waiting for the elevator, Becca’s hand in mine. It was an impulse to reach for her. But it feels natural to be holding hands with her. Like it was meant to be. Like we are meant to be. Which feels scary. Something I’m not letting myself worry about right now. I’m trying to stay in the moment and enjoy whatever is happening between us.

When she told me about her disastrous date, I almost asked for the guy’s name and address so I could pay him a visit, put him in his place. But I figured the Storm and Becca wouldn’t appreciate that, so I did the only thing I could think of and asked her to dinner.

“Where are we going?” Becca asks as the elevator doors slide open and we step inside.

I push the button for the ground floor, tugging her closer to me.

What the fuck am I doing?

Is she okay with me touching her this way? She hasn’t pushed me away yet. Told me she doesn’t want me touching her. But maybe she’s waiting until later to yell at me about it.

The way Kat would have.

Except Becca is not my ex.

“What are you in the mood to eat, sweetheart?”

“I-I don’t know.” She pulls her hand from mine. “Anywhere is fine. This is just dinner, right? Two friends having dinner together.”

“Is that all you want it to be?”

She bites down on her bottom lip, and it takes everything in me not to reach over and pull it free, or lean down and kiss her.

Again.

“We work together.”

“And? Look me in the eyes, and tell me you didn’t feel something between us when we kissed.” I hold up a hand before she can protest. “I know I was your patient before, and I get it. But I’m not now. So tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you really and truly don’t like me as more than a friend, and I’ll drop it. I promise.”

She stares at me silently for a minute, her mouth gaping open. “I felt it too.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

The elevator doors open, and we step out into the lobby. Once outside, I put my hand on Becca’s lower back, guide her toward my SUV, and help her in.

“I like you,” Becca says when I climb into the driver’s seat. “But I come with a lot of baggage, and I don’t want you or Hazel to get hurt because of me.”

“Oh-kay,” I say, my mind reeling, wondering why and how she thinks I could get hurt because of her. “You’re not alone in the baggage department. My ex wasn’t exactly the greatest.”

Understatement of the year.

“Can we take things slow?”

“Of course.”

She nods but doesn’t say anything else and neither do I, simply enjoying being in her company.

“How do you feel about tacos? Hunter is always raving about this taco place, but I haven’t been yet,” I say as I head toward the main road.

“I’m always up for tacos.”

“Good.”

I pull up the address and plug it into my GPS. Huh. I didn’t realize how close it was. If the food is as good as Hunter says, I’ll definitely be adding it to the rotation of places I eat at.