Page 20 of Everything In Between

SIXTEEN

hayes

“What are you thinking about?” I ask Jersey, gently dragging my finger across her cheek and along the soft skin of her jaw.

Her cheeks are flushed a beautiful rosy color, her brown eyes warm and welcoming as she stares up at me. “Nothing,” she says wistfully as her lips curl into a smile. “I’m happy you’re here.”

“I’m happy I’m here too,” I say softly. She runs her hand over the planes of my chest. “I gotta say, I loved having you at the game tonight. I feel like it really pushed me to play my best.”

“I don’t think you needed me there to do that.”

I shrug. “Maybe, maybe not. But it was kind of thrilling knowing you were there watching and cheering me on as I played down on the field.”

“I make a pretty good Hayes Vogt cheerleader, if I do say so myself,” she says, her voice light.

“And that number eighteen does look good on you,” I say low in my throat as I peer down at my number over her chest. I hum to myself, tracing over the white vinyl with one finger.

Looking back up at her, I study every feature of her face now that I have the chance to with her so close.

Her skin is flawless, a few freckles dotting the bridge of her nose.

She has a dimple on her left cheek that appears when she grins at me or laughs a true laugh. “You’re so beautiful, Jersey.”

She preens under my praise, her eyes widening and her breath hitching. Cupping her cheek, I tilt her jaw up until her rosy lips brush against mine. Our breaths mingle and I can taste the white wine she’s been sipping on this evening.

“Hayes—” she whispers against my lips.

“Yeah,” I murmur.

My heartbeat hammers in my ears, a touch quicker than normal. Her eyelashes flutter closed, and she sucks in a sharp breath, tilting her lips closer to me, brushing against mine once more.

She opens her eyes again, staring directly into my soul. Her tongue darts out to wet her lips and I groan low in my throat as my eyes track her movement.

“Kiss me,” she whispers.

I don’t need to be told twice.

My fingers slide from the angle of her jaw above her ear and into her hair. Gently gripping the strands of her thick hair, I pull her toward me, capturing her lips with mine.

The kiss earlier at the stadium was incredible, but this kiss is life changing.

I take my time now, getting the chance to be entirely consumed by Jersey Matthews, tasting her, learning her, indulging in her.

My hands circle her waist and I draw her down on the couch until she’s laying on her side, facing me where my back is pressed against the cushions.

She goes for my mouth again, claiming my lips in a way that sends desire shooting down my spine.

My fingers inch up the hem of her shirt where I find the delicate small of her back and the two little indentations there.

I trace little circles until I feel goosebumps rise on her smooth skin.

She arches her spine where I’m caressing her and my hand moves from the small of her back up to her rib cage. The pad of my thumb brushes against the edge of her bra and she lets out a little gasp. I pull away from her mouth only to kiss her on the jaw, at the juncture of her neck and her shoulder.

She arches again, wiggling until my hand moves from her side to cup the front of her breast. With a satisfied sigh, she kisses me again, deeply, passionately.

My hand squeezes her breast over the thin satin of her bra and she moans into my mouth.

Her nipple hardens under my hand through the fabric.

Carefully, I swirl my thumb over the hard peak and she makes another delicious little noise against my lips.

I’m dying to discover every minute detail about her.

I want to know what she’s like first thing in the morning, if she rolls out of bed ready to take on the day or if she lounges lazily, easing into the day.

I want to know if she’s routine-oriented, or if she does whatever feels right in the moment, switching it up on a whim.

More intimately, I want to know what positions are her favorite, how she feels when she’s standing right on the precipice of an orgasm.

I ache to know what she sounds like when she’s seconds away from coming.

Or what she looks like as she detonates from the pleasure coursing through her body.

Cupping her breast again in my hand, I resolve that we have all the time in the world to learn and explore every little detail in every capacity.

I don’t want to rush into sex with her—heaven forbid she thinks that’s all I’m interested in with her.

I’d rather take my time, ease into whatever this is, let the burn simmer for a while before jumping in.

If there’s anything I know for certain, it’s that I want her heart, I want her mind, and I want her love.

We will inevitably blaze like an inferno together, and I want her so badly, but I want her to be comfortable with me.

I want to be her place of comfort, her safety net, her biggest fan, as much as I want to be the one to bring her pleasure.

There’s so much more that I want to explore with her than our brewing physical attraction. This is only the beginning.

Pulling away from her, I peck one more kiss to her swollen lips and then the tip of her nose. She pouts a bit until she can’t fight her amusement any longer.

“Why’d you stop?” she teases.

I run my hand over her hair, curling one stray tendril around my pointer finger. “Let’s slow things down, baby. We’ve both had a long day, and you’ve got another busy day tomorrow. I’m exhausted, and there’s nothing that would make me happier than holding you while we fall asleep.”

Her eyes grow glassy. “Well, how can I say no to that?”

I kiss the tip of her nose again. “Should we go to bed?”

“To sleep,” she confirms, and I don’t miss the hint of relief cascading through her mannerisms. It’s barely there, but enough to reassure me I made the right decision to call the activities for the night.

“Just to sleep,” I agree and then wink at her. “For now.”

The brilliant look of adoration she gives me then is an affirmation that I’ve been waiting for her my whole damn life.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11

“Look,” Jersey says, holding her phone up for me.

Glancing away from her TV where they’re recapping the game from last night, I take it into my hands and blink a few times. On her screen are the paparazzi photos from last night with the headline:

Love is in the air: Hayes Vogt and Jersey Matthews only have eyes for each other after Lightning game.

“At least they got my good side,” I tease, scrolling through the pictures. My chest expands with pride when I get to the one of our first kiss. One of my arms is wrapped around her smaller frame possessively, my other hand holding her chin as my lips are pressed to hers.

The chemistry between us is palpable, even through the photos. Moreso than the ones taken of us at the gala.

I want to get it framed, along with the one of her launching herself into my arms.

“I should’ve known they’d have those up for the world as soon as possible,” Jersey says. There’s a hint of something to her tone, and I look at her curiously.

“Are you okay with this?” I ask her. A hint of uncertainty niggles at the back of my mind. I know we talked about this already before she came to the game at all, but I wouldn’t blame her if she’s a little unsure, seeing the photos in real life.

She meets my eyes and her face splits into a grin. “I am. Are you?”

I slide across the couch, closing the distance between us and kissing her. “More than okay. I want the whole world to know I’m yours and you’re mine.”

She pulls away and runs her fingers along my jaw. “Andi will probably ask me about the photos in the interview on Monday. What should I say?”

“What do you mean?” I question.

Doubt flickers across her face and she backs away. “It’s dumb, forget it.”

“Jersey,” I press her.

She exhales. “I am your girlfriend, right?”

I swallow, nervous about why she sounds so unsure about her question. I know we discussed the implications of being seen together in public, I thought that the exclusivity was implied. “I’m all in, if you are, Jersey.”

“I’m in, too,” she says, her features relaxing into a smile. Relief crashes through me.

“Well then . . .” I push myself off her couch.

“What are you doing?” she asks, giggling as I walk across the living room to her balcony.

Sliding the door open, I step outside and walk over to the rail. The city bustles along below me, no one ever the wiser that I’m standing up here. I extend my arms out wide and yell, “Jersey Matthews is my girlfriend!”

“Hayes!” Jersey shouts and then laughs loudly. Her hands press down on my arms and she pulls me around to face her. Her expression is lit up with amusement. “Why did you do that?”

I grin down at her, wrapping my arms around her waist. “We’ve got nothing to hide, baby. Let the whole world know.”