Page 30 of Falling for the Bombshell (Falling for #1)

Blaine sat in the locker room staring at the floor, cleats loose, helmet by his feet.

He felt… hollow. This was supposed to be it.

His redemption. Then the door cracked open.

Linnie stood there, eyes searching for his.

He didn ’ t say a word. He didn ’ t have to.

She crossed the room and knelt in front of him, her hands on his knees, her presence wrapping around him like a safety net.

“ I ’ m so proud of you,” she whispered.

And just like that, everything he was feeling disappeared.

Because he hadn ’ t lost everything. Not even close.

They pulled into the Chili ’ s parking lot just as the sun dipped low, casting golden light across the Boise skyline.

Linnie bounced outthe car, cheeks flushed from the day and the wind, wearing Blaine ’ s hoodie over her Bombshells gear.

She came back out a few minutes later, two heavy bags in her hands and that little grin he ’ d do anything to keep on her face.

“ You ’ re about to experience peak chain restaurant cuisine,” she joked, sliding back into the driver ’ s seat.

“ Bold of you to assume I ’ m not a Chili ’ s enthusiast already,” he shot back, reaching over to squeeze her thigh.

Back at the hotel—a Marriott , the nice kind—Blaine ’ s eyebrows shot up the moment they walked in.

A huge bed sat perfectly made beneath soft lighting.

The balcony doors let in the last bit of orange sky, and there was a deep soaking tub tucked into the corner like it was just waiting for two people to forget about the world for a night.

He dropped his gear near the couch, pulled Linnie in by the waist, and kissed the top of her head.

“ You did everything to get me here. You didn ’ t have to, but you did. Thank you.”

She looked up at him and gave him one of those looks—the kind that hit him right in the chest, soft and sure.

“ Of course I did. You ’ d do it for me.

” Dinner was warm, simple—Chili ’ s Burgers, chicken crispers, chips, and two little molten lava cakes they split while laughing about how it really was just Applebee ’ s with a different menu font .

The bath came next, bubbles climbing the edges, Linnie sitting between Blaine ’ s legs as the hot water melted away the stress from the drive and the game.

They didn ’ t talk much—didn ’ t have to.

Just quiet kisses on shoulders and hands tracing familiar paths.

What started as comfort turned into something more: deeper touches, slower breaths, the kind of closeness that feels sacred.

After the bath, it didn ’ t stop. They made love on the bed, the soft glow from the balcony spilling across their tangled limbs.

Then again in the shower—water pounding down while Blaine kissed her like he was still catching up on all the moments he missed by sleeping on the drive.

Every kiss, every whispered “ I love you,” was a thank-you, a promise, a homecoming.

Eventually, breathless and completely wrung out, they collapsed into the massive bed. Linnie curled against his chest, Blaine ’ s arm heavy across her back.

“ Can ’ t stop loving you,” he murmured into her hair.

“ Good,” she whispered, already half asleep. “ Don ’ t.”

And he wouldn ’ t .

The air in the hotel suite felt heavy, thick with the storm of everything they ’ d just been through.

The heartbreak of the game, the pressure of expectations, the weight of the road trip—and yet, here they were.

Just the two of them, finally in a place that felt like a pause button from the rest of the world.

Linnie had slipped into one of Blaine ’ s oversized t-shirts after their bath, her damp hair curled over her shoulders, skin flushed from the heat of the water and the closeness between them.

Blaine couldn ’ t stop looking at her. There was a reverence in his gaze, like he still couldn ’ t believe someone like her chose someone like him.

“ You okay?” she whispered, brushing her fingertips along his chest as they lay across the massive bed, still damp from the shower, wrapped up in sheets and each other.

“ I will be,” he said honestly, voice rough with emotion. “ I lost the game, maybe my chance at a real football future. But…” He paused, his thumb brushing her cheek. “ Then I look at you, and I know I didn ’ t lose everything. I found something better.”

She blinked back tears, not expecting that. Her palm flattened over his heart, feeling the thunder of it beneath her. “ You didn ’ t lose anything tonight. You played with your whole heart. That ’ s what matters.”

His lips met hers with quiet urgency. There was no rush now.

No game to win, no coaches to impress. Just them.

The kiss deepened, his hand slipping to the small of her back, pulling her closer.

The way they moved together was slower now, less frantic than earlier.

This wasn ’ t about lust—it was about knowing, trusting, needing.

When she rolled on top of him, his hands gripped her hips, grounding himself in her.

His mouth traced every freckle, every breath she took.

She leaned down, forehead to his, their noses brushing, her eyes full of so much love it almost broke him.

“ You ’ re everything,” he said quietly. “ You make me feel like I ’ m worth more than a stat line. You see me.”

Her response was her body molding to his, the two of them moving as one, tangled in sheets, limbs, and whispered promises.

It wasn ’ t just sex—it was surrender. Vulnerability.

A first for him, and something healing for her.

They cried a little, laughed a little more, and every touch felt like a vow neither of them said out loud.

Hours passed like minutes. The night stretched long and beautiful, full of warmth and soft moans, shared secrets between kisses, and bodies that fit like a lock and key.

When they finally fell asleep, it was skin to skin, her hand on his chest, his arm wrapped tightly around her, anchoring himself to the one thing in his life that felt absolutely right.

And even in sleep, Blaine didn ’ t let her go.