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Taylor

T aylor’s alarm went off. He had one last game and had never been this ready to return in his entire life. After getting ready, he headed to the conference room where the team was eating.

The team always traveled with chefs to make sure the guys always had the food on their eating plans, which Taylor stuck to without fail.

As he made his way down, an alarm went off on his phone.

Alarm: Good Morning, Rainbow.

He turned off the alarm and pulled up the ongoing chat he had going with Alice.

Taylor: Good morning, Alice. I hope you have a good day. I’ll be home tonight, and I can’t wait to see you.

He watched for her reply, but he had come to find out Alice was a late riser. When she was left to her own devices, she stayed up well past midnight and get up later in the morning. Knowing little things like this about her made him smile. Really knowing anything about her made him smile.

“Hey, man,” Cash said as he caught up to him.

“Hi,” Taylor said.

“Are you as ready to be home as I am?” asked Cash as they made their way into the breakfast room.

“I’m always ready to be home.” While road trips were part of the job, and he didn’t hate it, Taylor definitely preferred home games, especially stretches where they would be home for a few weeks. Unfortunately, they would only be home for four days before heading back out for another weeklong road trip. “You’re the one who usually loves road trips.”

Cash gave a deep sigh while he piled eggs on his plate. “I know, but now, all I wanna do is go home and see Evie.”

Taylor followed him to a table. Murphy joined them. “So, where do you guys think Sven is?” asked Murphy.

Taylor hadn’t really given much thought to his absence. While players missing road trips was usually unheard of, there were times when life happened, and people got time off. Whether it was the death of a family member or sickness, there were different reasons, but usually the team knew, yet the team knew nothing.

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out at practice tomorrow.”

The game today was an afternoon game. Taylor hated afternoon games. From the afternoon light when you entered the arena to the different energy of an afternoon crowd, it just never felt the same. As he was walking in, the alarm from his phone sounded again.

Alarm: Afternoon Rainbow

This time, he stepped to the side of the hallway, then headed into the locker room. He pulled up Alice’s number and his call. After two rings, she picked up.

“Hello,” she answered.

Just hearing her voice brought a smile to his face.

“Hey there, Sunshine. How’s your day going?”

“Good, I’m surprised to hear from you today. Aren’t you getting ready for your game?”

“I am. I just got to the arena, but I just wanted to give you a call before I went into the locker room. Do you have plans tonight?”

“Nope, after I finish up the posting for the game-day posts, I’m done.”

“We should be back in town sometime around ten...”

He didn’t mean to sound as needy as he was about to sound... but he was fucking needy. How had he gone this long without sex with Alice? Once he’d had a taste of her, he needed more of her. He needed all of her.

“Can I come over?”

“You want to come here when you get back in town?”

The surprise in her voice kind of ruffled his feathers. How was she still so surprised that he wanted to spend time with her? It wasn’t all because of him. What was on him, though, was that he had allowed himself to drop off the face of the earth, causing her to doubt her own sense of their relationship. He would find a way to prove his feelings to her.

“Yes. Very much so.”

“Okay,” she said. He could almost hear her smile, and it settled him down. “I’d like to see you when you get back.”

“Good. I have to head into the locker room, but I can’t wait to see you.”

“Kick ass out there.”

“You know I will.”

As he slipped his phone back in his pocket, he tossed over the words left unsaid in his head. Last night when he talked to her, he’d felt the urge to say “I love you” for the first time, and he’d just felt it then again.

Did he love her? He had thought he might when they were in the cabin together, but he was just wrapped up in the magic of it all. But the life they’d been leading for the month after leaving was anything but.

First, he’d made the mistake of neglecting her, which he would not make again. Then he’d had wonderful days with her, and he’d had to leave on a long road trip. While he’d talked to her every day, he wasn’t sure how he’d made it without her before. He was hoping he would never have to find out.

Later that night, he stood outside Alice’s door. They had returned home from an undefeated road trip. Like hell, he wished they weren’t leaving again in a few days, hoping to soak up every moment with her.

He knocked and held his breath, waiting for her to appear. Then there she was. Her blonde hair fell messy around her face and glowed like a halo around her with the light shining down on her from upstairs. Her short sleep shorts and her oversized hoodie had the same effect on him as it would have been if she was in sexy lingerie. Everything this woman said and did was like catnip for him. He craved her.

“Hi,” she said breathlessly, pulling out of his lust-filled gaze just enough for him to cross over the doorway. In one movement, he dropped the bag, kicked the door shut behind him, and enveloped her in his arms.

“Fuck,” he groaned. “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” she rasped out, his mouth trailing kisses down her neck.

He bent his knees, gripped her thighs, and picked her up.

“Taylor,” she said in a surprised gasp.

He quickly moved into her living room, then sat on the couch, bringing her down on top of him.

“Fuck, Alice, I need you right now,” he growled out as he pulled up the hem of her sweatshirt.

“I need you, too,” she gasped out, pulling the sweatshirt off.