Page 12
Story: The Riskiest Move
CHAPTER 12
GRIFFIN
C hristine and I have settled into a comfortable coexistence over the past couple of weeks. Ever since the party, we’ve been interacting more, and most nights we have dinner together. We’ve even watched the remaining episodes of Blinded by Love.
“Do you have a game Sunday?” she asks as she cuts her chicken into smaller pieces.
I chuckle. “You’re good for keeping my ego proportional.”
“How so?”
“Because you don’t follow football at all.”
“Does that bother you?”
“No. It’s kind of refreshing to be able to put that part of myself aside for a bit.”
She smiles. “Then I guess I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“No, it’s all good.”
“Your schedule is confusing for me. Last week you didn’t have a game but this week you do?”
“That’s because my team was the number one seed in our conference, so we had a bye through the first round of the playoffs.”
“What happens if you win the next game?”
“We move on to the next round of playoff games.”
“And if you lose?”
I wince at the thought. “Our season will be finished.”
“Wow. That’s a lot of pressure to deal with. Do you get nervous?”
“Yes, I feel some nerves but in a good way. It’s more of a sense of urgency. I can’t wait to get out on the field and do my part.”
“Do you get mad at your teammates when they make costly mistakes?”
I shake my head. “Never. I feel disappointed when we don’t win, but I’m not going to be an asshole and hold someone accountable for the loss. We’re a team with many moving parts, and we win or lose together. Each of us knows we’re capable of having an off day at any time.”
“Have you missed a catch in a game?”
I laugh. “Fuck yes. I try not to, but not all throws are catchable. And sometimes my timing might be off and it’s my fault. But I always give it my best shot.”
“That’s all you can really do, right?”
“Exactly. And that’s all my teammates can do too.”
“I couldn’t play a team sport. Knowing other people are counting on me would make me too anxious.”
“I started at a young age, so it’s all I’m familiar with.”
“Have you always wanted to play professional football?”
“I dreamed about it as a kid, but by the time I was playing in high school I knew it was my ultimate goal.”
“I can’t imagine having goals that lofty. All I want to do is be a schoolteacher.”
“Don’t downplay that. It’s a much more important job than being a football player. Teachers help shape students into who they’ll be as adults.”
“Yeah, I had a couple of elementary school teachers who played a big part in my love for books, and one in high school who helped me discover how much I enjoy writing.”
I take another bite of chicken and green beans, and point my fork at Christine. “Are you still writing?”
Her gaze lowers to her plate. “I’m working on my first book.”
“For real?” I ask, and she nods. “That’s awesome. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” She moves food around on her plate with her fork.
“What’s your book about?”
Her wide open eyes connect with mine. “I… uh… it’s a… romance.” She whispers the final word. Her obvious discomfort tells me she’s not comfortable talking about this.
“That’s great.” Time for a subject change. “Thank you for dinner. Everything is delicious.”
She exhales with a soft sigh and smiles. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”
“You’ve been spoiling me with such amazing meals. I can’t express how wonderful the break from eating takeout almost every night has been.”
“It’s the least I can do. I’m grateful you opened your home to me.”
“We’re family now.”
“Yeah, I guess we are.”
“How would you feel about attending my game Sunday? Scarlett and Autumn will be there too if you’re worried about not knowing anyone.”
“Oh.” She pauses with her fork midair. “I wasn’t expecting an invite, but I’d like to be there cheering you and your teammates on. Especially since I met some of them.”
“Great. I’ll reserve a ticket for you. And you’re going to need some Silverbacks gear if you want to resemble a legitimate fan.”
“I’m more concerned with being warm. The first time I went, I froze.”
“Let me see what I can find for you. I bet you can be warm and make it clear which team you’re rooting for.”
The rest of the meal passes mostly in silence and then the two of us clean up together. We’ve developed a routine of sorts, and it only takes a couple of minutes for us to complete.
“I want to show you something upstairs,” I say. “Is now a good time?”
“Yeah, I was about to head up there anyway.”
“Perfect.”
She follows me from the kitchen and up the stairs to the hallway outside my room. “Come on in. I have a big surprise for you.”
She raises an eyebrow in question, and I realize how my words might be misconstrued. I let out a brief chuckle. “I mean, I have a gift for you. An actual present.”
“For what?”
“You helped me—scratch that—you prepared all the food for the party and then you joined in on the cleaning up. I just wanted to do something to show my appreciation and it took until now for it to arrive.”
“Griffin, you don’t need to buy me something. You already thanked me, and that’s more than enough.”
“Good to know, but it’s too late to return what I got, so maybe you should let me show you.”
She nods, trying to keep her expression reserved, but then she beams. Seems like she likes surprises more than she let on.
I shift my position, placing myself behind her. “No peeking,” I say, placing my palm over her eyes. She leans back into my chest, and a pang of satisfaction hits me, knowing she trusts me. My other hand closes around the knob and I push open the door. I carefully guide her forward, stopping in front of her gift. “Are you ready?”
“Yes!” I feel her cheeks lift under my palm as she grins. “Now that you got me here, hurry up and show me.”
“Drumroll please,” I tease before lifting my hand from her eyes.
She sucks in a sharp breath. “That’s for me?” she whispers, awestruck, as she stares at the large bookcase.
“It’s all yours.”
She moves forward, reverently stroking her hand along the hand carved details running down each side. “It’s beautiful.” She glances at me with glassy eyes. “It’s the most beautiful gift I’ve ever received.”
I want to tell her she’s more beautiful than any bookcase could ever be.
“I know you don’t have a place for your books, so I decided to remedy that.”
“This is the best gift ever. Now I can use the gift card you gave me and fill it up.” Pure joy radiates from her smile, dazzling me.
“How about I move this to your room?”
“Yes, please.” She bounces on her toes.
“I put sliders under the four corners, so it should glide right along,” I explain, gently pushing it forward.
“Yay, it’s working,” she squeals, hurrying to the hallway. “I’ll get my door.”
Taking my time, I carefully make progress until I’m guiding the large object through her doorway. “Where would you like it?”
“Between the two windows, please.”
I maneuver the bookcase across the room and into position, stepping back. “It looks like it was meant to go there.”
She bounces on her toes some more. “I can’t even deal with how excited this makes me. I can’t wait to fill it with beautiful books.” She scurries over to her desk and returns with three hardcovers, adding them to one of the shelves. “There. That’s a start.” Her head swings my way, and when she sees my amusement, her eyes narrow. “What?”
“You’re adorable. I’ve never seen anyone geek out so hard over anything, never mind a bookcase.”
She laughs. “Oh, I’m a total geek. Just wait until I add more books.” Her expression turns serious. “When I move out, can I take this with me?”
Her question dampens the happy moment. I don’t want to think about her leaving when it’s been so nice having her here.
“Of course you can. It’s yours. No strings attached.”
She smiles again, and it’s like the sun breaking through a thick blanket of clouds. “Thank you again. In case you couldn’t tell, I love it so much.”
“I’m glad you’re so pleased. Every book geek needs a solid bookcase.”
“Right? The one I have in North Carolina is tiny, and I have to store most of my books in bins inside my closet.”
I open my eyes comically wide and place my hand on my chest. “What a travesty.”
She playfully whacks my arm. “It is.”
“I’m going to leave you and your bookcase alone now,” I say.
Christine steps forward, slipping her arms around my waist. I fold her in an embrace, and try not to think about how soft and pliant she is pressed against me.
“Thank you, Griffin.” Her husky tone tells me I’m not the only one noticing how amazing this feels.
“You’re welcome.” I lean down with the intention of pressing a kiss to her forehead. Before I can, she tips her head back, raising her face. Her full lips are a soul-tempting offer I’m too weak to resist. Closing the distance, my face lowers. Her eyelids shutter as my mouth whispers over hers. When she doesn’t pull back, I move in, pressing my lips more firmly to hers but keeping the kiss gentle.
Her fingers curl as she grips the back of my t-shirt and softly moans into my mouth. It’s the signal I needed to pull the plug on the floodgates I’ve held back since New Year’s when I first became aware of the depth of my attraction to her.
One of my hands cups the back of her neck while the other presses her torso closer. Her lips part under mine and I deepen the kiss. Our tongues stroking, we lose ourselves in the passionate moment.
We break apart and stare wide-eyed at one another. My heart races almost as fast as my mind. That kiss rocked me to my core, and judging by Christine’s flushed cheeks and dazed expression, her experience was similar.
I cup her cheek and break the silence stretching between us. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
Her soulful green eyes stare up at me. “I know. But I’m glad you did.”
“Me too. But it probably shouldn’t happen again.”
“Yeah.” She sighs. “Probably not.”
I take a step backward, and my hands fall to my sides. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Griffin.” She gifts me a slight curve of her soft lips, and the urge to kiss her again is overpowering.
“Night, Christine.” I leave her room and hurry back downstairs, putting some much-needed distance between us.
Grabbing a bottle from the fridge, I open the cap and take a long pull of the cold water. As refreshing as it is, it does nothing to wash away the sweet taste of Christine still on my lips. Now that I know how powerful our chemistry is, it’ll be more difficult to resist the temptation she presents.
But my teammates and I are in the playoffs and that’s the most important thing. And while Christine may be small in stature, she’d be the biggest distraction of all.