Page 62 of The Surprise Play (Nolan U Football #3)

ELIZABETH

I decide not to Uber and end up walking to Wily’s place. It’s dangerous—I could bump into anyone. But it gives me the chance to down a coffee, clear my head, and figure out what I want to say to him.

My mother told me what I needed to hear, and maybe there’s a lot of truth to it, but she is my mother. And I guess I need to hear what Wily really thinks with no sweet sentiments or bullshit attached.

I need him to look me in the eye and tell it to me straight, even if it hurts.

Because I want to be able to trust him, and I can’t do that if I think he’s lying to me. Just being sweet to make me feel better but not actually meaning it.

Throwing the empty coffee cup away at the park closest to Wily’s house, I turn down his street and feel my steps slow.

My body gets stiff and awkward as I keep forcing myself forward .

Somehow, I make it, climbing up those front steps and trying not to relive the torment of last night.

Sucking in a breath, I curl my fingers and lightly knock on the door. Thankfully, it doesn’t take too long for someone to answer it, and I’m soon staring up at Carson’s standard scowl and messy mop of hair.

The second he spots me, his expression lightens, but he doesn’t get a chance to say anything, because Nylah ducks under his arm and pulls me into a hug.

“Oh, thank God!” She squeezes me tight. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

I pat her back, my cheeks heating to boiling as I try to step out of the embrace. She finally lets me go, her eyes shining with excitement. “He’s upstairs.”

Jumping out of my way, I walk between the couple, kicking off my boots in the entrance while they gaze at me. Nylah’s still smiling while Carson’s eyebrows wrinkle with worry.

“You okay?” His voice is gruff and has a morning croak to it.

Those two words are asking so much. After what happened here last night, they’re asking too much.

So I quickly nod—my standard reply—before stashing my boots as a neat pair and darting for the staircase. I will myself not to turn back when I hear them whispering.

They’re talking about me. I know they are.

That familiar itch starts to spread across my stomach until I make myself acknowledge that Nylah just bounded out of the house to hug me. She’s excited that I’m here.

Happy .

To see me.

Reaching the landing, I stop for a second and really soak that in.

Nylah’s happy that I’m here.

It’s like I’m only just noticing it for the first time.

The people in this house don’t mind having me around.

I’m not a plague or a menace. I’m not as annoying as a mosquito bite.

They put on a party. For me. Went to all that effort.

And they wouldn’t have done that for someone who they wished didn’t exist.

I force myself to really think about that as I inch toward Wily’s room.

My lips twitch, this pleasant sensation cooling the itch on my skin, working like a balm as I gently knock on his door.

There’s no response, so after a long, polite beat, I knock a little harder.

“I told you guys I’m fine. Can you please just fuck off already! I’ve had the shittiest night, and I need some fucking sleep!” Wily’s roar makes me flinch, and I bulge my eyes at the wood, trying to decide what to do.

Don’t leave! Don’t you dare leave!

Forcing my body to stay put, I lean toward the crack in the door and say, “Wily. It’s me.”

There’s an instant fumbling, a thud, and a scrambling of feet. I step back as the lock clicks, and then the door jerks open to reveal a wide-eyed Wily, his blond hair sticking up at all angles, his bare chest heaving as he grips the door and stares down at me.

“Are you okay?” His voice is so soft and tender, it’s like a physical caress, and it makes my lips curl into a watery smile. The concern in his blue gaze is melting me .

“Yeah.” I nod.

He gives me a pained frown, reaching for me, then thinking better of it and running a hand through his hair instead. “Shit, Satch. I’m so sorry that I?—”

“No,” I quickly interrupt him. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s me. It’s me and my shit.”

Wow. I’ve never said anything like that before, and it feels surprisingly good. Who knew honesty didn’t have to be so terrifying?

I swallow, staring at his chest as I force myself to keep thinking, mulling, fighting for what I want. This morning is certainly full of revelations, and it’s kind of overwhelming, to be honest. But I’ll hate myself if I turn back now. And so I stand my ground and?—

“Are you breaking up with me?” Wily’s voice is strained, like saying those words is causing him physical pain.

My eyes dart to his pale expression, and I instantly shake my head. “I don’t want to.” I quickly look to the floor and mumble, “But I understand if you?—”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He grabs my wrist, pulling me into his room and flicking the door shut with his foot. “Of course I don’t want to break up with you.” Opening his arms wide, he comes in for a hug, but I take a quick step back, holding up my hand.

“Why?” I ask.

I have to know.

I have to hear him say it.

He gazes down at me like I’m weird, and I force myself to keep looking at him.

Tipping his head, he rests a hand over his heart and lightly pats his chest. “Because I love you. ”

Oh my gosh, his voice! It’s so raw and rough. So sexy I can hardly stand it.

Swallowing down this swell of desire, I gnaw on my bottom lip and feel this tremor run through me.

“Wily,” I squeak, then suck in a quick breath and force myself to say the rest. “I need you to tell me something. And it needs to be the absolute truth, okay? Please. You have to be totally honest with me. Even if you think it might hurt me.”

His eyes narrow like he’s trying to figure out where I’m going with this.

I keep looking at him, silently begging him to please just agree. To let me have this.

Finally, he nods. “Okay.”

“You swear?”

“I swear.”

“Okay.” I take a ragged breath, nodding and pinching my bottom lip before shaking out my hands.

“Okay. So… when you look at me… when you tell me you love me… I mean, why do you say that? What… what do you see? When you look at me…” My voice starts to shake, and I have to expel a breath before I can finish.

“What do you see? And remember, you have to tell me the truth .”

He seems surprised by the question, his eyebrows rising, his lips twitching until he starts to pick up just how serious I am.

His mouth bunches into a thoughtful pout and he nods, shifting to sit on the bed beside me. We’re now at eye level, and I force myself to turn and face him.

“When I look at you…” He clears his throat, licking the edge of his mouth before gazing at my face with this soft affection that’s going to undo me.

“When I look at yo u, I see a girl—a woman—with a beautiful face and a smile that can knock me off my feet. I seriously love those plump lips of yours, baby. And the shape your mouth makes when you smile is…” He grins like he’s picturing it and loving the view.

My heart starts to pound, and I squeeze my index finger.

Glancing down, he lightly takes my hand, threading our fingers together.

“You’re shy. You don’t have a lot of self-confidence, and you like to hide, which I don’t always agree with. It kinda kills me when you say negative shit about yourself. I hate it when you put yourself down.”

My stomach knots, but I keep listening. I asked for the truth, didn’t I?

And I want both sides of it, the good and the bad; otherwise, it’s meaningless.

Wily lets out a soft sigh, looking kind of sad. “And the fact that you didn’t tell me you were going through a really hard time… didn’t tell me about those girls and what they’ve been doing to you. It…” His shoulder hitches. “It hurt my feelings.”

My lips part, and I can feel my forehead wrinkling in regret.

He leans forward, smoothing the lines away with his thumb. “I couldn’t protect you the way I wanted to because you didn’t tell me the truth. You didn’t let me in.”

“I’m sorry.” My whisper is so soft, guilt squeezing my stomach into a tight, painful ball.

He forgives me with a smile and a wink, then asks, “Can I keep going? This is fun. ”

I give him a dubious frown, wondering if he knows what the word fun actually means.

He grins and kind of bounces on the bed, his voice picking up.

“When I look at you, I see kindness. It just oozes out of you, you know? You’ve got a really sweet spirit.

” Cupping my face, he gazes into my eyes with a look that makes me want to swoon at his feet.

“I see bright, intelligent eyes that look right into my soul. And I feel… so good whenever I’m around you.

Like a better human or something. You never make me feel like a stupid idiot. ”

“Because you’re not stupid. Or an idiot.”

Leaning back, he keeps studying me, his smile shifting to a look of wonder.

“When I talk to you, you listen. You really listen, and you hear me. You treat me like I’m the most important person in the room, and it makes me feel like a million bucks, every single time.

You don’t just want me because I’m good at football.

You don’t care about status or any of that bullshit. ”

My lips rise into an instant grin. “You are the most important person in my room. In this room. In any room I’m in.”

His blue eyes light with appreciation, and I let him take my other hand. He gazes down at our connection, rubbing his thumb softly across my palm. “There are so many things I love about you, Satch. There are so many wonderful things I see.”

I squirm in my fluffy socks, and he reaches for my hips, resting his hands on them.

“I get the sense that you’re needing to hear this stuff so you can reassure yourself that I’m actually into you. That I really do love you. And it’s true.” He looks up, catching my eye. “I’m not saying this just to make you feel better. You asked for the truth, and I’m giving it to you straight.”

I give him a weak smile. “You’re just so nice that I was worried you’d say anything to make me feel better.

And I really need the truth from you right now.

” My nose starts to tingle as I get to the last part.

The hardest part. “And I believe that you love who I am as a person. And thank you.” I try to smile but can’t seem to form one.

“But… what do you see when you look at my body?”

“What do you mean?” He tilts his head with a light frown.

“Come on, Wily. You’re so incredibly hot.” I point at his chest, indicating his entire body with a flick of my hand.

He glances down at himself, then up at me, his eyes rounding with a pointed look. “And you don’t think you are?”

“Of course not.” I laugh. “I’m… big!”

“No, you’re not, Shorty.”

I close my eyes, shaking my head at his teasing smile. “You know what I mean. I’m not skinny and pretty like all the other girls seem to be.”

“Satch.” He takes my hands again, giving them a little shake. “Open your eyes.”

“I don’t want to,” I mumble.

“Open your eyes.” His voice gets a little firmer.

Forcing my lids up, I take in his expression and don’t know what to think.

He looks disappointed or upset or something, and I don’t know why.

Should I apologize or?—

“I hate that you just said that about yourself.” He sighs, completely gutted. “Didn’t I say before how much this shit kills me?”

I swallow, then bite my bottom lip because I can’t squeeze my finger or scratch my stomach right now. My hands are trapped within his, and he won’t let go.

Leaning his head forward, he keeps chasing my gaze until I’m looking right at him. “When I first met you, I checked you out. You know I did.”

My cheeks heat with color.

“And I saw this tutor who didn’t dress like any other girl I knew.”

I wince.

“And yeah, at first, I thought it was a little weird.” He looks me over, his lips twitching as he tweaks my cardigan, pulling it up on my shoulder. “But I kinda love it now. Because it’s who you are.”

I let out a soft, wispy sound. It’s supposed to be a laugh, but I seriously don’t know what just popped out.

“You’re hot, Satch. You have a great ass and these beautiful, beautiful boobs.

” He stares at them, his gaze softening as he trails his eyes down to my feet.

Resting his hands back on my hips, he keeps admiring me.

“I love the shape of your body. These luscious curves.” His hands round over me, grabbing my fleshy butt cheeks and giving them a squeeze.

“I love digging my fingers into your ass.” He grins, then looks me right in the eye.

“Your soft edges turn me on, baby. And that is the God’s honest truth. ”

My lips part, and I’m pretty sure my heart stopped beating somewhere around the “great ass and beautiful boobs” part .

“C’mere.” He stands up, taking my hands and walking me to his full-length mirror.

Turning me to face it, he stands behind me, bringing his hands around my body and cupping my breasts.

Squeezing them, he lets out an appreciative moan before leaning down to whisper against my cheek.

“You’re so fucking sexy I can hardly stand it sometimes.

You’re no compromise, Satch. You’re first prize. ”