Page 34 of Gridlocked on the Gridiron

“Okay, let me say bye to Jenna and Leigh.”

He reluctantly let her go, making his rounds quickly before meeting her at the door. She swayed as she stepped onto the front porch, and Colton reached out a hand to steady her.

“Alright, Moretti. That’s it, we’re gonna walk this way. Remind me to tell you tomorrow morning that you plus alcohol plus your highest heels are not a good combination.”

“Hey! I’m great in heels. And, I wore them for you.”

That lump in his throat hadn’t been there a few seconds before. He tried clearing it, to no avail. “What do you mean?”

“You know, in case you annoyed me. They double as a very solid weapon in dire situations.”

He guided her toward his car, shielding her from the flashes of cameras around them. “You won’t find yourself in any dire situations when I’m around.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said breathily, falling into his passenger seat the moment he opened the door. He stopped at the insinuation, taking a step back in shock. Had he been giving off strange vibes? Was it clear how attracted to her he’d been all night? He’d tried to be on his best behavior, his hand never going lower than the small of her back.

“I would—I’d never do anything to you that you didn’t want, Lucia. Tell me you know that.”

Her head swiveled to his, her eyes wide. “I didn’t mean it like that, Superstar.”

“How did you mean it?”

She blew out a breath, crossing her arms across her chest. “You make me feel jittery. And warm. And I don’t like it. It’s very disconcerting, especially because I’m just here to do a job. My dream job.”

That wasn’t so bad. He would take jittery and warm. “I’m your dream job?”

She rolled her eyes, tucking her legs into the car. He closed the door and walked around the car, sliding inside and starting the engine.

“There’s that big head of yours again.”

“Yeah, TBI brain. Gets the head all swollen.”

He waited for a witty comeback, but when he turned to look at her, she was watching him.

“You okay?” She seemed mostly coherent, using words like disconcerting, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t feeling sick.

“Have you had a lot of concussions?”

He hadn’t been expecting that. “Oh. Two, maybe three.” He felt her eyes remain on him as he drove. He’d already memorized the route to her house, though he’d only been there a couple of times.

She was startled when he pulled to the curb out front, as if she hadn’t realized how close they were. He helped her out of the car and up to her front door, once again trying to shield her from the person who had seemingly followed them from Devin’s house, camera flashing. He thought she’d search for her keys, but she turned to him instead.

They stared silently at each other for a moment, neither sure what the next move was. Logically, he knew she should go inside, and he should walk back to his car and go home. But she was glowing from the small porch light she’d left on, and she was breathtaking, and he couldn’t stop staring.

He watched her hand warily as it came to rest on his chest. She moved forward slowly, leaning in just enough to place a soft brush of her lips on his cheek. She didn’t pull back, and he wrapped his arms around her, tight, breathing in the smell of her shampoo. He liked it when she wore her hair down.

She rested her head on his chest, their breathing synchronizing. “Mm. This is good. Very good for the cameras. Tessa will love this,” she whispered.

“Oh, don’t pretend you don’t like it too.”

She fisted his button-down with the hand that was on his chest. “That’s not your business.” The right side of his mouth lifted slightly, involuntarily.

After a few minutes, when he thought she might be falling asleep right there on her porch, he pulled away gently. “Where are your keys?”

“Purse.”

He kept one arm around her as he pulled her keys out. “Are you going to be able to change and get ready for bed okay?”

“If you’re insinuating that I should let you in to help me undress, think again, my friend. We may be fake dating, but none of that nonsense.”

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