Page 15 of Marring an Athlete

Chapter Six

Michael

Michael was thankful that there wasn’t much opportunity for conversation with Anna once they got to the gate. They busied themselves with getting their boarding passes out and getting into line to get on the plane. Once they were settled in their seats in first class, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Hopefully, Anna wouldn’t bug him if she thought he was sleeping.

He needed silence. His mind needed to process just what had happened between the two of them. What had started out as a fun proposal had quickly become something more, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to face the feelings that had emerged.

Feelings that had to do with that blasted kiss that she had laid on him. The way her lips felt against his. The sensation seemed burned into his brain. The feeling of her body underneath his hands caused his skin to tingle. All of it reached into his chest and squeezed his heart.

He took a deep breath, willing his body to relax. Anything to remove his focus from the woman sitting next to him.

“Are you awake?” Anna’s voice broke through his thoughts.

He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah.” He turned to see that she was inches from him. His heart picked up speed, and he had to mentally tell it to slow down. “What’s wrong?”

Her lips were downturned, and her forehead wrinkled. “I—um.” She cleared her throat. “I’m nervous to fly.”

He studied her. She seemed so fragile, sitting next to him with her knees brought up. It reminded him of all the times he protected her and McKenna as kids. Like it was his job. Something he was made to do. And protecting Anna came as easily to him as breathing.

So, despite the warning bells that sounded in his mind, he reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He brought her closer and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

“I’ll protect you,” he said. His voice was deeper than he’d intended. He couldn’t be selfish right now and not comfort her, just because it caused his heart to race. No. He’d be the bigger person. Brave heartbreak, and help Anna.

She nodded and buried her face into his shoulder. She shut her eyes as the flight attendant began going over the instructions for takeoff. As the plane began to taxi from the gate, she gripped tighter onto his shirt as she buried her face into his chest.

And in this moment, it was just him and Anna. There was no press. No stupid, mistaken proposal. There wasn’t even McKenna and Sam. It was just the two of them. And Michael reveled in the feeling of her next to him. Needing him.

She knew him, deeply. Everything he was ever embarrassed to tell some girl he’d just started dating; he didn’t have to worry about that with Anna. She already knew. And she didn’t judge him. Even if he always seemed to make the wrong decision, no matter his intentions.

Bad decisions. He was good at those. Remembering all the drunken parties and ridiculous results, he wanted to push away from Anna. He didn’t deserve how she made him feel. She deserved someone who was better than him. Who didn’t come with the baggage he did.

She was his friend. And he was going to make sure that by the time this vacation ended, it stayed that way. He couldn’t risk their history for some fleeting emotions. He needed to be stronger. To be there for Anna. He’d take being uncomfortable with his ever-growing feelings, over hurting her.

He patted her arm as the plane took off, hoping it would appear comforting and not flirtatious. He never really knew when he crossed that line. And it was one that seemed to get him into trouble with a lot of relationships he’d had with women.

Daisy came to mind. She’d seemed so excited when he made the joke about them getting married and how many sponsors he’d get from an engagement like that. She’d taken it as a proposal, and before he could stop her, she was off telling her friends. By the end of the party, he was too drunk to remember what had happened.

Now, instead of cleaning up his act like Jordan, his manager, wanted, he was off making an enemy with the Mayor. Daisy would never forgive him, if she truly believed they were engaged, if he called it off.

Michael squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to push out the worry that filled his mind. He couldn’t dwell on issues he couldn’t fix. He’d enjoy his time in Bora Bora and then come home and fix the mistake he’d made. At least he called Daisy to tell her where he was going. He wasn’t that much of a chicken, to run away without a word.

Once they were at cruising altitude, Anna pulled away from his shoulder and looked around. Her cheeks were pink as she glanced over at him.

“I’m sorry,” she said. Her blonde hair was falling in waves around her face. He wanted to reach out and tuck it behind her ear, but that seemed a bit too intimate.

“It’s okay. That’s what I’m here for.” He shot her one of the cheesy smiles he gave the cameras. Anything to distract from the emotions in his gut. “Why do you think I have all these muscles?” The tension between them was palpable. He needed to pull back, or he just might do something he’d regret. And he wasn’t sure how many times his bad decisions could be blamed on their fake engagement.

Tucking her hair behind her ear she scoffed, “I thought you had those so when you got hit by a two-hundred-pound defenseman, you didn’t fold like a stack of cards.” She settled back into her seat. He watched her gaze out the window before she leaned back and shut the blind.

“What’s with you? You’re twenty-five. How is it that you’ve never flown anywhere before?” He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. Anything to dispel the feeling of Anna’s body pressed against his own.

“I was going to go somewhere. Once.” Her voice trailed off as she pressed her lips together. Almost as if she were about to say something, but then needed to stop herself.

That intrigued him. What did Anna Short have in her past that she wanted to keep hidden? He shifted in his seat so he was facing her.

“You can’t just say something like that and then not tell me,” he said, nudging her with his elbow.

Her cheeks hinted pink as she shook her head. “I’m so embarrassed.”

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