Page 46 of Remember Me

“Twenty-eight seconds left,” I whispered, barely able to form words as the tension coiled tighter, hovering just on the edge of release. “The Snakes have the ball. Clock’s ticking.” The parallel wasn’t lost on me—our own race against time, against discovery, against the inevitable crescendo that approached with every heartbeat.

“Ride me, baby,” he groaned into my skin, one hand sliding around to press flat against my lower abdomen, applying pressure that only increased the sensations. “Just like that. Don’t stop. Don’t fucking stop.” The desperation in his voice mirrored my own, and we were on that beautiful edge where control fractured and primitive need took over.

I leaned forward, bracing my hands on the glass, my forehead pressed against the cool surface, momentarily fogging the view with my panting breath. The position changed the angle and drove him deeper. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Aiden slid both hands to my hips and thrust up into me, relentless, matching the increasingly frantic pace I’d set.

I was close—so close I couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, could barely breathe. The universe narrowed to the points where our bodies connected, to the building pressure that threatened to shatter me. My fingers slipped on the glass, leaving marks.

“There’s the snap,” I cried out, my voice breaking as pleasure built to an unbearable peak. “Defense is holding. They’re. Shit. They’ve fumbled!”

Aiden’s breathing grew ragged, his grip punishing in the most exquisite way. I could feel him throbbing inside me, his control slipping with each thrust, and I knew he was almost there, right with me, always with me.

“We’ve got it back,” I gasped, the words barely coherent as my body tightened. “They’re taking the knee. Thirty-four seconds... twenty... ten...”

My release hit me hard, crashing through me like a tidal wave. My whole body locked, trembling around him as he cursed against my neck, a litany of praise and profanity that pushed me higher. He followed me over the edge, thrusting deep one final time, holding me down against him, pulsing inside me as the roar of the stadium swelled into something euphoric. In that moment, I couldn’t tell where the crowd’s elation ended and mine began.

We stayed like that with our bodies tangled, breath shallow, hearts racing in perfect synchronicity. My forehead was pressed to the glass, my thighs sore with my skirt pushed up against my waist. My hands shook from the intensity, aftershocks of pleasure still rippling through me at irregular intervals.

I glanced down at the field, at the sea of red and gold, at the team rushing toward each other in celebration, their victory mirroring our own private triumph.

“They won,” I said into his neck, breathless.

He kissed the side of my head, still buried inside me, his lips lingering against my temple with unexpected tenderness. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close as our breathing gradually slowed, two hearts finding their way back to normal rhythm.

“So did we,” he murmured, and I heard everything in those three words: possession, adoration, the history we’d built, and the future we were still writing together.

In the stadium's chaos, in this stolen moment, in his arms, I had never felt more victorious.

Chapter Thirteen

Tanner

“Hey, Joyce!”

I turned to see Kent, our waterboy, jogging across the field toward me, dodging celebration debris and TV cables. His face was flushed with excitement, but he had that purposeful look I recognized. The mission had begun.

We might’ve just won the Super Bowl, but I had more important things to do than celebrate just yet.

“Got it for you, just like we planned,” he said as he reached me. He discreetly slipped the small velvet box from his pocket and pressed it into my palm. “Kept it safe the whole game.”

My fingers closed around it, the weight of it suddenly making everything real. This was happening. Tonight. After six years of dating and five years of living together, after a thousand moments of knowing she was the one, after months of planning this exact scenario, it was finally time.

“Thanks, man,” I said, squeezing his shoulder. “I owe you.”

Kent grinned. “Just invite me to the wedding. You got this.”

As he jogged away, Devin appeared through the storm of confetti with a championship hat on his head and his eyes bright with victory.

“So it's time, huh?” he asked, nodding toward my clenched fist.

“Yeah,” I managed, the single syllable barely making it past the tightness in my throat. “My wins are her wins. I’m only here because she believed in me and I want her to remember this moment for the rest of my life.”

Devin's expression softened. “You know, I've never seen two people more perfect for each other.” He pulled me into a quick, fierce hug. “Good luck, brother. Though you won't need it.”

One by one, my teammates who'd been in on the secret for weeks came to congratulate me on the win and wish me luck. Will slapped my back so hard I nearly dropped the ring. Mitch offered a solemn nod, the center who'd protected me all season now silently supporting me in this even more terrifying moment. Coach gave me a wink as he passed, his usual stoicism briefly broken.

“She's gonna say yes,” Dean assured me, appearing at my side. “Just don't fumble the box like you almost did that snap in the third quarter.”

I laughed despite the nerves electric-shocking my system. “You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?”

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