Page 85 of Behind the Bench

I’ve seen Ellie angry before but this isn’t that. It feels as if I offended her by the accusation, and I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what I did.

I shake my head, unsure of what to say. “I don’t know, Ellie. You’re looking at me like I’m broken. I don’t want you to see me like that. I want to be the best man I can be for you.”

Ellie goes from sitting to straddling my lap and she wraps her arms around my neck. “I don’t pity you, Lincoln. Myheart breaks for that little boy you once were, but this man in front of me? He is extraordinary.”

Ellie starts kissing my chest and in between each kiss, she tells me something else.

“You are kind.”Kiss.“You are strong.”Kiss.“You are brilliant.”Kiss.“You are thoughtful.”Kiss.

She’s made her way up to my neck and when she’s about to move toward my lips, she stops a few inches away and looks me right in the eyes.

“You defied all the odds and became a man that young kids strive to be. You’re a role model to every little boy or girl who dreams of being a head coach one day. And you did all of that on your own. After unimaginable trauma. You fought like hell to make yourself somebody even though you were told countless times you’d be nobody. You.”Kiss.“Are.”Kiss.“Remarkable.”

My hands grip the back of her head and I kiss this woman with the force of a hurricane. I try to convey everything I’m feeling through this kiss and I hope she feels it all. I hope she can feel how much she means to me. I hope she can feel how thankful I am to have her in my life. I hope she can feel how much I love her.

Because I do.

I fucking love this woman.

At some point in the middle of the night, I must’ve passed out because I don’t remember ever deciding to go to sleep. After Lincoln opened his heart to me, we told each other with our bodies just how much we mean to each other. He gave me the most orgasms that I’ve ever had in one night. The memory of his tongue between my legs ignites a spark there and my eyes fly open searching for him.

Oh god, it wasn’t just a memory. Lincoln is between my legs.

Talk about a good wake-up call.

I pull myself up and lean back on my elbows to watch the man at work. There is something so sensual about watching Lincoln pleasure me. His eyes find mine and stay there as he continues to plunge his tongue in and out of me. His thumb finds my clit and it’s only seconds before I’m free falling into ecstasy. My body shakes as he continues to lap at my center. Slowly, I come down from my orgasm, and he trails kisses up my body until he reaches my neck.

“Good morning.” His voice is raspy and it’s a sound I could definitely get used to. He places one last kiss on my lips and then flops down beside me.

I turn so we’re face to face and I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. “Good morning, indeed.”

He laughs and leans in to kiss me again. “You’re welcome.” It comes out a bit cocky, because he’s Lincoln. This man may have rocked my world, but he’s still the cocky asshole he’s always been. Except instead of irritating me, his cockiness sends butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

That can’t be good.

I’m leaning on my elbow staring back at him, trying to place when everything changed. I know our back and forth banter only added fuel to the fire that eventually erupted between us. But when the hell did it become more than that? Because as I sit here, staring at this man in front of me, I can’t imagine ever not wanting to wake up this way.

Lincoln reaches out and taps at my temple. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”

I could easily tell him about the thoughts running through my mind. That I want to wake up with him between my legs or his arms wrapped around me each morning. Or that spending nights watching ’90s rom-coms or Marvel movies with him sounds like my kind of heaven. But how do I know if he feels the same?

Last night was different. There’s no doubt about that. But can I really risk everything we have going and insert my feelings into the situation? Do I really want to complicate things even further?

No. Not until I know for sure that the feelings are mutual.

Which is why I lean in and give him a quick kiss instead of answering his question. “Let’s shower.”

Quickly, I roll out of bed before he can grab me and kiss the truth out of me. Hopefully he’ll be too distracted in the shower to have a conversation.

The sound of his footsteps follow me into his bathroom and he grabs my hand just as I’m about to lean in and start the shower.

“Ellie.” It’s not a question, but I know he’s wondering what’s going on with me right now.

Nerves wrack my body, but I turn my head to look at him. Taking a deep breath, I try to even out my breathing so my voice doesn’t betray me. “Yeah?”

He gives my hand a light squeeze but doesn’t let go. “You know you can tell me anything, right? You’re not gonna scare me off.”

Damn this man and his ability to read through my bullshit.

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