Page 78 of Coast to Coast

“Hey, you,” I said, attempting to channel every ounce of the breezy coolness I had always prided myself on with the men I dated. But damn, why were my hands shaking? This wasn’t our first date, and in a very short time, the man had begun to learn his way around my body. Last night, I’d confidently ridden him reverse cowgirl while we both watched in a full-length mirror. But tonight, I stood before him like a giddy teenager on the way to the senior prom.

Tom cupped my cheek, bending down to gently brush my lips with his before whispering in my ear, “You okay?”

My eyes grew wide; he’d sensed my nervousness, and fuck if that realization didn’t ramp up the butterflies I was feeling even more. “Sorry, a little nervous.”

“Were the girls good to you?” He searched my face, looking around to see that all the other WAGs had joined their significant others.

“They were great,” I answered, shaking my head. I breathed deeply and tried to still my nerves, “It’s actually you that’s got me on edge.”

“Me?” He asked; his thumb hadn’t stopped stroking my cheek, and his eyes hadn’t left mine. The rest of the world could be damned; his focus didn’t waver from mine once he realized that something had shaken me. And no, I couldn’t pinpoint what had happened or when.

Maybe it was a combination of his mother explaining his loneliness when he was on the road and the realization that he was fucking good and women were lined up trying to get his attention.

“You’re kind of a big deal, did you know?” I asked, my face red, but his eyes continued searching mine.

“It’s just a game, and it’s my job.”

I nodded. A part of me understood that this was just that. But another part of me realized that I flew out tomorrow morning, and while the last week had been absolute bliss, we had so many things we needed to talk about.

“I don’t want to leave tomorrow,” I whispered.

Tom squeezed his eyes shut tight. “I don’t want you to leave tomorrow, either. But I also don’t want that to weigh on the time we have tonight.” His lips brushed mine once more before he wrapped me in his arms. Fuck, it felt so right to be surrounded by him. I inhaled deeply, breathing in his scent, instantly calmed.

“Let’s go out, drink, and party like assholes, and then go home and fuck like rabbits, okay?”

“Oooh-Kaay,” I drawled, biting my bottom lip.

“There’s my girl,” he said with a wink, his entire face lighting up with a smile. “Just had to make you think about having sex with me.”

“Babe, I’m always thinking about having sex with you,” I admitted, as he pushed us both towards the exit where several rented black Suburbans were waiting to drive us to the club.

Mariana and Alex were in the car with us. They had seen us talking and provided us space to have our moment. But the mood brightened once Tom helped me into the SUV, and we were all ready to enjoy the night out.

When we pulled up in front of the club, the team received VIP treatment. We were all ushered past the ropes into a private back room with tables and swanky booths. Several waitstaff members were there immediately to take our orders. A large glass window overlooked the club and the dance floor below.

The rookies, Cooper and Jackson, snagged drinks and immediately went out to the dance floor, clearly on the prowl, while Damon looked wistfully at them as they left the private room before sulking in the corner.

Tom grabbed my arm as I tried to console him. “No, he’d rather be alone. I swear he’ll be okay in a minute.”

“He just looks so sad,” I said.

“He’s torn. Kayleigh left without a word. He’s still committed to her, yet he’s unsure whether there’s anything left to fight for. And it’s killing him that he can’t jump on a plane and force her to talk to him.”

“She’s in Columbus?” I asked.

Tom nodded, “Yup. If she doesn’t pick up, I’d expect her to break down her door when we’re in town in November.”

“She’s had all of us reaching out to her. She’s even resisting Mariana. I mean, who can resist her?”

Tom shook his head as our waitress returned with two tequila shots, a beer, and a glass of white wine for me. Hegrabbed the saltshaker and held out my wrist and his, shaking several grains of salt onto the backs of our hands.

“Ok, lick it, slam it, suck it, ready?”

I nodded, watching his eyes flare as I did just that.

“Aw, babe, you took that so good,” he whispered, his hot breath tickling my ear. “You’re gonna take my dick just as good later, aren’t you?“

I groaned, bit my lower lip, and my thighs squeezed together unwittingly.

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