Page 29 of Fighting For Light
“It was okay…a team member was fired,” I tell her.
“Oh? And why was that?” she asks.
“Long story, but um, I was wondering if…well, there’s this ring I saw you wear once, it’s blue. I think it would be perfect, and if you were willing to…” Mom giggles, and I stop talking. “What?” I ask her.
“Oh, Kai. I’m so happy for you. I’ve only ever wanted my boys to be happy. I have to admit, I love seeing you flustered like this. You really love her, don’t you?” she asks.
“Yeah, Mom, I really do.” My chest tightens at the one piece of massive information I’m holding back. Cordi and I haven’t talked about how to tell people who the father is, let alone her dad or my mom. Or if she even wants to tell anyone that information. I need to know where her head is at now because she clearly didn’t want to talk earlier. “So, could I give that to her as her engagement ring?” I ask her.
“Of course, honey. I agree it would look perfect on her and much better use than decorating the safe. I’ll get it together for you.”
“Thank you, Mom. I’d like to see you.”
She hums. “I would too, sweetheart. I’m planning to visit you soon. Where’s your next stop?”
“We’re headed off to Florida tonight, actually,” I tell her.
“Okay, well, have a good trip. Stay safe. Make sure you drop your location,” she says.
“Yeah, I will. I love you. Talk soon.”
“I love you, too.” There’s a soft knock at the door, and I know who it is. I can sense her. Even when we werejustfriends, her presence has always been unmistakable to me. “Come in, gem,” I call from the couch.
The door opens, and she peeks her head in. “Oh, hi. I was wondering if you were ready to go?” She’s wearing bike shorts that aren’t actually bike shorts and an oversized t-shirt. I smile at her outfit because she has never had one sense of style. A few years ago, she was in dresses all the time, and now she’s in this athletic clothes phase. “What?”
I shake my head, smiling. “Oh, nothing, just looking at the outfit of the evening.”
She looks down and messes with her shirt. “What? It’s comfortable.”
I smile. “I like it. It makes me wonder what’s under the big t-shirt, though.” I stand to make sure the cabinets are locked into place, and the bump outs are pulled in before hooking the trailer and grabbing her stuff. She’s still standing on the bottom step, unmoving. “What?”
“You…you’ve never said things like that to me.” Her cheeks turn rosy, and she maintains eye contact.
“Come in here and shut the door,” I command. She does as told and stands in the little entry. I grab her wrist and tug her towards me, then back her up to the small bar countertop that juts out from the cabinets. She gasps and holds onto my shoulders as I lift her onto the countertop, pushing my hips between her legs. Her eyes widen in shock. Then I grab her mouth like it belongs to me because I belong to her. She kisses me back, and it’s like that night in the hot tub. I wanted to do this and so much more. Her fingers dig into my shoulders, and I wish I could feel her nails deeper in my skin.
I moan into her mouth as our tongues duel and explore. She tastes like my absolution for all the bad things I’ve done and willdo for the sake of my family. My arms circle her waist, and I pull her as close as she can get to me.
Her whimper sparks a hunger in me as our teeth clash while I inhale her until my lungs beg for air. She rips her face away, and her chest heaves against mine. I lean into her neck, trailing wet kisses over her skin that isn’t covered by her clothes. She tilts her head, giving me more access. I barely notice her ankles crossed at my lower back, pulling me closer to her center.
“I’ve dreamed about this, made up things in my mind of how this would feel, and it doesn’t even hold a candle,” she says, out of breath.
I kiss her jaw and lift my eyes to hers. “You thought about us like this?” I ask her.
She bites her lower lip and nods. “You haven’t?” she asks. Her eyes grip me, and I nod.
“More than I’d like to admit.”
“Why?” she asks.
“I had no business thinking about my coach’s daughter that way. I knew I couldn’t have you, and he wasn’t okay with it, and he still isn’t.” She winces and drags her hands from my shoulders to my neck.
“It’s a good thing I’m not thirteen or boy crazy anymore then, isn’t it?” she says and drags her lips across mine.
“We need to go, gem,” I whisper against them.
“You started this, daredevil,” she murmurs against my lips.
“I want to finish it, but we have a two-day drive to North Florida,” I tell her. I lean away from her lips before I carry her the ten steps to my bed and forget every other thought about our next competition or the freestyle competition in Miami.
