Page 75 of Playing for Possession
I laughed. “Then you’re going to love my family.”
He held my hand as we walked past magnificent strutting peacocks and plodding tortoises. All I could think about was the simple pleasure of holding hands and wandering together with this man on a date. We stopped at a bridge where a crocodile lurked in the water. Kieran watched it with an intense, serious expression.
“You do want to meet my family, don’t you?”
There was a slight hesitation before he nodded. “Yes.”
“Good.” I squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”
He slipped his arm around me and held me. I breathed in his strength and his comforting scent. Being with Kieran made everything lighter. He was willing to meet my family. This was happening. This was really happening.
I took a deep breath and focused on the feeling in the sea. That moment when you lie back and your heart contracts with fear, but you have to surrender to the waves and float. Sometimes in life you have to lie back and float and pray the sea will hold you. There was seizing the day and then there was this, allowing the day to unfold in whatever way and putting your faith into not drowning.
This was fast, unexpected, and honestly completely unwanted, but I’d fallen for this man. I couldn’t fight it anymore.
I turned to him and held his hands in mine. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Are we . . . ? What is this . . . ? I know it’s fast, but am I your girlfriend now?”
I resisted the urge to squeeze my eyes shut because I couldn’t stand the nervous wait for his answer.Please don’t let me drown.
He took my hand in both of his. “Do you want to be my girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
He turned my hand over in his palms. “I want that too. I really want that. But if we go public with this, it will get some attention.”
I tried to keep my smile in place. I was used to press attention, and Dad had done what he could to protect us, but it was hard at the peak of his fame. This wasn’t the first time I’d walked around an empty tourist venue. This was the only way we’d been able to have family days out when I was a kid. Kieran must have had that in mind when he rented this place. It wasn’t just a special treat for me. It was probably the only way he could visit a place and fully relax.
Still, I was used to it, and Kieran was worth the sacrifice. Although I had a lot to manage with starting the season.
“Maybe we should keep things under wraps until we’ve settled in back home. It will be easier once the season has started,” I said.
He nodded. “Fine. You’re going to feel enough pressure around that time. We’ll wait until it feels right.”
It was going to be tough enough going back for my first match. This was enough for now. Best to keep it under wraps.
“Then I’m your girlfriend, and you’re my boyfriend. It’s official. We won’t tell anyone yet.”
A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth and it was glorious, lopsided and boyish. His whole face transformed like the sun appearing from behind the clouds.
“You’re smiling.” My voice was filled with wonder.
“Because I have the most beautiful girlfriend.” His smile widened. “And because now all of this feels like it was worth getting bitten by a parrot.”
Chapter 33
Kieran
The engine hummed in a soothing rhythm. Joanie’s head bobbed onto my shoulder, and I pulled her into my arms, letting her curl on my chest to sleep. We’d teased each other in the airport about joining the mile-high club on this flight, but I wouldn’t wake her. We could tick that off the list another time. Plane sex was overrated.
I stroked her soft hair lightly and felt the warm weight of her across my body. Nothing beat this. I’d never thought I’d see a day where a woman falling asleep in my arms was preferable to a quickie, but it really was. Seeing Joanie relaxed and peaceful on a plane—relaxed and peaceful withme—made my heart swell.
Once I’d smoothed things over with Mortimer, I’d get to introduce her to Mum and Jack. They were going to love her gentleness and her quirky sense of humor. A stream of cold air from the air-conditioning unit gave me a slight shiver. Joanie stirred in my arms, and I gestured to a flight attendant to bring me a blanket for her. I didn’t deserve her, but I’d fight to keep her. Things would be different when we got home. We’d have the media to deal with. A relationship between teammates would be news fodder. I didn’t care who knew, but Joanie could do without the extra attentionwhen she was already feeling the pressure of a return to the pitch. We could keep it on the down-low until things settled for her. I’d do whatever it took to protect her, whatever it took to hold on to her.
I lay my head back and let myself drift for a snooze with the woman I loved in my arms. A sense of peace and warmth washed over me. Definitely better than a quickie.
