Page 124 of The Renegade Billionaire
“For fuck’s sake,” Grey says. “Take these.” He hands what’s left of the beer to Clover, then wraps his giant fingers around Savvy’s slender wrist and drags her behind him.
“Hey,” she says, attempting to swat his hand away with her remaining free limb. “What are you doing?”
They’re already three stairs up and away from us before he turns to her.
“The game is about to start, and I’m not going to miss it because everyone is scrambling to get you dry. Let’s go.”
Her wide gaze seeks mine, but all I have to offer is a shrug. I have no idea what the guy is up to.
Braxton places the beers in the cup holders, pulls out a giant wad of napkins from his back pocket, and begins wiping down the seats. “I’m so sorry,” he says for the hundredth time.
“It was an accident,” Clover says. “She wasn’t mad. We’ve all done it.”
He nods in thanks to my friend, drops the wet napkins to the ground, and takes a seat next to me.
“She’s got to be a little pissed.” He nudges my arm off the armrest, slips his arm underneath mine, clasps our hands, then places them in his lap. “I’ll buy her a new outfit.”
The band begins, and Clover startles in her seat with both arms shooting into the air, sending the popcorn she was holding in every direction.
Since these are our season ticket seats, everyone around us is used to her and simply brushes the popcorn away.
“See, we’re all a little messy.” I cuddle into his arm. I’m so at peace it makes me nervous for what’s to come, but I’m determined to focus on the good today. Tomorrow is a worry for future me.
He chuckles and kisses the top of my head. A collective chorus of “Aw” breaks out around us, and Clover elbows me in the side, then points to the jumbo screen where we’ve caught the attention of the kiss camera.
What did I ever do to deserve being put on display when things are finally going right?
“It’s a pretty big step.” Braxton’s mouth is at my ear. “What do you say, sunshine? Can I show them you’re mine?”
I swore I would never belong to anyone ever again, but this man has a way of getting me to break every promise I’ve ever made to myself.
“Kiss, kiss, kiss” is the new chant around the stadium. A quick glance up tells me the camera is still on us.
“Does that mean you’re mine too?”
“Well, you are my girlfriend, and I’m your boyfriend, so yeah. That’s exactly what it means. But do you want all of them to know?”
He’s slowly moving toward me. A hand in my hair. Turning my face. He’s giving the crowd what they want while giving me the time to decide.
“Show them.”
The instant the words leave my mouth, his lips crash into mine. By the noise around the stadium, you would think we’d just won the Happiness Cup.
When he pulls away, my body follows him, and my lungs burn with the need for oxygen.
“You literally suck the life from me when you kiss me that way. You’re like a vampire kisser, or a?—”
He kisses me again, but there’s no applause this time—the camera has moved on.
This one is gentler, softer, loving. Then he holds my head with one hand so he can speak directly into my ear.
“The first kiss was a fucking kiss. This one was a lovemaking kiss. See the difference?”
I’ve officially turned into a live version bobblehead, and I’m so thankful I’m not on the jumbotron right now.
The coin flip is in our favor, and he squeezes my hand as they kick the ball to our opponent. The energy of this stadium is intoxicating, and for a few minutes, I get to pretend that we’re anormal couple, living a simple life of college football and home renovations.
Truly, it’s been my goal since I was a child—stability—and for the first time I remember, it feels as if it might be within reach.
