in this light.
“I guess I never thought about it like that.”
He strokes my face. “Maybe that’s why it took so long for you to open your eyes and see me standing in front of you. Maybe we both had to change and grow before we were ready for that next step.”
Everything in me stills as I consider the possibility. Maybe Rowan is correct, and life works out the way it’s supposed to when the time is right. The challenges we work through and ultimately overcome are there to help shape us into the people we were always meant to be.
It's a dizzying thought.
He shrugs, and the seriousness filling his eyes melts away. “You ready for that ice cream?”
When I nod, he closes the distance and brushes his lips across mine. “Good. Then we can go back to your place and have a little rematch. FYI—this time I won’t go so easy on you.”
Laughter bubbles up in my throat, banishing our previous discussion, and lightening the atmosphere. “Oh, please! We both know I kicked your ass fair and square. But hey, it would be my pleasure to crush you all over again.”
He raises a brow. “You always this cocky?”
“That’s not cockiness,” I snort. “It’s confidence.”
“Whatever it is,” his fingers trail over my bare thigh toward the vee between my legs, “it’s sexy as hell.”
My gaze drops to his hand before flicking to his face. I point to the offending appendage. “Yeah, that’s not going to work, bruh. I’m not that distractable.”
“Bruh?” He bursts out laughing. “Is that what I am now? Your bruh?”
“When we’re on the field, and I’m wiping it with your ass, that’s exactly what you are.”
“Have I mentioned how sexy the confidence is?”
I flash him a grin. “Does that mean I’ll be getting lucky afterward?”
A cagey look enters his eyes. “Guess we’re going to find out now, aren’t we?”
Oh, you’re damn right we are.
Game on.
24
Demi
My eyelids flutter, and I blink, focusing on the guy stretched out next to me. His bare chest rises and falls with every deep inhalation. I glance at the window and realize the sun is peeking over the horizon, painting the sky in splashes of pink and purple hues. As beautiful as the sight is, it’s not nearly enough to hold my attention, and my gaze returns to Rowan. His blond hair is spread out across the pillow. His skin’s sun-kissed hue glows against the snowy white sheets, giving him a deep, dark color.
I almost shake my head.
A week ago, I could never have fathomed waking up in bed next to him. Or that he had wanted me this entire time—enough to remain a virgin. Even now, it all seems farfetched. The past thirty-six hours have irrevocably altered our relationship. We can never go back to what it once was.
As swiftly as this has happened, Rowan wants to take our physical relationship slow. After we fooled around in the pool yesterday morning, all I wanted was to feel him deep inside my body. Even though I gave it my best shot, Rowan was adamant about taking our time and waiting.
It’s kind of funny. And a bit of a role reversal. In most of my past relationships, I’ve always been the one to pump the brakes. And now that I’ve finally found a guy I want to tear the clothes off of and get naked with, he’s the one slow tracking sex. I’ve read enough novels to appreciate the irony when I see it. And this situation is chock-full of it.
I inch closer to the warmth that emanates from his lean body. His arms are stretched above his head, making his chest stand out in sharp relief. The rigid slab of muscle and sinewy strength makes my mouth go dry. Even though his hair is the color of freshly harvested wheat in bright sunlight, his thick eyebrows and lashes are dark—the latter sweeps in twin crescents across his cheeks. Any girl would be envious of their length.
His softly parted lips draw me closer. I’m tempted to press my mouth against his. No one has ever kissed me with so much skill. And the way he takes his time...
It’s as if we have an eternity to explore and discover each other.
A horde of butterflies erupts in my belly as I study him in fascination. I’ve spent so much of my life pretending Rowan wasn’t there that I never stopped to look at him without my prejudices coloring the lens.
My teeth sink into my lower lip. It’s