The Curve Ball - Samantha Lind Page 0,33
starts to write things in her actual planner, marking everything down in one color before she moves to the next. “All right, all done!” she says about ten minutes later. She holds up the planner and shows it to me. The smile that lights up her face shows me just how proud of herself she is, and it’s adorable.
“Seeing it like that makes me tired just thinking about it.”
“It is quite a crazy schedule. I always wondered how Derek kept up with it when he first went pro. Now when I see it written out like this, it makes me think that the wives and girlfriends almost have it worse. Lots of times during the season that they’re practically single parents.”
“I never thought of it that way,” I tell her honestly. My focus has always been on the game first and partying second. Each city we visit, I know all the hot spots to hit up after our games if we’re not wheels up right away. Those places are usually crawling with cleat chasers, ones that I’ve definitely taken what they’ve been offering in the past without a care in the world. Funny how a kid being dropped on your doorstep has you second-guessing partaking in that kind of thing again. “I know this arrangement is asking a lot of you, so thank you again for stepping in to help me out. I’d seriously be lost without you.”
“I’m happy to help,” she says, the honesty in her words evident, especially in the way that she looks at me. She sets the planner and pens down on the coffee table and looks back at me. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be,” she says, sucking her bottom lip in between her teeth, biting it slightly before releasing it. “Plus, that little girl in there has already gotten her little hands around my heart and pulled me in. She’s kind of addicting,” she tells me as a smile breaks out on those lips. Lips that would be so easy to lean forward and capture with my own.
“She is pretty damn cute,” I muse, agreeing with her about my daughter. “She’s grabbed me by the heart, as well,” I confess.
“You’re doing a great job with her so far,” Riley assures me.
“You think so?”
“Absolutely. You’re going to be a great dad, Justin. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different.”
“Thanks,” I tell her as we make eye contact. I see something flash in her eyes just as I feel the air between us shift. She sucks that damn lip back between her teeth, and my eyes drop and focus in on where her teeth are biting hard on her lip. Before I know what I’m even doing, I reach out and slowly slide my thumb along her lip, pulling it from her teeth. “You bite any harder, and you’re going to break the skin,” I tell her, my words coming out gruffly. I clear my throat, attempting to remove the grit away before I continue. “You keep it up, and I’ll have to kiss it all better.”
I flick my eyes back up to hers and watch as her pupils dilate. She wants me just as bad as I want her, I can see it. I watch as her eyes drop ever so slightly to my lips. My tongue darts out, wetting my lips, and her eyes track it as I do so. I can’t help from smirking at how zoned in she is on my every movement.
I slide my full hand along her cheek and back until I’m cupping her neck. I pull her forward as I move in her direction at that same time, closing the distance between the two of us. Once we’re a hairs breadth apart, I bring my other hand up to cup her cheek, swiping my thumb across her bottom lip once again. “Tell me to stop if you don’t want me to kiss you, Riley,” I whisper between the two of us. I give her a few seconds to tell me no or to stop before I cover her lips with my own. I don’t go in full force; I ease into this kiss. Her lips taste like berries and are the softest lips mine have ever kissed. I pull her closer until she’s on my lap. My hands sink into that hair, allowing me to angle her head so I can deepen the kiss. I swipe my tongue along the seam of her lips, and