Play With Me - Brittany Cournoyer Page 0,67

at my question. “Why would I mind?”

I shrugged and looked down at my plate, but Stellan’s finger under my chin forced me to look up and meet his penetrating gaze. I felt stupid about my reaction, but I was so worried about screwing things up, I was stumbling over myself left and right.

“Why would I mind, Foster?” he asked again. His tone told me he wasn’t going to drop the subject, and my cheeks flamed in embarrassment.

“I just… This is new, and I don’t want to wear out my welcome,” I struggled to explain. I tried to avert my eyes, but Stellan’s growl had me keeping them in place.

“Foster, did you suggest coming watch me play?”

I shook my head. “No. You invited me.”

“Exactly. If I didn’t want you there, I wouldn’t have asked. You’re my good luck charm, remember?”

I smiled at the reminder. “I remember.”

“Good. Now stop overthinking things and finish your breakfast. I figured we could hang out for a bit before going to work.”

“What did you have in mind?” I asked.

“Well, that depends.”

“On?”

“How sore you are.”

I thought how to answer him next. Should I be nonchalant and let him know I’d be okay or take the bull by the proverbial horns and give him the brazen answer that danced on my tongue? I decided to open my mouth and own up to whatever words tumbled out.

“Not nearly enough to feel you the rest of the night.”

“Then I’ll rectify that.”

24

Stellan

The next few days passed slowly for me. I divided my time like usual—working at the garage and band rehearsal—but I was getting anxious. I hadn’t seen Foster again. We texted a lot, and even had a few late-night conversations where we actually got to know each other a bit more, but I selfishly wanted those talks to be in person. Preferably in bed, with him in my arms as he talked to me about his parents and I told him a bit about mine.

While we weren’t at the stage of bringing each other home to meet the family, I knew if we continued on the path we were walking, we’d wind up there eventually. I just hoped his parents would be okay with him bringing home another man, especially after being engaged to a woman. I kept those fears of unacceptance to myself as I explained to him my own parents had retired to Florida years ago, with my sister and her family following a short while later, and that I saw them a few times a year. When he wistfully mentioned how much he missed the ocean, visions of us standing on the sand as water lapped at our toes filled my head, and I suddenly wanted to make that dream into a reality. A sunset kiss on the beach as the waves crashed into the shore would be the icing on the cake.

And it was at that moment, when I was under the hood of a car while I was elbow deep in an engine, that the truth hit me. My feelings for Foster had gotten deeper than I’d ever thought possible in such a short amount of time. This wasn’t just a crush, and he wasn’t someone I wanted to have a good time with for a while until both of our itches were scratched. I wanted to keep scratching them long after that itch had been satisfied. I didn’t care if my skin wound up raw and bleeding in the process, just as long as I was still with Foster.

Was it love? Doubtful, but it was dangerously close to turning into that. I was teetering on that fine line of more than like, but less than love. All I had to do was close my eyes and topple over and hope that Foster would be there to catch me as I fell. But was I ready to let go? That was the biggest question, and I wasn’t sure I had an answer just yet. Especially not after what I’d been through before.

The vibrating in my back pocket startled me, and I jerked up, knocking my head against the hood in the process. I cursed and stopped myself from rubbing the knot that was forming on my scalp since my hands were greasy. As the vibration continued in my pocket, I grabbed the rag I’d laid on the edge of the car and swiped it over my hands to remove as much grease as possible. When I retrieved my phone, I was surprised to see Maverick’s