Under the Lights (The Field Party #2) - Abbi Glines Page 0,51
he wasn’t going to want her the same way.
Next Time Though I Won’t Let You Run
CHAPTER 31
WILLA
I understood football and the need to win, but I didn’t think Gunner really had to go to practice today. However, I wasn’t going to tell him that. Not with the mood swings he was dealing with. The best I could do was listen to his rants. No advice or consoling. My just being there was all he seemed to need last night and today. So even when Brady had come to check on things, I’d stayed silent.
This wasn’t my nightmare. It was Gunner’s. All I was offering was my ear. And that was all he had asked for. Brady, on the other hand, he didn’t trust, or he didn’t want him to know. Because he’d gone beyond evading the truth; he’d just lied to him. I wasn’t sure how I had been the one he trusted with this truth. Maybe because I’d told him mine. But for whatever reason, I was going to be worthy of his trust.
Brady hadn’t been surprised by the less-than-half truth he’d been told. Which only confirmed the ass Gunner’s so-called father was. Brady had seen more than I had over the years. I would think Gunner would want to share with him more than me. That hadn’t been the case though.
We didn’t make it to school by lunch, but we did make it in time for the class right after it. The office seemed okay with our excuse, and because I was with Gunner, I think it helped my reasons. If I hadn’t been, I was sure they’d have given me break detention or something.
It wasn’t until we were walking to class that Gunner realized he had forgotten me yesterday. With all that had happened, I’d forgotten myself.
“Shit,” he said, stopping in his tracks and slapping his forehead. I thought he’d forgotten homework or his football jersey.
“What?” I asked.
He looked at me with a frustrated frown. “How did you get home yesterday?”
“Walked.”
“Fuck,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, Willa. Rhett checked me out to meet with my dad, and that was so unexpected I forgot completely.”
I shrugged, because compared to his last twenty-four hours the fact I had to walk home was really no big deal at all. Especially after all he’d been through, I didn’t want him feeling bad about me. If I could fix all his problems, I would. I tried not to think too deeply into that though.
“It’s fine. Your day was tough, and it was good exercise for me.”
He shook his head, still clearly annoyed with himself. “I won’t do it again. I swear.”
“Really it’s not a big deal. I enjoyed the walk.” Which wasn’t exactly true, but there was no reason to make him feel worse about it.
“Stop trying to make me feel better. Ain’t going to work,” he grumbled.
I didn’t have a real response to that, so I said nothing.
He walked me toward my classroom, but before we even got five doors close to it, he stopped and opened a door to a dark room, then reached for my arm and pulled me inside.
“What,” I said, confused, as the door closed behind me.
Gunner’s grip released my wrist; then his hand slid up to cup my face. The light from the hallway barely gave me enough illumination to see. But I saw Gunner’s face as he leaned into me. I knew what was coming, and my stomach did a flutter of excitement just before his lips landed on mine.
Softly he brushed them back and forth over mine. The gentle touch brought a sigh from me that Gunner used as an opportunity to slip his tongue past my lips to tangle with mine. My hands found his upper arms, and I held on to him or drew him closer. I wasn’t really sure with the fireworks of electricity going off in my head.
This I hadn’t expected, but I didn’t want it to end. The peppermint taste of his gum mingled with mine, and I leaned in closer to breathe him in. His hard chest pressed against me.
Cold air met my now damp, swollen lips. And my eyes flew open to see Gunner stepping back away from me. His eyes were on me with a surprise that I understood because I felt it too. There had been a connection there that made me want to pull closer to him. Soak him in and never let go.