Roman (Raleigh Raptors #2) - Samantha Whiskey Page 0,52

and it was us. And there was something so beautifully true and raw to that knowledge that my breath caught in my lungs.

And an idea slammed home in my mind, my heart, my soul.

“What is it?” Liberty asked, tracking the emotions behind my eyes.

“I’m just so damn proud of him,” I admitted that small truth, keeping the bigger revelation to myself.

“We all are,” Savannah said, the three of us filing out of the private suite and heading toward the locker room. “That was a hell of a game. His thighs will be aching tonight, Teagan,” she said with a suggestive tone. “You should probably rub them down,” she said. “For the good of the team and all.”

An elderly gentleman—a previous owner, I believe—coughed from ahead of us, and I playfully pinched Savannah’s arm.

She snorted, throwing the man a smile that danced so close to the line of sinful that the poor guy blushed and promptly upped his pace to get away from us.

“Savannah!” Liberty chided.

“What?” She shrugged. “I just smiled. He was the one eavesdropping.”

“Kind of hard to consider it eavesdropping when you’re loud enough for the entire defensive line to hear you,” I joked.

“Semantics,” she said as she held the door open for us.

We fell into an easy back and forth as we made our way toward the locker room, showing the line of security our passes.

“Nixon’s parents loving the visit?” I asked Liberty as we leaned against the wall just outside the locker room.

“Yes,” she said. “His mother is a godsend. I love bringing Nicole to games, but it’s wonderful to enjoy watching Nix play while not trying to wrestle a seven-month-old.”

“I can’t imagine,” I said, my heart pinching just a bit. The image of an infant manifested behind my eyes—a chubby-cheeked boy with my eyes and Roman’s hair.

I quickly shook off the image, hating that I couldn’t control that line of thought. With the way I felt about Roman, I suppose it was normal to see flashes of a future I’d always wanted—a big family with lots of kids and dogs and a husband who drove me absolutely insane in the best of ways.

But we’d already had that talk, and I hated that it was a concern for Roman about my commitment to him. I’d never leave him because of something he couldn’t control, and when the time came? We’d start our family the way we wanted to, on our terms, no one else’s.

My breath hitched as the doors swung open, and I let that flutter in my heart ground me in the present. The earlier revelation spiked to the forefront of my mind, and I held onto that notion, knowing I had a lot of explaining to do once we made it home.

Roman filed out the door after Nixon, and I couldn’t stop myself from bouncing up and down. He met me halfway, rushing toward me and scooping me into his arms.

“One-hundred and forty-four rushing yards, babe!” I squealed as he walked us down the hallway, oblivious to anyone else around us. “And a freaking sixty-one-yard touchdown for the win!” I planted a kiss on his lips, my toes curling in my shoes that hung above the ground as he continued to haul us out of there.

“Goddamn, T,” he said against my mouth, his tongue teasing the seam of my lips. “I love seeing you in my jersey. Love knowing you’re up there watching me. Cheering for me.”

“I always am,” I said, and he flashed me a knowing look that was equal parts mischief and pride.

I continued to kiss him all the way to his car and didn’t let go of his hand the entire ride home.

After we had a quick celebratory dinner, Roman rounded the kitchen island, and I could tell from the look in his eyes that I was going to be dessert.

Heat flared down my spine, anticipation coiling my muscles.

“Wait!” I said, stopping his approaching lips with my finger.

He sucked my finger into his mouth, swirling his tongue over the tip. My eyes rolled back in my head for a second, but I sucked in a breath to ground my mind.

“I need to talk to you,” I said, and he instantly took a step away from me, eyes wide, clear.

“What’s up?” He asked, his voice low and rough as he slid his hands into his pockets. The move looked like he was worried what he’d do with them if he left them free.

I grinned a little at the motion before crossing the distance