Roman (Raleigh Raptors #2) - Samantha Whiskey Page 0,72

not. Did I like that she fought to get to my side? Hell yes.

Hendrix scoffed, and Nixon shook his head.

“Seriously though, you gotta see this hit.” Hendrix whipped out his phone and brought up the clip.

We all simultaneously hissed as we watched the replay.

“Oh, and I should tell you that your Mom is on her way,” Nixon warned.

“Fuck me,” I groaned.

If the docs thought Teagan was possessive, I couldn’t wait for them to get a load of my mother.

“It’s New Year’s Eve, and there’s zero chance I’m going to be anywhere but here,” Teagan argued, settling in at my side the next night.

She’d brought me home from the hospital since I wasn’t allowed to drive.

I also wasn’t supposed to use my phone, read, or do anything that generally used my brain. The doc had suggested crafts. I’d laughed him out of the room.

“Thank you for taking care of Walt for me.” The big baby was currently curled up on his dog bed across the room.

“You never have to thank me.” She rested her head on the stretch of bare skin between my collarbone and where the wrapping for my ribs began. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

“T, you know this is the shit that just happens. I have seven years left in the NFL—if I’m lucky—and I bet we’ll be here a couple more times. That doesn’t mean that I won’t be careful, but I don’t want you to worry too much.”

“I’m always going to worry.” She looked up at me with eyes so sad that my heart dropped.

“And I’m always going to come home to you. My home. Your home. Whichever home you want.” I cupped her face, and she rose, careful to keep her weight off me.

“You know I want to spend the rest of my life with you, right?” She asked, running her fingers through my hair.

“Well, you’re wearing my ring, so the secret is out on that one.” I flashed her a grin, wishing I wasn’t nearly immobile on my left side. I wanted to flip her over, pin her down, and fuck her hard enough to prove that I was fine—that I was healthy, and her worries were unfounded.

But there was something in her eyes that told me she wouldn’t be easily swayed from the path her mind had taken. My girl was deep in the pits of a worry I couldn’t rectify tonight. I could only soothe her as much as she was willing to be soothed.

“We can’t even watch the ball drop,” I whined with a wrinkled nose. “What kind of New Years Eve is this?”

She arched a brow, easily spotting my sarcasm. “No television. But you know what the Doc said you could do?” A slight smile tilted her lips.

“Fuck you senseless?” I reached for her hips, wincing as my side pulled.

“Nope!” She slid away. “Take a bath.”

“Lame.” My gaze slid down her body, letting her see just how hungry I was for her.

“With me,” she amended.

“I’m in.”

She laughed softly, sliding off my bed and disappearing into the bathroom. Within a few seconds, I heard the water running.

She came back out wearing only the robe she’d left here.

My mouth went dry.

“Roman, the only way I’m getting in that tub with you is if you agree to keep your hands to yourself. No funny business. I mean it. You’re hurt.”

I got to my feet, carefully masking my wince. “Woman, I’d have to be dead not to want you.”

Her smile faded, and she swallowed. “Well, you agree to taking it easy, or I’m not getting in.” She folded her arms under her breasts, only making them swell above her neckline.

I groaned out my frustration. “Fine. You win. Any naked time with you is better than no naked time with you.”

Her phone chimed, and she smiled, but it was tinged with an unhappiness that I couldn’t pin my finger on. “It’s midnight.”

I crossed the distance between us and cupped her face in my hands. “Happy New Year,” I whispered against her lips, kissing her long and soft, and deep.

She returned my kiss like she always did, eager and wanting, but she held back when it came to leaning against me. “Happy New Year, Roman. I love you.”

“I love you,” I swore, my heart slipping slightly at her worried tone.

She led me to the bathtub, but no matter how long we soaked, I couldn’t wash away her tension or her worry. That was okay. I’d waited over twenty years for the chance to love Teagan.