“Right.” Something was different in her voice. In the way she moved. Something was off. It took everything I had to keep from pulling her into my arms and kissing whatever troubled thoughts she was having clear out of her mind.
Just seeing her had me wanting to throw caution to the wind. Everything that had made me decide to break whatever we were doing off seemed a million miles away.
“I can’t believe that you actually came. With food, no less. I’m starving.” A smile played on her lips, bringing my Gabrielle back to me.
My Gabrielle? What the fuck. I pushed the errant thought from my mind. Hard.
We talked about nothing as we ate. By the end of the meal, she seemed genuinely happy that I was there. Strangely, I had to admit that I was happy that I was there, too. I had missed her that week, though I would never, ever admit that out loud.
“So, should we address the elephant in the room?” she asked.
“There’s an elephant? Where?” I joked, spinning in my seat and looking around wildly.
Her light laughter twisted something in my stomach. “Yeah, we probably should,” I said.
“Okay, I asked you a question last night. You told me we’d talk about it today. It’s today. It’s been fun catching up, but I think it’s about time to get to the gist of it. I’m listening.”
I whistled low and scratched at the back of my neck. “I should’ve known that you wouldn’t be taking any prisoners tonight. What do you want to know?”
“What happened on Monday?”
“Why do think something happened on Monday?”
“Generally, when people do a sudden 180, something happened to bring it on. Stop with the bullshit, James.”
People were telling me that a lot lately. I didn’t like that there were now two people in my life who could see straight through the layer of bullshit that I kept wrapped around myself. “You’re right. I was working out with Ryder, and I realized what I was risking by being with you if your dad ever found out.”
“Okay, that’s a good start. Carry on.” Her piercing gaze locked on mine. Christ, she was not making this easy.
“Do you remember that I told you that we were coming off a shitty season, and that’s why we were doing the extra stuff with some of the guys, even if it is the off-season?”
“Yes.”
One-word answers were a bad sign.
“That day that we met at your dad’s office, I was there to talk to him about restructuring my contract. I’ve been getting offers from a lot of other teams. Better offers with better teams.”
Her eyes lit up as realization set in. “That’s why he told you to come by at any time, to stay even though we were arguing about the bar exam. He thought he was losing you.”
“Yup. I’ve been honest with him about the other offers, so he thought I was leaving. I told him that I would be willing to stay if they made it worth my while. The truth is that my life is here. So is Harper’s.” I blew out a deep breath; I wasn’t used to baring my innermost thoughts. It wasn’t a feeling that I wanted to get used to, but I had to get through it.
“I don’t want to leave Miami, but if that’s the better option for Harper’s future and it puts me with a team that has an actual shot at winning the Super Bowl, I have to take it.”
She tilted her head at me, nodding in understanding. “You’re afraid that it would jeopardize whatever counteroffer is in the works if my father finds out about us. Then you’d have to leave Miami, even if you don’t really want to. You’re on the verge of having the best of both worlds, the money offered by the other teams that would secure Harper’s future, but you’d get to stay here and work at making your own team better.”
My mind swirled. My jaw dropped. I was stunned at how succinctly and precisely she had summarized my deepest feelings. Fuck, this woman was going to be a great lawyer.
“That’s exactly it. From my side, anyway. I also don’t want to risk your relationship with your father. I know that it’s more important to you than you let on. I know about his rule. I would hate to get between you two.”
Her expression softened. She hopped off her stool and walked around the island. Almost as if on instinct, my legs fell open wider to accommodate her, and I reached to wrap my arms around her as she positioned herself against me.
“Thank you for being honest with me. I know that it wasn’t easy for you.” She pressed a light kiss to my neck that had my blood running hot.
“It was easier than I thought it would be,” I surprised myself by admitting it. I wrapped her thick ponytail around my hand and pushed on. “You’re easy to talk to. You get me.”
It was a simple thing, but as I said it, I realized that it was completely and utterly true. Somehow, this beautiful woman in my arms actually got me. The real me. Too bad that it didn’t change a single fucking thing.
Her eyes fixed me with an intent look. “My turn to be honest, then. I want you, James. I have no intention of telling my father about us, and if he finds out, we’ll deal with it then.”