I parted my lips several times, trying to express my gratitude for his surprise appearance, but came up short. None of my words seemed good enough for him, good enough to express what this meant to me. Tears made my eyes glisten, his immaculate body going fuzzy around the edges.
He cupped my cheeks, tilted my head, and kissed me again. Kissed me as if he knew I couldn't speak properly.
But I could kiss him.
I could kiss him and show him how much he meant to me. Silently, effortlessly, hungrily. Soon the kiss turned carnal. Because it had been a few days, and I missed him so much it hurt. And I hated acknowledging how much it hurt, but I couldn’t deny it. And I hated not knowing if he felt the same way, but he was here, and he was kissing me and he was proud of me, and that was all that I could ever ask for —
"Ohmigod, Savannah!" London squealed, tugging on my robe. I whirled around, ready to half-heartedly school my roommate and best friend for breaking up a kiss as hot as this, but she opened her mouth before I could even get a tease out. "Isn't that your dad?"
"Holy shit!" I gasped as I saw my father scanning the auditorium, looking fresh off of a flight.
"Damn," Hendrix said. "He must've had the same idea I did." Hendrix glanced at me, debate raging in his eyes, but I nodded at him, urging him to go. It meant everything that he was here, and I tried to convey that as best I could in the look I gave him as he rushed out of the auditorium, but there was no need for him to lose his contract right now. If my dad caught us? There would be hell to pay. Those are the rules he’d laid out, but I was getting really sick and talking tired of rules.
Especially since I was my own goddamn woman.
But all of that melted into the distance as my father finally found London and I, and grouped us up in a big hug, one filled with all the dad-pride that this auditorium could handle. And I realized how incredibly I lucky I was to have two wonderful men in my life who had jumped through hoops to get here on my big day. Even when I told them both it wasn't a big deal.
It had been a big deal to them.
They’d made the day even better.
And as my father insisted he take London, her family, and myself out for a celebratory dinner, we headed to the parking lot a mess of low laughter and chattered accomplishments.
My heart felt just the tiniest bit of sadness that Hendrix wasn’t enjoying this dinner with us. But there was also hope pulsing right next to it.
Hope that eventually, when I figured out exactly what Hendrix wanted, if I was what he actually wanted, then I could go to my father and be honest with him. Tell him how much Hendrix meant to me. And hopefully my father would understand and invite him into our family.
A sliver of fear crept into my blood at what my father would do if he found out before I was honest with him. But I couldn't do it now. Couldn't risk it without talking to Hendrix first. Because there would only be one thing worth risking the wrath and coming clean with Dad, and I didn’t have a clue if Hendrix was there or not. Wasn’t sure if Hendrix would ever be there with me.
So, I took a deep breath and contented myself with the happiness radiating from my heart in this moment. Such a pure happiness, one I hadn’t felt in such a long time.
And I covered myself with a blanket of hope, thinking for the first time in months that maybe Hendrix Malone and I were something more than a contract.
Something more than forbidden frenzy.
Maybe we could be happy. Indefinitely.
15
Hendrix
The roar of the crowd filled my ears and rumbled in my chest as Dallas received the kickoff. Home games were always amazing, but there was something to be said for the first one of the season. The energy was unparalleled…until we made it to the playoffs, of course. Then shit got crazy.
But this right here? The buzz of excitement, the adrenaline coursing through my veins—there was nothing compared to it. Except being inside Savannah. Nothing even came close.
I’d kept my eyes off the stands since we’d come on the field, but I lost the battle with my self-control and glanced back at the family section. Then that glance turned into a full-on stare as I saw Savannah next to Liberty and Teagan. I didn’t need her to turn around to know that the number on the back of her jersey was mine—I’d seen her put it on this morning because she’d woken up in my bed, whispering happy birthday before giving me a pre-dawn workout. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my birthday.