My hand goes to my heart, and all I can do is stare in disbelief. I flip through the top book, and there are pages and pages of my stories published from high school, the college paper, and even more recent ones.
“JD...”
He grabs me, turning me toward him. He wipes at the tears on my check and cups my face. “You being here is not getting you out of my system. You being here is making all my dreams come true. You asked me earlier why I would only play for the Knoxville Knights. Well, I’ll tell you why. It’s because you’re here. Even though I didn’t think I could have you, I knew I couldn’t leave you. You are my reason for everything, Willa. Why I stayed in Knoxville, why I worked my ass off in Juco, and why I want to do my best in everything I do. Every day I was trying to be someone you’d want to be with.”
I shake my head and interrupt him. “JD, you don’t get it.”
He looks at me with confusion, and I pull back. “I’ll be right back.”
He grabs on to my hand, not wanting to let me go. “I’m going to my room to get something. I’ll be right back. I promise.”
Finally, he lets me go, and I walk down the hall to the other side of the house. I take off my clothes and grab the shirt that I folded and put under my pillow this morning when I took it off. I put it on and walk back to JD’s room. His mouth drops when he sees me. “Is that—?”
I turn and let him see the number on the back of it. “Yeah, your old football practice T-shirt. I took it after the last game your senior year and have slept in it ever since.” I move over to him. “JD, if you were at my apartment, I could show you all the clippings I’ve saved of you through the years. I have them all. And you’re the reason I know football. I’ve followed you this whole time, and I’ve never missed watching a game on television.”
His hands go to my waist, and I look up at him. “Willa, honey, this isn’t a conquest or some game. I’ve been in love with you for so long. I told you I wanted you here for the week because I didn’t know if you were ready to hear what I really wanted.”
A shiver goes down my body when he says he’s loved me for so long. “What? What do you really want, JD?”
“Forever. I want forever with you.”
I take a deep breath. “I want that too.”
He leans down and kisses me. His hands go down my back, and he picks me up, my legs wrapping around him. We sit on the bed with me in his lap. I pull away breathless. “I’m ready, JD. I want you to be my first.”
His nostrils flare. “I’ll be your first, baby. But I’m also going to be your only.”
“You too... I mean... I want that too.”
He puts his forehead against mine. “Willa, baby, you’re all I want.”
I push him back on the bed. He’s so much stronger than me he can easily resist, but he doesn’t. He lies back, and I’m hovering over top of him.
I unbutton his shirt. One by one, I undo them, moving from the top to the bottom. When I have them all done, I push the shirt away, and he leans up so I can help him take the arms out. I touch him all along his hard chest, over his shoulders and then back down to his abs. His muscles flex and jump under my palm.
He lifts his arms up and laces his hands behind his head. He’s looking almost smug as I caress his hard body. “I need your hands on me, Willa.”
I reach for the button of his slacks, but his deep voice stops me. “But first... I love seeing you with my number on you, but I need you naked, honey. Everything off.”
Nervously, I move off him and stand next to the bed. I take a deep breath and pull his big shirt off my body. I look down at myself in my black panties and matching bra. “Everything?”
He licks his lips. “Everything.”
Not just my face, but my whole body heats. I look at the ceiling and undo my bra first and then I pull my panties down and step out of them. I can’t look at him, I can’t look at him.
The room is silent until I hear him shift on the bed. “Look at me, honey.”
I lower my head and look at him. He reaches for me, his hands going to my waist, and he pulls me into him. “You’re beautiful.”
I let out the breath I’ve been holding. I never realized I’d be this nervous, but I’m literally shaking. He cups my face. “It’s just you and me, Willa.”