My eyes bulge and my heart shrivels. “What? That fast?”
His brow furrows but his eyes never leave mine. “Yeah. We’re already so close to the preseason. My new team will want me in practice ASAP.”
I nod and swallow past the lump forming in my throat. “Right. That makes sense.”
“And if that changes your mind about tonight, I get it,” he says. “I already know I’m going to want a hell of a lot more than one night with you, but…that might be all we get. There’s a good chance I’ll end up in Oregon or somewhere else on the West Coast.”
I hitch my chin up, pushing aside the misery inspired by the thought of Ian thousands of miles and a long-ass plane ride away from me. I’m not going to ruin the present by stressing out about the future. I’m going to treasure every minute with Ian, burn every memory into my brain, and make the most of the time we have left.
“All right,” I whisper, “then we’d better make tonight a good night.”
His eyes narrow. “Are you sure?”
I smile. “Yes. There are millions of women in the world who will never know what it’s like to be with a sweet, sexy man who makes them feel like the hottest girl in the city. I’m not going to let them down by skipping out on my chance for one amazing night just because I can’t have more.”
“You’re going to bang me for the sex-starved women in Saudi Arabia?” he asks, his lips twitching.
“Yes. And Idaho and Orlando and Southern California. We have sex-starved women right here at home, Ian,” I say as I wrap my arms around his neck.
He bends his head closer to mine. “Sorry. My mistake. Thanks for setting me straight.”
“Anytime,” I murmur as his lips meet mine. The kiss is a tame one—closed lips, no roaming hands, and just the slightest teasing brush of his tongue against mine—but it still makes my head spin and my body burn all over. By the time he pulls back, my breath is coming faster, and dry panties are a thing of the past. “Shall we get the heck out of here?” I ask. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we’re going to be naked in whatever hotel room you’ve booked.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he rumbles before pressing a kiss to my cheek and adding softly, “I’m glad I make you feel like the sexiest woman in the city. Because you are. And the sweetest. I’m glad you’re in my life, Evie. I hope you always will be.”
“Of course, I will,” I promise him.
And I mean it.
Ian’s like family to me, except better.
He’s like the families I watched on television growing up, someone who supports me, cares about me, and forgives me when I screw up without even being asked. He’s my fan, not my critic, and one of the few people who love me unconditionally. Nothing can come between us, especially not something as relatively silly as whether or not his penis has been in my vagina.
I laugh as Ian shuts my door and circles around the front of the car to the driver’s side.
“What?” he asks, his blue eyes crinkling and gorgeous against the backdrop of the clear blue, late afternoon sky.
I shake my head. “Nothing. I just… Sex is kind of weird if you stop to think about it. I mean, we smoosh our parts together with a little panting and sweating and then it’s over and you go back to talking and eating snacks and doing normal stuff.”
He buckles his seat belt with an arched brow. “Well, yeah, when you put it like that, it does sound kind of weird. And a little gross.”
“You’re welcome.”
He grins. “There’s a little more to it, though, I think. When it’s done right.”
“Huh,” I say with a shrug. “Guess I’ll have to wait and see.”
“You will have to wait.” He squeezes my thigh, sending more tingles dancing along my already fizzing nerve endings. “But not for much longer. Should only take us a couple of hours to reach the hotel.”
“Perfect.” I twine my fingers through his and tell myself it’s okay that we’re holding hands. That we’ll be able to shut off these feelings as soon as we get back to the city and that eventually it will feel normal to be “just friends” again.
I tell myself all sorts of pretty lies, not realizing how naïve I’m being until it’s far, far too late.
Chapter 26
Ian
We arrive at the massive, Victorian hotel carved into the mountains outside of New Paltz just as the sun is setting behind the blue hills, making the few trees already turning red at the tips look like campfires scattered across the horizon.
“Oh my God,” Evie murmurs as the property comes into view at the end of the long, winding drive, the elegant architecture reflected in the still lake in front of it and framed by stunning bluffs. She jerks her head my way, laughing as she adds, “Oh my God, Ian. What is this place? It’s magical.”