I WAKE up to Lacey’s arm around my waist and her hair in my face.
It’s exactly how we spent the nights at my parents’ house, our bodies wrapped around each other, and it feels like we never left.
Fuck, she’s pretty in the morning with her swollen lips and the hickeys on her chest. I kiss her forehead and cheek, not wanting to wake her up, but I have to get on a plane and I’m not leaving her without saying goodbye.
Her eyes flutter open, heavy-lidded and still half-asleep, and I smile down at her.
“Good morning,” she says, her voice thick with exhaustion.
“Morning, sweetheart,” I say.
I hook my fingers around her chin and bring her mouth to mine. She sighs against my lips, and I roll myself on top of her.
“I could get used to waking up like this.” She drapes her arms around my neck and loops her legs around my waist. “A tattooed man looking at me like he wants to devour me? Who could complain?”
“I love you.” I dip my chin and kiss the top of her chest, the space directly above her heart. I want my words to sit there so she’ll never doubt them. “I love you, Lacey.”
“I didn’t dream it?” she asks, and a smile pokes through the question.
“No. All real.” I take her nipple in my mouth and suck on the peak. Her back arches off the mattress and she reaches between my legs. “We’re going to wake up like this for a very, very long time.”
“You won’t get any complaints from me.” Her fingers wrap around my length, and she gives me a gentle squeeze. “We’re going to tell our friends, right?”
“I think we should,” I say around a ragged breath. I move my mouth to her other nipple, and I bite and suck until little pink marks form on her skin. Until she’s panting and squirming on the sheets. “It’s going to be obvious.”
“Because you can’t keep your hands off of me?” She tugs on my cock, and I rock forward. “You haven’t been able to keep your hands off of me for a month.”
“I’m weak when it comes to you,” I admit. “I’m kind of obsessed, if you haven’t been able to tell.” I kiss down her body to her stomach. My tongue traces across her belly button to her hip bone. “Out of my mind.” I smile into her knee as I position myself between her legs. I part her with my fingers, and she’s wet already. “A total goner.”
“I love it,” Lacey says. She runs her hand through my hair and pulls on the longer strands near the base of my neck. “I love how much you want me.”
“More than I want anything else in this world. You’re my dream girl.” My thumb circles her in the pattern she likes, and I run my tongue up her entrance. “God, I love you.”
“You love my pussy.” She laughs, and I give her clit a light slap. “Am I wrong?” she asks, and her voice breaks on the last word.
“Of course I love having my head down here—I’m so fucking attracted to you. But I love your heart, too. Your smart mind and your ability to make everyone feel welcomed and loved. How selfless you are and your determination. Do you know what else I love?” I slide two fingers inside her, and I bite the soft flesh of her thigh. “How you act like my family is your family. How you love Maven like she’s yours. Your thoughtfulness and your generosity. If someone asked me to show them my perfect girl, all I’d have to do is show them you.”
“Flirting with me, Holmes?”
“I’ve got my fingers buried in your cunt, and I’m stretching you out so you’re ready for my cock. Of course I’m flirting with you Daniels.”
“I love you, too,” Lacey whispers, and her touch dances down the side of my face.
“Now who’s flirting with who?” I ask. I turn my cheek and kiss her palm as she huffs out a laugh. “Does that feel good, pretty girl? Do you like my fingers inside you?”
“Yes,” she breathes out. “I love when you touch me, Shawn.”
“What do you need to come? Tell me, and I’ll give it to you.”
“You. More,” she gasps, and I’m a man of my word.
I sit up on my knees and add a third finger. I kiss her gently as her hips open and she begs me to get deeper. “There you go. You take me so well, Lacey.”
Her nails dig into my skin. Drag down my shoulders and across my back, claw marks I’ll have under my shirt today at the game, and no one will know. She draws me closer to her, touching everywhere she can reach.
I touch her, too. Her neck. Her tits. The hollow spot on her throat that gets her to say my name like a prayer. I map out her body until she’s grinding against my hand. Until she whimpers and moans, the two sounds that tell me she’s close.
“I love you,” I whisper into her skin as she tightens around my fingers. As she falls over the edge with a gasp and a cry. I hold her steady, easing my movements until she’s motionless on the mattress and a smile curves on her lips.
“Forget the praise,” she pants. She wipes a drop of sweat from her forehead and pushes up on her elbows. “Just tell me you love me. That will get me there every time.”
“Noted.” I grin and bring my hand to her mouth. “Open up,” I say, and she does. I press all three fingers on her tongue, and she licks them clean.
Lacey reaches between us and wraps her hand around my length. I’m hard, half from watching her come undone and half from the love declarations. Possessiveness rolls through me knowing she’s mine—mine for real.
It’s not going to take much to get me to finish. When she pushes me on my back and drags her tongue up my length, my eyes roll to the back of my head. When she takes me all the way to the back of her throat, I’m cursing. When she blinks up at me, her mouth full and her eyes brimming with love, I lose it.
It’s the yank of a rope. The blaze of a fire. Mind-numbing pleasure rips through me, and I say her name until my mouth goes dry. Until my legs stop shaking, she swallows, crawls up the mattress and curls into my side.
“Jesus,” I mumble.
“Lacey,” she says, and I press my fingers into her ribs. She squeals and tries to roll away, but I keep her close. I don’t let her get too far. “When do you have to go?”
“I should’ve already left. My flight is in two hours, and my stuff is in my apartment. I’m flying straight to Denver.”
“I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you, too. Do you want to come with me?”
“To Denver?” she asks. “You want me to go with you?”
“I always want you to come with me—as long as it’s not interfering with your work schedule. You don’t have to. I know it’s last minute and—”
Lacey cuts me off with a kiss. “Of course I’ll go with you. I need to shower. And pack. But—wait. I don’t have a ticket.”
“Oh.” I rub the back of my neck, and my cheeks turn pink. “I might have already bought you one when I bought mine on the way here last night. Just in case you said yes to the whole forever thing.”
A laugh rolls out of her. Soon she’s clutching her side, tears tracking down her cheeks and snot coming out of her nose. I wait for her to finish, my arms crossed over my chest as I level her with a look.
“Buys a last minute plane ticket in case the woman he’s dating decides to come to the game with him. NFL coaches: they’re just like us,” she says through a fresh wave of giggles. “I’m never going to get used to it.”
“You’re officially a WAG now, sweetheart. You better get used to it.”
“Am I allowed to be called a WAG if the guy I’m with is on the sidelines and not on the field?”
“Semantics.” I wave her off. “I know you can take care of yourself, Lacey girl. I know you’re financially stable, and you have a great job. But you’re going to have to get used to me spoiling you, because I’m going to. Frequently and often. I promise it won’t be shit you won’t ever use, but if you want to fly out to my game, I’m going to buy you a ticket. I do it because I love you, not because I want to show off my money. Not because I don’t think you’re capable of purchasing things yourself. Let me do these things for you, yeah?”
“Okay.” She whispers and folds her hand over my heart. “Yeah. Yes. I won’t make any jokes. I promise.”
“I never said anything about not making jokes.” I grin. “You can make all the jokes you want from our first class seats.”
“Ten minutes. That’s all I need then; I’ll be ready. I’ll pack light.”
Her phone buzzes on the bedside table, and I reach over to hand it to her. “It’s Mags. She’s FaceTiming you.”
“Shit.” Lacey covers her bare chest as if Maggie can already see her. “What do we do?”
“No time like the present.” I shrug. “We might as well tell them now. How else would you explain your sudden departure on New Year’s Day?”
“Okay. Yes.” She pulls the sheets up under her arms and tries to brush some of her hair with her fingers. “Don’t say anything at first.”
“Yes ma’am.” I lean back against the pillows and wait to see what her plan is.
“Hey, Mags,” she says, and she waves at the screen. “Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year,” Maggie says. “I just wanted to call and check on you. How are you doing?”
“Oh.” Lacey smiles. “I’m good.”
“You are? I thought maybe you’d be feeling a little sad because you and Shawn—”
“I was for a little bit, but I’m over it now. Do you mind if I call you back in a few? I’m kind of busy with something,” Lacey says.
“Uh, sure. Are you—did you hook up with someone?” Maggie hisses. “Is he there with you right now?”
“Hang on.” Lacey sets the phone down on the mattress and scoots it my way.
I smile as I pick it up, and Lacey moves back into the frame. “Morning, Mags. Happy New Year,” I say.
Maggie blinks at us. She stares for three seconds before she lets out a scream so loud, I have to cover my ears.
“Fucking finally,” she says. “Please tell me this isn’t just a one night thing. I can’t take you two looking at each other like sad little puppies anymore.”
“It’s definitely not a one night thing,” I say, and Lacey rests her head on my shoulder. She tips her chin and looks up at me. I bend down to kiss her and she melts against me. “It’s a forever and always thing.”
“Thank god.” Maggie disappears from the screen, and soon Aiden pops up. “Tell him.”
“Tell me what?” Aiden asks. “Hey, Shawn. Hey, Lace. Happy New—what the fuck?”
Lacey buries her face in the crook of my neck, and I wrap an arm around her. “Yes, we’re together. Yes, we’re stupidly in love. Yes, we’ve been sneaking around and hooking up. I promise we’ll give you all the details after we get home from Denver. Our plane leaves soon, and neither one of us is ready.”
“I wonder why that is,” Aiden says, and he arches an eyebrow. “It’s about damn time. You two have fun. Come by when you get home. We want to hear all about it.”
“If we don’t hang up, you’ll see for yourselves,” I say.
Lacey snatches the phone out of my hand and tosses it away. I laugh and pull her into my lap.
“That’s enough of that,” she says, and I grin.
“Fine. If you say so.” I drum my fingers against her hip. “Ready to get going?”
“Yeah. But before we go, I want to tell you I love you. I love you, Shawn. You’re going to get sick of me saying it so much.”
I rest my chin on her shoulder and drape my arms around her waist, rocking her back and forth. “I love you too, Lacey girl. You can tell me as many times as you like. It’s never going to get old.”
“Are you going to be okay sitting on a plane with regular humans?” she asks. “People who aren’t superstar athletes who might be playing in a Super Bowl in a month’s time?”
“I have you.” My fingers curl over her knee, and I draw a heart on her skin. “I’ll be just fine.”
