Page 31 of Rush

“I can do all of that babe,” I assure her, my hands squeezing her side.

The next instant her face falls and she jerks a little in my hold, her eyes dropping from mine. I pull back, my body coiled with concern. “What just happened?”

She shakes her head and moves to keep us dancing, but there’s a stiffness to her now that wasn’t there before. I pull her tight against me and lower my lips to her ear. “Tell me what I did or said. We just agreed with complete honesty.”

Sam’s shoulders hunch in and she blushes, unable to hold my stare. “It's stupid. I just, you called me babe.”

I pause, my eyes roaming over her. “You don’t like it?”

Her shoulders shrug. “You never called me babe before.”

It dawns on me then what she’s saying. And the past weeks run through my head, noticing now her change in demeanor when I did call her babe. Because I never used to when we were together. She was always my “Pretty Girl.”

Sam squirms in my hold and can barely look at me. I’m not letting her get away though. Not over this. There’s absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. “Sam, I haven’t called you that because I didn’t feel like I have the right to. In my heart...” I take her hand and place it over my chest. “Fuck, baby, in my heart you have and always will be my Pretty Girl. And now I have a little Pretty Girl too.”

Her lips tip up in the corners and a giggle escapes her. “Smooth.”

I shake my head, my smile now matching hers. “Nah. I’m just the luckiest guy on the planet.”

The last rifts of the guitar play and the song is coming to an end. Before the moment ends, I know I have to kiss her. Every part of my being is screaming at me to make her mine. My lips caress hers gently at first. When she sighs, I go all in. My tongue thrusts into her mouth with hunger, claiming her. She whimpers and my hands roam over her back and down to her waist, pulling her body as tight to mine as I can. If I could crawl inside her, I would. One of her hands runs through my hair while the other curls around my bicep and holds tight. It's an obscene kiss, too intimate for the dance floor at a bar. That is the only reason I release her mouth with a low growl, before pressing my forehead to hers.

“I’ve missed that electrifying feeling over the past two years. Only with you, Sam.”

Sam nods, speechless, her eyes dazed while she licks her puffy red lips. My arms wrap around her shoulders and I hold her close, my eyes sweeping over the dance floor. We’re surrounded by people, but I know it's time to get her home. She had fun and let loose, we talked, we kissed, our relationship is moving in the right direction. Before she shuts down, or tries to second-guess herself, I need to get her into her own space. I lead Sam off the dance floor and out of the bar. The night air is cool and crisp, with the promise of snow in it. Sam doesn’t let go of my hand during the walk to my truck, the drive, or even when I walk her back to her apartment. I know better than to try and go inside, her girlfriends are going to be questioning her the minute she’s there. Instead, I kiss her outside the door, quick enough to be polite but hard enough to show her that tonight wasn’t a fluke. I’ve been coming for her for a while. Now that she’s agreed to give me another chance, I have to prove to her she made the right choice.

jameson

. . .

It's been two weeks since our date night and our kiss at Chu Chu’s. Sam and I talk every day; sometimes we work out together if I’m not slammed at work, and we continue to have dinners and lunches together at least three times a week as a family, usually around her hockey schedule. On the weekend, we’ve done outings to the indoor zoo, went sledding, and we took Dylan ice skating. Dylan hobbled on the ice in her little pink skates, but she smiled the entire time. I think she’ll be a natural in another year. The one weekend when I had Dylan and Sam had an away game, my dad and Johnny came over to help babysit, so I could make my race out in Vegas. Romeo was happy after I secured another win, lining my pockets and his with cash. It felt good to prove I was worth his investment. About as good as it felt flying through the track, the engine humming under my seat until I crossed the finish line. The following Monday I took my winnings to the admission office and paid off part of Sam’s next semester. My chest filled with pride for being able to take care of her. I like helping her reach the next goal on her list. We’ve kissed some more, and a few of those have turned into some heavy make-out sessions on her couch, but I refuse to take it too far yet. In my mind we’re together, but I know Sam is slower to adjust. So I’m going slow, cautious, and reading her signals.

We may have only been together again for a few weeks, but I’m the happiest I’ve been since she walked out of my life, breaking up with me in order to set me free in some way. We spend hours a day talking about anything and everything. When I see her in person, we never skip a beat and pick up right where our texting or phone call left off. She goes over her game plays with me, and we talk strategy about her opponents for the week. We joke about some of my more interesting clients at the shop, and she listens to me talk about the dream Johnny and I are planning for the shop. Once in a while I’ll catch a wistfulness in her gaze when I tell her about those plans, but when I ask her what's wrong, she blows it off. I’ve given her multiple openings to talk about the conversation I overheard a month and a half ago, but she still isn’t ready to bring it up. I don’t push her though. I’ve always known Sammy needs to move at her own pace. I also know that eventually I will drag it out of her, instead of letting it affect what we’re building now.

This week, Sam has two out of town games, and her practices have been extra intense. On top of that, her exams are coming up and a few group projects as well. After the weekend, she has one more home game before the fall holiday and break. Her coach is pushing them to secure a better rank position before the tail end of the year and before playoffs. Sam transferred to Michigan her sophomore year, her reputation and game tapes preceding her. Most of which I submitted, but her talent alone has always been enough to stand on. She’s the best defensive player in the league. So today when she said she wouldn’t be able to see me, I made peace with it. Not only was she probably exhausted, but Allie was visiting again. I did help her get Dylan from daycare and made sure she had what she needed for dinner before Allie arrived.

I’m just about ready to call it a night at work when headlights flood under the small opening of the garage door. Grabbing a rag, I rub the grease from my fingers on the fabric before grabbing my cell phone. There are no missed messages from Johnny saying he told a client to drop off their vehicle for the morning, and I checked the schedule three times before my shift to make sure I accomplished my tasks on time. There are no late appointments scheduled. A car door closes and I move to open the garage. Slowly, inch by inch, a white pair of sneakers comes into view, followed by long, lean legs encased in a pair of baggy black joggers. My smile grows when her torso, covered in a bright red zip up hoodie, comes into view and then her beautiful face. Sam smiles, the gesture shy, and a little unsure. I can’t have that. Stalking toward her, my eyes rake over her again from head to toe.

“This surprise is the best part of my day,” I tell her, my hands grabbing the backs of her thighs and forcing her to wrap her legs around my waist while I hold her. Sam’s hands cup my cheeks and she brushes her lips across mine.

“Do you have time for a visitor?”

I nod. “I was just finishing up for the night. You have perfect timing.” Without setting her down, I push the button that shuts the garage completely and carry her up the stairs to the apartment. It dawns on me this is our first time here alone. “Allie watching Dylan?”

“Yup. Dyl was already sleeping. I wanted to see you though. The past few days have been hectic.” Her fingers play with the hair on the back of my neck. Her cheeks blush a pretty pink when she says, “I missed you.”

A low growl sounds in my chest and I sink onto my couch, her legs straddling over me, her lap right on top of mine. The contact from her heat has me rock solid and my brain chants slow slow slow. “Pretty Girl, you can come see me anytime you want. Seriously, I love ending the day seeing you.”

She leans over and her lips drop to mine again. At first her kiss is hesitant, then exploratory. I usually take over our kisses, but right now, I want to see where she wants to take this. I’m willing to give up some control if it means she never takes her lips off mine. Sam doesn’t pull away until her face is heated, her lips puffy and bruised, and her eyes sparkling. We’re both panting hard and my body is on fire from wanting her. It's taking all my control not to flip her over and maul her on the couch. If that's what she came here for, it would be one thing, but my Sammy senses are tingling and I know she sought me out for a reason tonight. And I’m hoping I know why and what it means.

When she leans back in my lap, my fingers reach out and push the stray strands of her blonde hair back behind her ears. She watches me, her eyes calculating and careful. “What's on your mind, gorgeous?”

Sam glances to the side, her gaze sweeping over my living room, the walls and furniture. Like she's really taking it in for the first time. Her eyes land on the kitchen behind me and the fridge where Dylan’s latest artwork is proudly displayed right next to our first family picture from the zoo. I can tell when she sees it because those crystal blue eyes shimmer with tears.

“Please don’t cry, Pretty Girl,” I practically beg, my fingers sweeping across her cheeks to catch the tears. “Talk to me.”

“Are you happy, Jameson?” she asks, her voice soft and thick, filled with the ball of emotion she's holding inside.

My arms wrap around her, my fingers running along the bare strip of skin on her back. “I’m pretty damn happy right now with you on top of me, Sammy. Not going to lie.”