Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Chelsea blinks slowly, as if to say, “Yes, I remember it all too well.” It’s an excellent sign. Six weeks ago, I don’t think she would have given me even that.
“Cool, it’s a date, then,” I say with a wink. She squints, so I add, “Yes, Chelsea, I’m going to do the thing you demanded before telling you my good news, so you’ll be free to react verbally to it. And yes, Chelsea, when I do the thing, it’s going to be epic. The best grovel in the history of grovels.” I smirk. “So don’t be late.”
CHAPTER 36
Chelsea
AS I STRIDE down the hallway toward the designated meeting spot with Luca, my heart and mind are racing, neck and neck, like two horses barreling toward a finish line. Immediately after Luca left the field an hour ago, Raul came over and confirmed Luca’s fantastic news, so I already know what he’s going to tell me. I’d guessed before Raul told me, of course, thanks to the gleeful look on Luca’s glowing face when he told me to meet him. But Raul saying the words I’ve longed to hear for so long felt like a sky full of fireworks going off inside my chest, all the same.
With each passing week of our standoff, I’ve missed Luca more and more—to the point where I’ve almost broken my vow of silence several times. At this point, even if Luca doesn’t come through with the best grovel ever, like he promised just now, I fear I’m going to forgive him nonetheless. I miss him just that much, my integrity be damned.
Especially now that Luca’s made it onto the roster—wahoo!—keeping my distance from him seems kind of pointless. During the most recent weeks of my torture, the thing that kept me standing strong was knowing Luca was killing it in every scrimmage like never before and any change to his habits and routines might screw things up for him. What if I broke my vow of silence and promptly ruined his good luck? I’d never forgive myself. And so, I stayed the course. Not only because of my vow of silence, but for him. But now, with this amazing news, his good luck has surely reset! So, what’s to keep me from breaking down now, other than my desire to be right? Frankly, at this point, being right doesn’t feel quite as fulfilling as it once did.
I stop at the door to our designated meeting spot and take a quick look around the quiet hallway. When the hallway is predictably empty, thanks to this being the forgotten area of the facility, I open the door and slip inside.
Luca.
He’s already here and beaming brighter than the sun on the summer solstice. Instantly, every molecule inside me wants to barrel to him, throw my arms around him, and congratulate him. I want to kiss his soft lips and whisper, “I’ve always believed in you. You totally deserve this, Luca. You’ve earned it!” But instead, I force myself to lock the door behind me and bite my tongue, since hopefully this is the last time I’ll need to do that in his presence.
“Like I said, I got some fantastic news,” Luca begins excitedly, practically hopping up and down. “But before I tell it to you, there’s something I need to do first.” His chest rising and falling, he steps closer to me and slowly sinks to his knees with a wide smile on his face that makes his dimples pop. As my body shudders with anticipation, he looks up at me with sparkling, earnest brown eyes and whispers, “Chelsea Parker, I’m pregnant with your baby.”
Goddamn this man! A tiny chuckle breaks free against my will, and I swat his shoulder while Luca laughs heartily.
After taking a moment to compose himself, Luca cocks his head and furrows his brow. “Actually, I have a brilliant idea. As long as I’m down here, and they say communication is ninety percent nonverbal …” He pauses to pointedly stare at my crotch. “I’m thinking, ‘Why not deliver my grovel in two parts?’” He looks up at me with burning eyes, his expression unmistakably sexual and heated. “First, with my mouth and fingers, and then, with all the grovel-y words you’ve so rightly demanded.” When I don’t react, at least not visibly, Luca smiles lasciviously and coos, “What do you say, baby? I know you’re still a sworn monk around me until my grovel sets you free to speak again, but give me a little nod of consent if a two-part grovel is acceptable to you.” A wide, cocky grin overtakes his gorgeous face in response to whatever micro-expression he’s seeing on my face. “Is that a yes? God, I hope so, because the limit to my hunger for your pussy does not exist.”
Talk about a sexy offer. If Luca had suggested eating me out as part of his grovel weeks ago, I probably would have slapped him for his audacity. But at this point, Luca’s offer isn’t one I’ve got the willpower to refuse.