He’d replayed that moment way too many times over the last two weeks since he was with her. He’d jerked off to that memory, not that he’d ever admit it to her. But damn, she’d been hot. So responsive. Excited and worried and scared and aroused, all at once. Talk about a rush.
Hell, having her in his truck at this very minute was a complete rush. For the next twenty-four hours, he planned on doing nothing else but spending naked time with Andrea. For the twenty-four hours after that, he needed to find a way to tell her that he wanted more than just an occasional hookup with her. Even more than a long-distance relationship, though that was what he’d settle for. Temporarily. Truthfully? He wanted more.
He wanted it all and he wanted it with Andrea.
“How far to your place?” she asked once he steered his truck onto the freeway.
“Twenty, thirty minutes, give or take. Depends on traffic,” he answered. He lived in a high-rise condo in the city for now, not wanting to invest in a house for fear he might need to move again. His future with the Seahawks when he first started with them had been shaky at best. He’d believed he would be traded at one point, but that never came to be. He was thankful. He liked having one team, a group of guys he could count on. He’d made friends with many of them, had been envious of the relationships many of them had with their girlfriends and wives while he’d been alone. The single guy.
There were plenty of single guys within the team, but he was over it. He wanted stability. Damn it, he wanted love.
Andrea could take care of that in an instant, as long as she was on board with him.
“It’s beautiful here,” she said, breaking into his thoughts.
“A little gloomy at the moment,” he replied. “Sun might break through here later this afternoon. Then it’ll be gorgeous.”
“Do you have a nice view from your apartment?”
He flashed a grin at her, concentrating on the traffic. “It’s decent. No awesome Las Vegas view like I had back at the suite, but it’ll suffice.”
“Well, I don’t need a view as long as I have you.” She clamped her lips shut, her cheeks coloring with embarrassment. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
It pleased the hell out of him that she said that. “Why not?”
“I’m supposed to be playing it cool with you.” She met his gaze briefly before she looked away. “That’s what Reagan and Natalie said I should do. Play it cool.”
“As in, act like being here with me this weekend isn’t a big deal?”
She didn’t say a word. Her nod was a good enough answer.
“Well, it’s a huge fucking deal for me, Andrea. I’m glad you’re here. I can’t wait to get you alone so I can touch you again. Kiss you. Take off your clothes…” His voice drifted, and that was all he said for a long time. But that was enough. She got the gist of what he was saying. And he was done playing games. He did enough of that on the field.
This weekend was all about honesty.
“So you’re happy I’m here because you can get me naked?” she asked casually. Too casually. “Is that what this is all about? Sex?”
Hell. This conversation was too serious to be having while he was driving. He wanted to be focused on her. Only her. Not the other cars on the road.
“Because if that’s what it’s all about, I get it. I really do. What happened in Las Vegas was amazing. But it was just sex. Right?”
Was she asking him? Or asking herself?
“Andrea, I don’t want to talk about this now, when I’m trying to drive.” He flashed her a quick smile, saw that she was watching him with those big brown eyes, her lower lip caught in her teeth as she clutched her hands together in her lap. “Let’s get back to my place first, okay?”
“Okay.” She nodded, and he resumed his gaze onto the road ahead of him. “But it’s just…I really like you, Luke. Probably too much. I know I’m going against my play-it-cool plan, but I can’t help it. I don’t want to lie to you or to myself.”
Everything within him seized up. She was going to say something else. He could feel it coming.
“I’m not the fling type. I don’t have affairs. I don’t do casual. It’s just not part of my DNA or whatever.”
He chuckled. “Aren’t nurses supposed to know what’s part of their DNA or whatever?”
“Hush.” She laughed too, and the sound eased something within him. She was trying to take this conversation down a serious path, but she was still able to find humor in it, and he could appreciate that. More than she’d ever know. “I guess…let’s see how t
hese next few days go. Maybe…maybe it could turn into something more.”
Her voice squeaked on that last part and he reached across the console, resting his hand on her slender knee and giving it a squeeze. “I like the sound of that,” he admitted, offering her another reassuring smile. “I’m glad you’re here, Andrea. I have a feeling these next few days are going to be amazing.”