“Do we have to label it?”
“No, I guess not.” I reached for my glass.
“I’m not saying it’s not something. It’s just… Damn it,” he huffed. “Why can’t we see what happens?”
“We can. We definitely can.”
“This is everything I said I wouldn’t do. And I’m everything you said you can’t do. But I’m here in Austin and I’m thinking that it’s going to suck when I have to drive back to San Antonio tomorrow.”
“You are?” I felt little slivers of happiness dancing in my stomach.
“God, yes. I don’t want to leave you. I want to take you with me. Can’t you quit the Goddesses?”
“I need the paycheck, Sam. I make money doing what I’m doing. And I can’t take charity from you. I wouldn’t feel good about that. It would feel like I belonged to you or something.” I scrunched my nose.
His eyes locked on mine. “Don’t you feel like you belong to me?”
And it hit me—I did. I did every time I went to bed with him. Every time he kissed me. When I saw our reflection in the mirror, and saw my handprint on the shower wall. He owned me with his body and I gave it to him freely, willingly.
“That’s not the same.” I tried to back out of his argument.
“I haven’t thought this through, but I want you. I want you with me in San Antonio. I sure as hell don’t want you around the Warriors.”
“Because they’re your rival?”
“Yes, because they are the rival. I make more than enough to pay for a trainer and a coach and a therapist. Come to San Antonio and train.”
I couldn’t believe he was offering me this opportunity, and at the same time, I was stunned how it made me feel.
“It’s too soon. We don’t know each other well enough. I don’t want to owe you something like that, Sam.”
His gray eyes pierced through the walls I was putting up. “Come with me. Be with me. Let me do this for you.”
He took the glass from my hand and rested it on the coffee table. My heart beat wildly. His eyes dipped to my breasts. He pushed my shirt up, exposing my nipple. He bent his head to take it in his mouth.
He sucked it between his teeth and I whimpered.
“Is this mine?” he asked.
“Yes.” My head leaned back on the cushions.
He rolled the other nipple between his fingers before sucking it into his mouth. “And this, is it mine, Natalia?”
“Oh, yes.” I was already wet and the fire was burning in my core.
He let go and I felt the cool air brush over my wet skin. He left my shirt dangling around my shoulders. His lips moved over mine.
“And these lips.” He kissed me. “Are these mine or not?”
I nodded as he bit my bottom lip. All at once his hand was snaking up the back of my running shorts, squeezing my ass. I squealed. But his grip was firm and his voice was serious.
“I love your ass. Tell me it isn’t mine,” he commanded.
“It’s yours,” I whispered.
One finger and then another slid between my legs, over my slit, and tugged on my throbbing clit.
“Oh,” I moaned. “God, Sam.”