I’m falling in love with her.
Somehow, she made what she once thought was impossible to happen with the person she least expected. Even I had my doubts.
Taylor kisses me back, her tears hitting my cheeks as she slips her tongue inside my mouth. She moans with each flick of my tongue. I groan as a ripple of pleasure spreads throughout my body. With Taylor, it’s more than just sex. Hell, we haven’t even had sex yet, so I know this is more than what I had with other women.
Once our lips separate, I cup her face in my hand. “I don’t want to lose you, Taylor.”
“Drake,” she sighs. “I don’t want to lose you either. I care about you too much to let you go. But that’s why this hurts so much. I hate the way they talk about you… about us.”
“If I hadn’t done the stupid shit I did in the past, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. I am so fucking sorry, baby. I never meant for this shit to blow back on you.”
She clutches my wrist, sending a shiver down my arm. “How do we handle this? My teammates are attacking me. You’re getting it from The Queen. What if this is only the beginning?”
I run my thumb along her bottom lip. “I love you, Taylor. I didn’t think I would ever say that to a woman after keeping myself so guarded. But I do. I love you. You changed me. Because of you, I’m a different man, and I want to be what you need.”
A fresh set of tears fall from her eyes, this time from happiness. “You mean that? You really love me?”
I nod. “And I’m not just saying it because I want to have sex with you. I would do anything for you, Taylor. Anything. Name it and it’s yours.”
“I don’t need anything,” she whispers. “Only you.”
Her words warm my heart. I feel everything at once, all of the emotions rushing through my veins. Hyped up on adrenaline and passion, I scoop her into my arms and lower her onto the bed, pressing her back on the mattress as I slip between her thighs.
“I want to take you on a proper date,” I say against her lips. “This weekend.”
“I have a game on Saturday.”
“How about Friday night? I have something special in mind I know you will like.”
Dragging her tongue along my bottom lip, she peeks up at me with those wide, blue eyes I get lost in every time. “It’s a date.”
Chapter Fifteen
Taylor
Drake pulled out all the stops for our first real date. We’re sitting courtside, a few chairs over from the Sixers bench at the Wells Fargo Center. My mouth hangs open as the shooting guard dribbles the ball down the court only a few feet away from me. This moment is so surreal I keep pinching myself to make sure I haven’t imagined the entire night.
The Sixers are playing the Los Angeles Lakers, my home team. Well, with how much I’ve moved, it’s hard to choose one team. But for the last six years, my family has lived in Los Angeles County, so I guess that makes us Lakers fans now. And it doesn’t hurt that my best friend shares the same last name as one of the greatest Lakers of all-time.
An electric pulse hangs in the air, the screaming fans around us bringing the event center to life with their cheers. I love basketball. Every time I step onto the court, I get a rush like no other. The only thing that even closely compares is how I feel when I’m with Drake.
I cup his knee with my hand, and it looks so small in comparison. He catches me stealing a peek at his handsome face. The corner of his mouth turns up into a wicked smirk. With the pad of his thumb, he strokes the top of my hand, his skin so rough and calloused it feels good against mine.
“How do you like our seats?” Drake asks.
“Are you kidding? This is the best date ever, Drake.” I squeeze his knee and smile. “I love it. We’re so close I can see the sweat dripping off the players. I mean… I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”
“I would do anything for you,” he counters, his gaze so intense and hard it sends a shiver down my spine.
“Walk through fire?” I joke.
He laughs. “Anything.”
I never said I loved him back. And I wish I had because I love him so much it physically hurts sometimes. When I think about my life without him in it, I can’t breathe.
“I hope you got a good deal on these seats,” I mutter, eyes fixed on the court.
“I got the family discount,” he replies with laughter in his voice.
“Do you get to come to games all the time because of your uncles?”