Staying on Course (Finding our Way 2)

“Thought the tattoo was my gift.”

“Consider it an additional gift. Now open it.” I bounce on my knees.

He slowly unwraps it and lets out a loud whistle when he sees the watch inside. “This is awesome, Dev. How’d you know?”

“Nate may have mentioned something about this specific watch you’d been eyeing.” I wink at him.

“Babe, not to sound ungrateful, but this particular watch is expensive—”

“Stop right there.” I put my finger to his lips. “Don’t worry about the price. A few of the cheerleaders asked me to take their senior pictures. They paid me.”

He nods and gives me a small grin. I take the watch from him, fasten it around his wrist, and hold out his arm for us to admire. “It looks perfect.”

I yelp when he tugs me close and rolls us over, trapping me under him. One hand frames my face as his eyes burn into mine. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

My heart melts. “Bryce—”

He studies my face for a second and leans in to kiss me lightly. Our kiss turns heated, and soon, he’s positioned between my legs again. He glides into me and braces on his elbows.

“No gushiness, but tell me you know how much you mean to me. That you understand how much I cherish you.”

“I do,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat.

He rests his forehead against mine, never breaking our gaze. The last few months apart fade away as he makes love to me slowly. I finally feel whole again.

Chapter 14

“Stop!” I swat Bryce’s hand away from my hip, zipping my cheer skirt.

“Nope, been dreaming of this for years.”

“Quinn!” I shout, running to the door. “We have to leave now.”

“On it!” she screams back.

We meet in the living room, stuffing all our things in our bags frantically. Today is opening day of football season, and we are split into groups to roam the alumni tailgating areas. The game is not for three hours, but we have a strict schedule.

Bryce and Dean both emerge from the bedrooms, still in their pajamas, smirking at us. Quinn has a scowl on her face.

“Gonna be late. Coach is gonna shit… badass boyfriends,” she mutters under her breath.

“We’ll be okay,” I try to assure her. “I’ll drop you off at the team meeting point.”

She relaxes and gives me a thankful look then slices her eyes to Dean. “You’re lucky Devon and Bryce are here. I’d like to rip you a new asshole!”

“Welcome it,” he replies nonchalantly.

Bryce tries to hide his smirk but fails. I grab Quinn’s arm, leading her out of the house before she blows a gasket. Her whole body is tense, the vein in her neck ticking. Once we get into my car, I brace for the impact.

“He’s fucking crazy! He’s on the sidelines today with Bryce.”

“That’s what has you in a tizzy?” I question her.

“That and the fact that he went into my email, introduced himself to my team, and invited them all to brunch tomorrow. He sweet-talked everyone, telling them how proud he was for our success and saying he wanted to treat us to a nice meal.”

“He went into your email?”

“I left my computer open when I took a shower last night. That is not the point. He’s doing this so he can meet Hank. Is this not the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever heard of?”