01. Chasing Nikki (19 page)

I shrugged
as if it were no big deal.  “It was fun.  Made me excited for the season.”

“Me too.”
Grandpa chuckled.  “I enjoy working with these boys.  They’re a good group.”

“Well, I
really like everyone I’ve met so far.”

Except
for Jeremy Winters,
I added mentally, but there was no point in bringing
that up right now, since he wasn’t going to be here anymore.

“I’m glad
you’re starting to make some good friends.”

“Speaking of
that, I called Grandma, and she said it was okay with her if I brought these
guys over for dinner tonight.  Is that cool with you?”

Grandpa
chuckled.  “Yeah, it’s cool with me.  Let’s go home.”

“I’ll meet
you there shortly, but there’s one little pit stop I need to make on the way.”

“Let me
guess … Nikki’s house?”

I nodded. 
“I’ll only be a minute, but I need to talk to her about something.”

“Well, hurry
up.  You don’t want to keep your guests waiting.”

“I will. 
Thanks, Grandpa.” I ran off the field, pausing to tell the guys to go on ahead
and follow Grandpa home, I’d be there as soon as possible.

Chapter Seventeen

I sent a
text to Nikki telling her I was on my way over, and she was outside waiting for
me on the porch swing when I pulled up.  I released a big sigh, not exactly
sure how to approach this subject with her.  Honestly, I was feeling foolish. 
I’d never told any girl I loved her before, and while I was sure that was what
I was experiencing, it just seemed so sudden.

I climbed
out of the truck and shoved my hands in my pockets as I walked up the
sidewalk.  Her pleasant expression didn’t change as I approached, but she moved
to the right to make room for me next to her.

Shaking my
head, I chose to lean against the railing across from her.  She looked
disappointed with my decision.

“How was
practice?” she asked, breaking the awkward silence between us.

“It was
good, I guess.  Grandpa seems to think the coach liked what he saw.” I studied
the toes of my shoes.

“You can sit
by me, you know.” She patted the bench next to her.

I denied her
again.  “I’m all sweaty.”

“I don’t
mind.” She smiled, but it fell from her face when I didn’t move.

“Did you
hear if you made the cheer squad yet?” I tried warming up with small talk.

She nodded
and looked away from me.

“Well, are
you gonna tell me what they said?” I chuckled.

“Are you mad
at me?” she asked.

“What? No!
Why would you think that?”

“You just
seem so … aloof.”

I dragged a
hand through my hair.  “I don’t mean to be.  I’m … I’m nervous, I guess.”

“Because of
the text?”

“Yes.” I was
determined to muddle through this.  “I’ve never told a girl I loved her before,
and this time it was a complete accident.  It just slipped out, and I pressed
send before I realized what I’d written.  That’s what happens when you text while
distracted, apparently.”

“Oh, I
see.”  She looked positively crestfallen.

“What do you
see?”

“That you
didn’t mean to say it.”

I sat next
to her, but she wouldn’t look at me, so I lifted her chin until she had to
glance at me.  “No, I didn’t mean to say it you in that way—not that it wasn’t
true.”

It took a
few seconds for the meaning of my words to sink in, and then her mouth opened
slightly.

“Oh,” she
said softly.  “Wait. What are you saying exactly?”

I laughed. 
“I’m saying I love you, Nikki.  You have no idea how much you mean to me.  You
don’t have to reply, but I want you to know my feelings for you are real. 
You’ve been the greatest gift in my life—the girl I never knew I always
wanted.”

She leaned
toward me and brushed her lips lightly against mine before tracing the outline
of my mouth.  “Thank you for that, Chase.  I love you too.”

“You’re not
just saying that because I did, are you?” I couldn’t look away from her
beautiful face.

“No. I mean
it.  But I don’t know if I would’ve ever had the courage to tell you first.”

“Well, that
doesn’t matter anymore now, does it?” I slipped my arm around her waist and
brought her closer, kissing her harder this time.

She slid her
hands up to my cheeks, holding me there as our tongues danced together.

I groaned
and released.  “I wish I could stay longer, but I’ve got to go.  All the guys
are at my house waiting to have dinner.”

“And you
came here first? Why? We could’ve waited to talk.”

I grinned. 
“I wasn’t about to leave you hanging like that.  Besides you’re my first
priority.”

“Really?  I
like that.” She stood and pulled me up.

“Why do you
still sound surprised? I just told you I love you.  Isn’t that the way it’s
supposed to be between two people in love?”

“I’m not
used to it yet.” She seemed a little shy, staring at my chest as she drew with
her finger there.  “Say it to me again.”

I leaned in
until my lips were brushing against her earlobe. “I love you, Nikki Wagner,” I
whispered.  “I love you, and I want you in ways you could never imagine.”

“Oh, I can
imagine plenty.” Her breathing was shallow and rapid.

I kissed her
neck.  “Unfortunately, I’m going to have to leave the exploring of that statement
to a later date.”

“Yeah, you
should go.” She swallowed hard and tipped her head back even more.

I mumbled an
agreement as my lips slid farther across her skin.  She felt so silky and
smooth, and she smelled so good.

“Chase,” she
said softly, sinking her fingertips into my hair.

“Yes?” I
licked her with the tip of my tongue.

I felt her
tremble.  “You need to go.”

“I know.” I
closed my mouth over her flesh and sucked lightly.

She jumped a
little.  “You’re going to give me a hickey if you don’t stop.”

“I don’t
care.”  I’d love to see my mark on her, but I moved away instead, seeing both
desire and sorrow written on her features.

“What’s
wrong?” I asked, afraid to touch her again for fear I’d be captured back into
her web.

“I wish you
didn’t have to go.”

I chuckled. 
“Me either.  I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. 
I’m so glad you’re having the guys over for the evening.  It’ll be fun.” 

When I
didn’t move, she steered me toward the steps.

“Leave,” she
ordered.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And call me
before you go to bed.”

“Yes, ma’am,”
I replied again as she pushed me down the stairs to the sidewalk.

“Have a good
night.  I love you.”

I growled,
reaching up to yank her to me.  She fell against me with a laugh, and I kissed
her one last time before I set her aside and spanked her on the rump.

“Quit
detaining me.” I grinned.

“Whatever. 
Leave.” She giggled.

“You first. 
Go inside.”

She sighed
as if she were totally put out.  “Goodnight, Chase,” she called over her
shoulder before she slipped into the house.

“Goodnight,
my pretty girl,” I whispered even though I knew she couldn’t hear me.  I turned
and jogged over to my truck.

“Sorry I
took so long,” I apologized when I walked inside.  “It took slightly longer
than I anticipated.”  I glanced at the three boys who were playing  my video game
console.

“Yeah, it’s
hard to rush when you have your tongue stuck down a girl’s throat.” Wes
snickered.

“Jealous
much?” I stabbed back.

“Kind of,”
he replied.

“You’re not
late either.  The three of us ran home and showered real quick first,” Brett
informed me.

“Okay,
good.”

“Your
grandma sent us up here.  She said she’d holler when dinner was ready.”

“Awesome. 
Well, then I’ll go get cleaned up too.”

“Better
hurry, dude.  If your grandma calls while you’re in there, I’m not promising
we’ll save you any.  It smells like heaven down there.”

I chuckled. 
“Just wait until you taste it.”

I left them
to their game and made my way to my room, dropping my things in a pile on the
floor and going to the drawer to grab some items.

My attention
was caught by Turk who was swimming at the edge of his bowl, facing me.  I’d
deluded myself into thinking this fish was my friend, loving how he always swam
to the edge when I entered.

“Hey, big
guy. How was your day?” I tapped lightly on the glass before I grabbed his food
and dropped a few flakes in for him.  “Mine was pretty good, I guess.  I told
Nikki I loved her today … in a text message.” I scrutinized him for his
reaction, but he didn’t move.  “I can see you’re dumbfounded.  I was too for a
while.  I’ve got company now, though, so I’ll fill you in on all the details
later.  Enjoy your supper.”

The guys
were missing when I returned, and I knew that could only mean one thing—dinner
was on the table.  I found everyone in the kitchen passing around the food and
dishing it out.

“You’re
right on time, Chase,” my mom said as she glanced over to smile at our
unexpected guest.

Greg. Yay. 
My appetite suddenly seem a little on the iffy side.

I pulled out
the only available chair, next to him of course, and started piling food onto
my plate.

“So your
grandpa tells me you really wowed the coach today.  Good job.  We need someone
to try to fill those shoes Jeremy Winters is leaving behind,” Greg spoke, and I
felt the heat that crept up under my collar.

I didn’t
miss the furtive looks that passed between the other guys.

“He’s better
than Jeremy,” Brett said as he lifted a piece of steak to his mouth, and I
never wanted to hug a guy so much before.

“I agree,”
Chad added.  “His throws are a lot straighter and much easier to catch.”

“Don’t judge
until we try it under pressure.” I took a bite of mashed potatoes.

“That’s a
good idea,” Grandpa agreed.  “Don’t count your chickens before they’ve
hatched.  That being said though, Chase did put on a good show.  I’m anxious to
see how things will go this season.”

“I’m
assuming you’ll still be helping as the team trainer this season?” Greg
directed the comment to my grandpa.

“Yes.  I
like putting my old corpsman training to use and taping up those injuries and
stuff.  Got to keep these boys healthy somehow.”

“Well, I
think it’s great that you’ve volunteered to do that all these years.  I miss
playing football, and I’d love to coach, but unfortunately my schedule doesn’t
always allow that.  I’m in the seats every Friday though, ready to cheer them on.”
He looked at me with a grin.  “It’ll be nice to have someone in particular to
yell for.”

I tried not
to groan.  Talk about overkill.  My mom was practically glowing over his
statements, and she reached over to pat his arm.  I swear it was as if he’d just
said he discovered the cure for cancer or something.

“Thanks,” I
mumbled, when she turned and threw me the stink eye for being rude and not
responding to him.  I tuned out most of the rest of the dinner conversation,
contributing only when absolutely necessary.

When I was
done eating, I cleared my place and went outside.  I opened my truck and dug
around beneath the driver’s seat until I found what I was searching for—my old
football.

I hadn’t
touched it since the day my dad died, leaving it shoved under there since I
knew we’d never throw together again.  I pulled it out, almost reverently,
rolling it in my hands as I gripped it.

“There you
are,” Brett’s voice came from the porch.  “He’s here guys.”

I shut the
door and leaned against the truck as they came to join me.

“Everything
okay?” Wes asked. 

“Yeah.  Just
digging out my old ball.  I thought we could toss it around together.”

“Sure,” he
replied. “I have one in my truck too.  Let me go get it.”

They
followed me as I walked away, into the area between the house and the barn
where the light from the two places was better.  Brett stood by me, and Chad
and Wes lined up across from us.  We began throwing, naturally drifting farther
and farther apart as much as the space would let us.

I was
totally lost in the ease of the repetitive motion when I caught movement out of
the corner of my eye and turned to look.

Greg and my
mom were standing next to his vehicle, and he had his arms wrapped around her
waist.  He was whispering something in her ear and she was giggling.

The football
hit me square in the chest, knocking the air from my lungs with a whoosh and
falling to the ground.

Chad started
laughing as I bent to retrieve it.  “You’re supposed to catch it,” he hollered.

I picked the
ball up and walked toward him, suddenly out of the mood to throw anymore.  I
gestured toward the barn with a slight jerk of my head, and they joined me
inside.

“You don’t
like Greg much, do you?” Wes asked, not missing a thing.

I shrugged. 
“I’m sure he’s a great guy, but I’m not too thrilled to see him sniffing around
my mom.”

“Take it
easy on him,” Brett said.  “He’s been through a lot of heartache too.  They’re
probably really good for each other.”

“I don’t
want to think about it.” I sounded sharper than I’d intended, and a silence followed. 
“Hey, I’m sorry.  I don’t mean to be such a pain.  It’s just a lot to deal
with.”

“I can help
you with that.” Chad pulled a small baggie out of his pocket and dangled it in
front of me.  “Want something to take the edge off?”

I stared at
the blunt, wishing I could take it—wanting to take it.  I could feel Brett’s
gaze drilling a hole into me as he waited to see what I would do.  “I can’t. 
Thanks for the offer though.”