The Game Changer: A Novel (13 page)

“She doesn’t seem mad. She did want to know who was bringing the packages.”

“What’d you say?” I asked as nerves shot through my body.

“I told her some kid was dropping them off one at a time.”

“She bought that?” I huffed out a laugh.

“She bought it.” He grinned mischievously.

“You’re good, Fred. Thank you. Here’s the next one.” I handed him a manila envelope as he entered the waiting elevator.

This was the next-to-last gift I had, the gag about eye-rolling and all the ways in which it was bad for you. There was only one more small box to go before I stood outside of her apartment door and hoped she’d open it. I looked down at my Mets jersey and ran my hands over it, making sure I looked presentable.

“She’s crying,” Fred said, the moment he exited the elevator.

“Shit,” I exclaimed as my heart fell into the pit of my stomach.

“She said they were good tears, though, so I think you’re in the clear,” he added, patting my shoulder.

I looked up at the ceiling and swallowed hard. “Whew. OK. This is the last one, Fred, but I have to come up with you. Is there anywhere for me to wait without her seeing me while you deliver this last package?”

“You can wait in the hallway, around the corner. She won’t see you there,” he suggested.

“Sounds good. You ready to see if I get my heart back?” I asked, clutching a dozen red roses.

“I have a good feeling,” he said, glancing at the flowers.

We stepped out of the elevator together and into the illuminated hallway. Fred pointed at the door marked #323, and I nodded, hurrying around the opposite corner. The knock on the door was soft, but the
sound carried. I heard Cassie tease Fred about how she should just leave her door open all night.

Fred informed her that this would be the last package. Was that disappointment I heard in her voice as she thanked him? Her door closed softly, and Fred cleared his throat. I peered around the corner, and he waved me over. “Good luck, Jack.” He reached out his hand.

“Thank you so much for all your help. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Yeah, you could have,” he said with a grin before stepping into the elevator and disappearing.

The last package simply contained a letter from me and a small note asking her to open her front door. I hurried to Cassie’s apartment door and waited with the roses clutched in my sweaty hands, right in front of the Mets logo on my jersey. It was in this exact moment that I realized I’d left my confidence somewhere between my old life in Arizona and my new one here. I was nervous as hell. What if… so many what-ifs plagued my mind as the door flew open.

“Oh my God,” she said, as her voice rang out into the hallway.

She looked beautiful. I wanted to grab her, throw her against the wall, tell her how sorry I was for everything, and make up for each moment that had been lost between us. I lowered my arms, allowing the lettering on my jersey to show.

“I’m enjoying this,” Cassie’s face scrunched up with her broad grin.

“Enjoying what exactly?” I teased through my vulnerability. It was tough reliving the parts we’d just lived through. I had no idea if Cassie would ever forgive me or take me back. There was a good chance she wouldn’t. Last night was a huge risk for me, but I’d do it all again for her.

“Hearing all of this from your point of view. I want to see the rest of last night through your eyes.”

I inhaled deeply, knowing that I’d give her anything she asked for, and then I continued.

“Why are you wearing a Mets jersey?” she asked, her voice carrying a mixture of excitement and confusion.

“I got traded.”

“They traded you?” She sounded surprised. No, she sounded offended.

“Well, technically,” I couldn’t stop the smile from taking over my face, “I asked.”

“You asked what?” Her green eyes narrowed.

“I asked to be traded to the Mets.” I shrugged and looked down at the floor, wondering how long she was going to keep me outside.

Her eyes grew wide. “So, you live in New York now?”

“Just got here. Can I come in?”

“Of course. Yes.” She stumbled as she moved aside for me to enter, and I stifled a laugh. Was she nervous too?

“These are for you.” I pushed the long-stem roses toward her.

“Thank you. They’re beautiful.” She leaned in to smell them, and I watched her eyes close as she breathed in their fragrance.

She walked into her tiny kitchen, and I looked around her apartment, my eyes falling on the couch. “I see you got my gifts.”

“Mm-hmm,” she mumbled, and I wanted to silence her and make her moan all at the same time.

“Cassie.” I said her name as I inched my body close to hers. I tried to resist touching her, but being that close… a man only has so much willpower. I don’t know what it was exactly about her hair, but I was tempted to reach out and run my fingers through it. Instead, I found
myself tucking strands behind her ear as she touched my face. I swear I turned into putty with her touch.

“Do you still love me?” I asked, as desperation and uncertainty coursed within me.

“I never stopped.”

That’s all I needed to hear. “Me either.” I grabbed the back of her neck, unable to wait a single solitary second longer. My mouth was instantly on hers, the heat between us radiating. My tongue reached out to meet hers before I pulled away. I needed to apologize before I tossed her fucking clothes to the ground along with my pride.

“I’m sorry for lying to you that morning. I’m sorry for cheating on you that night. I’m sorry for not being the person you knew I could be.”

Her lips pursed and I was desperate to kiss them, so I leaned in, kissing her bottom lip lightly. “And I don’t know if you can ever forgive me, but I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t at least ask you to try.”

Please fucking forgive me.

“And I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. She was fighting the annulment and it took months to get it processed and finalized. I refused to fight for you while I was still carrying all that baggage. But it took a lot longer than I had expected. I should have called you. And I’m so sorry I didn’t.”

Please don’t let it be too late.

“I thought you hated me,” she whispered, her eyes avoiding mine, and I swear my fucking heart split into pieces.

She thought I hated her.

I’m such a dick.

Instinctively I reached for her chin, tilting her head up toward mine. “I could never hate you. I thought I was going to have to come before the annulment was complete when I’d heard about you and the guy from your work.” I forced my clenched stomach muscles to loosen their grip on me.

“How’d you know who he was?”

“Dean. I kept tabs on you, Kitten. Not in a creepy way, I swear. Just in a making-sure-I-wasn’t-going-to-lose-you-all-over-again way. See, you’ve always been able to see past the front I put up. I never thought I’d be able to find someone who would know the real me and still want to stick around. And then I saw you at that frat party and my life was never the same.” I spilled my guts to her, hoping that something I told her would click and she wouldn’t kick my ass to the curb.

A single tear ran down her cheek as I continued. “I know I don’t deserve you, but I need you.” I reached for her face, wiping the tear from her gorgeous face, finding myself lost in the green of her eyes.

“I need you too. I hate feeling vulnerable, and I want to pretend like I don’t, but it would be a lie.”

“Then don’t pretend. Tell me you’ll try to forgive me so we can move on from our past.”

Please forgive me.

“I already have,” she said, and I was torn between collapsing at her feet on the floor and jumping into the air like a pussy.

I leaned my head against hers, “I’ll earn your trust again. I promise.” I emphasized the word trust, hoping she knew just how much I meant everything I was saying to her.

With her face buried into my shoulder, I breathed in the smell of her shampoo, her soap, her skin. Her arms wrapped around my waist and her breath was hot against my neck as she inched closer toward my face. I was already turned on and excited from her nearness. “Prove it,” she whispered suggestively into my ear.

“Oh, I plan to,” I answered confidently, before giving her a chance to change her mind, or even think at all.

I lifted her into my arms, my hands firmly cupping her ass. She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I pressed her back to the wall, rubbing my growing hardness against her. She moaned, and I grew even
harder as my tongue traced the curves of her neck, her salty skin familiar and enticing. I licked and nipped my way toward her jawline, where her mouth waited, slightly parted.

Another breathy sound from her, and I thrust my tongue into her mouth. The feel of her tongue against mine caused my body to shudder uncontrollably. I pulled my mouth away, burying my head into her neck once more. I licked and sucked at her, her hips pressing against me as I continued grinding her into the wall.

“I’ve missed you,” I whispered into her ear.

“I’ve missed you too.” Her voice hitched, causing me to hesitate.

Against my better judgment, I pulled my head away from hers and looked into her eyes. “Do you want to stop? Is it too soon?” I considered momentarily that having sex might not be the best idea. No matter how badly my body craved it.

“I could lie and tell you I think we should wait. But honestly, I’ve waited long enough. I’ve been without you for too long already. I want you, Jack,” she insisted, her fingers digging into the muscles in my back.

“I’m so sorry for everything, Kitten.”

“I know. No more apologies. Tomorrow you can start again, but not right now.” She touched the side of my face, and I half wondered if it was all a dream.

Cupping her ass, I walked us into her bedroom, her tongue running along my bottom lip before entering my mouth with ravenous intent. I wove my fingers into her hair, pulling lightly as she released a quick gasp.

“If you don’t stop making those fucking sexy noises, I’m going to lose it right here.”

She smirked, clearly enjoying the power she had over me. She leaned into my ear, her tongue sucking and nibbling on it before breathing a heavy, long, drawn-out sigh.

“Oh, that’s it. You’re gonna get it,” I teased, before throwing her on top of the bed. I pulled off my Mets jersey and threw it to the floor, quickly followed by my white undershirt.

“God, I’ve missed your body,” she exclaimed while biting on her bottom lip, her eyes eating me up.

“I’m not man candy, Kitten,” I said with mock offense.

“Yeah, you are,” she insisted with a mischievous grin.

A smirk took over my face before I leaned toward her, my hands grabbing at her pajama bottoms. She lifted her hips and I pulled them down past her feet and discarded them. Then I straddled her, pressing my hardness against her mound. I wrapped one arm around her back and lifted her up toward me. Her arms instinctively wrapped around my shoulders, her nails digging into my back. I pulled at her tank top and she lifted her arms into the air before pressing her exposed breasts against my chest.

I’d been waiting so long to have her—thinking for months about the moment she would be mine again, hoping I’d get this chance—and the mere feel of her skin against me nearly sent me over the edge.

When my knees hit the edge of the mattress, I lowered her to the bed and inched slightly lower. She rested her head on top of a pillow, and I kissed her breasts, my tongue swirling, and my mouth sucking. She moaned as she reached for my head, her hands keeping me firmly in place. I sucked some more, my mouth hungry for every inch of her. My hands slid down her stomach to the front of her thong, my fingers rubbing against the material. I slipped my hand underneath the elastic, exploring, before entering. I moved my fingers in and out of her as she squirmed and tossed her head back.