Page 52 of The P*ssy Next Door
“That was a crazy day,” she murmured, giving me a hug, and nuzzling into my chest. “Tell me you're here to carry me home to bed. Who knew cat wrangling mixed with coffee making would be so exhausting?”
“That's the very next thing on my to-do list.” I was insisting she get some extra sleep, which was not my original plan. Although, a couple of really great orgasms could send her off to dreamland.
I made her leave some of the cleanup for the morning and put her into my car. She yawned and laid her head on my shoulder as we drove the few blocks back to my house.
“You wanna sneak into the hotel with me tomorrow night, sweetheart? I promise not to accidentally on purpose knock on Coach's door this time. Unless, of course, the thrill of getting caught is on your kinks list.”
She didn't look up at me and gave my arm a soft squeeze. “I promised Xander I'd go to his game tomorrow night. He asked me to be there, and I don't want him to think I can’t support him just because we're together, you know?”
I nodded, trying to ignore the little twinge of unease in my gut. Xander's challenge had me on edge. “You're good, Kingman. But you'll never be good enough for her.”
I couldn't tell Willa that. Not when she was so hopeful about rebuilding her relationship with her brother.
“That's great, babe. I'm sure it'll mean a lot to him to have you there.” I forced a smile, an idea forming. “We can go together if you want. Dad's box will have room for us.”
Looks like I'd be sneaking out of the hotel instead of Willa sneaking in. But I'd probably get in less trouble for going to my brothers' college football game than getting caught with a girl in my room after bed check. And honestly, I'd be happy to pay that fine. I hadn't been to a Dragons game since I'd joined the Mustangs. Might be fun to hit the alma mater.
Willa bit her lip, looking torn, which surprised me. “That's really sweet of you, but... Xan said he already has a ticket for me, probably sitting with my parents. I don't want to ruffle any feathers, you know?”
I swallowed back my arguments, reminding myself that this was about supporting Willa, not giving in to my own worries. “Of course, babe. It’ll be nice for you to hang out with them.”
She snuggled into my arm. “I haven't been to this many football games since high school. Two in two days? What have you done with the real Willa? Because this is a clear case of body snatching if ever I saw one.”
Willa had made a lot of changes in her life, and she hardly seemed fazed by it. “I've thrown her into a supernatural prison with no memory of who or what she truly is. But there are four wolf shifters there who will help her remember through the power of her magic va-jay-jay.”
She giggled and smacked me in the arm. “You read The Fate of the Wolf Guard?”
“Yep.” I hadn't read this much fiction in quite a while, but I'd always been a big reader. And honestly, I was learning as much from romance novels as I did the nonfiction I usually chose. Not just about sex either. Plus, it was fun to share a hobby with my girl. “I really enjoyed all the historical references. Not to mention some of those very interesting sex scenes. We should definitely try doing it outside in the woods under the full moon.”
“When in the world did you have time to read a whole series this week?”
We pulled into the garage, and I loved the naturalness of chatting while coming home together. When her uncles were back, I'd ask her to just move in with me. Then we could do this all the time. “The nights I wasn't spending with you.”
Seven met us at the door and she scooped him up, giving him a snuggle. “At least somebody had fun. If I have to go Christmas shopping with any of my family members one more time this month, I'll cry. I don't know who thought malls were a good idea, but they need to be smacked around.”
Her cat spent a long time smelling her up and down and rubbed his face all over her chest. Lucky bastard. At least with him, I could have Willa to myself by distracting him with a can of fancy cat food.
Afterward, I fed both her and her cat and took Willa to bed, indeed fucking her until she fell asleep after a couple of orgasms.
But as comfortable as I was with her laying in my arms, I was restless.
I left her sleeping peacefully and padded down to the living room, my mind churning, bouncing from one thing to the next. I hated not being able to focus.
There was some game tape I could watch, but for once, the thought of diving into football analysis didn't appeal. Instead, I threw on a hoodie and some Crocs, and slid the back door open. Seven sprinted out after me and took up residence on one of the lawn chairs. “Good call, buddy.”
I picked him up and sat down, settling him in my lap. The full moon stared down at me and Willa's words from earlier echoed in my head. “What have you done with the real Willa?”
It was a joke, of course, but the Willa I'd first met, the one who'd breezed into town with wanderlust in her eyes and adventure in her heart, had transformed so much in the past few months. She'd taken on the challenge of running the café with gusto, pouring her creativity and passion into making it thrive.
Willa slipped into any role with ease. She was a world traveler, a teacher, then a small business owner and a rescuer of cats. She went from the girl next door to instant friends with a pop star. She was a romance loving book worm who knew just as many football stats as I did.
Watching her come alive with this new purpose, this new direction, had been breathtaking. But it also stirred something in me, questions were coming up that hadn't even crossed my radar before.
She was so fucking joyful, colorful… alive.
What was I?
I'd had one goal my whole life, and I was living it now. I'd never allowed myself to ever think about anything but playing pro ball. I loved the game, lived and breathed it. The thrill of competition, the rush of adrenaline, the satisfaction of pushing my body to its limits, it was everything to me.