Page 34 of Lemon Cake
“I trust you.”
Gemma then closed her eyes and soaked in the moment. She’d never experienced anything like that and now that she had, she wanted more.
“Why don’t you get some sleep? I’m sure tomorrow will be just as stressful,” he suggested.
“You should rest too. You have a big day to prepare for. I want that ass of yours looking its finest on game day.”
Rider let out a bark of laughter. “Just for you though.”
“Sleep tight.”
“You too, gorgeous.”
Exhausted from the day and content insomany ways, Gemma easily fell asleep, with visions of Rider playing behind her eyelids.
Gemma
Dan had been a ball of fireworks since he discovered they would see the Bullriders play. He currently sat in his seat, fidgeting over the coin toss. Rider had gotten them seats right behind the team zone and she couldn’t help but suspect he’d done so on purpose. The seats gave Gemma a fantastic view of his ass.
“Where is he?” Dan buzzed as the special teams positioned themselves on the field.
Gemma had already found her man and pointed out player number fifty-three. “Right over there.”
“Do you think he’ll play today?”
“I hope so.”
The Bullriders earned the ball first, and after the first three downs, the defence stepped on the field. Rider barely missed a tackle, dancing around the other players effortlessly and fending off injuries like a knight with a sword.
Gemma hadn’t paid much attention to football since high school, and she wasn’t sure how to feel. It was a mixture of nostalgia and sadness. Football used to be sodear to her heart.
Gemma wasn’t the only one to notice. Throughout the game, Gina leaned over to make sure she was okay. Truthfully, Gemma was relieved they didn’t need words to be able to read each other.
Surprisingly, Dan was glued to the game from start to finish. They hadn’t told him about their VIP passes, so when Gemma followed Rider’s instructions and led him away from the crowd, Dan became animated all over again. Just as Rider had promised her, a young woman greeted them at the doors with a bright smile.
“You must be Gemma, Gina, and Dan. I’m Laila.”
Gemma was the one to speak. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Gemma.”
“I’ll try my best to remember but please forgive me if I slip.”
“Oh, don’t worry; we won’t be upset about it,” Gemma assured her.
“The guys are still cooling down, but Rider promised that he’d hurry up so you three don’t have to wait long.”
“So we get to see him?” Dan chirped.
“Of course. Come on, let me show you the way.”
They followed Laila through the halls of the stadium, pointing out things along the way. Seeing the stadium from behind the scenes was eye-opening.
“This is the changing room but let me see if everyone is presentable before I let you meet them.”
“Or maybe we should just surprise them,” Gina suggested with a dirty giggle.
“Copycat,” Gemma laughed.
“What? Maybe there’s a player in there who doesn’t mind a single mother with a messy house.”