Page 80 of Untying the Knot
He holds his hand out to me and asks, “You coming with me?”
I glance at his large hand and then back up at him. This is it. There is no turning back. If I take his hand, that means I’m trying this, and I can’t pull back from him again. If I don’t take it, I’m making a statement that I don’t think after everything I’ve been through with this man that Icanmake.
On a hope and a prayer that I can be normal for this man, I reach out and take his hand, which of course creates a breathtaking smile on his face.
“How have you been?” he asks as we walk down a long hallway.
“Um, pretty good. You? I mean that game, wow.”
“Do you even know if we won?”
I chuckle, and the tension building in my chest eases. “I gathered that you won at the end from the cheering fans. Up until then it was a real nail-biter.”
“We won ten to one.”
“See, truly won by the skin of your teeth.”
He chuckles. “Wow, I really need to spend some time educating you on my sport.” He lifts our hand connection and then spins me around. “But damn, girl, you sure look good in my jersey.”
Feeling even lighter, I tug on the fabric and say, “Oh, this old thing? I found it in a dumpster outside the stadium. Some girl tossed it, claiming her wild ways weren’t working on Bisley. I thought I’d give it a try. Seems like it works just fine.”
“It wasn’t the jersey; it was the girl.” He smirks and then pushes open the door to a gated-off parking lot. He guides me to a black SUV and unlocks it before pulling the passenger side door open. He helps me in because, if anything, the man is a gentleman. He then braces his hand on the door opening and dips his head so I can see him. “Do you want me to take you home?”
I swallow and realize this is him asking what’s next. We’re here at a crossroads again. Am I going to follow, or am I going to retreat?
I know my answer.
I shake my head. “No, I don’t want to go home yet.”
The smile that passes over his lips is so sexy that I might just croak right here, on his passenger side seat.
“Good answer.” He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear and then asks, “Why did you come to the game, Myla?”
I turn toward him so my knees knock against his thighs. I reach out and tug on the hem of his shirt as I say, “Nichole got tickets from work, and I’ve been so desperate to see you that I thought, maybe even from far away, I could get my fill. I had no idea the tickets were right behind the dugout, and I had no idea that you would see me.”
“If you were desperate to see me, why didn’t you message me?”
“I was embarrassed,” I admit. “I like you, but I don’t want to hurt you. I’m not experienced when it comes to healthy relationships. And I know you said you would help me carry my baggage, but you shouldn’t have to be weighed down by all of that.”
“Good thing I lift weights then, huh?” He winks.
“I’m being serious, Ryot.”
“And so am I. How about this? We take this one step at a time, okay? No pressure, no titles, just having fun and seeing where it takes us.”
“That sounds doable.”
“But . . .” he says, now resting his forehead on his arm as he stares down at me. “I ask two things from you.”
“Okay, what are they?”
He holds up one finger and says, “Always be honest with me. No matter what you’re feeling, you need to be honest if this is working for you or not. And two.” He holds up a second finger. “We don’t need a title, but I would like to be exclusive with you. I have no intention of going out with anyone else, and I would hope that you would feel the same way.”
“I can barely gather myself to go out with you, let alone someone else, so no need to worry about that. And I’ve been honest with you thus far, so I can’t see that changing.”
“Good,” he says. “So want to go get dessert with me?”
“What do you have in mind?”
