And that was what ate her. Would he stay? Or was Chris going to be like a storm in her life, moving in fast and hot making her heart race with its intensity, only to get carried away with the next strong wind.
She pulled into the cul-de-sac and there he was, larger than life and more handsome than any man had a right to be, sitting in front of her house, for some reason waiting for her.
He opened her door. Oakley got out of the car and resisted the desire to fall into his arms. Instead, she smiled and let him make the first move. He closed her door, pressing close, but not embracing her. Oakley hid her disappointment. Would he make a move to push the friendship they’d developed into something more? Or would they just continue this dance.
Chris pulled open Kaden’s door while Oakley retrieved her purse and the bag she took back and forth between her house and her parents. Chris had become a pro at maneuvering Kaden out of his seat without waking him up and Oakley knew she’d regret the day he wasn’t around to help her.
They walked together to the front door and Oakley unlocked it, letting them inside. Chris carried Kaden to his bed and she followed. It was fast becoming one of her favorite things, watching as Chris so tenderly put her son to bed. Kaden was coming to love Chris and if she wasn’t mistaken, the feeling was mutual.
“Do you want me to stay?” Chris softly closed Kaden’s bedroom door before his warm fingers cam up to caress her jaw. “I can go if you’re tired.”
Oakley closed her eyes, enjoying the rough touch of his fingertips against her skin. “No, I don’t want you to go.” It was the last thing she wanted. She never wanted him to leave. “Let me change?”
Chris nodded. “I’ll meet you in the back yard.”
She turned to go into her bedroom. She knew he would fetch the blanket they’d been using to lay in the grass and spread it out for them. He had gotten in the habit of bringing treats. She hadn’t seen him carrying anything, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have something up his sleeve.
She changed as quickly as she could into a pair of sweats and a long-sleeved t-shirt. It was early summer and the nights were still cool.
“How was work?” he asked once she joined him.
“Same old thing. Tiring. My feet hurt,” she admitted ruefully.
“I can help with that.” He moved to sit up, reaching for her feet.
She quickly tucked them under her. “Oh, my gosh. No way. I didn’t shower. I just changed.”
He made a face. “So? Let me help you.” He pulled on her knees to dislodge her feet.
“Stop it!” She pushed his hands away with a laugh. “Seriously! I’m fine. Just a little sore.” There was no way she was letting him touch her feet after they’d been in her stinky work shoes for the last five hours.
“Fine. But you’re missing out.”
She was sure that was true. Just the thought of him massaging her feet sent thrills through her whole body.
“What about you? How was your day?” It was weird. They hadn’t exchanged phone numbers, so as much as they talked, they didn’t call or text throughout the day. She had no idea what he’d been up to since she’d left in the early afternoon.
“My brother came over.” His shoulder brushed against hers sending the thrills off and running again.
“Oh?” He didn’t speak about his family often, but he seemed to have a good relationship with his brother. She wondered about the rift between him and his parents but hadn’t felt comfortable enough to ask him about it.
“I think he was checking up on me. I had to remind him who the older brother was and then I made him buy me dinner.” His grin told her what he said was only part of the truth and he’d simplified things to be funny. That was okay.
They talked for a while longer and then their words seemed to slow as they sunk lower and lower until they were both sprawled on the blanket.
And Chris asked, “Favorite date?”
Chapter Sixteen
Oakley frowned. “Favorite date I’ve been on? Or would want to go on?”
Chris growled in his throat. “Definitely never tell me the favorite date you’ve already gone on.”
The look on his face made her giggle. “So, like what?” It had been so long since she’d been on a date, she’d be ecstatic for dinner and a movie at this point.
He shrugged. “Anything you want. Sky’s the limit. Money and location are no obstacle.”
“Goodness. Who am I going on a date with? One of the Chris’s?” She nudged his shoulder. It had become a joke between them since he was Chris, too.
He gave her an indecipherable look. “Maybe,” he said and then seemed to snap out of whatever thought he was having. “Come on, dream date.”
No limit? No budget. Anywhere in the world she wanted to go? That was easy. “The beach.”
He lifted his brows. “The beach?” Apparently, her answer wasn’t what he’d expected.
Oakley nodded. “I’ve never been and I always thought a moonlit walk on the beach would be kind of magical.” Once the words were out of her mouth, she wished she could pull them right back in. Did she really just admit she dreamed about moonlit walks on the beach to Chris? Oakley threw her arm over her face. “Ugh, your embarrassing moments radar is on again.”
Chris laughed. “What? What do you mean?” He reached out and tugged her arm away from her eyes. “What’s embarrassing about walking on the beach? Well, other than the magical part?”
She giggled in spite of herself. “You are a punk, you know that?”
“Seriously, the thing you should be worried about is the fact that you’ve never been to the beach. Are you kidding me?”
Oakley shook her head. “Nope. Not unless you count the beach next to a lake.”
“I don’t. At all. But how is that possible? You’ve never travelled?”
Oakley had to laugh at the amazed expression on his face. “Not to the beach. My dad’s a mechanic and my mom never worked more than part time her whole life. We weren’t destitute, but there weren’t many family vacations that didn’t include camping.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound so bad. Camping is fun.”
“It is fun, but more than that, once you have all the equipment, it’s cheap.” Her family would pack up every summer and camp in the mountains for weeks at a time. Her favorite memories with her brother and sister and parents were of fishing in mountain lakes and hiking to the highest peaks. There was nothing like sitting around a campfire after a long day of adventures, roasting marshmallows and laughing at the silliest things.
Beside her, Chris grunted. It was late and they were both getting tired. Oakley laid on her back while he sprawled on his stomach, his face half buried in the quilt beneath them.
“I take it you’ve been to the beach?” It was silly, but she still felt a moment of jealousy. Chris was seven years older than her. At thirty-one, he’d been single for a long time. He’d lived a lot of life and probably done more things than she’d ever dreamed. She didn’t regret, or even resent, becoming a mom at such a young age, but that didn’t mean she didn’t wish she could experience a few things herself.
Chris nodded. “A lot.” He rolled to his side and propped his head on his hand. “I’ve even walked on the beach at night.”
Oakley’s curiosity got the best of her. “With a girlfriend?”
He tapped her nose with his finger and smiled. “No. With a bunch of college age meatheads who’d had too much to drink.”
She scrunched her nose. “That doesn’t sound magical at all.”
His shoulders shook. “It wasn’t.”
“What about you? What’s your favorite date?” They were close enough she could feel the warmth from his body through the thin fabric of her shirt over her shoulder. It was becoming increasingly difficult not to just give into the desire to snuggle into him. Chris emanated strength and security, two things Oakley yearned for in her life. Sometimes the weight of her responsibilities were almost too much to bear. It would be nice to be able to s
hare her burdens with someone. Someone like Chris.
“Hmm. My favorite date. I don’t know. I’m a simple guy.” His eyes bored into hers and not for the first time since they’d begun spending time together, Oakley found herself wishing she knew what he was thinking.
“How about your least favorite?” Sometimes it was easier to come up with what you didn’t like.
“My least favorite? Okay, hmm. Dancing. I don’t like dancing. I’m too big.”
That made her laugh. She couldn’t picture Chris on the dance floor, although, it wasn’t difficult to imagine him holding her close as they swayed to a slow beat. Maybe she could change his mind about dancing one day.
“Got it. No dancing.”
He smiled. “I don’t like doing those playacting things.”
“Playacting? You mean like going to plays?” What was he talking about?
His head dipped as he laughed and his hand reached out, latching onto her side.
Oakley froze at the contact. They rarely shared deliberate touches. Everything had been incidental or at least could be explained away as being accidental. She expected him to remove his hand right away, but he didn’t. Not only did he leave it there, he pulled her closer.
“Not plays,” he explained as if he hadn’t just thrown her for a giant loop by changing the status quo of their tenuous relationship without any kind of warning. “Those games. You know like murder mysteries. Things like that.”
His fingers kneaded her side.
“You’ve done that before,” she asked, hating herself for how breathless she sounded. But she couldn’t help it, she was breathless!
“Yeah, one of my buddies, his girlfriend planned it and since he was completely soft for this girl, we all had to go along with it.” Chris dipped his head again, this time bringing his nose in contact with her jaw. “Man, we never let him forget that, either.”
How could he just talk like that? So normal and not at all affected like her? Or was he?
“Oakley.” His voice was soft and then she heard it, his irregular breathing.
Without thinking, she reached a hand to his chest. She had to know if his heart was beating as rapidly as hers. She touched him, pressing her palm against the soft fabric covering his chest and was gratified to hear his quick intake of breath. But that didn’t stop her from her mission. Sliding the flat of her hand over the firm muscles covering his heart, she acknowledged she’d never touched a man like him. Not only was his face so beautifully constructed, his body was a sculptors work of art.
He remained still as her hand explored the expanse of his chest, pausing only briefly to take note of the fierce pounding of his heart before moving on to his shoulder and up his neck until she held his cheek in her grasp.
His eyes met hers in the dark. He was going to kiss her. She could feel it and she wanted it. More than she’d ever wanted anything, she longed to feel his lips on hers as he held her close. This moment had been building for days, weeks, since the first time she opened her door to find him standing on the other side.
“Chris,” she breathed his name.
His hand on her waist increased its pressure, pulling her in until their bodies met. He was a breath away and it was too far-
Chapter Seventeen
This was it. He couldn’t wait anymore. No matter how he tried to convince himself otherwise, Chris had known since the second he laid eyes on her there would come a day he would kiss this woman. That moment was now.
Oakley sighed his name, tickling his lips with her soft breath. In her voice he heard desire. Longing. Acceptance. She wouldn’t push him away.
Heat flowed through his veins, begging him to possess her, but he wouldn’t. Breathing deeply, he prepared himself to go slowly. He brushed his lips so close to hers he could almost taste them-
“Mommy!”
Oakley gasped. “Kaden.”
She was out of his arms and on her feet before he even knew what hit him. Seconds later he heard the familiar sound of her screen door slamming closed. With a gusty sigh, Chris fell back against the quilt he’d spread on the ground and tried to control his breathing.
Wow.
Talk about a reality check.
Not that Chris blamed Kaden for the delay of their first kiss or Oakley, either. But, dang, if he wasn’t disappointed.
Laying in the dark, Chris stared up at the stars. These last few weeks had been unlike any he’d experienced in his life. He might not live like the billionaire he was, but he didn’t live like a pauper either. He was used to being surrounded by people who had money and never had to worry about where money for food or rent would come from. Spending time with Oakley and Kaden had altered his perspective. He realized he loved the simplicity of Oakley’s humble life, although, he doubted she’d consider her life simple. And she’d probably resent him describing her as ‘humble’.
He smiled to himself. The woman had him editing his own internal dialogue.
The point was, Chris liked his days living next door to Oakley and Kaden. He loved working hard and at the end of the day, finding her. Finding them. He’d rather eat sloppy Joe’s around her small kitchen table than dine at the finest restaurants in the world, even if it meant holding Kaden on his lap while he did so. Especially if it meant that.
It wasn’t just Oakley who’d wiggled her way into Chris’s heart. Chris knew without a doubt he would do anything in his power to keep that little boy safe and happy. It made him furious to think about Kaden’s father. Oakley hadn’t told him much, but that didn’t matter. Chris knew the type. He just hoped he never had to face the man or he might end up in jail for beating him within an inch of his life for leaving Oakley to struggle the way she has for the last couple of years.
But what did it all mean? Was he ready to change his life? Was he convinced he’d been wrong about relationships all these years? Could he trust Oakley not to break his heart? For goodness sake, she still hardly knew anything about him. She had no idea he was anything different than a guy who remodeled homes for a living. Or home, singular. And he wasn’t even making any money doing it, nor was he going to.
What would she say when she found out? Would she be angry he’d omitted such pertinent information? Would the money be important to her? He hated to think of their relationship changing. Well, he wanted some things to change, like the fact that he still wanted to kiss her. He wanted her permission to kiss her all the time, to hold her, touch her, whenever he wanted. But would she still want him once she knew the truth he’d hidden from her?
Chris rubbed his palms down his cheeks.
It was late. He needed sleep. They’d been keeping crazy hours and they’d both been working hard. Her job was physically exhausting and while he was getting used to the physicality of the work he was doing, the days were long, tiring. As much as he’d wanted to kiss Oakley, maybe it was for the best they’d been interrupted. There were still so many variables, so many unknowns. He would have never walked on a football field as unprepared as he felt when it came to Oakley.
He should go home. Regroup.
With that thought ricocheting in his mind, Chris rose from the blanket and folded it up before heading to Oakley’s back door. Gently, because it squeaked mercilessly, he opened the screen door and let himself in. He knew she wouldn’t mind.
He draped the blanket over the back of her couch and then made his way to Kaden’s room.
The vision that met him made his chest tighten. Oakley lay curled around her son in his tiny bed. Her long hair brushed his round cheek while his arms circled her neck. Their eyes were closed, each breathing soft and slow.
As softly as he could, Chris stepped further into the room and reached for the edge of the blanket lying on the floor beside the bed. He spread it over them and forced himself to leave the room even though he longed to wrap them both in his arms. Forever.
With one last look, he savored the sweet moment and then he walked through the house, securing it for the night before locking himself out.
“Man, just come to dinner. It’s like we aren’t even friends anymore.”
Chris sighed, wishing he hadn’t answered the phone. Terrance was persistent and he’d been after Chris to meet up with the guys for dinner for the last couple of weeks.
“Terr, I’ve been busy, man.” It was true. Between the house and spending his evenings with Oakley and Kaden, Chris hadn’t had time for anything else. He hadn’t even seen his own brother which was why Carter had driven out to the house yesterday.
“Too busy for your friends? What do you have some girl or something?”
A laugh burst from his lips. “What? No. No girl. It’s this house. It’s a lot of work.” He hated denying any kind of relationship with Oakley to his friend, but there was no way he would tell Terrance about any woman until it was time to send out wedding invitations.
“You have more money than anyone else I know. And I know a lot of people with money. Why don’t you hire the work done?”
Chris got it that no one understood what he was doing, working on his great-uncle’s house with his own two hands, but it was what he wanted, no, needed to do. What he was doing was the most rewarding thing he’d ever done.
“I like it. It’s good for me.”
On the other end of the call, Terrance sighed. “Come on, it’s just dinner.”
Chris ran his fingers through his hair. Oakley had to work later that night. It was still early, before noon and he hadn’t seen any sign that she and Kaden were even awake yet, and he’d been paying attention. He was dying to see her. He’d been thinking about her almost obsessively since their near kiss the night before. He’d almost convinced himself it was for the best, that it had been fate keeping them apart, but then he realized it wasn’t fate. It was just a little boy who needed his mom.
And Chris still wanted his kiss.
“Fine. Text me the time and place and I’ll meet you guys there.”
Oakley had remained inside her house like she was a prisoner. Kaden wanted to go outside to play but she’d convinced him to watch a show instead. While he watched in the living room, she’d paced a hole in the carpet in her bedroom, replaying last night with Chris over and over while her heart raced each time she got to the moment when his lips almost brushed against hers.
Marrying the Football Billionaire Page 10