While I waited for Poppy to return from the bathroom, I drummed my fingers on the arm rest and bounced my knee anxiously. After what seemed like forever, Poppy exited the tiny airplane bathroom and walked back down the aisle toward me.
What the fuck?
She went in dressed like she just climbed out of bed, and she came out looking like a hot college coed on the way to a party. Her hair was loose and wavy, and it looked like she had put on some makeup. She wore a very short denim skirt, which bared her long legs down to the cowboy boots on her feet. I briefly wondered what she wore underneath the skirt, but then I saw her shirt.
It was a tight low cut purple t-shirt styled like an LSU football jersey with the number 10 on the front. That was my number. Every sports store in the city used to sell my number 10 jersey, but I hadn’t seen one in three years.
Poppy reached where I sat with my mouth hanging open. She handed me her carryon bag, which I stowed back away before slumping back into my seat. Spinning around she lifted her thick mass of glossy brown hair up so I could see the same number 10 on the back with Walsh right above it.
That was by far the sexiest thing I had ever seen. Poppy wearing my number. I used to give my teammates a hard time when their girlfriends would wear their numbers. I thought it was stupid. I didn’t get it. Now I got it.
When Poppy turned back around, I grabbed her hips and dragged her down on my lap. Threading my fingers in her hair I pulled her in for a kiss. A kiss that was more appropriate for the bedroom than a crowded airplane.
Poppy broke away, stifling a giggle, when the flight attendant cleared her throat loudly and said, “The seatbelt light is on. You need to be in your own seat, Miss.”
Poppy moved over to her own seat, and I helped her fasten her seat belt, primarily so I could keep touching her.
“I take it you like my outfit?” She asked me with an innocent smile and wide eyes that glittered with mischief.
“Oh, yeah. I fucking love your outfit. Where did you find the shirt with my number?”
“I found the shirt on eBay. The skirt and boots are Brooke’s.”
“That’s a skirt? There’s hardly enough material to count as a skirt,” I said, running my hand far up her thigh to the hem of the skirt.
Poppy giggled again and slapped my hand away. We were getting throat clearings and dirty looks from the flight attendant again as well as several passengers, so I kept my hands to myself for the rest of the flight, which thankfully was only fifteen more minutes.
*****
“As much as I want to rip that sorry excuse for a skirt off your body and make love to you wearing just my jersey, that’s going to have to wait. We have your birthday to celebrate,” I said to Poppy as we rode the hotel elevator down to the first floor. The hotel that LSU had booked for me was swanky and had a nice sports bar right off the lobby.
“Mmmm, we could celebrate upstairs in our room,” Poppy murmured as I kissed her neck and moved one hand under her skirt to cup her ass. Fuck. She was wearing a thong. It was so tempting to take her back up to the room…or just push the emergency stop button in the elevator. I could push her skirt up and take her against the wall…
The elevator dinged, signaling our arrival on the first floor, and I reluctantly removed my lips from her neck and my hand from her ass. Poppy’s cheeks were flushed and her eyelids were heavy.
“Okay, one drink, two max, and then we’re going back upstairs,” I conceded. Away from the pressures of school and work, and dressed as she currently was, she seemed more like a carefree college girl. As much as she did for everyone else, me included, it felt good to see her having fun for a change. Our early interactions had been rocky to say the least, and when we finally got together it was under the sad circumstances of my mom’s death. We’d never been on an actual date or gone out just to have fun. It was long overdue.
One drink turned into three, and that was all Poppy could handle. I didn’t want her to be hungover tomorrow. She was tipsy enough to want to drink more. So when I couldn’t take the sight of her dancing around in that tiny skirt any longer, I picked her up over my shoulder and headed to the elevator, careful to keep my hand on her ass so no one else got a peek of the thong I was looking forward to removing with my teeth.
*****
The first thing I did when I woke up every morning lately was to reach beside me, but today I only felt emptiness under the sheets. Groaning I rolled on my back and cracked one eye open. Someone had pulled open the heavy drapes to let in the bright morning sun. That someone would be the person missing from the bed. Why was she up so early and not still curled up next to me?
I covered my eyes with my hand to shield most of the sunlight as I searched the room for her. Ah. There she was. Poppy was dressed in a tank top and very short pajama shorts. Her long hair was loose and wild down her back. She was headed to the door of our hotel room. Where was she going dressed like that?
It took me a moment to realize it was probably the knock at the door that had awakened me. Poppy swung the door open wide so a room service attendant could push a rolling tray into our room. If I hadn’t been butt-ass naked under the sheets, I would have been up wrapping a robe around Poppy, so this dude couldn’t check her out. Which he was attempting to do discreetly as she signed the receipt. His eyes flickered to me and then down to the floor after seeing the warning on my face. Good boy. The kid, who couldn’t have been more than seventeen, scurried out the door.
“Oh, good. You’re awake,” Poppy said with a smile as she started uncovering plates on the tray. Mmmm, the smell of pancakes and bacon wafted over to me and had my stomach grumbling. “And it sounds like you’re hungry,” she teased.
When she was close enough, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her down on top of me. “Hungry for you,” I murmured, nuzzling her neck and inhaling her sweet smell.
“Oh, no you don’t. You have just enough time to eat breakfast and take a shower before Mr. Hawkins will be here to pick you up.”
It was weird to hear her call Coach by his actual name. I had only ever called him Coach. Checking the clock, I saw that unfortunately she was right, and my stomach lurched with nerves this time.
As if she could read my mind, Poppy ran her fingers through my hair and asked, “Are you nervous about your interview?”
“No, not the interview. It’s not a real interview anyway. Coach said it would be casual - a quick tour of the new athletic facility, going over the job with him at his office and an informal lunch with some of the other assistant coaches. He’s already said the job is mine if I want it. What I’m nervous about is being back on campus, back on the field.”
Poppy pulled back to look at me thoughtfully. “Would it help distract you if I showered with you?”
Oh, hell yes.
An hour later, my stomach was full and I had been thoroughly washed by Poppy. I never wanted to shower alone again. She had offered to walk down to the lobby with me, but I kissed her and left her in the room. It was way past time for me to face my fears, and I would do it alone. I felt bad leaving her alone all day, but she assured me she was looking forward to relaxing by the pool and catching up on some reading.
At exactly 9:00 am, Coach pulled up in front of the hotel and I slid into his low sports car.
“Ford. It’s good to see you, again. It’s been way too long.”
“It’s good to see you too, Coach.”
He laughed. “I’m not sure you mean that, but I hope you will by the end of today. We could really use your instincts and natural talent on our coaching team.”
Coach did most of the talking as we drove toward campus, updating me on the possible recruits they would sign for next year as well as a quick rundown of the other assistant coaches. Several of the coaches that were there when I played were still on the staff.
“You keep in touch with any of the old team?” He asked me.
“I hear from McCauley from time to time. Sounds like he’s doing well with the Colts. Other than that,
I haven’t been the best at keeping in touch.”
Again Coach laughed. “You got that right. I thought I’d never get you back down here. I’m just glad you weren’t already snatched up by another school.”
I was honored that Coach thought so much of me, but I still had some doubts that I wouldn’t start hyperventilating and have a full blown anxiety attack the second I stepped out onto the field again, even if it was as a coach and not a player.
As we neared campus I could actually feel my blood pressure rising. Coach drove directly to the football stadium and parked right in front of the main entrance. Being the end of January, it was deserted. But I could remember like it was yesterday the parking lot full of people tailgating before the games. The smell of fall in the air as the team would arrive for a home game. The insanely loud cheers from the crowd as we ran onto the field to warm up.
Coach unlocked the team entrance, and we walked to the tunnel that would lead out into the sunshine and onto the field. Somewhere between the parking lot and the end of the tunnel, my nerves and fear morphed into anticipation and excitement. Stepping out into the light, I took a moment to turn a full circle and take in the huge stadium where I had been a king. I had ruled this field for three seasons. Coming back hadn’t driven me completely into the darkness like I had feared. Instead it had brought me back into the light.
It didn’t matter anymore that it wouldn’t be my name the crowd chanted on game day. It wasn’t the fame and adoration I had missed. It was the game.
Coach patted me on the back. “Now there’s the Ford I knew. It feels good to be back, doesn’t it?”
Still in disbelief that I might actually be able to do this, I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, it does.”
“Football’s in your blood, son. You might as well accept your fate and come to work for me.”
It was unbelievably tempting to commit right then and there, but I held back. There was still a lot to talk about and figure out. Coach walked me through the locker rooms and the part of the stadium that had been recently remodeled before leading me across the street to his office in the brand new athletic facility. All of the training equipment was now state of the art, and my body itched to get a workout in here.
Sitting across the desk from Coach, I listened to him give me the rundown of the job, including salary and perks. Jesus, it blew my mind that I might not have to worry about every penny anymore. That I would wake up every day to do something that I loved instead of pouring drinks in a small nowhere town.
When we went to meet the other assistant coaches for lunch, I worried that I might get a mixed reception. Other than Coach and my old teammate McCauley, I had completely ignored everyone else who had tried to contact me. Would my jackass behavior come back to bite me?
Turns out I didn’t need to worry. The guys I knew just seemed glad to have me back, and the new guys were open and welcoming. We ate burgers, drank beer and talked offensive strategies. Shit, if this was what I had to look forward to, then I was in.
When Coach drove me back to the hotel, he said I could start as soon as I wanted. Ideally he would want me back on campus by the first of March to get started on planning for the fall season. That was only one month away. I mentally ran through what I would need to take care of before I could move. The pub only needed two weeks' notice, and all my shit was just sitting in Grady’s basement. A month was plenty of time to arrange for movers and find an apartment down here. I already knew the area and where I would want to live.
In front of the hotel, I shook Coach’s hand, thanked him and promised to give him my decision by the end of next week. As I impatiently rode the elevator up to our room, I tapped my foot. I hadn’t felt this good in a really long time, and I couldn’t wait to share my good news with Poppy. Stepping into our hotel room, I immediately knew she wasn’t there. The room was silent and completely void of her warm presence. She must still be down at the pool. I changed into my swim trunks and headed back down the elevator.
Sliding my sunglasses over my eyes, I stepped outside and scanned the pool for Poppy. My eyes landed on her, and I was aware of my heart thumping in my chest. I had become accustomed to the rush I felt every damn time I laid eyes on her. She was lying on her back with one long leg bent on a lounge chair across the pool. Her eyes were closed, and her face was tipped up to catch the sun. The red bikini she wore left little to the imagination, and I couldn’t wait to get her upstairs and pull the strings on the side of her hips and the back of her neck.
Walking over to where she lay so enticingly, I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her full soft lips. Her big hazel eyes blinked open, and my heart thumped again. Because as exhilarating as it was to get back in the game today, it was even more so to be back here with Poppy.
From the moment I saw her walk into my bar on Halloween, we had been working our way toward each other. For the last month we hadn’t spent a night apart. She anticipated my needs and was there for me in a way no one else had ever been. Would I be able to leave her behind?
Standing there, staring into her eyes, watching her mouth curve up into a smile just from seeing me, I seriously doubted it. That left me with only one option.
Chapter Fifteen
Poppy
“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard Delta flight 257 from Baton Rouge to Buffalo. The weather is clear all the way up the east coast, so we should have a pleasant trip.”
I buckled my seatbelt and leaned my head back against the seat. Ford was shoving my carry on into the overhead compartment. With his arms raised, his t-shirt rode up to expose his washboard abs visible above his low slung jeans. Gorgeous, delicious abs that I had explored thoroughly just last night.
When Ford returned to the hotel yesterday afternoon, he was smiling. A big genuine smile like I had never seen on his face before. His enthusiasm was infectious, and I found myself smiling as I listened to every detail of his meeting with Coach Hawkins. It sounded like the perfect opportunity for him. He hadn’t stopped smiling since. All through dinner last night, breakfast this morning, and every second in between.
It made me happy to see him so happy…finally. But it also made me heartbreakingly sad, because I knew the one thing that made him so happy was the one thing that would take him away from me. I wondered why he hadn’t already accepted the job, but I wasn’t going to ask. Maybe if I just ignored the subject completely on the plane ride home, I could forget for a few hours that my days with Ford were numbered. Very numbered. Like thirty days or less.
“Hey, why the frown? That’s my thing,” Ford said, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together.
“Not anymore, it’s not. You haven’t stopped smiling since yesterday,” I said, trying to inject a teasing tone into my voice but failing miserably.
We were silent as the plane taxied down the runway and lifted off the ground. This part always made me nervous, because it just felt like the plane was going to drop back down at any second. Ford squeezed my hand reassuringly and ran his thumb softly over my knuckles, which were white from the iron grip I had on his hand.
Once we were safely in the air and the flight attendant had handed out soft drinks and peanuts, Ford turned to me.
“Can we talk about the elephant in the room, now?”
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What elephant?”
“The huge pink one,” he joked. “The fact that I’m probably going to take this job, and that means I’ll be moving over a thousand miles away from Penn Yan…from you.”
Oh, that elephant. My eyes unwillingly started to well up with tears as I looked into his blue eyes.
“Hey, hey,” Ford said softly, cupping my face in his hands and wiping away my tears with his thumbs. “Don’t cry, babe. You haven’t even heard what I’m going to say yet.”
Embarrassed, I pulled away and swiped at my eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m being stupid. This is a great opportunity for you, and I knew this thing with us wouldn’t be permanent. I’m just going to
miss you. But I’ll be fine. I’m really so happy for you, Ford,” I babbled on until Ford put his finger over my lips to silence me.
Since we were on an airplane full of people who didn’t need to hear our private conversations, Ford put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me as close to his side as the airplane seats would allow.
“Poppy, I want you to go with me.”
“Go with you where?” I asked, confused.
“To LSU. I want you to move with me to Baton Rouge.”
His eyes were searching mine for an answer. I couldn’t do anything other than stare at him, completely dumbfounded. Emotions were swirling through me, and the first one I was able to recognize was elation. Ford had just asked me to move across the country with him. However, it was followed swiftly with doubt.
In my extended silence, he continued on, babbling like I had only moments before. “I know you can’t just leave in the middle of the semester, so we will be apart for a few months until you can move down in June. But I can come back to visit and you can come down over your Spring Break…Poppy? Say something…please.”
“Why?”
Now Ford was the one looking confused. “Why what?”
“Why do you want me to go with you?” I asked. His answer to this question would likely decide the course of my future from this point forward.
He framed my face with his hands. “Because I need you.”
Wrong answer, Ford.
The right answer would have been something along the lines of “Because I love you more than life itself, and I can’t fathom my future without you in it.” I shut my eyes and dropped my head to his shoulder so he wouldn’t see the tears gathering in my eyes.
I pressed a kiss to his neck and whispered, “I’m going to need to think about it, Ford. It’s a big decision.”
His hands were smoothing my hair back and rubbing over my back. “Of course. Of course you need to think about it.”
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