Rushing the Goal
Page 106

“That’s stupid. Why would I do that?”
“’Cause I was an idiot.”
“You were young, you didn’t want to fail, that’s understandable. You’re still like that.”
She smiled. “I think of it as driven.”
“Yeah, to the extreme. You’re so worried about failing everyone else that you don’t think about yourself.”
“Well, aren’t you Mr. Know-it-All?” she accused, lifting her head to meet his smiling face.
“You also cover your real feelings with sass. It’s pretty funny to watch.”
She glared. “Are you teasing me?”
“No, just pointing out the obvious.”
“You mean my flaws?”
He scoffed. “Those are not flaws, those are what make you unique, amazing, and beautiful.”
Her lips curved as she slowly nodded. “Well, then.”
He bit the tip of her nose, and her giggles filled the room. Moving her leg up his, she hooked the other one over his hip as his hand slid up her leg, his eyes boring into hers. “Here’s a secret, but don’t read into it. I think you’re starting to let me in a bit.”
She grinned, knowing he was right. “You think?”
“Yeah, I do,” he said with a smug grin, leaning back into the pillows as his hand moved up and down her back. “I like it too.”
“I bet.”
Eyeing her, he shrugged. “Maybe you’ll be ready to move in with me soon?”
She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Benji…”
“Come on, you know you want to.”
“I’m not entertaining that right now,” she decided and he laughed, rolling on top of her, falling between her legs before taking her by the ribs. Looking at him with wide eyes, she said, “You tickle me, I’m not in control of what I’ll do. I have broken Jayden’s nose twice. Keep that in mind, Paxton.”
His face twisted in horror. “Twice?”
She nodded. “I don’t like to be tickled.”
“Jeez,” he said, moving his hands up to her bare breasts, his weight welcome against her. “Fine, no tickling. But give me a time frame. What are you thinking?”
“Time frame for what?” she asked, laughing at his expression. He didn’t have his contacts in or his glasses on, so he was squinting. Looking adorably dorkish with his hair falling in his eyes. Reaching for his glasses off the nightstand, she put them on his face, and he smiled.
“Thanks, but give me a date, a time when I can bring it up again. Or I swear, I’ll ask you every day to move in with me.”
“Benjamin, no!”
He paused. “That’s hot, the way you say my full name. You should do that more.”
“Jesus, you’re infuriating!”
“Shh, give me a time frame. A month?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Two months?”
“Benji.”
“Three months?”
“I swear, you are impossible. Why are you rushing this? Just let it ride.”
“’Cause it’s what I do. I rush the goal to score. You are the ultimate goal, and I want to score.”
“You just did,” she said dryly and he laughed.
“Plus, I’m tired of the expiration date you try to throw on us. I want something to look forward to, something we decide is the next stepping stone.”
“Or,” she challenged, “we can just let it happen.”
He gave her a look. “If we did that, nothing would ever happen.”
She considered that and then shrugged. “You could have a point.”
“Exactly. No, come on. Three months?”
Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “Yes. Three months. We will revisit this notion in three months, you crazy.”
He nodded, visibly calculating in his head. “So end of February.”
“Oh.” She paused. “I thought you meant the length of time of us being together.”
He liked that better, his eyes lighting up. “So, end of January. I like that.”
She tried to act like it didn’t give her butterflies or a gushy feeling as she nodded. If they kept on the way they were, she’d be living with Benji when she came back from Florida. Maybe he’d want to come? “I’m actually going to Florida to do the design for Shea and Elli. Maybe you’d want to go with us if you aren’t in the All-Star Game.”
“I probably won’t be, so count me in.”
“If we’re still together.”
“See! Stop trying to expire us,” he demanded and she smiled.
“Yeah, yeah,” she laughed, snuggling into his side. But then she paused. Her heart was pounding at the possibilities, but one thing was for sure. Lifting up, she looked down at him. “I want to be in love before we move in, by the way. I don’t want us just moving in ’cause it’s easy. I want it because we love each other and want to build a home together. If we aren’t there at three months, then it’s okay. Okay?”
As she gazed at him, his eyes were dark and she swore he was holding something back when he looked up into her face. His lips curved and he nodded before whispering, “Okay, but I want you to promise me something right now.”
“Okay?”
“You stay with Jayden till then, or with your mom. But don’t go get an apartment or a hotel room. Okay?”