See You at the Finish Line (Run, Love, Repeat #1)

48. Adam

“I love you,” Paige says, tears welling in her eyes. I drag my thumb across her cheek as they begin to fall.

“I love you too,” I say back, grateful to get those words off my chest. I’ve wanted to blurt them out so many times, but I wanted it to be perfect. I lean over to kiss her, a little worried we may get arrested for public indecency. My phone pings and I have to move Paige off my lap so I can fish it out of my pocket.

Coach Whyatt

11:54 a.m.

you proved your point Ashford, get your ass back in here. And everyone else’s while you’re at it

I raise my eyebrows at Paige. “See, I work fast.”

“Oh, I’m aware of how fast you work, Ashford.” She gives me a sly smile and I forget myself for a minute, lost in her lips and tongue. In her .

“Menace.” I nip her bottom lip.

We climb out of her Jeep and Julien jogs up to us.

“Can we go back inside?” This is what I like about Julien—straight to the point.

“In a minute, I have to talk to Whyatt,” I tell our goalie.

“Hurry up, I’m freezing my ass off,” he grumbles.

“Do some stretching,” I order in my most coach-esque voice. He gives me a classic Julien I-could-kill-you glare and stomps off, but not before throwing a small smile and a wave to Paige. Why am I friends with him again?

I take Paige’s hand and she narrows her eyes.

“All these people didn’t quit, did they?”

A smile blooms over my face. “Of course not, though I’m sure they would if I asked. I told them I needed to stick it to Maxim and had them walk out all at once. I may have mentioned to Whyatt that everyone was leaving because you got fired. Not my fault he thought they were quitting.”

“You’re an evil genius,” she says, looking at me with a mix of humour and awe.

“And you love me,” I say proudly.

“I do.”

If I was a dog, my tail would be wagging. But as a grown ass man, my dick is happily stretching my pants. I am going to worship this woman tonight.

I make her wait outside while I have words with Henry. He’s a decent guy, if not a little crotchety, but he knows what’s best for him, and it didn’t hurt that I may have sent the team’s general manager an email about the walkout.

As predicted, he’s staring daggers at me when I reach his office.

“You’re rehired. Your girlfriend is hired. Maxim has been fired.”

I’m so surprised by this news, I feel my mouth drop open.

Whyatt sighs. “This isn’t the only issue we’ve had with him—he was on thin ice.” He looks at me as if daring me to laugh at the unintentional pun. “You’re welcome.”

“Thanks, Coach.”

“Don’t pull a stunt like this again. And keep it in your pants at work, Ashford. Now get out of my office.”

Now that is something I can promise. I have no plans of ever letting Paige go again. She’s in the hallway looking like she just walked out of my daydreams, and I beam at her.

“All fixed.”

“What is this, some kind of happy ending?”

“As far as I’m concerned, if I get to spend every day with you, that’s a happy ending.”

We’re lying in bed, exhausted after a day of taking on the company, playing with Q, laughing with Mateo and Shay, and having very vigorous sexcapades around our house. I pull Paige onto my body. Her skin is flushed, and she looks thoroughly dishevelled. Male pride surges through me knowing I’m the only one who gets to see her like this .

I must have love and lust in my eyes when she looks at me.

“Again?” she whispers. I laugh and kiss the top of her hair.

“Not yet, give me a few minutes.”

“I love you, Adam, but I think my vagina needs a break.”

“That’s okay, we have the rest of our lives.” I miss her even though her naked body is pressed against mine, and I immediately regret agreeing to take a break. I cannot satisfy my need for her. “I was thinking about the future.”

“Oh yeah?” She yawns. I pull the blankets up so her back doesn’t get cold. Her vagina may need some rest, but I still want her naked against me in our bed.

Q’s snores reach me from the hall. We had to drag her bed outside our door or she would whine all night long. We both agreed that she couldn’t sleep in our room, but Paige felt bad. So outside the door is where our dog sleeps.

“I was thinking that we should do another race together.”

“That sounds nice. I’d like the chance to beat you again.”

“If I recall, I won the last one.”

“Yeah, that’s why it’s a good idea. I can’t let that stand.”

We left the curtains open so we could see the moon over the bay. The wall of windows extends from downstairs up to our bedroom, and having her here, in my arms, is every one of my dreams come true. She stretches, arching into me. I’m pretty sure she’s doing it on purpose because she can feel exactly what it does to me. She continues like she didn’t just make me hard. Again.

“What race were you thinking? It’s been a while since I’ve done a marathon, that could be fun. ”

“Is your memory foggy? Since when is it fun to train for a marathon?” I’m bewildered by this woman.

“Since it means I get to do three-hour training runs with you.”

My heart may burst, followed closely by my dick.

“What if we do something really crazy?”

She stops breathing. Paige looks up at me, the exhaustion no longer visible in her suspicious gaze.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Depends ... Are you thinking that we should redo the Moab 240?”

She looks at me with her big, beautiful eyes.

“Are you crazy?”

“What?”

“We got disqualified from that!”

“Exactly, we never got to cross the finish line.”

She’s shaking her head, but the seed is planted. I know her, and I know that it won’t take long for her to agree. I begin counting the seconds, letting the silence stretch between us, allowing her to settle into the idea.

I’m proven right in under a minute.

“Fine.” She slumps back down against my chest, curling into me. I hold her as close as I can, breathing in her coconut scent that has become my home, revelling in the miracle that this woman is mine.

I beam at her even though she can’t see me, placing a kiss on her head.

“I bet I’ll beat you,” I challenge.

“You’re on.”