Ever After Awaits (Layla) novel Chapter 63

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Ever After Awaits

Chapter 63: Cade POV

Tin standing in the locker room, decked out in my gear and uniform alongside my teammates, ready to run onto the field and decimate our first on bas

for the season.

This is what I live for. These moments where we rile each other up and talk boatloads of shit to get us in the right headspace for the impending games

The fact that i get to share these moments with my best friends makes these instants all the sweeter

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Why then am I nervous? I don’t get nervous before a game. I’ve never gotten anxious before a game, even when I just started and the other team player looked three times my size. Why is today different, then?

Because today, our girl will be in the stands, watching and cheering for us.

When Hunter returned from his morning date with her with a huge ass smile, I knew she said yes to coming to the game today. I’ve never been in happy about something that hasn’t happened directly to me.

Coach suddenly calls all of us into a final huddle and goes off on his regular first–of–the–season inspirational trip. Then, with a final cry of our team motto, we all rush from the room, out the tunnel, and onto the field.

A field packed to the rafters with screaming, shouting, and cheering fans, with opposing colors that fight to blind the eye, and blaring music over the speaker system that gets lost amongst the overall cacophony of sounds.

Scanning the area where Layla’s supposed to be seated, thanks to Xavier’s family season tickets, my heart momentarily skips a beat when I can’t find those rich auburn locks of hers. My eyes scan frantically over each row, even the sections around her, thinking she might have gone over to chat with someone she recognized. Did something happen that prevented her from making it? Is she okay? How long will Coach bench me if I race off the field to look for my girl?

But in the next instant, everything fades into the background when I see her popping up and her eyes lock onto mine like laser beams. Fuck! With one look, she calms my frazzled mind and sets my soul on fire. The sparkling smile that lights up her face as she sees me watching her makes my heart skip a beat for a different reason, and my pants to fit slightly more snugly.

Calm down, Cade. The football field, in front of hundreds of fans, is not the place to get hard because the love of your life decided to smile at you.

Love of my life? Yeah, there’s no denying it anymore. But I’ll wait until the end of time for her to be ready to hear how I feel about her. Because, according to any normal, sane person, not enough time has passed to justify my feelings for her. But I’ve never been normal, and our situation is unique in all the ways that matter.

When Coach blows his whistle to get all of us to pay attention to him, I blow her a kiss and throw her a wink, making a blush sweep over her pretty cheeks, before turning towards him and the rest of my teammates and severing our connection for the time being.

During the next almost two hours, we play our hearts out and leave the other team in the dust after the final whistle blows.

Every moment I got, my eyes drifted towards Layla, and her exuberance when we scored or her annoyance when the referee called a penalty against us was mesmerizing to watch. It gave me renewed energy every time I had to set foot on the field after.

I’m bursting at the seams to get to her when we run off the field. She’s supposed to wait for us at Hunter’s truck in the players section of the parking lot, and I’m considering skipping showering so I can get my hands on her sooner rather than later.

Ruefully, I decide I can’t subject her to a sweaty, smelly version of myself, at least not because of football, so I take the fastest shower known to man. Hunter’s knowing smile as he watches me throw on a jeans and sweatshirt sans t–shirt haphazardly, should be infuriating, but I don’t give a shit. I need my girl in my arms.

I run–walk out of the locker rooms, down the hallway, and burst from the exit doors, my gaze immediately going to the spot I know we parked Hunter’s truck in earlier when we came to the stadium together. And there she is. She opened the tailgate flap and is sitting on it, swinging her legs with her hands tucked underneath that delectable ass of hers.

She hasn’t noticed me yet, so I take the opportunity to stare at her. She’s so goddamn beautiful like this, completely unaware that’s she’s drawing the attention of a few guys as they pass her by. One of my teammates dares to approach her, but I shut that shit down faster than a meth addict can get high jogging over to her and loudly saying, “Hey, Sunshine.”

Her head swivels in my direction, and the brightest smile I’ve ever seen on anyone is bestowed upon me, calming my jealousy down to a simmer.

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Chapter 63: Cade POV

she jumps down from the najs and then runs fowards me. 1 instinctively drop my geat bog and catch her at the hurle herrell në ma col letudi around my neck. My head dips into the crook of her neck, and 1 Inhale her vanilla and honey scent, which is becoming my favorite smell in the winte

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You won!” she says excitedly, and I start turning us in circles, causing her to giggle. I fucking love that sound. Slowly, I stop, and then with bell is armas, I walk her back over to the nap to sit her pretty ass down on it.

I’ve completely forgotten about the guy who wanted to approach her by the time I lean back, and place my hands on the tailgate next to her thick lips, raging her in as I peer down into those burning ember eyes of hers.

“I think I deserve a reward for winning.” I say suggestively as I run the back of my knuckles up and down her lower arm, fascinated to see the goosebumpe my gentle touch causes.

“Oh? And what kind of reward did you have in mind?” she asks seductively, playing along.

I turn my head somewhat sideways and point to my cheek, “How about a kiss right here?”

Not answering me, she leans closer, but I surprise her when I suddenly turn my head when she’s a hairbreadth away, effectively sealing my lips over Bers. Her surprise is evident in the small squeak coming from the back of her throat, but she recovers quickly and gets lost in the kiss just as much as I do.

It’s slow, it’s intense, and it’s perfect – just like she is.

Deepening the kiss, I pull her lower body closer to mine as I stand between her parted thighs, and her hands snake underneath my sweatshirt to roam my naked, overheated flesh.

My groan draws one of her own from her throat at the skin–to–skin contact, and my need for her skyrockets. I need to get her alone before I lose my ever- loving–mind.

A throat clearing behind us makes us realize with a start that we’re in a public parking lot with people walking by. She hides her face against my chest as I turn my head, intending to glare at whoever dared to interrupt us and make her feel embarrassed.

To no one’s surprise, it’s the three dickheads they call my friends. Hunter and AJ both have shit–eating grins on their faces. Xavier is the only one scowling, probably still po’d after last night’s perceived slight from Layla about her new “beau” Mason.

I can’t wait to see Layla knock him off that high–handed throne of his.

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