Chapter Seventeen

Tony had suggested that Allison plan their next date. Unfortunately, their next date wouldn’t happen for a couple weeks. One of the waiters at Old Smoky’s was on vacation and Allison took his shifts. She ended up working every night for two weeks straight. But that didn’t mean she and Tony didn’t see each other from time to time. He randomly stopped by the gym while Brittany was giving her lessons. They sat under a tree while she studied for a quiz. And they had lunch together in the campus café a couple times.

In the meantime, Allison scouted out second-date options. She turned to the Internet to see what was happening near campus. Movies? Nah, too ordinary. Concert? No, they didn’t share the same taste in music. Now that it was August and the regular fall semester was starting soon, every business within twenty miles of campus was running back-to-school promotions.

With her chin on her palm, she scrolled through the local listings. Hmmm. This one has possibilities—student night at the planetarium, and it coincided with her next night off. She didn’t know if stargazing was Tony’s thing, but the admission was cheap. She texted Tony to see what he thought and he instantly responded “let’s do it.”

In the weeks since their first date, thoughts of Tony consumed Allison’s mind. Sitting in Psych class, she was chewing on her stylus and daydreaming about Tony instead of paying attention to the professor’s lecture. Their first date had been amazing, and would have been perfect in fact, if she hadn’t ruined it by asking him to come upstairs at the end of their date.

When she made the observation that they seemed like an odd couple, it was her way of testing him. Okay, so she was fishing a little. She wanted to see what he’d say and he definitely passed the test. He clearly felt the same connection she felt. Allison’s mother always told her daughters that you have to have chemistry in a relationship. Without it, you were destined for blandness. Well, Allison was convinced she and Tony would never be bland.

Her mother used to caution her to let the man be the one to make the first move. As a young girl, Allison assumed she was talking about being asked out and kissing. Later, Allison realized her mother was talking about sex. She wasn’t so sure the advice applied to women in today’s egalitarian society.

Still, Allison regretted coming on so strong with Tony on their first date, mainly because he turned her down. She had planned to let him take the lead, but she was so damn attracted to him. His sex appeal was so raw, so natural and earthy. Every word, every move, every touch was such a turn-on that she couldn’t help herself. One thing she knew for sure though, she wouldn’t be doing that again. Next move has to be his.

She looked around the classroom to make sure no one was watching when she navigated to the planetarium’s home page on her tablet. She imagined what it would be like sitting next to Tony in the observatory theater, holding hands, watching the stars twinkling above. She’d lean closer so he could smell her perfume, feel her long hair brushing his cheek when she whispered something in his ear. She’d play with his fingers, touch his knee, flirt mercilessly, and make it impossible for him not to make a move. It would be the perfect build-up for a night of romance. Allison blew some air through her lips and closed the cover of her tablet. She was getting hot and bothered just thinking about it. Hell, if he didn’t make the first move after all that, she just might have to.

»»•««

The student discount turned out to be a big draw. The planetarium was packed. Tony held Allison’s hand tightly as they searched for seats in the semi-darkened observatory. Really, it didn’t matter where they sat; there were no bad seats since the show would be overhead. What mattered was finding two seats together. That was essential.

Tony sighed and looked at Allison. He shook his head like he was about to give up. Her stomach turned. The plans she made were about to be a bust.

He scanned the room again section by section. He smiled and lifted his chin, pointing to the back wall of the observatory. Still holding her hand, he led her back up the aisle to a spot behind the last row of seats.

“We gonna stand here?” Allison asked.

“Nope. Not stand.” Leaning against the wall, Tony slid down until his butt hit the floor. He laughed and tugged Allison’s hand. She smiled and instantly joined him on the floor. They sat side-by-side and kept their knees bent close to their bodies with the soles of their shoes planted on the floor to avoid getting stepped on. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder, and drew the other across her torso. Sliding her closer to him, he kissed the side of her head. “Comfortable?”

Allison closed her eyes and nodded. This was even better than she imagined. She rested her hand on top of his forearm and stroked the fine hairs on his arm. “I think you got us the best seats in the house,” she whispered.

Within a few minutes, the house lights dimmed, dramatic music swelled, and the domed ceiling opened. Over the loudspeaker, a recorded male voice introduced himself as an astronaut who would be narrating the star show. Allison’s eyes were focused on the skies, but Tony’s eyes were trained on her. He touched her chin and gently turned her face toward him. Looking in his eyes, Allison’s heart beat a little faster. He tightened his hold on her and leaned closer until his lips touched hers. She closed her eyes and melted into the kiss, a kiss far more tender than she imagined their first kiss would be.

He broke the kiss much sooner than she wanted to. He looked at her like he was trying to gauge her reaction. The stars above reflected in his golden brown eyes, those sexy, hypnotic, bedroom eyes. Her chest rose and fell as she gazed back at him. She gently touched his cheek and he responded with another kiss, this one more urgent, more heartfelt, and more powerful. When he deepened the kiss, she could taste the licorice-flavored essence of a breath mint on his tongue telling her he planned this moment all along.

Tony’s fingers tangled in Allison’s hair, loosening her ponytail bit by bit, and it was obvious he forgot where he was. Pressing her chest against his, Allison gripped his arms through his leather jacket, pulling him toward her, trying to get closer than their clothes would allow.

They missed most of the show, but Allison didn’t care. She would have been happy to kiss Tony all night. If they hadn’t been in a public setting, that’s probably exactly what would have happened. One thing she knew for sure—she’d never be able to sit in regular planetarium seating again.

»»•««

Walking toward Allison’s dorm, Tony clutched an imaginary football. “So there I am, only my second game starting after Mason got injured.” He jogged backward off the path onto the grass to show her his moves as he described the play. “I roll right, looking for my open man, but the tight end messes up. He wasn’t running the play I called and I was about to get sacked. So I start running the ball to avoid the tackle and I spot him—my wide receiver.” He pointed to an imaginary player somewhere behind Allison. “And he’s open, waiting in the end zone. I couldn’t believe no one was covering him. So I throw the ball on the run and wham! I killed it!”

Allison smiled broadly and clasped her hands near her lips, reflecting the delight on Tony’s face when he described his victory. “You threw a touchdown pass on the run!”

“Yeah!” Tony took a double take at Allison and his expression turned from joy to sheepishness. “Sorry, I get worked up when I talk about the game. I didn’t mean to brag or bore you or anything.” He joined her on the path and walked alongside her again.

“You didn’t! I love listenin’ to you talkin’ ‘bout it.” She blushed when she realized she sounded like a star-struck fan. “I’m not a groupie. It’s just I’m in awe of what you do. It looks like magic sometimes.”

“Magic, huh? I never heard football described that way. Do you know the game?”

“Not the way you do, ’course. But I dated a guy in high school who was a huge New England fan and he taught me about the game.” Tony nodded once. Her comment was followed by an awkward silence that made Allison wish she didn’t bring up an old boyfriend during a date with a new boyfriend. Thinking fast, she added, “And of course, I know how to throw a ball ’cause I learned from the best.” That statement got the desired response when Tony laughed and put his arm around her shoulder.

When they arrived at her dormitory building, Allison slid her key card in the lock and pressed her back against the door to open it. She was certain this night would end differently than the last. But judging by Tony’s hesitation, she was wrong. Again.

“I have early practice,” he said.

Allison’s eyes widened. That sounded like the big brush-off to her. She swallowed hard and looked downward in an effort to keep him from seeing the hurt in her eyes. “Oh. Okay, I guess I’ll see you around then.”

He must have been reading her mind because he gripped the silver bar on the door to keep her from opening it any further. Cupping her cheek, he said, “Allie. Look at me.” When she did, he smiled at her. “You will definitely see me around. I really do have early practice tomorrow, I swear. And I have to be on my game, you know? I may have won most of my games so far, but I’m nobody’s favorite player. That means I have to work harder to prove myself. You understand, right?”

She looked into his eyes and sighed. Those eyes wouldn’t lie to her. She believed every word. “Of course.”

He leaned closer and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was so heartfelt, even though it lasted for only about five seconds. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers for a moment. “I’ll text you later.”

»»•««

Tony kicked his shoes off as soon as soon as he got into his room. He tossed his jacket on a chair, put his phone on the nightstand, peeled off his clothing and headed for the bathroom.

Tony lived in a one-room dorm with a kitchenette and full bathroom. But because he wasn’t considered a star athlete like Philip Mason or some of the other fan favorites, he didn’t warrant a suite. Still, it was a private room and he didn’t have to share or use a communal shower. He didn’t grow up with luxuries of any sort, so he was perfectly happy with these quarters.

He was feeling pretty good about himself as he splashed water on his face. The meager stubble he felt on his chin reminded him of Allison. He’d been shaving before their dates because she seemed to like that look on him. Hell, if she wanted him to shave his head, he’d probably do that too.

He felt pretty proud of the way he was handling this new relationship. He was playing defense instead of offense for a change. He wasn’t jumping into bed with Allison, and that was new for him. Instead, he was letting their intimacy develop naturally, rather than that false intimacy you get from having sex right away. He was treating her with respect, the way she deserved to be treated. In addition to all that, he needed to prove to himself that he could be a better man than he’d been in the past. He wasn’t about to use Allison the way he’d used other women. She meant more to him than that.

That thought made him wonder whether things could have been different with those girls he lumped together in his one-night-stand history if he’d taken the time to get to know them too. Maybe they deserved to be treated with the same respect Allison did. He’d never know.

Tony wasn’t lying when he told her he had an early-morning practice. Even so, he felt kind of bad that Allison seemed to think he was rejecting her at the end of their dates. She had no idea how much he wanted the night to continue. She had no idea how hard he had to fight his desire for her. Normal, mature couples would probably discuss sex, but this was uncharted territory for Tony. He didn’t talk about sex. He just did it. Drying his face with a towel, he thought it would be weird to raise the subject with Allison, especially with her being a virgin.

He pulled on a pair of boxers and got into bed shirtless. Lying above the covers, he clasped his hands behind his head, smiling at the ceiling and remembering the way Allison kissed him in the planetarium. She had the softest, silkiest lips he’d ever tasted in his life. She smelled like strawberries, making him want to devour her. He hadn’t planned to sit in the back of the observatory kissing her for an hour, but fate stepped in and offered an irresistible opportunity. And once they were that close and cozy, nature took over. Tony’s body reacted to the memory of those kisses, making him regret his decision to go home alone tonight. God, he’d give anything to hold her in his arms right now.

He reached for his phone on the nightstand and sent her a text. “Gr8 time 2nite. Can’t wait 2 C U again.”

As he put the phone back, he glanced at the empty space beside him. She will sleep in this bed one day, he told himself, but it was small comfort right now when his body was aching for her.

His phone buzzed and he grabbed it off the nightstand to read Allison’s reply. “Me 2 but U R wrong about being nobody’s favorite player. You’re mine.” There was a heart emoji at the end of her message.