Bamboo shoots up fingernails was child’s play in comparison to what I’d experienced.

Giving my hair a tease, I watched the door without blinking, waiting for the footsteps to pause at the front door . . . then, as they continued on down the hall, waiting for them to turn around and come back.

I waited a minute, long after the footsteps had disappeared into an apartment. Okay, false alarm. But he’d be here soon. Maybe he’d been held up at the airport, or maybe traffic was nasty tonight. Or maybe . . .

Nope, I wasn’t going to let myself go there. He was coming. He’d be here. Nothing could stop Jude from what he wanted, least of all the NFL.

And that was when my phone chimed, causing me to jump. I still wasn’t used to the ring of my new phone. Fumbling to grab it, I smiled when Jude’s picture popped up.

“Where are you?” I said as soon as I picked up. “I’ve got one hell of a surprise waiting for you.”

He was silent for a couple seconds, and then he sighed.

My heart sank. “You’re not coming. Are you?” I tried to keep from sounding as disappointed as I felt.

Another sigh. “I’m so sorry, Luce. Coach decided to dish out a mandatory extra training session for the rookies late this afternoon, and he’s called an early morning session tomorrow, too.” His voice was labored, like he’d been sprinting, plus there was a ruckus in the background. “I tried texting you in between practices to let you know, but it looks like it didn’t go through.”

Nope. Definitely didn’t.

“Where are you?” I asked, uncrossing my ankles and putting my feet on the floor. No sense in keeping a pose if he wasn’t showing up to enjoy the view.

“In the locker room. I called you the second I got in here after finishing up practice for the day,” he said, trying to talk over the voices of fifty of his teammates. “Can you hear me all right?”

“Yeah, I can hear you,” I said, but he didn’t wait for my answer.

“Hey, guys!” Jude hollered, the words muffled from what I guessed was his hand over the phone’s mouthpiece. “Would you mind turning it down a notch? I’ve got my girl on the phone!”

Hollering requests at his teammates might not have been the best way to forge relationships as the rookie on the team, but after an initial chorus of oohs and loud air kisses echoing around the locker room, the background noises dimmed.

Amazing. Two weeks on the team and he’d already managed to command the respect of his teammates. Not that I needed another affirmation, but Jude had indeed found his calling in life.

“Luce, is that better?”

“Yeah,” I said, frowning at the table and all the food I’d spent half the day preparing, “that’s great.”

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so, so sorry. You can’t imagine how bad I need to see you right now,” he said with such inflection, I could feel his pain. It was the same pain of separation coursing through me right now. “I need my Luce fix. Bad.”

I bit my cheek; I wasn’t going to cry over this. “I need my Jude fix bad, too,” I said. “So, when’s it looking like we’ll be able to see each other?” If he said another two weeks, I wasn’t sure how I’d hold on to my sanity.

“Can you fly out next Thursday?” He didn’t wait for my response. “I’ve got a light day Friday and only a half day on Saturday. We could spend every minute I’m not on the field together. I promise. Will you come?” Why he was pleading with me, I didn’t know. I needed to see him as much as it sounded like he needed to see me.

“Of course I’ll come. I’ll book my flight tonight.”

“Already done,” he said. “I’ll email you the flight information later.”

Of course he’d done it. “That confident I’d say yes?”

I could feel his smirk coming through the phone. “I was that confident I could persuade you, no matter what your answer was.”

Even though he wasn’t here to see it, I smirked right back at him. “You’re not on the field anymore, Ryder. Don’t forget to leave your ego there.”

He chuckled that low, rumbling laugh of his. “You of all people ought to know this ego goes with me wherever I go, Luce.”

“A girl can dream,” was my reply.

That earned another laugh from him. “So . . .” he said, his voice going soft, “what are you wearing right now?”

If only he knew, he’d be racing to the airport and chartering the first flight out.

I looked down at my body. Not a whole hell of a lot.

“Something.”

“Something?” he said, sounding offended. “How is something supposed to get a man through another long week away from his girl?”

“Use your imagination,” I suggested, twirling the tie as I hatched a plan.

“I’m fresh out of imagination,” he said around a groan. “I need details. Detailed details.” His voice got quiet again, like he was afraid one of his teammates might be eavesdropping. “For starters, how about the color, material, and style of the panties you’re wearing.”

Heat crept up my body. It was a welcome friend. “That might be hard to detail,” I said, lowering my voice, “since I’m not wearing any.”

“What?!” Jude’s voice burst through the phone. I held it away from my ear in case another shout was on its way. When he spoke again, it was in a controlled, breathy voice. “Are you serious, Luce?”