Island Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story (The Kisses Series Book 9) (8 page)

O
kay
, Harper. Keep it together. It’s just a football game with a guy,
I told myself.
Your eyebrows don’t need to look perfect. Just take a breath.

I was still in my car, checking myself out in the rear view mirror. I hadn’t felt this nervous for a date in a long time. Every time I looked in the mirror, I saw a little blemish on my skin or a hair out of place. I felt like I had lost my mind.

“This is insane,” I whispered. “He’s not going to even notice my eyebrows.”

It was time to meet him. I'd gotten here early and just sat in my car stressing for the past fifteen minutes and now I was technically late. It was my first second date in a very, very long time. I wasn't sure what the etiquette was.

This must be how most people feel on first dates,
I thought to myself.

With a deep breath, I pulled my Blue Jays’ cap onto my head and stepped out of the car. I could already hear the crowd inside, roaring with excitement. This wasn’t just a regular game. This was one of
the
biggest games of the year. Our rival team, The Crows, had flown down from Maine to try to obtain victory on our turf.

Gabe was standing at the front entrance as I walked up. He was wearing a bright-colored Blue Jays’ jersey and jeans. He filled out the jersey nicely in the shoulders. On his head was a well-loved blue baseball cap similar to mine. My eyes lit up when I saw him, and the beating in my chest increased.

Calm down, Harper. You have to play this cool,
I reminded myself.

His smile and green eyes pulled me toward him. It felt like I wasn’t even walking across the parking lot. It was more like floating.

“Hey!” he said as I neared. “I’m glad you made it.”

I strolled up and wrapped my arms around Gabe’s neck to give him a hug. The smell of his cologne hit my nose, causing to smile. It was hard not to take a deep breath in of him. “There's no way I'd miss this,” I told him with a grin. “Sorry I'm late, though.”

“It’s no problem,” he said with a grin. “We still have a few minutes before kickoff.”

“Let’s hurry!” I exclaimed. “We can’t miss kickoff. I’m superstitious like that. I’m always afraid that we’ll lose if I don’t see the kickoff.”

Gabe chuckled and then reached down to take my hand, walking me into the stadium. As we took the escalator toward the top, he reached into his other pocket and pulled out the tickets, handing me one.

“Thank you for inviting me along,” I said, as I glanced down at the ticket. My eyes widened when I saw it. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but I sort of figured we’d have average seats for the game. Maybe not nose bleeders, but possibly middle of the road. I almost choked when I saw that they were actually box seats.

“You’re kidding me,” I whispered, as I looked back to Gabe. “Box seats?”

“Yeah, well, sometimes there are some perks to my job,” he said, shrugging like it was nothing.

A software engineer gets box seats one of the most important, and expensive, games of the season?
I asked myself.
He must be doing something right, because these tickets are easily worth over a thousand bucks a piece. This guy has money, there’s no doubt about it.

“I never thought I'd get to go to this game,” I said, as we reached the top of the escalator and handed our tickets to the stadium employee. “Let alone have box seats!”

“You’re in for a treat then,” Gabe said with a laugh. “After you watch a game like this, you won’t be able to do it any other way.”

We took another elevator up and then walked through the crowd of people surrounding the hot dog and beer stands. Finally, we got to a set of stairs that took us to the box seating. We had to show our ticket stubs to a different stadium employee, who let us into the small room with leather seats.

As soon as I stepped inside, I felt a blast of air conditioning flow over me. Considering the heat outside, it felt luxurious. I could see the thousands of screaming fans through the giant windows all melting with the evening heat, and I knew that it wasn't the norm.

There were only about ten seats comfortably spaced through the large room and all of them were filled with Blue Jay fans, except for the two in the middle. These seats looked rich and comfortable, especially compared to the plastic ones outside.

“Those are ours,” Gabe said, leading me to the seats.

We sat down and I took a second to look around. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. A week ago I was on a date and getting stiffed with the bill and then here I was, getting spoiled with amazing seats at a football game. Maybe Rosie was right. Maybe there really could be a future with Gabe.

I shook these thoughts out of my mind for the moment, though, reminding myself that it was just date number two and that I still didn’t really know him. I needed to not get ahead of myself.

A waitress approached within a minute of us sitting down. We both ordered a beer and while we waited, I stood up and approached the window which took up the entire wall. Every inch of the field was visible. The view was so good that I could practically see the football players’ expressions as they lined up for the national anthem. My team was wearing bright blue jerseys with white pants, and the Crows were wearing all black.

“This is absolutely incredible,” I whispered. It was even better than watching the game on TV.

Gabe stepped up beside me and placed a hand on my lower back. I loved the way his hand felt, and I hoped he never stepped away.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“I think that you were right when you said I’d never be able to watch a game any other way again.” I said, looking up at him and smiling. “This is amazing, Gabe. Thank you so much for this.”

“Only thank me if we win,” he said, using his free hand to tug on his ballcap. The motion looked almost nervous.

“Oh, we’re going to win,” I assured him. “I have my lucky hat on, so there’s no way we can lose this game.”

“And I have my lucky jersey on,” he replied, plucking at his blue jersey. “So between the two of us, there’s not a single possibility that we could lose.”

“Is that a Peyton Boyying jersey?” I asked, admiring his jersey.

He nodded. “My favorite player.”

“One of these days I’m going to buy a real jersey,” I said, feeling a little envious. A Peyton Boyying jersey would be a dream jersey. “Maybe when they don’t cost a hundred and fifty dollars anyway.”

Gabe smiled as he looked down at his shirt. “Yeah, they’re a little overpriced. But you know, if it brings us enough luck to win today’s game, then it’ll be worth every penny.”

Before I could respond, the waitress came back up with our beers. We took our seats once again and held our beers in the air.

“To the Jays!” I said.

Everyone else in the box seats shouted it back with excitement. I blushed, not realizing how loud I had been with my cheers. It was easy to forget everyone else when Gabe was around.

“At least everyone here is a fan for the right team,” Gabe said, as he clinked his plastic cup against mine.

A man sitting behind us reached forward and squeezed Gabe’s shoulder. “Good to see you, Gabe. Glad you could make it.”

We turned around to see a familiar face, one that I had see a hundred times on TV. It was Oscar Demoya, the owner of the Blue Jays.

No freaking
way, I thought, trying really hard not to stare. This
is the owner’s box? How in the heck did Gabe pull this one off?

“Good to see you, too, Oscar,” Gabe said, as he shook the man’s hand. “I’m ready to see the Jays pull this one off. It’s an important game. If we win this one then there’s a chance we clinch the division.”

“I’ve got a good feeling,” Oscar replied. “Our defense is stronger than ever before. If our offense can’t pull it off, I know our defense can.”

“I totally agree,” Gabe responded. “Defense is on point. Looking forward to see the Crows lose.”

He turned back to face me and I was pretty sure my expression said it all.

“That’s the owner,” Gabe whispered with a wink.

“I know,” I said.

But jeez, I didn’t know you were buddies with him.

A few seconds later, I brought my attention through the glass, watching as The Crows kicked off. The Jays received and the game started with a twenty-seven yard return.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” I shouted, getting into the game. It all felt too surreal, so the only thing I could do was enjoy it.

I gave Gabe a high five and sat back down. Gabe was smiling ear to ear.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were a football fan,” he said. “I was afraid you were just feeding me a line.”

“I’m just getting started,” I replied. “Just wait until fourth quarter. You may regret bringing me.”

Gabe laughed. “I don't think there's a possibility of me regretting anything with you.”

The game continued and it wasn’t long before both Gabe and I were standing up in our seats, clapping and cheering to nearly every play. We had the entire box riled up, with the exception of the few older friends of Oscar’s. They just smiled and laughed at our foolish antics. I realized that I was probably embarrassing myself with my excitement over a football game, but I refused to change the way I watched football for anyone. And luckily, Gabe was just as into it as I was.

Halftime approached quickly and the score was seven to three, with the Crows leading.

“Apparently my hat and your jersey aren’t helping the team out with any luck,” I said, before taking a sip from my second beer. “What else can we do?”

“I don’t even know,” Gabe said, with a defeated look on his face. “I guess we just hope that the Blue Jays show up to play in the second half. They’re looking terrible out there.”

We stood next to each other, just watching the last play of the first half. I was a little upset about how the game was going, but it was more than made up for by my joy of being there with Gabe. Everything about him was perfect. On most of my previous dates, I’d watch the time drag on as I waited for it to end. But this evening was flying by so quickly, which honestly bummed me out. I didn’t want the night to be over any time soon.

“Do you want to watch the halftime show?” I asked, as the first half came to a close. “I hate that they never show them on TV.”

“I agree,” Gabe said with an enthusiastic nod. “Before I forget, though, I wanted to ask you if you were interested in doing something special with me after the game.”

“Special?” I frowned, wondering what he could possibly have in mind. “Like what?”

“I was wondering if you’d want to go down and meet some of the players,” he said nonchalantly. “I can get us an access pass and we can meet them before they enter the locker room. We can probably get your hat signed too.”

I stood in silence for a moment, quieted by my complete shock.

“I mean we don’t have to. Only if you want,” Gabe said quickly. “I just thought, maybe-”

“Are you joking?” I interrupted him. “Yes! Yes, that is absolutely something I want to do! It just took me a second to compute what you were saying!”

And I thought this date couldn’t get any better,
I thought.
Now he’s telling me he’ll take me to meet some of the players! This has to be a dream.

“Perfect, we’ll go down once the game is over,” he said, a relieved smile filling his face.

He wrapped an arm over my shoulder and I leaned into him as we watched the halftime show. My eyes were looking at the field the entire time, but my mind was focused only on the amazing man standing next to me.

Don’t pee yourself, Harper. Try to keep your tongue in your mouth. Don’t get ahead of yourself.

This might be the best day of your life, let alone date, but he still might turn out to be crazy.

E
verything Gabe had promised
me had come true. He had gotten an access pass from Oscar, which allowed us downstairs to an area just outside of the Blue Jay’s locker room. I was able to meet almost all of my favorite players and had even gotten my hat signed by Peyton Boyying.

“I can’t believe the Jays were able to make a comeback,” I said, as Gabe walked me across the parking lot to my car. I held my signed hat in my hand, admiring the scribble of permanent ink that the quarterback had left on the bill.

“I knew they’d come to play in the second half,” he replied. “They’re always stronger after halftime.”

“I know, but it’s hard to put faith in that,” I said, tracing the signature with my finger. “I was pretty nervous until we threw that last touchdown.”

We approached my car and I suddenly felt a sinking feeling. The date was coming to an end. I wasn’t ready for it to be over, though. I was still buzzing from an exciting evening. It wasn't even just the game. It was being with Gabe.

“Do you feel like maybe getting a drink and a snack somewhere?” I asked. “I’m kind of hungry.”

That was a bit of a stretch, being that I had been eating pretzels and peanuts for most of the game. But I needed an excuse to spend more time with Gabe.

“I’d like that,” he agreed with an easy smile. “There’s a great little café about a block from here. They serve late meals. I’m pretty sure they stay open until midnight.”

“Sounds perfect!” Relief flooded my chest. I didn't have to go home yet. I still had more time to spend with him.

We left my car and walked to the nearby café. It was fairly crowded, since the game had just ended, but we were able to get seated at the far end of the bar. The entire place was filled with energy as the celebration for the big win ensued. We sat down and ordered a drink, along with some appetizers.

“Thank you again for taking me to the game, Gabe,” I told him. “I still can’t believe how much fun it was.”

My mind was still whirling from the excitement of meeting the players and I had to consciously calm myself down to keep from acting like a fool in front of Gabe. I felt like an excited kid on her birthday and if I let my feelings go, I’d have been jumping up and down.

“I’m really glad you were able to come with me tonight,” said Gabe, after taking a sip from his beer. “It was definitely a lot more fun with you there.”

“Sorry if I was acted a little crazier than you thought I would. But I warned you that I was a huge football fan when we first met.” I shrugged and gave him a sheepish smile.

“I actually
love
how big of a fan you are,” he replied. “I thought
I
was the biggest football nut until tonight’s game. You might actually have me beat on that one.”

I giggled and playfully pushed his shoulder. He reached over and tickled me, just above my hips in reciprocation. This was flirting how it was meant to be and I loved it. It was fantastic.

“Based on your football obsession, I assume that you’re in a fantasy league?” Gabe inquired.

I swirled my vodka cranberry in the glass, then took a sip from the straw before replying. “I’ll be honest with you. I’ve never played.”

“You’ve never played fantasy football?” he asked, in disbelief.

“No. I never really knew what it was or how it worked, so I didn’t bother,” I explained. “My coworkers at one of my old jobs did a fantasy league one year, but I didn’t do it because I had no clue how to play. It seemed more complicated than the actual game.”

Gabe’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh my gosh, Harper. You have to play. It makes watching the games even more fun, since you have your own money on the line.”

I thought back to the game, wondering how in the heck watching football could be any more fun than that.

“Well, how does it work?” I asked.

I couldn’t help but to smile at his expression of excitement. He seemed so eager to tell me all about it that I would have listened to him explain just about anything.

“Okay, well there are a few different types of leagues. Some of them let you pick a full team to play with and others make you pick individual players for your team,” he explained. “You can pick any players that are available from any roster in the professional league. You literally build your entire team from scratch.”

My ears perked up a bit, though I was mostly just admiring the way he looked and how sweet he was. His smile was making it difficult to pay attention to the details of what he described.

“See, everything the players do in a game is worth a certain number of points. When a quarterback throws a touchdown, that’s worth a few. When a defensive end gets a tackle, that’s worth points also.” His hand moved through the air in his excitement, and his smile lit up his face.

“Okay,” I said, nodding encouragingly. It was impossible not to be caught up by his enthusiasm.

“At the end of every game, the points are added up and whoever has the most wins that round. So you’ve got to pick the right players and build the right team. But honestly, it sounds like you know enough about football to make it happen.”

He smiled at me and I nearly melted into a happy puddle. Those green eyes made me feel like the most important person in the world.

“I
do
know a fair amount about the game, I guess,” I admitted.

“I saw you calling out those plays tonight,” Gabe said. “You know a whole lot more than you’re admitting.”

“You might be right,” I agreed, sipping on my drink.

He had no idea how right he was. Six months out of the year, for my entire youth, I had sat with my dad and watched football growing up. I knew every play, every penalty, and practically every player. It was the thing I did with my dad and some of the best childhood memories I had.

“I
am
right,” Gabe went on. “I can’t wait to get you started on the league I’m in. You’re going to love it, Harper. It makes the games more personal and more fun.”

“Does it cost money?” I asked, as I thought about my small bank account, which was probably walking the line of overdraft.

“It costs a little bit, but I’ll cover you,” he said. “I want you to play.”

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it actually sounded a whole lot more fun than I had ever given it credit for. I was still hesitant, but I was beginning to see the appeal. “I don't know...”

“Please, Harper. Let me get you in the game.” He smiled encouragingly. “You can pay me back when you win all the games.”

“Deal,” I said after a moment. It probably wasn't much to get in, but I appreciated the gesture.

We held our glasses together and then took another sip. Our knees touched accidentally and out of reflex, I almost pulled away. But then I realized that I liked it. I
liked
sitting close to him like that. So I slid a little closer, causing Gabe to place his hand onto the top of my knee.

“You know what’s crazy?” Gabe asked.

Please don’t tell me it’s you,
I thought, half-jokingly to myself.

“What’s that?” I responded.

“I’m in my thirties and you’re the first woman I’ve ever met who I feel like I can talk to about this stuff.” He laughed at himself.

“What stuff?” I asked. “Fantasy football?”

“That’s part of it, definitely. But not all of it,” he said. “It’s just that most girls I’ve gone out with have always given me the impression that I needed to be somebody I wasn’t, like I needed to build myself up just to please them. But you make me feel like I can let down my guard a little bit and just be myself, you know?”

“I actually know exactly what you mean,” I replied.

“Really?” He sounded surprised.

“Yes, absolutely. I’ve been having a lot of fun with you, Gabe,” I told him. I shrugged, trying not to make it a big deal. “I know this is just the second date, but I’m really enjoying this. I won’t go into stories, but let’s just say these dates with you are the best I’ve had in some time.”

Gabe’s lips curled up into a pleased smile. “Good. That makes me happy.”

That was remarkably straightforward,
I thought
. Is this how grownups do dating? I could definitely get used to this. It seems so easy and drama-free.

We finished our drinks and appetizers, watching the crowd as it finally died down from the excitement of the game.

“It’s almost eleven,” Gabe said, glancing at his watch and looking surprised. “I should probably let you go home.”

“It’s that late already?” I asked. I couldn’t believe how quickly the evening had gone by. I wished I had the ability to stop time and just stay in this comfortable moment for just a little bit longer.

“I'm just as surprised as you are,” he admitted. “I completely lost track of time.”

“Yeah, I suppose we should get out of here,” I said. “I need to try to be productive tomorrow.”

“Are you busy with a magazine article?” Gabe asked.

“Just working on some general writing. I’ve got to keep at it or else I get rusty,” I said, tripping slightly on my words as I realized that bringing up my line of work probably wasn’t the best idea. It was a vague but decent enough response. “But, it does need to be done.”

“I’ll walk you back to your car,” he offered.

* * *

G
abe threw
a couple twenty-dollar bills down on the table to cover our drinks and appetizers, and then took my hand as we stepped outside. The evening had gotten cool, causing a shiver to shoot up through my body.

“Are you cold?” Gabe asked.

Me being me, I couldn’t admit to being cold or hurt or tired or anything else that showed weakness.

“No, I’m good,” I replied, doing my best to keep from rubbing my arms.

“Well, I’m cold, so keep me warm,” Gabe joked, as he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. I snuggled into him, loving the way he radiated warmth.

We walked like this back to the stadium parking lot. Each breath I took I could smell his cologne as it wafted off of his chest. It reminded me of our first date and the kiss on the cheek he had given me at the end of it. I hoped I could get a real kiss this time.

My car sat lonely in the parking lot, illuminated by a single street lamp. It was a little creepy and I was very glad that Gabe was with me to keep me safe. The stadium was in a decent area of town, but this late at night was never a good idea for a woman to walk around by herself. I pulled my keys out of my pocket as we approached, feeling the familiar end-of-date tension.

“Well, here we are,” I said, wishing I had better words and less nerves.

Gabe faced me, placing his hands on my sides. “This was fun,” he said.

“Yes.
So
much fun,” I agreed. “Thank you so much for today.”

The streetlights lit up his happy grin. It was infectious when he smiled like that.

“Can I see you again soon?” he asked, his voice cracking slightly at the end.

Are you freaking kidding me? Yes! Of course you can! Call me every day! Let’s go out tomorrow,
I thought.

“Yeah, I think that’d be okay,” I said calmly, doing my best to hold back my enthusiasm. Inside, I was doing cartwheels and happy dances.

“Perfect.” He paused for a moment, but didn't move. “Well, have a good night. I’ll see you soon.”

“Goodnight,” I replied. I didn't move either. My heart hammered in my chest and I wondered just how pink my cheeks had to be. I was having a hard time breathing I was so nervous and excited for this moment.

Gabe leaned in. He didn’t kiss my cheek this time, though, he brought his lips straight to mine. A burst of electricity filled the air, exploding all around us. His kiss took my breath away and my knees went weak. I brought my hands to his shoulders and pulled myself closer to him.

I had one hand around the back of his neck and the other on his cheek, feeling his stubble as it grazed my fingertips. Gabe slowly pulled away, looking at me with those beautiful green eyes. Then he kissed me again, this time with even more passion. A soft moan escaped my throat as he pulled my body against his.

Our lips parted and our tongues dashed in and out of each other’s mouths, filling me from head to toe with a tingling sensation. My heart was beating quickly now, filled with eagerness and lust. Every emotion and desire of the evening flowed through me. My hands moved across his face, pulling him as closely as possible. It was like I couldn’t get enough of him. I had spent so much time on bad dates and in bad relationships, and this one kiss was breaking the dam, allowing all of my passion to flow out of me.

I could have kissed him like this for hours. Days. Months. I could have kissed him like this forever and never have grown tired of it. But, we had to come up for air eventually.

Gabe slowly broke our kiss. I was practically panting and beyond turned on. If we hadn’t been out in the parking lot, I’d probably have ripped off his clothes right there. “That might have been the best goodnight kiss I’ve ever had,” he whispered. He sounded just as breathless as I felt.

The light above us illuminated the green of his eyes as he spoke. My hands were trembling as I gripped his muscular shoulders.