Hold Me Forever: a feel-good romance (The Maxwell Brothers)
Hold Me Forever: Chapter 27

When I woke up the next morning, Tyler wasn’t next to me, so I went in search of him throughout the condo. I was an early riser, but Tyler even more so. He wasn’t anywhere.

Going back to the bedroom, I checked my phone, and, indeed, he’d messaged me.

Tyler: Morning, beautiful. I’m at the gym on the top floor. I’ll be back at 8:00 with breakfast.

Kendra: Okay. I just woke up.

I showered quickly, dressed, and made a coffee. I didn’t have my laptop with me, but I did have my iPad in my purse as usual, so I could work on some emails. I didn’t have any phone calls scheduled today, but I did have a hell of a list of to-dos.

I got so lost in answering emails that I didn’t even realize when the hour went by, and I was startled when Tyler came in.

‘Morning, Kendra,’ he said with that sexy voice of his, holding up a take-out bag.

‘What’s in there?’

‘Breakfast.’

I snatched the bag away from him, taking out donuts and cinnamon rolls. ‘Oh, look. You even have my favorite cinnamon roll. How did you manage that?’

‘As I said, I have my ways.’

He looked gorgeous, and he seemed to have already showered at the gym. He was wearing a black T-shirt with short sleeves, and it molded to his muscles in an absolutely delicious way.

‘I don’t know what’s more tempting, you or breakfast,’ I said.

He laughed, cocking a brow. ‘I’m competing with breakfast?’

‘Oh yeah.’

I took a bite of the donut, not even bothering to put it on a plate, and moaned. ‘Oh my God. This is delicious. And just so you know, you’re losing. I love you, but you’re losing this competition.’

The next second, I felt him behind me, kissing my neck. ‘No I’m not,’ he said, almost in a growl.

Having him so near overwhelmed my senses. His abs were pressing against my back, and his skin was still humid from the shower. The smell of his shower gel filled the air: the forest and a cold winter day. He drew the tip of his nose up my neck. Usually it would turn me on, but right then, it tickled the hell out of me. I tried to fight it, but I broke out in laughter when he reached my jaw.

‘Oh my God. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t hold it in anymore.’

He straightened up, turning me around. ‘I tickle you now?’

I grinned. ‘Hey, I can’t focus on two things at once if one of those things is a donut. My other senses are kind of confused.’

‘Right. Okay,’ he said and, to my astonishment, didn’t add anything else.

So, of course, I finished the donut and then ate half the cinnamon roll. He was still watching me, but I didn’t question it, at least not until I had my portion of sugar and carbs and I was in seventh heaven.

‘Okay. So, what’s happening? What are you waiting for?’

‘For you to finish,’ he said.

“I’m done.”

He sealed his mouth over mine the next second. Holy smokes! It was so damn hot, his tongue pressing against mine, his fingers wrapped in my hair. My sexy goalie kissed me until my knees were completely weak.

‘Now that was a kiss,’ I murmured when we pulled apart.

He was looking at me intently.

I narrowed my eyes. ‘You want me to tell you if you win the competition against breakfast, don’t you?’

‘Absolutely,’ he said with a straight face.

‘You’re such a guy,’ I whispered.

He laughed, kissing my forehead. ‘Are you ready to go to the diner?’ he asked.

‘Aren’t you eating?’

‘No, I’m not hungry. I’ll probably eat with the guys at training later.’

‘Okay, then, let’s go.’

We drove in his car, which absolutely didn’t belong in Hegewisch. Since it was so early, we found a parking spot right in front of the diner. It was run-down even when I worked here, but now it seemed even worse. It was a car repair shop that had been converted into a diner, and it looked exactly like that. The smell of fried food was pungent the second we stepped in, mixed with alcohol. Oh goodness, the clientele seemed just as bad as before. It was ten o’clock in the morning, yet there were already people drinking beers.

Tyler put on a cap to shield himself from everyone’s view. This was the type of place where no one really cared to look at each other too closely. Steeling myself and rolling my shoulders, I headed straight to the back. I recognized Clarissa at the bar; she’d worked here last year too.

‘Hey, babe,’ she greeted with a genuine smile. Her curly hair was now cropped short.

‘Hi, Clarissa. It’s good to see you. I’m here to see Jared.’

‘Are you looking for work again?’ she asked.

‘No, it’s about an old thing.’

‘Okay, well, come on in. He’s in there. And you know how he is.’

‘Yeah I do,’ I said.

She glanced at Tyler but didn’t say anything, so we just passed her. I knocked three times at the back door before Jared said, “Come in.”

I opened the door.

He stood up the second I came in. His eyes zeroed in on Tyler.

‘What are you doing here?’ he asked me. He had thinning hairline and a huge belly.

‘You said I had to pick up my checks, so I came to do that.’

He gave me a sly grin I didn’t like. ‘And you brought a bodyguard?’

‘I’m her boyfriend,’ Tyler said, looking straight at him.

Jared’s eyes widened. ‘You’re dating Tyler Maxwell? Well, at least you’re good at something, I guess.’

‘Shut up, Jared. You’re a piece of shit. You treat your staff like garbage. You don’t get to lecture me. You owe me money, and I’m not leaving without my paychecks.”

Jared opened his mouth, but Tyler interrupted him. ‘Give her the checks right now. You know my last name, it seems, so stop being a pain in the ass.”

“This hellhole you call a diner wouldn’t pass an inspection, and you know that,’ I said.

‘No need to threaten me,’ Jared said, holding up his hands, looking with his slimy eyes from me to Tyler.

‘Paychecks. Now,’ I said, tapping my foot and holding out my hand.

He opened his checkbook and filled out two sheets.

‘Here. That’s it.’

I took them, looking at the numbers.

‘Are they correct?’ Tyler asked.

‘Yes they are. We’re done here.’

I rolled my shoulders, looking at Jared. And honestly, I felt pity. He was still trying to make a living from this hole-in-the-wall and being miserable every day.

On the way out, I said bye to Clarissa, but we didn’t linger because I knew just how much the smell of fried fish could cling to you.

Once we were outside, we headed straight to the car.

‘It’s good we came in daylight,’ I said. ‘I don’t know why I came at night last time. And I didn’t find a parking spot in front either.’

‘He’s a moron,’ Tyler said. He seemed visibly mad.

‘Oh, that’s just Jared. Don’t mind him. I don’t.’

‘Was he always such a douchebag?’

‘Yes.’

‘I was so damn proud of you in there, babe.’

‘Come on. Let’s go, sexy goalie. Your training will start soon.’

We drove straight to the arena.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to take the car back to the city?’ he asked when we arrived.

‘No, it wouldn’t make sense. I’m just going to be cooped up in my office all day. And the parking situation is a bit impossible around there. I’ll Uber,’ I said when we both stepped out of the car. ‘Now, you focus on practicing and forget about Jared, okay? You’ve got a huge game tomorrow.’

They were playing against the Seattle Bulldogs, and guess who was attending? That’s right, me.

He was looking straight at me with those gorgeous eyes of his. Rising on my tiptoes, I kissed him just the way he’d done this morning, tongue and all, needing the contact. I only stopped when a groan reverberated through his body. I felt it deep in every cell and pulled back.

‘Oops,’ I said.

‘You kiss me like that and want me to think about training?’ he asked in a teasing tone.

‘Mmm, that was a blip in my control. But since I’m on a slippery slope anyway… Just one more, and then I’ll be on my best behavior for the rest of the day. I won’t send you any distracting messages. Not even one,’ I said with a grin.