The Relationship Pact (Kings of Football, #3)

by Adriana Locke

I don’t know why you think I need taken care of.”

I don't know why you think I need TO BE taken care of.

“You don’t think you’ll fall in love with me?” I grin. “That’s very bold of you, Larissa.” She levels her gaze on me. The sparkle is still there but also a heavy dose of confidence I wasn’t expecting. “On the contrary, I think it’s very bold of you to think I will, Hollis.”

Sex is different. It’s an exchange. Kissing, though, is a connection.

We kiss more than we fuck. We touch more than we come. We laugh and tickle and take our time. I’m not sure what to call this, but it isn’t fucking. It isn’t sex. But it is the best. Because it’s with her.

“Eventually, you’ll realize there are people in the world who love you,” I whisper. “And you pushed them all away. Just remember that I was one of them.”

That man is filled with so much goodness, strength of character, loyalty, and … well, love. I’m so afraid he’ll always be alone because he refuses to see all that. He won’t accept it. It’s not right. It’s so terrible. But there is absolutely nothing I can do.

But there’s something sweet about the idea of having lived with your father and raising you that makes me sad that I didn’t try.”