Out of Bounds (The Summer Games #2)(107)

“You’ve done a good job steering the ship while I’ve been away. I think you should start looking into hiring two new coaches to help take over my classes, but when I return to Seattle, we’ll figure out a more permanent solution.”

Permanent.

My stomach dropped and my brain focused on that word like it was a bomb. I pushed up to sit on the edge of the bed and wiped the sleep from my eyes. It was still early—a quick glance at the clock on his bedside table proved it—but I only had a few hours before my flight. I needed to get a move on, head back to my condo to pack my things and say my goodbyes, but I sat frozen on his bed, trying to piece together what I’d just heard on the phone.

Erik was putting his assistant coach in charge of Seattle Flyers.

He wasn’t going back to Seattle.

I shook my head. Just because he was coming to Texas, didn’t mean…

The bathroom door whipped open and Erik stepped out, pausing in the doorframe when he saw me sitting on the edge of the bed. He’d showered and dressed for the day. His lips parted in a sweet smile and I focused there for a few seconds, trying to work up the nerve to meet his eyes.

“Hi,” I croaked with a dry throat. I cleared it and tried again. “Morning.”

He pushed off the doorframe and padded toward me. His body wash permeated the humid air and I inhaled deeply as he bent low to press his mouth to mine. It was a good-morning kiss, gentle and chaste, but his breath was minty fresh and his touch hinted that I could have more if I wanted it.

“You’ve been awake for a while?” I asked, peering up at him from beneath my lashes and trying hard to resist the urge to touch my face or hair. All signs were pointing to level 10 bedhead, but he’d already seen me, so there was no point in trying to convince him I ever woke up looking like a radiant goddess.

“Two hours or so.” He shrugged. “Owning a business doesn’t stop just for the Olympics. There were a few things I needed to take care of and…” He dragged his hands through his hair, moving the damp strands so I had an unhindered view of his face. He was breathtaking. “I needed to go collect your things from your condo and finish packing myself.”

My breath hitched. “You got my luggage? My stuff?”

He nodded and dropped his phone on the bedside table. “We need to leave here in an hour and I didn’t want us to be late for our flight.”

I pinched my eyes closed and shook my head. In my half-conscious state, his words weren’t making sense. Why was he talking as if he was coming with me?

“You just said ‘our flight’ instead of ‘your flight’.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes. We’re on the same one.”

“To Texas?”

He grinned, excited. “To Texas.”

I knew he was presenting a gift to me, a surprise. I could tell by the softness in his eyes and the gentle tug of his lips he assumed I would be excited by his announcement, but I couldn’t push past the panic mounting inside me. He spoke as if he was laying out plans for our breakfast, not cross-country moves.

I shook my head and stood up, starting to pace the small bedroom. “You’re coming to Texas today? For, uh…”

I turned back to him, hopeful. If he had plans there for business or something, then I could breathe again. It wouldn’t be all about me, us.

He sighed and propped his hands on his waist, watching me take long strides across the room.

“I’m going for a few reasons, you being the main one.”

“Holy shit.”

“Brie, sit down.”

My pace had picked up without me realizing it. I looked like the Tasmanian Devil flitting around the room at a hundred miles per hour. Erik is coming to Texas. Erik is coming to Texas with me.

Since when?!

He gripped my shoulders and then spun me around so I was facing him. I focused on his chest, the white shirt that concealed the hard muscles, the lines and curves that seduced me so easily. They didn’t distract me then, not enough to calm the heart beating in my chest so fast I thought I would go into cardiac arrest.

“You mentioned there were things we needed to discuss last night…”

“EXACTLY!” I cut him off. “And now you’re coming to Texas?! Without even consulting me?”

His face fell and before he had the chance to mask it, I saw the sadness in his eyes. It was my fault; I’d put it there.

“Of course I’m coming to Texas,” he said with a gentle tone, bending low to level his eyes with mine. “What did you think I would do? Go back to Seattle? Did you honestly think I’d leave things the way they are between us?”

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I thought…”

I thought this thing between us was too good to be true. I thought he would leave for his flight with a quick kiss and a “thanks for everything” nudge on my chin. I thought I’d go back to Texas with a broken heart, and I thought I’d have to collect the pieces of my life alone—without Erik.

I blinked rapidly, trying to collect the tears from the corners of my eyes before they fell. He bent down to brush his knuckle across my cheek.

“You and I aren’t long-distance types. I know this is fast, but I want to be near you. We’ll figure out the logistics once we get there.”

“What about Seattle Flyers?”