Chapter 417 - You’ve Been Gone Too Much

Chapter 417: Chapter 417 - You’ve Been Gone Too Much

The next few days settled into a routine Roxie hadn’t exactly imagined when she thought about living with Zac in Tennessee.

Most nights, Zac stayed late with Dylan.

Sometimes Roxie was still awake when he came home. Other times she only knew he had returned because she would wake sometime before dawn with his arm around her waist and his face buried against the back of her neck. He always tried to be quiet when he slipped into bed, but the mattress dipping beside her usually woke her anyway.

The problem was his alarm came only a few hours later.

On the fourth morning, Roxie woke before it did.

She opened her eyes and found Zac asleep on his stomach beside her with one arm stretched across her side of the bed. He had come home sometime after one. Roxie vaguely remembered him kissing her shoulder and whispering that he was home before she fell asleep again.

Now he looked completely dead.

She checked the time.

5:36.

His alarm was set for six.

Roxie carefully moved his arm from her waist and got out of bed. The apartment was quiet as she went into the kitchen and started breakfast, cooking eggs and heating what was left from dinner. She made enough for both of them even though she already knew Zac would probably eat like somebody was timing him.

She had gotten used to mornings like this surprisingly fast.

She knew which container fit best inside his football bag. She knew he wanted more rice after harder practices because he always came home starving. She knew he would forget the fruit unless she put it inside herself. Somehow she had even started making extra food because Dylan kept ending up with part of whatever she packed for Zac.

Roxie looked at the two containers sitting on the counter.

She was feeding two football players now.

Wonderful.

At six, she went back into the bedroom.

Zac hadn’t moved.

Roxie climbed onto the mattress and leaned over him. "Zac."

Nothing.

She pushed his shoulder. "Zac. You have practice."

He made some sound into the pillow that didn’t qualify as a word.

Roxie stared at him. "Very convincing. Get up."

His arm suddenly wrapped around her waist and pulled her down beside him.

Roxie squeaked as she landed against him.

"Five minutes," he mumbled.

"You said that yesterday."

"Worked yesterday."

"You were almost late yesterday."

Zac tightened his arm around her and buried his face against her stomach.

Roxie looked down at him. "You smell."

"Lies." One eye opened and he grinned at her. "I know you sniff me before getting out of bed."

"Because you smell."

She grinned and tried pushing his shoulder, but he only held her tighter. Roxie sighed dramatically and started running her fingers through his messy hair.

That was probably a mistake because Zac immediately relaxed against her.

"You’re making me sleepier," he mumbled.

"I know."

His eyes stayed closed while Roxie continued running her fingers through his hair.

She let him stay there for a few minutes because she had barely seen him properly the previous day. Zac had gone from practice to meetings, came home long enough to shower and eat, then Dylan called because things with his mother had gotten bad again.

Roxie had told him to go.

She kept telling him to go.

Dylan was still dealing with relatives calling him, his father refusing to speak to him normally and his mother trying to convince him to come home.

Roxie understood it more than she wanted to. When everything happened with Karen, she had stayed at Karen’s house too because she wanted to keep an eye on her. When somebody you cared about was falling apart, leaving them alone wasn’t easy.

Still, she missed the easy nights with Zac. Curling against him on the couch while some cheesy drama played on television. Bothering him while he cooked. Going to bed together instead of waiting for the sound of the front door after midnight.

Roxie glanced at the time again.

"Okay. Get up."

Zac groaned.

"I made breakfast."

One eye opened immediately.

Roxie laughed. "Is food all you think about?"

"You should’ve led with that. I’m a growing boy. I need food."

She looked him slowly up and down. His large frame already seemed to take up a ridiculous amount of the bed.

"God help us if you’re still growing."

Zac chuckled and finally sat up. Before Roxie could climb off the bed, he caught her around the waist and kissed her.

She softened immediately.

It was barely a proper kiss because both of them were still half asleep, but she had missed him enough that she stayed close when he pulled away.

"Morning," he murmured.

"Morning."

His eyes dropped toward her mouth again.

Roxie smiled and leaned closer.

Then his alarm started screaming beside them.

She closed her eyes.

Zac laughed.

"I hate your phone."

"You loved it last night when I texted you."

"I would love it more if it stopped interrupting me."

He kissed her quickly before reaching for it.

Roxie climbed off the bed. "Breakfast. Shower. Leave. In that order."

"Yes, ma’am."

"Don’t start."

He smiled as he followed her out.

Breakfast lasted less than fifteen minutes. Zac ate while checking messages from the team, occasionally answering Roxie’s questions with distracted sounds until she kicked his shin beneath the table.

He looked up. "Ow."

"I’m right here."

"I know."

"You’re staring at your phone."

"Coach changed something."

"Is the game tomorrow?"

"Saturday."

Roxie had learned enough about his schedule to know what that meant. Training had already been getting harder throughout the week, and with their first game getting closer, everything around Zac had intensified. Practices ran longer. Film sessions increased. Meetings appeared on his schedule with barely any warning. Even when he came home, part of his attention usually stayed on whatever Coach Avery wanted them fixing the next day.

She should have been used to it after Briarwick.

She still hated it.

Zac put his phone down when he noticed her expression.

"What?"

"Nothing."

As if she was going to tell him she was annoyed at football.

She could be dumb sometimes, but she wasn’t that dumb. This was Zac’s future. He had worked for this for years, and right now supporting him was the only thing she could do.

"That wasn’t nothing."

Roxie pointed at his plate. "Eat before you run away again."

He studied her for another second before obeying.

She stood and grabbed the lunch containers from the counter.

"Yours."

Zac took the first one.

"And Dylan’s."

He looked at the second container and smiled slightly. "You don’t have to keep feeding him. You’re going to spoil him, then he’ll start expecting things from my girlfriend."

"I already cooked it." Roxie grinned. "Tell him to find a girlfriend to do things like this for him. Or a boyfriend."

Zac laughed.

Roxie shoved both containers into his bag and added two bottles of water.

"You’re becoming a football mom."

She slowly turned toward him.

Zac immediately stepped back from the table.

"Take that back."

"I meant supportive girlfriend."

"Better."

"A very supportive girlfriend."

"Keep going."

"Beautiful and sexy supportive girlfriend."

Roxie smiled. "Acceptable."

Zac caught her around the waist when she came closer and kissed her again. This one lasted long enough that Roxie almost forgot he was supposed to leave.

Almost.

His hand settled against her lower back while hers moved around his neck. She wanted to keep him there. For once, Coach Avery could survive without Zachary Prescott for another thirty minutes.

Zac pulled away reluctantly and looked toward the clock.

Roxie followed his eyes and sighed. "Go."

"I’ll see you later."

"You said that yesterday."

"I did see you yesterday."

"For five minutes."

"More than five."

"Seven."

Zac smiled. "I’ll come home."

"You better."

He kissed her forehead, grabbed his bag and left.

Roxie stood in the kitchen listening to the door close before looking at the two dirty breakfast plates on the table.

Living together was apparently very romantic.

She cleaned up, showered and got ready for her own day.

Her schedule was starting to feel less confusing now. She could get around campus without checking her phone every few minutes, and she had begun recognizing buildings, shortcuts and a few people from orientation. Her own life in Tennessee was slowly starting to feel real instead of something she had simply followed Zac into.

Zac texted whenever he could.

Usually short messages.

Alive.

A while later:

Coach hates us.

Then around lunch:

Lunch was good.

Another message followed.

Dylan says thanks.

Roxie smiled while walking across campus.

Tell him he’s paying me eventually.

Zac replied several minutes later.

He said no.

She laughed and put her phone away.

Roxie expected to see Zac sometime after lunch.

Practice went longer.

Then they had film.

Then another meeting.

Zac finally came through the apartment door that night while Roxie was sitting at the table going over her schedule again.

She looked up immediately. "Hi."

"Hi."

He crossed the room, kissed her and dropped heavily into the chair beside her.

Roxie studied him. "You look worse than this morning."

"I feel worse."

"Good practice?"

"Coach would probably say yes. Those teammates of mine are monsters. Mason would’ve hated this."

Roxie smiled.

Mason would have complained until Coach doubled everything just to punish him, then complained even more because somehow he never learned when to shut up.

Zac kept talking while Roxie heated food. Apparently somebody had missed an assignment, Coach Avery stopped everything, and the entire offense had to repeat the same set until everybody got it right. Conditioning came after that.

Roxie understood maybe half of it.

She understood enough to know Zac was exhausted.

She placed the food in front of him and sat beside him. Zac immediately started eating while Roxie picked at her own plate and watched him.

After several bites, he finally caught her staring.

"What? Eat too."

Roxie put some food into her mouth. "Is it good?"

"Yeah." He reached over and squeezed her thigh. "Thanks, babe."

Roxie smiled.

She wanted to tell him she missed him, but there was no point turning it into a complaint when he was finally sitting right there.

They had the whole night.

She could show him exactly how much she had missed him instead.

After they finished eating, Roxie cleaned the last plate while Zac disappeared into the living room. When she followed him a few minutes later, he was sitting on the couch waiting for her.

"The money’s in the account."

Roxie frowned. "What money?"

Zac grinned and reached for her the second she came close, pulling her onto his lap.

"Go get yourself something pretty."

Roxie settled against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Is this your way of apologizing?"

"Is it working?"

She pouted and buried her face against his neck.

Zac had been ridiculous about money since they moved. He barely wanted Roxie spending her own. He had handled the apartment, and the place had stayed embarrassingly bare until he got enough money to start filling it himself. Roxie had plenty of her own money now, but Zac seemed weirdly happy every time he bought something for their home, so she usually let him.

She lifted her head. "Can I buy the rug I wanted?"

Zac laughed. "Yeah. You can."

Her eyes had dropped to his mouth.

For days, she had gotten quick kisses before practice, sleepy kisses when he crawled into bed and distracted kisses while he was trying to leave.

She wanted a real one.

Roxie grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him toward her.

Zac kissed her immediately.

This time neither of them rushed to separate.

His arm wrapped around her back and pulled her closer while Roxie’s hands slid around his neck. She kissed him harder, feeling the response immediately when his fingers tightened at her waist and he pulled her firmly against him.

A groan left him against her mouth.

Roxie’s body warmed.

She had missed this.

She had missed having all of his attention on her instead of watching him glance at a clock, a message or whatever schedule waited for him next.

Zac’s hand slipped beneath the loose shirt she was wearing and settled against the bare skin at her waist. His mouth moved slowly from hers along her jaw, and Roxie tipped her head when his lips reached her neck.

"You’ve been gone too much," she whispered.

His hand tightened against her. "I know."

Roxie caught his face and brought his mouth back to hers.

"Stop saying that."

She kissed him again before he could answer.

Her hands slipped beneath his shirt and moved slowly over his stomach. His muscles jumped beneath her palms, firmer and more defined after days of brutal practices.

Roxie smiled against his mouth.

One benefit of all this training, apparently.

Zac’s breathing changed as her hands traveled higher.

"I’ve spent an entire week feeding you, waking you up and watching you leave."

His mouth curved against hers. "Are you complaining?"

"Yes."

Her fingers brushed slowly across his chest.

Zac’s head tipped back against the couch with a groan.

"Fuck, Roxie. I love you so much."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you saying that because your nipples are hard?"

Zac stared at her for half a second before laughing.

Then his hands caught her hips and shifted her properly across his lap.

Roxie groaned at the contact.

The laughter disappeared almost immediately.

She could feel how hard he was beneath her, pressing firmly between her legs as Zac pulled her closer. Her hands tightened on his shoulders as heat rushed through her body.

His fingers caught her chin and lifted her face.

"I missed all of you."

His other hand moved over her breast through the shirt.

Roxie’s breath caught.

"I’ll take that."

She kissed him again, harder this time.

Zac responded immediately, one hand holding her hip while the other stayed against her chest. Roxie moved closer until her body was pressed fully against his, and his groan disappeared into her mouth.

Then his phone started ringing.

Roxie froze for barely a moment.

Zac faltered too, but neither of them immediately stopped.

The phone continued ringing from inside his bag near the door while Roxie kept her mouth against his, refusing to give it attention.

Eventually she pulled back just enough to breathe.

"No."

Zac looked at her.

"No," she repeated. "Whoever it is has terrible timing."

He laughed quietly. "It could be Coach."

"Coach already had you all week."

"It could be important."

Roxie stared at him.

The phone stopped.

She smiled.

"Problem solved."

A second later, it started ringing again.

Roxie’s smile disappeared.

Zac sighed and lowered her from his lap before walking toward his bag.

Roxie remained on the couch, watching him pull out the phone.

His expression changed the second he saw the screen.

She already knew.

"Dylan?"

Zac looked at her.

"Yeah."