Always Only You by Chloe Liese (z-lib.org).epub

special, some are just for me.
His dress shirt’s a crisp white, which somehow works against his fair skin
and the faintest whisper of freckles along his chest and neck. His wavy hair’s
disheveled from a quick post-game shower, his beard quickly combed but in
need of a real trim, which it won’t get, of course, until after playoffs.
I feel an odd tightening in my stomach, a need to throw myself into his arms,
as he smiles over at me in his suit and loosened tie, with nothing between him
and my nakedness but a tub of water and rapidly dissolving bubbles.
“Only two goals tonight, Mr. Bergman.” I tsk in mock disapproval. “I
expected better.”
“Apologies,” he says drily. “Frankie.” Releasing my hair, Ren slips his hand
behind my neck, massaging gently. “Thank you for what you did tonight.”
“Oh… Um. Sure.”
I blush in embarrassment. I want to dissolve. Let the lukewarm water take
me.
I’ve never handled thanks well. It makes me feel put on the spot, topped off
with a splash of imposter syndrome. Wouldn’t anyone do what I did when the
opportunity presented itself? Being thanked for doing the decent thing feels
weird.
As if he’s read my mind, Ren shakes his head slowly. Leaning in, he kisses
me with absolute tenderness, as his thumb slides maddeningly along my neck.
When he pulls away, his eyes are on my mouth. He leans in and steals one
more kiss before straightening. “I’ve been told in no uncertain terms that you’re
to come to Ziggy’s family birthday party, and if I don’t bring you, I’m not
welcome.”
A genuine laugh jumps out of me. “She’s a good one, Ren.”
He nods, his face sobering. His hand moves down my neck to my shoulder,
his fingers tracing droplets of water slipping down my skin. “Yeah, she is.”
“She’ll be okay. We talked about a lot tonight. I just don’t think your parents
—no offense to them—or the counselor are coming at it the best way. They’re
still approaching her therapy from her breaking point. But the root of Ziggy’s
breakdown wasn’t depression or anxiety. Those were her symptoms. She got
depressed and anxious because she was burned out. Now what needs to happen
is being proactive, not reactive.”
Ren tips his head. “Go on.”
“Basically, she needs help learning her sensory thresholds, her needs for
comfort, routine, social environments. She needs an eating schedule—I shit you
not, I had one for a while in high school because I forgot so often—and she
needs to be homeschooled if she wants, just to get a break from people until her