Less than a minute passes and they are back on the court. Something on the wall catches my eye, and it’s the scoreboard. There are literally seconds left in the game. I wish I had gotten here sooner to see Bentley play more. He obviously wanted to share this moment with me. Wanted me to see this part of his life and how passionate he is about it.
The buzzer sounds, and the players split up again. The group Bentley is with give each other high fives and are talking smack to the other team. His eyes lift up and search the bleachers and he smiles wide when he sees me. He holds a finger up, letting me know he’ll come over in a moment. The man with the whistle waves his hand toward the young men sitting on the bleachers and they rush the court. They are wide-eyed and murmuring to each other. This must be their first time seeing them, too.
Bentley pulls one of the guys away from the group and stalks toward me. He looks hot, and not because he just finished playing. His arm muscles are on full display thanks to the sleeveless shirt he’s wearing. I’m almost certain the temperature in here went up ten degrees. I lift my hand to fan myself, but force it back down. It’s too early for him to know that he has this effect on me. Hell, it’s too early for me to even be feeling this way toward him. Shit. This man is already working his way into my emotions and we’ve only been on one proper date.
Seventeen
Bentley
My sole focus is on her. It has been since I caught her walking into the gym. Jordan and Derrick should be able to handle things for a minute. They get to see their girls every day. This is the first time I’ve seen Jolene in almost two weeks.
As much as I want to run to her and spin her around like in one of those stupid romantic movies, I don’t. I can’t have her knowing she’s the one person I’ve been thinking of more and more lately. At least, not yet. “You made it.”
“Yeah,” she smiles and takes in the group of basketball players on the court. “Is this some sort of game, or something? I’ve never been to any kind of sports game.”
What? That seems crazy to me, but not everyone is into sports the way I am. “Not really.” I wave my hand to the guys. “It’s a mini practice, but also a teaching opportunity.”
“Do you do things like this often?”
“Sometimes. But it’s usually with youth sports programs, not college kids that have lost their mojo.” I grab her hand and bring her into a hug. She doesn’t shy away from my sweaty body and I’m relieved. Most of the women I’ve dated in the past are grossed out by sweat. They didn’t want to touch me until I cleaned up. The fact that Jolene has zero qualms about it has to mean something, right? If anything, it shows that she’s willing to accept me, even when I’m disgusting.
“I’m guessing these are the guys from your university. The ones you gave a pep talk to?” Her breath is soft against my neck and the guys on the court are the last thing I’m thinking about.
I slowly pull away to keep myself in check. “Uh yeah, that would be them. I wish you could see more of our practice, though.”
“Sorry,” she winces. “I had to change after we landed, and I thought Lana was going to interrogate your driver for a minute.” She scrunches her nose, and it’s adorable. “By the way, why do we have a driver?”
“Oh, Derrick,” I point to him standing next to Jordan, “picked me up on the way here. He wanted pointers and to see what I thought about the rest of the season. I didn’t want to have to drive back to my house and force you to deal with his constant questions. Sam usually only drives for the important people on the team, but he agreed to drive us around, so I’d have more time with you. And because I’m his favorite player on the team.”
He’s standing nearby and rolls his eyes at the last comment. “You’re all a pain in my ass.” He shakes his head and moves closer to the team. “Don’t forget, you’ll need to come over for a photo before we leave. The owners aren’t going to miss a good PR moment.”
Crap, I forgot about that. We probably should have done that before we started. “Let me go wrangle these guys together so we can get out of here.”
“Sounds good. I’ll just be right over there,” she points to the bleachers. She probably wants to sit after being on her feet for who knows how long. I know I would if I had to stand nonstop during a flight. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her sit while she’s working.
“I’ll make it quick.” Jogging over to the guys, I see Ross shake his head, and I shoot him a glare to not open his mouth.
He obviously doesn’t heed my warning, or thinks I’m playing around. He walks over to me and grins. “I see she’s gotten under your skin. I thought y’all were dating for fun.” He raises an eyebrow in question.
“We are. But it’s difficult to date someone when you live in different states.” I don’t know why I’m so defensive. Maybe it’s because he’s acknowledging things I’m not ready to accept. I mean, we aren’t completely serious, even though we aren’t seeing other people. But it’s not like we’re proclaiming our undying love for each other. Hell, we haven’t even been intimate yet.
“All I’m saying,” Ross continues, “Is that nobody else brings their girl to practice unless they are married, or ready to take things to the next level.”
“Stop giving Bentley a hard time,” Jordan says from behind me. “He’ll realize for himself, eventually.”
Great, now they are both on my case. “Whatever. Let’s get this over with so I can take Jolene on a date before she has to fly off again.” I immediately wish I would have picked a better phrase. Let’s be real, that’s how this is going to end. She’ll constantly be flying off to her next adventure and I’ll be the one waiting for the next phone call, or visit, wondering if she’s going to leave forever.
I shake the thought from my mind. “All right guys, let’s get this show on the road. I’ve got things to do.” A series of whistles sounds around me, and I glance up at Jolene. Her cheeks are bright pink, and she knows she’s the reason for the sudden noise. “Shut up and let’s do this thing.”
Derrick stands next to me with a knowing smile. “Don’t say a word,” I warn. He still looks up to me and lifts his hands in surrender.
The rest of the guys gather around us with Coach standing on the end. Normally, he’d be in the middle with all the players surrounding him, but he doesn’t like being the center of attention. Sam grabs his phone out of his back pocket and holds it in front of him. “Okay guys, smile big. I’m going to take a few shots and they can figure out which one they want to use.”
We do as we’re told and step away from each other as soon as Sam puts his phone down. Derrick claps me on the shoulder, “Good luck on your date. If you need any help in the future, all you have to do is call.”
“Yeah, okay,” I snort. “If you think I’m taking dating advice from you, you’re nuts. How long did it take for you to get things right with Darcy?”
“We aren’t talking about me right now,” he waves the comment away. “You date and go through women like you change your underwear. They never last long with you, and I know that’s how you prefer it.” I open my mouth to interrupt, but he plows ahead. “I see how you’ve been looking at her, and how she was watching you. She’s not like the others. Not by a long shot. She’s one of those you take home to your parents and make a real go of it. It’s scary, but don’t let that fear get in the way of something good.”
He hit the nail on the head without realizing it. I’ve never told him any of the fears I have over people leaving. But I guess he knows how to spot it considering the lengths his roommate went through to get the girl he wants. “I think you’re spending too much time with Darcy. She’s turning you into someone who thinks logically.”
“Blame her if you want, but you know I’m right.”
I’ll never admit that. “Then you need to do the same thing with the team. They need a leader. Someone who will tell them, and guide them through, what they need to do. You may be one of the youngest on the team, but you have what it takes. Getting them here today
was the first step. Finish taking that role by leading them toward a championship.” Yes, I feel like a hypocrite even as the words come out of my mouth. But the advice can be applied with both situations. The only way we’ll both get what we want is if we take a leap. It’s time for me to take mine. “Let me know if you want to get together to shoot around.”
“Will do,” he grins. As annoying as Derrick can be, he’s the only genuine friend I have outside of the team. “And remember what I said.”
“Yep.” I head toward the sideline and grab my open gym bag. I pull out my sweats and hoodie, slipping them on before walking to Jolene. “You ready to get out of here?”
“Sure.” Her smile brightens up her face, and I know that she’s happy to be here. She doesn’t say anything about the fact I haven’t showered and don’t plan to. It would take away time from her. She wraps an arm around my waist and points toward the door, “Show me what Austin has to offer.”
“This wasn’t what I was expecting.” She slides out of the backseat after me, and stares at the fast-food restaurant in front of us. Sam already told me he’s going to go down the street for tacos and will be back before we’re done. He’s burned out on this place, and I’m not sure how that’s possible.
It’s definitely not the most romantic date, but I warned her. “You are about to have your taste buds changed forever.” She side-eyes me and I chuckle. “I told you the first thing we would do when you had a few hours in Texas was get Whataburger.” I stretch out my arms in front of me as if I’m displaying a prize on a TV game show. “I make good on my promises.”
“I guess we’re about to see if it’s as good as you say it is.” I take hold of her hand and we make our way to the automatic doors. As soon as it slides open, Jolene takes a big sniff. “It smells amazing. Like camp cookouts and grills.”
I mentally high five myself. She could have been disgusted when we showed up here, but she’s taking it all in stride. I have a feeling Mom and Gabby will love her. Well, when the time comes for her to meet them. Derrick’s words from the gym come back to me. That’s not today, though.
She studies the menu as we wait in line. “Which is better? Onion rings or fries?”
“You really can’t go wrong. Either way, make sure you get the spicy ketchup. It’s a game changer.”
We place our order and find a table in the corner. I shouldn’t get too much attention here since we’re in my old neighborhood. Even though I’ve gone pro, they still treat me the same. It’s kind of jarring to the way other people act around me, but it’s a small way of keeping me humble. Jolene sits down on the bench beside me and bumps her shoulder into mine. “Doesn’t eating here go against all the healthy eating practices you set for yourself during the season?”
Shrugging my shoulders, I lift my arm and rest it on her shoulder before pulling her closer to me. Having her here with me feels natural and right. “Yeah, but I’m willing to have cheat days if it means being with you.” Ugh, I sound so cheesy. Why does she throw me off my game?
“Aw, I’m worthy of a cheat day.” It’s weird seeing her all cuddly and leaning into me. It’s a far cry from how she was when we first met. Maybe she’s decided to let go and take a leap herself.
I brush my fingertips along her arm and she shivers. “You are worth so much more.” And it’s true. I’ve never put this much effort into dating anyone, much less someone that lives in another state.
“You have no idea how refreshing it is to hear that.” Sadness fills her voice, and I have a feeling it has to deal with more than just her parents shunning her decisions. Now isn’t the time to dig around for the cause. I have my suspicions but we’re in public and I don’t want to make her uncomfortable.
One of the employees, Brandy, shows up with our tray of food and sets it down on the table. She reaches for the number they gave us when we ordered, but I slide it to the wall. “Is there any way I can keep this one?”
She shakes her head. “You’ve been here enough times to know I can’t do that.”
“Come on,” I argue. “You won’t miss one little number, Brandy. I’ll even pay you for it.”
“Bentley, you know I--”
I cut her off before she can say that negative four-letter word. “This is Jolene’s first time inside a Whataburger. She needs a memento to remind her how amazing it is when she’s back at home.”
Jolene has been watching us go back and forth until she hears her name. “Oh no, it’s fine. I can grab a picture by the sign, or something.”
I stare at Brandy, willing her not to make a big deal out of this. I mean, it’s one stupid plastic tent. We were friends, sort of, back in high school. Why is she making this such a big deal? Brandy glances over at Jolene, and I’m not sure what she sees on her face, but she relents. “You can keep it, but I’m telling your mom you’re being a pain”
I sag in relief, but worry over what she’s going to say to Mom is going to plague me. I haven't mentioned Jolene to her yet. Even though I’ve talked to her a few times since Jolene and I started dating. I don’t want to get her hopes up. “Thank you,” I call to Brandy’s retreating back.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Jolene nudges me in the ribs with her elbow.
“What are you talking about? Everyone needs a souvenir from their first time here.” I separate our food and unwrap her burger for her. She serves and takes care of people all day. I wonder if she’s ever had anyone cater to her. “I can’t wait to see what you think.”
She picks up the burger and eyes it before looking at me. “I hope this is as good as you say. I don’t even like burgers in general.”
I pull my hand to my chest. “You wound me. How can you not like burgers?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugs. “They’re fine, I just never really cared for them.” She takes a bite and groans. “This is actually really good,” she says while covering her mouth full of food. “I think it’s the avocado.”
In my opinion it’s sacrilege to put that on a burger, but if she likes it that way, who am I to argue. “I told you. Just wait until you dip an onion ring into the ketchup. It’s so popular they sell it in certain grocery stores.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yep. If you end up liking it, I’ll ship you some.”
An alarm on a phone goes off, and she rummages around her bag. “Crap. We’ll have to wrap this up pretty quickly. I need to head to the airport soon.”
“You set an alarm to remind you?”
“Well, yeah,” she replies, sheepish. “I didn’t know what we would be doing. And I didn’t want to get so lost in the moment that I lost track of time and missed my flight.”
She’s responsible, and it’s one of the things I admire about her. She understands dedication and doesn’t give in to her whims. No matter how much I wish she would. “Well, let’s hurry up and finish eating. I’ll text Sam and let him know we’re almost ready.” Having to cut this short isn’t what I had in mind, but I understand. She has a job, like I do, and she takes it seriously.
Sam pulls up to the drop off area of the airport and I’m not ready for the day to end. Not ready for her to get on a plane and leave me. Our driver exits the car to get her luggage from the trunk. “Do you want me to walk you in?” We’re still in the bubble of the backseat, and it’ll burst the second Jolene reaches for the door.
“No,” she shakes her head. “There’s a separate entrance for us to enter, and they don’t let others come through.”
“Oh,” I nod. “I have a flight with you in a couple of days. We can grab dinner after that. Maybe have an overnight visit…” I let the sentence trail off to see what she does with information. I’m not pushing to have sex, yet. She’s skittish at the best of times anytime I broach the subject. If it were up to me, I’d take her in the backseat now. I’m trying to be a gentleman and give her what she deserves. Not a rushed moment of passion that she may regret later.
“We can definitely get together.” She doesn’t acknowledge t
he last sentence, but she also seems hesitant to leave the car. The weight of ending our date must be heavy for her. “I should probably go.”
She reaches for the door, and my stomach sinks. Fuck being a gentleman. I’m not letting her leave this car without giving her something to remember until the next time we see each other.
Before she can touch the handle, I pull her toward me and fuse my mouth to hers. She stiffens in surprise, then melts into my arms. Her tongue slides across the seam of my lips, and I grant her entry. More than willing to let her lead the kiss. Let her decide how much she wants to give. Our tongues tangle together and she wraps her arms around my neck, bringing her even closer. If I pull her onto my lap, she’d see just how much more I want.
My hand glides up her back before sliding into her hair. I grasp the locks in my fist and pull her head back a fraction of an inch, exposing her long, slender neck. Breaking the kiss, my mouth trails down her skin and her barely audible gasps send blood straight to my cock. As torturous as this is for me, I can only imagine what it’s doing to her. I want nothing more than to slide my other hand into her jeans to see how much I’m affecting her.
I slowly work my way back to her lips, and her phone rings. It’s loud in the silence of the backseat. She pulls away from me and I let my hands fall to my lap, adjusting my sweats. “That’s probably Lana wondering where I am.” Her voice is ragged and her lips are plump. There’s no way to deny my mouth hasn’t been on hers. Thank god Sam didn’t come back into the car.
Big Baller : A Hero Club Novel Page 12