“Thanks, man.”
“You bet.” I waved, turned, and headed back to the guys, but made a beeline when I noticed Rowan rushing off into the direction of the ladies’ room.
Fuck that. If she thought she was getting off easy, she was sorely mistaken. Had it been anybody else she was with, I would have probably let it go, but not Spencer—not him—no fucking way.
She passed the bathroom, making an obvious run for it.
“Spencer, huh?” I called out, my voice full of disgust and my attempts at playing it cool failing miserably.
“Excuse me?” she spat, glaring at me, and I couldn’t be sure if a tear had slipped.
“He’s your man—the one you step out on,” I stated, leaving no room for questions. She was caught. Game over. And I was going to do everything in my power to remind her of it. Keep reminding her of it. “I wonder how he’d take it knowing his girl is fucking around on him, moaning another man’s name while he’s balls deep inside her.”
Her breath hitched. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I though?” Like a hunter stalking his prey, I crowded her against the wall. “I saw the way he was with you,” I rasped, my voice low so only she could hear.
“And how was he with me?”
“All sweet and loving . . . looks to me like he’s in love with you.”
My eyes latched on to the sweet, soft skin of her throat. They traveled lower to her breasts, the same ones that filled my hands and mouth not so long ago. She was nervous; her breathing gave it all away, probably scared out of her pretty little mind that I was going to expose her dirty secret.
My dick twitched and another flood of rage raced through me. How the fuck was this woman turning me on and making me all kinds of crazy when all I wanted to do was stomp back into the bar and shout what a lying, cheating bitch she was. Expose her right there for all her friends to see. For him to see.
“And what does the player know about love?” she tested, but I ignored her dig.
“You gonna tell him?” I stepped closer, squaring my shoulders. My hips just inches from her belly, our body heat tangling in a dangerous dance. “Or should I?” I paused for good measure, taking her all in. Her sweet scent, her gorgeous body I knew was hidden under her clothes. “Tell him how I touched you,” I whispered, tracing a line with the tip of my finger from her shoulder all the way down to her fingertips. “How I kissed you. Right here.” I leaned in and made the mistake of letting my lips touch her skin. “Fuck!” I hissed.
“Levi, you need to step back.” Her words were unconvincing.
“You sure?” I inched my hips into her this time. “He’s good people. How could you do that to him?” I brushed her hair from her shoulder and skimmed my hand along the side of her breast, my thumb dangerously close to her nipple and then down her rib cage . “How could you do that to me?” I tangled my fingers in her soft locks and tugged gently, exposing her neck. What I hadn’t expected was the soft moan that slipped past her lips making my dick hard as fuck.
“Levi,” she breathed. “It’s not what you think.”
“Bullshit, baby,” I spat, my hand releasing her hair and making its way under the hem of her top. My knuckles brushed the warm skin of her flat stomach and I was another second away from shoving her painted-on jeans past her thighs, taking my dick out and slipping it in her right there. Giving zero fucks about who could see. It would be a sort of repeat of that night and her acting like the tramp she was quickly proving to be. And the asshole you’re being.
But what the fuck did that make me, standing there caging in another man’s woman? Touching her. Getting aroused by her.
What was it about wanting something you can’t have that makes you want it that much more? And fucking hell, I wanted that forbidden fruit, and on her knees.
At that point, what I should have done was step back. Take ten steps back and let her scurry back to her friends and to her man. But she saved me the hassle when she placed both of her palms flat on my chest and with all her might pushed, shoving me a couple steps back. I was impressed. For a tiny thing, she had strength.
“Fuck you! You’re a prick, you know that?” The edge in my laughter told her otherwise. She kept her voice low, but the weight of her words and the hatred they were laced with hit me harder than my stumble. “If you must know, he’s my boss . . . and friend.”
“Right. Because a boss gives his employees expensive gifts.” Fuck, I wanted to kiss her. “A boss shares his drink with his subordinate.” She rolled her lips and I really wanted to fucking kiss her. “A boss kisses a colleague’s head and whispers sweet nothings in her ear.” My left brow pulled high. “Looks like a sordid office love affair to me.”
“It was a watch. For my birthday. A joke of sorts since I have some trouble showing up on time,” she barked and then shook her head. “Why the hell am I explaining myself to you?”
“Guilty conscience?” I suggested, taking it a bit too far. I should’ve quit while I was ahead. Stopped when her eyes welled with tears. I didn’t. Not wanting to admit it, my pride had been hurt too.
But her birthday? Shit! Could she have been telling the truth? Well, Montgomery, you’re a colossal idiot! Not to mention a freaking jerk!
Though she didn’t give me a chance to fix it, she just turned the corner and disappeared through the kitchen’s double doors.
CHAPTER TEN
Rowan
I busied myself, hiding behind my work and helping out with last-minute preparations, avoiding Bucks at all costs. With the team traveling to away games the majority of the time, I knew I was safe from running into Levi, still I didn’t want to take any chances.
And besides, it was easier to flip the channel to ESPN so I could pacify my guilt and soothe my ache. My misery didn’t love company. Nope. It was a lonely and selfish sonofabitch, mocking me each time I tuned in to a game. Each time my eyes searched the television screen, honing in on first base, willing the cameraman to keep it locked on him.
From Washington, Miami, to San Francisco, I silently followed his team as he toured from one coast to the next, living a dream life, while I stupidly wished things hadn’t ended on such a sour note. Foolishly wishing that he would see me and want me in ways he’d never wanted another woman.
One night or not, Levi had overturned something in me I couldn’t shake.
But tonight, I’d have to face my cowardice. There was no more hiding. Not behind the beautiful bride and groom, or a beautifully decorated, venue surrounded by hundreds of twinkling white lights. A room where two hundred close family and friends had come to celebrate two people so in love, finally getting their happily ever after.
Making myself scarce was easy to do in a room this size along with having our seats on opposite ends. The tall floral arrangements set at each table’s center were an added buffer.
Wearing a crisp black suit, beer in one hand and an easy smile on his lips, my heart ached at the sight of Levi. He had no idea I would be here, no reason to search the crowd for me, allowing me to take him all in. To admire him from afar and fantasize about what it would be like if we had attended together. Despite being upset with me, rushing to the conclusion that I was cheating on a boyfriend—something I would never do, I couldn’t take my sights off him.
In that hallway, I wanted to explain, tell him that he had it all wrong. Spencer and I were only friends. And that was all we will ever be. But he was hell-bent on proving a point and coddling his bruised ego. Then, there was the fact that if he had put two and two together, that Greg was my soon-to-be stepfather, he never would have approached me. He never would have sat down on that bar stool and, after a little flirting and getting to know each other, invited me back to his place.
Was it wrong to want to be desired by a man like Levi? Better yet, to act on those desires? Maybe. But just because my common sense understood that men like him weren’t exclusive, didn’t mean my heart was on the same playing field. So, for my mind to co
ncoct such a notion that I could be the exception might have been half-witted on my part.
Why do women always think they can easily separate their feelings from sex? Because some women can, you’re not one of them.
“Why are you hiding out, being all anti-social?” My sister, Gabby, nudged my arm and handed me a glass of champagne and then chugged hers. “There are some good-looking men here. You should be out there taking advantage—”
“I’m not hiding.” The little white lie rushed from my lips, and I covered it up by stealing a taste of my champagne. “Says the woman who thinks all men are dogs.” I didn’t care if the entire guest list was made up of Hollywood A-listers; I only had eyes for one in particular. “And I’m not really in the mood to mingle.”
I didn’t understand what my sister was getting at. She was the worst at socializing with people she wasn’t at least acquainted with. Far too many shady relationships and one too many letdowns had led her to being the most skeptical person I knew.
“Are you going to at least keep Spencer company?”
“Why? It’s not like he doesn’t know anyone here.” It wasn’t my intention to sound like a bitch or to leave my “date” to entertain himself. From the looks of him standing at the bar, chatting away with Kelsey, he looked more than entertained.
“Are you okay? You’ve got this funny look on your face. Almost as if you’re hiding—”
“I’m fine. Really.” I downed the glass of champagne and set it to the side the same moment the band started playing and Joe took the stage.
“Good evening, everyone, and thank you for joining us in this long overdue union,” Joe announced.
The crowd clapped and Greg escorted our mother onto the dance floor. He pulled her close and whispered something in her ear that caused her to smile and blush. She whispered something back and then kissed him sweetly.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please help me in congratulating my brother, Greg, and his wife, LeAnn. Salute.” He raised his glass in a toast and the crowd followed. “Before the night’s festivities begin, I’d like to welcome the beautiful couple to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife.” Joe cued the band, and Greg took it from there.
For four whole minutes, I was held spellbound, taking in my mother and her new husband sailing across the dance floor. Her only husband and the man she would have waited an eternity for. The permanent smile on her face and happiness in her eyes proved that, at fifty-four, nothing was impossible. True love does exist, and sometimes you may have to wait for it, for some a lot longer than others.
When the song ended, the happy couple mingled, thanking their guests for celebrating their special day with them. As Greg approached the assembly of Bucks players, my eyes found Levi, and for the first time since entering the room, his eyes found mine.
And the world around me stopped.
Stuck in a trance, the air disappeared from my lungs. The weight of his stare made me feel seduced by a man I should at the very least dislike. For all the shitty things he had said to me in that hallway at Bucks, practically accusing me of something I wasn’t, I should very well hate him. Pretend he didn’t exist in my world.
But I didn’t.
Flinging my gaze around the beautifully decorated room, I came back to him still staring at me. His expression was hard to read, but then his intense eyes wrapped me in a blanket of heat, churning the butterflies and anxiety in my belly.
God, he was gorgeous.
And angry. Or could it be he was only stunned to see me?
Air. I needed air.
But if I stepped outside, even for a brief moment, that would make me a sitting duck should he choose to follow and rehash any lingering anger he held on to. My storming off that day left things unresolved, and I had no clue if he had more to say. To drive the knife deeper on what he thought of me.
A decision needed to be made and quick. Run and hide? Stay and stand my ground? This was my mother’s wedding after all, and I shouldn’t let some man taint the blessed day. Then Joe’s voice sounded through the speakers, making the decision for me. He informed the guests that dinner would begin shortly and to please take our seats.
With added grace, I slid onto my chair, inhaling a slow, deep breath. I needed air and this was the best I was going to get. I reached across the table for my glass of ice water, making sure not to look across the room. I concentrated on holding my hand steady as I brought the glass to my lips.
Always in tune, Spencer leaned in and whispered, “Are you okay? You’re looking a little pale.”
“I’m fine.” I forced a smile. “Just a little thirsty.” And fucking scared out of my mind.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Levi
“You gonna go and talk to her?” Hatch asked, and I dismissed him with my lack of an answer. The fact that she was even there and strangling my breath with her stunning beauty, didn’t allow me to.
I swallowed another long chug from my bottle, working out in my head if I was ready to approach her. The same question reeling through my mind: What would I say? Would she even consider giving me the time of day after how I treated her?
At the very least, I kept my fingers crossed that she would let me apologize for being a dick.
“Dude, you’re fucked.” Hatch laughed under his breath.
“And what makes you think that?” I asked coolly, not once letting on to the turmoil spinning inside my mind.
“You haven’t taken your eyes off her since the minute we walked in.”
My game was definitely slipping, and it didn’t make matters easier that Hatch was an intuitive sonofabitch.
“Got a reason for that,” I stated matter-of-factly.
“And that would be?”
“She’s beautiful,” I breathed in awe.
I took another long sip and loosened my tie.
“I think she’s more than that.” His candor caused another shift in my chest.
Rowan took her seat and all eye contact vanished. It was only then I realized who she was sitting next to. I should’ve called Cy and ask him to find out from Natalie if they knew anything about who Spencer was dating. Give me some kind of heads-up before I made a complete fool of myself over this woman.
What is it about her that makes me crazy stupid?
Why did I feel like gravity was working against me, pulling me in an uncharted direction? So, for Rowan to keep getting a rise out of me left me figuratively scratching my head.
The waitstaff came around and set our dinners in front of us. Another staff member refilled water glasses, which wouldn’t do shit for me. I needed something stronger, preferably a lot higher than eighty-proof and guaranteed to take the edge off. Give me the push I was looking for since I obviously forgot my balls at home.
Thankfully throughout dinner, Hatch kept the conversation mainly on baseball and not the beautiful woman who unknowingly had her invisible hooks in me. Every so often, I would cast a glance, willing her to look my way so I could try and gauge how and if I should approach her.
“Did you work it out in that stubborn head of yours yet if you’re gonna go over there?” Hatch leaned back in his seat, running his tongue over his teeth, nonchalantly scoping the area out. Easy for him to say, he hadn’t met anyone who got him all twisted. Not since his ex.
“You tired of babysitting me already?”
He laughed and jutted his chin toward the dance floor. “Why don’t you cut in?”
I didn’t even realize the band had started playing and people were making their way out on the dance floor. Rowan and Spencer included.
Observing the two of them, I couldn’t tell if they were “just friends,” better yet, “boss and employee.” Unless what she had told me was all a bunch of lies to save her ass.
“Dude, I’m gonna grab a drink and see if I can make a new friend.” Hatch stood and shrugged his suit jacket off.
“Better keep that shit on the DL. Coach catches wind of your indiscretions, and you’ll be on the first
flight out. He’ll send your ass to some farm team. Teach you a lesson.”
“That’ll never happen. Coach loves me too much. Besides, I’ve got another three years on my contract. There’s nothing he can do until then.” He clapped my back, and I shook my head. No matter where he went, he would find some warm and willing body for the night. I just hoped Coach’s stepdaughters weren’t of legal age just yet.
He had a point, but my contract was up next year and there was no way I’d do anything to jeopardize it.
Sitting there solo, my gaze roaming the thigh-high slit over her slender curves in that shimmering strapless gold gown, a fire ignited in me. My attention called to her shoulders, the top of her breast. Her silky, soft skin taunted and teased me wanting one more taste.
There was something in the way she carried herself. Her beauty was heard in her laughter when Spence would spin her out and back in, only to hold her close. She would smile and whisper, their conversation clearly just for the two of them.
I had no claim over this woman, so for me to be sitting there conflicted, jealousy exploding by the minute, I reacted. If they were just friends as she had claimed, there shouldn’t be any problem if I stole her away for a dance. Right?
Without bringing any attention to myself, I shoved my chair back, slid out of my suit jacket, and hung it across the back of the chair. Taking Hatch’s advice and asking her to dance had turned into a good idea, until a sweet voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Care to dance?”
I cleared my throat, loosened my tie, and offered her a confident smile. “Love to.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Rowan
“Whoa,” I called out, tripping over my own left foot. Thank goodness Spencer was quick to react and grabbed my waist, saving me from face-planting on the hardwood floor.
“How much have you had to drink?”
“Not much,” I mumbled, fixing my stare on Levi as he approached the dance floor with a beautiful woman in tow.
Top Notch (Man on Top Book 1) Page 6