DIRTY REBOUND

by Mira Lyn Kelly

  And then Greg is doubled over a few feet in front of me, he looks back over his shoulder, honest-to-fuck tears streaming down his face.

  “You fucking fucker. You knew already!” He’s lucky I don’t lay him out.

  Straightening to his full height, he shakes his head at the sky. “Of course, I fucking knew.”

  Oh. “Cammy called Julia?”

  Jesus, it’s barely seven. The sun’s not even up.

  “Uhh, yeah, I’m guessing she was on the phone before you even left her place.”

  Now that I think about it, she did have her phone in her hand when I was leaving.

  “FYI, you owe me a full night of sleep. She called Julia and then Julia called me at four a.m. with all the squeals and breathless gossip until I was wide awake. And where the hell is my cookie? I lost five bucks to Julia thinking you’d show up with half a bakery trying to woo me back into lovin’ you.”

  Knew I should have brought a cookie.

  “Five bucks? Cheap fucker.”

  “Dude, you know what it’s like betting against her. I had to bring the dollars down.”

  And like that, the tension in my chest unravels, letting me draw a couple lungs’ worth of the brisk lake air. “Seriously, you’re not pissed?”

  “Nah, man. If it were Diesel or Bowie trying to get under Cammy’s skirt, then yeah, I’d probably have something to say about it. But you guys are friends, and so long as you’re on the same page, Cammy could use some fun.”

  Right. “If there’s one thing I’m good for—besides backing your ass up on the ice, that is—it’s fun. Hell, I wouldn’t have been opposed to Cammy using me for some more of it, but she was probably right about it being a good idea we stopped when we did.”

  “Can’t believe you weren’t packin’. What the hell, man?”

  I shrug, not interested in explaining all the reasons random hookups have lost their appeal this year.

  When he sees I’m not going to answer, he shakes his head. “So that’s it with Cammy, huh? Not-quite-one-and-done? You two back to just friends.”

  “Yep.” I don’t hesitate. Cammy made it pretty clear where she stood last night and I get it. I mean, yeah, I’ve pretty much got the sounds of her coming apart for me on permanent replay in my mind and I’ve basically given up on talking my dick down each time I think about her. But chalk that up to me being a guy. It will pass. Eventually. Probably. And even if it doesn’t, who cares. We’ll still be friends, because I wouldn’t let anything get in the way of that.

  Rux

  Thank fuck I can sleep on the plane. After leaving Cammy’s place, I was up half the night with my head swimming in the sounds of her soft moans, my dick ready to drill through my mattress. That coupled with the guilt made for some serious tossing and turning.

  Talking to Greg helped. And then practice helped some more.

  But I need to catch some Zs. Dropping into a row to myself, I turn on my Beats and shut out the rest of the world. Kind of wish I’d been able to see Cammy, but she had to pick up Matty and… timing.

  It’s not a big deal. That’s what I’m telling myself, even though there’s this tug in my gut that feels like it is. With what happened between us last night, I want to see her. Hug her. Hear her voice and know, really know that I didn’t jeopardize something that’s as critical to me as breathing.

  Maybe I’ll just check in. Casual. Fun.

  Me: Can’t believe you told Julia.

  I wait for her to come back, watching for those three little dots.

  The phone rings instead and a pressure I hadn’t even realized was building releases in my chest.

  “Really? You can’t believe it?” she teases through the line.

  Smart-mouthed thing. Don’t think about her mouth.

  “You couldn’t let me talk to Greg first?” I wedge a pillow behind me and angle into the corner, a grin stretching across my face. Because she’s right, I should have known she’d talk to her sister before I could get to my buddy.

  “Would it really have mattered?”

  “Hell, yes. Ever hear of the bro code? I should’ve been the one to tell him. What if he’d been pissed? What if he’d been lying in wait, ready to beat my ass when I got there?”

  I can practically see her rolling her eyes.

  “Well, was he?”

  “No, but he let me make a complete fool of myself trying to explain.”

  That laugh. That’s what I needed to hear. And because I want even more of it, I start dishing the details, reveling in every giggle and smile-laced sigh.

  The plane is filling up, the cushion of empty rows between me and the next guys shrinking to where I’ve got to be careful with my words. Not something I generally excel at, but this is Cammy.

  “Hey, we good?” I lower my voice, wishing we were kicked back on her couch right now so I could look into her eyes while I asked. “You okay about everything today?”

  She takes a breath and I hold mine. But I can still hear the smile in her words when she answers. “I’m good, Rux. A little distracted. People keep asking what the smile’s about and where my head is.”

  I rub at that spot in the center of my chest, grinning. “That so?”

  “Oh my God, listen to you. Is there even room in the cabin for that ego of yours or are they going to have to put it down in the cargo hold with all the other big sticks?”

  “Sunshine, if you start talking about big sticks and whether things will fit—”

  “Rux!”

  “What?” I ask, playing dumb, the way she’s playing at being shocked.

  For a minute I just hear her breathe. It’s nice, and some jacked-up part of me wonders if she’d let me record it sometime, so I’d always have it to listen to when I need to chill out. Not sure it would even work if I knew she wasn’t actually there with me. Miles away but in the same moment.

  “I know this might just be another Tuesday for you—”

  “It’s Saturday, Sunshine.”

  She sighs, but it’s one of those good ones. “You know what I mean. Nights like last night—I don’t get a lot of those. So yeah, it’s been keeping a smile on my face all day.”

  I sit up. “Let’s get something straight, last night wasn’t just another Tuesday or Friday or any other day for me. Last night was different. Being with someone who means so much to me was special. And for the record, I’ve been getting shit for the smile on my face most of the day too.”

  “Really?” she asks, and damn, I wonder how it’s possible she can know me so well in so many ways and not know this.

  “Yeah, really.” And since we’re being honest, I tell her the rest. “As much as I wish I was there right now, it’s probably better I’m not.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because it was so good, I’m having a little trouble thinking like a friend today. And if I was back there—” Close enough to touch. To reach out. To see if I could get her to make those same sexy-as-sin noises for me again. To see if I could get her to make them louder. “I might have trouble acting like one too.”

  She pauses, but I trust her not to freak out. Then, “Yeah, probably better then… Because you wouldn’t be the only one.”

  I’m not the type to be at a loss for words, but that quiet admission has me stunned. I’m the jackass with impulse control issues. Not Cammy.

  She’s a rock. Solid. Steady. The kind of woman willing and capable of making the tough choice no matter what it costs her in order to do the right thing. And she isn’t sure she’d be able to resist me?

  “Sunshine,” I half groan, trying like hell not to revisit the details of last night, but unable to fight the mental highlights reel rolling through my mind.

  “I know, right?” Another soft breath, only this one doesn’t calm me. It makes me think about the way her breath felt against my neck when I heard it last night. Fuuuck.

  “So the road trip is a good thing. And when I get back, we’ll be back on track.”

  “Absolutely.” />
  “Just two good friends with one hot night between them.” Shit, we’re ready to take off. “Hey, I hate to say it, but I gotta go.”

  She wishes me a good game and we hang up. I’m about to power down the phone when I see her text come through.

  Cammy: I think you meant one SUPER hot night behind us.

  And the next second an attachment pops up… and holy hell, I can’t believe she did it. But there, splashed across the screen I’m shielding with my hand and angling toward my chest, is the photo I took with her phone last night before I left.

  It’s the two of us on her bed, her bare leg thrown over mine, Wonder Woman and Superman skivvies on proud display.

  Cammy put on a tank top, but it’s so thin, fuck me, even in this arm’s-length selfie I can still see the dusky outline of her tight nipples. The tank is bunched just a little, the bottom riding around her ribs, showing off a generous stretch of smooth bare skin below.

  I swallow hard.

  She’s looking at me in the shot, and we’re laughing. Easy and happy, and this picture is so perfect, there’s a part of me that knows I ought to delete it now. Get rid of it before it has a chance to dig in any deeper and seed any more of the ideas I’m not supposed to get about Cammy Wesley.

  Chapter 10

  Cammy

  There was a time when having Jeremy calling me would have left me breathless and bursting with joy. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Today, it’s mostly embarrassment as I drag myself out of the fog of a dirty dream that was just getting good. Dream Rux made another appearance last night, but he wasn’t pulling that same teasing bullshit from the first time. I’d just gotten into his pants when the phone rang.

  “Sorry to call so early on a Sunday,” Jeremy starts tentatively as I squint at the clock.

  “It’s okay. I can’t actually believe Matty let me sleep past seven anyway.” Pushing my hair back from my face, I’m headed toward his room when I hear the clank of silverware coming from the kitchen and turn around. “What’s going on?”

  “Friend of mine at work has some tickets to the Museum of Science and Industry and can’t use them. I know it’s not my day, but I thought if you guys didn’t have other plans, maybe we could all go together.”

  My stomach tenses. Being around Jeremy dredges up so many feelings. Honestly, I’m not sure I’m up for it.

  “Oh, um. We had a few errands…” In the kitchen, I rub my hand over Matty’s back and drop a kiss on his head when he leans into me. This boy has missed so much time with his dad, I don’t want to be the reason he misses more.

  Clearing my throat, I shake my head. “But sure. Why not.”

  “Great! Awesome. I’ll pick you guys up about eleven.”

  Matty’s watching me with hopeful eyes, no doubt having heard his dad through the line. “Dad’s coming over today?”

  And like that, whatever doubts I had about saying yes are gone.

  We get a few chores taken care of before riding over all together. The museum is amazing. Matty’s been there before, but it’s clear being with his dad has him seeing it with new eyes. Jeremy buys us lunch and seems completely engrossed in everything Matty has to tell him, only breaking eye contact with our boy long enough to look up at me. Like I don’t already know how incredible this kid’s brain is.

  We stay through the afternoon and by the time we leave, I’m too wiped to take Jeremy up on his offer to help with our errands. I’ve missed a text from Julia with a video of Rux dancing in the weight room at the hotel.

  Julia: Check out what Popov sent to Greg from this morning. Rux has the moves like Jagger.

  He’s got something. He’s pulling out the sprinkler, running man, lawnmower and Cabbage Patch that I can identify. There’s a whole lot more going on I can’t.

  That thick hair is pulled back on top with an elastic and his face and bare chest are ruddy and glistening with sweat. And the way his abs flex and shift with each ridiculous move… Do his shorts always hang that low? How have I never noticed?

  “What’s that face about?” Jeremy asks from the driver’s seat.

  I’m about to tell him it’s nothing when Matty chirps in from the back. “Is that Rux? Can I see?”

  Cheeks flaming, I pull the phone to my chest, but at second glance I realize the only thing inappropriate about the video is how I’m reacting to it. With a shake of my head, I hold it up between the seats. Matty’s full belly laughs have my heart ready to burst.

  “Hey, feel like I’m missing out,” Jeremy says, and Matty tries to describe what Rux is doing, but then just falls into a more general fanboy accounting of all things Ruxton Meyers.

  And I have to give Jeremy credit, he listens, making all the appropriate noises as Matty talks about Rux showing him how to hold his stick and how for Halloween Rux showed up dressed as a pro-wrestler.

  By the time Matty comes up for air, we’re nearly home. Cutting a glance to Jeremy, I tease, “Bet you’re glad you asked, huh?”

  He considers before answering. “Yeah. Sounds like some guy. I know I’ve missed—” He looks away and starts again. “I want to know about the people in your lives.”

  I don’t really know what to say, so I just nod. I mean, yeah, I’d want to know who was a part of Jeremy’s life if they were going to be involved in Matty’s too.

  We pull up to the curb and Matty unbuckles in a flash. He thanks his dad and wraps a little arm around the front seat for a hug before zipping into the lobby where Ray is working the security desk. Jeremy gets out with me, walking around to the trunk to retrieve the poster we got from the gift shop.

  “Thank you for today,” I say, meaning it. “Matty had a great time and it was really nice.”

  He closes the trunk and turns to me with his hand resting on the metal. “So, Rux.”

  “Rux?”

  “I didn’t think you guys were really together at first. I mean Matty said you were best friends and when I googled before I came back to Chicago”—at my raised brows, he shrugs—“I didn’t find any mention of you guys together… romantically, anyway.”

  “You asked Matty?” I’m not crazy about him talking to my seven-year-old about my love life.

  His hands come up between us. “Barely. Matty was going on about Rux and I asked if he was your boyfriend. Once. He told me you guys were ‘besties.’”

  Matty is such a mimic.

  Jeremy takes a breath, watching me. “It’s none of my business, but are you guys—”

  “Mom,” Matty calls, leaning out the lobby doors, his feet doing a quick shuffle. “I gotta go.”

  I’ve never been more grateful for Matty’s walnut-sized bladder. Sure, I liked the idea of looking like I was in a relationship with Rux, but for some reason, what happened this week has me not wanting to address it at all. I don’t want to say that we’re involved when I’m having a hard enough time keeping my thoughts out of his breezers as it is.

  I turn back to Jeremy, but he’s already climbing back in the car. “It’s okay. Talk to you this week.”

  Cammy

  It’s an early game against the Jets, and Matty and I watch the whole thing together. He can barely keep his eyes open at the end, and when the Slayers have a 3-2 win under their belt, my kiddo staggers back to his bed for the quickest tuck-in in history.

  Julia texts with me a few times and I catch up on some email. But through it all, I’m waiting to hear from Rux. When I do, I’m tucked into a corner of the couch and he’s in a hotel room in New York and not on a plane heading home.

  “They’ll get it fixed overnight and we’ll be ready to take off early,” he tells me. There’s a dull thud and I imagine his duffle bag landing on some nondescript desk. A clank tells me he’s hung up his suit jacket.

  I can see him in my mind, tugging his tie free, undoing the buttons down his shirt. Losing his belt… Opening his fly.

  Stop.

  We talk about the museum a little. Matty’s favorite exhibits. Mine. His. The game schedule coming up. How
Bowie and Static almost got into it over some girl the night before, but then neither of them ended up taking her home.

  “I don’t know those guys that well, but Julia says they’re a handful.”

  “Yeah, kind of. Those defensive players spend a lot more time together than with us, but still… Yeah… So, what’s on today’s panties?”

  I cough, grateful I’ve already finished my tea. “Excuse me?”

  “Come on,” he says, totally unrepentant. “It’s just a friendly question. Innocent.”

  “Innocent?” There isn’t an innocent bone in Rux’s body.

  “Mostly innocent. After ‘apply within,’ no way I wasn’t going to ask. Especially with that picture burning a hole in my pocket the last two days.”

  I can feel my smile stretching wider. “So I’m not the only one mildly obsessed with that picture?”

  He hmms and I can all but see him stretched out in bed, that naughty smirk at full tilt.

  “Cammy, I about choked on my tongue when it popped up on the plane. And all I wanted to do was stare at the damn thing the whole weekend, but I seriously would have had to put my fist into someone’s face if they’d seen you like that... even accidentally.”

  “You are such a sweetheart. But no punching teammates.”

  “Yeah, I know. Hence the whole burning-a-hole-in-my-pocket thing.”

  “I had to bury it in a folder so it didn’t just pop up if someone young and impressionable happened to open my phone.” But yeah, I’m looking at it now.

  “Smart.”

  “Rux, from one friend to another… Your body is crazy. I can’t believe they don’t have you doing underwear shoots.”

  “Had an offer, but I’m a private guy.”

  At this I cough. “You are not. You have no shame. You’re the biggest goof I know.”

  “Sure, but that’s with my friends. On my terms. Didn’t like the idea of someone else being in charge of how much of me was out there.”

  “I get it. Do you mind that I have this picture? I can totally delete it.” It would break my heart, but I absolutely would.