Something Real (Atlanta Outlaws)

by Aja Cole

  "That was kind of wild." She says, her red and black sweater with the team logo falling off her shoulder just enough to make me want to brush my mouth over the exposed skin. That's what I do first, pulling back and dropping a kiss to her lips next.

  "Yeah? You think I'm a barbarian, now?"

  "Oh, I already knew you were raised by wolves so tonight just confirmed that."

  It gets a laugh out of me, and I throw an arm over her shoulder while we walk down the hallway since her boots put her a little closer in height to me. She snakes an arm around my abdomen, leaning against me.

  It feels comfortable and easy.

  "I didn't even get into any fights tonight."

  "I'm glad, I think that might've been just a little too much for me. Save it for next time."

  "Oh, so you liked it enough to come again, huh?"

  "Are you kidding? It was the hottest thing I've seen in a while. I imagined all of you in your boxers, actually. Really got me going."

  "You better not be imagining anyone but me in boxers, Miss Worth."

  "But you're not the only hot guy on your team. Or have you not noticed?"

  "I don't spend a lot of time thinking about how attractive my teammates are, no. I've got other things to think about, like winning games."

  "You should pay more attention then. They're hot."

  Even though I know she's joking, I just start thinking about what she's going to say about Toronto. If she says no and she wants to give long distance a try, how do I know she's not going to end up with one of the guys on the team since I'll be gone?

  "Hey, you know I'm kidding right." She tugs on my shirt, brow furrowing. "I've only got eyes for you."

  "I know, babe." I open the door for her and let her go first, pushing the negative thoughts out of my head.

  Right now, she's mine and thinking about the shit that might happen won't do anything but fuck up my mood.

  I'll deal with all that shit later.

  24

  Shayla

  I'm just getting out of the shower when I hear my phone ping. Dylan and his dad went to play golf this morning with some other guys, and I don't really have any plans today other than to work on a few client's designs.

  I'm designing a logo for a spa, a website for an author, and changing out some of the coding on an older site that I did for a talent agency. Then there are a handful of smaller projects that won't require as much attention, but I like to knock those out all at once.

  I've really enjoyed working for myself, but I've been wanting to work on a design team and see how that feels. I think it would be a nice change of pace, and it wouldn't be so bad being around other creators either. Luckily, when I made the deal with Mr. Johnson, he told me that I could think about what I wanted and get back to him. He has connections far and wide, and it would be stupid to not take advantage of that.

  Grabbing my phone, I read the text from an unknown number.

  "Come down to the pool!"

  Making my way to my window, I peek outside, and sure enough; Diana and Danielle are in the lounge chairs.

  "Be down in a little bit!" I text back, tossing the phone on the bed. I guess work will have to wait until this afternoon, but I don't mind.

  I got to know Dylan's sisters last night at the game after they surprised me and showed up at the house. Dylan had already gone to the arena, so he hadn't known they were there until the game started. Meeting his dad was a surprise too, but Lloyd was a lot less intimidating than Dawn. They explained some of the finer points of the game to me and it was pretty cool to actually have a sense of what was going on. We all had dinner together, but everyone was pretty tired so we didn't linger too much. Either way, I'm excited to talk to them more without Dylan or his dad around.

  Tying on a high-cut, red one piece, I throw on a cover-up and slip into flip flops. After I put on a bit of sunscreen, I grab my towel and phone and head to the pool.

  "Good morning!"

  "Morning, Shayla!"

  Three years apart, Diana and Danielle still look like they could be twins. Diana's hair is cut into a long, auburn brown bob. Danielle's hair is closer to Dylan's dirty blonde and in long waves that reach the middle of her back. The women share the same small nose and right cheek dimple, both of them with blue eyes.

  "Hey y'all," I set my things on the lounge between them, then lean down and hug each of them lightly. "I don't need to tan too much, so I can't be out here all afternoon with you two."

  "Oh don't worry, I just need just enough color that I can use my favorite foundation again and not buy another color," Diana says, sliding her shades on.

  "See, that's why I use drugstore. You don't feel bad about multiples when your makeup isn't $100 a pop." Danielle shakes her head at me. "I'm the frugal one."

  "I'm frugal, too!"

  "Mhm, that's why I have to talk you out of overpriced stuff all the time."

  Dylan had already told me that his sisters lived in Nashville, but I learned last night that they're both songwriters and write together under "Dee Hunter." I'm not much of a country music fan, but apparently, they're behind some pretty big songs. It was nice listening to them about how they got started, and their process. We bonded over working for ourselves and being in charge of our own assembly line, so to speak.

  "Sue me, I like nice things." Good-naturedly, Diana shrugs.

  "I like reasonably-priced things." Danielle fake whispers to me, amusement in her voice. "Anyway, we just wanted to hang out with more since you'll be part of the family and all. Honestly, I like you, so even if you two end things...Dill pickle might just have to accept us still being cool."

  "Dill pickle?" I grin. It's the first time I've heard her call him that.

  "Oh yeah, Dylan used to love pickles. I mean, we always had to have them in the fridge and he would raise holy hell if someone ate the last one before he could get to it. So the name just made sense, of course."

  "Of course." Diana agrees.

  "But then, when he was in high school, he had this girlfriend who was allergic to pickles of all things. But no one knew that! So I guess she was really sensitive to them, like could barely do with the smell either. Well, she came over and Dylan had probably eaten three pickles after practice? So they were making out in his room and she puked all over him."

  "Oh, good god," I can't stop my laughter, imagining how gross it probably was, even though I feel a little residual embarrassment for the poor girl, too. "What did he do?"

  "Well for starters, pickles disappeared from the house. I think he was traumatized because she'd told him after that they were the reason. I mean, imagine making out with your girl, thinking you're about to get some and she pukes in your mouth." Danielle's barely keeping it together, she's laughing so hard. "We never saw the girl again. She was too embarrassed about it, even though Dylan had told her that it was okay. He's not the type to make anyone feel bad about those kinds of things. So, bad for their relationship but I will never forget him throwing his clothes in the wash and then heading straight to the kitchen to toss out the pickle jars."

  "I don't even think he eats them now, either, does he? He never orders them." Diana chimes in.

  "Nope, dill pickle is still pickle-less." We all burst into laughter, and that's how the next hour goes. They tell me stories about Dylan that he probably would've never willingly mentioned himself, and it's amazing. This must be what it's like to have sisters. When Dylan and his dad get back from golf, we're dressed and playing ping pong in the game room.

  I haven't gotten any work done, but the time with Danielle and Diana has been so fun that I don't mind at all. I'm relieved that they like me, too. I really didn't want any family drama and the last thing I'd want is to be the reason that there was a riff. They haven't even mentioned anything about the engagement being quick or being concerned. To me, at least. I don't know if they've mentioned anything about it to Dylan though, so I'll have to ask.

  "Hey, baby." Dylan comes to me immediately, greeting me wit
h a kiss.

  "Hey, Dill pickle."

  He pulls back from me, cutting his eyes at his sisters who look away innocently.

  "Out of all the stories you could tell her." He grumbles.

  "Don't worry, we shared a good variety, bro." Danielle scrunches her face up, "Love you."

  "Diana, you're supposed to reign her in." He turns to her.

  "Since when?" She gives a dismissive wave of her hand. "At least we didn't tell her about that time you fo--,"

  "You know what?" Dylan interrupts, "I think that's enough stories for today."

  "I wanted to hear that." I poke his chest, then lean around him to greet his dad. "Hi, Mr. Hunter."

  "Hey Shayla," He smiles just like Dylan, it seeming to spread from one corner of his mouth to the other until it's a full-blown grin. "Sorry about my children."

  "It's okay, you can only do so much."

  "We're going to head out before traffic gets crazy, but I'm looking forward to visiting again and getting to know you more." He moves to me for a hug and I oblige. As he pulls back, he presses a light kiss to my cheek and speaks low so only I can hear. "My son really cares for you, and I'm happy to welcome you into my family."

  I've never considered myself someone that tears up easily, but his words make my eyes start to burn. It's so hard keeping things straight, remembering that we're not really in as deep as everyone thinks we are.

  But that's how it feels, even just when I'm alone with him. It's so easy to slip into feeling like this is all the way real and we haven't just actually started to date each other in earnest.

  "Thank you." I whisper, squeezing his hands. Danielle and Diana hug me next, each squeezing me tight.

  "He did well," Diana says.

  "Yes, I like you." Danielle adds.

  "I like y'all, too. Thanks for being so welcoming." Dylan puts his arm around me and I lean into him. "It means a lot."

  "Alright, this is too much sappiness at once for me." Danielle grabs her weekend bag, heading out the door first. "See you kids next time."

  The minute the door closes behind them, Dylan turns to me and picks me up quickly, making me laugh and put my legs and arms around him for stability.

  "Me Tarzan, You Jane." He licks my face as he walks up the stairs easily and without even a huff of exertion like he's not carrying a whole extra person in his arms.

  "Ewww," I move my face away, giggling like a damned schoolgirl. He tosses me on his bed, pulling his green polo over his head and getting rid of his shorts too. In just boxer briefs, he crawls between my legs and wraps his arms around me, settling his head on my breasts.

  "Shouldn't you be swinging from the ceiling?" I stroke my hands over his hair and over the top of his back, touching whatever I can reach.

  "Boobs are comfy, don't wanna move," He murmurs, burrowing his head deeper and tickling me at the same time. I try to wiggle away while I shriek, and we roll around on the bed until I'm back underneath him.

  I'm not laughing anymore though.

  I cup his face while it hovers over mine, taking in this heavy-lidded look and the fire I can see sparkling in his green eyes. Silently, I brush the back of my hand over his face and over his lips the way he does to me sometimes.

  "Beautiful." I trace his eyebrows with a fingertip, and stroke my finger down the proud line of his nose. "Sexy."

  "That's my line," He rumbles, eyes closed. I wrap my arms around his neck finally, pulling him down to me and pouring everything I'm not ready to say into my kiss. Slowly, he rids me of my clothes and I rid him of his boxers, our bodies settling together.

  But we don't go further than that.

  We lay together, completely naked, and not even talking. Soft touches, quiet kisses and eventually...we fall asleep just like that.

  Intimate and vulnerable with each other in a way that I've never been with anyone else.

  I'm falling for this man.

  Will he catch me?

  25

  Shayla

  I wake up in the middle of the night reaching for him, but he's not there.

  Tugging on my robe so I'm not roaming the house completely naked, I walk around downstairs and notice that the door to the game room is ajar. Slipping through, I see that one of the pool lights are on and there's a lone figure sitting on the edge. For a second, I hesitate, wondering if he just wants some time to himself and if I should intrude on that.

  Ultimately, something tells me to join him outside and I do, closing the door lightly behind me and sitting next to him, gathering my robe around my thighs and setting my legs in the water.

  "Couldn't sleep?" I ask softly.

  "No," he answers, and I notice he's turning his ring around and around his finger like a nervous habit. "Didn't want to wake you."

  "What are you thinking about?"

  He doesn't answer at first, and I don't push him.

  "They want me to go to Toronto," he says finally, looking out over the water.

  I take a second to process his words, trying to set aside the initial feeling of lead rolling through me. "What? I thought things were fine. Back on track."

  "It's not the owners. Toronto wants to add me to their team. They're a higher tier than Atlanta, it would be a boon for me."

  "Wait, so...you want to go?" I'm confused, and that confusion is rapidly turning into simmering anger. "I thought all of this was because you didn't want to leave. You like it here."

  "I do like it here. But Toronto offering for me is probably one of the biggest compliments they could give me in this league aside from being in the hall of fame. This wouldn't be a trade down."

  I don't even know what to say, but I'm forcing myself to try to understand before I pop off.

  "I want you to come with me." He turns to me, his expression neutral. "That's why I'm telling you. Because I don't want to lose you."

  "Toronto is like what, a two-hour flight? And my work is pretty flexible." I put a hand to my stomach, trying to calm the butterflies. This suddenly feels like too much, too fast. "I don't have to move, we can try long-distance first, right? Keep dating?"

  "I don't do long-distance." If I thought his face was shut-down before, it's shut-down completely now. "That's not an option."

  "What do you mean, that's not an option? You just spring on me that you want me to move to Canada with you and I'm supposed to jump at the chance? Just pick up on a whim and follow you?"

  "We're already doing all this," He gestures around us, and I guess he means me living with him and the arrangement. "You're into me. I'm into you. Why not take the chance?"

  This must be how our "engagement" sounds to everyone else.

  Batshit crazy.

  "Because it's crazy," I emphasize the word. "It's incredibly reckless and pretty damn insensitive to everything I'd be leaving behind. And for what? To just be at your heels the next time you get traded?"

  "You said yourself that it's just a two-hour flight. You can visit, we can visit whenever. Why is it any different? It's not like I won't be leaving anything behind either."

  "Are you even listening to yourself?" I stand, shaking off the water from my legs, and doing a terrible job at containing myself. Lowering my voice, I unclench my hands. "Dylan, be rational about this. If you just think about it for even a second, you'll realize that it doesn't make sense."

  "Does any of this make sense?" He stands too, challenging me. "You want to honestly tell me that this, us, is just something run of the mill? Regular?"

  "That's not the point."

  "Then what is the point? Because I'm sitting here baring it all, telling you that I cannot see my life without you in it and I want to share the next chapter of it with you and you're telling me to be rational. If anything I felt for you was fucking rational, then I wouldn't be here." He swears, swiping a hand through his hair and turning away from me.

  I walk to him, putting a hand on his back. "I'm not saying that I don't feel the same way. I'm just saying...maybe we slow it down. It'll be fun to visit ea
ch other, and I can meet you on the road sometimes and if things still go this well, then we can talk again about me moving."

  In my mind, I think that he's going to calm down and see what I'm saying makes sense.

  That's not what he does.

  He shrugs my hand away, shaking his head.

  "Listen, there's no way that I'm okay with my girl being miles away in another city all the time, alright? So you either go with me, or we're done."

  "You don't trust me?"

  "It doesn't matter. Shit happens. It's not like I'll be a drive away. It's a whole plane ride. What happens when you get lonely? When you go out with your friends and you meet someone else and I'm not at home waiting for you?" He really sounds like he believes what he's saying. Like there's not a doubt in his mind that he knows I would step out on him.

  "Is this about Tammy?" The pieces start to fall into place. "You've got a vendetta against all women now because she stepped out on her marriage?"

  "She told me she loved me for months and was lying to me the whole time, so yeah, I might be a little hesitant to put myself in a dumbass situation again."

  "Dylan." I move closer to him, holding his gaze. "You can trust me. I know you probably need some time to realize that, but I wouldn't lie to you like that."

  "What's the deal you made with Trent?" He asks suddenly, his stare intense.

  Knowing what I know now about how he feels about long-distance, I'm hesitant to say.

  "It's just a job opportunity. He put in a good word for me at a marketing agency so I can get some experience on a team."

  "Were you gonna tell me?"

  "Does it matter? It was just confirmed anyway, and it's just six months."

  "Where?"

  I stop talking, and understanding dawns in his eyes.

  "It's not here either, is it?" He laughs. "You're busting my chops about moving and the whole time, you were leaving anyway?"