by Claire Adams
"Not exactly. It's not as simple as just showing up. A scout told me that his team is interested in maybe signing me, but I have to wait a while before they get back to me."
"That's great," she said. "That's what you wanted."
"It was. It's just this team... It's not really close by."
"Yeah? How far are we talking?"
"Miami. How far is that?"
"It'll be a trip, but worth it. I mean, this is your way in. You wanted to get in the league, and if this works out, you will."
"I know. I keep telling myself that. It's just timing, you know?"
"I think I might, but I want you to say it," she said. I looked out the window.
"I'm finally getting somewhere with Ron."
"Don't, Roman."
"Don't what? I wanted two things when I came back from Afghanistan: to play again and to get Ron back."
"You didn't see this coming?"
"I did. I just didn't see Miami coming. I wanted to think I could find a spot somewhere closer where the distance wouldn't be that much of a strain."
"Roman, what are the chances that that's going to happen? If you have this opportunity now, you need to take it."
"I don't want to leave Ron behind."
"You can talk to Ron and figure stuff out with her. You can't do that with this team. They don't care that you and her are trying to work things out. You can't say no to this."
"I impressed one team – it could happen again."
"You don't know that. You can't bank on something like this happening again."
"I'll think about it," I said.
"I'm just saying," she said. Of course she was, it was easy for her. This wasn't her problem. She was quiet till we got to my place. I felt better when I got inside, but not that much better. It was good to be back home, even though I hadn't been living here long and likely wouldn't be for much longer.
I didn't know what I was expecting Tiffany to tell me. What the hell would she have said? What had I wanted to hear? That her best friend, Ron was the person I needed to focus on right now so fuck Miami, and fuck getting in the league. I knew this was going to be hard,but I wasn't looking forward to making these decisions.
Obviously, I wasn't losing Ron again. People did the long distance thing all the time – maybe we could become one of those couples. Maybe we wouldn't have to because the team wouldn't end up taking me after all, there was that. I wasn't in yet, not really. It sucked because I wanted to be, but thinking about Ron took some of that sting away.
Why was this happening to me again? What the fuck was it that didn't want me and Ron to be together? First the army, now this. Were we being tested? This was bullshit.
And, I had to see her tonight. I would have been excited – and I was – but I was not looking forward to talking about this with her, even though I knew I couldn't hide it. I couldn't do that to her again, leave her hanging when she thought everything between us was good.
But wait, I didn't have to tell her anything right now, did I? All I knew was that the team was interested and that they were located in Miami. They hadn't set a contract in front of me or anything, I didn't technically have any decisions to make about them; it was a waiting game. That meant Ron didn't have to hear any of it. It wasn't something she had to worry about, why would I make her worry behind something that might not even happen?
We could just have a good time out and spend the night together. When it became a problem, she'd know about it. I'd give her that. This? This didn't matter.
I texted her that I was back and kept myself busy as I waited to go pick her up. It was 7:32 when I pulled up at her building. I was always excited to see her when we'd been apart for a while, but I was taking the stairs two at a time. We had talked the whole week that I had been gone – texts, Facetime, all of that. Would that be what it was like when we were long distance?
I shook my head, getting rid of the thought. We weren’t long distance now, so it didn't matter. If we ever had to cross that bridge, we'd do it then. What I had to do was get to her fucking door so I could kiss her again.
I'd made it a whole year without touching her, but I was feeling this past five days without contact more and more with each step I took towards her door. I hadn't made reservations anywhere, but I was sure we'd luck out somewhere if we left early enough. With the way I was feeling, though, I was doubting how early we'd be able to make it out.
It was a short wait between my knock and her answer. The door swung open and her arms were around me in a second flat. I hugged her close, lifting her into me. The smell of her hair hit me first, sweet like vanilla. I squeezed her kissing her neck and shoulder. Oh yeah, I had missed her. I let her go when she unwrapped her arms from my shoulders. And then, she kissed me.
I held her close parting her lips with my tongue. Maybe I'd leave more often if she was this happy to see me when I got back. I could get used to this.
"Hey, how was your flight?" she asked me shyly, pulling away. I kissed her again, one more time, soft on her lips.
"It was good. Definitely better being back, though," I said. She giggled.
"We should go inside," she said, looking up and down the hallway. She took my hand leading me inside.
"Are you about ready to go?" I asked, then stopped. Her dining table was on the right when you walked in, usually covered with school stuff. Tonight, instead of books, it was covered in food. I noticed the two opposite place settings and looked at her.
"Are you expecting someone?" I asked her.
"I wanted it to be a surprise, that's why I didn't tell you."
"You cooked us dinner?"
"I wanted to stay in with you tonight. I thought you'd like it," she said, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Are you hungry?"
We had never lived together, but something about coming home and finding a home cooked meal just for me was suddenly making me think we had to try it out.
"Starving," I said, checking out the spread.
"Great. I'll be right back. Sit," she said, turning and disappearing into the bedroom.
One of the dishes was full of bacon-wrapped chicken breasts. Other had mashed potatoes in it. One was full of salad, and the last was cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots in a creamy sauce. She had asked me to wait, but would she be upset if I started without her?
She popped back out of her bedroom, in a t-shirt and shorts and her hair down.
"Ready?" I asked.
"One more thing?" I sat as she disappeared into the kitchen then came back out with a bottle of wine.
"This all looks amazing, babe," I told her.
"Good," she said smugly, smiling at me. She handed me the dish full of salad. "If you taste it and it isn't great, don't tell me." I took the wine and opened it, pouring us both glasses. She loaded my plate with food as I did that, obviously confident that I'd love her cooking. I was excited to try it, especially if this spread was going to be half as good as the breakfast we’d had before I left.
"So?" she asked, watching me taste a piece of the chicken. She knew it was delicious; she just wanted me to say it.
"It's amazing. When did you start cooking like this?"
"I invested in a few cookbooks. I eat in all the time already. I wanted to try to have some fun with it."
"You cook like this every night?"
"I wish," she said, taking a sip of her wine. "It's just me usually, so nothing this grand."
"Tell me when you're feeling domestic. I'll eat anything you put in front of me," I said. "I was getting sick of the hotel food."
"Hotel food's great."
"Not for five days straight. I ended up at this barbecue spot three nights in a row."
"What else did you do? Besides play football and eat barbecue?" she asked.
Talking to her now, I wished that I had done more. I hadn’t really been thinking about seeing the city or exploring, anything like that, while I was gone. Besides showing out at the combine, I was focused on getting back home, mostly.
/> I thought about telling her what happened at the airport back in Houston. I mean, getting notice by a team was what I had gone there to do in the first place. She wouldn’t have been surprised by it. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t feel another way, though. If I got into it I’d have to tell her that the team that hinted at wanting me was in Miami. Why would I ruin the night bringing up that shit? All I had gotten from that Richardson guy was a hard maybe, not a yes.
I helped her clear the table off when we were done. She emptied the leftovers into Tupperware containers and put them in the fridge while I started on the dishes.
"You don't have to do that, Rome," she said, putting a hand on my back.
"You cooked, I can clean up. Have some wine, this won't take long."
"Leave them there, I never even remember to wash them at night anyway," she said. Her hand crept up to my shoulder. "Come to the living room with me."
"Ten minutes," I told her. "Have some wine. I'll be right out." Her arms wrapped around me from behind.
“You think this is what I want you to do the first time I’ve seen you in a week?” she asked. She came around from behind me and hopped up onto the counter on my right. Then, casual as hell lifted her shirt up over her head.
“Ron,” I said, trailing off.
“I don’t know why a dirty pile of dishes is more interesting to you than I am. I know what I’d rather be doing right now.” She hopped off the counter and started on her shorts. She pulled the zipper down, and they fell to the ground. Her underwear was white. I turned the faucet off and grabbed her, pulling her into me.
“You’ve got my attention, happy now?” I asked. She trailed her hands under my shirt, up my abs.
“Almost,” she said, smirking. Her hand went down to my pants, squeezing my cock through the fabric. I held her by the back of her head and kissed her. I had wanted to at least get her to the bed first but the girl was desperate. Who the hell was I to say no to that?
Chapter Twenty-Six
Veronica
"Fuck me," I heard him mumble behind me. His tongue touched my lips and I shut my eyes. He groaned, lapping me up. I spread my legs to give him better access. His hands pulled my ass cheeks apart, smacking me playfully. His tongue ran over my entrance, sliding in and out before he sucked on my clit.
"I love the way you taste," he said, sliding his tongue between my folds. I felt wanton, desperate as his mouth slid over my intimate flesh. He trailed his tongue up to my asshole, rimming me while his fingers slid into my pussy. I pushed back into him, feeling my legs quiver. His fingers were relentless, plunging into me with merciless speed. I moaned, glad I was against the counter and didn't have to hold myself up. I felt him twist them inside me, pull them apart so I stretched around him.
"Roman, I'm going to come," I gasped. He didn’t slow down. I exploded, squeezing tight around his fingers as I came. He didn't stop till my body stilled. I felt his lips kiss the cheek of my ass softly before I heard him stand. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against his chest. I turned my head so I could kiss him, tasting my own tang on his tongue. His hands freed his cock, and I felt it pressed between us.
"I missed you so fucking much," he whispered harshly.
"Roman, please," I begged. He pushed me gently onto the countertop so I was facing away from him. My body buzzed with anticipation as my breath caught in my chest.
I shuddered as he slid smoothly into me. I wanted to weep, it felt so fucking good. I would have been embarrassed about how much I wanted him if it wasn’t obvious that he wanted me back just as bad. I hardly knew who the hell I was, it had hardly been a week. Sex with him was all I had had for almost three years before he left, but now I was throwing myself at him after a week apart.
He had never left me wanting more, but now, I couldn't get enough. The fact that he was behind me and I couldn’t see him just made it hotter. He pulled out almost all the way, sinking into me with shallow, pulsing strokes. I moaned his name, trying in vain to grip onto something on the smooth countertop.
"Hang onto something," he said suddenly. I was about to ask him what, but one of his hands was already on my hip, steadying me, and the other around my leg. I leaned forward into the counter as he lifted my leg up. I straightened it, holding myself up to get better footing with my other leg. I felt his thick, round tip press into me again and his breath on the back of my neck.
"Don’t worry, I’ve got you," he said, holding my hips and thrusting powerfully inside. I screamed. He was deep, deeper than I'd ever felt him. I flattened down onto the countertop and whimpered, feeling him sink into me. Slow and shallow or hard and deep – I was a sweating, panting mess because of him. A growl rumbled in his chest as he came, thrusting hard through his orgasm. He finally slowed and gently pulled out of me. He kissed the back of my neck as he helped me back upright. I wobbled on my feet, dazed.
"You okay?" he asked, kissing my temple. I hugged him around the neck and kissed his lips. Standing there in my kitchen with nothing but my bra on, I felt incredible.
"Do you have to go home tonight?" He shook his head. "Stay here?" I asked. He didn’t say yes or no. He just kissed me.
We ended up in the shower. He pressed me up against the wall and fucked me, slow and hard till I was almost crying for release. When we finally made it to the bed, I was exhausted. If he had another round in him, I had no idea whether I'd be able to match him.
"Are you asleep?" he asked me. His body was turned to face me; I was on my back. His hand was playing with a bit of my damp hair that I knew I'd regret not blow-drying when I woke up tomorrow morning.
"Almost," I sighed, looking over at him. He slid closer, kissing my forehead.
"Go to sleep," he said, tucking me into his chest.
"Can I ask you something?" I asked.
"What?"
I absently ran my fingers over his chest. Football training and lifting had made him hard and broad. His strength never scared me, though, it comforted me. I trusted him enough to know that he would never use his size and strength to intimidate me. It didn't exactly hurt, too, that he was good to look at.
"What would happen if you got signed to a team?"
"I'd go play for them."
"You'd have to relocate, right?" I asked. His chest filled and he exhaled heavily.
"That’s usually what happens. Yeah. Unless I refused the offer."
"What if you took it, hypothetically, and this team is in San Diego or somewhere far like that?"
"Since the team and scenario are hypothetical, I'd hypothetically move over there and sign a hypothetical ten million dollar contract." His arm tightened around me.
"What about in an actual scenario? An actual team in San Diego wants you to play for them."
"I don't like this game," he sighed.
"It's not a game, Rome," I said, wriggling out of his hold. "There is a chance you'll have to make a decision like that, isn't there?"
"Yeah, eventually, but I'm thinking about other things right now."
"So you'd say no?" I blurted out.
"I'd decline if it clashed with something that was important to me." I frowned, sitting up. "What is it, babe?" he asked, putting his warm hand on my back.
"I don't know," I said shaking my head. "It's everything. I feel so close to you, but then every time I think I have you back, I have to remember that I have to share you."
"Please don't be upset, Ron," he said, sitting up, as well.
"It's dumb. I'm being dumb. I'm sorry," I said, feeling embarrassed. He pulled me into his lap where he was sitting up against the headboard. We were both naked, but all I felt was comfort in his arms. I buried my face in his chest. "I know this is not your only priority. I just wish I could be selfish."
"Right now, fixing what I did and making it work between us is all I'm trying to do."
"Don't say that if you don't mean it," I told him.
"I swear, Veronica," he said, rubbing a reassuring hand over my back.
I di
dn't want to cry, but I felt like I might. I hadn't felt like this when he had said it to me last week before our date. I had heard him and known he wasn't lying to me, but now I felt it. He loved me.
"I really want to make it work, too," I whispered.
"Then we will," he said. "Can we go to sleep?" We did. I fell asleep pressed against his large, warm chest, our fingers laced together.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Roman
I woke up and checked the time. A little while before six, typical. I shut my eyes, rolling over, pulling Ron into my chest. She had spent the night after coming over Saturday. It was Monday today. Out of the last two weeks, I'd say maybe I'd woken up alone four or five times?
Veronica's apartment was nicer, I'd admit to that, but she hadn't said no once when I had asked her to come over. I hadn't when she had asked me, either. I didn't know whether that meant we were living together or what. All I knew was it was great. Really great.
Her alarm started ringing. She buried her face in my chest with a groan. I chuckled. I had tried to get her to bed at a reasonable time last night, but she had had other ideas. As a result, we were both still naked.
"What time is it?" she asked, not moving.
"Time to hit the snooze button," I said, kissing her forehead. She sighed heavily and sat up, reaching down to the floor for her phone. Whenever she did that I'd tell myself I had to get nightstands, but I hadn't gotten round to doing it yet. She stopped the alarm and fell back into the pillow.
"You alright, babe?" I asked, brushing her messy hair off her forehead.
"It's too early," she grumbled.
"You're right. It is. Stay here."
"Huh?" she said, looking at me. Her lips were swollen, pouty from sleep, and her brows were furrowed like she was upset.
"Stay," I said again, simply. I leaned over and kissed her. She moaned, running her hand over my chest.
"I have to get ready to leave. It takes longer to get to school from here than it does from my place."
"You can miss your early class, right?" I asked lightly. She giggled as I kissed her neck.
"With the amount of debt I'm going to owe, I need to get my money's worth," she said.