by J. Nathan
“I’ll give you a head start.”
“No need to pity me.”
“Pity you? I wanted to look at your hot ass.”
I laughed as I stood and hobbled over to the sofa. I would’ve liked to say I wiggled a little to give him a show, but truly, I was just trying not to fall on my face as I dropped down onto the sofa.
Drew sat down beside me, resting his arm down the length of the sofa behind me.
“First rule in cuddling,” I explained. “You must be touching.”
He scooted over until the entire right side of his body pressed into my left. “Like this?” he asked, as if I’d actually taught him something he didn’t know.
“Yeah. And your arm needs to be like this.” I reached up and grabbed his right hand from behind me and pulled it down to rest on my bare shoulder.
His fingertips traced little circles on the side of my arm, sprouting embarrassing goose bumps everywhere. “Sounds easy enough.”
“Oh, but there’s more.”
“You don’t say?” I could hear the smile in his voice.
I slipped my left arm behind his lower back against the sofa and wrapped my right arm around his torso, burrowing my head into his solid chest and yearning to feel those dips and indentations I’d run my fingers over in the shower. “See? Now you’re cuddling like a pro.”
“But what if I like to lie down when I watch a movie?” In one swift motion, he pulled me on top of him and shifted so his back rested down on the sofa with me on his chest. “Much better.”
I stared down into his eyes, the ones looking playfully up at me. “I think I just got played.”
“I had to get you where I wanted you somehow.”
“And this is where you wanted me?”
“If I’m being honest, I want you in a lot of places.” His voice held that sexy rasp that did crazy things to my body. “But tonight, yes. This is where I want you.” His chest lowered on a contented sigh as he squeezed me with his massive arms. There was no coercing him. “This is nice.”
“You say it like you’ve never actually cuddled on a sofa with a girl before.”
“Okay, so maybe when I was thirteen, I might’ve spent some time on a sofa.”
“Thirteen, huh? Well, from what Avery told me, girls are lined up down the street for a shot with you now. You may be underestimating the power of a good cuddle. Just think. You bring back the retired move, and you may have them lined up around the entire block.”
Drew’s eyes shifted toward the television we’d yet to turn on. “You can’t believe everything you hear.”
“I consider your best friend a legitimate source.”
His eyes moved back to mine. “Yeah, well, Avery should keep his big mouth shut.”
“Worried he’ll scare me away?”
He shook his head. “You went head to head with Bruce Slater and lived to talk about it. I don’t think you scare that easily. At least I hope you don’t.” Something flashed in his eyes. That same look I’d seen earlier when he made me promise to see him again.
Damage control. “So, since this is a proper date and all, any chance you’re planning to get to first base?”
Drew laughed as he grasped my cheeks between his big hands. “If you play your cards right, I may try for second.” He pulled my lips down to his and showed me what a proper first date make out session in a dark living room was really like. And he definitely got to second.
* * *
Sunlight illuminated my living room when I woke the next morning. I sat up from my sofa and scrubbed my palms over my scratchy eyes. Drew was gone. I faintly recalled him slipping out from beneath me at some point during the night and whispering goodnight. I’d been too exhausted to object, having only been home from the hospital for less than twenty-four hours.
I glanced toward the kitchen, hoping there wasn’t much to clean up. But it was spotless, except for a piece of paper leaned up against the bag of gummy worms on the island.
I pushed myself up and hobbled to one of the kitchen stools. I lowered myself down and picked up the paper, noticing what had to be Drew’s handwriting.
Thank you for a memorable first date. I completely underestimated the power of a cuddle. I want to see you again. I’ll call.
My heart pitter-pattered against my chest and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop the smile that turned up my lips.
I spent the remainder of the day in sweats and a T-shirt on my sofa. Logan had a date, so I knew I’d be staying home alone. Drew hadn’t made good on his promise to call yet. I wondered if he planned to make me wait, like I did to him.
I grabbed my phone from the coffee table and scrolled through my contacts until I came to his name. I could wait it out and sit there thinking about him, or just call and get to talk to him like I really wanted to. It didn’t have to be a game. He’d been serious when he told me he wanted to call me. He’d even shown up at my place to drive the point home. So why wait?
My thumbs tapped away at the screen. A text was safe. If he was busy, I wouldn’t be interrupting him. If he wasn’t, he could just call me back. Just wanted to say thanks for last night. Dinner. Gummy worms. Cuddling. You’re better than you give yourself credit for.
I hit send.
No more than a minute passed before my phone buzzed. Can you be ready at ten a.m.?
* * *
The sun sat high in the clear sky as I stared out the passenger window of Drew’s truck. He hadn’t told me where we were headed, only that I needed to dress casually. I figured a cute pair of cutoffs and a tight white T-shirt worked.
“Here we are,” he announced.
My head whipped around as he pulled into an empty high school parking lot, parking near a gate leading to a football field. “What are we doing here?”
“You’ll see.” He switched off the ignition and hopped out.
I pushed open my door as he grabbed a backpack and my crutches from the bed of his truck. Meeting me at the door, he held the crutches while I grasped onto them and hopped out.
I took in the vacant football field as we walked toward it. “I take it we’re not here to watch a game.”
“Not exactly.”
“You planning on showing me some of your moves?”
“Oh, I think I could show you a move or two.”
I laughed as we neared the bleachers. Instead of stopping to sit down, Drew walked out onto the track surrounding the field.
The track.
My breath hitched as I hesitantly followed him out onto it. The rubber beneath my feet instantly transported me back in time. To the happiness running brought me. To the freedom it gave me. To the love I had for it. To the accident that stole it all away. My eyes lowered as tears glazed my vision. “Is this why you brought me here?” My voice was shaky, nervous.
“Partly.” Drew’s voice became soft. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” He lifted my chin with his finger so he could see my eyes. “I just wanted to give you a reason to get better. I can see now it was a terrible idea.”
I shook my head. “No. It just surprised me, that’s all.”
He nodded, his eyes averting mine for a long moment. “Come on.”
I expected him to head back to his truck, to take me far away from the painful reminder that I couldn’t run, but instead he walked out to the center of the football field.
I followed him onto the lush grass, my crutches sinking slightly into the soil. When I reached him, he was rummaging through his backpack. He turned and walked away from me, stopping about fifteen feet away. He turned back holding a football. “You up for a game?”
I dropped my crutches and dug my hands into my hips. “You don’t think you’ve got a slight advantage?”
“I can’t help it if I played college ball.”
“College ball doesn’t scare me. I’m talking about my boot. I’m not a hundred percent.”
He threw back his head and laughed.
There was something about that laugh that made my lady p
arts quiver—and my pride kick in. “Come on, hotshot QB. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
In true quarterback fashion, Drew pulled back his ridiculous bicep and released the ball in a perfect spiral, no doubt putting less of a zing on it than he usually did. I caught it between my hands and pulled it into my chest. His smile spread wide. “I didn’t realize a girl catching a football would be so hot.”
“I like to think I’m hot with or without a football,” I teased, equally turned on by the effortless way he handled the ball.
“Oh, you’re definitely hot, sweetheart.”
Unable to focus with his words swirling around my mind—not to mention stepping with a boot on my foot was no easy feat, I lobbed Drew a wobbly pass. “Why football?”
His head retracted as he reached out and caught the ball. “Why do I like it?”
I nodded.
He tossed the ball back directly into my hands so I didn’t have to move to catch it. “I like the rush I get on the field knowing at least six other guys are out for my blood. I like knowing I can’t be touched if my line just carries out the plays we practiced. I like the way my passes sail over the heads of the defense just out of their reach before landing in my receivers’ hands.”
My throw carried a little better than the last, but Drew still needed to shift to catch it.
“And as opposed to being the guy who pisses everyone off, I like being the guy who everyone needs out here to make things happen.” He threw back the ball. This time it stung a little, carrying some of the residual anger his comment evoked.
I threw him back the ball. “That’s right. I almost forgot you’re a reformed criminal,” I teased.
His eyes narrowed.
Uh, oh.
Without warning, he dropped the ball and charged at me, dodging around imaginary players as he set his sights on me. If I’d been steadier on my feet, I would’ve back-pedaled and tried to escape, but I wasn’t steady. Drew easily tackled me gently down onto the soft grass, settling his body between my legs and kissing me hard. When he pulled back, I could see the hunger in his eyes. “I thought girls like the bad boys?”
“We like them alright. We just know they’re not good for us.”
His lips lifted into that cocky grin. “Oh, I can be good for you.” His voice lowered. “Very good.” He leaned down and captured my lips, showing me just how good he could be with that tongue. And then some. When he pulled back, we were both breathless. “Why track?”
I blinked my surprise. Talk about a one-eighty. “Why not track?”
“Well, what is it that makes your life revolve around it?” He lingered a few inches above me, staring down with attentive eyes.
“I like that everything basically disappears when I run. I like the quietness in my head. My parents are gone a lot. They’re off following their hearts. I guess I just realized I needed to follow my own. I was good at running. And I was fast. Really fast. I knew it could take me somewhere. I never imagined the Olympics, but that ended up being my—well…was supposed to be my path.”
Sadness filled Drew’s eyes. If I looked closely enough at my reflection in them, mine would’ve looked the same. “Show me.”
“Show you what?”
“What it’s like.” He sat us up, turning his back to me.
“What are you doing?”
He glanced over his shoulder with a grin. “Giving you a piggyback ride.”
I tilted my head. “Seriously?”
“You scared?”
I shook my head. “I can walk—kind of.”
“Maybe I like carrying you.”
I raised a brow. “I’m not a little kid.”
His eyes zoned in on my bare legs before drifting up to my T-shirt stretched tightly across my chest. “Oh, you are definitely not a little kid.”
I gave him a playful shove.
“Come on.” He grinned. “Hop on.”
Ah, what the hell.
I slipped my arms over his shoulders, and in a single motion, he lifted me onto his back. I linked my legs around his hips the best I could with my boot on, and he slid his arms under my ass. He carried me over to the track, but instead of putting me down, he began walking around the outside lane with me still clutching to his back.
“What’s it like to be out here during a race?”
I pulled in a breath. Did he seriously want to know?
“Unless you don’t want to tell me,” he added.
“No. It’s okay.”
But could I accurately put it into words? It had been a while since I allowed myself to really think about it.
“It’s not just one feeling. It’s everything. The wind in your face.” I closed my eyes and let my head fall back, trying to replicate the gust I felt every time I pushed off the starting block. I inhaled a deep breath, yearning to smell the rubber beneath me. The sweat on my face. The landscape blooming around us. “The echo of shoes pounding off the track.” I listened. The repetitive clapping in my memories had been replaced by Drew’s steady footsteps as he made his way around the track so much slower than my pace during a race. “The desire to pass everyone on the track.” I thought back to my last race and the elation I felt as I passed the leader seconds before winning the race. I opened my eyes, envisioning runners ahead of us and us gaining on them. “The need to win at all costs.”
Drew finally spoke. “I think every athlete knows that feeling.”
I rested my chin on his shoulder, enjoying the view as we strolled around the remainder of the track. “Thanks for doing this.”
He shrugged.
“I’m serious. Thanks for bringing me out here. I probably wouldn’t have had the nerve to do it myself.”
“Yes, you would’ve.” Though I couldn’t see his face, I could hear the certainty in his voice. “I believe in you, Andi. You’ll do it. You’ll get back out here. No matter what obstacles stand in your way.”
I held onto him a little tighter as I released a sigh. “Maybe someday.”
* * *
I lay on my sofa staring up at the swirls in the ceiling. How was it that one part of my life was a complete mess while the other was getting increasingly better with each passing day? Every moment I spent with Drew, the more I began to see who the real Drew was. He didn’t need to take me to the track the previous day. No one told him to do it. But he did it because he knew it’s what I needed—even when I didn’t.
A knock on my door instinctively sent my heart jumping. Was it him? Had he decided to surprise me again? Did he come bearing gummy worms? Because between the two of us, I was sure we could’ve been a lot more creative with those things.
I sat up, using my crutches to move me to the door. “Who is it?”
I expected silence, but a voice answered. “Officer Roy.”
My body tensed. Why was he here? I pulled open the door to find him standing there in uniform.
“Mind if I come in?”
“Of course not.” I stepped back so he could enter, then closed the door behind us. I gestured toward the chair. “Have a seat.”
“Thanks.” He sat and waited for me to do the same.
“So what’s up?” I dropped onto my sofa and let the crutches fall to the floor.
“I’ve got some news.” His foreboding tone of voice did nothing to ease the unexpected tension in the room.
“Okay.”
“As you know, the driver of the vehicle that hit you endured some major injuries, severe enough that it took some time to even get a statement.”
I nodded.
“When we finally did, his story aligned with yours.”
“Was he trying to hurt me?”
He shook his head. “He said it was dark. He didn’t even see the guardrail until it was too late.”
My breath left me all at once. “He never saw me.” I don’t know why the notion hurt so badly. Maybe because it meant that my life was inconsequential. That it was almost taken without someone even knowing. Without even realizing another person wa
s there. Another person whose life could have been ripped away.
“Since your insurance covered your medical expenses, he’s insisting on paying for home care.”
“What? Why?”
Officer Roy shrugged. “Guilt, I assume.”
“Was he drinking? On his phone?
He shook his head.
“Well if it was an accident, I don’t want his money.”
“That’s up to you. I’m just passing along the message.”
“Did he ask to meet me?”
“No.” I could see in the way his eyes shifted away from me he was hiding something. “Said he already had.”
My eyes narrowed. My heart thumped faster. “When?”
He shrugged, his eyes still guarded.
I literally had to force the words out of my mouth. “What’s his name?”
He titled his head, assessing the way I nervously squeezed my hands together. “You sure you want to know?”
When his eyes lifted to mine, I held his gaze. “I need to know.”
He nodded, pausing for a long beat. “Drew Slater.”
The floor dropped out from beneath my feet. Weightlessness grabbed hold of my body. And just like that, the world disappeared into darkness.
* * *
Hours had passed since Officer Roy left my condo. He thought I might lose consciousness again, so he stayed on after his shift ended to keep an eye on me. It was totally unnecessary. It had just been the shock. The hurt. The confusion.
Drew knew.
I couldn’t be sure for how long, but he knew when it mattered.
What was I supposed to do with that? What was I supposed to do with the anger? The betrayal? The hatred consuming every part of my body?
A soft knock on my front door pulled me out of my head.
I sat up from my spot on the sofa and grabbed my phone. I’d called Logan. She was the only one who’d understand. The only one who’d help make sense of it. But she hadn’t answered or called back. It was just like her to drop everything and show up regardless of the time.
I grabbed my crutches from the floor and hobbled to the door. “Logan?”
There was a long pause. “Please let me in,” Drew’s voice pled.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as a million different emotions flooded my body.