Intended for Bristol

by L. P. Dover

  McCarthy’s jaw tensed and he winced; I couldn’t help but smile at his pain. He deserved it. Now that everything was over, I finally got a look at Ryan Delaney, his gaze narrowed and staring at me with contempt. I wasn’t going to let him tear our team apart.

  —

  After practice, Ryan and Blaine left without so much as another word to anyone on the team. The less I had to see them, the better. The room smelled like sweat and dirty socks, but it was expected after the long day we had in the heat. My shirt was stuck to my body and I couldn’t wait to take a shower and grab a nice, cold beer.

  “Thanks for helping me out there,” Derek mentioned appreciatively. He held out his fist and I bumped it with mine.

  “Anytime.”

  He took off his shirt and hissed when he rolled his shoulders. “I swear, that cocksucker better be glad he caught me from behind. If I’d have seen him coming, he wouldn’t be able to walk.”

  “You okay, D?” Evan asked, inspecting Derek’s shoulders.

  Derek ran a hand through his auburn hair and growled. “I fucking better be. Once I get some food in my system, I’ll be fine.”

  Evan laughed. “When you get to the tavern we’ll get you fixed up.”

  Derek glanced at me, his eyebrows lifted. “Want to come? Hayden’s working late again, so it’s just me tonight.”

  I looked at Evan and he nodded. “You can come too. Besides, you don’t need my permission.”

  “I know, but it’s your place and I don’t want to cause problems.”

  He shrugged. “If you do, I’ll just kick your ass. It’s pretty simple.”

  Derek burst out laughing, but I knew Evan was serious. We’d gotten into a fistfight before and it wasn’t pretty. It was the morning after he found out I had Lindsey, his ex and a former Cougars cheerleader, sneak into his bed to fuck him while he was drunk. Now she was in Hollywood trying her luck at an acting career.

  After we took our showers and dressed, Derek and I drove to the tavern. Evan was already there, making his rounds to make sure everything was running smoothly. The place was packed but the bar was vacant except for a sexy brunette, who was sipping on a glass of water.

  “Want to sit at the bar?” I asked him.

  Derek looked around and nodded. “Sure.” But then his phone rang. “Get us a seat and I’ll be right there.”

  He hurried out the door and I walked over to the bar, my eyes set on the long-legged siren wearing a short black skirt and blue top. I’d never seen her before because I knew if I had, I’d surely remember her. I took the seat beside her and she looked quickly at me with a smile on her face, but then it slowly dissipated.

  “Oh, hi. I thought you were going to be someone else.”

  “Ah, I see. Boyfriend?” I asked.

  She bit her lip and that sexy grin of hers returned. “Maybe. What’s it to you?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I just figured a woman such as yourself shouldn’t be sitting here alone. I thought I’d come over and keep you safe.”

  Her laugh made me smile. “You’re the one I probably need to be kept safe from. But no worries, I’m a master at jujitsu. I can take care of myself.”

  “Really?” I asked in awe.

  She winked. “Mess with me and find out.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed.” The bartender came over and I ordered a gin and tonic. For the first time in my life, I was at a loss for words. Before I could speak again, her phone rang and she answered. Her tone changed and she sounded completely professional.

  “Hi, Mrs. Gardner. Yes, I ordered the tapestries in cream. I felt it would go better with the color of your walls. Plus, it’ll make the room brighter, livelier. Then once everything comes in, I’ll have it all put in place.” She said goodbye to whoever Mrs. Gardner was and then put her phone away.

  “Tapestries, huh? What do you do exactly?”

  She took another sip of her water and laughed. “Nosy, much?”

  “I’m sitting right beside you. It was kind of hard not to hear.”

  Smile widening, she turned her body to face me. What a mistake that was. Her silky blue shirt hugged her curves and it took all I had not to stare at her tits. My dick twitched, especially when my focus landed on her soft, pink lips. I could just imagine them wrapped around my cock. Fuck, I wanted her.

  “I’m an interior designer,” she said, dragging me out of my fantasy.

  The bartender set my gin and tonic down and I took a huge gulp. I needed to get my mind off of her riding my dick before I made a fool of myself. “So, you go to people’s houses and pick out their furniture?”

  “I do,” she said with a laugh. “It’s actually quite fun. I enjoy doing it.”

  “Do you think you could help me with my place?”

  She paused with the glass of water at her lips. “You need help?”

  Placing a hand over my heart, I pretended to look offended. “Are you saying a guy like me doesn’t want a nice, decorated house?”

  “No, but this better not be an attempt to seduce me. I’m a professional.” Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a card and handed it to me. “And just so I know you’re not a psycho, you’ll have to schedule an appointment through my company. That way they’ll have a record of who you are in case I go missing.”

  I glanced down at her name on the card…Bristol Thomas. She worked at M&M Architectural Design, one of the most prestigious design companies in the United States. Not just anyone could get a job there. Bristol Thomas was definitely out of my league.

  “Now that you know my name, what’s yours?” I was about to tell her when my phone rang. When I looked at it, my stomach dropped; it was my brother. I hated it when he called me out of the blue, especially knowing that he was back at home with our sickly mother.

  “I’m sorry, but I have to take this. I’ll be right back.” I stuck her card in my back pocket and hurried out the back to the employee parking lot. “Brent, what’s up?”

  “Nothing much, just sitting here with Mom. She had a checkup today.” By the tone of his voice, I knew it wasn’t good. For months, we’d known that the cancer was going to get worse, and I feared the time had come.

  “What did the doctors say?”

  Brent sighed, and it took him a few seconds to get the words out. “The cancer has spread, J. It’s like it has exploded through her body. They say she doesn’t have long left.”

  Anger welled in my chest; it felt like I’d been stabbed in the gut. “How long, Brent?”

  “A couple of months? I don’t know for sure.”

  Leaning against the building, I gripped a handful of my hair and squeezed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. What are we going to do?” The thought of my mother going through all that pain made me so goddamn furious.

  “You aren’t going to do anything. Mom made me promise not to tell you.”

  “Why? Because she knew I’d come out there?” I snapped.

  “Yes, and she knows you can’t take the time away from practice. She was thinking of your career, brother.”

  My football career was my life, but it didn’t control me. My mother was my number-one fan and I wouldn’t be where I was without her. “Not this weekend, but next, I have a game down there in Tampa. I’ll be by then. And no matter what, I’ll get approved to take some time off.”

  “Sounds good, J. In the meantime, she’ll be fine. Just don’t tell her I told you anything.”

  “I won’t. Call me if anything changes.”

  “I will. Take care now.” We hung up and I immediately called my mother. She picked up on the first ring, her voice as vibrant as ever. How the hell could she sound like that when she knew she only had a limited time left to live?

  “Hi, Mom,” I said, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

  “Hey, sweetheart. How are you?”

  “Good,” I lied. “You?”

  “Can’t complain, just trucking along. I heard about your quarterback getting hurt. Is he okay?”

  “He has a bro
ken leg and won’t be back. We got a new one in today, though,” I said, growling the words.

  “Uh-oh, doesn’t sound like you’re happy about that.”

  “I’m not, but we don’t have to talk about any of that. It’s not important.”

  “Okay, just don’t get into any trouble. I know how you are with the people you don’t like,” she scolded.

  “I take after the best.”

  She burst out laughing. “Please, I’m the sweetest woman you’ll ever know.”

  “I know,” I murmured. “So how are things with you? Been to the doctor lately?”

  “Yep, everything’s fine. I’m aiming to make it to a hundred years old.” That thought would make me happier than anything. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t live to see sixty-five. Knowing I was about to lose her made me sick.

  “You do that, Mama. I still need someone to bitch at me when I do something stupid.”

  “That’s why you need a good woman.”

  I snorted. “I don’t date. You know that.”

  “I know,” she sighed, “but I can always hope.”

  It killed me that she’d decided to lie to me rather than tell me the truth. Maybe if I were a parent, I’d understand, but I doubted it. “Take care of yourself, now. I’ll be out that way to visit next week during my Tampa game.”

  “I look forward to it, sweetheart. I love you.”

  “Love ya too.” We hung up and I sucked in a deep breath. Looking up at the sky, I sent up a silent prayer, begging God to keep her here so I could see her again. For the past year, I’d been so wrapped up in my own life that I hadn’t visited her as much as I should have. The regret would forever haunt me.

  Reining in my emotions, I walked back into the restaurant. When I looked at the bar, Bristol wasn’t there, but Derek was.

  “Hey, man, I was about to call you. I thought you’d left,” he said.

  Shaking my head, I sat down beside him. “I had a phone call.”

  He stared at me and took a sip of his beer. “You okay? You don’t look right.”

  My gin and tonic was still on the counter, so I tossed it all back. “My mom’s not doing so well. Brent called and said the cancer has spread.”

  Derek sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Fuck, man, I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what that’s like. How long does she have?”

  I shrugged. “Don’t know. Brent says maybe a couple of months. I’m going to see her when we go to Tampa next week.”

  “I’m so sorry, J. I wish there was something I could do.”

  Closing my eyes, I ran a hand over my face. “Me too, but it’s something I knew would happen eventually. I guess I just wanted to believe she’d have more time. But in other news, I met one of the sexiest girls I’ve ever seen tonight.”

  He cleared his throat and looked away. “You’re not talking about the tall, brown-haired one with the short black skirt, are you?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  Turning his head, I followed his line of sight and almost fell out of my chair. “No fucking way.” Her back was to me, but there was no mistaking the cocksucker sitting in front of her; it was Ryan Delaney. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  Derek nodded regretfully. “They obviously know each other. I saw them hug.”

  “Well, fuck me,” I growled, watching them at the table together.

  “Dude, don’t you be thinking what I think you’re thinking,” Derek warned.

  My jaw clenched. “And what is that exactly?”

  “You already know, Reed. Don’t try to steal her away from him or do some stupid shit like that. You tried once with Evan and it backfired in your face.”

  “That’s because Evan didn’t deserve it. This guy, however, is another story.” I didn’t know what I was going to do, but Delaney’s arrogant-ass self needed to be taken down a notch or twelve.

  Derek groaned. “Whatever you do, leave me out of it. This is all on you.”

  I finished the rest of my drink and slapped the money on the bar.

  “I can live with that. I’m out, D. See you tomorrow.”

  We shook hands, and I could see the concern in his eyes as he stared at me. “Promise you’ll be okay?” he asked.

  My lips tilted up in a small grin. “You forget who you’re talking to. I can handle anything.” My father taught me never to show fear. I wasn’t going to start now. When I got outside to my car, I was able to breathe. There were people who pulled into the parking lot that recognized me, so I waved and smiled. Sometimes it was hard to be on all the time.

  “Jaxon Reed?”

  I turned around, and standing behind me was a good-looking blonde with a nice rack and long legs. She wasn’t anything like Bristol, but she was still easy on the eyes. “That’s me,” I said, putting on the charm. “What’s your name?”

  She sauntered closer, biting her lip seductively. “I’m Sadie, one of your biggest fans.” She ran a finger down my chest and pressed her body against mine. “I’ve always wanted to meet you. I heard your tastes run on the insatiable side. I thought maybe I could help you out.” Her hand cupped over my dick and I groaned. Maybe that was what I needed, to let out some steam. What better way than to fuck the shit out of her.

  “You think you can handle a guy like me?” I challenged.

  Her brown eyes twinkled. “Oh, I know I can. Want to follow me to my house?”

  “Lead the way.”

  Chapter 4

  Bristol

  “I can’t begin to tell you how much I missed you,” I gushed, reaching my hand out to grab Ryan’s. He smiled wide and squeezed it. His dark hair was a little longer than the last time I saw him and he wore it in messy spikes, which I loved, but it was his green eyes that were so familiar to me.

  “Missed you too, babe. I can’t believe we both ended up in North Carolina. Who would’ve thought it?”

  “I know, right? Maybe it’s a sign this is the place we’re supposed to be. Texas wasn’t offering us anything.”

  He scoffed. “You got that right. I couldn’t wait to get away from that shit hole.”

  I rolled my eyes and shook my head. He’d had it made in Texas, but he wanted bigger and better things. “Speaking of which, how do you like it here so far? How’s the team?”

  Lifting a brow, he peered at me incredulously. “I thought you despised everything football, Bris?”

  I waved him off. “You misunderstood me. I don’t despise the sport, just the guys you play with. They’re nothing but arrogant pricks on the prowl for some ass.”

  He burst out laughing. “And let me guess, you think I’m the same way?”

  I picked up the knife to cut a piece of my steak and then pointed it at him for good measure. “Oh, I know you are, but you’d better not let me catch you being a dick to some helpless girl. I get that you’re famous and you can have all the women you want, but eventually that has to get old. What if some guy used me just to get a piece of ass?”

  His jaw clenched and I liked the fact he was protective of me; it was sweet. Then again, I really didn’t want to imagine him being like all the other dirtbags I’d met from his last team. I couldn’t go anywhere with him without one of them wanting to get up my skirt. After a while, it became too much of a hassle and I avoided being around the players altogether. Those weren’t the type of men I wanted to associate with.

  “No,” he growled, “I wouldn’t. You’re my sister, and the last thing I want is for someone to hurt you. That’s why you’re going to stay far away from the guys on this new team.”

  His forehead creased as it always did when he was upset or stressed about something; it was something I learned to recognize when we were kids. “Today didn’t go so well?” I asked, curious.

  He sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Not at all. It’s obvious some of them don’t want me on their team, but they’ll just have to get over it. I’m there and I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Does being a dick help? You have a reputation for being a jackass,
but I know that’s not what you’re really like. Why do guys always have to be driven by their testosterone?”

  He snorted. “Women love it. Nobody wants a pussy.”

  “And we don’t want pricks, either.” Shaking my head, I took another sip of my drink, mumbling under my breath. “Men can be so stupid.”

  Ryan leaned closer and winked. “It’s because we have to put up with pigheaded sisters.” I tossed a French fry at him and he popped it into his mouth, grinning devilishly. “We’ve talked about me for the past hour, but what about you? How’s the job going?” Ryan may be an ass at times, but he was always an attentive brother.

  “Great,” I squealed excitedly. “I have so many clients and even more dying to get an appointment with me. I can’t begin to tell you how lucky I am to have gotten this job.”

  “You earned it, Bris. You’re extremely talented.”

  “Aww, thanks. I appreciate that.” I finished the last of my steak and fries and then polished off my wine. “Are you sure you’re happy in your apartment? You could always live with me for a while,” I offered.

  He chuckled. “Not gonna happen. I make more money than you, sis. Besides, what would all the ladies say if they came over and there was another woman? You’d totally ruin my game.”

  I held up my hands in defeat. “Okay, I get it. It’s probably for the best anyway. Now I can let all my boyfriends come over without having to deal with an overprotective ass of a brother.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Speaking of which, are you dating anyone?”

  “Nope,” I answered sadly. “It’s hard to find someone when you work all the time. Plus, all the girls I hang out with at work are married. However, I did meet someone at the bar while I was waiting on you.” I smiled, remembering the way those amber eyes had gazed at me. There were even specks of green inside them that made them stand out. I’d never seen anything like them. His hair was so dark it was almost black, and there were several times I imagined myself running my hands through it.

  Ryan glanced up at the bar, curling his lip. “Please tell me it’s none of them,” he said, pointing at the men who now inhabited the bar. I turned around, but he was nowhere to be seen.