Intended for Bristol

by L. P. Dover

  He glanced out the window and then back to me. “I went to school to be a mechanical engineer.”

  “What college did you go to?”

  “FSU. I’m from Florida.”

  “Nice. I’m from Texas. I earned an Interior Design degree out there.”

  Chuckling, he moved forward in his seat. “I thought you didn’t sound like you were from around here. I can hear the Texas twang in your voice.”

  I burst out laughing. “After a year of being here, I figured I’d have lost that by now.”

  “Nope, it’s still there.”

  “Mechanical engineering, huh? Who do you work for?” I inquired.

  “Myself,” he replied. “I design cars and motorcycles.”

  “Wow, I’ve never met anyone with an artistic ability like that. Have you sold any of them?”

  He shook his head. “Not yet, but I hope to.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  “If you’d like, I can show you some of my designs on Monday when you come by,” he offered.

  “That would be great. I’m excited.”

  We stared at each other for a few more moments until I couldn’t handle his amber gaze any longer. There was too much heat behind it for me to keep my wits about me. I wasn’t the type to fall at a man’s feet, and I wasn’t about to fall now.

  Getting up from my desk, I held out my hand. “Jack, it was so nice speaking to you again. I look forward to our appointment on Monday.”

  He stood and took my hand. It took all I had not to sigh when he touched me. His hand was warm, his skin rough to the touch. “Likewise. I’ll see you then.” He kept hold of my hand and then slowly let go. My skin broke out in goose bumps and I shivered. Opening the door, he glanced back at me once over his shoulder and then disappeared down the hall. Once I heard the elevator doors open and close, I shut my door and leaned against it, breathing in Jack’s cologne, which still lingered in the air.

  My cellphone rang, but I could barely hear it because it was buried in my purse. I rushed over to dig it out and saw Ryan’s name on the screen. “Hey,” I answered breathlessly.

  “Hey, you okay? You sound out of breath.”

  “I’m fine.” I laughed. “I was just rushing to find my phone before you hung up.”

  “I gotcha. So what are you doing tonight?”

  “Getting ready to head home. Why?”

  “Wanna come over for pizza? I ordered your favorite, barbeque chicken and banana peppers.” My stomach growled and I moaned. I was so busy that I had forgotten to eat lunch.

  “Great. I’ll be over there in about twenty minutes. I just finished with my last appointment for the day.”

  “Oh yeah? How’d it go?” he asked, sounding interested even though he had no desire to understand what I did for a living. My first and only thought went to the mysterious Jack and how Monday afternoon I’d be seeing him again.

  “Great, actually. I can honestly say I’m ready for Monday to come around.”

  Chapter 7

  Jaxon

  Before leaving for Seattle, I called my mother and brother to make sure everything was okay. So far there hadn’t been any changes in my mom’s health since the other day. She wasn’t doing worse, but she wasn’t any better, either. I felt like the worst son in the world for not being there for her. She fully supported my career, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty.

  Now some of the guys and I were on the way to our Seattle hotel to get ready for our game. It had been two days since the meeting with Bristol and I couldn’t get her out of my head. I knew that until I’d fucked her, I was stuck with an aching dick. And even then, I knew that once wouldn’t be enough.

  “Dude, why are you so anal? Did you not get laid this weekend or something?” Derek asked. Rolling my eyes, I glanced over at him and flipped him off. He burst out laughing and leaned against the steering wheel. Luckily, we were almost to the hotel, so I could get some fresh air. I had too much shit on my mind.

  “I’m sure I’ll get some soon,” I answered grumpily. Hopefully, the sexy brunette I planned on seeing Monday. I didn’t want anyone but her.

  Aaron and his boyfriend, Michael, were in the backseat, chuckling. Michael was Hayden’s best friend and her working partner at the veterinary clinic. Since she was working this weekend, it gave Michael the chance to travel with Aaron. Only a select few of us knew Grainger was gay and we kept it that way. He wasn’t ashamed of what he was, but he was afraid of what the others would say if they found out, especially someone like McCarthy. That fucker would rag Aaron until he was forced to quit and I couldn’t have that. Aaron was a damn good punter and we needed him. Being a kicker wasn’t exactly the most prestigious position on the field, but if it came down to a field goal winning the game, it was all up to me. I’d had plenty of games depend on my kicks.

  When we got to the hotel, we all separated to our own rooms for the evening. It was a Saturday night, but I didn’t feel like going out on the town. I was half tempted to call Bristol to see what she was doing. What if she was out fucking another guy? The thought made my blood boil. I don’t know why I cared, but I did.

  I ordered in room service, a sizzling filet mignon topped with crabmeat, surrounded by a load of garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. Once everything was delivered, I turned on the TV and sat on the plush leather couch in my suite. I never ordered in on a Saturday night, nor did I watch TV by myself. My life was the party scene, but ever since the news of my mother’s imminent death, I couldn’t bring myself to celebrate anything.

  The food was decent and I was just about to take a shower when my phone rang. Derek’s name popped up on the screen. “What’s up, fucker?”

  “I was just about to ask you the same thing. Were you expecting anyone this weekend?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  He cleared his throat. “Well, I was getting ready to go to bed when I had a knock at my door. Apparently, the girl on the other side had the wrong room number because she was looking for you.”

  Who the hell would be looking for me? “What did she look like? Did she give you a name?”

  “She kind of looked like the girl you went home with last weekend. I could be wrong, though,” he replied.

  Groaning, I ran a hand through my hair. “You have got to be fucking kidding me. Please tell me you didn’t give her my room number?” The line went quiet, and it wasn’t two seconds later that there was a knock on my door. “Fuck,” I hissed. “I am so going to kick your ass for this.”

  “Is she there?”

  Another knock sounded, this one louder than the first. “Jax?” she called out. I didn’t have to look through the peephole to know who it was. She knocked again. “Jax, it’s me.”

  I slowly retreated to the bedroom and shut the door so she couldn’t hear me. “Dammit, D, what the hell is she doing here? She’s like a fucking stalker or something. The front desk is going to hear about this. It should be illegal to give out room numbers.”

  “It’s not that bad.” He laughed. “She’s probably here for the game and saw you in the lobby. I’ve had people show up at my door once before too. Cut her some slack.”

  “I don’t want to cut her some slack; I want her to leave me the fuck alone. Most girls get the hint by now.” Better yet, most of the girls I’d been with knew what I was about and were fine with a one-night stand. However, this girl was taking things to a whole new level.

  “Why don’t you just tell her the truth then, but in a nice way?” Derek asked. “The girl obviously has a thing for you and thinks you feel the same way.”

  I walked out of the bedroom to the hotel room door, where a piece of paper was sitting on the floor.

  “She left me a note.”

  “What does it say?”

  I opened it up and groaned.

  “Hey baby,

  Some friends and I are in town for the game and I wanted to see you. I’m in room #365. I have a bottle of wine and I’m already feeling frisky. Come join
me and we’ll have some fun.

  Ready for you,

  Sadie”

  Derek burst out laughing. “Wow, that’s some crazy shit.”

  Crumpling up the letter, I threw it in the trash. “Tell me about it. The girl’s a fucking head case. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Just go talk to her and tell her you’re not interested anymore. You have to do something or she’ll keep coming around,” he advised.

  I didn’t want to see her, but it was looking like I had no choice. “Fine, I’ll talk to her,” I grumbled.

  Derek laughed again and wished me luck before hanging up. Again, I wanted to kick myself in the ass for being so fucking stupid. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and marched to the elevators. When I got off on her floor, I knocked on her door, hoping like hell she wasn’t there. Unfortunately, she opened the door wearing red, see-through lingerie with her blond hair down around her face.

  “It’s about time you got here,” she murmured seductively. “I was about to have to finish business myself.” Normally, the thought of any girl masturbating could make my dick hard in a second, but hearing her say it did nothing for me.

  She tried to pull me into her room, but I slammed my hands on the sides of the door. “I’m not staying, Sadie.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “Why not?”

  Here goes the truth. I’d earned many slaps in the face from women, so if Sadie was so inclined, it wasn’t going to be my first. “I’m sorry, but I’m just not interested in it. Don’t get me wrong, you’re sexy as hell, but I’m a one-night kind of guy. I don’t get attached.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped and crossed her arms over her chest. “I can’t believe you used me like that.”

  “No more than you used me,” I said in all seriousness. “I seem to recall you approaching me, not the other way around. You can only blame yourself for getting involved with a guy like me.”

  That seemed to stun her into silence and I took that as my cue to leave. That night at the restaurant, I would have gotten in my car and left if she hadn’t stopped me. All in all, it wasn’t my fault; it was the first time I could actually say that.

  —

  Derek and Aaron met me in the lobby, but this time Evan was with them. He nodded at me as I approached, and I was thankful it wasn’t a scowl. “Did you get the situation fixed?” Derek asked.

  I shrugged. “Fuck if I know. At least she didn’t come back down to my room.”

  “Do I even want to know?” Aaron asked.

  Derek slapped him on the shoulder and laughed. “Not unless you want to talk about pussy.” Evan stifled a laugh and Aaron rolled his eyes as we started out of the hotel to the parking lot. I hopped in the backseat of the SUV alongside Aaron, while Evan sat up front with Derek.

  “Have you ever had sex with a girl?” I asked Aaron.

  He slammed the door. “Yes, jackass, I have. I just don’t prefer it. Can we please stop talking about me? I’m not the one having issues.”

  “He’s got a point,” Derek agreed, glaring at me through the rearview mirror.

  I held up my hands in defeat. “It was just a simple question.”

  “So what’s going on?” Evan asked, glancing back at me and then to Derek.

  Derek was the one who answered. “Don Juan back there met a girl last weekend and gave her the ride of her life. Now she wants to slob on his dong. She showed up at his room last night.”

  Evan’s eyes widened. “She came all the way out here to watch the game?”

  I nodded. “Yep. The girl’s a little crazy in the head if you ask me.”

  “Do you not ever get tired of fucking random women all the time?” he asked.

  All eyes fixed on me and I averted my gaze to the window. “Sometimes. They don’t expect anything from me and I don’t expect anything from them. It’s just easier that way.”

  “Sounds to me like you’re afraid,” Derek said.

  I snorted. “Of what?”

  “Of finding the right girl. I think we all had these issues at one point or another.” Aaron cleared his throat and Derek glanced at him in the mirror. “Or finding the right guy. Sorry, Grainger.”

  Aaron waved him off. “No apologies necessary.”

  We pulled into the stadium parking lot and headed inside. Derek walked next to me while Evan was deep in conversation with Aaron. “One of these days, you’ll get tired of fucking around. When I met Hayden, she was oblivious to who I was and I liked it. I think that’s what drew me to her so strongly. We all want to be loved for who we are and not what we are. You’ll find someone like that one day.”

  That was easy for him to say; everyone liked him. I had a shady past. “There’s not much for women to like other than my dick and my money, D.”

  He slapped me on the shoulder. “And whose fault is that, I wonder? You’re the one who made a name for yourself. It’s up to you to choose who you really want to be.”

  As much as I hated it, he had a point. Unfortunately, my reputation was tainted to the point where no one could ever love me; it was too late.

  We got into the locker room and everyone was pumped. There were times when I wished I played a different position so I could get more time on the field. However, my strength was in my legs and in my precision in kicking the ball. I was determined to kick the longest field goal in NFL history one day.

  Once we were all dressed and ready for the game, everyone rushed out of the locker room except for Delaney. He hung back and stood by the door before I could get out, his face a stony mask.

  “If you’re trying to make a move on me, it’s not going to work. I don’t swing that way,” I told him.

  He didn’t even bother with a retort. “I don’t think we ever got a formal introduction.”

  “That’s because you and McCarthy are too far up each other’s asses. Forgive me if I don’t bow down at your feet. Anyone who associates with that dickface isn’t worth my time.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “The same thing could be said about you. I’ve heard about the kinds of things you’ve done to your teammates. Kind of fucked up if you ask me. I’m surprised they haven’t gotten rid of you.”

  I stepped up to him and he didn’t waver; we were going to have some issues. “They know I’m the best. You may think you’re going to run this team, but in the end we all know you’re not as good as Cooper Davis. I’ll be the one saving the team, not you.”

  His jaw clenched and I pushed him out of the way. I might be an arrogant ass, but I was nowhere near as bad as Delaney. He was going to be brought down a level, and I was going to make sure it was by me.

  Chapter 8

  Bristol

  “How’s everything going out there, honey? Are you making sure your brother is settled in?” my mother asked.

  It was late Monday morning and I was rushing to get home so I could change before going to Jack’s house. My first two appointments went by quickly, though I found myself distracted by thoughts of Jack. In just another hour, I was going to be alone with him inside his house. The thought of that thrilled me. I had no clue if he was married, but I hadn’t seen a ring on his finger. Not that it mattered to people nowadays, but I refused to think of a man who was married.

  “Bristol, you there?”

  “Yes, I’m here.” I laughed. “I’m trying to get ready for my next appointment. Your precious boy is okay. He’s settled into his apartment and he’s looking for houses.”

  She sniffled as if she’d been crying. “It’s so hard to believe my babies are so far away from me.”

  “I’ll come home to see you as soon as I can,” I told her. My mother had a fear of flying, and since we were so far away from Texas, driving was out of the question. It was always up to me to fly home to see the family. No point in telling her how you were more likely to die of a car accident than in an airplane; it would go in one ear and out the other.

  “Make sure to bring your brother when you do. He sounded a little
angry when I called him. Maybe you should set him up with one of your friends from work.”

  “Most of them are married, Mama. Did he say why he was upset?”

  “No, but I could tell something was wrong.”

  “I’ll give him a call and see what’s up.” I glanced at the clock and then rushed to the front door. “Mom, I hate to do this, but I really have to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “All right, sweetie. I love you.”

  “Love you too.” I hung up and jumped into my car. My house call days were the easiest because I wasn’t expected to drive to the office. Sometimes it was nice staying away from the craziness in downtown Charlotte. I had made the choice to live in a condo downtown, but I hoped to one day have my own place, with my own land, like my family did in Texas. I missed my horses and the ranch. There weren’t many places like that in Charlotte.

  I plugged Jack’s address into the GPS in my car and started on my way. He lived about twenty minutes away from my condo, in a city called Belmont. It was near the tavern where I had met him.

  Now that I was on the interstate, I called Ryan. “What’s up?” he said.

  “Hey, how did the game go yesterday?” I asked in greeting.

  He laughed. “Good, I guess. If you would’ve watched it, you’d see that we won.”

  “That’s great! Just because I don’t watch it doesn’t mean I don’t care. With my schedule, it’s hard to find the time to do anything other than work.” It was a good thing I enjoyed what I did for a living.

  “What all do you have to do today?” he asked. His voice sounded tired, restless.

  “I’m on my way to an appointment right now. Are you okay? You don’t sound right.”

  He huffed heavily. “I’m just pissed, Bris. I really want to kick some of the cocksuckers’ asses on the team, but I can’t. They better watch out, though.”

  “Don’t get kicked off the team, Ry,” I warned. “What happened?” Ryan had a temper and I knew if he got angry enough, he’d blow. Being on the Carolina team was the best thing that could have happened to him. The last thing he needed to do was mess that up.