by Tijan
“That’s what we walked in on?”
I nodded.
“He broke through?”
Gah. Those three words were everything.
I whispered, “He broke through.”
“Then I’m indebted to him. But if he breaks your heart, I’m going to troll all the Seattle Thunder social media sites.”
I looked back at him, flicking away a tear. It was only one. Progress. “As a good friend should.”
He grunted. “Damn straight.”
After a hug goodbye, I went inside, and not long after that I was through security and heading for my gate.
The flight was just as I’d predicted: the extra leg space was heavenly. And it might’ve been the reason I was buzzed off of coffee when we landed in Seattle. I only had a carry-on with me, so no stop needed in baggage claim. When I stepped outside, I wasn’t quite ready for the entire-building mural staring back at me.
Reese. Juan. Three more players in the background. Seattle Thunder painted in big bold letters—but it was the look in Reese’s eyes that drew me in. I mean, yeah, the chiseled jaw and his hair in a small fauxhawk—which was hot on him—but it was the eyes. They were piercing my soul.
Or the chest.
The arms. The narrow hips. The way he was turned sideways and I could see his ass and—honk!
A silver truck had parked in front of me. The driver had leaned over to the passenger side, and those same eyes were smirking at me.
Busted. He knew I’d been checking him out.
I had ovaries. I was supposed to.
When he hopped out, he had on the same disguise as yesterday: a ball cap pulled low over his eyes and a hood over that, but his six-three frame was drawing looks. The curse of the professional athlete. Their build alone had people speculating who they were.
He came over, grabbed my carry-on, and said, “I’ll kiss you in the truck.”
Right.
Two ladies were gawking, and a guy was starting to head over, camera in hand.
Reese hooked a hand in the back of my pants and pulled me to the passenger side of his truck. I climbed in as he rounded to his side, he put my bag in the back seat, and we were off. The guy had almost gotten to us, his camera in front of his face now.
Reese hit the accelerator, reaching over and tugging me so I wasn’t looking out anymore. He ducked forward as well.
We got down the ramp and he’d hit the signal to merge onto the interstate when his hand finally fell away.
“I think he recognized my truck.”
“I didn’t think that was such a problem for you?”
“It’s not.” His lips tightened a moment. “Usually. It’s gotten worse since my brother’s shit happened. He got someone to post bail—a sports fan of mine—and now a new story has hit the blogs. He promised the fan they’d get to meet me, and you know how that went down. The woman is furious and blasting my name all over the gossip sites.”
His jaw had clenched. His hands were tight on the steering wheel, and I heard the slight growl under his words.
This was the reason they’d come to our camp. This was the reason he’d needed to shoot hoops for hours on end that first night. His anger was back.
As Reese turned the steering wheel to exit, I glimpsed his bicep bulging through his sweatshirt. There was a rigidness there that hadn’t been present in Minnesota.
I reacted without thinking, catching his hand and pulling it to my lap.
He glanced over, but didn’t pull away or say anything.
I began to rub at the base of his thumb. It was rock hard.
He bit out a groan. “Jesus, that feels good.”
“That’s all stress.”
Another grunt. “Tell me about it.” His eyes fluttered a second, and he seemed to shake himself loose. “Wait. No. Tell me about it. Tell me about your flight. Your dinner. How’s the infamous Janet? Am I ever going to meet her?” He managed a crooked smile.
I filled him in: A caffeine buzz. Okay. Same. And no.
His laugh was a low baritone. “That’s it? You’re not going into any more detail?”
I shook my head. “Nope. My turn of being the center of attention was, like, five states ago. We’re in your territory now.” I kept rubbing over his thumb. “Fill me in on what’s going on with your brother.”
His hand jerked, but he kept it in mine. “It’s a shit show. That’s all I can say.”
“So tell me.”
He cursed, pulling his hand away and rubbing it over his jaw. “I don’t really want to talk about it, to be honest.”
I tried not to feel dejected. I was mostly failing. “I told you about my stuff.”
“And I told you mine.”
“You gave me the bulletproof version. The stuff that’s in the past and not affecting you.” I eyed his hand, but he switched his grip on the wheel, his left hand going to his leg now. “What’s affecting you now?” I murmured.
“Charlie.” He gentled his voice. “I don’t want to be a dick, but I spent all fucking evening on the phone with people about Roman. You’re here.” His hand covered mine again, squeezing. “And I didn’t kiss you at the airport.” He glanced over, his eyes darting to my mouth. “I’m more pissed about the camera guy now.”
He was lying.
I recognized the signs. Distraction. Smoothing things over. A more cheerful tone. Bullshitology 101, and I’d become damned good at it.
Feeling a pang in my chest, I said, “Look, full transparency? You’re full of shit.”
His head whipped back to mine, just for a second before returning to the road.
I didn’t touch his hand, and he didn’t move it away.
“You pushed through my walls. You dug inside when I didn’t want to talk, and then you poured out your baggage. We chose to be more than friends. That means real conversations like this.”
My chest tightened as I flashed back to Damian’s temper. My teeth began to grind together. “I won’t be anything with a guy unless he gives as much as I do. That’s my rule. And yeah, that’s friendship too, I guess, but most definitely a guy I’m fucking. You open up, at least a little, and we’re good. I opened up last time. Remember?”
Damian would’ve turned the tables, made me the bad guy for pushing. He’d be the victim… I felt like a rock, entirely on edge as I waited for Reese to blast me. My eyes were closed, my nails digging in my jeans when he let out a soft curse.
His hand took mine, tugging it to his lap. “Fuck. Is that what he did to you?”
“What?” My voice had gone hoarse.
“I was a dick, and a second later your entire body froze up. You said your piece, and now it’s like you’re expecting me to start beating you or something.”
He was right.
I knew he was right. I had thought it too, prepared for it, but hearing it come out of someone else, that was different. The impact was smack in the middle of my chest.
“I…”
“Did he?” His question was biting.
I flinched.
“Hey.” His hand squeezed mine, let go, squeezed again. Over and over. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it came out. Just…” He was fighting for control. “You’re right. You’re completely right, and I was being an asshole. You called me out on it, and I like that you did that. But…fuck. Did he hurt you because you did that to him?”
Tears dripped down my cheeks.
I was really sick of feeling this way.
“He didn’t physically hurt me, but yes. I’d call him on things, and he’d twist it. I was always the wrong one, until I just stopped talking.”
He wore me down. That was the truth, and that gaping hole was back inside of me.
I tugged my hand away, turned to the window, and pulled my feet up on the seat—folding in on myself, my go-to. If I could’ve gone into a fetal position, I would’ve.
“Hey. Hey.” Reese reached over, taking an exit. His hand touched my leg, softly rubbing back and forth. “I’m sorry, okay
? My brother shit? It’s just that: a shit show. I’m sorry for being short.”
“I don’t care if you’re short. Honestly. Just…”
We were back here. I was pushing, or prompting, and scared to do that. But that’s what was normal, right? Or was I wrong?
I started laughing, wiping away the tears. “I don’t know how to do this, whatever this is.” I motioned between us. “I went from a seven-year relationship to a three-month regret. Now I’m here, and…” It wasn’t the same, so not the same. “Is this healthy?”
Reese slowed at the intersection, taking a right. We were pulling away from the city, moving onto a road that wound along the shoreline. It was gorgeous. Trees. Long stems of grass sticking up in the air. White tree limbs on the ground. Rocks.
I thought Minnesota was pretty, but this was different. It has a more majestic, grander feel to it. Larger.
“My house isn’t too far ahead,” Reese said. “Traffic normally sucks here, but we got lucky today.”
“That’s nice.”
We’d been on the interstate for most of the trip, but now on the smaller roads, I felt a calm settling into my bones. It didn’t make sense, though I wasn’t going to fight it or try to explain. Watching the ocean, the waves rippling over the surface, I was struck by the vastness.
“We have lakes where I live. They’re pretty and calming, but they’re small.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I wasn’t at all sure what I was saying. “You know there are boundaries. Your danger is more from drowning, not being pulled away by an undercurrent and taken out to sea.”
But despite the danger, there was something freeing about driving along the shore. And just like that, I knew I wasn’t talking about the different bodies of water.
Damian was a lake. He had made me feel trapped. Caged in.
Reese was this shoreline, the edge of something new, something freeing.
“You okay?” He slowed the truck, turning onto another road.
We moved away from the shoreline to drive past houses now.
“Yeah.” The word caught in my throat. “So. Roman…” My voice squeaked, and I smoothed my one hand down my leg. “You share now.”
He grinned, glancing over. “Need a subject change?”
“Drastically.”
“Fair enough.” He inclined his head. “But we’re almost to my place, and you’ll see for yourself.”
“What?” Did he mean…?
“No!” He must’ve read my thoughts. “No, no. I’d never let my brother into my place, but I have to warn you that once we get to the house, you’ll have a front-row seat to the Roman Show. One of my lawyers is coming over, my agent, my manager, a rep from the team. We have a game today, so they’re all coming over for a powwow on how to handle everything. Roman’s supposedly trying to come to the game tonight.”
“No.”
Another jaw clench. “Yes.”
Then we were slowing. He reached over, touched a button, and a wrought-iron gate started to open.
I was dumbstruck—fitting, because I’d forgotten who exactly Reese was. I knew, but I didn’t know. And him being rich was one thing I’d definitely forgotten.
I was looking at a three-building lot. Five-stall garage to one side. The main house was a giant square with arched posts around the door. Another building sat to the other side, a smaller one, and I could see the bright blue of a pool just beyond, nestled among lush green lawns.
Reese pulled up in front of the main house, saw me, and snorted. “Come on. And you’ve got drool coming down the side of your mouth.”
Drooling. He wasn’t exaggerating.
“Coming.”
And I think I really was, which was awkward. I walked to the door, my legs pressed together, a grimace on my face.
• • •
Once inside, Reese hauled me up, his mouth on mine. And—oh! Oh.
Lust and pleasure trailed down my spine, making me shiver, and he wasted no time. Carrying me straight through his house, he took me to his bedroom, and we were writhing naked in no time. He entered me—a hurried, desperate edge to him that I hadn’t felt at my place or at camp—and then it was lights out. My mind stopped working.
“God.” He dropped a kiss to my bare shoulder after we’d both climaxed. “I really love being in you.” He thrust one last time before sliding back out and collapsing to his back.
I… Yep. No words.
A speeding horse had come along, plucked me up, and taken me on a twisted pathway over a mountain’s edge. Exhilarated and worked over completely—that’s how I was feeling.
“Reese.” I was blind. The orgasm had taken my sight. I threw my arm out, patting for his hand until he chuckled and took it. “You broke the he-girl. My spine. I can’t see. I’m wrecked.”
There was a buzzing in the house, and he groaned as he sat up. “Hey.” He tapped my chin.
I opened my eyes—that’s why I couldn’t see. And I grinned up at him, knowing my smile was akin to a wasted sailor’s. “Hey there.”
He gave a short chuckle before he grew serious. The buzzer sounded again. He looked over his shoulder, but turned back to me. “I’ll bring your carry-on up here, but take your time coming down. These guys are…” He sighed.
Buzz.
BUZZ!
He ran a hand through his hair, scooting to the edge of his bed. The sheet pooled over his waist, but I appreciated the corded muscles in his back.
He stood and looked back down at me.
His jaw was back to clenching, and my heart sank.
“Look—”
BUZZZZZZZ!
He ignored it, bending down so his hands rested on both sides of me, an apology already in his eyes. “Meeting you at camp and the time with you afterward has helped me. It distracted me from what’s happening now.” His eyes softened, and he smoothed his thumb down the side of my cheek, leaving a trail of tingles. “I don’t know how to say this, except that a guy’s gotta…”
He paused again, took another breath. His eyes flashed, a hardness replacing the gentleness before. “Being a pro athlete, you’re a professional. You have to be. This is my day at the office, and along with that comes lines I won’t cross, people I won’t let in, and I put up harsh boundaries sometimes. It’s a high-pressure living, and that means sometimes I’ll be hard, but not with you. Whatever you see from me down there, I’ll never be like that with you. I want you to know that.”
I nodded, speechless, as he twisted around. The buzzer was a constant now, and he pulled on some pants, cursing as he went out of the room.
I was dazed, from all of this.
He had kissed me like he was starving, then shoved inside like he was dehydrated. I loved it—every bit of it—but the warning? That had fallen to the pit of my stomach. What kind of guys were they that had come over?
He brought my carry-on upstairs just before his door opened and we heard someone holler, “Reese?”
There’d been no time to talk, and he’d disappeared after running a hand over his face.
I showered, marveling at his bathroom, then got dressed. It was an hour later when I was ready, and three more voices had joined the conversation downstairs. I couldn’t make out their words, but I could hear them. There was some shouting, curses, and low murmuring too.
“I don’t give a shit!” Reese barked as I left the room.
His bedroom was on the second floor. At the end of the hallway, stairs covered in white carpet swept down to the front door. I could tell they’d gathered in a room off to the side—probably the living room.
And here I was, not sure what to do.
I opted for going back to his bed. After making it, I lie down and dug in my bag for my phone and headphones. Barns Courtney had a new single out. I must’ve dozed, because when I came to, Reese was standing over me, a weird smile on his face.
“Hey.” I pulled the headphones off, sitting up.
A guy stood in the doorway, his eyebrows pinched togeth
er and a firm scowl on his face. He was trim, maybe around six feet, in khaki dress pants and a blazer. A Seattle Thunder pin was attached to his lapel.
“Who the fuck is this?” he asked.
Reese ignored him, saying to me, “You fell asleep?”
“Reese.” The guy stepped in the room.
Still ignoring him. “I have to go to the gym. Juan’s girlfriend is coming over to pick you up. She’ll take you to the game. You can hang with her until after.”
Jeez. I was being inducted to the girlfriend circle already? Not intimidated at all here.
“Okay.” I sounded cool and calm, not lying whatsoever.
Reese saw right through me. “You’ll like her. She’s like your friend Hadley.”
That eased a few of the knots.
The guy took another step, his hands clutching the ends of his jacket. “Reese!”
“What?” Reese looked behind him, a scowl on his face now.
There was the guy I first met. He’d warned me. He went from kind to dick in two seconds flat.
It was wrong to be turned on, right? A burst of flutters started in my chest.
The guy pointed at me, his finger jabbing in the air. “Who the hell is this girl? Was she here the whole time?”
Reese was cold. “It’s none of your business.”
“She could’ve overheard everything. Has she signed an NDA?”
Reese’s back was tense. He took a step away from the bed, partially blocking me from the guy’s view. “When have I fucked up?”
The guy was quiet. “Your brother—”
“That’s Roman. When have I fucked up?”
“You haven’t.”
“Then why are you acting like I just fucked up?”
The guy eased back a step, his tone a mild bark now. “Your judgment could be impaired—”
Slap! Right to my face. The guy’s invisible hand left an imprint.
“—and you’ve never had one of your women—”
A second slap, followed by a pow.
“—here before when we have business going on. It’s my job to look out for you.”
“Yeah. Look out for me, not assume I’ve completely lost my mind.” Reese jerked his head toward the door. “I’ll be right out. Got it?”