by J. H. Croix
Downside to being a professional footballer was the flood of women draping themselves about my teammates and me made it hard to be interested. I was immune to the usual cloying charms of women chasing after nothing more than a notch on their bedpost. Harper was different, precisely because until she kissed me, she’d seemed beyond indifferent.
When we walked into the restaurant, my eyes found Harper immediately. She was walking toward the table where Olivia sat with their friend Daisy. Harper’s hips swayed with each step. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, as it almost always was. She slipped into the booth, opposite Olivia and Daisy, and I extended my stride, determined to claim the seat beside her. Liam was so focused on Olivia—she was all he focused on in life aside from playing ball—he didn’t notice my attention on Harper. Ethan, however, did.
“Well, well,” he murmured slyly. “Look who has a thing for Harper.”
I elbowed him in the side right before we reached the booth. “Stuff it.”
I ignored Ethan’s choked laugh and smoothly slipped into the booth beside Harper. Ethan, being the solid mate he was, promptly slid in on my other side, crowding me against Harper. He might enjoy teasing a bit too much, but he was solid in every way. If he thought I liked Harper, he’d throw his efforts into smoothing the way for me. At the moment, I glanced to him and chuckled.
Ethan winked and promptly turned to flirt with the waitress. “Hello luv, bring my boys some beers. We lost and we need to drown our sorrows.” The waitress in question, an older woman with glossy black hair, dark eyes, and slim figure, grinned right back at him. “Coming right up.”
Liam glanced to our side of the booth and down to Olivia. “Scootch over, luv. If the boys can fit over there, I can fit here.”
Olivia, as besotted with Liam as he was with her, nudged Daisy in the shoulder. Liam sat down beside her and landed a kiss on her neck. Olivia, whom I’d liked the moment I met her, flushed. She glanced over to us. “Hi guys, sorry about the game.”
“Eh. We took it on the chin,” Ethan replied.
Olivia’s dark hair was tied back in a knot, which bounced when she nodded. “Right then. No need to dwell.” Her green gaze flicked to me. “Thanks for coming, Alex. I thought…”
Daisy cut in. “She thought you guys needed something to take your mind off the loss,” she offered bluntly.
Ethan threw a grin at Daisy. I glanced between them and realized they matched. Each had blonde locks and happened to be wearing green shirts this evening. Daisy’s brown eyes flicked to Ethan and away, a quick flash of curiosity I almost missed in her gaze. Ethan stared at her a few beats longer than usual, leading me to wonder what he was thinking. Rather than wondering for long, I glanced to Harper who was sitting quietly beside me.
I could feel the tension humming in her body and wanted to slide my arm around her shoulder and somehow ease it. If only I knew where it came from. Instead, I reminded myself where we were and ordered my body to behave. My cock twitched—because just being this close to Harper made blood shoot straight to it—but I managed. “Hello Harper,” I said as I waited for her to look up.
She did, and those bright blue eyes of hers widened slightly when they landed on me. “Hey Alex,” she said softly, her expression holding that careful control I’d only seen fall twice before—first in fear and then in desire. I didn’t ever want to see fear on her face again, but desire… Oh yes, I wanted to see more of that. I didn’t know how I knew it, but Harper had an intensity to her that made me know, just know, she’d be beyond wild if she ever let go.
Daisy said something, and Harper’s gaze snapped away from mine as she replied. I’d wanted to see her, but bloody hell, this was inconvenient. I’d underestimated her effect on me. I’d seen her around enough, yet this was the first time I’d seen her since she kissed me senseless. Oh, I took control of the kiss once it started, but make no mistake, she started it. Her boldness, hidden behind her controlled façade, nearly set me on fire.
The waitress arrived and delivered our beer. Liam ordered drunken noodles for all of us, declaring we’d love them. Meanwhile, conversation carried on around me. This was nothing unusual for me. I enjoyed my mates, yet never felt much need to talk. What I wanted right now was to be alone with Harper. Since that wasn’t an option, I’d take what I could have. With Daisy bantering with, well, everyone but Harper and me, I looked to Harper to find her blue gaze waiting.
My cock twitched again, and I ignored it. “Haven’t see you at the park again,” I said, promptly regretting my comment. I might not know why, but I’d wager Harper had no interest in setting foot in the park again if it meant she might encounter the man who’d made her freeze in fear from afar. I’d seen him again myself from a distance. Had we been alone, I might’ve considered approaching him. But the park had been busy with runners, walkers and the like, so I’d ignored him.
Harper shook her head, her glossy dark hair swinging to and fro in its ponytail. “I haven’t been. I, um…” She paused and worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Bloody hell. She needed to stop that, or my cock would stand at attention again. As it was, it was at half-mast every moment I was near her.
When the moment of silence stretched, I felt inclined to reassure her. “You don’t need to explain. I can guess at why you might not go to the park. If you do want to go, just tell me when and I’ll meet you there.”
I meant it, yet my words startled me. I wasn’t one to rush or push. No, rather I held back. I liked women quite well. I just didn’t like the publicity associated with trying to date whilst under the microscope of being a sports star. Back in London, I had some arrangements that suited me well. I could take care of my needs, leave women satisfied and keep it out of the press. It wasn’t what you might think. I don’t mean I paid women to have sex with me. Rather, I lucked into meeting a young widow who absolutely wasn’t looking for love, but she had needs, same as me. My connection to her led me to another woman, this one no widow, but in a chaste marriage—a quite public marriage. Once again, a woman who had needs and required the same privacy I preferred.
Before you go thinking I thought it was okay to bust in on someone’s marriage, it wasn’t quite like that. They’d married because they were best friends and for business reasons. In some ways, it seemed from the outside they had a better marriage than many people I knew. They respected each other and cared about each other. They just didn’t consider sex part of their marriage. Not a choice I’d be inclined to make, but not my place to judge. Since moving to Seattle, I was in a bit of a dry spell. A visit or two to London wasn’t quite meeting my needs. So perhaps, my cock had a few opinions on the matter.
Nothing with Harper was about simple physical need. Meanwhile, in the vein of pure physical need, Harper was like a jolt of adrenaline to my sex drive—she by herself was the magic ingredient. Did I say bloody hell yet? Because, dammit, I needed to get a handle on myself.
Before I could think to correct my offer, Harper’s eyes searched my face. After a moment, one corner of her mouth kicked up. “You’d run with me?” she asked.
Just that, barely a smile from Harper, and it felt like the sun coming out. Aside from the simple fact I enjoyed her smile, she had a delectable mouth. Her face was usually held tight, but when she relaxed, even a little, her mouth did too. Her lips were plump and full. I knew precisely how they felt under mine—soft, lush and mobile. She angled her head to the side in question, and it suddenly occurred to me I hadn’t answered her.
“I would,” I said.
“Oh,” she said, the single word coming out on a breath. I could see her pulse beating at her throat and wanted to lick it. Not now though. Not with the hum of conversation around us and the curious eyes that would surely turn our way if I acted on my impulse.
“Do you run every day?” she asked.
“Most days.”
“What time?”
“Eh, usually six or so.”
Her eyes were thoughtful and turned inward again. I could fe
el her thinking. “I like to run and so does Stanley,” she said suddenly. “If you tell me when, I’ll meet you there.”
I felt as if she’d handed me a present. I slipped my hand in my jeans pocket and pulled out my phone. “Here, put your number in. Password’s Queen34.” I said, handing it to her.
“You want me to just put my number in your phone? And you’re telling me your password? Are you out of your mind?” she asked, her surprise wiping that controlled expression off of her face.
I shrugged. “Don’t think so. I’ve got nothing to hide. Put your number in and I’ll text you in the mornings before I go. I run right by your building, so we can start there.”
“Trust me, Harper, Alex has nothing to hide. No naughty pics for you to find on his phone. Probably not even any juicy phone numbers,” Liam said with a grin.
Harper looked from me to him and started laughing. Daisy cocked a brow. “Wow, you’ve got moves, Alex.”
I glanced her way quizzically.
“Making Harper laugh takes special skills.” Daisy’s eyes flicked to Harper who was tapping in my password. “Is it that silly password that’s got you laughing? Why Queen34?” Daisy asked, her eyes swinging back to me.
“Because I like Queen,” I explained.
“The band?” Daisy asked next.
At my nod, Daisy grinned. “They’re one of Harper’s old faves, right Harper?”
Harper’s eyes bounced from my phone to Daisy to me, a slow grin stretching across her face. Damn. She could smile forever. I loved it that much. Only downside: my cock kept twitching. Harper’s smile, her real smile, not the polite one I’d seen before, transformed her face—her eyes held a wicked glint, her lush mouth softened, and a dimple appeared in one cheek. “True. Hard to find any band to compare to Queen, especially these days,” she replied before glancing back to my phone as she keyed her number in my contacts.
Harper handed my phone back to me right when Daisy said something else, but I didn’t hear her. If Daisy had been talking to me, she moved on, asking Ethan something about something. Harper caught my eyes. “I’m up early no matter what, but I don’t want you to think I expect you to meet me every day,” she said, a subtle flush cresting her cheekbones.
Oh, she’d be seeing me every bloody day now. Truthfully, I did run most days, so it wasn’t out of my way. I wasn’t ready to tell her I was bound and determined to see her every chance I could get now that I’d had a taste of her. Nor was I about to tell her I was determined to find out what lay behind her controlled façade. But I would tell her the simple truth. “Like I said, I’m there practically every day as it is. You’ll see me. Expect a text tomorrow morning.”
She nodded quickly and looked away, responding to something Olivia said. A bit later after we’d had our fill of drunken noodles and drinks, the impromptu gathering broke apart. Liam strolled out at Olivia’s side, his hand tucked in the back pocket of her jeans. The man was beyond besotted with her and didn’t even care to hide it. Daisy and Ethan had left a few minutes prior with Harper right behind them. I’d beaten back the urge to follow her. I returned to the booth to toss a tip on the table after a trip to the rest room and made my way outside. It had started to rain. There were many things I liked about Seattle, and while I couldn’t say I liked the rain per se, I didn’t mind it most of the time.
Tonight, I’d forgotten my jacket, so it was a slight inconvenience. Blocks from my flat, I wasn’t about to bother with a cab. I put my head down and walked through the rain. By the time I reached my building, my shirt was soaked through, but I felt refreshed. I stopped at the base of the stairs to my building and glanced underneath. A pair of eyes glittered in the light cast from the streetlights. “Hey Callie,” I said in greeting to the small cat who’d taken up residence under the stairs. I’d named her Callie because she was a calico and because I hadn’t thought she’d really stick around. Yet, she had. She’d been appearing under the front steps for two months now. My goal was to get her inside with my landlord’s permission already granted. But Callie was on the shy side. It had taken over a month to get her to the point where she didn’t bolt when I greeted her. I reached a hand under the steps and held it still. She carefully sniffed at it, but declined to move. It was damp under there, but she was out of the worst of the rain.
“What’s under there?”
The voice sent a prickle down my spine. I straightened to find Harper walking up behind me. Her flat was another two blocks past mine, so it made perfect sense she’d be returning home the same way. Yet, in all the time I’d lived here, I’d never seen her around. She had her hood pulled up over her head, the water running in rivulets down the sides and dripping on her cheeks.
I took a breath and eyed her. “A cat. She showed up a while ago. I’m hoping she’ll come inside soon, but she’s pretty skittish.”
Harper stared at me for a few beats before a slow smile spread across her face. Her smile was becoming a problem. I wanted to tug her to me and lay another kiss on those delicious lips.
Chapter 4
Harper
I looked up at Alex and fought to keep from laughing. This man, tall and so fit every inch of him appeared sculpted from stone, was trying to sweet talk a cat. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about our kiss—the recollection was seared into my body and brain. Yet, I’d somehow convinced myself in the intervening week that I’d imagined the chemistry between us. I’d been definitively wrong. The second I saw him, I was reminded he was like flint to stone. He struck sparks inside me that threatened to send me up in flames.
He stood before me, his presence strong and quiet. His shirt was wet and outlined every inch of his muscled chest and arms. He was all corded muscle and sinew. Once again, I wanted to lick him all over—he looked so deliciously sexy. I was used to being around athletes and generally found myself unmoved by them. As a physical therapist, my days were a mix of working with patients who were recovering from various injuries. When it came to the male athletes, they were so often arrogant, it was annoying. Alex was a different beast altogether. Despite his stature as a professional soccer player, internationally renowned before he ever landed in Seattle after helping his team in England win a World Cup, Alex was low-key. He conveyed an intense level of confidence, but not an ounce of arrogance.
I realized I was doing nothing other than standing there staring at him in the rain. With a mental shake, I dragged my thoughts off of their lascivious turn. “A cat, huh? How do you know she’s a she?” I managed to ask.
He cocked his head to the side, his mouth curling up at one corner. Oh. My. My pulse went from fast to racing and my low belly clenched. I’d thought myself permanently over anything resembling lust. Yet, all Alex had to do was grin and it felt as if fireworks had been set off inside of me.
“I don’t know actually. She just seems like a she. She’s never let me close enough to check.”
I leaned down and peered under the stairs to see a small, bedraggled cat nestled into a blanket under the bottom step. ‘She’ was wet, but seemed comfortable enough. I straightened and looked back up at Alex. “Did you put that blanket under there?”
He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Maybe.”
A small laugh sputtered out before I could stop it. “We’d better not let it get out that the Stars goalie is such a softie he put a blanket out for a cold kitty.”
Unbothered, Alex simply shrugged again. “Feel free to make fun.”
“Have you tried luring her out with food?”
He nodded, his brown eyes twinkling. “Sure did. She ate the food, but wasn’t coming out. She used to run off anytime I got close and now she doesn’t, so I’m figuring eventually she’ll come inside.”
I nodded just as a small gust of wind blew my hood back and sent drizzle pelting against my cheeks. A car rolled to a stop at the stoplight, and I reflexively glanced over, my gut coiling with dread the moment I saw the driver’s profile. In the shadowed light from the streetlights, the man’s face was illumina
ted. I’d recognize Joe Schmidt anywhere. This was now the second time I’d seen him in the neighborhood. I wished I’d known he lived nearby before I signed the lease on my new apartment. For the first time since he raped me four years ago, I hadn’t tried to find out where he was. I didn’t like thinking about Joe and had finally believed I’d made progress when I moved to a new place. I forced my gaze away and tried to beat back the icy cold anxiety knotting in my chest.
I pulled my hood back up and focused on breathing to try to stay calm. Alex’s voice broke into my awareness. I glanced up to see his eyes flick from the car at the stoplight where Joe still sat in his car and back to me. If he happened to notice anything, he didn’t let on. “How about some tea?” he asked suddenly.
“Tea? Now?”
“Sure. It’s cold and rainy. I’ll walk you home after.”
I couldn’t bear to tell him I didn’t want to walk home alone all of the sudden. As out of the blue his invitation for tea seemed, I grabbed onto it. “Tea would be great,” I said, forcing some cheer into my tone.
Alex slid his arm over my shoulders, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do, and guided me up the steps. Moments later, I followed him into his apartment. I knew he’d once shared this place with Liam, but I’d never been here. Until I’d encountered him at the park last week, I didn’t know he lived anywhere near where I’d moved. We entered into an actual entryway with closets on either side and a tiled floor, convenient given my jacket was dripping wet. Without a word, Alex hung my jacket on a coatrack by the door once I peeled it off. I followed his lead and kicked my shoes off before stepping into the living room. In the living room, a large sectional couch faced a television mounted on the wall with a cushioned ottoman in between. Beyond this area was a kitchen against the back wall with a half wall serving as a divider.
The living room had wall-to-wall carpeting of soft gray, while his couch was charcoal gray. The only dash of color in the room was a bright blue blanket thrown on the back of the couch. Alex glanced my way as he headed toward what appeared to be the bathroom. There were three doors leading off the living room. I ascertained the other two were bedrooms. Before I realized what he was doing, he’d peeled his wet shirt off and tossed it in a hamper just inside the bathroom door. Given his shirt was wet, this was the logical thing to do. Nothing wrong with a guy changing his shirt. Knowing Alex’s life as a professional athlete, I knew he was likely oblivious to changing in front of anyone, seeing as he did it day in and day out in the locker room.