by Debra Kayn
Chapter Fourteen
After making love and finally pulling themselves out of the bedroom, Angie’s shoe tapped against the hardwood floor in the living room. Gary leaned back on the couch and clasped his hands behind his head. He hoped his relaxed pose hid the worry he tried so hard to hide.
He’d finally done it. He’d slept with the woman of his dreams, he’d sealed his heart, he’d stamped his woman with a tattoo across her ass and claimed her. His chest warmed and he wanted to throw back his head and laugh himself insane. He finally had everything he’d ever wanted, and despite his life spiraling out of control, a huge part of him wanted to celebrate.
Making love to Angie was better than he’d imagined all these years. He no longer believed he was falling in love with her, he was positive he loved her. Two people couldn’t have that kind of reaction to each other and claim it was anything short of destiny.
He only wished someone would tell him what he was supposed to do next.
“We’ll explain what happened,” Angie said.
He shook his head. “Rules are rules. They don’t give a damn that our feelings are real or that we’ve known each other forever. You’re an employee, I’m a player, and the two don’t mix. So far, they haven’t found out you’re staying with me, but someone is going to notice you get in my car after every practice. It’s only a matter of time.”
“It’s unfair.” She crossed her arms and paced in front of him. “There’s got to be a way around everything.”
“We’ll wait until the season is over, and then decide how we’ll approach everyone. Your contract must be renewed every year, right?”
She shook her head. “Two years. I took a hundred dollars a month cut to guarantee two years, thinking I was doing the right thing to secure employment.”
“Ang…” He closed his eyes a moment, thinking twenty-four months of hiding their relationship—or worse, not seeing her—would kill him.
“Sorry.” She walked into the kitchen, removed a pop from the fridge, and returned to the living room. “I didn’t know at the time that we’d get together or—”
“I know.” He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. “We’ll play it cool. When you’re around the team, you don’t look at me, speak to me, or touch me.”
“That sucks.” She approached him until he leaned back, and then she climbed up on his lap. “What about riding together to practice and later to the stadium or the airport?”
“We’ll stick with the story that you’re a family friend who is staying with me until a condominium opens up near me. That's what you wrote on your employment paperwork. The HR department probably won’t question it, and the players will never find out.” He put his hands on her hips and dragged her forward.
She held her can up in the air to keep from spilling her pop. “No, I’m an awful liar. All they have to do is ask me, and they’ll know we’re having sex.”
“Okay, we won’t say anything. We’ll evade the questions.”
She perked up. “I still have my car in storage. We can go separately to practice. They’ll never know where I go when I leave.”
He grinned, leaning forward to nuzzle her neck. “Perfect.”
“We’ll keep it a secret.” She nudged him, and he pulled away. “This could be fun. They say the thing that attracts people to having an affair is hiding their secrets. It’s the thrill and mystery of it all. Only we’ll be the only ones who know we’re getting hot and sweaty when alone.”
He fell back against the couch and laughed. “Shit. Only you would go there.”
“Well, it is kind of cool. Once we tell everyone, and Drew knows…”
He groaned and grabbed her under her arms and set her off his lap. “Fuck. I need to call Drew.”
How could he have forgotten? The one thing that had kept him from going anywhere with Angie was the fact that he was best friends with Drew. “He better answer his damn phone today.”
“Wait!” She scrambled to her feet. “You can’t tell him.”
“Why not?” He held his cell in his hand. “I’m not keeping it from him.”
“Because I don’t want him to know.” Angie sucked in her bottom lip. “Not yet.”
His chest tightened and he dropped his arm. “What aren’t you telling me?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I just want to wait.”
“Two days.” He pointed at her. “That’s all I’m giving you. We’ll take the two days we have off, and decide how we’ll approach Drew.”
She nodded. “Yeah. That’s good.”
“This is a bad idea,” he mumbled. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”
Angie gasped, and the hurt in her eyes tore at his heart. He moved toward her when the doorbell rang. He looked between her and the door, knowing he had to explain how he was feeling.
“You regret last night? This morning? All week?” She spoke low, angry, and hurt.
“Yes…no.” He growled and looked at the ceiling in despair. “We’ll talk as soon as I find out who in the hell is at the door and send them away.”
Everything between them was going too fast, despite him wanting her for years. He couldn’t forget who he was and where their careers were going. She deserved someone who would be there for her all the time. Someone stable and family oriented. Not some playboy football player who came from a bad background who didn’t have the balls to take their relationship public.
He stalked to the door. Yeah, when he thought about having sex with her, he regretted it, because of the secrets she’d created to keep their relationship hidden. The secrecy, the lies, the hiding…none of that she deserved, and he had taken her there when he’d decided to give up and sleep with her. He was the one responsible for fucking up her life, and they weren’t even truly together yet.
He yanked the door open. “What?” he snapped.
“Hello to you too.” Bruce smacked the back of his hand against Gary’s chest. “I thought we were meeting downtown for lunch.”
Bruce, world champion bass fisherman, was one of his best friends. He hadn’t seen him since they got together in Cottage Grove a few months ago.
“Shit. I forgot you were flying in today.” Gary stepped back. “Come in. I can grab you a beer at least.”
Bruce walked into the condominium and stopped at the sight of Angie standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed. “Hey, I’m sorry. I had no idea Satchel had company. I’ll stop by next time I’m in town.”
He slapped Bruce on the back. “It’s just Angie, Drew’s sister.”
“Angie?” Bruce moved forward and held out his hand. “I think we met once before, right?”
Angie flashed a look at Gary, and turned to Bruce for the handshake. “Yes. At one of the clubs…I think the Blue Indigos were playing that night.”
“That’s right.” Bruce’s gaze lowered and took in Angie.
Gary cleared his throat and walked into the room. He handed a beer to Bruce. “Sit.”
Angie pointed to the hallway. “I’m going to change and go out. Have a nice visit.”
Gary sidestepped toward her. “Where are you going?”
“Out.” She nailed him with a look, spun on her heels, and walked out of the room.
He ran his hands through his hair, and stared after her. She had a right to be upset. What they were doing sent both their lives into a tiebreaker, and he’d fumbled the ball.
“Yo, I’ll leave…” Bruce set down his beer.
Gary turned around and shook his head. “Nah, stay.”
They both sat down, Bruce on the couch, Gary on the chair, and neither one said anything. Gary picked at the knee of his jeans. He should go talk to Angie. She had to understand they were making a mistake.
“Woman trouble?” Bruce pulled from the bottle. “I’m sorry for interrupting. I should’ve called on my way over here.”
“It’s fine. You’re fine.” Gary grimaced. “I’m the one that’s a mess. I don’t know what the hell I’m
doing.”
Angie stepped into the living room, gazed at both of them, and said her goodbye to Bruce, ignoring him completely. She quietly closed the door on her way out. Gary winced, feeling the click of the door as if he’d taken a head-on tackle. He would’ve preferred her to slam her way out, yell at him, tell him to go to hell.
A quiet Angie scared him.
“You want to talk?” Bruce finished off his drink.
Did he? Could he? He sighed. Bruce was part of Gary’s group of pro athlete friends—probably the only people in the world who would understand his predicament. Grayson Schyler was already married with a kid, Dominic Chekovsky was married and playing hockey in San Jose, Juan Santiago—hell, he never left his wife’s side long enough to have a decent talk anymore. Crista was…
“What’s Crista doing lately?” he said.
“Taking some R and R from the Ironman, but she’s still teaching her exercise class on the big island.” Bruce chuckled. “She called up to bitch me out a few days ago. Supposedly, she heard through the grapevine that I was seeing Barbara Delaney.”
“The actress?” He whistled at Bruce’s nod.
Bruce shook his head. “It isn’t true, but I let Crista go on believing the rumor. I figure in a few days she’ll fly over and explain to me how stupid I am. I’ll let her stew, just so I can hold this against her.”
“Cruel,” he muttered. “You two have a messed up friendship.”
Gary gazed at the closed door. Bruce at least had a friendship with Crista, and could withstand Crista’s temper. Angie had the ability to crush him.
“Hey, man, talk to me. You look like you’re in thick with it.” Bruce stretched his legs out and leaned back on the sofa.
“This goes no further than this room.” He waited until Bruce nodded and then confessed. “I slept with Angie.”
Bruce smiled. “She’s hot.”
“She’s Drew’s sister. Fuck, she’s practically family…the only family I’ve claimed and cared about.” Gary ran his tongue over his teeth. “Drew doesn’t know, and if anyone on the team finds out, Angie will lose her job. She’s working as the massage therapist under the physical trainer now.”
“Hang on. Did you screw up because you crossed the line and you’re playing her?” Bruce rubbed his hands along his thighs. “I’ve never known you to let yourself go and have a good time. You’ve always kept women at a distance, and stayed out of long-term relationships. Man…if you’re leading her on, I can’t blame you for being worried. She doesn’t look like your typical fangirl.”
“She’s not.” He stood. “And our relationship isn’t like that.”
“Then tell me how it is, so I can understand.”
Gary walked over to the window, opened the drapes, and then leaned against the windowsill. Nobody would understand, because he’d refused to allow anyone close to him. Even his best friends only knew what he wanted them to see.
“I’ll figure it out on my own,” he said.
“You sure?” Bruce asked.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
His feelings toward Angie were his, and only his. He didn’t want to share. He couldn’t. Because what he held in his heart was the one wonderful thing in his life that was given freely, and she’d never asked anything in return from him. “I’ll handle things.”
Chapter Fifteen
Angie parked her Chevy in the driveway and shut off the engine. Three hours after leaving Gary’s condominium, she no longer wanted to cry over the lackluster way Gary talked about her toward Bruce and his reluctance to move forward with a relationship. She wanted to kick him in the nuts.
She slammed the door on her way out, and marched up to the front door. Refusing to use her key, she pounded on the wood. If he wanted to treat her like a stranger after taking her to bed, she’d treat him the same.
The door opened, and Gary leaned against the doorframe. He did a full body scan, returning to her eyes, and his jaw twitched in amusement. Unprepared for his change in mood, she scoffed and stared at him in disbelief.
He wasn’t worried. Hell, he was probably enjoying the freedom of having his place to himself for the last few hours. She shook her head, nailing him with a shoulder to his ribs as she swept past him. Fine. If he wanted to sit back and laugh at her, he could do it alone.
She marched to the spare bedroom and slammed the door. Too ticked off to sit, she paced. She’d expected him to apologize at the least. At the most, grovel. He’d treated her horribly and embarrassed her in front of Bruce. He’d denied any relationship with her in front of one of his friends.
Not one of the players on his team or a coach or one of his neighbors, but one of his good friends who she knew he hung around with in his free time. Someone they both knew, and someone who wouldn’t tell anyone their secret.
The door opened. Gary filled the room.
“Get out,” she said.
“We need to talk.” He moved inside. “I get that I handled this afternoon badly when Bruce stopped by.”
“You think?” She rolled her eyes. “You might as well have stamped my forehead with the word ‘Done,’ and high-fived Bruce while I was in the room.”
“Done?” He rubbed his jaw.
“We slept together, Gary. Bruce could see that. Anyone who came in would’ve known I was sitting on your lap seconds before the door opened.” She glanced down at the front of his jeans. “You’re not exactly little.”
He chuckled. She glared. His amusement grew, and he tilted his head back and barked out a laugh before doubling over and grabbing his thighs, trying to stifle his laughter and failing. She snatched a pillow off the bed and stomped over to him, hitting him over the head.
He laughed harder.
Liking the relaxed Gary she was used to, she pummeled him harder to keep from letting him off the hook. He put up his hands, and she dodged to the side, changing hit zones.
“You’re an idiot.” She lifted the pillow over her head.
He tackled her around the waist, picking her up and falling with her toward the bed. She landed on a scream, kicking out her legs. His weight kept her pinned to the mattress.
“Get. Off.” She shoved at his chest.
He held himself above her and grinned down at her. “Kiss me.”
“Get real.” She heaved her body, but all she accomplished was getting her legs out from under him.
He slid between her thighs. She stilled. His hardness pressed against her. “Seriously? Arguing makes you hard? That’s sick, Satchel.”
He lowered his head and put his mouth below her ear. “You do that, honey. Whether you’re sleeping, laughing, or hitting me with a pillow.”
Okay, that was nice. Her midsection pulsed and she warmed.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I was rude earlier.”
“Yes. You were.” She swallowed, trying hard to ignore the way his body pressed into her in all the right places.
“The thing is, Ang, it’s going to be harder than hell to keep this secret, and I think we need to cool down. Think about this some more.” He lifted off her.
All the heat disappeared, and his words shocked her into staying quiet. The serious tone scared her. He’d once again gone from hot to cold, and she had no idea why.
“I need to know what you expect of me.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a sitting position. “What do you see happening between us?”
“What do you mean?” She straightened her shirt and glanced at him. “We’re together. You said you’ve always loved me, and I was more than clear that what I feel for you goes beyond friendship. I want you in my life. I don’t want to lose you.”
Gary leaned forward, taking her hand with him. She gazed down as he cupped her fingers between both his hands. “There’s a difference between wanting me and loving me, honey,” he said, quietly.
“I know that.” She laid her head on his arm. “I do love you. I have forever. You know that.”
“It’s not the same.” He leaned over and put his
head on top of hers. “I know you love me as a friend. You care about my wellbeing, my happiness, my success. This is different. It’s a whole different emotion because we’ve slept together.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not. It’s only better because we know each other that way. Don’t you see what’s happening? We’re together.”
“For how long?” he asked.
She pulled her hand away. “I just told you, we’re together now.”
“What, Ang? What comes next? Do you move in with me permanently? Do we get engaged? What about marriage? Kids?” He stood and stared down at her. “I’m not ready for those things, and I’m not sure I ever will be. I won’t make the same mistake as my parents or bring any child into a life that could blow up on them in a year, five years, ten years.”
“You’re overthinking this. Nobody makes these kinds of decisions after sleeping with someone for the first time or when a relationship is fresh and new,” she whispered, her heart breaking.
He walked to the door. Without turning around, he replied, “I do, honey. I’m not willing to throw away our friendship or my friendship with Drew to play with your heart or mine. I respect you too much, and until I know without a doubt that I can love you the way you deserve, I think we need to stop.”
“Stop?” She blinked furiously to clear the moisture out of her vision.
“We’ll go back to being roommates for the time being.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m sorry. Damn sorry, honey. I didn’t set out to play with you.”
He walked out of the room, leaving the door wide open. She stared out into the hallway, willing him to come back and explain to her what just happened between them.
She couldn’t lose him from her life. Her feelings had changed fast from friends to lovers, but she’d learned long ago she had to act before anything happened to ruin everything.
She jumped off the bed, and hurried down the hall. Gary sat in the living room, his head leaned back, his eyes closed, listening to his music, oblivious to her in the room. She reached over him and pushed the button on his MP3, shutting off his music.