Stone went in the next morning to the stadium, but he was back a little after noon. And he wasn’t alone.
I was in the kitchen, about to start making food, when in walked the cornerback and quarterback for the Texas Kings. I had a spoon in my hand and it dropped. The clatter seemed to last forever, and all the while, Stone and Jake Bilson and Colby Doubard stood there, waiting for the spoon to stop clattering.
I wanted to avoid watching Stone’s games last year, but the truth was that I hadn’t.
It was almost unavoidable because his team became one of the best last year, and they were already exceeding their reputation this year so far. Because of that, everywhere I went they were on ESPN or any sports network or channel in a bar, a restaurant, even one time when I was waiting to do my laundry. The desk clerk had highlights playing and there’d been a perfect pass from Colby Doubard to Stone on replay.
I was completely aware of Colby Doubard. All six-foot-three inches, two-hundred-forty pounds of one of the bigger quarterbacks in the league. And I knew this because they talked about it a lot on ESPN. He looked lean on television. He didn’t look the same in person. He was large, and after Stone, he was probably one of the best looking guys I’d seen. Ever.
And don’t get me started on Jake Bilson.
Black. Shorter, around six foot even. He and Stone were almost the same size, both lean. And those dark eyes were literally smiling while he was trying to hold back a blinding smile. I instantly liked him. I mean, after being speechless and being awestruck.
“Dust, this is Colby and Jake.” Stone did the introductions and both stepped forward, shaking my hand.
I was fangirling.
I wasn’t used to this.
Stone was hiding a grin. “What are you making?”
“Caesar salad with kale and salmon.” I had no clue more people were coming. I had no clue these two were coming.
I needed to start watching Stone’s games more. All that happened with my life, I was having another moment about what kind of world Stone lived in. I knew it. I saw the fans’ reactions, the blogs, but seeing these two other professional athletes in Stone’s kitchen, all three of them looking like they hang out all the time, my stomach was doing double time on the twisting, turning, somersaulting. It was just one big continuous loop.
“You want something else? I can make something else.”
He stepped closer, angling my phone toward him. His eyebrows went up. “You been doing some research?”
I flushed. “You like the pizza so much, thought I could make myself useful. Do some cooking for you. Unless you have a chef?”
He was trying real hard to keep from bursting out laughing at my expense. I rolled my eyes, knowing my face was resembling a red sea star. “You’re annoying.”
Yeah. He lost the battle. He burst out laughing, then hugged me to him, his hand rubbing over my back quick. “Never seen you like this. It’s cute.”
Jake and Colby shared a look.
I elbowed Stone away, fighting from dropping my eyes to the floor. “So, um, I can make more food. Pasta? I can do a healthy primavera. You have all the stuff here. I’m actually impressed.”
Stone leaned back against the counter by me. “I have a girl who comes in and cooks a bunch of meals for me every week. I gave her last week off ’cause you were here.” He turned to the guys. “You guys want lunch?”
The two glanced at each other. Both shrugged.
Colby said, “That’d be great. Yeah.”
Stone said to me, “Games start in an hour. We were going to watch some tapes beforehand.” He was eyeing all the ingredients I’d pulled out on the counter. “You got this? Or you need help?”
It was my last day before heading back to school. Minus the freakout yesterday, the concussion was fading. I was more clearheaded. It took everything I had not to break down and dig into my textbooks, embracing my inner nerd for a bit, but one more day. I was giving myself one more day, and I owed Siobhan a call.
So, trying to stick to that plan, cooking had become my outlet.
He was right. I’d pulled up trying to find what a typical pro football athlete food program was, and it was mostly healthy food, mixed with junk food. Stone was a wide receiver. I wasn’t sure, but I found a few programs for what a pro soccer player would eat. I was adapting one of those programs for Stone. Though, hearing he had a girl who did his menus, I wasn’t sure how helpful I’d be.
One day at a time.
I was finishing up when he came back to the kitchen. I was pulling out the baked potatoes, adding broccoli over the top with a sprinkle of cheese. His arms came around both sides of me on the counter, and he leaned over me, looking over my shoulder.
“That looks good.”
“Hmmm.” I turned in his arms, leaning back so I could see him face to face.
He smirked. “You have a crush on my teammates?”
“No!” I laughed. This was mortifying. “But I just wasn’t expecting the quarterback and lead cornerback from the Texas Kings to walk into your kitchen. That’s all.”
“I’m the lead wide receiver for the team.”
“I know, but you’re you. You’re Stone.” I smacked his chest with the back of my hand. “I don’t look at you like that. You’re you. They’re…them.” Lame. So lame, but true. My face was warming up again. “They’re superstars.”
He straightened, some of the amusement leaving him. “Colby was a third-round pick. Jake was second round. I was second overall draft pick.” He was back in my space, pushing me back, crowding me. “You know what that means, right? I was a first-round pick. One other guy got picked before me, and he was the Heisman winner. You understanding where I’m going here?”
I placed my palms on his chest, but he was like cement. He wasn’t moving. His heart just picked up pace and I got what he was saying. Still didn’t matter.
I shrugged. “What do you want me to say? I grew up with skinned knees and you teaching me the most efficient way to pick your nose. No. You’re not a big mega-athlete star to me.”
He barked out a laugh. “Shit. That’s embarrassing.” But he stopped pushing me. “I get it. Just, if you start getting feelings for any of my teammates, talk to me first. Yeah? Since you know.” He pushed his groin up against mine, grinding there a second.
There was a hard glint in his eyes, and his jaw clenched for a second. But his voice was teasing, and the grinding made me forget the first two reactions instantly. He forced oxygen out of my lungs, and I was coughing, a rush of heat exploding through my whole body.
My arm curved around his neck. “Jesus, Stone.”
He paused, his head reared back so he could see me better. But he didn’t move back.
I swear, if he had, I was going to climb up on that counter and lock my legs around his waist. My hand flattened on his shoulder, as if I could keep him in place. But he remained, then he was moving, but his body remained in place.
Both of us shared a grin.
“Someone’s awake,” he murmured, his eyes growing dark and wolfish. “Fuck.” He abruptly pulled back, sneaking an apple from behind me in a bowl. “This between us.” He motioned from my vagina to his dick. “It ain’t normal. You know that, right?” He moved farther back, leaning against a counter opposite me. “I had a girlfriend in college. A full year. I never felt this shit for her that I feel for you.”
Yep. Now my hands were tingling. He was sending shivers all through my body.
“What are you saying?”
He shrugged, but I still saw his jaw clenching again. “Just if you want to fuck someone else, talk to me first. If I’m fucking someone more than once, I don’t fuck another girl. No place for that drama in my life. So I’m telling you, I’m not planning on stepping between anyone else’s legs. I’d like the same appreciation.”
The same appreciation? Was he serious? Did he not realize how broken I was?
I swallowed over a knot, my hands suddenly clammy. “The fact that I’m standing upright as a functioning member of society is remarkable. Yeah. You and me, I get it’s not normal, but it’s helping me somehow. The idea of even thinking about someone else like that… I’m just standing. That’s my main focus right now.”
His eyes suddenly cleared, sobering. He stood from the counter, walking over to me. A sensual look moved into his gaze, but there was more. A predatory look, too. And I so felt like his prey, but I stayed. I waited. I watched him come, and I was trembling from head to toe until he was close enough to touch me. As it was, he didn’t, but I felt his body heat. That was affecting me in a whole different way, coursing those same shivers all over me, exploding.
“Good. I like you standing.” His eyes flashed, growing molten. “I like you in other ways, too, but I want you fighting the most. I need you to fight again.”
I swallowed. Noted. He liked me fighting.
Hearing voices coming, Stone stepped back. He was across the kitchen, eating his apple when Colby and Jake entered.
I was in the same room as two—alright, three—professional football players. Jared would piss his pants. Well, no, he wouldn’t. He’d act all cool, I’m sure, but I couldn’t wait to tell him.
OH!
I turned to Stone. “When’s Jared coming in?”
He’d been mid-bite of his apple at my question. “Oh. Uh.” He frowned. “Tomorrow sometime?” He shrugged. “Not planning on meeting up until after the game, though. Why? Georgia said you’d been talking to him. When are you going to talk to him again?”
Colby was listening, looking between Stone and me. His dark eyes sparkling. “Who’s Jared?”
“Yeah.” From Jake, a smirk on his face. “Who’s Jared?”
Stone gestured to me with his apple. “Her stepbrother. He’s flying in for the game tomorrow night. I’m getting them tickets.”
“Yeah?”
Jake leaned against the counter next to Stone, swiping his own apple on the way. “He a big Kings fan?”
Stone grinned, all cocky. “He’s a big Stone Reeves fan.”
Colby laughed.
Jake rolled his eyes. “Enjoy the spotlight now, buddy. You know Good Ol’ Bilson is gonna take it tomorrow night, right? I’ve got the tapes on Bolston and I ain’t letting him get anywhere. All those ESPN clips that rave about you and Colby, they’re going to be saying my name tomorrow night.” He nodded at me. “Your girl’s brother will be my number-one fan. Just see, man.” He winked at me.
“Yeah. Okay. You’re delusional.” Colby puffed up his chest, just as cocky. “Little dude’s gonna eat out of my palm. I’m the quarterback. I head the whole fucking boat.”
Jake snorted. “Right. ’Cause all those pretty runs Reeves takes into the end zone ain’t worth shit.”
“All those pretty runs come from my pretty hands.” Colby’s head was up and smiling. “I can do this all night long, baby.”
“Baby!” Jake hooted. “Who you calling baby? I don’t call anyone baby unless she’s under me, or straddling me, and even then—” He stopped, his eyes darting to me. “Uh. Sorry. I mean…” Then he shrugged, throwing back to Colby, “You want to get the right terms, baby. I’m sweetheart, not baby.”
“Really?!” Colby’s nostrils flared, but he had a shit-eating grin on his face.
Stone pushed off from the counter, coming to stand next to me. “Those two trash talk all the time. This is a snippet of the shit they say in the locker room.”
“All day, every day.” Jake held his arms out wide. He was bouncing on the back of his heels, as if getting warmed up for an actual game.
The oven beeped at that second, and I moved over to pull out the primavera.
“Damn.” From Jake. He leaned over me, breathing in the pasta. “That smells fucking good.”
“Looks fucking amazing.” Colby tapped Stone on the chest. “No wonder you ain’t been social lately. Got this to come home to now.”
Stone stiffened, his jaw clenching, but Colby didn’t notice.
Me, I got light-headed noticing that. I wasn’t sure why, but there it was.
He and Jake Bilson kept going back and forth, and as I finished with the food, Stone helped me. Plates were pulled out. Drinks were poured. He asked what I needed for the food, but I was done. We were ready.
After that, the guys insisted I plate first, and they followed behind.
I stood to the side, not totally sure what to do, but Stone came up next to me and motioned with his head. “Games are starting. You need me to bring your drink?”
I didn’t know if this was a ‘team’ thing, if I was ‘allowed,’ but as the guys headed to the theater room without hesitation, I knew they’d been expecting me to eat with them. Stone noticed my pause and put his plate on the counter. “What’s wrong?”
I shrugged, feeling all sorts of awkward. “Those are your teammates. You said watching the games was part of your job. I just figured…” I didn’t know what I figured.
No. I did.
I figured I didn’t belong.
I figured I was a secret.
The lines around his mouth tightened. “What you and me are doing ain’t anyone’s business. No. No one needs to know the details, but you’re a friend and I don’t do well with hiding shit. Lying is way different than just not offering information. Those guys don’t know shit about what I’m doing, and despite their ribbing, they don’t care. Every guy on the team has a situation, whether that’s family, a wife, or something else. We’re all just doing our jobs. That’s it.”
I wasn’t sure what to take from that, but I wasn’t something he was embarrassed about. I got that part.
“Okay.”
Warm sensations were filling my belly up.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I picked up my plate and went and watched two football games with the lead wide receiver, quarterback, and cornerback of the Texas Kings. Then once the quarterback and cornerback left, Stone scooped me up and I watched two more games half-lying on top of him.
All things considered, it was a fucking great Sunday.
