Loving The Game (Thirty-Something in the City - The Lunchtime Sorority Book 1)

by Bailie Hantam

  Granted, what she proposed wasn’t what he wanted, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t turn out that way. Worst case scenario? She was right, and it worked both ways. They had sex and it’s nothing special and he gets her out of his system. Or, it could be the best night of his life and something grows from there.

  She was brave enough to put herself on the line. He needed to channel some of her courage.

  The girls’ farewell had started winding down about an hour earlier. Everyone had gone home and most of the mess had been tidied up. Tracey and Jill were cleaning the kitchen. Derrick was still picking up trash from around pool. Tina was passed out on the couch. Tyler was tasked with bringing Jill’s dad’s entertainment system back downstairs.

  He hadn’t spoken to Jill all evening. There were stolen glances that both of them pretended never happened. He’d caught her eye a few times, then looking away when they made eye contact. Was she embarrassed? He wasn’t sure why. She may have propositioned him, but he also put himself out there and she was the one who left him hanging.

  He was avoiding the obvious tension downstairs, that was how he ended up being the one to swap out the sound system for the second time.

  It seemed such an innocuous thing. He’d been in her bedroom so many times before. Both of them. Since Jill’s parents were divorced, she had her own space in two homes.

  Yet, it felt different. Being in the bedroom of a girl you were planning on having sex with was strange. Looking at the bed it would likely happen in was both a turn-on and scary as hell. It felt more intimate.

  He took the last of the wire’s downstairs. Tina was snoring on the couch. But the kitchen was nearly done.

  Derrick walked in with a full trash bag. “Outside’s done.”

  Jill was wiping off one of the counters. “Can you put it in the bin on your way out, please?”

  Placing the black bag at the door, he walked over to Tina and shook her shoulder gently. “Come, I’m driving you home.”

  Tina opened one eye, rubbing one hand down her dark face. “Can’t I just spend the night on the couch?”

  Tyler hoped Jill didn’t agree to that. Instead, his sister spoke up. “Tee, you’re leaving tomorrow. You need to spend some time with your mother in the morning.”

  Tina groaned and pushed herself off the couch. “Let me go rinse my face.”

  Tyler walked over to Derrick. “Can you take Tracey home?” He looked over at the girls. “I need to talk to Jill.”

  Derrick raised a brow. “Ty—”

  “We had a thing earlier.” He shoved his hands in pockets. “I just don’t want her to leave on a bad note.”

  It wasn’t that he was ashamed of what happened. Or what might happen. But whatever was going on between him and Jill was private. He didn’t want to share that with anyone.

  His friend nodded. “Tracey come. I’m driving you, too.”

  Tracey darted her eyes between Jill and Tyler. Tyler answered before she could ask the question. “I need to talk to Jilly.”

  She turned to her friend. Tracey wasn’t going to leave if Jill didn’t give her the go-ahead.

  To his relief, Jill gave Tracey a subtle nod. “Go. I’ll be fine. We’ve got some air to clear.”

  It wasn’t long before all three of them were loaded into Derrick’s little hatchback. Unlike the girls, who were flying to Cape Town, Derrick would be driving the day after. He was starting his second year at Cape Town University, studying to become a doctor.

  Tyler walked to the kitchen, watching Jill as she continued packing things away.

  She looked over her shoulder, barely sparing him a glance. “If you’re going to hang around, you might as well help. My mom’s shot glasses need to be put in that box.”

  Okay, he could pretend to be busy if that was how she wanted to play it. Eventually, there would be no more cleaning up left to be repeated and she’d be forced to deal with him. He finished packing all the shot glasses into their fancy container and turned to face her.

  With her back to him, he got to watch her in motion. The way her over-sized tank top moved as she lifted her arms. The armholes were big enough that it was no stretch to see her black bra underneath. The way her calf muscles tensed as she stood on her tiptoes packing clean dishes onto shelves.

  She turned to him and gestured to the floor. “Can you kick that footstool over please?”

  He eyed the stool on the floor then back to Jill holding a stack of dessert bowls. She was standing leaning against the kitchen counter, the cupboard above standing open. The very top shelf was empty. He guessed that was where the dessert bowls went.

  He walked over to her and took the bowls from her. Reaching up, he easily placed them in the cupboard. He moved her head forward as he closed the cupboard behind her. Her breath hitched as her forehead hit his chest.

  Standing that close to her he could smell the chlorine in her hair. “This is not how we end, Jilly.” He lifted her onto the kitchen counter and stood between her legs. “We’ve known each other for twelve years. You’ve been to all my games. I’ve been to your school plays.”

  It was while she was playing the part of Elle Woods in their high school’s rendition of Legally Blonde that he realized he was in love with her. Even looking ridiculous in that blonde wig, she’d still pulled off the role beautifully. Since then he’d struggled not to get tongue tied around her. That was when he invented their little game of one-upping one another into silence.

  Yet, standing there alone with her, he didn’t feel tongue-tied and he didn’t want to outdo her. He just wanted her.

  She rested her hands on his shoulders, a small smile playing across those beautiful lips. “I wanted it to end differently. Remember?”

  He smiled remembering her offer from earlier in the day. How could he turn her down? Especially when it meant the potential for so much more. “We don’t end. Period. We’re too important to each other to let a misunderstanding ruin things for us.”

  He bent down, gently brushing his lips against hers. She didn’t pull away or show any hesitation, giving him the impetus to deepen the kiss. He brushed his tongue over her bottom lip, coaxing her to open for him, the softest moan escaping her. Her hands travelled from his shoulders to his hair, her feet hooking on his thighs, pulling him closer. He moved his hands up her sides and over her breasts, her nipples hardening through the fabric. His erection pushed at his fly but he didn’t want to push her if she had changed her mind.

  He pulled away from her. Her eyes were dark and glassy, the fact that she wanted him was a total fucking turn-on. “You want me to leave?”

  She shook her head. “I think we should go up to my bedroom.”

  Chapter 8

  Jill

  Present Day

  Jill exhaled as Tyler rolled off her. Of course, he was the best fucking sex in her life. Things would be too easy if he sucked in bed. No, Tyler had to be that guy she wanted more of. Because, heaven knows once was not enough.

  He lifted one arm to his forehead. His huge muscular body quite a contrast to her bright floral bedding.

  The cool air skimmed over her body and she immediately felt the loss of having his body close to hers. She fought the urge to snuggle into him. She was under no illusion as to what happened between them. The chemistry had been building for nearly two weeks. What happened was nothing more than two people giving into an attraction. Once they’d gotten what they needed there was no need to pretend anything else. Except…

  No, she was not going there. She knew Tyler didn’t do relationships, even if he wanted to take her out on a date. It would still have ended exactly the same way. With amazing sex. As for her, she was fine with no relationship. Inevitably someone would cheat, and someone got hurt. She wasn’t prepared for either.

  “That was amazing.” He propped himself up on one elbow. “You’re amazing.”

  “You weren’t so bad, yourself.” Sometimes it was good to be reminded that great sex still existed. She winced as the endorphin
s in her body left and her ankle started hurting again.

  Tyler frowned. “You okay?” He propped his head in hand resting on his elbow. “How’s the ankle?”

  Jill forced a smile. “It’s starting to hurt again.”

  Tyler was off the bed in a moment. “Let’s eat so you can take the meds.” He shrugged into his jeans. “Do you need help?

  Jill smiled. “I think I can manage.” She shuffled off the bed, pulling the sheet with her. It was strange. He’d just seen her naked and writhing, yet she couldn’t bring herself to prance around without any clothes in front of him. She moved tentatively over to her built in wardrobe. She’d made it halfway before Tyler was at her side, helping her the rest of the way.

  Her bedroom was small. It appeared even smaller since she insisted on having a king-sized bed in there. Add Tyler to the equation and it looked like it belonged to a hobbit.

  The bold bright colors probably didn’t help either.

  Jill pulled an oversized sweatshirt over her head and lead the way through to the living area. She cringed a little. She wasn’t exactly embarrassed by the size of the apartment. It was more that everything in their accommodated her size. Chairs with lower legs. Footstools wherever she had high shelves. Even the bedsitter couch was lower, so she didn’t feel like a kid when sitting on it.

  Tyler grabbed the food off the table at the door while Jill got plates and cutlery. He put the food on both plates while she put the kettle on and pulled down mugs for tea. Something about it bothered her. Not enough to say anything. In fact, there was part of her that kind of enjoyed the way they were working in unison. That scared her too.

  Jill picked up the remote to the television. It was after seven and she’d missed most of the news, but she could still catch the weather forecast.

  “Listen,” Tyler said moving the plates over to the small, plywood dining table. “Derrick’s not going to the game this weekend. I was wondering if you’d be my guest in the Friends and Family box?”

  Jill hesitated. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to support him. But she wasn’t that person. She was more comfortable behind the scenes. Being Tyler’s unrelated guest would draw attention. And Mary-Ann frowned on her staff in the spotlight. “I’m working. I’m assisting Mary-Ann with that match.”

  She took a bite of her sandwich hoping he’d change the subject. She needn’t to have worried. Her cell phone pinged with a message coming in. She looked around for her handbag finding it at the table by her door.

  She fished the phone and read the text message Mary-Ann sent her.

  “What the fuck?” She looked up frowning at Tyler. “My boss needs help coordinating a press conference at the stadium tomorrow morning. I need to get my car.”

  “What press conference tomorrow?” Tyler continued eating his sandwich. His face mirroring her confusion. “I know we have a team meeting, so I can take you to the stadium. But I know nothing about meeting the press.”

  Tyler fished his phone from his pocket. Before he had time to check his messages, the news announcer caught their attention.

  “And now the big news in Rugby today,” the blonde woman on the TV started. “James Ashe, Jozi Thunder flank was arrested this afternoon on charges of assault.”

  “Shit.” Tyler swiped through his phone.

  Jill listened as the announcer recounted what had happened. The rugby player had apparently beat up a man for chatting to his date. There wasn’t much detail since neither the police nor Thunder management were eager to talk. The police merely mentioned that they were interviewing witnesses to get a better understanding of what happened. Both the manager and the coach of the Thunder declined to comment pending the outcome of the investigation.

  “Thunder Captain, Callum Cooper as well as Vice-Captain, Tyler Beyers were both unavailable for comment.” The announcer finally concluded.

  Jill picked up her phone and texted Tina about her car, while Tyler got on the phone to… whoever he was calling.

  Tina texted back immediately.

  Tina: If you think I’m missing that press conference, you’re nuts. I’ll pick you up.

  Tina was a society journalist. If she wanted in on the press conference, the story was gaining momentum. And not in a good way. She let Tina know to just bring her car to the stadium. She didn’t elaborate on how she would get to the stadium.

  “Jill,” Tyler said slipping his phone back into his pocket. “I need to go. Team management wants to go over the strategy for the media. A player getting arrested isn’t something we’ve dealt with before.”

  “Sure,” Jill said. She wasn’t disappointed. She really wasn’t. “I get it. You have to go.”

  He walked through to the bedroom, returning with his shirt on. He picked up his keys. “I’ll be back here later. We’re far from done.”

  Her stomach did a flip at his words. And that scared her even more. She closed the door behind him. And sunk to the floor. What the hell did I do?

  ***

  Tyler

  Tyler struggled to keep his composure when his team manager announced that they would only take a few more questions. They’d been at it for nearly an hour. The press were ruthless. As far as they were concerned the team behavior had been building to the very situation, they were in. They weren’t wrong either.

  James had been in fights before and he wasn’t the only one. The difference was that someone was seriously injured, and the police were involved.

  He’d rather be anywhere except fielding their questions. Specifically, he rather still be in bed with Jill. He’d meant what he said the night before. They were far from over. After he’d returned to her flat after the team meeting, they’d had sex again. And then again during the night. And once more that morning. He couldn’t get enough of her.

  As soon as they arrived, she became the epitome of professional. She greeted members of the press with a smile. As if they weren’t out for blood. He could tell the ones she knew personally, since she had a word or two with them before they got seated.

  “Mr. Beyers,” one of the journalists said, standing up. Tall and muscular, with shaggy brown hair, he looked like he should be playing rugby himself, not reporting it. “Ethan Bell, Cape Town Star. Is there any truth to the rumors that your failure to comment last night was because you were covering for other teammates that might have been involved?”

  The guy was fishing, of course. Management had been over every rumor that had surfaced since last night and that was not one of them. “There is no cover up,” Tyler smiled. “No conspiracy. I was just visiting friend.”

  Saying the words left an odd sensation within him. He knew he was lying by omission. But it felt like more than that.

  The manager pointed to a woman close to the back. Tyler recognized her. He had a thing with Bianca one weekend a few years back.

  “Tyler.” She stood her bright smile telling him he wasn’t going to like her question. “Can you confirm that you were spotted with a woman at Sandton Hospital and that you in fact spent the night with her.”

  Tyler swallowed, making sure he maintained the neutral expression on his face. That was why management were so eager to invite the society columnists. If they could divert attention to the other players’ private life, they may just get away with ignoring the fact that the team had been heading for trouble. Callum had also had to fend off his fair share of inappropriate questions. Team members had been getting into bar brawls for weeks with nothing more than a scolding. But everyone’s personal lives were fair game.

  “I was here last night.” He looked Bianca straight on. “Preparing for you guys.”

  She pressed through. “Are you saying you cannot confirm that you were at the hospital yesterday.”

  Tyler’s lip twitched. She had proof. She wouldn’t push unless she could prove that he was in fact at the hospital. “I took a friend to the hospital.” Tyler couldn’t a chance look at Jill. Tina, who was sitting next to Bianca, did however. “She was injured. I did what friends do.
”

  The last two questions were directed at the manager before he called an end to the conference. The press were escorted from the room before the panel was escorted into another private room.

  Tyler spotted Jill talking to a few of the big wigs. He tried to catch her attention a number of times. She was completely at ease in the room full of top athletes and the rich men who tried to control them. Her black pants suit was tailored to show off every curve, and he was sure he wasn’t the only one distracted by those red fuck-me heels she was wearing.

  He was talking to Bill Jansen, CEO of the Jozi Thunder, when she walked passed him. “Jill, I need to—”

  “Not now Tyler.” She looked to be on a mission somewhere. “I’ve got things to do.”

  She stepped away from him when Bill grabbed her arm. “Ms. Sanders,” The older man said.

  Tyler clenched his fists. The entitled man held on to her, making it seem as if she had no other choice but to listen to him. Jill glared between the man’s face and the hand on her arm. Not acknowledging that he spoke to her.

  Bill let go as if she burned him. Or maybe he realized that the interaction was inappropriate. Either way, as long as he didn’t do it again, all was well. The last thing they needed was for the vice-captain to punch the CEO.

  “Yes, Mr. Jansen,” Jill said calmly. “What can I do for you?”

  “We’ll be needing a press conference after the arraignment on Monday.” Bill stuck his hands in his pocket. “It will probably need to be bigger than the one we had today.”

  “Mr. Jansen,” Jill started. “This is not a drunk driving charge where James was caught at a roadblock. He put a man in hospital. He is going to criminal court. And unless he has a brilliant legal team, that won’t happen before Wednesday. And even that’s not a guarantee.”

  Tyler suppressed a smile. She handled the man brilliantly. Bill was flustered. He certainly hadn’t expected Jill to counter him. And with logic and reason. That’s my girl.