Wild Ride (South Florida Riders Book 1)
Page 14
I chuckle. “Yeah, I guess. I just gotta keep her, dude. And come on…” I nod at him. “Did you see me play today? That girl’s not going anywhere.”
I hope.
AJ groans and stands up. “Went five minutes without being a total jackass. Almost killed ya, didn’t it?”
“Almost.” I smile to myself.
Elliot walks up to me. “Dude, you should have gotten engaged years ago if it was gonna do this to your game.”
“I guess, bro.” I shrug. “I guess it just means something different when you’re playing for, like, a specific person. One who motivates you to be better, who you want to be proud of you.”
Elliot clasps his hands together. “Never thought I’d see the day, Sterling.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “But yeah, uh, I’d say I can relate. My entire world, my game, my whole reason for everything changed when Asher was born. It sounds cheesy as shit, but family gives all of this…” He gestures to the hanging jerseys and our amped-up teammates. “A purpose.”
“You got the cute-little-kid thing down. Now you just need a woman.” I hang up my jersey and nod at him jokingly.
“Hah! Maybe after Asher goes to college. Seriously, though, dude, great game.” Elliot pats my shoulder and turns to walk away.
I sit on the bench and rest my elbows on my knees. I think of what it would be like to have a kid, a tiny little football star who would watch me play and want to be like me. Or like her.
Holy hell, am I really sitting here thinking about having a family? I shake my hair out aggressively. Relax, Sterling. Jesus.
Still, her green eyes would be pretty damn cute on a baby.
TWENTY-FIVE — Frankie
I don’t even try to wipe the smile off my face as I push the gas pedal and breathe in the salty air flooding into the Jeep. Boston was pretty amazing, and I can feel things with Leo are getting more and more real. I feel myself falling. I feel myself trusting. Every day, the fear fades away a little more.
He’s never ceased to surprise and intrigue me, and I can sense myself finally starting to let go of my hesitations, and something tells me he is, too.
My phone vibrates with a call.
Incoming call: Ryan Kingsley
I groan. Now that smile is gone. I’m on my way in. What more does he want?
“Hey, Ryan. I’m in the car, driving to your office as fast as I possibly can.” Okay, sort of a lie. “What is it?”
“Frankie, I am on an extremely tight schedule.”
Shocker.
“I know. You said you needed to meet with me at two. It’s one forty-five.”
I haven’t been in the office for so long, I have to consciously remind myself that this man is, in fact, my boss. And he will continue to be my boss after this season ends. And I will continue to hate him.
The thought of the season ending sends a little punch to my gut. What’s going to happen?
“Okay, I know, I know,” Ryan whines. “Just get here.”
The salty air isn’t quite as pleasant anymore. What could Ryan possibly need to talk to me about so urgently? Considering everything that’s going on between Leo and me, I highly doubt there’s an issue about our relationship seeming believable to the public.
My mind races through the possibilities as I pull into the parking lot of the giant office building in downtown Fort Lauderdale. I hop out of my Jeep and peer up at the glass skyscraper. The sun bouncing off of it practically blinds me.
I stride into the lobby and take a deep breath as I walk into the elevator and press the button for floor sixteen. Emotions mix in my stomach between nerves about this meeting with Ryan and excitement to be back in the office, even just for an afternoon.
I step out of the elevator and breathe in the crisp air of the quiet office.
“Frankie,” Ryan says quickly through a smile, which always looks forced and slightly painful.
“Hi, Ryan. What’s going on?” I offer my hand for him to shake, but he’s already turned away to rush into his office, waving at me to follow.
“Have a seat,” he urges, frantically clearing some piles of paper and shuffling them around the desk. “Well…” He plops down into his seat and folds his hands together.
“Yes?” I swallow and take a deep breath, trying to stay calm and push away the hundreds of ways this conversation could go flooding through my mind.
Is the secret out that Leo and I aren’t really engaged? Does he know we’re sleeping together? Are we in trouble? Am I fired?
He runs a finger through his thin, receding hair. “I’ll start by saying that you’re an awesome pretend fiancée. No one seems to really suspect anything. I’ve heard little shreds of rumors, because of how quickly it appears the two of you got together, but we’ve shut those down very easily.”
I try to hide the massive sigh of relief that falls out of me. “That’s great.”
“Yes, yes.” He wags a finger at me. “The two of you are quite convincing. The whole country thinks you’re just adorable,” he sings in a high-pitched, almost-mocking tone. “Most everyone believes you’re madly in love. Which is crazy. I honestly wasn’t sure if you two could even get along for the duration of the season. And Leo Sterling? In a committed relationship?” He snorts. “Wasn’t an easy sell, that’s for sure.”
“No, it wasn’t.” I fiddle with a hangnail and keep my eyes down. I don’t want Ryan suspecting that there’s anything at all going on between Leo and me. Based on this conversation so far, though, he still seems completely oblivious, which is good.
“So, that’s it?” I look up at him and shrug. “I’m really glad it’s going so well. We’re good at faking it.” My own words stab me a little harder in the chest than I expected them to.
Faking it. But he’s not. Anymore. And neither am I.
I momentarily let my mind wander to the night he told me about his dad. How he opened up and trusted me and how I thought there was nothing more beautiful than watching his walls come down before my eyes. I shake my doubt away. He’s not faking anything.
“Actually, that’s not it.”
Ryan’s sudden words take me by surprise. “Oh, okay.” I wipe my slightly clammy hands on my jeans, nerves rising again. “What else is going on?”
He clasps his hands together and presses his thumbs against his lips before speaking, setting his elbows on the desk. “An opening has become available in the office for a position as a full-time agent.”
My heart flips in my chest.
“I know you haven’t been here that long, and your work thus far hasn’t been exactly, well…” He nods at my left finger, still wearing the plastic ring. “Conventional. But you are a hard worker, you’re dedicated, and you know more about the game and the league than half the people in this office. The job is yours, if you want it. Which I assume you do.”
My hand flies up to my mouth, and I can’t help but smile like a little kid. This is everything I’ve worked for, right in front of me. And all I had to do was hang out with a hot professional athlete who ended up being really amazing and having serious feelings for me?
I peer out of the glass walls of the office at the skyline and the blistering sun and let out a giddy laugh. “Yes! Yes, I want the job. Thank you, Ryan. Seriously.”
Maybe the man has a soul after all.
As the butterflies and adrenaline are racing through me, I realize that all I can think about is how much I can’t wait to rush home and tell Leo. How he’ll pick me up and toss me in the air and kiss me, proclaiming his pride.
“All right.” Ryan pats his palms on the surface of the desk. “I’ll get started on some paperwork and have it emailed over to you.”
I shake my head. “This is unreal. I’m so happy.”
He manages about the most genuine expression of happiness possible for a man whose emotions range from upset to even more upset. “I’m glad. Of course, you can’t start until after the season. Things have to be publicly ‘over’ between you and Leo. Massive conflict of inte
rest, obviously, since he’s represented by this agency.”
Ryan’s nonchalant, oblivious afterthought kicks me straight in the gut. I feel the blood drain from my face and emotion rise in my throat. “Wait, what?”
He looks at me, confused. “What do you not understand? You can’t be engaged to one of our athletes. But that’s irrelevant, because you two are gonna have an easy little breakup at the end of the season. That was all part of the agreement. Besides, I bet you’re excited to get away from that arrogant shithead.” He adds a chuckle. “He must be driving you absolutely crazy.”
More than you know.
I steady my breath, shutting my eyes and trying to collect myself. “So…I can’t take the job if Leo and I are together?”
Ryan narrows his eyes at me. Any shred of patience has been thrown out the window. “Do you have short-term memory loss, Monroe? No, you cannot be in a romantic relationship—real or fake—with one of our clients.” He draws the words out slowly, clearly trying to make me feel like an idiot, but I couldn’t care less in this particular moment. “Is something wrong with that?”
I manage a weak smile. “No, of course not. Just wanted to be sure.” I curse the stinging behind my eyes and the sinking feeling in my stomach.
“Great.” Ryan stands up. “I’ll get that paperwork to you and check in in a month or so. I know there’s some decent time left in the football season, but I just wanted to secure this position as yours.” He locks his tired, dark eyes on mine. “You’ve earned it.”
“Thank you.” I shake his hand and practically jog out of the office and into the elevator. The doors shut, and I drop my head into my palms, not even trying to fight the tears that fall down my cheeks.
I walk out of the building and into the parking lot, breathing quickly and desperately trying to slow my racing mind. The sun, which normally wraps me in a warm embrace that feels like home, is suddenly oppressively hot and way too bright.
I get into my Jeep and let my forehead fall onto the steering wheel.
I shove my fingers through my hair and squeeze my eyes shut. “This is your dream,” I whisper out loud to myself. “This is why you came to South Florida. To work for this agency. To work your way up.”
Am I seriously considering turning down this opportunity for a guy?
“Not just any guy,” I mutter.
Right. A guy who will likely break my heart into a million pieces any given day. A guy who has every gorgeous, high-society supermodel falling at his feet. A guy who is remarkably like the one who permanently ruined me. Or at least I thought.
I draw in a shaky inhale, wiping runny mascara off of my face. There’s still a couple more months in the season. I have some time.
I put the car in reverse and whip out of the parking space, practically counting the minutes until I can see the only person on the planet who I know will make me feel okay. The person I have to give up if I want my dream job.
“There are other sports agencies. There could be other jobs,” I mumble to myself as I race down the highway, the possibility of staying with him bringing a jolt of hope to my heart.
I don’t know who I can ask for advice about this, because no one knows just how hard I’ve fallen for Leo. I don’t think I even knew, until just now.
TWENTY-SIX — Frankie
I pull the Jeep into the five-car garage, letting a smile rest on my face as I look at the Porsche 911 that brings a feeling of peace and certainty amidst the shock of the past hour. I remember the night Leo let me drive it to the bar downtown. How it felt like I was flying. How he didn’t take advantage of me that night when he so easily could have. My heart tugs.
I step out of the car and slam the door shut, running my fingers lightly over the deep-blue paint of the Porsche as I walk toward the door.
I enter the house and set my keys down, kneeling to greet Tebow when he barks and runs to me. I’m suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that, somehow, this massive beachside bachelor castle has become my home. With Tebow at my heels, I go farther into the kitchen and lean on the countertop, exactly in the spot where I completely threw myself at Leo. My cheeks flush with embarrassment, even weeks later.
I sit at the table in the breakfast nook, envisioning him making me breakfast in those stupid gray sweatpants. How he teased me without ever being mean. How he hugged me when I told him about my ex.
I wander through the grand hallways of the mansion, laughing about when I chased him around and made him take tequila shots with me my first night here. I find my way into his…trophy room? It occurs to me I’ve never actually been in this room.
How is it that he has never shown me the single most impressive thing in his house? Because underneath his cocky, competitive exterior, I realize, there is nothing but a humble, good-hearted man. A man who plays football and strives for greatness for his late father, not for the trophies.
I hold the toy Super Bowl ring to my heart. My eyes well up again as the meaning of the tiny piece of plastic hits me all at once, and I ponder the fact that he gave it to me before he even really knew me.
On the shelf between two giant, gold trophies is a picture of Leo in his high school jersey. The man he’s with must be his father. Leo can’t be a day over sixteen in the picture, grinning widely and giving the camera a giant thumbs-up. His dad has an arm around his shoulders, smiling proudly.
I lose myself in the photo for a minute, thinking about all the beautiful, interesting, and wildly unexpected layers of Leo Sterling I’ve come to know in the past several weeks.
“Whatcha doing, kid?” His voice from the doorway startles me. Leo leans against the wall, wearing his usual around-the-house attire, which has now become sweatpants with no shirt. I don’t even worry about controlling myself, because I don’t have to, and neither does he. “Tebow came and told me you were home.”
“I’m sorry, I was just…” I look around and rack my brain for a rational reason that would explain my sudden interest in his athletic accomplishments.
He looks amused, smiling and raising his eyebrows at me. “Mmm?”
“Snooping. I was totally snooping,” I admit with a slightly embarrassed laugh.
“Take it all in.” He gestures around the room. “I’ve got nothing to hide.” He throws me a wink.
I think about the fact that no matter how many times I’ve been on the receiving end of that wink, it still makes my knees weak.
I look at the trophies, the photo, and the man standing in front of me with pure admiration.
He studies my face and steps closer, wrapping his strong arms around my waist, which somehow sends chills through my body while also making me feel calm. “Something on your mind?”
“Just you.” Not entirely a lie.
I bite my lip and look up at him, running my fingers up and down the muscles of his bare back.
“Oh, I see what this is. You wanna bang in the trophy room,” he whispers and presses his head to mine. “A little risky with all the breakable shit, but I could be down.”
I just laugh and pull his hips against me, kissing him softly, sparks igniting all around us.
Leo cups my face with his hand, deepening the kiss and making every ounce of me feel understood and held and loved. I let myself melt in his embrace, every inch of our bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces, knowing each other inside and out.
He pulls away and looks at me, his brown eyes shining with adoration. I kiss him lightly and whisper in his ear, “Let’s go into the ocean.”
He draws back and looks at me with a laugh and exaggerated shock. “It’s four in the afternoon!”
I keep my gaze fixed on his, slowly smiling as I savor the closeness to him. “Your beach is private, isn’t it?”
Leo thinks for a minute. “Technically, I think there’s a bylaw about no beaches in Florida actually being private, but maybe—”
“It’s your backyard, for heaven’s sake.” I pull on his hand, leading us out through the sliding doors and onto the sand.
We stand on the beach, which is essentially deserted, and slip out of our clothes as quickly as possible.
“You’re out of your mind!” he yells at me as he chases me toward the water.
We jump in together and swim out so the small waves crash just above my waist. The water is calm and warm, glistening under the Florida sun.
Wasting no time, I wrap my legs around him, everything so slippery and easy under the surface of the ocean. As he presses his salty lips to mine and I giggle through the sexy kiss, I feel a tiny pang of guilt for not telling him about Ryan’s offer. And a slightly less tiny one follows that because I basically accepted it on the spot.
But it doesn’t matter. Because the only thing I want is right in front of me.
Leo grasps my damp hair and tugs it slightly as he kisses down my neck. I squeal a little as we lose our balance and crash into the water.
Leo holds my face and kisses all over my cheeks. “I can’t say I’ve ever done this before.”
I jump back in astonishment. “You’ve never had sex in the ocean? Leo, you’re either a liar or severely deprived.” I splash a handful of water in his face as he holds me closer, his hands sliding all over my body under the water.
“No. I’ve never made love in the ocean in the middle of the day.”
I take a moment to marvel at his verb choice. “Wait, so that means…” I throw my arms around his neck and press my chest against him, feeling every dripping inch of him. “I’m a first. I get to be a Leo Sterling first. Wow.”
He kisses me. “You’re more firsts than you realize.”
I kiss underneath his jawline and find his perfect lips once more. “Where’s my trophy?”
“Right here.” He bites his lip as he takes my hand and guides it down his abs and onto the amazing trophy between his legs.
I hold him, feeling the need for him course through my veins. “But you’re MVP. For sure.”
“Can’t argue with that.” Leo effortlessly holds me up and thrusts himself into me. Explosions fire off in my head and all over my body as he fills me more with every second.