by S A Clayton
“I see you’ve met Josh,” he says, beaming from ear to ear.
Josh is looking down at me with way too much passion in his eyes and when I look back at Henry, he’s oblivious to the tension between us.
“You doing okay?” he asks again, inspecting my eyes and probably seeing the redness there.
I avert my gaze, not wanting him to worry. “Yeah, I’m good. Just needed a second to myself.”
Henry nods, giving me a small smile.
“I need to get back to the field. The first session of the day is starting soon. I’ll see you later.” I turn to Josh, his eyes locked on mine. “It was nice meeting you, Josh.” There’s a spark in his eyes and the barest hint of a smile on his lips as I turn and walk away,
“It was nice meeting you too, Harper.”
I turn back only to watch those eyes turn molten. The farther I get, the more I know that the feel of his fingers on my skin will be something that haunts me until it happens again.
7
Josh
I watch her leave for the third time in two days and I don’t know why I’m standing here, stock-still and not running after her. This girl brings me to my knees every time she’s near me, and I can’t seem to grasp common sense.
My back pocket vibrates, a text coming in but I don’t check it, instead I obsess over the way her cheeks blush that pretty pink color every time I’m near, and the fact that her breath hitches every time my fingers brush her skin. She’s beginning to make me feel something I haven’t felt in a very long time, and I refuse to let it get away. So, I let her go… this time, knowing that I can’t pressure her, or she’ll run farther and farther away.
Once Harper is out of sight, I check my phone and see it’s a text from Will. He’s been my best friend since college and because he has horseshoes up his ass, he’s also my teammate. We spent the first five years of our career apart, him in Colorado, me here in Toronto, and I can’t deny that when I heard the news that he was traded here, a sense of relief washed over me. Will has always been my voice of reason and having him close is always a good idea, especially when King is around causing trouble.
Will: We’re going out tonight.
I glance at my watch and see it’s still morning, so I have time to get my shit together. But as I’m in the middle of texting him back, another one comes through.
Will: With King, so be prepared.
I groan out loud. Going out with King is nothing short of an adventure, and I’m not sure I’m up for that tonight. Will and I are more than happy to stay in, play video games or play some online poker, but with King? I need to be on my A game. That man loves attention, probably more than any person I have ever met, and if he decides that he’s not getting enough of it, he will seek it out by any means necessary.
Me: I’ll be there. Just text me the time and place.
My phone goes back into my back pocket as I make my way back toward Henry’s office. When I first decided to partner with a small business in the area, I never expected it to lead to someone like Harper. From what Henry’s told me so far, she’s pretty much made this place what it is and I can see why he looks at her like she hangs the sun. Hard Ball is unlike anything I have ever seen, and the second I walked in—even before I knew Harper was involved—I was hooked. If I have anything to say, I’ll be spending a lot of time here.
My eyes drift over the open space and spot her instantly. She tenses, sensing my eyes on her as she starts cleaning some of the machines with a towel. Just when I decide to go over there and try and talk to her again, a throat clears behind me.
Henry is a very imposing person, so when I turn toward him and see him leaning against the doorjamb of his office, arms crossed over his chest and his eyes staring daggers into mine, I hold my breath. His head tilts, motioning me to come closer, and when I do, I sense the tension as it builds between us. When I’m about a foot away, he speaks. I expect to be scolded, but what comes out of his mouth surprises me.
“That girl right there?” he says, pointing toward Harper as she steps through the door that leads to the practice field. “That girl is my whole life. She has been through more in her twenty-six years of life than most grown adults.”
I peer back over my shoulder and wonder what he means, Harper has quickly become this puzzle I’m dying to solve, and I can’t seem to stay away.
“Josh…”
My eyes flick to his once more.
“I see the way you look at her.” He must notice my eyes bulging because he starts laughing. “I’m old, not blind,” he says with a smile, but my eyes continue to drift back to where Harper is hiding, and I hope I can see her one last time before I have to go to the field for practice. “I need you to be sure before this goes any further.”
“Sure of what?”
“Sure that she’s worth the fight, because, son, she will definitely put up one hell of a fight.” His hand rests on my shoulder before he gives it a sympathetic squeeze. “Boy, will she fight…” he rumbles to himself as he smiles and walks back into his office, leaving me alone leaning against the wall.
I knew last night after the bar when she refused to go out with me that Harper wasn’t like any other woman I’ve dated. She didn’t want my fame; she didn’t want the stories to tell her girlfriends over a glass of wine. She wanted something real and for some reason that I can’t put my finger on, baseball players are not a part of that plan. No matter what she thinks, no matter what she keeps telling herself, I will fight for her. I will fight for her until she threatens to call the cops because I know in my bones that she will change everything.
I give Will a look that tells him he owes me for coming out tonight. If it were up to me, I would be anywhere but here, but I was stupid and thought tonight would be different. I’m sitting with King on one side and Will on the other while we are surrounded by basketball fans. After Will texted me, I hoped tonight would be low key, but when he told me King got tickets to a basketball game, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Eleven-year-old me would have given his left leg to be at this game, so I conceded, agreed to come. Something I am very much regretting right now.
“Here,” Will says, handing me a beer. “Relax and try and have a good time. It’s the playoffs!” He’s laughing at his own sarcasm, but we both know he’s right.
This season is a big one for me, and I tend to only focus on work when I’m stressed. Coming off an MVP win last year, our coach has been on my ass about producing the same kind of numbers, and if I don’t, there could be consequences. Do I think I can do it? Of course, but being told I have to or else, makes me want to throw something against the wall.
I take a swig of my beer and find myself slowly relaxing into my seat, looking around the arena. The one thing I love about basketball is that the arena is almost as entertaining as the game itself. There are so many things to keep your attention other than the game itself, even if for me, the game is the best part.
“Anderson, chick at your twelve is checking you out!” King says, motioning across the court. My eyes land on a very beautiful woman whose eyes are directly on mine. Her long blonde hair is expertly made to look effortless; her skin is tanned even though it’s not summer yet and I watch as her perfectly manicured fingers wave at me from across the way. King nudges me and groans something along the lines of “lucky bastard,” but all I can seem to do is compare her to Harper. From her hair down to her nails, everything about them is different and for the first time in a very long time, I’m not interested.
Why can’t I get the image of Harper out of my head? I’ve spent the better part of the day trying to forget the way she felt against me, how her blush makes her look so fucking innocent and how her sexy ass looked in those yoga pants.
“Anderson, you realize there’s a game going on in front of you, right?” Will motions to the court as I take another sip of my beer. “This girl really has you in knots, doesn’t she?”
I just shrug, because I don’t even know the answer to the question
.
“Come on, man. You barely looked at the girl who was eye-fucking you over there” —he points to the now empty seat— “and your mind isn’t even here tonight. I bet you’ve been thinking about her all night, haven’t you?”
I look away, saying nothing.
“Are you afraid to talk about her?”
“Who are we talking about?” King asks, invading my personal space as he leans over and speaks to Will.
“The mystery girl that has Anderson all fucked up.”
“Are you talking about the chick from the bar?”
I try to keep my face impassive because let’s be honest, King knowing anything about my personal life is never a good idea.
“It is!” he screams. “Holy shit. That girl really did a number on you.”
“Fuck off,” I grunt, trying to watch the game and ignore my teammates as they bombard me with questions I don’t want to answer.
“Did she reject you too?” King asks, and when I don’t answer, he takes that as a yes. “She did, didn’t she!”
“Did she really?” Will asks and again I just shrug because what else am I going to say? I really liked this girl and tried all my usual moves and so far she’s been immune? My rep would be destroyed. “Wow, has that ever happened to you?”
“No, it hasn’t, and she hasn’t rejected me outright. I still have a shot.” I don’t really know if my words are true, but I’m hoping if I say them out loud, they’ll come true.
“Sure you do,” King says mockingly. “If I didn’t have a shot, you sure as fuck don’t.”
I roll my eyes, accustomed to the size of King’s ego and letting it roll off my shoulders.
“I’m getting food, you want anything?” he asks as he gets out of his seat and makes his way into the aisle. When Will and I both shake our heads, he shrugs, making his way toward the concession stands.
“Well, hello there, boys,” a female voice purrs from the seat King just vacated.
When my eyes track up her body and land on her face, I realize it’s the girl from across the court, the one that was eye-fucking me, thinking it would get her somewhere.
“Mind if I join you?” she asks as she sits down, not bothering to wait for an answer.
“Would it matter if I said no?” I ask, looking at Will to save me, wanting to get this girl as far away from me as possible.
When you play a professional sport, there are obviously hookups. I’ve dabbled once in a while, but after years and years of practice, you can pretty much spot a crazy from a mile away. And I can tell that this chick next to me is going to cause me nothing but grief if I don’t nip this in the bud.
Will just shrugs his shoulders, pretty much telling me that I’m on my own as I glare in his direction, hoping one day karma will allow me to repay him for this.
“So…” she starts, crossing her legs suggestively. “I saw you staring at me earlier and I thought I would come over and introduce myself. I’m Angela.” She holds out her hand and I wonder if there’s a polite way to tell someone to fuck off. She eyes me expectantly and I realize that I haven’t moved or spoken in a while, so I hold out my hand to hers.
“I’m Jo—”
“You’re Josh Anderson,” she interrupts, confirming my suspicions that this girl will only be trouble down the road. “I recognized you right away. I’m a huge fan.”
I bet she is. It takes everything in my power not to roll my eyes at her expense.
“Well, it was nice to meet you, Angela.” I keep my eyes on the game, hoping she gets the point as her hand slips onto my thigh. I look down, watching as her fingers spread across my jeans and grip me tightly. I know I’m supposed to feel something when a beautiful woman grabs me so close to my dick, but I feel nothing.
“Look, Angela,” I say, my eyes meeting hers as my hand takes hers off my thigh. “I appreciate you trekking all the way over here, but—”
She holds up her hand to stop me. “I get it. I’ll go back to my seat and let you get back to watching the game.”
I sigh, a wave of relief washing over me, so I give her my signature smile.
“Thank you, I really appreciate that.”
“I’ll see you soon,” she whispers in my ear, sending a jolt of fear through my system. I’ve become wary these past few years after hearing some stalker horror stories from some teammates, and from what I’ve seen of this chick, she checks a lot of those boxes.
Once she’s out of sight, I peer over at Will who just mouths “Wow,” and smiles into his beer. We both know that I just dodged a bullet with that one.
8
Harper
“Cole seriously showed up at the gym?” Mel is sitting on my couch, waiting for me to join her as she berates me about what happened this morning. I texted her after Josh left and she kept texting me nonstop until I agreed to a girls’ night so I could divulge all the details.
My apartment is small, but the second I saw it I fell in love with it. Usually when people hear my last name, they question why I live in a place like this when I can afford a mansion and everything that goes with it, but I’m not my father’s money. My mother, on the other hand, lives off the money that was left to her and is thriving because of it. Me? I love renting a small place. It allows me the freedom to be the person I want to become outside of my father’s shadow. Will I buy a house one day? Of course, but I’ll leave that for when I decide to expand my family.
The layout is mostly open concept, with the living room flowing into the kitchen. I decided, against Mel’s advice, to paint the walls yellow, because I saw on an episode of HGTV that yellow brightens up a room, and since I only have one window in this space, I needed the light. I’m currently standing in my kitchen, watching Mel from the island and holding two wine glasses and a bottle of our favorite rosé.
“And the hot guy from the bar, aka Josh fucking Anderson, was there and witnessed the whole thing?”
God, my life sounds like a really bad telenovela right now.
“Yes, and before you ask, yes it was just as bad as you think it would be.” I pour each of us a glass, adding a bit more to mine for good measure.
“So what did Josh do? Did he say anything?”
I shrug. “Not much, he told me not all guys are like Cole, blah, blah, blah.” I look up from my glass just as she gives me a knowing look. “What?”
“He likes you,” she teases as that blush starts creeping up my neck as I think of Josh having any kind of feelings toward me. I know better than to get caught up in this, I need to focus on the gym and not the way my body reacts whenever he’s near me.
“Seriously? That’s what you heard from that story?” I grumble, taking a large gulp of wine and feeling myself relax instantly.
“Well what else would I take from that story? That Cole’s a douche? We already knew that. Josh, on the other hand, he’s a new and exciting development.”
I roll my eyes, wondering why the hell I told her any of this in the first place. Oh yeah, because she can be one of the most persistent people I have ever met.
“Come on, Harp, I need to live vicariously through you.”
I give her a confused look. Did she not just hook up with a guy the other night?
“What happened to Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome from the bar?”
She shakes her head and I notice a flash of sadness across her face. “Yeah, that was a bust,” she admits matter-of-factly even though I still see the hurt that lingers in her eyes.
“Why?” I ask, pouring myself some more wine since all the Josh talk made that first glass disappear rather quickly.
“I don’t really know. I just wasn’t feeling it after a while.” I know she’s full of shit, I can see it all over her face.
“Did he hurt you?” I question, hoping to God that’s not the case because I don’t know what I would do if that happened. When all she does is shake her head, her eyes avoiding mine, I continue. “Mel, what’s really going on in that head of yours.” When she doesn’t answer, I turn
toward her. “You made me talk about Josh, now it’s your turn.”
She laughs, taking a very large sip of her wine.
“I don’t really know, I’ve been feeling really tired of the dating game lately, or maybe just the one-night stand aspect of dating.”
I get it. I haven’t had that much experience in that department since I end up in relationships even when I don’t want to be, but I still get it.
“That makes sense.” I hope to give her some comfort even when I don’t know exactly what she’s feeling. “How long have you been feeling like this?” She’s always been the one dumping guys when things get serious and I know it’s because she is afraid of getting hurt. Yet this is the first time she’s acknowledging that she wants something more.
“A few months.”
My shocked expression makes her smile, but I allow her to continue.
“I know I’ve dragged you out to bars a lot over the past few months, even when it causes problems between you and Cole.”
She’s not wrong, but at this point, it doesn’t matter, so I wave her off.
“I guess I’m trying to find Mr. Right, and I have no idea where to start.”
I get up and move to sit right beside her.
“Welcome to my life.” The sarcasm comes out harsher than I expect, but Mel chuckles beside me.
“Well, at least you have an admirer. I have nothing. No prospects at all.”
She is far from rock bottom, but I know she won’t hear reason right now. So, I keep my mouth shut.
“I don’t have an admirer; I have a guy who thinks he likes me.” To be honest, I know nothing about any of this shit. I spent two years with a man that clearly didn’t love me as much as I loved him. And look how that turned out. Josh has a crush. That’s it. He wants what he can’t have and since I’ve rejected him, I’m a prize he can’t win. Once the chase is over, he’ll leave, just like Cole.
