“Would kicking Luca in the nuts help?”
“You’d do that?”
I knew she wanted to help, but that seemed a bit extreme. Besides, I didn’t want to have to deal with Elise if I was responsible for jeopardising Luca’s future daddy status.
“Hell yeah! I mean, sure.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ve gotta figure this one out on my own.”
“You sure?”
“Well, there’s one thing…”
“What?”
“You can keep running up those dunes in front of me in those black legging things you like so much,” I suggested.
“You mean the ones you like so much?”
“Fuck yeah.”
“I can do that,” Claire agreed before crawling over to the couch, settling on her knees before kissing me. It was funny, her kisses were better than any drug you could take. They made everything just feel…I dunno…better.
Convincing Claire to stay the week was harder than I thought. I understood her hesitation, but still it pissed me off. I was struggling, not that I wanted to admit it to her or anyone, but having her lying beside me, snoring softly, and making those adorable little mewling sounds helped me sleep. Brought me comfort.
It was Thursday again. They seemed to come around faster than I was ready for. I hated it. I hadn’t slept a wink last night, and as much as I wanted to blame Claire’s late shift and the fact it was easier for her to get back to her place than mine, this was all on me. I was the one messed up. The problem was, I had no idea how to drag myself out of the funk I was sinking deeper and deeper into.
When anxiety had threatened me before, I’d always had soccer to fall back on. It was the only real constant in my life. When Bryce moved to Adelaide and things had gotten really out of control, I did the only thing I knew how to. I’d trained. I’d trained longer than everyone else. I pushed harder. I lifted more. I ran further. I pushed until at the end of each day, I fell into bed, exhausted beyond words and too tired to think or care about anything else. Then the next day, I’d get up and repeat it all over again. I was living Groundhog Day.
Mum let me get away with it for a couple of weeks, I think she was secretly hoping it was a phase and I’d snap out of it. But it wasn’t until I collapsed coming out of the bathroom and she’d rushed me to the doctor that I asked for help.
I wasn’t at that point yet, but I could feel it edging closer and closer every day. Even though it seemed like I didn’t stop eating, I’d dropped five kilograms in the last three weeks with my overly rigorous training schedule, battling to try and prove I deserved to be out there.
I felt weak.
I felt tired.
I felt like a failure.
I fucking hated it.
More than once I’d thought about packing up all my shit, driving back to Melbourne, and becoming a plumber or electrician or something equally as boring. The thought had already crept in, planting the seed in my head that maybe I really couldn’t do this. That everyone had made a mistake to believe in me. That any moment, all that money sitting in my bank account was going to be gone.
Training started in two hours and I was sweating bullets. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep getting passed over and keep the smile plastered on my face, offering congratulations to the guys who’d got the jersey I so desperately wanted. It wasn’t that I didn’t want them to succeed, it was more my jealousy was getting out of control. Hell, I’d even stopped offering Claire tickets, not wanting her sitting in the stands watching me twiddle my thumbs on the bench. Or worse, in the stands beside her.
A knock at the door interrupted my pity party, and I hoped it was Claire. She was getting really good at distracting me from the voices in my head.
“Coming.”
Shrugging on my shirt, I hurried over and yanked open the door to find Bryce, Emma, and my parents all standing there looking worried.
“Hi?” I asked, waving them in.
“Seth.”
Dad stopped and shook my hand, but the other’s breezed past me. Thank God the place was tidy. I couldn’t deal with a surprise inspection this morning.
Not bothering to mess around, I asked bluntly. “What are you all doing here?”
“Checking on you,” Mum answered matter-of-factly, coming over and wrapping me in a hug so tight I had to tap her shoulder to get her to ease up enough so I could breathe.
Emma rubbed her growing bump before pulling out a stool and sitting down. Obviously, she was here as moral support but was taking a front-row seat in my intervention.
“Check on me, why? I’m fine.”
“Bullshit!” Bryce wasn’t pulling any punches today.
“I am. I don’t know why you’re worried.”
It was one thing for me to be tied up in knots, but another for them to know it.
“Again, I call bullshit!”
“Bryce!” Mum chided him as he moved to Emma’s side.
“Why aren’t you playing yet?” Mum asked as she moved around my kitchen like she owned the place before flicking the kettle on.
Ouch!
Hearing her say it, hearing her say it like that, stung.
“I haven’t been selected yet. It’s a good team. Spots are hard to come by. It’s very competitive.” And it was. I wasn’t lying, but I didn’t like it either.
“So, you’re okay sitting on your arse on the sidelines?”
“Geez, Dad! Tell me what you really think,” I invited sarcastically.
I didn’t need this. I could already feel a headache building behind my eyes, probably a combination of lack of sleep and stress. Stress I wouldn’t be shaking anytime soon by the looks of it.
“No. I’m not okay with it. Happy now?”
“No, Seth, sweetie, we’re not happy. But we’re not here because of us, we’re here because of you. We saw you on TV last game, and you looked miserable, honey. You barely call any more. And when we’re texting, which seems to be the only way to get a hold of you, you drop out of the conversation halfway through.”
Shit! I really was a terrible son. I hadn’t meant to worry them. I just got…distracted.
“Sorry, Mum. Look, I’ve been a bit all over the place lately, but honestly, I’m doing okay. I’m taking my supplements and trying to look after myself, but I’m working hard, and I’m going to get on the field. It’s just taking longer than I expected, that’s all.”
“You’re sure that’s all it is?”
I knew Mum wasn’t convinced but that was my job now. I had to do whatever it took to prove to her I was okay. That I had this. That it wasn’t a mistake. I thought I’d been determined before, but I’d just got the slap up the side of the head I needed. Luca and the rest of the team weren’t going to know what hit them this afternoon. It was time to show them what I could really do.
35
Claire
“What the fuck?”
The words came flying from my mouth in the middle of the restaurant where I was trying to take a couple’s order as I was lifted off my feet and tossed up in the air by someone from behind.
When they set me back down on my feet, I spun around only to see the overly excited, beaming smile of Seth.
“What happened?” I asked, forgetting about everything and everyone else.
“We did it! I’m in!” Seth boomed, causing everyone who wasn’t already starring to turn and look at us like we’d lost our damn minds. In truth, that’s exactly how we looked.
Whooping and hollering, I jumped up, dropping my notepad and pen to the ground, and wrapped my legs around Seth’s waist. Thank God he was paying attention and caught me or I would’ve landed on my arse.
“I’m so happy for you,” I told him before planting a loud, wet, smacking kiss on his lips.
Hugging him tightly, he slid me down his body until I was standing in front of him, his hands resting on my waist.
“Can you come?”
“Huh?”
“To the game. I want you there. I
need you there. I wouldn’t have made it without you, and I want to be able to look up in the stands and see you when I run onto the field.”
I swear to God behind me I heard someone aww.
Or maybe it was just my hormones that were celebrating right now.
“When is it? I might have a shift?”
“Honey.” A hand reached out and touched my wrist, and I almost jumped through the roof. I’d completely forgotten about everything other than the man standing in front of me. “I’ll cover your shift for you.”
Holy fucking shitballs, Batman. It was a customer. Someone I didn’t know from a bar of soap. And she was offering to cover my shift so I could go watch Seth play. Maybe there really was some good left in the world. After being held at knifepoint, I’d become jaded and cynical and convinced the world sucked, but perhaps I was wrong. Maybe things weren’t as bad as they sometimes seemed.
“Thank you.” I smiled at her generosity.
“Game’s Sunday afternoon. Two o’clock.”
“I’m working,” I blurted out, hating it. Seth’s face fell, and I felt like shit. He’d been on top of the world when he barrelled in here, but now he looked like I’d kicked his puppy. “But let me see if I can swap my shift.”
“You’d do that?”
I didn’t like that the idea surprised him. It was bullshit and something that needed to be dealt with. But not here. And certainly not now. We’d provided enough of a show already for the afternoon, I doubted they could take much more.
“Absolutely. Now, get out of here so I can get back to work.”
Propping up on my toes, I kissed him quickly, knowing if I didn’t pull away things would go from sweet and appropriate to downright dirty very quickly.
“Talk to you when you finish?”
“Absolutely!”
Bending over, I picked up my notepad and pen I’d dropped when Seth had swept me off my feet only to have my arse slapped loudly, leaving a slight sting reverberating through my body. A sting that was going to keep me on edge and torment me all afternoon.
I thought Isla was going to kick my arse when she found out about the spectacle we’d put on during the afternoon rush, but she surprised the crap out of me when she just burst out laughing before asking if we had something rehearsed for the night crowd too. Thankfully, she understood my wanting to swap my shift out and helped me organise a swap with one of the other girls. It meant that I was doing a double on Monday, but I didn’t give a flying fuck. I was going to be there when Seth ran onto the field.
Clocking off, I hurried out the door, desperate to get out and celebrate with Seth. Then there he was, leaning against his car, looking every delicious inch the sexy as sin athlete. With his dark wash jeans, black t-shirt pulled tight across his chest, and those damn aviator sunglasses covering his eyes, I almost melted into a puddle right where I stood.
Feeling on top of the world, it’d been a damn good week for the both of us and I wanted to celebrate. “Come here often?” I asked, sauntering towards him, adding a bit more sway to my hips. I wished I looked more presentable, but after an eight-hour shift, this was as good as it was going to get.
“Get your arse over here, woman!” he practically growled at me sending a shiver down my spine.
After a make-out session in the car park that was definitely not appropriate for little eyes, he bundled me into the car and took off leaving a cloud of dust behind him.
When we turned in the opposite direction of his place, or mine for that matter, I shifted in my seat to face him. “Where exactly are you taking me?”
“Does it matter?” he asked, unable to wipe the grin from his face.
“Ah, yeah! I stink like a deep fryer. I can’t go out in public like this.”
“You’re fine.”
“Don’t lie. Where are you taking me?”
“Just sit there, shut up, and eat your chocolate.”
“Chocolate? What chocolate?”
“Check the glove box.”
Flipping open the glove box, I found it looked like he’d robbed the chocolate aisle of the local supermarket. Every variation of chocolate bar I could imagine was in there.
“You’re my hero!” I gushed, ripping open one of the bars and taking a huge, unladylike bite. “So good.”
“You might want to wipe your face,” Seth suggested with a smirk.
“Why?”
“Because we’re here.”
“We’re where?”
“Swallow your mouthful, wipe your fingers, and get out of the car. We’re late.”
Late? How the hell could I possibly be late to something I didn’t even know I was going to? Seth was on something. Man had lost his mind. I was blaming all those happy hormones buzzing about his brain because he finally got his jersey.
“You’re here!”
Spinning around, I dropped the death stare I was shooting in Seth’s direction to come face to face with the beaming bride herself, Elise, and her hilarious partner in crime, Jax.
“Hi,” I replied nervously, feeling like I’d been set up.
“You ready?”
“Ready for what? Would someone please tell me what’s going on?”
If someone didn’t tell me what the fuck was going on in a hurry, I might just very well throw myself down on the ground and throw a tantrum like a four-year-old.
Stepping up either side of me, Jax and Elise wound their arms through mine and led me down the street. When they paused and exchanged glances, my stomach lurched. They looked like they were having fun, but I sure as shit wasn’t.
Guiding me up a set of stairs and into a shopfront where the windows were all covered in newspaper, the whole thing was odd. That was until they pushed open the door, revealing one of the most beautifully designed salons I’d ever seen. Along the wall were huge gilded mirrors with ornate frames. The floors were covered with huge white tiles, and everything was clean and new and shiny.
“Who owns this place?” I asked, sounding like Alice in Wonderland.
“That would be me.”
The most beautiful man I’d ever seen stepped out from a room somewhere at the back of the shop. His teeth were so white I swear he should’ve been in a toothpaste commercial. Then there was his hair. It was thick and dark and luxurious.
“Lachie! Where were you?” Jax exclaimed, moving towards him and wrapping him in a bear hug.
“Keep your panties on, Jax. I was on the phone to the contractors trying to get this damn place finished.”
“Any idea when that will be?”
“Hopefully two weeks, but more than likely three.”
“That’s not too long. Started planning the party yet?”
“Party?”
“Obviously. Where else am I supposed to meet hot, single men?”
“I hate to break it to you, Jax, but my whole world doesn’t revolve around trying to get your dick sucked,” Lachie teased with a smirk. I couldn’t help but cough. This was not how I was expecting to spend my afternoon. “And who’s this lovely lady?”
Lachie lifted my hand and kissed it dramatically.
“Claire, this is Lachie. Lachie, this is the lovely Claire. She’s the one I was telling you about.”
“Oooh.”
“And what exactly did you tell him,” I asked, finding my voice.
“All the good things,” Jax taunted with a wink.
“Listen. As much as I’d love to stand here and listen to you pair measure your dicks, I have a very hot husband at home, hopefully naked, that I need to get back to.”
“I’d like to see that,” Lachie replied, not missing a beat.
I might not know either Lachie or Jax well, but I had a feeling spending any amount of time with them would leave me in pain from laughing so hard.
“Where do I sign up to see that?” Jax added, refusing to be outdone.
“Boys! Focus.”
“Sorry, Elise,” Jax mumbled. He sounded like a kid who’d just had his fingers smacked.
“Jax. Why don’t you tell Claire why she’s here?”
Half an hour later, I floated out the door and down the front steps, Lachie’s arm wrapped around my waist. Thank God he was there. There was a very good chance if he let go, I’d collapse on the sidewalk.
Just down the street, exactly where I’d left him, Seth leaned against his car talking on his phone. He looked like sex on a stick, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so. The three girls strutting down the street in their short skirts and skimpy tank tops, tops showing way too much skin for this weather, giggled and flicked their hair as they passed him, desperately trying to catch his attention. Seth barely noticed. Even though I couldn’t see his eyes, they were still hidden behind his frustratingly sexy aviators, I knew his steely gaze was firmly fixed on me.
“Is that your boyfriend or your bodyguard?” Lachie whispered in my ears.
“Both?” I giggled. It wasn’t untrue.
“Well, chicka, we’re going to have fun.”
“Can’t wait!” I exclaimed excitedly.
Lachie bent down and kissed my cheek before letting me skip towards Seth, not before giving me a go-get-him slap on my arse, which I’m guessing based on the scowl creeping over Seth’s face as he slipped his phone in his pocket and dragged off his glasses, he’d caught.
Leaping into Seth’s arms, I was grateful for his quick reflexes as he caught me effortlessly.
“Someone’s a happy girl.” He smiled up at me.
“Very happy. Feel like celebrating?” I asked, rubbing myself against him.
Behind us, someone was clearing their throat.
Instead of setting me down like a normal person would’ve, Seth shifted me in his arms until I was resting on his hip like you’d carry a kid. I squirmed, trying to get him to set me down, I was way too heavy for him to keep me propped up like this. But in true Seth style, he squeezed my arse, halting me.
“When you two are quite finished…”
“You might want to take a seat if you’re waiting for that,” Seth replied, causing Jax to roll his eyes dramatically.
“I thought you were leaving?” Seth complained.
“We were…but you know what a chatty Kathy Jax is. Especially when he’s checking out Claire’s new boss.”
Rookie (Playing The Field Book 2) Page 21
