Lead Player: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)

by Alex Grayson

  I cross my arms over my chest in a defensive move and walk backward up the few steps leading to the door, putting more space between us.

  “He may not know you, but I’ve seen the tabloids and the interviews. You’ve got a new girl on your arm every night.”

  He puts his glasses back on and shoves his hands deep into his pockets. “All that shit is misleading.”

  I shake my head. “Whether or not it’s misleading isn’t the point. I won’t be with someone who has no problem with the public thinking they’re with a different person each night.”

  “I’m not with the band anymore, so that’ll no longer be a factor.”

  I laugh but it comes out bitter. “Just because you’re not with the band anymore, doesn’t mean you won’t be in the spotlight.”

  “Alaina—”

  “No!” I say sharply before I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Look. That night was great. It was actually pretty fucking phenomenal, but it’s not something I normally do. I was going through a dry spell, and hey, women have needs. But overall, I want more than just spectacular sex. I want a long-lasting, meaningful relationship that could potentially lead to a permanent future. I want someone who will love me unconditionally and wholeheartedly, just as I’ll love him.” I tilt my head to the side. “Would you be capable of that?”

  His lips press into a firm line. He doesn’t have to say anything for me to have my answer.

  I smile, but it lacks any warmth. “Let’s just leave it as it was meant to be. Two people who had an enjoyable time together. If it’s friends you want to be, I can do that. It would probably be wise anyway since our best friends are getting married, so I’m sure we’ll see each other on occasion.”

  He stays silent, his jaw working and his posture stiff. After a beat, he gives me a jerky nod. I look at him for a few more seconds, while he continues to stare at me from behind his shades. After another moment, I turn around and walk inside.

  I frown when an annoying pain enters my chest as I close the door behind me.

  Chapter Four

  ENZO

  We’re up in the air, the wind whipping across our faces. The woman, Emerson, who we were told earlier owns Wings Out, has just gone over the instructions for the third time. The first was on the ground, the second as we were making our ascension, and now, right before we jump. I should probably be paying attention, but I can’t keep my eyes and thoughts off Alaina.

  Alaina.

  I like that name better than Eve.

  I’m currently strapped to the front of some guy named Sully. It’s kind of humiliating being attached to another guy. Why couldn’t I have been paired with Emerson or the other woman, Oaklee? That wouldn’t have been so bad. Of course, it would have been better to be attached to Alaina. But the rules are you have to be strapped to a certified instructor for your first few jumps.

  As it is, she’s connected to some asshole named Gary. Even though they’re innocent touches, every time his hands brush against her, I want to crack his skull on the side of the plane.

  Fuck, but she looks good. To say I was surprised when I got out of my car and saw her standing there is an understatement. Surprised, but very pleased. It’s been two days since our night together, and I’ve thought of little else. I hated leaving the way I did, but it couldn’t be helped. My little sister’s best friend, Heidi, needed help. I had every intention of going back later that day to apologize for leaving so abruptly, but my agent called with legal shit that needed to be taken care of before I could officially leave Phenix. Yesterday, I stood on her doorstep like a pansy as I waited for her to answer. She never did. I left and was going to go back after this little skydiving adventure. What started out as a one-night stand turned into me wanting to see her again. So, her standing there across from James was perfect.

  Until she told me she didn’t want to see me again. Not in the capacity I wanted anyway.

  Friends.

  That’s all she’s willing to be. Fuck that. I may not be in the market to give her something more meaningful than sex, but I damn sure don’t want to just be friends. Not after knowing how stunning she looks under her clothes. How her body felt against mine. How tight she gripped me. Or how she sounds when she finds her release. She may be able to fool herself for a while, but she’ll soon see that we could never just be friends.

  I’ll make sure of it.

  Her question on if I could potentially give her more gave me pause. I’ve never been tempted to want more. The women I’ve had sexual encounters with weren’t the long-lasting type. They wanted a good time, and I gave it. That was it. And the few who did want more, only wanted the money and fame I could give them. Alaina may not be out for my money, but it’s what I’m used to getting from women. I don’t know if I’m capable of giving more than casual sex.

  I peel my eyes off her and glance at James, who’s tandem jumping with Leo. I chuckle at the disgruntled look on his face. It appears he doesn’t like being strapped to another guy either.

  “Alright, folks!” Emerson yells over the plane’s engines. “Remember, when you approach the door, fold your arms across your chest or grab onto the top straps of your suit. Do not,” she stresses, “grab the handle at the door. When it’s time to jump, tip your head back. Once you’re in the air, arch your body into the freefall position and bend your arms ninety degrees.” She lifts her arms to demonstrate. “Bend your knees slightly and keep them between your instructor’s.”

  She shuffles her and Juliet, who she’s jumping with, closer to the door. Juliet has a huge smile on her face, her cheeks scrunching up around the bottom of her safety glasses.

  “It’ll be noisy, so your instructor won’t be able to speak with you while you’re in the air,” Emerson continues. “He may move your arms or tap your legs to adjust your position. Once you’ve descended to five thousand feet, your instructor will pull their rip cord. Keep an eye on your altimeter. If it reaches four thousand feet or less and your instructor has not pulled the cord, it’s your job to pull yours. When it’s time to land, keep your feet up and out of the instructor’s way. They’ll touch down first.”

  I move my jaw from side to side, my ears popping from the climbing altitude. I glance at Alaina again and see her attention is on Emerson and Juliet. Beside her, Nikki appears to be seriously considering calling chicken. Her eyes are as wide as saucers behind her safety glasses and her hands are gripping the straps on her suit so tightly her knuckles are white.

  The pilot yells that they’ve reached thirteen thousand feet and Emerson and Juliet move closer to the door. Juliet looks back at James, her smile still wide and her eyes shining. “Love you!” she yells, blowing him a kiss. “See you down there!”

  “Love you back!” he responds loudly.

  I chuckle. When James told me he was getting married to a woman he knew only for three months, I thought he had gone off the deep end. From our conversations about her it wasn’t long until I realized what they shared was special and rare. Watching them now solidifies that thought.

  “You ready?” Emerson asks and Juliet nods.

  As a group, we hold our breath as Emerson lets go of the bar by the door and her and Juliet disappear. James and Leo follow behind them. Nikki and her instructor are next. The girl looks like she’s barely holding onto her stomach, but when her instructor asks if she’s ready, she gives a nod and a thumbs up.

  Alaina and Gary move to the door, and I have this sudden urge to yank her back. Skydiving has never been on my list of things to do, but not because I’m afraid to do it. It’s just never interested me. Now that I’m thirteen thousand feet in the air and about to jump from a plane, plunging one hundred and twenty miles per hour toward the ground, my adrenaline is pumping. The thought is thrilling.

  But I don’t like the thought of Alaina doing it. The chances of something going wrong are extremely slim, but even the slightest chance is too much. It scares the shit out of me.

  Gary grabs the handle by the door, asking
Alaina if she’s good. I fist my hands at my sides, refraining from grabbing his suit and hauling them both back in.

  Before I know it, they’re gone, the echo of Alaina’s screams vibrating my eardrums. Sully moves us forward, one foot in front of the other. I grit my teeth and push back the urge to drag him forward faster. I look out the door and see small blips of color from the others.

  “You ready?” he yells in my ear.

  I grip the straps on my chest and yell back, “Yeah!”

  A moment later, we’re jumping out of the plane. I arch my back and move my arms and legs in the correct position. The wind in my ears is deafening and whips across my face so hard my cheeks flap. The rush of falling untethered is amazing and exhilarating. Seeing the ground growing closer and closer is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. My heart pounds heavily in my chest and my breath comes out in short whooshes.

  Before long, we’re being jerked up when Sully pulls the rip cord. For a moment, after the initial jerk upward, we fall back down rapidly. Once the parachute opens all the way, we slow.

  “You can remove your safety glasses so you can see better. And try clearing out your ears,” Sully says behind me.

  I slip off my glasses and put them in the Velcro pouch we were shown earlier. Working my jaw up, down, back, and forth, I pop my ears. I look around and see the others below us and off to the side. The landing site is right in front of us.

  Skydiving may not have been something I wanted to do, but I’m glad I did it. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.

  I watch as Alaina and Sully land, the parachute slowly falling on the ground behind them. I breathe a little easier knowing she’s alright.

  As we approach the ground, I lift my legs to get them out of Sully’s way. Surprisingly, the landing is smoother than I thought it would be.

  It doesn’t take long for Sully to detach us. I look over when I hear a loud squeal to see Juliet launch herself into James’ arms. He wraps his tightly around her and their lips lock in a heated kiss.

  Sully chuckles. “Adrenaline can be a damn fine aphrodisiac.”

  My eyes seek out Alaina and find her looking at me. I want to eat up the space between us and haul her into my arms like James did Juliet. To suck on her sweet lips and delve into the recesses of her mouth. To hoist her up until her legs are wrapped around my waist and her pussy is against my rapidly hardening cock.

  The rush of jumping out of a plane would be nothing compared to the rush of having her beneath me again. And from the way her eyes are smoldering as she looks me up and down tells me it would be just as good for her.

  “Holy shit!” Nikki says loudly, rushing up to Alaina and breaking our connection. “I can’t believe I actually went through with it. God, that was scary but so much fun!”

  She turns away from me and faces her friend. I grit my teeth and start unzipping my suit. James and Juliet break apart and he comes my way while she goes to Alaina and Nikki. Emerson and Nikki’s instructor stop by the group of women and begin to chat with them.

  “Fuck, man, that was intense, wasn’t it?” James says, his face flush.

  I peel my arms out of my suit and let them fall down my sides. “Yeah, it was.”

  He turns to face the girls, his eyes moving straight to Juliet.

  “We’re gonna grab some food before heading back to the hotel. Wanna hit Davenports later?”

  Davenports is one of the bars in Sunnyville. We were too young to go when we used to hang out here as teens, but we’ve been a couple of times since then.

  “Sure.”

  He claps me on the shoulder. “It’s good to have you back, Enzo.”

  “It’s good to be back.”

  My eyes wander to Alaina.

  In more ways than one.

  Lifting my hand, I signal for the bartender to bring me another beer. He acknowledges my request with a chin lift. I spin on my stool and look out over the crowd, pulling my ball cap a bit lower over my forehead. Even with my hair cut and full beard, I’m paranoid of being recognized. At the bar back home, it was different. Yes, I was recognized, but I grew up with most of those people, so I’m not as big of a deal to them. I may have frequented Sunnyville as a teenager, but there were only a few people I knew and hung out with.

  My eyes zero in on Alaina as she sways to the song playing on the jukebox. Juliet and Nikki are out there with her, but all I can see is Alaina. She’s no longer in the worn jeans and t-shirt she had on earlier, which was torturous enough to look at. Now she’s wearing a short red skirt, cream sleeveless shirt, and fuck me heels. Her hair is down, the long, wavy mass falling to the middle of her back. My mouth waters at the thought of sweeping it aside to lick along the column of her neck. She’s been dancing for a while, so I know her skin would be slick with sweat.

  I groan low and shift in my seat, my jeans getting uncomfortably tight.

  There’s a thump behind me, and without looking away from her, I reach back for my new beer. James comes over and takes the stool next to me, facing the dance floor like I am.

  “So, what’s the deal between you and Alaina?” he asks after taking a pull from his beer.

  I take a swig of my own. “We met at Stingers the other night. We went back to her place and had some fun. I had some shit that came up, and I had to take off. I left before she woke up.”

  I feel his eyes on me, but I don’t look at him.

  “Seems like there’s more going on than a simple romp in the sack.”

  I shrug. “I want to see her again; she doesn’t feel the same way.”

  “That’s unlike you. You’re usually one and done.”

  “Things are different.”

  “Because of her?”

  “No. I’ve been restless the last year. Tired of all the shit that comes with being part of Phenix. Girls are one of them. It’s the same dance over and over again.”

  “So, what? You’re ready to settle down now?”

  I’m quiet for a moment, unsure how to answer. “I don’t know. Yeah, I want to put roots down. But how far down those roots go and what they’ll entail I’m not sure about.”

  James doesn’t say anything else as we both watch the women dance. A slow song starts, and the women begin to sway their hips to the soft beat. My eyes bug out and my dick turns to stone when Juliet and Nikki move in closer to Alaina, trapping her in the middle. She raises her arms, her hands lifting her hair away from her neck, head tipped back with her eyes closed. Juliet moves in and puts her hands on her hips, leaving no space between her front and Alaina’s back. Nikki does the same to her front, her hands gripping Alaina’s waist, right above Juliet’s.

  The sight is the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen.

  “Fucking hell,” James groans beside me.

  I clear my throat before attempting to talk. “Are they always like this when you go out?”

  “I’ve only been out with them where dancing was involved a couple of times. And no, they’ve never done this. It’s the goddamn adrenaline from the jump. It’s gonna fucking kill me.”

  Inconspicuously, he adjusts himself. My own dick feels like it’s going to rip out of my jeans any minute.

  Juliet looks over to where we’re sitting, her smile very much like the Cheshire cat, as she gazes heatedly at James. He finishes off his beer and slams the bottle down on the bar.

  “Later,” he grunts as he takes off across the dance floor. Juliet releases her hold on Alaina right as he gets to her. Her arms immediately go around his neck at the same time he slams his mouth down on hers. Alaina and Nikki look at them and laugh.

  While they continue to dance, they drift apart, leaving several inches of space between them. I don’t know if I feel relief or disappointment.

  Someone saddles up beside me, putting themselves between the empty stool and mine. A subtle floral scent invades my senses.

  “Hey, honey,” a willowy voice calls, and I glance over. A pretty blonde with half of her tits popping out of her top faces me. “How
are you tonight?”

  “I’m doing good.” I smile and let my eyes drift down to her ample chest. “How about yourself?”

  “My night was shitty until I found you,” she purrs.

  “That so?”

  She grabs the little straw in her drink with her tongue and sucks some of the pink liquid into her mouth. “Absolutely.”

  I look back at Alaina, stupidly satisfied when I find her eyes on me. She’s still dancing, but from the hard set of her lips, she’s no longer enjoying it. One side of my mouth lifts, wondering how far I can push her.

  I look back at the blonde. “That’s a shame. A pretty girl like yourself should never have bad days.”

  She slides closer, making sure her tits press against my arm, her hand on my upper thigh. “How about you make my night even better?”

  “Yeah?” I ask. I have zero interest in this woman, but knowing Alaina is watching, I play along. “How so?”

  She smiles, her white teeth bright in the dim bar. “Oh, I’m sure we can think of something.” She licks her lips slowly, seductively, but my dick doesn’t so much as twitch. “My place isn’t too far from here.”

  A year ago, I would have taken her up on her offer. The woman is beautiful with a body full of curves, mile long legs, gorgeous hair, and a mouth I’m sure could pleasure even the holiest of men. But as of late, the interest isn’t there.

  Except for the sassy brunette on the dance floor.

  Before I tell the blonde I’m not interested, my eyes seek out Alaina again. Anger and possessiveness slams into my chest when I spot her. Some asshole has come up to her, his hands firmly around her waist, the tips resting on her lower back. My temper rises to a boiling level when she loops her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts against his chest.

  When his hands slide lower and his fingers dip way too fucking close to the curve of her ass, I slam my beer down and get off the stool. I leave the blonde behind as I stalk toward the pair. Her back is to me, so she doesn’t see me approaching. It’s probably a good thing too, because I’m sure my expression is murderous. I feel murderous. Like I want to wrap my hands around the guy’s throat and squeeze until the blood vessels in his eyes pop.