Still Into You (Never Over You Book 2)

by Ryleigh Andrews

  That’s chivalry for you, she chuckled. At least he opened it.

  She stopped at the door and did a quick pose. “How do I look?” she asked him nervously, standing in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a pair of brown leather boots, and a cream, chenille sweater. Her hair was in another messy ponytail—her go-to style. She was very good, almost a pro at this style. Messy came natural to her.

  “You look beautiful as always. Don’t worry.”

  Did he not know who he was talking to?

  She hopped in the car and they were off. They weren’t far from the stadium, but traffic was a bitch. Luckily Luke had a special parking pass. Perks of working for the team. He parked the car and they made their way inside.

  The rush of noise hit her like a truck. Playoff excitement at its extreme. Tonight, the Flash were up against the Colorado Mountaineers. If the Flash won, they were going to the Championship game next week here in Indianapolis. They inched and squeezed their way to their box on the lower suite level. Luke bought some beers and food on their way up to the box, and they were the only ones using it. Allie had done very well, as always. How the hell she did that, Mia could only wonder.

  Luke and Mia settled down in a couple of seats on the outside of the box. She nervously picked at the bun of her hot dog while she waited for the game to begin. She hadn’t seen Ethan play in person since before they broke up. She grasped Luke’s hand in a vice grip as the announcer introduced the team, the crowd roaring. He squeezed her hand and leaned over to kiss her forehead.

  “Nervous?”

  “Uh, yes!” She stood to see better, and her legs felt like rubber when Ethan ran onto the field. He was magnificent in his dark blue jersey with the number three in light gray to match the gray of his tight pants. “Oh, my God!” she murmured and sat back down.

  Before she knew it, the kickoff had happened and the Mountaineers had the ball. Her gaze stayed fixed on Ethan the entire time, taking in his game mannerisms. He was so focused, determined. He wanted this win and she prayed that he got it.

  While watching the game, Mia chewed on her thumb in between sips of beer. The only time the nerves left her was during the fan appreciation skits during breaks in play. Besides making her laugh, they took her mind off of Ethan and the game.

  During the second quarter, whoever controlled the stadium camera panned a shot near and around their luxury box and Mia saw herself briefly on the Jumbotron. She hoped no one had noticed her. She had wanted to keep a low profile and didn’t want to announce to the world that she wanted Ethan back. Not yet anyway.

  Focusing her attention towards the field, Mia found Ethan and had the eeriest feeling that he had looked right at her. For a moment, she thought she’d seen recognition in his eyes.

  At half-time, the Flash walked to the locker room up by thirteen. She took a deep breath and let her body relax for the next fifteen minutes. His games were always nerve-wracking events to her.

  Luke and Mia were watching the half time festivities when Luke’s phone buzzed. He looked at it, smiled, and then excused himself.

  “I’ve got to take care of this,” he said, walking inside the private box. Who was that, she wondered? Did he have a girlfriend? God, she had been so wrapped up in her own life she hadn’t even asked him. She regarded him talking on the phone and then looked down at her ring-less finger and sighed, feeling very much alone.

  What’s the point of it all if she didn’t get to share it with the person she loved more than anything? God, she needed this to work out. Mia hoped after she told Ethan all the stuff she never had that he would still want her. That she could have that happily-ever-after she’d pushed away all those years ago.

  “Want anything? I’m going to get another beer,” he yelled from the box.

  “Sure. Get me the same as you.”

  Mia decided to check her messages on her phone while she waited for Luke to return instead of letting herself dwell on something that she had no control over right now. Marty had replied back to her text and then there was one from Allie. She texted Allie first.

  Allie

  March 4, 2011 840 PM

  Nice seats?

  How did you score these? Great seats. No one with us.

  It cost you.

  Do I even want to know?

  No. Might want to reconsider that new movie script.

  Ouch.

  Enjoying yourself?

  No—this is torture. He looks like a god. I’m a nervous wreck.

  Remember your outcome. It’ll all be worth it.

  :) I know. Thanks for everything. See you Saturday night.

  Allie was right, of course. When was she ever wrong? Never. She closed out of that text and scrolled down to Marty’s.

  Marty

  March 4, 2011 850 PM

  You’re meeting us in LA?

  Yes. I’m taking a detour. ;)

  You nervous about the contract negotiations?

  Only if you are. I told you what I wanted.

  I’m not nervous. I’m pretty sure we’ll get what we want and more.

  You’re pretty confident.

  I am.

  What are your thoughts about the break?

  Oh I’ve been ready for one of those for a couple years. It’s hard work keeping up with you. ;)

  Mia dropped the phone to her lap after she re-read Marty’s last text. She’d never known he’d wanted a break. He never said anything each time she was ready to record. He was always on board. She never thought differently . . . until now.

  I’m sorry :(

  Don’t be. It’s been an amazing ride. We’ll take a nice, long break, and when we return, it’ll be even better.

  I hope you’re right because I’m nervous.

  If the label doesn’t like it, we’ll just start our own.

  Maybe we should.

  If we need to visit that, we will . . . when it’s time.

  I know who our first artist could be.

  Who?

  You.

  What????

  I really think you should do some solo stuff. I like your voice.

  No. I like what I do.

  She could imagine his stern and serious face glaring at her and she decided to push it just a little further.

  I’m so writing a song for you to sing on the next album. It’s already in my head.

  Shut up.

  <3 you, Marty.

  <3 you too, brat. See you in LA.

  As half-time ended, Luke returned to the suite with the beers and two huge pretzels.

  “Mmm. That looks so good,” Mia said as he handed her a beer and pretzel. She broke off a piece and took a bite, savoring the saltiness, as she watched Colorado kick off to start the second half. The Flash’s kickoff returner fumbled it on the five yard line but luckily recovered it before being tackled by about half of Colorado’s team.

  The first play for the Flash was a three-yard run to give Ethan a little more room to move.

  On the next play, she saw the wide receivers break to run and knew it would be a pass, but so did the defensive line. They blitzed and knocked Ethan hard to the ground.

  Mia gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “Goddamn it,” she muttered anxiously as Ethan got up gingerly. She looked at the score board. The Flash were ahead by thirteen. A nice lead but she knew Ethan wanted more.

  With the next snap, she knew they would go with the same play. This time ending with a twenty-nine-yard pass! Mia got up and cheered. When she sat back down, Luke bumped her shoulder to get her attention.

  “So, I read on the Internet that you had a show in Chicago last week.”

  “I did, like a welcome back show. We hadn’t had a show like that in a long while. Small and intimate. The crowd was great!”

  “I would have liked to have seen that,” he said wistfully.

  Mia scrunched up her nose. She should have thought to invite him. Bad best friend. “I’m sorry. I should have told you about it. I’ve not been the best friend you deserve lately.
I’ve been so focused on me the past few years . . .”

  “Hey, wait one minute. I never meant anything like that, okay?” he regarded her. “I mean it. You will always be my best friend. Always. Got it?”

  She nodded with a slight, wavering smile, thankful that she had him. He gave her Kaitlyn, one of the constant joys in her life. But even better, he gave her him—his friendship. They’d gone many years in a weird limbo—the whole friends with benefits thing—afraid that if they ended that their relationship would end. But it didn’t. It had only grown stronger, to the point that she had the best best friend in the world. One who would and had supported her through it all, even when she didn’t expect it, even when she didn’t deserve it, even when she pushed him away.

  She took a sip of her beer, trying to get a handle on her emotions. Luke was her family.

  Family.

  She wanted that with Ethan. Hell, she wanted it all with him.

  Shifting her focus to him in the center of the huddle, he clapped his hands once and the offense got into position. The center snapped it to Ethan, who kept it and ran the ball in for a touchdown. Mia cringed when he was tackled hard by two of the linebackers.

  She fucking hated this damn game.

  “Tortured yet?” Luke asked.

  “Far beyond tortured, if there is such a thing,” she replied, taking another long drink of her beer.

  Before Mia knew it, the two-minute warning came around with the Flash up by ten, with possession of the ball plus two timeouts. They let the clock wind down with Ethan taking a couple of knees.

  And that was that! The Flash won the game! Next stop, the Championship game next week. The crowd’s cheering was insane. They were so excited. So damn happy. And so was Mia. She had never really been a part of this before. In 2008, when he won the championship, she was bitter because of what was going on with their relationship. She wouldn’t let that melancholy infiltrate the high she had from her happiness for him.

  Luke tapped her leg, grabbing her attention away from the celebrating crowd. “Hey, how about we wait until the crowd dies down to leave?” he suggested.

  “Okay,” she said as his iPhone beeped yet again.

  “Sorry, I’ve got to take this,” he said, kissing her forehead and heading off to the box again. She rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat. He was probably sexting or something. God, I want to be sexting, she thought sadly. She hadn’t had sex in over five months. She could use some excitement.

  “Whatever!” Mia muttered dismissively and turned to watch the happy fans head out and smiled. She was very happy for Ethan, but man, did it put her stomach in knots. She hated when he got hit or tackled or sacked. But, at the same time, watching him play totally turned her on. That intensity. She had been on the receiving end of that intense look many times and it always ended with her having an out-of-this-world orgasm. Mia sighed. She missed those orgasms.

  “Did you have fun?” an unforgettable voice said from behind her. She quickly turned in surprise. And there he was, the man she loved, standing before her in his uniform, his hair damp with sweat. A sexy-ass grin on his face. Damn, she ached for him from her head to her breasts to the sweet spot between her legs.

  “Ethan!”

  He walked around the seats and sat next to her, his body turned towards her. His eyes raked over her before landing on her face. “Hi.”

  “What are you doing here?” she paused, flustered. “Duh! I mean, up here, with me? How did you even know I was here?” she stammered nervously. She wasn’t prepared for this. For him. She’d thought she’d have time, but here he was, sitting next to her, all manly and smelling so damn good.

  “I happened to see your lovely face on that big screen over there,” he said, pointing at the Jumbotron that had earlier flashed her face all over it. “And I figured if you were here, so was Luke. So I texted him during half-time. He confirmed that you two were indeed here. I was surprised, by the way, but very glad. What are you doing here?”

  “I like football. What can I say?” she responded, her entire body flushing at his “lovely face” remark. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours, both with a smile on their faces.

  “Can we meet? I’d really like to see you tonight,” he said, breaking eye contact as his eyes slid to her mouth.

  Though this wasn’t what she had originally planned, Mia wasn’t going to turn him down. But she didn’t want to be seen as that eager, although hell, she could easily climb on his lap right now and lick the beads of sweat trailing down his neck.

  “Tonight? You just won a trip to the Championship game. Shouldn’t you be celebrating?” she asked.

  His smile was smug as he answered. “Yes, we did, but we haven’t won anything yet. I’ll celebrate then. But, right now, I want to see you. Where are you staying?” he asked, getting the conversation back on track.

  “The penthouse at the Omni.”

  “I’ll meet you there . . . say in about ninety minutes. Okay?”

  Mia looked at her watch. Ninety minutes would make it midnight when he’d arrive. But she didn’t care about how late. She’d be seeing him—alone—tonight and before she knew it, she was nodding her agreement. “Sure.”

  “Great,” he said, standing up. He paused like he was going to do something but changed his mind. “I’ll see you then.”

  She watched him make his way back down to the field and smiled, excited about later. In ninety minutes, she’d be with him again. Maybe she would get to make this ache go away.

  Luke came back out with a smile on his face. “Sorry. I had to take that call. My best friend needed help.”

  “I love you, Luke. I absolutely love you,” she said, embracing him, hitting his body hard with her own. “Thank you.”

  “You say that a lot.”

  “What? That I love you or thank you?”

  “Thank you.”

  “Hey, at least I say it.”

  He kissed her forehead. “And you actually mean it, too.”

  Mia

  Returning to her suite, Mia was giddy with excitement. She quickly straightened up the room, putting away the clothes she had thrown all over in her attempt to get ready for the game, carelessly stuffing them in the closet, kicking in a shirt before shutting the door. She was a messy person by nature—her father’s influence, he’d always denied it. He still did.

  “Ah crap!” Mia said when she realized she had wanted to change into something more comfortable. She rummaged through the pile, deciding on a pair of heather gray, low-cut yoga pants, and a tight-fitting, white, long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves covering half her palms.

  She collapsed on the couch, tucking her feet beneath her. After she grabbed the remote, she turned on the television. Boring, boring, boring, she thought as she flipped through the stations.

  Stopping on the station with the reruns of Friends, Mia watched absently, chewing on her fabric-covered thumb as she often did when she lost herself in thought, waiting for Ethan to arrive.

  Mia tried to come up with what she would say when Ethan got there, but she was drawing a blank. Should she start by telling him she wanted them to try again? Did she go straight into her past and tell him all the things she should’ve shared with him from the beginning—her family, her drug use? Did she have to tell him all the sordid details?

  She definitely needed to tell him about her family and how what happened with her mother affected her life, how it affected her life with Ethan. How the way Ethan treated her that tour really riled up those demons and allowed them to come out and attack her.

  Yeah . . . that’s what she needed to tell him.

  Glancing at her phone, Mia checked the time. It was a few minutes after midnight. She thought about answering a few messages, but the sudden knock at the door stopped her.

  Ethan.

  She put a hand to her chest in an attempt to steady her racing heart. Jumping off the couch, she hurried across the room. As Mia looked through the peep hole, she saw him—all fresh
and clean and looking oh-so-good.

  “Oh, fuck,” she cursed quietly to herself. She knew that they needed to talk, but Ethan looked delectable, making it hard to think of anything but being with him.

  Down, girl.

  Mia took a steadying breath and opened the door. She laughed when she saw the big bag of food in his arms.

  “Expecting company?” she asked.

  “Just my stomach. Don’t worry. I brought something for you, too.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Of course,” he said with a dazzling smile that liquefied the bones in her legs.

  Somehow, Mia led him into the living area. She stood with the help of a chair as he situated himself, placing his bag on the coffee table before removing his dark brown, suede jacket, revealing well-worn, dark blue jeans and a tight fitting, tan T-shirt that showcased his wide shoulders and hard chest. He placed his jacket over the arm of the chair, then took his normal seat in the middle of the couch and started removing the contents of the bag.