by Lyssa Layne
“Want one?” she asks, tearing open the wrapper and taking a bite.
I try to hide my laughter as I shake my head and take a sip of the drink she handed me. Tasting the alcoholic beverage, I lick my lips. “Gin and tonic?”
She nods and picks up her glass of wine to drink with her Twinkie. Of course it’s gin and tonic, that’s Blake’s drink. I take a quick swig and set it down then lean against the counter. “So, want to talk about today?”
Camila looks at me surprised, her cheeks filled with Twinkie and I grin. Closing the space between us, I wipe my finger across her lip, swiping away some cream that didn’t make it in her mouth. She watches me closely and as easily as I could turn this situation sexual, I wipe the cream on a towel. Reaching behind her, I grab another Twinkie and her glass of wine. Both of them in one hand, my free hand takes hers and I lead us to the living room, taking a seat on the couch.
Camila drops to the cushion, pulling her knees to her chest. I hand her the wine and Twinkie. Taking another bite to stall, she washes it down with the red wine then looks at me. “Mia and Tate have been really great friends to me. Tate’s been my client for awhile and when I moved to L.A., Mia was my realtor. We immediately connected, friends from day one, before the two of them were even together.” She takes another drink and then continues. “After Tate and Mia started dating, Mia’s ex almost killed her…”
Camila shuts her eyes tightly and I take her hand, rubbing it softly. When she begins to talk again, I don’t let go of her. “She survived the attack, but then she had to face the bastard in court and it damn near broke her. Her father passed away last fall too so I just wanted everything to be perfect for her today and seeing Tate beam like that, I…”
Camila hides her face in her legs and I reach over, pulling her into my lap. She doesn’t hold back as she burrows her head in my chest and lets me hold her, rubbing her back and consoling her. I don’t mind the tears anymore, all I want is to hold her until she feels better. For a good five minutes, we don’t move, just stay in this exact position. I’m surrounded by the ticking of the grandfather clock and the sniffles of the woman in my arms.
I brush a loose hair behind her ear and Camila lifts her head until our eyes meet. “I’m really sorry, I know you need to get back to San Diego.”
“Cami, don’t apologize again. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
She wipes her fingers underneath her eyes and stands up. Reluctantly, I let go of her and she stands between my legs. My fingers graze the back of her legs, but she doesn’t pull away.
“You’re welcome to stay here tonight since it’s so late,” Camila says softly, almost biting her bottom lip and I feel my cock twitch.
Slowly, I stand up and nod. “Definitely. I’m not leaving you like this.” The last time I was in her house, I wanted nothing more than to get her naked, but now it’s more than that. She’s shown me her vulnerable side and I’m not going to let that go unnoticed.
I lean down and brush my lips across her cheek. Instantly, Camila tenses and backs away, bumping into the coffee table and rambling. After giving me instructions on where the guest towels are, she disappears upstairs. I fall back on the couch and drag my hand over my bald noggin. With my eyes closed, all I can see is the beautiful woman in my arms.
I polish off her glass of wine while my mind races. What the hell is Camila Lemos doing to me? I only had one girlfriend in high school before I joined the NFL. Since I’ve become a professional athlete, all I’ve wanted is easy lays… until Camila Lemos. Now, I want her, but I want her so much more than the other women I’ve been with. I already know she’s strong, independent, compassionate, but I want to know more. I close my eyes and shake my head because more than anything, I just want her. To be her friend, her protector, her lover. Baby steps, Evan, baby steps…
Camila
Alone in my bathroom, I stare at myself in the mirror. What the hell was wrong with me today? I don’t break down like that. Sure for Mia, Colie, or any of their families, I do, but not in front of Evan Purser. I let him see how easily I can be hurt, how much I care for my friends, and shockingly, he didn’t flinch. He stood by my side all day long, held my hand, consoling me while I cried like a little girl.
Shaking my head, I undress down to nothing except my panties and pull on a pink nightshirt. I slowly button it up as it hangs mid-thigh. I gather my hair in one hand and wrap a ponytail holder in it, letting it rest high on my head. So many thoughts are racing through my mind, but I’m too tired to even focus on one. I should call Blake, rehash the day so I can analyze every moment, but I’m so exhausted and besides, I will never talk to him about the effects his brother has on me.
I flip off the bathroom light and step into my bedroom, staring at the bed. After a day like today, I wish Blake or Gregg were here to hold me while I fall into a deep sleep. One of the benefits of not having a serious boyfriend is that either will do and neither will care. An empty bed is also one of the downfalls of not having one either. A loud knock comes from the door and I jump, startled by the noise, almost forgetting that anyone else was even in the house.
I glide across the room and when I open the door, Evan stands before me in his boxers and a tight, white undershirt. Suddenly, I feel naked in my nightshirt. My skin peeks through where the fabric hangs open at my chest and I gather the material in my hands.
A smile spreads across Evan’s face and he reaches out, touching my cheek. “I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to be alone tonight.”
My cheek burns in his hand and I stammer, “I… I’m fine, thanks, but—”
He takes a step toward me, pushing me back and entering my bedroom. “I’m staying with you tonight,” Evan states and walks around me. He gets to my orange and gray comforter and pulls it back before looking in my direction again.
“Evan, I don’t—”
“Screw your clients, I know. But tonight you’re going to sleep with one,” he says and holds his hand out to me with a gentle smile on his face.
Blushing, I look down and giggle. Seriously, how does he do this? I walk over to him and he pulls me into a bear hug, pulling my hair out of the ponytail and whispering, “You need a friend tonight and I’m here for you.”
I look up into his eyes, really looking at him and what’s beyond the mask that he wears. Inside this big bad linebacker is a guy with a big heart and someone who genuinely cares…about me.
“Thanks,” I mumble and crawl across my bed. Evan lies beside me and holds out his arm. Without hesitating, I snuggle against him, resting my head on his chest. He reaches out and turns off the light and then his fingers run through my hair. Evan softly begins singing Crash by Dave Matthews Band under his breath. His voice is low and his chest vibrates against my cheek, my eyelids get heavier and heavier. His lips brush across my forehead and I wrap my arms around him tighter. Why does this feel so right?
Chapter 9
Camila
My eyes flutter open after the most fantastic night of sleep. Glancing at the clock, it’s almost nine in the morning, the latest I’ve slept since college. My mind begins to race with the phone calls I need to make, the meetings I need to set up, along with the five-hundred other tasks I need to accomplish. When I try to sit up, a muscular arm tightens around my waist, forcing me to continue lying against the sculpted chest beneath me.
Turning my head, I look up at Evan Purser, watching him sleep. I smile as he looks so peaceful and innocent, which he’s far from. I’m enjoying this man in the moment, letting my mind run free about who he could be. My finger swirls in circles across his chest as I allow myself to daydream, thinking thoughts that I should push far, far away.
Completely lost in my thoughts, Evan spooks me when he lets out a low moan. “Mmm… you sleep alright, Cami?”
I roll my eyes at his pet name, but he doesn’t see as his eyes are still shut. “Not too bad, but I need to get up so I can start working.”
I begin to rise again, but his grip tightens. Openi
ng his eyes, he looks at me with a frown. “You’re not working today.”
I scoff and Evan lets me up, but doesn’t release his hands now on my waist. “I didn’t do anything yesterday so I have to play catch up.”
His hand is on my bare thigh now, lightly rubbing his palm against me and making me damp between my legs. Shaking his head, he says, “Cam, you supported your friend while she brought a baby into the world. If you ask me, it was worth the day off.”
I have to force myself to stop staring at his hand and look at his face. “Of course it was worth it, but now I need to regroup. We’ll grab breakfast and then I can take you to your truck so you can head home.”
Evan’s bottom lip protrudes and I want nothing more than to lean forward and suck on it. “Trying to get rid of me?”
I laugh and shake my head, throwing my leg over him to climb out of bed. As my leg touches the mattress on the other side of him, Evan grabs my hips so that I’m firmly in his grip and straddling him. My nightshirt slips up my thighs and his hands slide around to my back and down my quads. My heart races as I wait for his next move.
His hand moves to my chin, tilting my face in his direction so we’re looking in each other’s eyes. “Camila, I understand your rule, I don’t agree with it, but I get it. Still, I want to get to know you, and before you object and say I do, I mean, I want to get to know the Camila that Blake knows. I want us to be friends, I want to know why you really smile for him, but not the rest of the world.”
I gulp as he says this. I should deny it, I should send him on his way, and keep my distance. This is exactly how I fell for the older Purser brother the first time. Instead, I nod. “I love pancakes. There’s a hole in the wall diner on Parsons that makes the best in Los Angeles.”
With a grin, Evan sits up and kisses my cheek. “Then it sounds like we’re having pancakes.”
Evan
My fourth stack of flapjacks sits in front of me but I’m so stuffed, I can’t take another bite. Camila was right, Dan’s Diner’s pancakes are phenomenal, and unlimited, too. Good thing the guys on my team don’t know about this place or we’d probably put them out of business. Across from me though, Camila is killing her second stack, topped with strawberries and whipped cream.
She looks up, a streak of berries on her lip and she stops. “So…ree,” she mumbles around a mouthful of ‘cakes.
I laugh and hand her a napkin. “No need to be. So, you like pancakes… a lot. What else should I know about you? Family? School? Crazy exes?”
She takes a drink of milk, washing down the remnants in her mouth. Leaning back on her side of the booth, she smoothes out the navy fitted Seawolves’ t-shirt, much more conservative than she normally wears. I’m not sure if I should be offended that she’s not dressing sexy for me or pleased that she listened to what I said back in Colorado about her clothing choices.
“Only child. Parents died when I was in college. College, of course, at Cal U with your brother. No, crazy exes,” Camila answers matter-of-factly with a smirk on her face.
I nod. “Alright, smartass. I’m sorry about your parents, what happened?”
Her eyes dart back to her pancakes and she moves the flapjacks around her plate with her fork. I reach out and take her hand, encouraging her to continue.
“Drunk driver hit them on their way home from visiting me at college. Blake was studying with me for our econ test when I got the news, I guess that kind of jump started our friendship.”
I rub my thumb over her palm, things suddenly making perfect sense. Even though I was only fifteen when it happened, I still remember Blake calling home and telling me about Camila. He told me about this amazing woman he met in his economics class and how she’d agreed to tutor him. Blake had always been the big man on campus, dating any woman he wanted, but this was the first time he spoke about one specific girl. Then one day, he called home, telling our mom that he wouldn’t be home for Thanksgiving because his friend’s parents had died. When I got on the phone, all he did was cry. This is the first time that I put two and two together that the friend was Camila.
I swallow before I follow up with, “Tell me about your exes if they aren’t crazy.”
Camila looks up, a twinkle in her eye. “Why, Evan Purser? What’s got you worried about my exes?”
I laugh nervously and squeeze her hand. “I’m just trying to understand how a gorgeous woman like yourself is single. So tell me, did someone break your heart?”
Ever so briefly, she hesitates, but speaks before I can comment. “I choose to be single because of my job. I’m rarely home, except when a certain linebacker refuses to let me go to work. As for my heart, it’s all in one piece and the couples exes I have, I either don’t talk to because I don’t see them regularly or we’re good friends.”
I raise my eyebrow. Good friends? Like her and Blake? I want to know so bad about their relationship, but things are going well and I don’t want to ruin it. “Well, in that case, I’m going to refuse to let you go to work still and we’re going to the beach to go surfing.”
She tosses her head back and the sweetest sound of laughter fills the air. “In February? The water will be freezing.”
“Wetsuits, sweetheart.” I throw some bills on the table and stand up, taking her hand. Eagerly, she links her fingers with mine and lets me lead us out to her SUV. I drive toward the beach, glancing at her sideways. “So what’s the story with you and Gregg Turner?”
Her cheeks turn neon red and she stares straight ahead. “I told you, my job has a crazy schedule. Neither Gregg nor I want anything serious, so when we happen to be in the same place at the same time, we enjoy each other’s company.”
“And the pitching coach just happened to be at the NFL Combine?” I ask, trying to hide my sarcasm unsuccessfully.
“A girl has needs, Evan. Sometimes we put a little effort into meeting up,” she says, her cheeks burning even brighter. It’s more than charming and a total turn-on.
I reach over and take her hand, giving it a light squeeze. “Don’t be embarrassed, I understand. Some of us just fulfill our needs in other ways.”
Her laughter fills the car again. “Yeah, not all of us bang anyone that’ll follow us into the bathroom.”
“Ouch,” I say with a laugh, but I can’t be too offended because it’s true.
“So, what about you? I’m sure you have some crazy exes,” Camila asks, her body turned toward mine now and I can see impetuosity all over her face with her raised eyebrows and pursed lips.
Now it’s my turn to blush. “I, uh, don’t have any exes.”
I see her lips drop into a frown. “What do you mean? I’ve seen you with two different women in just the last couple weeks.”
I shrug, trying to play it off. “Yeah, random hook-ups. No numbers exchanged, just wham-bam-thank you ma’am…unless someone interrupts us.”
She giggles and her fingers walk over the back of my hand. “Sorry about that, but seriously? You’ve never had a girlfriend?”
Pulling into the parking lot at the local beach, I put the car in park and turn to her. “Just a girl in high school, nothing serious. I’ve never fucked a girl more than once.”
Her eyebrows arch even higher and I can tell she’s trying to hide her shock. “Wh-what about in high school? College?”
I shake my head. “No one wants to date a six-foot-six giant who’s hung like a horse when they’re that age. I was awkward and had bigger problems to worry about than having a girlfriend. I had my own shit to deal with, I didn’t need anyone else’s.”
“Your mother?” Camila asks in a whisper.
I grip my fingers tightly around the steering wheel and my knuckles turn white. “Yeah,” I mutter and memories of her stumbling up the front steps in a drunken stupor flood my mind.
Camila flips my hand over, letting her fingers caress my callous skin and relaxing my body that’s on edge from my thoughts. “Blake’s told me about her—”
“Blake doesn’t know shit!” I yel
l and Camila’s other hand moves to my thigh and grasps it tightly, reminding me not to take it out of her. I take a deep breath before I go on. “When he left for college, she wasn’t that bad, but when he stopped coming home, it got worse. She’d be drinking when I went to bed and still be drinking when I got up. I almost lost my football scholarship because I had to skip school to make sure she didn’t suffocate in her own puke.”
Camila slides her hand up and down my thigh. “That’s my fault, I’m sorry,” she whispers.
I turn to her and shake my head. “No, it’s not. I never told Blake how bad it was. The one time I mentioned it, he suggested I move out to California with him, but I couldn’t leave our mom behind. I was the man of the house and I had to take care of her which is why I went to state college. She got sober before I left for the NFL, only because I told her I wouldn’t accept any contract if she didn’t.”
Camila lifts my hand to her lips and kisses my knuckles. “You’re a good man, Evan.”
“Blake had you to take care of, we were both where we needed to be,” I say, looking into her eyes. And now, I’m taking over for him. In this moment, I know I will do whatever it takes to take care of Camila Lemos.
Chapter 10
Camila
Icy Hot, stinky feet, and sweaty men taint the room. With my job, some days are better than others, but on days like these when I’m walking through the spring training locker room of the New York Aces, I have to bite the inside of my cheek when I see one hot baseball player’s ass after another. I lean against the locker of Benny Martinez, the Aces top closing pitcher and my long-time client.
“How’s the arm, Benny?” I am desperately trying to avert my eyes from the backside of an outfielder directly behind him.
