I just laughed. Maybe he didn’t realize how broke I was.
“Josh, I’m broke, I can’t even get plastic diamonds in the Bargain Bin.”
“You aren’t broke, you have me.” He reached into his pocket and took out his bank card. “Here, just get what you need.”
“Josh I can’t take your card. The dress cost thousands. I’m already staying in your house.”
“Baby, don’t you think life is hard enough as it is?”
“Yes.” There was no question about that.
“Look what happened to you last night.” He smiled and gave my hand a squeeze. “Just take it and get whatever you need. It’s the least I can do.”
I didn’t care about my loose camisole that probably showed off too much or the matching shorts, I had to hug him.
“Thank you so much,” I told him and snuggled into his embrace.
He held me close to him, filling me with that feeling of safety, I’d felt last night.
“Thank you for everything.”
“Anything for you, beautiful Amy.”
* * *
Josh
* * *
I had the pleasure of watching her on a daily basis. Night and day.
I didn’t know that I could be so fascinated with one woman as I had been with her. Everything she did amazed me and it was nice to have her around all the time. It got to a point where I couldn’t remember not having her in my life. I was serious when I told her I didn’t know what we had, but wanted it. Since then every minute spent with her strengthened that desire.
The first week she spent at my house was the very best week I’d ever lived there. She brought so much life into the house and seemed appreciative of everything. She liked waking up to watch the sunrise on the beach. She liked sitting by the fireplace with a fire in the back while she drank cinnamon hot chocolate. She liked my not-that-great cooking, and she liked listening to classical music and reading poems with me.
My sessions with my therapist helped a great deal, but what worked for me was Amy. Her. Plain and simple. It was her. She made me want to be a better person.
She made my house feel like a home and extended her presence to accompanying me to the stadium when she could to offer her support. I was grateful for it. Particularly on days like today when I was exhausted from the intense week we’d had.
I’d finished about fifteen minutes ago but Coach Simpson wanted to go through some strategies with me. I was particularly good at this and would have been able to give more insightful commentary if I hadn’t noticed Amy talking with Corey by the water stand. I knew Corey and couldn’t believe my asshole of a best friend was flirting with her.
Amy wore denim shorts and a white shirt over an olive-green tank top. Her golden hair sparkled against the bright stadium lights. The whole image of her was sexy as hell without trying, and she carried herself in that sassy-but-girlie way I liked.
When Corey rested his hand on her shoulder I glowered at him, but I was too far to see.
“Josh, what do you think of that?” Coach asked.
I continued to glower at Corey, thinking that if he wanted to keep his hand then he needed to remove it from my girl. And stop talking to her too.
“Josh.”
“What?” I looked back to Coach Simpson quickly. “Um yes.” I didn’t know what I was saying yes to, but that was usually the correct answer, except where no was required.
To my horror Amy started to laugh at whatever lame joke Corey was telling her and brushed her hand across his chest. She didn’t do that to me , and my jokes were always funny. More than Corey’s, which would be about some stupid horse or his family’s farm. But, maybe Amy liked horses and farms.
“Josh,” Coach Simpson bellowed, nudging me in my side really hard. I looked at the older man and saw the annoyance on his face. His gray brows were lowered and nostrils flared.
“Yes coach?”
“Look son, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, and if your assistant’s going to be that much of a distraction tell her not to come.”
“Okay.” I rushed across the field before he could say another word. When I got up to Corey and Amy, I nudged into him so hard Corey fell over. I then took Amy’s hand and pulled her away from the scene of startled onlookers on the side lines who were now laughing at Corey.
I didn’t care, I just wanted to get her away from them, all of them. Coach was right, I should keep her safe from these evil man creatures. By right I should let her stay at home, but that would mean I wouldn’t see her all day, and if it was late like this she’d be asleep by the time I got in.
“Josh.” Amy winced. I was pulling her too fast. I slowed down but I didn’t let go of her hand.
“Josh, where are you taking me? This is the locker room.” She winced as we got to the doors. I didn’t care, I needed to keep her with me.
“I need to keep you safe.”
“Safe from what?” She chuckled.
“Just come. And close your eyes.” Most of the guys would have gone home so I was hoping the locker room would be clear.
“I’m not going in there.”
I ignored her protests and pulled her through the door. The aim was to get her to my quiet little corner of the room. However, to my misfortune we encountered Ty, Philip, Scott, and that damn Gage, who was showing off his latest tattoo. Everyone else was dressed, but no not Gage. The conceited bastard was shirtless and, to my further dismay, Amy’s eyes glued to him looking at the sculptured muscles along his abs. I could have murdered him right then.
Seriously, and to make matters worse, Gage saw her and indulged in the admiration with his stupid self by flexing his muscles for her and kissing his arms.
I stopped in my tracks and glared at him. “Watch it, quarterback. If you want to keep those eyes you better look away right the hell now.”
Gage just laughed, and so did the other guys.
“Keep going, old man,” Gage joked.
Old.
It was that stupid joke again. Yes, it was funny, but not in front of Amy. “I’m a month older than you, asshole.”
“Yes, older.” Gage laughed with his annoying self.
“Josh, is there a reason why I’m in here?” Amy tried to pull her hand away but I held on and decided to leave Gage alone.
I continued in the opposite direction to where my stuff was and only released her hand when we reached it.
“What is the matter with you? You’re acting like a crazy person.” Amy shook her head and tucked her golden hair behind her ear.
“Oh, so you noticed?” I took off my jersey and shoulder pads.
“I think everyone did.” She widened her eyes at me. “And you’re treating your friends like dirt.”
“What was so funny?” I stared at her.
“What do you mean?” She smiled.
“What did Corey say to make you laugh so much?”
Her mouth dropped and she looked surprised. “You’re jealous.”
“I am not jealous of that pea brain, horse-riding cow.” Yes I was jealous, alright. Crazy jealous.
“Oh great, then you’ll be pleased to hear that Corey and I will be going to the Mandarin restaurant on Saturday.”
“Corey and you are what?” I sent my fist straight into the locker, denting it and popping the door off the hinge.
Shit, Coach was going to have my head for that, but I had more serious things to worry about. Looks like I needed to kick Corey’s ass. As I moved to go she came up to me and took my hand.
“I was joking, but clearly I was right.” She cut a glance at the locker. “I can’t believe you’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Okay fine. So, next topic as we’re here, have you decided on the ad yet?”
I didn’t know what she was talking about. She let go of my hand and leaned against the lockers on the other side of them.
“Baby, what ad?” I was getting tired of these magazines and their ads.
“Calvin Klein,�
� she grimaced.
Oh, I remembered now, and I didn’t want to do it. It was time to focus on training. I didn’t have time to be prancing around in my underwear.
“No, tell them to ask Gage. I’ll bet he’ll happily oblige.”
“They want you, and I want to give them an answer by tomorrow. I’m trying to have a cut-off point for these sorts of events and promos. Nothing past next week.”
I liked the way she organized things and dealt with people. She had that firm-but-polite manner about her that maintained professionalism. Whereas I would have outrightly told them all no and the next thing I’d hear was how rude I was. Which, technically I was, so that didn’t bother me.
“Why do they want me?” her eyes fixed to my chest. I watched with deep satisfaction as she took her time taking in the clear-cut muscular definition of my abs. Good, Gage may think he looked like God’s gift to womankind but he had nothing on me. “Amy.” I caught her attention and held her gaze.
“Yes.”
I came closer to her, stepping right into her personal space to give her a better view. “Baby, why does Calvin Klein want me?” I undid the button on my trousers, drawing her eyes there to the start of my boxers with the Calvin Klein logo written across the top. Above that was another tattoo, an image of a blade.
“Because you’re the sexiest man alive.”
“Am I?” I stared at her.
“Apparently.” She played with the ends of her hair.
“Says who?”
She laughed. “FHM.”
“God.” I shook my head. The guys were going to have a field day with that one and tease me to no end when they found out. “What about you? What do you think?” I smiled at her. It didn’t mean anything until she thought it.
“It doesn’t matter what I think.”
“It does to me. Does Amy Rose think I’m the sexiest man alive?” I watched her cheeks warm up and turn a soft rose color.
“Yes.”
I couldn’t resist the smile that lifted my lips. “Do you want me to do the ad?”
“You’re asking me what I want?” She laughed.
“Yes. Apparently,” I borrowed her words, “you seem to be the boss of me.” Because my actions hadn’t been my own since I met her. The rules had changed suddenly and no matter what I did I couldn’t get her out of my head.
“It’s Calvin Klein, Josh. In my world we don’t usually tell a designer no.”
“Well, this is my world and it will mean me being in some advert in my boxers or not even that, on a beach, probably near the house with women all over me. So what do you want me to do, baby?”
Her face changed and she seemed a little uneasy as she thought. “It’s an ad. I wouldn’t want you to miss out. But…” She stared at me.
“But what?”
“I think it would make me crazy if there were women all over you.” She bit the inside of her cheek.
“Right, so that’s settled then. I won’t do it.” I nodded. “Come here.”
“No.” She shook her head and blushed uncontrollably. “I’m working.”
“It’s nearly nine, you finished hours ago. You’re not at work. This is just us now.”
“I’m doing overtime.”
“Bull, come here.” I took her hand and pulled her towards me, then lowered to sit on the bench and brought her into my lap.
“Josh, we’re in the changing room. I don’t want people to think we’re up to something.” She rested her hand on my chest.
“Amy, no one cares. You’d be surprised what goes on within these walls.”
“That doesn’t mean we should add to it.”
I looked at her and wondered if maybe she just didn’t like me. Maybe I was forcing this too much and should stop before I pushed her away.
“What’s wrong with me?” I asked her. I wanted to know what she thought.
She giggled.
“Okay I get it, that was the wrong question.” She’d seen me at my worse and the way I’d treated her when we first met was atrocious.
“No.” She smiled at me. “Nothing is wrong with you, Josh. It’s me.”
“What could possibly be wrong with you?”
“I like you too much, and I shouldn’t.” I held her green gaze and looked at her beautiful face. I didn’t think I’d ever seen anyone so beautiful in my life, and it was a beauty that came from within and made her physical beauty even more pronounced than it was.
Suddenly she looked worried.
“Why shouldn’t you? I like you too much too.” I wouldn’t kid myself it was more than just like. Like was too meager a word to describe how I felt about her. And I only knew because I’d never felt it before. I held her close and caressed the edge of her tiny waist.
“Do you?” She searched my eyes as if she was trying to find something.
“You know I do. Come here, baby.” I crooked my finger and she leaned forward, pressing her lips to mine. Every time I kissed her a magical force rushed over my body. I slid my hand up to the soft skin of her face, securing my lips to hers. She ran her hands up my bare skin leaving a heated blaze of fire where she touched. Everywhere on me felt hot all at once and I had to restrain myself. As a soft moan escaped her lips it drove me wild and I thought I would indeed go crazy.
Then I couldn’t have felt more aggravated when I heard the damn wolf whistles from my so-called friends.
The sound pulled us apart and she looked so embarrassed her whole face turned red. She jumped off my lap as the guys started clapping and laughing.
I was so mad I threw an old football at Gage, who of course caught it with no effort.
“Looks like we have a winner,” Corey teased, clapping the loudest of them all. “Well done, Amy, you certainly have tamed the wild beast. Lord have mercy.” He was all Texan now.
“Guys, if you want to live, you better move from my sight.” I was fuming.
“Josh.” The dainty hands on my arm brought me back to my senses. I looked down at Amy and saw that she was smiling sweetly up at me. “Let’s go home.”
Home. I looked at her and for some reason the word home stood out in my mind. It made me think of that warm feeling she’d brought to the house since she started living there.
“I’ll go wait in the car.” She continued to blush as she walked past the guys who were still clapping.
Once she was gone I looked back to them. “You’re all a bunch of jerks, you know that.” The humor returned to me.
“It’s just good to see you happy, man,” Gage said. “Roll with it.”
Corey came over to me. “You should see your face.”
“What’s wrong with my face?”
“I’ve never seen you look at anyone like that before. Savor it man, women like that only come into your life once in a lifetime.” Corey rested a hand on my shoulder and nodded.
I knew that he was right. It was just a scary thought, but he was right.
Chapter 17
Amy
* * *
I could no longer balance the battle that raged within me. My fears and worries of having feelings for Josh were losing fiercely to my heart. My heart screamed out for him in deafening cries that coursed through the blood in my veins.
I’d worried for so long that I could end up like my mother and end up wanting a man that could never be mine, that it scared me to take a chance on anyone I’d had feelings for.
I feared heartbreak more than anything because it destroyed my mother. Literally and figuratively.
I was scared, but my heart ached when I thought of being without him.
While I sat in his car waiting for him I thought about it all and I didn’t want to fight myself anymore. I’d never met anyone who’d made me want to take such a risk. Never met anyone who made me want to try.
He approached the car, opened the door, and got in. I turned my focus from the mass of leaves swaying from the willow tree in the park across from the stadium and looked into his seductive gaze.
When
he reached out and touched my face I closed my eyes to savor the feeling and the moment.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded slowly and opened my eyes again.
“I’m sorry about my friends. The guys can be real jerks.” He looked concerned that the reaction of his teammates would have thrown me.
I answered him by moving closer and raising myself up to kiss him. The gesture surprised him but he kissed me back and pulled me over into his lap.
“Amy,” he breathed, saying my name on the edge of a smile. He tilted his head back to get a better look at me.
I opened my mouth to say something but found I was too overwhelmed by emotion to talk. Josh was so open with how he felt. He never held back on anything. And, he’d always been open about whatever he felt for me.
“I’m sorry,” I began.
“About what?”
“I’m sorry I made you feel like you had to ask me if something was wrong with you.”
He smiled and kissed my nose. “It’s okay.”
I shook my head. “No, I should have told you how I felt.”
“How do you feel, baby?”
“Like the only person who should be seeing you with your shirt off is me.” There, a joke would help. It was perhaps the most direct I’d ever been.
“Well, we’d better leave or the guys will have front row seats to the Amy and Josh R-rated show.”
I giggled and slipped off his lap. “We probably should, I don’t know how I’d feel about them seeing me in my favorite Victoria’s Secret lingerie.”
His eyes went wide and turned darker with pure sexual desire. “I’m sorry, what?”
I laughed as I watched his cheeks redden. “Oh I don’t think you know the brand,” I teased. I was certain he’d had many Victoria’s Secret models in his time, or women who loved the brand, but this was me. “They do really great lingerie. Mine has lace and ribbons.” This was funny. Watching his face was funny.
“Lace…and ribbons.” He swallowed hard.
Play of Love: The Gladiator Players Box Set Page 18
