He scratched his stubbled jaw. “Why Huntsville?”
Casting her eyes downward to avoid his direct gaze, she tried to come up with a legitimate excuse beyond it was the farthest they’d go to get away from Fairhope and Carson. Her parents wouldn’t leave the state. “Why not?” she tossed at him.
“What’s wrong?” Carson claimed her hand again. “You can tell me.”
Why hide the truth? Carson already knew most of it. Her father had suffered a debilitating injury on an oil rig and never recovered. Forced into early retirement, her dad turned to alcohol to manage his pain. “He’s still drinking heavily.”
“Sorry to hear it, Sadie.”
“As for Mom, she can’t really work. Dad requires around-the-clock care.”
“You support them financially?”
“I help. Social Security doesn’t pay all the bills.”
“You’ve had a hell of a time, sweetheart.”
Carson was an easy man to be around—so much so, she wanted to open up and tell him everything. But…Randy returned to the private dining room at the perfect time, rescuing Sadie from herself.
She eyed the overflowing plates on his tray. “It looks amazing,” she told Randy. The decadent stuffed fish and rice made her mouth water like she hadn’t eaten in a year.
“Do you prefer red or white wine, Sadie?” Randy asked.
“Surprise me.” After all, Carson had been full of surprises so far, why ruin the streak?
Chapter Nine
Carson stretched his arms above his head and watched as Sadie finished her last bite of cheesecake. The girl had kept pace with him throughout the meal, devouring everything on her plate. The only difference was she was half his weight. So where did it all go? He knew better than to ask.
“Oh, my goodness,” she said. “If I can’t get out of bed in the morning, I know who to blame.”
“I could help you with that, Kitty Kat.”
She gave a nervous laugh. “One of your other areas of expertise, right?”
“You?”
“No, women in general.”
“I’m not a saint, Sadie.”
“Never thought you were.”
He took a sip of water, then wiped his mouth on the corner of his linen napkin, his gaze never leaving her face. “I’m definitely an expert on you, Sadie. I know what you like—what makes you feel good.”
A little panic registered on her face. The casual manner in which he talked about her and the fact that she knew he was right made her uncomfortable. The first time they’d made love was unforgettable. Not just because she’d lost her virginity, but because he’d done everything right, making her orgasm twice—a testament to their chemistry and his sexual prowess at a young age.
She fanned herself with her hand. “Is it hot in here?”
He grinned. “I’m perfectly comfortable.”
“Well…” She rearranged the silverware a couple of times. “Thank you for a wonderful meal, Carson. However, I don’t feel like we accomplished much on the professional front.”
Carson checked the time on his watch. “Do you have a curfew, pretty lady?”
“No, but I bet you do.”
“About that…”
“I thought the rules were pretty stringent during training camp.”
“All depends on who you know and what pay grade you’re at.”
She propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her folded hands. “Why did you get sent to my class, Carson? You’re hardly the type to get into trouble. In fact, your record is clean—no fines and no suspensions. Just the butt shot, which wasn’t your fault.”
“There’s several reasons.”
“I’m listening…”
“Jack Menzies has a lot riding on me—he considers me a franchise quarterback. Know what that means?”
“Tom Brady?”
Carson covered his heart like he’d been deeply wounded. “Of all the players you could have named.”
“The title suits him.”
“Yeah, it does,” Carson agreed. The man was a legend he’d admired all his life. “Most experts say a franchise quarterback needs consistency, leadership, and football intelligence.”
“Do you possess all of those qualities?”
Carson’s jaw tightened. “My stats say I do.”
“Do you think you do?”
He chuckled at her persistence. “As of last season, I have a 68.2 percent completion rate, threw for 3,623 yards, threw thirty-one touchdowns, was only intercepted twice, and my overall quarterback rating is 116.” If that didn’t impress her, nothing would, because Sadie was a statistical genius. In high school, she’d make complicated spreadsheets and advise him on where he could best improve his overall numbers. That’s what the college scouts studied the most.
“Wow,” she said. “I didn’t realize…”
“What?”
“I haven’t checked your stats recently.”
“And?”
“Those are incredible numbers, Carson.”
“Those numbers earned me more freedom than the average Warrior.”
“Deservedly so.”
“Ty, too,” Carson said.
“You two are close.”
“He’s the only one I trust completely.”
“I’m glad you found someone like that.”
He’d like to add her to that short list again.
“What about the other reasons you mentioned?” she continued.
“Of why I’m in your class?”
She nodded.
“Coach believes in that whole no soldier left behind mentality. And since I’m one of the captains…”
“Do you agree with his philosophy?”
“Yep.”
“Is there something else?”
Carson didn’t want to tell her about the women. “Didn’t you read the fine print in my franchise personnel file?”
“Briefly.”
He bowed his head, finding it increasingly difficult to continue. Christ, Sadie had given up her virginity to him. “Two years ago…” He didn’t want to relive the most embarrassing moment in his life, not with Sadie.
“The woman in the bar?”
His eyes grew wide. “You know about it?”
She touched his hand reassuringly. “I’m not judging.”
“Another home game victory and a trip to Sullivan’s with the team. The place was packed with fans. Everyone was buying rounds for us. Beers. Tequila. Probably the biggest celebration I’ve ever attended at the bar. I went to the bathroom, and she followed me inside.”
“Who?”
“Diane.”
Sadie’s expression didn’t change; she was listening intently.
“It surprised me to see her in the men’s room. I even told her she needed to go. But Diane was so damned persistent.”
“What did she do?”
“Told me she was my biggest fan—waited for me outside the stall—followed me to the sink, and when I turned around after I washed my hands…”
“You don’t have to tell me, Carson. I can fill in the blanks.”
He shrugged and looked away. “Isn’t that what you’re here for? To learn everything there is to know about the team?”
“The media gave enough details.”
He gazed at her again, scooped her hand off the table and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t know what the fuck I was thinking about that night…maybe nothing. But I didn’t fight her off. And when the door opened and three guys walked in and found us, I didn’t stop. You know the rest.”
“The pictures were posted that night.”
“Yeah.”
“And the response on social media was mixed. It didn’t hurt your overall likability, but a lot of women blamed you. Thought you seduced Diane.”
“That’s not how it happened, Sadie,” he defended himself.
“I know. The interview she gave pretty much proved that. She wore it like a badge of honor.”
Carson let go
of Sadie’s hand. “That’s not who I am.”
“Really?” She rolled her eyes. “If anyone knows that, I do.”
“I’ve moved on. And I never get that shitfaced anymore.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Carson—not when it comes to your personal life. We broke up a long time ago.”
“It’s not that easy for me, Sadie. Separating the past and present.”
She looked down. “It’s been hard for me, too, Carson.”
He wanted to believe it. Up until this moment, she seemed so cool and accepting of where they’d each ended up—like nothing from the past affected her.
“If it helps, Carson, I’m not angry about what happened with Diane. Surprised that you didn’t handle it differently, but mostly disappointed that you’d open yourself up to that kind of abuse.”
“Abuse?”
She shifted in her seat. “If the roles were switched, if you had followed Diane into the ladies’ room…”
“Yeah.” He didn’t want to think about it. “You’re a bigger person than I am. Not sure I’d like it if those headlines were about you.” It would drive him crazy if he saw her in another man’s arms.
She tilted her head. “Should I take that as a compliment?”
“Absolutely.”
“You don’t need to worry about your public image, Carson. If you want me to talk to the owner and your coach about excusing you from the class, I’d be more than happy to.”
“No—wouldn’t be right. Might suggest some kind of favoritism.”
“All right. I’ll treat you like everyone else. In fact, please show up early tomorrow. I’d like you to be my first appointment concerning the questionnaire.”
“Whatever you want, Kitty Kat.”
Their gazes locked then, and Carson was lost in a sea of deep green with gold flecks. Thick lashes framed her almond-shaped eyes. His attention dropped to the swell of her breasts and then dipped even lower to her tiny waist. “Let’s get out of here.”
What had started out as a business dinner had turned into an intimate occasion filled with laughter and deep insight into the kind of man Carson had matured into. Underneath all the football hero bravado was a vulnerable and compassionate man. It definitely caught Sadie off guard. She hadn’t expected to feel so comfortable, to smile so much, to actually like him again. He’d always been and remained a force in her life. She honestly missed him. And after sitting through his agonizing explanation about Diane, that’s when she knew he’d really changed for the better. The old Carson wouldn’t have been so open about everything.
Driving in companionable silence, Carson crossed the Mobile River to Blakeley Island, headed north to the Spanish River overlook. Another location that held sentimental value for the two of them.
“Carson?” she said as he killed the engine.
“Yeah, Kitty Kat?”
“Did you plan a reunion tour for us?”
Carson was silent a minute before answering. “If I did, it was unintentional.”
Sadie found herself taking in the surroundings, remembering hot steamy nights here spent in Carson’s Corvette making love, drinking wine coolers or beer that Carson’s college friends bought for him, sitting around a bonfire with their friends, or just listening to a thunderstorm rolling in from the Gulf of Mexico.
She opened her mouth to say something, to tell him she didn’t believe coming here was unplanned, but thought better of it.
“Something on your mind?” He pivoted in his leather seat, facing her.
Every fear she had about coming to Mobile was justified tonight. Carson was more dangerous than he’d ever been before. And since it had been two years since she’d made love…well, this closeness was screwing with her body and brain. Her flight instinct told her to jump out of his car and call a cab. But cell phones didn’t work out here seven years ago, and she doubted it would be any different now. As for her fight instinct—that had all but disappeared.
What was left? An inner voice trying to convince her she had every right to touch him. His face, chest, arms, legs…
Carson reached for her, but she shrank away, wedged up against the door.
“Sadie? What happened between the restaurant and here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Look at me, sweetheart.”
Without another word, she opened the car door and climbed out. Spending another minute alone with Carson wasn’t an option. Too many feelings, old ones and new, were overwhelming her. She needed a breath of fresh air and a moment to think.
It seemed like forever before she heard the crunch of boots on the gravel somewhere behind her. And when she felt his fingers on the back of her arm, raising gooseflesh and giving her passion chills, she automatically stopped, waiting for what she knew came next.
“What’s wrong, Kitty Kat?”
She turned to him. “Where should I start?”
“I thought we had a great time.”
“We did. That’s the problem.”
He rubbed her arms reassuringly. “You’re afraid of me?”
“Of course not. I’m afraid of myself.”
He curled his fingers under her chin and tipped her head up. “Trust your gut, Sadie. If this doesn’t feel right…”
Oh, it felt right, like it was their second chance. All the memories from this place washed over her—the hot kisses and sex—the endless talks—the joy of just having someone to be with. She gazed at the city lights in the distance and breathed in the salt air. Why couldn’t Carson be a complete asshole? It would make it so much easier to walk away.
Barbi’s words popped into her head, Have fun for once. Treat Carson like he’s an old friend. Share a good meal, have a few drinks, and don’t be afraid to reminisce about the old days. It’s normal and healthy.
Denial wasn’t healthy, but it was Sadie’s normal. And in this familiar setting, with the man of her dreams in front of her, and a little alcohol to take the edge off, she was suddenly tired of lying to herself. Sick of depriving herself. She caressed his cheek with her fingertips, her hand shaking. “I missed you.”
“Sadie,” he whispered in that hypnotic tone. “I want to touch you. Need to feel you again. It’s been too fucking long.”
Chapter Ten
Too long was a ridiculous understatement. Carson closed his eyes, remembering a hot summer night when they were kids—when they’d spent the night on the same beach with a group of friends after a game victory. Funny how the whole world around them could celebrate, raising hell and drinking to the wee hours of the morning, but Carson and Sadie always managed to carve out their own existence, blocking out the noise—focusing on each other.
Shaking the thought, Carson wrapped his arms around Sadie. “I’ve missed you too, Kitty Kat.”
She didn’t try to squirm free. Instead, she took a deep breath. “So what does that mean for us? Because I can’t handle another heartbreak, Carson.”
Sadie avoided confrontation. How many times had she left to escape an uncomfortable situation? But she had to ask the question.
“Nothing’s changed for me,” he said. “I know we’ve moved on, dated other people, but here we are, back where it all started. I don’t believe in coincidence, Sadie.”
“We’re not teenagers anymore, Carson. This…” She gestured between them. “Is the product of seven years of silence.”
Exactly what was she referring to? The sizzling, mutual attraction between them? The painful erection he’d been sporting all night? Did it matter? “That silence was one-sided, Sadie. You refused to take my calls or answer my texts. When that didn’t work, I wrote a dozen letters only to have them returned, unopened.”
She tilted her head. “What letters?”
Carson rolled his eyes. “Probably better you didn’t read them.”
“No. What letters, Carson?”
“The ones spilling my guts. I wrote half of them while I was drunk.”
“I-I never received them.”
He tri
ed to wave it off. “Pretty sure it wouldn’t have made a difference. They were returned unopened and I threw them away. Then you left. End of story.”
“Maybe my parents sent them back, Carson. I’m sorry.”
In his mind, things had never really ended; she simply broke up with him and then disappeared. “We had big plans, remember?” Plans she obviously didn’t want to be a part of. He shook his head—knowing Sadie Reynolds still had the power to hurt him. The only problem? There wasn’t any offensive line to protect Carson against whatever weapons Sadie had. Only him and her, one-on-one. And she was definitely his weakness—with her irresistible pouty mouth and wide green eyes.
“You had big plans.”
“You’re right, Kitty Kat.”
Had she misheard him? He was admitting to putting his own dreams above hers?
“I never wanted to go to Florida. I wanted to experience something different—New York or New England. You had ten scholarship offers, three of them from schools I would have considered attending with you. But instead, you did whatever Coach told you to do.”
“That’s not fair,” Carson said. “The man made it possible for me to go pro. I owed him…”
She shook her head. “You only hear what you want to hear. That’s why I left, Carson. That’s why I put myself first for once.”
Carson had relived those heart-wrenching moments again and again, remembering every word and every look on Sadie’s face the night she broke up with him. He’d suffered through the aftermath, overhearing all the ugly things people in their hometown had whispered behind his back about her, how she had used him in high school to get what she wanted and then dumped him the minute she received her scholarship. Those memories had scarred him—triggered his self-destructive mode, sending him on the longest drinking binge he’d ever had.
“Losing you nearly ended my football career before it even started.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“You knew?”
“You made the national news a few times that summer. And Barbi and Erika…”
“And that never made you want to reach out?”
“I-I…”
“Did it, Sadie?” She owed him that much. Because if there was any hope of him having a future, possibly a family, he needed to know. No woman could live up to Sadie. He’d always hoped they’d cross paths again, get a second chance. But after seven long years, that hope was about to finally faded to a fantasy unless she showed him that she still cared.
Ball Buster Page 8
