by J. Nathan
I jerked a glance over at him. “You heard me?”
“Yeah. You’re terrible.”
I laughed. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“Would you rather I lie?”
I rolled my eyes. “No. But now that I know how you feel about it, I plan on singing even louder just for you.”
He snickered as he pointed to a spot right in front of the statue. “Go stand over there. I’ll take your picture.” He pulled out his phone as I moved to the spot he’d indicated. I smiled as he snapped a few pictures, knowing my dad would love the fact that we stopped there.
“Wait.” I moved to the spot where Elvis reached out his hand. I placed my left hand in it and raised my right arm in the air, mock-screaming like a crazed fan. I posed for an amused Caden who snapped a few more pictures.
“Now flash him,” Caden called.
My face fell as I dropped my arms, glaring at his big dopey grin.
“It was worth a shot.”
I rolled my eyes. “Your turn.”
“I’m not really a fan.”
I walked over to where he stood and grabbed his phone. “Yeah, but maybe there needs to be a picture to commemorate this brilliant road trip.”
He smiled. I could tell he wanted to resist, but he hobbled over to the front of the statue on his crutches instead. I snapped a few pictures of him with his phone, admiring his easy smile as each picture froze on the screen.
“Hold on.” I walked over and stood beside him, holding out his phone to take a selfie with Elvis looking down at us. Caden leaned his head in and we both smiled. “Say the King lives,” I teased.
“Would you just take the picture?” he said with quiet laughter.
Caden
The girl ate like a fucking champ. The cheeseburger didn’t stand a chance. Neither did the fries. She actually slapped my hand away when I tried to grab some. “You know, most girls wouldn’t be caught dead eating a burger and fries.”
“Then they’re missing out,” she said, popping a fry into her mouth.
I laughed, my eyes moving around the Elvis-themed diner we found down the block. It was Elvis overload with memorabilia filling every free spot on the wall. I glanced back to Finlay, happily eating across the table. “This wasn’t exactly what I pictured when I pictured our first date.”
“Date?” she asked with her mouth full.
I nodded. “I pictured something more—”
“Who said this was a date?”
I leaned back and crossed my arms, giving her a look at my impressive guns. “You’re single and I’m single.”
“That doesn’t make it a date.” Of course she challenged it. She had difficulty not having the last word.
“Well, why can’t it be?”
She sat back and crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed and keeping us on a level playing field. “You didn’t ask.”
I smirked. “I’m Caden Brooks. I don’t have to ask.”
She cocked her head, her eyes leveling me with that unspoken sass I expected from her.
I resisted the urge to laugh as I glanced around at the Elvis fans filling the room. “Fine. Next time I’ll ask.”
Her eyes rolled so far into her head I thought they’d disappear.
“So…here’s what I know,” I said. “You like food, football, swimming, running, country music, and Elvis. What else is there to know?”
Her eyes lit up. “I’m not really an Elvis fan. My dad is. I stopped for him.”
I tinge of jealousy tightened my gut. I couldn’t imagine doing something like that for my dad. He’d never given me a reason to want to. My mom. Now that was a different story. I would’ve put my life on the line for her. “That didn’t answer my question.”
Finlay shrugged, her eyes drifting uncomfortably over my shoulder at something behind me. “That about sums it up.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“Well, sorry to disappoint.” She popped a couple more fries into her mouth, her eyes avoiding mine.
“You’ve never said where you’re from.”
Her brows inverted. “I haven’t?”
I shook my head, wondering if that was her way of avoiding the question. “So?”
“Just a small town in Alabama.”
“You always live there?”
She nodded, her eyes wandering out the window.
“You have any siblings?”
I watched her body tense as she swallowed down hard and shook her head.
“What’d you do the last two years besides try to find yourself?”
She looked back at me, a thoughtful expression in her eyes. “What do you think I did?”
“Backpack across Europe?”
She shook her head.
“Work at an island resort?”
She chuckled. “No.”
“Join a circus?”
She tilted her head. “You suck at this.”
I laughed. “Then just tell me.”
Her eyes softened at the edges. “I worked in a place like this.”
My eyes flashed around the gaudy diner. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why didn’t you just go to college?”
I could see the worry lines in her forehead. Had I put her on the spot? Annoyed her?
She shrugged. “Just didn’t.” She finished off the rest of her fries without another word.
I grabbed for the salt shaker and teetered it on its side. I didn’t like the quiet Finlay. I didn’t like knowing I made her that way and had no idea why. “Now this’s gonna sound lame—and normally I don’t do lame, but what’s your major?”
A small smile tipped her lips. “You’re right. That sounded like a super lame pickup line.”
“Would it have worked?”
“No.”
“So?”
“So what?”
“What’s your major, woman?”
She snickered. “Undecided.”
“That’s not a major.”
“It’s the best one I’ve got.”
I stared across the table, wondering what someone like Finlay would want to do in the future. “I could see you as an ER nurse.”
Her head shot back. “Really?”
I nodded. “The no-nonsense way you handle the guys. The way you’re right there to assist on the field. The way you showed up and were willing to help me. You’d be a good nurse.”
Her eyes lifted as she considered my words. “It’s funny you say that because I always planned to do something in the medical field, then…” Her words tapered off.
I could feel myself inching forward, hanging on her words. “Then what?”
She shook her head, her eyes darkening. “Life just got in the way.”
For some reason, I knew better than to pump her for more information. So instead I paid the check and we headed out.
An hour later, I watched her tired eyes in the rearview mirror. She was trying so hard to stay alert and focused. And away from a hotel. Alone. With me. I considered offering to drive, but the idea of us in the same bed again…let’s just say thank God she couldn’t read my mind. “Finlay. My phone shows a motel in eight miles. I want you to stop.”
“We’re only two hours from campus.”
“Yeah. But I want to see Alabama again. In one piece.”
Her shoulders dropped. It took a lot for her to admit defeat. That, or she was just terrified of being alone with me. Did she not trust me? Or was it herself she didn’t trust? “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. You’ve been making me think I’m exhausted for hours.”
I laughed, knowing I totally had.
We pulled into the motel parking lot fifteen minutes later. Grass grew through the cracks in the pavement and the run-down building craved renovations. The odds of them having a gym or pool was nil. Finlay parked right in front of the entrance and opened her door.
“No. Let me.” I grabbed my crutches and pushed open
the door. “It was my idea.”
She stared at me, looking so exhausted. I almost felt sorry for talking her into driving me in the first place. “Okay.”
Once I stepped out into the warm night, it felt nice to put some light pressure on my leg. The doctor had assured me with rest, I’d be back on the field in no time. I just didn’t expect it to be the truth given the severe pain and throbbing. But there I was, hobbling into the lobby of a seedy motel somewhere in Mississippi. A big orange cat sat on the counter and a foul musty stench nearly knocked me off my feet. I spun right back out the door. A night alone with Finlay was not going to be in a place like that. I opened the passenger front door and slid in. “It’s a dump. You deserve better.”
She stared at me, her skepticism mixed with exhaustion. “Why are you in the front seat?”
“I’m sick of looking at the back of your head.”
She scoffed as the engine purred back to life. “I know. My profile is so much better.”
“Why’d you do that?”
She gave me a sidelong glance. “Do what?”
“Put yourself down?”
“I just meant—”
“You’re beautiful.”
Her eyes rounded, her features fixed with fear. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s the truth. And now I’m free to say it.”
Finlay spent the next fifteen minutes silently staring straight ahead as we traveled through another unfamiliar town.
I wondered what she was thinking. I’d certainly given her something to think about. Now she just needed to figure out her feelings for me. Because I’d definitely been delivering mixed signals. It must’ve taken nerve for her to try to kiss me in the pool. But my reaction sucked. I was just so damn shocked, the only thing I could do was remember why I couldn’t kiss her. Not that I didn’t want to. It was all I thought about after she left me at the elevator. But it couldn’t happen. Not when I had a girlfriend.
But even after putting herself out there like that—and being rejected, Finlay had still shown up at the hospital. And she’d stayed. No one made her. Those were both her decisions. And while driving me home was strongly urged, she’d still agreed. That had to mean something.
“Take the next exit.” I pointed to a sign for lodging that appeared on the side of the road, hoping this place would be better. As tired as I was, I could see Finlay’s eyes drooping by the minute.
She pulled off the exit and followed the signs until we sat in the parking lot of a reputable chain hotel. Its welcoming exterior and parking lot filled with cars told me this was the one.
“Maybe I can just close my eyes for an hour and then get us back on the road,” she said.
“I forced you into this. The least I can do is get you a good night’s sleep.”
Clearly realizing it was a lot safer to sleep in a bed than drive on unfamiliar roads while exhausted, Finlay nodded.
I pushed open my door and stepped out, using my crutches for balance. “Be right back,” I said before hobbling to the hotel entrance. I glanced over my shoulder. Finlay’s eyes were closed and her head rested against the headrest. I smiled, knowing I’d gotten her to agree to not only spend the night with me, but to save me from hours in a car with my dad and any possibility of me becoming the man I hated most in this world.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Caden
Finlay stared at the king-sized bed in the center of the room. “They didn’t have two beds?”
I shrugged as I brushed by her in the doorway. “It was this or the honeymoon suite. I figured this was better.”
“You’re lying.”
“Yup.” I dropped my bag on the chair and turned to her. “Aren’t you coming in?”
“I feel like I’ve been set up.”
“I’ve totally been planning to get hurt, end up in the hospital, and take a road trip with you for months.”
She stared at me, her eyes clouded with embarrassment.
Shit. I hadn’t meant to embarrass her. But knowing I had, I needed to make it better. “I can sleep in the chair if that makes you feel better.”
She cocked her head.
“I’m serious. If you’d be more comfortable, I’m fine with it.”
She walked inside, closing the door behind her. “I don’t believe you.”
I laughed. “Good. Because I’m so sleeping in this bed.” I dropped onto it, kicking up my feet and grabbing the remote.
“I’m just gonna get cleaned up.” Finlay moved into the bathroom with her backpack in her hand and closed the door behind her. She clearly needed some time to digest the precarious situation she found herself in, especially after I’d been pretty clear in laying my cards on the table—at least I hoped I had.
Once she locked herself in the bathroom, a familiar emptiness descended. I was getting so used to her being around, when she wasn’t, it was as if a dark cloud had moved in. I pulled out my phone, needing to occupy my mind. I’d noticed in the car I already had a shitload of missed calls and undoubtedly angry voicemails from my father and Leslie. I doubted my father called Coach. That would’ve only shed light on the fact that I wanted nothing to do with him. But I hadn’t listened to the messages or returned their calls. I didn’t need that shit pulling me down when I was having such a good time getting to know Finlay.
The water in the shower switched on. The image of Finlay naked quickly made the thought of dealing with my father and Leslie a lot less irritating. So I went for it, listening to their messages, unfazed by my father’s anger and Leslie’s denial. Not about to call either of them back, I spent the next fifteen minutes watching sports highlights on TV.
Eventually, the shower switched off. My body hummed like a fifteen-year-old hoping to get laid for the first time. These were uncharted waters for Finlay and me. We’d never purposely shared a bed. We’d never been entirely alone with no chance of being disturbed.
A shuffling sound traveled through the bathroom door. I wondered what Finlay would do once she stepped out of the bathroom. Would she lay on the bed next to me like she had in the hospital? Would she lay on her stomach and watch television from the foot of the bed? Would she sit in the chair?
I didn’t have to wait long to find out. The clicking of the bathroom lock pulled my attention from the television to Finlay stepping into the room. Her wet hair was in a messy knot on the top of her head and her short shorts and tank top clung to her body in all the right places. Sweet Jesus. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Was she trying to kill me?
“How was the shower,” I asked lamely, trying to keep my eyes from venturing to her chest.
“Good.” She placed her bag down on the floor beside the chair and walked to the side of the bed. Without hesitating, she lay down beside me, fluffing the mound of pillows behind her head before looking to me. “Did your dad call?”
“Twice.”
She scoffed. “You make a habit of pulling stunts like that with him?”
“Yup.”
“Does it make you feel better?”
“Every damn time.”
She laughed softly, and I wondered if she found my behavior to be immature or justified. She rolled onto her side, resting her head in her palm and looking at me, like really looking at me. “When does it end?”
Her question hit me hard in the chest. I’d never considered it before. I just knew I hated him and wanted him as far away from my mom and me as possible. “When I’ve had enough.”
She nodded, and I wondered if my answer surprised her or stayed consistent with who she knew me to be.
“Leslie called too,” I added, wanting to be honest with her.
“Oh. She must be worried about you.”
I nodded. “Yeah. She doesn’t believe it’s over. She still thinks it’s the meds talking.”
Her brows lifted. “I didn’t realize you broke up with her?”
I nodded.
Amusement danced in h
er eyes. “So she’s not letting you break up with her?”
I rolled onto my side, my head resting in my palm. “It’s not for her to decide.” My eyes dropped to Finlay’s lips, so pouty and pink.
“She’s probably just sad.” Realizing my focus was on her mouth, Finlay’s words came out softer. “Are you?”
I shook my head, watching her swallow down hard. I liked that I made her nervous. Hell, she made me nervous. “I want to kiss you.”
Her eyes jumped to mine, wide and nervous. “You do?”
I lifted my fingertips to her cheek, gently grazing them over her soft skin. She quivered under my touch. “Finlay, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since you talked smack about my passes.”
“What?” Her voice was hushed and incredulous.
My eyes remained fixed on hers. “And when you gave me shit for drinking too much water and cramping up, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to strangle you or get you naked.”
Her eyes rounded. “Why?”
“Why?” I looked her dead in the eyes so there was no confusion. “Because you’re you. All spitfire and sass. All smart about football and life. And did I mention hot as hell?”
She smiled, almost sadly. “But what about Leslie? Isn’t it too soon?”
My fingers brushed softly over her skin. As much as I hated the trepidation Finlay felt, she was right. I was being an insensitive prick trying to move on right after ending things with Leslie. Trying to get Finlay naked just solidified that fact. And while I should’ve been the rational one and put on the brakes, I’d learned in life nothing lasted forever. And right then, everything between us felt right. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, Finlay. I just know I broke up with Leslie because I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
Finlay shuddered as my thumb traced her jaw.
“I have no idea how I didn’t kiss you in the pool when I wanted to. So. Damn. Bad.” I rolled her onto her back, pinning her body to the bed beneath mine.
She pulled in a sharp breath as she gazed up into my eyes. “Your leg.”
“I’m fine.” I lowered my lips slowly, letting the anticipation build while I gauged her willingness to comply.
Her eyes drifted shut, her lips parting ever so slightly.
