“Thank you,” I manage to mumble before passing out.
Somewhere in the middle of the night, I wake up, blankets over me, Ara's sweet form tucked by my side. I ease out from under her body and tiptoe out of the room.
“Are you leaving her?” a sharp voice says from the kitchen.
I pivot toward the sound, blinking owl-like at the bright light. I make out a hazy blob. “Fleur?”
“Yeah, it's me.” The blob comes closer.
Belatedly, I realize I'm buck-ass naked. I hastily move a hand in front of my crotch. “I'm using the john.”
“Oh.” She stops about five feet away. “Oh,” she says again and slaps a hand over her eyes. “Holy shit. You're naked.”
“Yup.” And I have to piss. “I'm not leaving her.” What do these two take me for? Ara kept quiet about the night at the Hyatt because she was afraid I'd freak out on her, and now Fleur thinks I'm abandoning Ara in the middle of the night. “Why would you think that? I'm her friend. I care about her.”
“It's not enough to care about her,” Fleur informs me. Her mouth flattens into a disapproving line beneath her hand.
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“You figure it out.” She whips around and leaves me in the hallway, bare-assed and confused.
What am I to figure out? Ara's my best friend. We just had the greatest sex of my life. And I care about her as a person. This seems like a no-brainer to me. How is caring not enough? Fleur's cryptic response reminds me of Bryant's earlier mystical statement about figuring shit out.
I shake myself and go to the bathroom. Women. They should just come out and say what they mean.
I wash my hands and let myself back in the bedroom. A little moonlight creeps in between the open curtains, making Ara look mysterious and beautiful.
I care about her a helluva lot. Maybe Fleur means that I need to show Ara how much I care. I'm not great with words. I'm not artistic like Ara, but I do have one skill. I understand my body intimately and I can push myself to physical limits that others can't reach. So I'll show Ara how much I care, expressing myself in the best way I know how. With my body.
I walk over to the bed and pull the blanket down. She won't need it. I'll keep her warm. I run my hands down her arms.
She stirs, her legs parting.
“Ty,” she breathes.
“Yes, baby?”
“Make love to me.”
My heart seizes. I dip my head low to her stomach. “Absolutely.”
22
Ty
I wake up early. Lately, I've been getting used to sleeping in until ten or later. I know I'll have to break myself of that habit when pro camp starts this summer, but for now, I'll enjoy the luxury of letting the roosters crow without an audience.
Ara's dead to the world. She's on her stomach, her face buried in my biceps, and her hands tucked somewhere under her body, like she's afraid she's going to molest me in the middle of the night if she doesn't hold herself in.
This girl. What am I going to do with her?
I stroke my free hand down her back but she doesn't stir. Poor thing. All worn out.
With a broad grin, I lever myself out of the bed, pull my jeans on, and go make us some coffee. Ara's kind of crabby without some morning caffeine.
Thankfully, Fleur's absent. Her late-night cryptic messages don’t make any more sense this morning. I scoop the coffee grounds into the filter and grab the filtered water from the fridge.
I feel good about last night, but I know Ara will be filled with regret. Or, if not regret, then worry. My plan to overcome her concern is a bull rush. I ply her with coffee and then have sex with her until she passes out.
Once that's accomplished, I can leave for my afternoon workout and film review session. And then…the disastrous interview pops into my head.
Shit. I can’t believe I actually forgot about Dana facing those embezzlement charges. Good sex will do that to you, I guess. But first thing I’ve got to do today is call Dana, fire him, do some damage control, and figure out who else I can hire at this late stage.
“Damn.” I strike a fist against the counter. I don't need this drama in my life. It's tempting to leave now, but if I do, doubts are going to creep into Ara's head.
I exhale heavily and order my priorities. I take this one step at a time. I go in and make sure Ara’s memory isn’t going to malfunction on her this time and that she’s not going to disappear. Then I go straighten out everything else. Might as well start the day off right.
When the coffee is done, I pour two mugs and return to Ara's room. She's in the same comatose position as when I left her. I lean a hip against the desk and survey the wreckage. The sheets are pulled away from the corners. Our clothes are a mess on the floor. My jeans are tangled up with her yoga pants. Her lacy purple panties are lying across the toe of one of my boots.
Seeing our things muddled together seems right, like when I decided I'd go to Southern U instead of Western State, which is what everyone in my family wanted me to do.
I wanted to make my own way without Knox, and I knew when I came here I'd made the right decision, just as I know that I made the right decision ignoring the whole friendship spiel from Ara.
I'd wanted her from the first time I saw her, but I let her convince me that we'd be better as friends. I don't buy that anymore, but she's stubborn as a mule, so moving her off her set path isn't going to be an easy task. But I've fought harder battles.
I lightly stroke the bottom of one bare foot sticking out from underneath the comforter.
Ara shoots upright. Her eyes widen when they meet mine.
“Oh my God,” she yelps.
I grin. “Nope, just me.”
She whips the comforter over her head. “What are you doing?”
“Bringing you coffee.” I shove her mug underneath the comforter.
She grabs it and tries to slink down into an inconspicuous mound.
“I figured it would be like this.” Which is why I couldn't leave.
“You're supposed to creep out in the middle of the night,” she grumbles.
“I missed that during orientation period. It must've been the topic discussed while I had my head between your legs. I couldn't hear much other than, 'yes, Ty' and 'more, Ty.'”
“Inappropriate!” Still hiding her face, she sticks a hand out. “Yellow card!”
I swallow my laughter with the remainder of my coffee. “You have about a minute to brush your teeth, use the bathroom, drink your coffee, do whatever before I'm throwing you on the bed for…” I pause to count. “Round four.”
She remains silent, as if by not moving I'll forget she's there.
“It's about fifty seconds now.”
She bursts into motion, running to the bathroom. I pluck her half-empty mug off the nightstand and drop it off in the kitchen sink on the way to pour myself another mug.
After ten minutes, two more cups of coffee, and a bagel, I stomp to the bathroom. Hand ready to knock, I get distracted by my phone. The ringtone signals my brother's on the phone. I drop my hand with a sigh and go answer my brother's call.
“Yo.”
“Impatient much, bro?”
“Yes, actually.” I glance toward the bathroom across the hall. The shower is still running. She's got to run out of hot water soon. “What's up?”
“I'm here.”
“Define here.” But I know even before he answers.
“I'm standing in your living room. Remy's girlfriend is making me breakfast. I came in on the red-eye. I guess you never made it home last night.” The unstated question is clear. Who are you currently doing?
“I'll be home in ten.” I hang up because I'm not sure how I want to answer that question.
I gather up the rest of my clothes, shoot a frustrated glance toward the still-closed bathroom door. Knox is here to see how he can help clean up. And while I love him, I'd rather he kept his nose out of my business for now—both personal and football.
&nb
sp; I'm not going to hide that Ara and I are together, but I know if I admit this to Knox, he'll want to run the twin test. He believes in that. He stayed a virgin because he believed he'd meet the one. I thought this was crazy, but apparently it was true. He met the one last year and married her within months of their first encounter. They seem happy, but I'm not convinced that the twin test is the determinative factor as to whether I'm going to be happy with a woman. I’m sure Ara’s the right one for me, but the girl can't tell me from Knox if you put nametags on us. Knox came to visit on his bye week Ara’s freshman year. The whole weekend, she kept getting the two of us mixed up, even when I was wearing my glasses.
If Knox figures that out, he'll dismiss Ara as another pretty face. If Ara and I are going to last, my family will need to be on board. My parents will follow Knox's lead. Yeah, now is not the time, when Ara's still grappling with her own feelings. If I throw Knox at her, she'll burrow her head so far down into the sand, I'll need a bulldozer to pull her out.
I knock on the door and yell. “I have to head home for a bit, but I'll be back. Don't run too far. You wore me out last night and I don't have much energy.”
I wait for a response but get nothing. I get dressed and then jot her a quick note.
I'll be back around noon. Will bring you a burger. Keep my side of the bed warm. Ty.
I cap the pen and stare down at the note, feeling unsure of myself. Then I crumple the note up and toss it in the trash. I'll call her later when I've got my own house in order.
“Where's Ara?” Knox asks after we finish breakfast. “What's she up to these days?”
It's uncanny how he knows things. Our twin sense freaks me out sometimes. My brother is a hundred times more sanguine about it.
“Still looking for a job.” I gather the plates and carry them to the sink. “Thanks for lunch, Nichole. You're the best.”
“I know,” she replies smugly. And then throws a glare in Remy's direction. He doesn't notice. His head's bent over his phone.
I clear my throat at the same time that Knox tries to surreptitiously kick Remy under the table. Remy jerks to attention and looks around bewildered.
“I'm still single,” I tell Nichole as I finish putting the dishes in the dishwasher. “Any time you want to dump that mess and climb aboard this fine train, let me know.”
“Is it buy one, get one free?” Nichole asks cheekily. “Because I'd take you if you were a package deal.”
Knox twists in his chair and shoots Nichole a grin. “You'd have to fight Ellie for me, and I can tell you from personal experience that she might look weak but she packs a lot of power.”
Remy perks up. “Is there going to be a girl fight? Because I'm all for that.”
Nichole throws a dish towel across the room at Remy's head. When that falls short, she picks up a loaf of bread, walks over and starts beating him over the head with it. “You're supposed to fight for me, you ass!” Bam. Bam. Bam. “You're not supposed to push me into the cage!” Bam. Bam.
“It's not like it's going to happen,” he cries, hand over his head to stop the bread assault. “Knox is married and Ty's got Ara—” He grimaces. “I bet I wasn't supposed to say that.”
“Ara?” Knox arches a knowing eyebrow.
I toss the fallen towel onto the counter. “Nichole, feel free to beat him on the head a few times for me, too.”
“Got it.”
Knox gets up and follows me out of the room. We hear Remy bleat a few “sorries” in between cries for mercy.
“Ara and you, huh?” my brother says as we climb the stairs to my room.
“Ara and me.”
“When'd that happen?”
“Last night.”
“I thought you two were just friends.”
I push open the bedroom door and gesture for him to go in first. He does, throwing himself on my bed. I settle onto my chair and await the inquisition.
“We are friends.”
“But friends who fuck.”
“Friends who have enjoyed each other, yes.”
“She can’t tell us apart, you know.”
“I know.”
“You’re serious about her, though. I can tell.”
“Yup.”
He falls silent. I know what he’s thinking and I don’t have to be his twin to read the disappointment on his face.
“We should run the test again.”
“I think not. You’re just going to have to accept her.”
“You know she's not the one, right?” Knox says. “I mean, I like Ara and all. She's a cool chick, but since she can’t tell the two of us apart it’s not going to work. Remember at the Bowl game how she found me at the bar thinking I was you and told me how I was going to be a 'top draft pick, baby!'” He mimics her voice, badly.
“Yeah, I remember. I was in your hotel suite running another test on your wife.” I stare at the ceiling. So Ara gets it wrong from time to time. Does it really matter?
“And she passed.”
The smugness in his voice makes me want to punch him. In a brotherly manner, of course. The thing is that I need Knox to buy in, otherwise he’s going to be looking suspiciously at her from now until the end of time. That’s not going to work for any of us.
“Knox, we're two different people. Okay? It doesn't matter to me that Ara can't tell us apart. She's not going to climb into your bed, if that's what you're worried about. The thing from high school bothers you way more than it does me.” In fact, I think that's what made him decide he was going to be a virgin until he found the one.
“How can it not bother you?” He props himself up on his elbows. “The girl who proclaimed she loved you to the entire senior class took her clothes off and got into bed with me. When I told her it was me, she said she didn't care!” He shakes his head. “That's why you have to find someone like Ellie.”
“No offense, bro, but Ellie's not my type. And what happened with my high school girlfriend isn't going to happen with Ara. Ara would care that she was coming on to the wrong brother. She's not going to shrug it off. She'd haul off and punch you in the face if you tried that shit with her.”
His pinched expression says he wants to argue, but I stare him down and eventually he lets himself fall back on the bed. I grab a football off the floor and toss it to him. He catches it without looking.
“Did you come down here because you thought I wasn’t happy? Because I am happy,” I tell him. “Last night, I was real happy.” I pause, reliving the memory of Ara leaning down, her hair curtaining my face, her hands pressed into the middle of my chest as she ground down on my cock. “This morning, too. I was happy this morning.” We didn’t have sex like I wanted and she was still in denial, but she’ll come around.
We were so hot together, it's surprising her bed isn't just a pile of ashes. I can't wait until tonight. I've got a lot of positions I want to try out with her. My tongue tingles in anticipation of tasting her again.
“And you're happy now,” Knox observes.
“Yup.” I don't bother to hide it. Knox is going to have to get used to Ara, the girl who can't tell us apart. She's going to be with me for a long time.
“Then what about the agent thing?” The ball comes with the question.
“I'm firing Dana.”
“Firing?” Judgment is obvious in his tone. Dana should be past tense in my life.
“I was a little busy last night,” I remind him and whip the ball back.
“Do you have a list of agents you're considering? My guy still wants to sign you. He says he has a couple of sweet endorsement deals lined up. The companies like the twin angle. They think it's fresh.” He tosses me a folder instead of the ball.
Inside, I find a contract of endorsement. “How many other rookies are doing this?” I ask, peering over the top of the paper.
This time it's Knox avoiding my eyes. “None.”
“Then I'll pass.”
“Come on. This isn't a gift. This is because you just won the Championship.
You won all the awards for defense this past season. You're slated to go in the top five.”
“If this drink company wanted me because of all that, they would've contacted me.”
“Maybe they heard about Dana and didn't want to go through him,” Knox points out.
I bristle. “I get endorsement requests, interview requests, fan mail, marriage proposals, and hate letters sent here to the football office every day.”
“Does it really matter how the deal came about?”
I set the folder on the desk. “Yeah, it does.”
“You're putting the emphasis on the wrong factor. If you had a decent agent like mine, you'd be getting these deals by yourself. I've been playing for a year and I know—”
“That's enough,” I say tersely. I'm not going down this path with Knox. I don't get to see Knox much these days and I don't want to spend our time together squabbling. I change the subject. “How's Ellie? You enjoying your off-season?”
Knox is pissed. He makes a face at me and we stare at each other until he gives in.
“Ellie's awesome,” he finally capitulates. “The off-season is awesome. We spent a couple of days up at the shore.”
“Still no Wi-Fi there, huh?” Knox bought Mom and Dad a house on the water up in Maine. The place is so remote that there's no decent internet access.
“Nope. Aren't you the lucky one,” he deadpans.
I am lucky. The lack of internet coverage means my parents haven't seen the debacle that's gone down. Otherwise, I would've been dealing with my mom, my dad and Knox.
“I wondered why I didn't get any panicked calls after the Dana thing broke.”
“They are blissfully ignorant about Dana and your ex. Ellie and I kept them that way.”
“I appreciate that.” I stand up. “Want to play some FIFA?”
Knox jumps to his feet. “I guess you're in the mood to be defeated.”
All feelings of animosity are gone. We can't stay mad at each other long.
I lead the way down to the game room. “Baby brother, you are going to go home disappointed.”
He shoves me in the back. I throw an elbow and catch his gut. All's well with my brother. Things are okay with Ara. I just need to fix the agent thing.
Played: A Novel (Gridiron Series Book 4) Page 16
