He presses his forehead to mine, both of us drinking in the heat and passion and raw chemistry of the moment.
“Melody,” he whispers, tasting every letter of my name and pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. His eyes are full of something deeper than just lust, and he wets his sexy, parted lips. “Don’t ever let anyone take away your light. It’s really…” He runs his thumb delicately along my cheek, and suddenly I feel like a treasure. “You’re really something.”
I try to swallow yet another flock of butterflies, except these are more like geese or chickens or some other crazy, wing-flapping creatures.
I run my fingers down his incredibly toned back, giving his firm ass a playful squeeze. “Why”—I slide my hand under the waistband of his khakis—“are you still wearing pants?”
“That’s a damn good question,” he says through an eager laugh, and we both reach for his belt and zipper and anxiously yank off any layers of fabric between our desperate bodies.
“Oh my goodness,” I say under my breath as his massive hard-on is exposed. It’s even more perfect than I remember.
He runs a hand down my side and grazes my nipple, making my back arch and my body swell with new heat. “You’re sure you want to do this, right?”
My heart tugs. Why is he so freaking sweet? Aren’t professional athletes supposed to be, like, assholes?
Not Dylan. Dylan couldn’t hurt a fly.
“Yes,” I answer, locking my eyes with his and letting myself drown in the beauty and energy of this particular moment.
I admire the specimen below his waist for another second—I mean, wow—and kiss him hard.
Everything feels right, and my body courses with need for him.
Suddenly, the sky flashes, and the room fills with a nanosecond of blinding light. The window clatters with the loudest bolt of thunder I’ve ever heard.
We both jump and gasp.
I sit up quickly and look out the window at the dark sky. Even in just the moonlight, the clouds are billowing and dark, moving with anger and dumping rain all over the palm trees.
“Oh no,” I say quickly, scrambling to my feet and trying to shake off the shock of the abrupt thunderclap.
Dylan seems unfazed, standing next to me and wrapping his huge arms around me. “That’s so weird. The sky was clear when we were at the bar.”
I look at him, not sure how he doesn’t see the magnitude of this. “Exactly.” I gesture toward the furious-looking sky. “This is a clear sign.”
He draws back and glares at me, smiling sarcastically. “A sign? You’re not serious.”
“Of course I’m serious.” I bend down and pick up the jersey, quickly tugging it over my head. “The timing is unreal. The sky literally stopped us from…”
“It’s a storm, Melody. We live in Florida.”
“It wasn’t even in the forecast.” I wave my hands around. “This is a plain and simple way of the universe telling us not to do that. Again.”
He shuts his eyes and draws in a slow breath, clearly searching for patience. “You cannot actually think that way.”
I turn and look back out the window, holding the jersey below my hips so everything is at least relatively covered. “I can’t ignore that. It’s too clear.”
He clenches his jaw and runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t get it. You were so into me. I really thought you—”
“I was,” I say quickly, jumping closer to him. “I am. I just… If it’s right for us to unite physically, I’ll know when the time is good, and that was a very apparent signal that it’s not now.”
He raises his brows and looks at me like I’m an enormous pile of puzzle pieces. His shoulders sink with a defeated sigh. “Okay.” He rolls his eyes and pulls me in for a hug, breathing calm and warmth into the deepest parts of me.
I narrow my eyes and force myself to keep it light, no matter how bad I want to let myself fall for him like a freaking skydiver. I can’t. Even though he’s a pair of dreamy eyes and rock-solid muscle and…a heart of gold. A mountain of patience who continues to surprise me every day and makes me feel adored in every possible way.
The thunderbolt was a wake-up call. I have to go where I’m supposed to be…to find my destiny. On the water, just like I’ve always needed to.
“Are you mad?” I ask in a tiny voice.
He draws back and gently lifts my chin so our gazes meet. “I wish I could be. I really do.”
Sixteen
Dylan
“Need a spot, bro?”
I rack the bar with a loud clang and sit up to find the source of the booming and slightly intimidating voice.
“Yo, Smoke.” I nod at Andre and wipe a drop of sweat from my brow.
“You’re bulking up, dude. Love to see it,” he says through a laugh.
I can’t quite get over how smiley and friendly the most powerful defensive player in the league is. He’s a savage on the field, but you’d never know with that wide grin and goofy laugh.
I shrug and stand up. “Yeah, I’m trying. What are you up to?”
He juts his chin toward the adjacent room of the Riders training facility, where the defensive line is finishing up an intense circuit. “Running through a workout with the D line. Getting acquainted for next season.”
“Good shit. So your trade is a sure thing?”
He glances around and hushes his voice jokingly. “I’m not technically supposed to say yes. But, yes. This place is dope as hell, and I think the Riders have a good shot at the Super Bowl next year with…you know…”
“With you on the D line,” I finish, picking up my towel and getting off the bench. “Railing out pick sixes like it’s nothing.”
He laughs heartily and smacks my arm. “True that, man. I’m glad you guys are all so chill. It’s gonna make the transition a lot easier to have such a great team behind me.”
I walk with Andre into another part of the gym, chugging a bottle of Gatorade. “Yeah…” I laugh as he flexes in a mirror and makes a grunting sound. “You’ll fit right in. I just can’t help but ask…why the Riders? I mean, your home team in Cleveland is offering you a stupidly enormous contract, and…it’s probably not my business, but why here?”
He bites his lip and considers my question. “There’s something here for me. Something I have to do… I guess.”
With the sense that that’s all the information I’m gonna get, I nod slowly and don’t ask any more questions.
“Wanna rip some abs before you head out, soccer boy?”
In the most manly way possible, I glance at Andre’s abs. Which could cut glass. I mean, I’m pretty shredded, but this dude has, like, another level of six-pack.
I laugh to myself at the fact that he wants to befriend me of all people. The lowly kicker. I guess he doesn’t seem like someone who cares about status. I can feel how much he loves the game, and it’s as simple as that. Riders lucked out on this trade.
“Fuck it, I’ll run some ab sets.”
“My fucking dude.” He bounces on the balls of his feet and grabs the ab rollers off the hooks on the wall.
I grit my teeth and crouch down to start the ab workout, reminding myself that I don’t have to compete with Andre fucking Smoke.
“So,” he grunts as he lunges down on the roller. “That’s quite the girl you got.”
I glance sideways at him and force myself to do the ab rolls as fast as he is. Melody flashes through my mind brighter than that damn lightning the other night. My poor balls are blue as the sky because she thinks she saw a sign. “Oh, Melody?” I tighten my abs and push myself to keep up with him. “She’s not my girl. She’s just…staying at my place.”
“Ah.” His tone of voice is way too relaxed for the intensity of this workout. Jesus. “Well, you two looked awfully cozy at the bar. I was digging her look, that’s why I noticed.” He finishes the ab rolls and gets on a mat to do probably a million sit-ups. “Pink hair and all that. She’s cool.”
“Yeah…” I force an eye
roll and lie down on another mat. “She’s something, all right.”
Andre looks at me and raises his brows, offering an easy smile. I study him for a second, trying to figure him out.
“She’s got you fucked up, doesn’t she, bro?”
I force a laugh and turn back to face forward. “No way. It’s not like that. She’s…crazy. And quirky. And mesmerizing. And why am I telling you this?” I shake my head.
“I don’t know.” Andre starts ripping through sit-ups like a machine. “But you can talk to me if you want. I’m a good-ass listener. Plus, I’m not technically on the team yet, so…” He grabs a huge-ass weight and starts doing the sit-ups with it pressed to his chest, because that’s necessary. “I don’t know any of the drama or all that.”
He takes a break to rest and shoots me another one of the world’s most genuine smiles.
Why do I feel like I want to just sit with Andre Smoke and tell him my entire life story right now?
“Okay, man.” I shift to face him and rest my elbows on my knees. “It’s insane. She’s the total opposite of every chick I’ve ever been into. She’s out there. Way, way out there. Like, Jupiter out there. But we have this bizarre attraction, like I can’t stand it, but I’m so unbelievably into her. It makes no sense.”
“Are you boning her?”
I snort. “That’s complicated. We hooked up once, the night we met. It was unreal. Absolutely unreal. And then all this shit went down, and her apartment flooded, and now she’s leaving to go on a boat to teach yoga, and…fuck.”
He lets out a bellowing laugh and hands me an enormous weight. “Okay, bro. I don’t know shit about a flood or a boat and definitely not about yoga, although I’d probably crush it if I gave it a shot.”
“Most likely.”
“Do you have feelings for her? Like, serious-shit kinda feelings?” He stares at me bluntly, his eyes somewhere between green and brown.
I drag my fingers through my sweaty hair and puff out a breath. “I have no idea. She could be the dumbest decision I ever made, or she could be the love of my fucking life.” I laugh and groan at the same time. “It’s a messy thing.”
He shrugs his massive shoulders and gives me a sympathetic look. “I’m no expert, dude. But I was in love once.” He chuckles. “Different lifetime, basically. It’s fun and all, but that shit can really hurt if it doesn’t go well.”
I examine the guy who had eight picks last season and put, like, three guys in the hospital. Can’t exactly picture him getting his heart broken.
“So…” I wipe my neck with a towel. “You think I shouldn’t go after her?”
“No, not at all.” He holds his hands up and shakes his head. “I’m saying the opposite. It sucks when it doesn’t work. When it ends. And then you have to live with all that…regret and shit. Fuck that.”
I wonder again about what chick on the planet could possibly hurt the six-foot-four stone-cold boulder of a cornerback.
“If pink hair is making you feel real things…not just getting your dick wet, then you should go for it. Balls to the wall. At least that way you’ll know you tried, no matter what.”
I lean back on my palms and bite my lip. “I’m still confused as hell. I don’t know if it’s just this dumb attraction and chemistry, or if it’s…more. I don’t wanna go for anything until I know it’s more. Feel me?”
“Totally feel you, soccer bro.”
I smile to myself and consider, again, that I’m having a borderline heart-to-heart with Andre Smoke and wonder why I decided to just dump this crap on a virtual stranger.
“So, anyway. I’m not sure how I’ll figure it all out.” I face forward and start doing sit-ups again.
“Don’t sweat it. I’m sure you’ll get some kind of sign or some shit,” he says with a grunt as he finishes another set.
A sign. A fucking sign. You’ve got to be kidding me.
Seventeen
Melody
“And reach for the stars and the sun and the sky and everything out there the universe is holding.” I stretch my arms above my head and smile at Robert, beyond thrilled to see him fully immersing himself in the practice.
“I’m reaching,” he croaks through a laugh.
I’ve come to visit him a few times on my own now, and I really think we’ve made leaps and bounds in his mental health and emotional wellness. Today, he even let me open up all the blinds and a window, letting in the rare sixty-degree Florida air.
“Now…” I gesture for Robert to take a seated position on the carpet. “Let’s talk about what’s on your mind today.”
He wrinkles his wide nose, making his glasses lift on his face. “What’s that smell?”
“It’s an essential oils diffuser. This is bergamot and cardamom.”
“Carda-who?”
I laugh softly and straighten my back, facing him eye to eye on the ground. “Bergamot instills brightness and positivity, and cardamom fights feelings of self-pity.” I eye him sternly.
I’ve discovered that the best way to get through to Dylan’s dad, who’s almost as stubborn as Dylan, is to treat him with a balanced mix of gentleness and tough love. He likes bluntness, and so do I. We get along well.
“Is that so?” He narrows his gaze and shakes his head slowly at me. “Some kinda crazy voodoo, huh?” he mumbles with a crooked smile that he undoubtedly gave to his son.
I shrug my shoulders. “Say what you will. If you don’t want to buy into the benefits, you have to at least admit that they make a pleasant atmosphere.”
“I guess I can’t argue with that.” He runs his fingers along his hairline and meets my eyes with a steel expression. “Now, Miss Melody, why do I need to fight feelings of self-pity today of all days?”
I swallow and smile excitedly, hopping up to my feet and holding out my hands to help him up. “Well, Robert, I’m glad you asked.”
He grunts as he stands up, brushing off his ratty T-shirt and arching a brow curiously at me.
“As you know…” I bounce over to the entrance and start to shove my feet into sneakers. “Sixty-degree days don’t come around often in South Florida. It’s January, it’s humidity-free, and it’s absolutely glorious.”
He shuffles forward a bit and leans against the kitchen island, watching me. “Okay, little pink forgetful one. You already gave me this spiel, and I said we could crack the window. Who’s the old geezer now?”
I cross my arms and purse my lips. “Neither of us. Now, get your sneakers on. We’re taking a walk.”
My heart tightens in my chest, and nerves prickle down my spine. I know Dylan said not to get my hopes up, and I’ve barely even known Robert for a couple weeks now. But I have such a burning determination to help him, and I know that I can. I just have to get him to break through the barrier of fear and find comfort and peace outside of his home.
“No.”
The word crashes down on me, cold and harsh and certain.
I draw in a breath to remain steady and step toward Robert, meeting his eyes and sending the most positive and calm energy I can possibly muster. “I thought you might say that. Which is why…”
“Don’t try to bribe me, young lady.” Now his arms are crossed, too.
“I wouldn’t dream of it. I just thought…” I twist my ponytail and look out the window. “We could have a walk-and-talk. We could discuss…things.”
He furrows his brow and inches forward, wearing an expression of both amusement and irritation. Eerily similar to someone else I know. “A walk-and-talk?”
I grin and nod my head with reassurance, making my ponytail flip through the air. “That’s what I said.”
Robert clears his throat gruffly. “And why can’t we discuss whatever pressing matters are going through your pink brain in the comfort of my home?”
“Because I need the outside air to open up…about…” I give him a side-eye and tilt my head.
“About?”
“Dylan and me. You’re a big advocate for us to be tog
ether, as I recall.” I smirk.
“Well, heck yeah, I am. You know that. You’re a wonderful and special person, and I think you two are meant to be. You’re great for him.” He swallows and glances at the door, a good sign. “But you said that there’s no chance for you two.”
The reality of those words stabs my chest harder than it should. “Well, now I’m not so sure.” My mind races back to the yoga mat. His eyes and his smile and the way it felt more than physical. The way I desperately wanted to let myself melt into him…all of him. But then there was the thunderbolt…
“Really?” Robert perks up, and his arms uncross and fall to his sides. “Oh gosh, Melody, you have no idea how much he needs a girl like you. I just know.”
“You just know, huh?” I lock my eyes with his and give him a serious look. “I can dig that. And I can also tell you exactly where we stand and what I want and how I feel…” If only I knew those things myself.
“Tell me, tell me.” Robert’s heavy eyes spark and lighten up.
“I’d love to.” I turn around and grab the handle of the front door, slowly twisting it and smiling at Robert. “On our walk-and-talk.”
He swallows hard and clenches his jaw, his face overcome with shadows again. I can see the pain and struggle resonating in his gaze.
“I know you didn’t choose to stay behind closed doors.” I crack open the front door, letting in a sliver of sunlight and a cool breeze. “I know that this hurts you, and I know you want to change it.”
He doesn’t protest, but he fidgets with his fingers nervously, and I feel his fear and doubt creeping up.
“This is the next step.” I smile and open the door a bit more, leaning my hip against the doorway and channeling every ounce of radiant positivity I have in my soul.
Robert looks at the ground, then back up at me. “Fine. I’m going to get my walking shoes. But you better tell me exactly what’s going on. I mean everything.” He turns and marches toward the bedroom, and my heart does a victorious somersault. “Well, maybe not everything,” he mutters over his shoulder.
I feel my face flush and shake my head, smiling to myself and actually welcoming the millionth surge of butterflies at the thought of Dylan.
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