“What if we just took it a day at a time? We see each other whenever we want or can and go from there. We don’t need strings or titles.”
“So be fuck buddies? Is that your suggestion?” I scoffed before chugging more of my now-lukewarm coffee.
He shrugged. “I did say no titles, but if it makes you feel better to put a childish label on it, sure. I guess that is what I was suggesting, in a very loose sense.”
I threw my hands into the air. “Someone always gets attached and someone always gets hurt in those situations. Why can’t we just chalk this up to a wonderful night together and go our separate ways?”
“Well, because I don’t want to. If you don’t want to try for something with substance, I’m willing to just be carnal and see how far we can take this. I promise to not get attached if you can do the same. I have a few months off, and driving out to the beach with Mazy is something I do often on the weekends anyway, so it’s not like I’m a stranger to the two-hour drive to Wilmington.”
“I guess when you put it like that, two hours doesn’t seem all that bad. Who’s Mazy?” He was breaking down my resolve yet again, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. I didn’t date. I was a glorified hermit who barely interacted with people outside the gaming world. It was a feat for me to even put on real pants and get out of sweats most days.
“Mazy is my Belgian Malinois. She lives with my parents while the season is in but I have her now that we’re in the offseason. She likes the beach and I try to bring her out to it as often as I can.” He stood, grabbing his croissant and coffee. “Look, I’m bringing my folks out this way in two weeks for a small vacation with my pup. If you want to meet up for a drink or something while I’m in town, great. If you don’t, I’ll have my answer and I’ll never bother you again. It’ll give you time to think all of this over and hopefully miss me.”
As he started to walk to the door, I turned to him. “I don’t have your number.”
“Check the napkin.” He pointed to the tray he’d left on the table. “Hope to hear from you soon, beautiful. There’s no pressure though. I’ll keep my end of the bargain if you decide you want nothing more to do with me.”
And just like that, without waiting for a response, Logan walked out of my room.
What the hell just happened?
I grabbed the napkin with his scribbled phone number on it and saved it in my phone. Sitting, just staring out at the water, I tried to think about the pros and cons of the situation.
Pros:
Hot as hell
Smart
Well read
Doesn’t want this to be a fling
Isn’t putting pressure on the situation
Cons:
I could get attached
He could get attached
I hate football
I could get hurt
If I was being honest with myself, I was tired of being alone. At every family holiday and gathering, I saw everyone so in love and happy with their partner, and I was always the odd one out. I couldn’t even remember a time I had been with someone long enough to consider bringing them home to meet my family.
* * *
Pulling into my parking space right out front at my condo building, I sat in my car for a second. The desire to text Logan was overwhelming, the entire drive having been spent trying to figure out how I was feeling.
I was on autopilot while grabbing my bags and climbing the three flights of stairs. The routine continued as I plugged in my laptop on my desk in the big bay window that overlooked the serene water view. Emptying my suitcase directly into my washer and hanging up the never-to-be-worn-again bridesmaid dress in the back of the closet only took a couple minutes. I technically wasn’t expected to work again until the following morning, but I didn’t know what else to do. If I just sat idle any longer, I would be jumping in my car and rushing back into Logan’s arms, which was not the right course of action. That much I knew.
So, I settled for doing what I normally did when I was avoiding a tough situation: I logged into my personal account to grind out a few hours of game time on my favorite character, a maxed-out level Void Elf hunter named Mazyy—a coincidence that had not been lost on me when Logan told me the name of his beloved pet. The thought of doing a name change for my toon was not far from my mind, but I had grown fond of Mazyy and didn’t want to give it up just because of a fluke situation with a boy I didn’t know if I would ever see again.
Logan
After picking Mazy up from my parents’ house, I made my way to my home, which was far too big for just the two of us. Throwing my bag down by the door, I grabbed Mazy’s tennis balls and marched the elated pup into the fenced-in back yard for some much-needed play time.
It felt good being out in the afternoon sunshine with my girl as she sprinted after her favorite yellow toy again and again.
I hated that I didn’t have Ari’s number. I hated that I had just left everything on her, but the ball was in her court and I was going to have to be all right with whatever she decided to do. I’d naïvely hoped she would message me right away, but that was obviously not going to happen. I knew better than to put myself out there and set myself up for disappointment, and I was just going to have to swallow the bitter pill.
It was the story of my life: women who liked me were irksome at best, and the ones I liked were too far out of my grasp. I really had stupidly gotten my hopes up, though. Ari had seemed different, but it wasn’t like she had led me on. She’d been honest, and I needed to respect that.
When Mazy panted away and started to slow down on her retrievals, I called her back into the house. I sat on the couch, watching SportsCenter, and Mazy snuggled up next to me so I could scratch behind her furry ear.
“You’d never not call me, right girl?” I cooed to my pup as she started to lick my face frantically. “Yeah, I love you too.”
I leaned back in my reclining seat with my fur-ball practically lying on top of me and let the mind-numbing announcers drone on and on about things I couldn’t have cared less about. Even being a sports fan and a player, I barely kept up with any stats until it really mattered.
Chapter 4
Bathrooms & Paparazzi
Ari
My week went on like usual—lots of work, far more screen time than a doctor would recommend, and writing code until my eyes felt like they were going to bleed.
When Saturday night rolled around, I stared at Logan’s number in my phone. He had been on my mind since the moment he walked out of the stupid hotel room, leaving the ball in my court. I thought after a few days he would fade to the backburner, but that was seeming to be impossible.
“I need a drink,” I muttered to myself while rummaging through my closet for something decent to wear. Settling on a flowy, dark blue maxi dress and strappy sandals, I grabbed my purse off of the counter in the kitchen and marched out the door.
Like I typically did on a weekend night, I bellied up to the outside bar at Might As Well. Within minutes, I was greeted with a Bell’s Two Hearted and a sweet grin from Ashlyn, one of my favorite bartenders of all time.
“No work computer with you tonight?” she asked while setting my pint glass on a coaster in front of me.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose where a nagging headache was lingering. “I think my eyes need a break. Pretty dead around here tonight. Where is everyone?”
“Give it a little bit and this place will be packed as usual.” Ashlyn shrugged. “Oh, how was the wedding? We missed you last week.” She leaned on the counter, probably thankful to have someone to talk to at the empty bar.
“It was great.” I beamed, sitting up a little straighter. “Josie had the best time, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. All in all, it really was a successful wedding.”
“Is that all?” she pressed with a knowing smile.
I could feel my cheeks turning every shade of red possible as I bit my lip. “I might have met a guy.”
Excitement flashed on her
face as she leaned in closer. “Don’t leave a girl hanging.”
“Well, not just any guy…Logan Turner, one of my new brother-in-law’s teammates.”
Ashlyn gasped as she grabbed a drink order ticket that printed out next to her. “And?” she asked as she started to mix the requested cocktail.
“And nothing. He went home to Durham and I’m here. That’s all she wrote.” I played with the corner of my coaster, hoping the conversation would end there.
“You look like you want to say something else.” Ashlyn was good. Over the years, she had become more of a friend than just a bartender, and since I didn’t get out much, she usually served as my sounding board for any problem that arose.
“He wants me to call him. He’s going to be here next weekend with his parents and asked if we could get a drink,” I explained.
“But you don’t want to?” she questioned while reassuming her position in front of me.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. He’s a football star and I’m a video game geek—doesn’t that seem like oil and water?” I felt like he was completely out of my league. It was the bitter reality of the situation. Logan was unavoidably going to figure out that I was boring as hell and would run for the hills at some point.
She pulled her strawberry blonde hair up into a ponytail while pursing her lips. “Everyone seems like oil and water until they realize how good they are for each other. Why don’t you just give him a chance? What’s the worst that could really happen? It’s not like you have to marry the guy, but wouldn’t it be nice to at least give it a try? And for fuck’s sake, he’s Logan Turner—most women would kill for a chance at a hunk like that.”
“Maybe you’re right,” I conceded while popping two Advil into my mouth to wash down with my ale.
“Just promise if you do meet up with him for a drink next weekend, you’ll bring him here so I have a little eye candy for the night.”
“Deal.”
An hour and twelve Buffalo chicken wings later, the bar was packed just like Ashlyn had predicted. It was interesting to watch the fast-paced bartenders sling drink after drink to thirsty barflies while they carried on in various groups. People watching was always entertaining.
A broad-shouldered, drunken patron plopped himself on the empty stool to my right, leaning a little too close for comfort.
“Can I help you?” I questioned, pulling my fresh beer closer to myself.
“Come here often?” The overused pickup line was stammered out with a slight hint of whiskey wafting over on his breath.
“If you’re asking that, you don’t,” I retorted.
He drifted in closer. “If I’d known someone as pretty as you was here, I would have been here every damn night.”
“Barking up the wrong tree.” I turned away from the middle-aged beer gut, hoping he could take a hint, but alas, he couldn’t.
“Woof, woof. Come on, sweetheart. You’re here alone, I’m here alone—why don’t we just be alone here together and see where the night takes us?” he slurred as his hand landed on my shoulder with a thud.
“Honey, I am so sorry I’m late.” A familiar husky voice slid into my ear, and as I locked eyes with Ashlyn, her jaw dropped to the floor.
Not wanting to sabotage my rescue, I turned to Logan with a forced smile. “Totally fine, dear. I’m just glad you were able to make it.”
The drunken buffoon scurried away, leaving the stool open for Logan to gladly take.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I exclaimed as he lifted his hands in the air.
“Don’t be mad, but I couldn’t wait another week to see if you’d call. Roger told me you come here a lot and I drove over. I have a place not too far from here, and I wasn’t doing anything so I decided to head down.”
Steam was pouring out of my ears, and just as I was about to lay into Logan about how stalkerish this was, the happy face of the most adorable dog in the world landed in my lap.
“Be cool, Mazy. We’re trying to impress this lady,” Logan cooed to his pup as he got her to sit in between his legs.
“Your owner is insane, you know that, right?” I questioned in a sugar-sweet tone while petting Mazy.
“Look, I know this was completely uncalled for and seems really desperate, but fuck it all to hell. I don’t care how insane it looks. You didn’t give me your number and you didn’t call, so here I am. Tell me to fuck off if you want to, but I just had to try.” With his jaw churning, he took a long swig of my beer.
“First of all, never do that again,” I scolded, pointing to my glass. “Second, as much as I want to tell you to take your insane ass home, the grand gesture is creepily romantic.”
“Really?” The spark that lit in his ocean eyes softened me even more.
“You could have just asked my brother-in-law for my number,” I pointed out before turning to Ashlyn to order Logan his own beer.
“That was the first thing I did, then I got your address, and then he spilled the beans about this place. I figured showing up at your home was way over the top and calling would seem too desperate. Whenever you read one of the great romance stories, the guy always surprises his love interest in some cockamamy way, so here I am, making a complete fool out of myself, all in the name of just trying to see you again.”
“You are downright certifiable. You’ve completely gone off your rocker,” I badgered as Ashlyn stood in front of us with a full pint glass in her shaking hand.
Logan cocked his head to the side, smiling sweetly at the bartender. “Is that for me?” He reached out, taking the beer from her trembling fingers. “I’m Logan. Nice place you have here.”
Ashlyn smiled adorably, quickly waved, and then retreated to continue working.
“She seems nice,” he remarked before setting his glass down.
“Don’t change the subject, Turner.” I pointed a harsh finger at him with a giggle.
“At least I can make you smile.”
“So, what do we do now? You’re here, I’m here—are you supposed to escort me back to your place and have your way with me now?”
He shrugged. “I figured we could have dinner first, but if you insist on forgoing the pleasantries, I can ask that bartender who keeps staring at me to guard the bathroom while I fuck you against the wall. I mean, why not ruin my creepy romantic grand gesture by screwing each other’s brains out in a smelly stall?”
“What would we do with Mazy, genius? We can’t bring her in there with us. That would just be impractical. Dogs can’t go in the human restroom.” I continued to pet the sweet dog as she panted away, completely oblivious to the scene we were certainly causing in the middle of the packed patio.
“Good point. What’s the bartender’s name?” he asked with a crooked leer on his plump, kissable lips.
“Ashlyn. Why?”
“Ashlyn,” he called over.
Within seconds, she rushed over to us. “Can a-I ga-get you anything else, Logan?” she stammered as her eyelashes batted a mile a minute.
“Would you mind watching Mazy while we duck inside really quick?”
I gripped Logan’s hand. “I don’t think that’s really necessary, Logan.”
He tossed me a quick wink. “No, Ari, I think it is extremely necessary.”
“I don’t mind,” Ashlynn said sweetly. “Mazy can hang out behind the bar for a bit. I have a water bowl back here and everything. See.” She bent down, popping back up with a bowl and spilling water all over the bar as she proved her point to us.
“Great. She’s a sweetheart. Just be careful—she’ll try to con you out of all the table scraps she can get her paws on.”
Logan yanked me off my stool, parading Mazy and me to the end of the bar to hand the dog off to Ashlyn.
“Be a good girl. Daddy will be right back,” he cooed, kneeling down to eye level with his fluffy friend.
Pulling me along, he beelined it for the women’s restroom.
“Go in and see if it’s empty,” he ordered.
/> I planted my feet, crossing my arms over my chest. “Do I need to remind you how ridiculous you are?”
“No. Now get.” He shooed me, practically shoving me through the door.
With a quick glance, I made certain no one else was in the bathroom. Sticking one hand out the door, I waved him in.
Within seconds, his hands were knotting in my hair, his body pressing me up against the tiled wall, his lips hungrily kissing down my neck.
“I don’t think I can do this,” I whispered, glancing over his shoulder and realizing the door lacked a lock.
“Don’t think and just fucking live a little, Ari,” he demanded as he hastily nipped at my shoulder a bit.
“Fine,” I groaned as he started to hike up my skirt.
“Thank God for dresses,” he commented while I fumbled with his belt.
As Logan’s jeans fell around his knees, he pulled my leg up to wrap around his waist. When his length filled me, electric shocks of euphoria coursed through every cell in my body.
Crying out loudly, I pulled him in as close as I could.
“Shhhh…” he murmured. “We don’t want people to think someone is being murdered in here.”
There was no way I was going to be able to be quiet. He felt too damn good, and the thrill of possibly getting caught just made the entire situation that much sexier.
Clamping his hand over my mouth, he continued to rail me as hard as he could until I was shaking uncontrollably in his arms.
“I love how wet you get,” Logan murmured as a huge smile took over his entire face.
“You’re just that good, Turner,” I offered before kissing him.
“Oh fuck,” he roared before biting down on his lip.
As his cock started pulsing deep inside me, ecstasy crashed around me until I was completely undone.
Offsides: A Standalone Sports Romantic Comedy Page 3
