"So that's her, huh?" Chad murmured, glancing at her. She sat on the bench, watching us closely.
"Yeah, that's her."
"Damn, she's hot … way too good for you," Tre muttered, grinning a mile wide. "I mean, a virgin at twenty-one? Looking like that? Though, you took good care of her, didn't you?"
I didn't laugh. I looked back at her to see if she was paying attention. I gave her a short wave, and she waved back. Her smile told me the sound hadn't carried.
"Hey, knock it off with that shit. I mean it. She's right there."
"Look who got sensitive." Clive and Tre chuckled like fools.
Slade gave Clive a shove on my behalf. "No. Just not a complete idiot. Now get in formation and let's do this," he ordered.
Why the hell did I tell those two kids anything is beyond me. Actually, I couldn't judge them too harshly. That was the way we always talked about women, before they started pairing up and getting serious. Back then, girls were objectified as shiny, sexy toys for us to entertain ourselves. Samantha was different. Some of the college groupies only came around to get laid, so they'd have a story to boast about. But I'd also done my share of disrespecting some of the women who could have been decent.
Slade shot me a glance to get in the game. "All right, we're gonna run some basic plays to see how your speed has held up. Evan, don't go overboard, you hear me? Slow and easy out the gate."
"Slow and easy? Fuck, man. I've been taking it easy for weeks."
"You heard him!" Sam called out. "Take it slow!"
The guys nodded over to her. Meanwhile, I wondered how she could have heard that. She hadn't heard anything else, had she? I didn't think so-her face still had a neutral smile, as opposed to the hell-hath-no-fury expression I'd expect if she knew what Tre had said.
Chad was acting as cornerback, facing me while Slade took the snap and dropped back into the pocket. I dodged Chad, leaving him sprawling onto the grass when I took off. It wasn't easy, and I missed the pass. But I'd shot out of formation fast enough.
"Good start," Slade said, patting me on the back.
Sam jogged over. "How did that feel?"
"A little tight, a little sluggish."
"It's okay. It'll come."
It did come. After another three plays, I was almost able to catch up to the ball when Slade passed it. After another four, I caught a pass in the end zone. Everybody cheered like I had just saved a win at the Superbowl-including Sam, who was whooping it up as loudly as the guys. We went on like that for another few plays, until she decided I needed to wrap it up.
"I don't want you overtaxing yourself," she said. "You've done more than enough today. Start your outdoor cool down stretches. After that, I want you back in the heated Jacuzzi to soak for at least twenty minutes. I'll be back. I need to finish some activity logs."
"Meet you outside in half hour, then?"
She nodded. "Sure … hey, you looked amazing out there."
"Thanks. Is that why you were smiling like a Cheshire cat?"
"Pretty much. You've progressed really well, and with over two weeks to spare, I can help you get a lot further ahead."
"Sweet. I thought you were actually starting to like football."
"Guess again, hot shot."
"I'm still so messed up over it," I teased.
"Not any more messed up than anybody else. We all have our things … so what's your thing?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"A simple one."
I shrugged. "I'm an open book. What you see is what you get."
"I don't know. There's a lot more to you than meets the eye, Evan Marshall."
"You think so, huh?"
"Maybe. Okay I'll meet you at the car."
I thought about what she said as I soaked in one of the rehab tubs. She wanted to figure me out. There was not a damn thing more to me.
23
Samantha
I couldn't sleep.
We had few days before Evan was scheduled to leave for the combine. I was at his place again, beside him in bed. It wasn't the first time I had stayed over. We had been sleeping together every other night since our first time. Kristy knew, however we never openly talked about it. I wasn't ready to give her the blow-by-blow update, primarily because she would see right through my lighthearted façade and know instantly that my feelings for Evan ran deep. She had the good grace not to bring it up, and eventually I'd convinced myself that I didn't owe her an explanation, anyway. She wasn't my mother.
Rolling onto my side, I looked at him as he slept. Was this the last time I would be with him in bed like this? Once he came back from the event, would he want me anymore? Would I want him? Was the public version of himself going to show up in our interaction without warning one day? Now that we had spent so much time together, I got to see a side of him others didn't. It would be easy to convince myself that the Evan I had come to know didn't actually exist. That he was in game mode, and would go back to his old self, the way my father did every time he picked up the TV remote and sat in his overstuffed recliner.
Deep down, we all had that potential.
To flip a switch.
To harden our hearts against the very person we declared undying love for.
I had done neither of those, but was desperately trying to manage the former.
It was no use.
I was too far gone, and had to settle for not saying a word to him about what lied beneath.
I put it out of my mind and looked at him again. Watching his peaceful, perfect face damn near broke my heart. I didn't even know why. I brushed a stray lock of his dark, wavy hair from his forehead, and he stirred. Hoping he wouldn't wake up, I pulled my hand away like he had burned me. He opened his eyes anyway, just enough to see me. "Hey … can't sleep?" he asked.
"Kind of."
He pulled me close. "Excited about my big weekend coming up?"
"Very … but I'm good. Go back to sleep. You need your rest."
He reached up and ran a finger down the side of my face. "Sucks that you're not on the medical team travelling with us."
"True, but it's okay."
He stretched, then he returned his hand to my chin. "I should have made a stink over it. Put my trash talking to good use."
"Good God. I'm glad you didn't do that."
"Can't wait to get rid of me, huh?"
"No, I don't mean it like that … " I said hastily, turning my face to kiss his palm. I was going to miss this. Relaxing my head on his bare chest, I soaked in his comforting body heat and listened to his heart beat strong beneath his ribcage.
"You think I have a shot?" he asked, his raspy voice still blurred with sleep.
"Of course you do. You and I both know that. I saw you on the field. I've been watching all week. It's like you never left."
"You never saw me play before."
"True, but that's not the point. Just play with you're A-game and you'll kick ass."
He chuckled, locking his arms tight around me. "That's all I got, thanks to you."
"You were driven long before you met me … and you'll be that way long after we're … " I stopped myself, and wrapped an arm around his waist, squeezing tight. "A long time from now. You have what it takes. Remember that and then get out of your head."
"Will do … now, where were we?" He rolled to his side, taking me with him until he was on top of me. I wrapped my legs around his hips and raised my head to kiss him. I melted against him, set on fire as he lowered his chest to mine, sending burning heat to my center. Our mouths pressed together. Tongues danced. Teeth clashed against each other. My hands roamed down his back and gripped his ass, pulling his growing hardness tighter to my opening.
Moaning into his mouth, I called his name and absently told him I'd miss him. Without another thought, he found a condom in the top drawer of his night stand, ripped it open and lifted off me to roll it on. He kissed a trail from my lips to my neck. That was enough to make me soaking wet with need. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I lifted my hips up to meet the pressure of his cock, writhing against it. Neither of us waited. He positioned himself against me and glided deep inside, filling me with one firm thrust.
I whimpered against his shoulder, both heavy and light with the weight of what my immediate future would look like without him. His movements grew more demanding, taking me closer to the wave of pleasure on the horizon. I lost myself with each stroke, relishing the tension that tightened in my core, driving electricity and fire through my body until that powerful climax hit. Christ, I could explode. I was a quivering, shaking mass of muscle and bone beneath him, calling him to come with me. Those words I spoke caused his eyes to flutter open. Pleasure gripped him, and I stared dreamily up at his face until he let his body stiffen and release through his orgasm. He continued with a few tense thrusts of his hips, then lowered himself onto me, burying his face into my neck after he came.