“With both fucking hands,” Aaron chimed in. His hazel eyes were just intense as the other two.
“And hold on tighter than the grip you use on that goddamn pigskin every Sunday,” my father finally stated.
I looked all three squarely in the eyes and nodded before turning back to the dancefloor seeing Joshua and Kayla wrapped arm in arm, swaying to the music. They stared into one another’s gazes as if no one else in the world existed. One by one, my father and brothers left my side and swept their own wives up in their arms. Even Aaron, who everyone knew was a terrible dancer, somehow convinced his wife to accompany him on the dancefloor. I loved my family dearly and their words solidified in my mind what I needed to do.
I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and dialed Destiny’s number. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t answer. When her voicemail picked up I decided to leave it all on the line.
“I told you games end when I say they do. Consider this your official warning. Game’s over, Destiny. There is no denying the inevitable anymore. I might’ve let you walk away for good before you let me in between those sweet, silky thighs of yours. But you did, so there’s no more running after last night.”
I hung up the phone and immediately went to seek out Brutus. The information he’d given me on Destiny was limited. It told me that she was previously married, to whom and for how long, but I needed more. Starting with her address.
Chapter Sixteen
Destiny
“Game’s over …” I listened to Tyler’s message for the third time, as I emerged from the Lyft I’d been riding in from the airport. Yes, I’d unblocked his number from my phone and was now able to hear his voicemail message. A shiver ran through my body at the deep edge his voice held. I could just imagine those usually light eyes of his darkening as he left this message. My entire body felt as if it’d been engulfed in flames. I worried my bottom lip, strolling toward the elevator of my building, trailing my suitcase behind me.
“S’cuse me,” I pardoned myself after nearly bumping into the woman who was coming off the elevator. Moving to the side to give her space to depart, I quickly entered the elevator, pressing the number three for my floor. It was after ten o’clock at night. I’d remained in DC until early that evening, meeting with a few clients for lunch and an early dinner, before leaving for my flight. Though I’d managed to make it through my meetings with relative ease, the whole day my primary focus had been on Tyler. I was a coward for running out on him like that. I don’t even know why I’d done it. Sure, maybe the issue with the groupie scared me a little, but the scariest part was I believed his story. I believed him when he’d said he hadn’t slept with that woman.
While waiting at the airport, I took the time to find the tramp’s Instagram page. She had all types of photos with male celebrities, mainly professional athletes. She obviously wasn’t new to this world at all. Though, it didn’t necessarily prove that she’d lied, it did give credence to Tyler’s story, that this chick was fame hungry and would do anything to be seen with an athlete, thereby making her more suspect in my eyes.
“Holy shit!” I cursed when I stepped out of the elevator to head toward my condo—which was right across the hall—and nearly collided with Tyler. “What are you doing here?” I rushed out, feeling hot and anxious at the same time.
A slow, lazy smile spread across his handsome face, and my insides tightened. Especially when that dimple emerged.
“You got my message.” It wasn’t a question, he could tell I’d gotten it. I suspected he even knew I’d listened more than once.
“Waiting outside of someone’s home like you’re damn John Cusack in ‘Say Anything’,” I stated, trying to sound annoyed.
His face scrunched up. “Who?”
Sighing, I pushed out a puff of air. “See? That’s why you and I would never work. You don’t even know classic eighties movies. You weren’t even born when that movie came out.”
Tyler was the one to roll his eyes next. “We’re back to the age bullshit again?”
“I’m just saying—”
“Did it feel like I was too young when I was in between your legs last night, Destiny?” he asked, stepping closer.
I took a step back until my butt brushed against my doorknob.
“I can’t hear you. Did it feel like I was too young last night?”
I parted my lips to reply but nothing came out. He seemed to have that effect on me.
“Didn’t think so,” he answered his own question before connecting his lips with mine.
My hand loosened around the suitcase I’d been dragging. Not even the loud popping sound it made as it hit the hardwood floor of the hallway broke the kiss. Tyler’s arm swung around my waist, sealing our bodies together. His lips were insistent as his tongue outlined lips before making contact with my tongue. He tasted like some sort of champagne. If my brain hadn’t been short-circuiting I would’ve noticed the navy blue tuxedo he was wearing.
He was the first one to break away from the kiss. Thank goodness, as I needed oxygen, but didn’t have the good sense to seek it out. All good sense left me when he kissed me like that.
“You don’t have to tell me what happened between you and your ex. Not tonight. One day you will, and it’s my sincere hope that on that day I’ll have enough restraint not to kill him for whatever it is that he did to you.”
My eyes widened in shock. I stared up into his eyes. Not mirth or humor was present. He was as serious as a heart attack.
“H-how do you know he did something to me?” According to all of the gossip blogs and magazines that were popular when Darryl and I had broken up, I was the gold digging baller’s wife who left her husband when he was down and out. Darryl’s career ending knee injury had been pinned as the reason I left him.
“Because any man who was lucky enough to have you and then lose you, had to have done it to himself. And because whatever he did is making it that much more difficult for you to trust me.” Anger flashed in his eyes.
