Her red face was set in determination, and the muscles in her arms and legs flexed, like the bags weighed more than her. My jaw tensed. Where was Dean? Why wasn’t he with her? Why were her bags bigger than her?
I watched her, hoping someone trailed behind her with help. Her parents, maybe? A minute went by, her curls escaping her ponytail more and more. She was delightful with those wild curls. I enjoyed how they bounced and went every direction, like they had a stubborn mind of their own. My fingers twitched with the urge to touch one, to feel the texture of her hair.
Seeing them now though had me frowning. It was warm outside, really humid, and seriously, why was Dean making her do this alone?
Oh, film. I rubbed my temples and made up my mind. I’d help her. It was the right thing to do. I paused the run on my watch, checked to ensure no cars were on the road, and crossed the street to her. The subtle scent of fall teased the air, the familiar smell reminding me of bonfires and corn mazes and haunted houses. Despite my strict football schedule, I loved Halloween. When I finally made enough money to help my grandma out, I’d go wild for the holiday. I’d buy the entire Halloween store for myself to decorate the nursing home, my home, all of it.
That went on my list of dreams and wishes, along with buying a nice car, getting a shoe subscription, and expanding my wardrobe. Not until I met my goals though.
Nearing her side of the street, I prepared myself for her large brown eyes. They gutted me every time she looked my way. Irritation and curiosity always lingered in her stare, but would it be different now that she’d seen me with my hand around my cock? It had me on edge, the flush of her cheeks and the pulse racing at the base of her neck. Ilikedthat she saw me.
Ten feet, seven, five…my heart fluttered against my ribs at being near her, my skin tightening at the thought of the last time I’d seen her, just an hour ago.
“Fucking Dean,” she mumbled. Her arms flexed as she adjusted a red strap on her shoulder.
“Let me help,” I said, my voice scratchy and low. I’d forgotten to carry a water with me on this run, and my throat desperately needed moisture.
She froze, slowly tilted her head to the side, and when her gaze landed on me, her entire face reddened.
Was she thinking about earlier? I self-consciously ran a hand through my hair, regretting coming over here already. Those large, doe-eyes with long lashes blinked at me. Then again. She swallowed, and her gaze dropped to my waist andshit.Was she staring at my dick?
Clearing my throat, I tried again. “I can carry those for you. You seem to be struggling.”
She narrowed her beautiful eyes and gripped the strap tighter. “You calling me weak? I realize I’m not a meathead beef stick like you footballers, but I can hold my own. I amfine.” She turned her back to me and kept on moving.
She wore a tank top that showed off her back muscles, and they were divine. Sweat glistened on her tanned skin, and wait—did she think I’d insulted her? I hadn’t, had I? Self-doubt crept in, and I jogged to catch up to her. “I know you’re strong, but these bags are big. Let me take one.”
Lorelei’s cheek twitched before she set the large black one down. “Thank you.”
Relief flooded my veins. I scooped up the bag, and soon enough, we walked side by side on the sidewalk. The house was still a good ten minutes away, and I hadn’t thought this part out. The walking time. Did I chat with her? Ignore her? Ask about… anything that didn’t revolve around this morning?
It made no sense that my mind turned into this indecisive mess around her. I flirted with women of all ages, charmed most of them when I wanted to, but Lorelei Romano? I became speechless. It was like someone had tackled me head-on.
One minute turned into two, then three, and we were almost halfway to the house. I could survive this, then finish my run and study the rest of the afternoon. The guys would want to party tonight since we won against Indiana, and I could enjoy myself for a few hours. Hell, I needed to get laid to work through this tension.
“You played well last night.”
“Hm?” I was still thinking about sex while looking at Lorelei’s face, and my stomach swooped. That wouldneverhappen. Dean would kill me, she’d distract me from football, and my plans would deteriorate. My mantra would help me survive this. I forgot to soften my voice when I said, “Youwatch football?”
“Mm, don’t know why you have that tone but yes. I do. My brother is on the team, and I actually support him? Sorry if that’s weird for you.” She rolled her eyes, scoffing before staring at the sidewalk. “Look, Luca—”
I sucked in a breath, loving how my name sounded in her sultry, deep voice. She made the U sound longer, like she held it an extra beat, and I wanted to hear her repeat it. “Yes?”
“I’m sorry. For earlier. I should’ve knocked or something.”
“Oh.” My face heated. She wanted to talk about this morning.
“I won’t say anything. It’s no biggie. Wait, I’m not sayingyou’renot big, I meant—” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I didn’t see anything. Well, a little but not the whole thing.”
“Oh my god.” My lungs burned from forgetting to breathe. “Lo—”
“It’s normal to masturbate. I’m not judging. I would never judge. Hell, everyone does it. Or if they don’t, they’re really unhappy. I bet those uptight people who complain the sky is blue never do. You can tell.” She spoke fast, blurring the words together.
My brain stuck oneveryone does it.Meaning… her. God, it was hot. I needed water. To go swimming. Yeah. I’d go to the rec center and swim to cool down. She kept rambling off facts about fucking masturbating, and I thought about dropping her bag and running away. This was too much.
“We can have a code or something, like, we put a sock on the door if one of us needs time to ourselves.”
“What?” I gasped. A code? “I don’t… no. I don’t ever need to know that.” I gulped, picturing herdoing thatto herself making me sweat buckets. “Instead, we just leave each other the hell alone. Always.”
