“Then why did you get off here?” I laugh.
“I haven’t seen you in a few days. I figured it was a good way to steal a couple extra minutes of your time.” The doors begin to close on him, but I watch the way his eyes trail down my body. “You look good today, boss.”
20
Emmett
Isaiah and Kennedy’s backyard is packed with all the players from the team, everyone from the Health and Wellness Department, the team photographers, equipment managers, and social media staff.
Essentially, it’s every person from the franchise who is involved in each game we play, both home and away.
All but one.
The Rhodes’ new house is stunning, and their sprawling backyard is just as impressive. There are plenty of tables and extra chairs for sitting, and lawn games are scattered across the grass. The weather is perfect, as is their view of the nearby lake.
I’ve been over a few times since they moved in early spring, but it’s fun to see them host their first gathering. They may have been an unlikely pair in the beginning, but they’re good for each other and I’m proud of the life they’ve built for themselves here.
“Can I get you another?” Kai asks, holding up his empty beer bottle.
I check the one I’m currently nursing. “I’m good. I’ll wait until we eat.”
“What did you bring?”
Shrugging, I bring the bottle to my lips. “I don’t know. Whatever Miller made for me.”
Kai chuckles. “Well then apparently you contributed a watermelon and feta salad, and I brought a corn and tomato dish I can’t pronounce.”
“How innovative of us.”
Kai looks around the busy backyard. “Reese isn’t coming?”
I down the rest of my beer. “Apparently not. I invited her last week, but that was also the last time I was alone with her to ask.”
I’ve seen Reese every day at the field, in that polished pencil skirt with her sleek blonde hair, fully in boss mode and focused solely on her job. We’ve hardly been alone since that kiss. It’s this torturous game of being in the same room with her but not beingwithher in the slightest.
Then there’s the reminder that this isn’t a game at all. This is her reputation at stake, and that’s enough to reinforce my resolve of keeping my distance.
At least that’s what I tell myself until the side gate to the backyard opens, and all that willpower I’ve been trying to muster since leaving Reese’s condo threatens to crumble at my feet.
Reese steps into the yard, serving dishes in her hands with that perfect pink manicure wrapped around them in a white-knuckled grip.
I’ve seen Reese outside of work enough times now that I shouldn’t be shocked when she’s not wearing her business attire, yet still, she somehow takes me by surprise.
She’s traded her usual pencil skirt for a pair of well-fitted jeans and light-yellow cardigan, unbuttoned at the top. Casual but still completely put together. She swapped her stilettos for a pair of Chucks and added a bend to her sharply cut hair, which is tucked behind one ear, showcasing those earrings my attention tends to snag on.
She looks fucking adorable, and I think she might cut my dick off if she ever heard me call her that.
The buzzing chatter of the backyard around me silences, and at first, I think it’s one of those cliché movie moments where the guy locks eyes with the woman he’s gone for and everything else around disappears to nothing.
And while, yeah, I’ve got my attention locked on Reese, the sounds around me didn’t falsely fade out. The backyard conversations and laughter truly did die down because everyone is looking in her direction too.
Reese glances up to find just about everyone staring at her and the panicked expression on her face cracks my heart in two. Her hands are full, her blue eyes are wide, and I’ve never seen her less confident than she seems right now.
I want to rush over to her, wrap her in a hug, thank her for coming, and tell everyone to be fucking normal about the team owner showing up to join us.
But I can’t because every person watching works for her. And that kills me.
I take Kai’s empty beer. “Go help her.”
