I heard the curiosity in his tone, and for the first time since I’d met him, I considered telling him the truth, but fear seized the words before they could escape. Once people knew who I was, it made them look at me differently. I was no longer Rey, I was world-famous CJ “The Ghost” Reyes, and I didn’t want it to be like that with Jake, not when our friendship was still so new. I didn’t want him to look at me any differently than he was now.
I could tell he wanted an honest answer, and I knew that with his police training and natural ability to read people, he’d be able to tell if I kept anything from him. With a sigh, I said, “Yes. I’m a professional striker.”
His eyes widened. “Professional? What, like an Olympian?”
I chuckled. “No. No, Olympics.”
His sexy smile faded, but only for a second. “Guess I need to up my game then, huh,Mr. Reyes.”He said my name in a tone that made me want to cringe. Was that how he’d see me if he knew I wasn’t just on a professional team but on thenationalteam? That I had been one of twenty-two elite soccer players chosen to represent an entire country with their abilities?
Would he also look at me differently if he knew I was let go from that same team because I couldn’t measure up?
I tried to hide the tormenting emotions and went to the sidelines, reaching for our water bottles and tossing him one.
We took several long pulls from the bottles before he asked, “How about two out of three? We can up the stakes too. Second score gets first…choice.”
I smiled at his subtle cover since kids were nearby. “Deal.”
He nodded and ran off to retrieve the ball from where it had slipped through our makeshift goal.
We resumed playing as soon as he returned. Despite the fun I was having, the increasing pain in my knee was a constant reminder of how messed up things in my life had become and how empty it was going to be going forward without soccer to keep me motivated. I felt a little more unbalanced with every step, yet it had very little to do with not being able to carry my weight on my left leg.
I’d lost my team. They’d let me go.
What the hell was I going to do now?
I tried my best to ignore both the physical and emotional pain, even though I knew I was going to pay hell for it later. Today was turning out to be a nearly perfect afternoon with Jake, and I didn’t want my inner turmoil to ruin it. I also knew his presence was the only thing keeping the real hurricane at bay. For whatever reason, Jake seemed to calm my storm.
I let Jake score a second goal as I cleared my head. Yes,let.He might have won the goal, but that didn’t mean I was losing. I’d get to enjoy his body in any way he wanted.
The third round was fast since Jake seemed to be running out of steam. I kicked the ball through the bushes for the final goal, then leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Follow me back to my place if you want to score in a different way.”
“Ohh, fuck, Rey,” he said breathlessly.
