It’s not supposed to.
“I’ve got to go. We can’t meet or I’ll jinx him.”
“What?” Charlotte shouts as she pulls my arm back, stopping me from running through the crowd and out the front door. “Sage, what are you talking about? You’ve always wanted to meet Casey.”
“Yes. But something’s always stopped us. We’re not meant to meet. It’ll be bad luck or something. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you back at the Falls.”
But before I can escape, someone opens the front door, and the music stops.
In my head, the penthouse goes silent. Mouths and bodies move, but I don’t hear them. Instead, I stare at the six-foot-one, two-hundred-and-ten-pound baseball player who just walked into the room. And yes, those numbers are accurate based on his stats, which I check annually.
He isn’t alone. Two other guys and a woman walk in behind him. The woman is wearing a sparkly silver dress and has vibrant red hair. A small crowd gathers to greet them, smacking Casey on the back and fist pumping him. When he goes in for a one-arm hug with Caleb, our eyes lock.
He has the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. They are as blue as the Caribbean Ocean and framed by thick brown lashes. His light brown hair is short, and he keeps a trim stubble on his face. He’s even more beautiful in person than he is on television. Although he’s not wearing his uniform, his snug white T-shirt shows off his muscled chest better than any baseball jersey could, and while the jeans aren’t as tight as those white baseball pants, they cling to him like sand on wet sandals.
I swallow with difficulty through a desert-dry throat, barely getting enough air into my lungs. It’s hard to breathe, and even harder to take my eyes off him.
He’s staring at me, too, and the little breath I had is now gone. I’ll hyperventilate in a minute, I’m sure of it.
“Sage, are you okay?”
“No,” I whisper.
“Come. Let’s go say hello.”
Charlotte pulls me toward Casey, but I don’t budge. My body doesn’t cooperate as my legs forget how to walk. “I can’t.”
Charlotte laughs. “Of course you can.” She tugs harder and I stumble forward. But I can’t do it. I plant my feet and shake my head. “Go ahead without me.”
She reads my face. “What’s going on? I’ve never seen you like this.”
“I don’t know. I need a minute. My body’s in shock.”
“Fine. I’ll say hello and then come right back for you.”
Charlotte maneuvers gracefully through the crowd and Casey smiles when he sees her.
His perfectly straight white teeth gleam over plump lips, and I’m struck again at how breath-taking this man is in real life.
He’s just a man. A gorgeous, athletic, superstar—but still just flesh and bones.
I inhale deeply and walk toward him. He’s no longer looking at me, but I still feel this string between us, pulling me closer to him.
When I was in college, I taped his poster onto my bedroom ceiling. I’d say goodnight and imagine him smiling down at me before closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.
It’s unreal to see him in front of me now, smiling, laughing, and sneaking glances my way. I’m nearly through the crowd when someone calls my name.
“Sage!”
I turn to my right and Billy waves with one hand while holding a glass of red wine with the other. “Hey!”
He walks over before I reach Charlotte and Casey. “Good to see a friendly face.”
He smiles and I can’t help but notice a dimple beneath his mouth. Billy is devilishly handsome and probably has more attention than he needs. “Yeah, it sure is,” I say.
“When did you get here?”
“Oh, um, about an hour ago.”
