“Wait till you get them beef tips in front of you.”He leaned back in his chair. The ease of his relaxed posture and the sexy, lazy way he smiled at me made my stomach tense.
“What did you order?”
“Smothered chicken, oxtails, collards, yams, and mac and cheese. I’m about to smash that shit too.”When he finished signing, he rubbed his hands together.
“You’re going to eat all that?”
“Hell yeah. I can’t eat like I want during the season, so I take full advantage during my downtime.”
His eyes moved over my shoulder. Someone was approaching and my food landed in front of me a few seconds later. Steam rose from the dish and my stomach growled when I inhaled, taking in how good everything smelled.
My plate was full but two plates were placed in front of Ryland and I almost laughed because how the hell was one person supposed to consume all that? I had no doubt he would get it done. Hell, with the way it smelled, I would have tried myself.
We blessed our food and spent the next hour eating and conversing about nothing too heavy because both of us were more focused on our lunch. The crowd remained thick but no one really bothered us, although a handful of people stopped and spoke on their way to their tables or leaving. A few requestedautographs and each time Ryland plastered on a smile while taking selfies and scribbling his name on whatever they brought him to sign.
Watching him in his element was nice because his personality was so easygoing and playful with the people. Ryland was an attention magnet but he treated admirers like friends instead of fans. He was also considerate of having me with him by introducing me to almost anyone who gave him attention so I wasn’t just there. Wholly unnecessary, I was content simply experiencing him in his element. After we were done, he drove us to the stadium and managed to get us onto the field but not inside because they were cleaning the floors. I was cool with seeing the field and did not complain. It was so worth it.
As we stood on the fifty yard line in the center of the field, I felt a special type of contentment, looking around.“It’s crazy how big all this seems and how small I feel standing in the middle. It looks so different on TV.”
“You don’t go to games?”he signed.
“I have but never the good seats.”I grinned.“But it looks different from the stands than it does from down here. This feels like a lot of pressure.”
He smiled and his gaze locked on me.“Like this, no. But when the stands are full and there are another two to three hundred people on the field, it can be a lot.”
“I’d throw up.”
He chuckled.“You get used to it. You block most of that shit out.”
“I don’t think I could.”
“This is my life. I live and die for all this.”His eyes moved around the stadium before they were on me again.
“I’m sure the millions they pay you help too.”
“Damn sure don’t make it harder, that’s for sure.”
“How much do the cheerleaders get paid? I might need to consider a career change.”
His gaze crawled over my body.“I might be able to call in some favors if you’re serious, but you sure you can handle that?”
“I cheered in high school. It can’t be all that different plus or minus a few hundred people.”
He nodded, tucking his lips in as he stared.“So you was out there in one of them little ass skirts shaking your ass? I can see that.”
I rolled my eyes.“Why did your mind go there? Cheerleading is a sport. One I was very good at, thank you very much. It’s not just about shaking your ass in a little skirt.”
“For you maybe, but for everybody else, especially the players, it’s ass shaking in little skirts. Before I put my name on the line by doing you a solid, let me see what you’re working with.”
I laughed, shaking my head in protest.“Absolutely not. I was joking.”
He grinned.“Cheerleader. Damn, I didn’t see that coming. You’re really trying to prove you match my fly.”
“Yep, was captain my senior year too. My mother encouraged me to do whatever I wanted. She used to tell me there’s always a way. I teach my students the same. Rylee needs to know she can do whatever she wants in life, even though people will try to tell her she can’t.”
Ryland settled closer to me, crowding my space.“You know you’re never leaving, right? We need that type of energy here with us.”
“Rylee can get that type of energy from you.”
