Catching Summer (5 page)

G
AME NIGHT

The stadium was packed, with the bulk of people wearing the black and blue jerseys of the Carolina Cougars. We were facing off against Seattle and our team was ready. Kate sat in one of the chairs on the sideline, her face flushed. “Are you going to be okay?” I asked, kneeling down at her side.

“It’s just a little hot out here. I always watch Cooper play and I don’t want to miss a pass by being a pansy.” Shaking my head, I got back to my feet.

“Are you going to the party tonight?” Jaxon asked, coming to my side, his jersey bearing the number
FIFTEEN
. Kate snorted, but I didn’t think he heard it.

“I am,” I replied. “Are you?”

“Yep, which is why I wanted to see if you’d like to go with me.”

“I can’t. I already told Evan I’d be his date.” His grin diminished, while Kate choked on a laugh behind us.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you there. If you get bored of Townsend, make sure you find me.” He winked and scurried on his way.

“Is he always like that?” I asked Kate.

“Pretty much. He screwed around with Lindsey behind Evan’s back. They don’t exactly get along these days.” So that was why there had been so much tension between them.

“I had no clue,” I remarked. “Evan didn’t tell me.”

“He was pretty pissed about it, but he moved on. I think the betrayal of his teammate hurt him worse than her actually cheating. Lindsey is definitely in his past.”

“You sure about that? She looked like she wanted to kick my ass yesterday when I showed up to practice with him.”

Kate scoffed. “Please, that girl isn’t going to get anywhere near Evan. She used to look at me like that when I was dating Cooper. She can get the fuck over it. At least I knew he didn’t have feelings for her.”

The score was sixteen to twenty-seven, our lead, in the fourth quarter, with only thirty seconds left to go. Our guys were tired, but so was everyone else. We had one more play left, and shortly after Cooper was snapped the ball, he let it fly straight down the field to Evan. One of Seattle’s players barreled toward him but the ball was still in the air.

“Come on,” I mumbled to myself. “Catch it.” Evan’s arms lifted in the air and the ball sailed straight into his chest, his hands holding it tight. Screaming for joy, I jumped up and down.
“Run.”
Swerving left and right, he ran the ball twenty yards down the field and dove headfirst into the end zone. Touchdown. The crowd went wild and so did our players, rushing down the field to Evan. We won the game.

Out of the chaos, I was surprised to see him trying to catch my attention with a wave of his hand. He wanted me to join him on the field. There were so many people, I knew I’d get trampled. So instead, I waved and smiled, keeping my spot beside Kate. “He likes you,” Kate murmured softly. “I can see it in his eyes.”

“What is it with you all? Are you trying to play matchmaker?”

Kate giggled. “No, but it’s just so obvious. Have you not ever noticed him watching you from time to time? I think he’s been interested in you for a long while now.”

The players started running toward the sidelines, including Evan and Cooper. “Kate, I haven’t noticed much of anything until here recently. For the longest time, I felt invisible. Or, better yet, I wanted to be invisible.”

Kate squeezed my shoulder. “I know how you feel. But now people can see you. You just need to decide if you want to be seen.”

“Did you see that pass?” Cooper shouted excitedly.

Moving out of the way, I bumped into Evan as Cooper wrapped his sweaty arms around Kate. She scrunched her nose and froze in his arms. “I did, but now I have Cooper stink all over me.”

“That’s not what you thought last night when—”

“All right,” Evan groaned. “I don’t need to hear about that shit.”

Laughing, I elbowed him in the side. “Neither do I. But I think you
do
need to take a shower.”

“What? You mean you don’t want to be seen with me like this?” he asked, opening his arms wide. “No worries. You’ll just have to take one, too.”

In one quick movement, he slung one sweaty arm over my shoulders and the other under my legs, lifting me in his arms. He swung me around, laughing the entire time, while I held on for dear life, giggling. Cameras flashed and people cheered. I could only imagine what rumors would be spread after that display. By the time he set me down, I was dizzy and had to hold on to him.

“You better hope I don’t puke on you.”

He guffawed and leaned over, his breath hot against my ear. “You might want to suck it up because you’re about to be on the news.” By the time the world stopped spinning, we were surrounded by reporters and cameras, all wanting a word from the Cougars’ favorite players and their coach. Joel stood by Cooper’s side with a triumphant smile on his face as he spoke into the camera. I, on the other hand, felt like a complete idiot with my mouth hanging down to the ground. The last time I’d been in front of the camera was when I was chased down after Austin was murdered. Everyone wanted to get an inside scoop on what had happened, but I wasn’t ready. Every time I talked about it, the memories came flooding back.
What if these reporters find out who I am? Will I have to rehash it all?
I didn’t want to relive that horror again, to go into detail about how Austin was beaten to death in an illegal underground MMA ring. Not to mention, there were people who’d paid money to watch him be killed. The whole thing was fucked up. It took months for me to speak even to my sister about it. In order to avoid the press, I’d changed back to my maiden name and left Georgia. I didn’t want to be found.

The moment the lights on the cameras beamed our way, Evan put his arm around my waist, stopping my retreat. “Stay with me, sunshine,” he murmured in my ear. If he only knew how hard it was for me.

The humidity got ten times worse and I broke out in a massive sweat. I recognized the reporter as Mike Weller, the sports anchor for our local news station. Dressed in a Cougars jersey and jeans, he was showing support for his team. He smiled at me, but I breathed a sigh of relief when he held the microphone out to Evan. “Evan Townsend, how does it feel to bring your team to another victory?”

Evan chuckled and waved around at the other players. “It wasn’t just me who brought the win. The guys have worked really hard and it showed out there today.”

“Do you think you have a shot at the Super Bowl?”

“Hell, yeah. We won it once and I know we can do it again.”

Grinning widely, Mike turned to me and I struggled to smile. In my mind, I screamed for him not to talk to me. He must’ve heard it because he didn’t engage. “I see you have a good luck charm with you,” he said, nodding slightly to me. “Your fans might get a little jealous over that, but if she’s what made you tear up the field today, I say keep her close.”

“I would, but it’s all up to her,” Evan replied, winking down at me then turning back to the cameras. “Thanks for coming to the game.”

Mike waved at the camera guy and he lowered it; the interview was over.
Thank God.
“My pleasure. I wouldn’t miss it. You guys seriously kicked ass last season. This one looks promising as well.” He held out his hand and Evan shook it. “We’ll see you at the next home game.” As soon as he sauntered off, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“You ready to get out of here?” Evan asked.

I nodded. “Very much so.”

He removed his arm from around my waist and Kate grabbed my elbow, pulling me away. “Summer and I will keep each other company while you and Cooper clean up. We’ll meet you in the locker room in a bit.”

The team started to rush off to the locker room, signing autographs along the way. Evan smiled at me before Cooper dragged him into the fray, getting lost in the crowd of excited players. More cameras flashed as Kate and I disappeared off the field and into the stadium. There was a vacant office by the locker room Kate pulled me into and shut the door. We could hear the guys shouting as they rushed past. Thankfully, it was much easier to breathe in the cool, air-conditioned room.

Kate sat down at the desk while I flopped down in the seat in front of it. “Please tell me I’m not going to be on the news.”

She laughed. “Wish I could, but you were seen with Evan. He’s a hot commodity around here. I wouldn’t be surprised if you show up in the newspapers.”

“If I do, I know my family will see it and so will Austin’s,” I groaned.

Kate narrowed her eyes. “Are you afraid they won’t approve of you seeing someone?”

If only it were that simple. “No, that’s not it. Evan’s a great guy and I enjoy his company. What I’m concerned about is my name. Austin’s family wants to move on and I don’t want what happened brought back up in the media. I’m just afraid the press will hound me again.”

She nodded in understanding. “If it’s going to happen, there’s nothing we can do about it. You just need to be strong. If you and my brother start dating, you’re going to be in the spotlight. Make sure you think long and hard on this. When Evan looks at you, it’s obvious it’s not a simple infatuation. If this isn’t what you want, you need to halt it before it goes too far. I don’t want to see either of you hurt.”

Being in the public eye scared the hell out of me. I was in it with Austin, but it was nothing compared to the level of fame Evan had. “What if I’m scared?” I asked.

A sad smile spread across her lips. “Just because you’re scared doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take chances. I did with Cooper, and I thank God every day for giving me the strength to help him. And now Evan can help you. You just need to let him.”

It had been about twenty minutes since Cooper had come for Kate and said Evan was almost ready. The time alone was what I needed. I had no clue what was going to happen in the future, but I knew I didn’t want to miss out on life because I was scared. Opening the office door, I peeked out into the hall and all was quiet.
Did Evan leave without me?

The locker room was just a few feet away, so I strolled to the door and peeked inside. It was a little humid from the steam, but off in the far corner I heard a deep groan. I’d heard of the things some of the players liked to do in the locker rooms when no one was around. By the sound of the groaning, I could tell it was Evan. Thoughts of him screwing around with another woman made my gut clench. I could feel the fire in my veins.

His breathing picked up and so did my heart, thumping wildly out of control. I didn’t want to see him with someone else, but I had to know. Clenching my teeth, I tiptoed by the lockers until the showers came into view. All I had to do was turn the corner and Evan would be right there. Taking a deep breath, I glanced around the side of the lockers and saw him on the floor, alone, with a towel wrapped around his waist. His groans weren’t ones of pleasure, but pain. His hands were wrapped around his calf, his face scrunched in agony.

Quickly, I rushed over to him and knelt down on the floor. “Oh my God, Evan, what’s wrong? Is it your leg?”

He opened his eyes and nodded, his teeth clenched. “It’s a fucking cramp and it hurts like a bitch. It came out of nowhere.”

“Move your hands and lie on your back,” I ordered. I wasn’t an expert on cramps, but Austin’s coach had shown me some massage techniques to use if he ever got any. Evan lay down on his back and bent his left leg, keeping the other one straight. “Just bear with me, okay? I’m going to massage your calf. It’s going to hurt until I can get the muscle loosened up.”

I wrapped my hands around his leg and gasped; his muscles twitched and were extremely tense. I could only imagine how bad it hurt. As deep and as hard as I could, I massaged him, making sure to put ample pressure on his muscles. He hissed and closed his eyes as I worked on his leg. My hands started to tire, but I wasn’t going to stop until the lines around his face smoothed and his calf muscles started to relax.

“Fuck, that feels good,” he moaned.

“How long were you in here suffering? I was just next door waiting on you.”

“Well, I’m glad you came in here to check on me. I can only imagine what you must’ve thought hearing me back here.” A sly smirk spread across his face and he sat up.

“You don’t want to know,” I told him.

I held on to his arm as he got up, even though I knew he didn’t need help. “I guess you still don’t have a high opinion of me if you think I’d be in here fucking someone else.”

His towel almost fell off his waist, but he caught it and held it in place. I had to admit I was disappointed I didn’t get a little peek. “And what exactly would you have thought if you heard me groaning by myself in a locker room?” I countered.

Moving closer, he twirled a strand of my hair around his finger and murmured, “Either you were pleasuring yourself or someone was with you. If it was the former, I’d have hid and watched.”

“What if I was with someone else?”

Before he could reply, Joel’s voice echoed through the locker room. “Evan, where you at, son?” I held in my groan. If Joel knew I was in there, he would definitely think Evan and I had messed around.

“Back here, Coach,” he shouted. “Had a little cramp but it’s gone now. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“All right. Just checking on you. I think the guys are waiting on you since the party’s at your house tonight.”

“Be there in a sec,” he replied.

Thankfully, I could hear Joel’s footsteps echoing down the hall. “I guess we better go, huh? Have you had anything to drink?”

“A little bit of water.”

“Well, no wonder you got a cramp. You should know better than to play in that kind of heat and not drink plenty of fluids. Any dumbass would know that.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I have my own nurse watching over me.”

Rolling my eyes, I turned on my heel and started for the door. “I’m going to get you a bottle of water.”

His chuckle echoed all the way out into the hall. There were drink machines all around, so I got two bottles of water and hurried back into the locker room. A flash of bare skin caught my attention and I stopped, holding in my gasp. Evan had his back to me and was naked, his skin glistening. It had been a long time since the vision of a man’s body had turned me on. I’d thought that part of me had died. My body tightened and my clit twitched, igniting the carnal tendencies I had buried deep. I missed the way it felt to have a man inside of me, kissing me, touching me. I wanted to feel the pleasures of that again. After I watched Evan fully dress himself, I moved out of the shadows and cleared my throat.

“Took you long enough, didn’t it?” he asked with a smile on his face.

I handed him the bottles and thought of the first thing that came to mind. “The drink machines were being difficult. Now drink up so we can go. I’m ready to see what you guys consider a party.”

He winked and opened one of the bottles, guzzling it down. “Don’t worry, sunshine. You won’t be bored, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

If anything, that was the last thing on my mind.

There were vehicles lined up and down the street and all across Evan’s front yard when I pulled up. Partygoers were everywhere. “Do you know all of these people?” I asked as I got out of my car. Women in bikinis traipsed around the yard like supermodels. Lara had been to a ton of these blowouts and had told me what they were like, but I’d thought she was exaggerating like she always did.

Evan laughed. “I don’t know them all, but so far I haven’t had any issues.”

“That you know of.” The last thing I expected was for him to grab my hand, but he did and guided me to his backyard. There was a bar set up with a guy and a girl serving drinks, a swimming pool that was full of people, and even a dirt bike track out in the distance. “Do you still ride with Luke?” I asked.

“Sometimes. I haven’t recently since the season just started. The last thing the team needs is for me to break my neck.” He pulled us over to the bar and asked for a beer while I took a glass of white wine.

“Will he be here tonight?” After our last encounter, I figured I was the last person he’d want to see. Sighing, Evan guided me away from the bar to his back porch, where Kate and Cooper sat talking to Derek and Brianna.

“Honestly, I haven’t talked to him. He called but I didn’t answer.”

Before getting too close to the others, I stopped him. “I know he’s your friend, Evan. Don’t let his problems with Lara come between you two. She wouldn’t want that, and neither do I.”

“I won’t, I promise. But I don’t want to talk about him right now.” He threw back his beer and tossed the bottle in the trash can. “It’s time to have some fun.” We joined the others on the porch and spent three hours laughing and carrying on just like normal people. There was a whole party going on around us, but I didn’t pay attention to all of that. Evan had a solid group of friends that I enjoyed every minute of talking to. I didn’t really have that many of my own friends. I’d moved around so much that it was hard to keep them. By the time I moved back to Charlotte, my friends had all gone their separate ways.

“These things are fucking awesome,” Derek shouted. He tossed another Jell-O shooter in his mouth and swallowed it down. It had to be his twentieth one. I sipped on my glass of wine because I knew at the end of the night I was driving home. Evan, on the other hand, had a contest with Cooper and Derek to see who could do the most shots. They all ended up toasted.

“Is this what they usually do at these parties?” I asked, glancing back and forth from Kate to Brianna.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing. “Most of the time, when they win a game. They celebrate by acting like idiots,” Brianna claimed. She had stayed sober so she could drive Derek back home.

She stood up and Derek smacked her ass. “Woman, you know you like it when I get drunk. I can last for hours this way.”

Face blushing, she thumped him in the ear. “All right, let’s go. I think you’ve had enough.” I think they all had. The party had died down and a majority of the people had already left. Evan put his arm around my shoulders, but I could feel his body leaning heavier against my side.

Derek groaned when he stood and stretched his arms high over his head, yawning. “Fine, we can go. I know I need to make sure you get taken care of tonight.”

Shaking her head, she threw her arms in the air. “Oh my God, he’s ridiculous.” Then to Evan she said, “It was a fun party. We’ll see you on Monday.”

We all waved goodbye, and then Kate and Cooper got to their feet. “I think we’re going to head home as well,” Kate said, rubbing her belly. “I’m exhausted.” Evan and I both stood while Cooper shook his hand and Kate moved in for a hug. “Remember what we talked about, okay?”

“I know,” I whispered. “You have nothing to worry about.”

After they left, Evan put his arm around my shoulders again and led me inside. The rest of the people who were outside were filing into their cars and leaving. “Did you have fun?” I asked him. He stopped in the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. Even though he was drunk, he’d never gotten out of hand at the party. I’d caught him staring at me a lot. It made me nervous, but if I was honest with myself, I’d admit that I liked it.

“Only because you were here.” Eyes half lidded, he watched me over the rim of his glass and drank the rest of his water. “I’m drinking water for you again, Nurse Jacobs. Is there anything else you need me to do?”

Rolling my eyes, I took the glass from him and set it in the sink. “I think you need to go to bed and sleep off the alcohol. Where’s your room?”

He nodded toward the hallway. “Down there. Do you want to see it?”

I pushed against his chest and laughed. “Only to see your drunk ass go to sleep. I’ll help you get in bed and then I’m going home.”

“So soon?”

Shaking my head, I pushed him down the hall until we got to his bedroom. When he opened the door, the room smelled exactly like him. The only light we had was from the hallway, but I could see enough. I pulled him over to the bed, and he sat down while I kneeled in front of him and slipped off his shoes, moving them away. “Lie back,” I commanded.

With a seductive grin on his face, he watched me with those gray eyes of his as I unbuttoned his jeans and slid them down his thick, muscular thighs. I tried not to look at the bulge between his legs, but failed miserably. His deep chuckle vibrated all the way down my body. Once his shirt was off, I covered him with the sheet and was about to leave when he grabbed my hand.

“Wait.”

“What?” I asked.

“I want you to lie down with me.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Just for a minute.” I did as he said and lay down on the bed, facing him. His breaths came out slow and deep, and his eyes grew heavier by the second. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured. His hand tightened on mine and he moved closer, his lips only a breath away. I was frozen, secretly wishing he’d kiss me, but scared to close the distance.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“I never got to answer your question from earlier.”

“Which one?”

“The one about what I would’ve done if I caught you in the locker room with someone else. I never got to answer you.”

I smiled and squeezed his hand; he was about to pass out on me. “Tell me.”

His eyes closed and a deep growl rumbled in his chest. “I would’ve beat the fuck out of him.”

“Why would you have done that?” My heart thundered relentlessly, waiting to hear his answer.

“Because,” he answered slowly. “I’ve wanted you for so long and now I have you. I don’t want anyone fucking that up. You’re the only woman who looks at me like I’m more than what I am.”

Snuggling into his bed, I let his hand go and ran my hands through his dark blond hair. His breathing deepened and I knew he was steadily falling asleep. I pressed my lips to his and breathed him in, closing the distance. “You
are
more, Evan. And just so you know, you wouldn’t have found me in the locker room with anyone else. I’m not interested in anyone but you.” Ever so gently, I slid off the bed. “Good night.”

I left his door open and tiptoed down the hall. Before leaving, I walked outside and picked up a few cups that were left lying around. From the size of the party, I was surprised there wasn’t more debris. There were only a few more cups left to pick up, but I stopped when I heard footsteps approaching from the side of the house. My instincts went on alert. Who the hell would be coming by this late? Panic started to set in. As quietly as I could, I raced back to the door and froze when a voice called out my name.

“Summer? What are you doing?”

Breathing a sigh of relief, I turned and huffed. Jaxon stood there wearing a fitted navy T-shirt, jeans, and a wolfish grin; I didn’t like it, and I sure as hell didn’t like him sneaking around. “Jax, you scared the hell out of me. What are you doing skulking around this late at night?”

His nose was still black and blue from the other day when Evan threw the football at his face, but he wore a baseball cap to help conceal it. “I thought I would come by and see if the party was still going on. I guess it stopped early.”

“It’s two in the morning, Jax. It’s late.”

“Not late enough for you, I see,” he said, taking a step closer. “Do you need me to take you home?”

I shook my head. “No, I drove and I only had one glass of wine. I think I’m okay.”

About that time, another car pulled into the driveway. What the hell? Did Evan always have people showing up at all hours of the night? A door slammed and I rushed past Jax to the side of the house to see who it was. It was Luke, in a pair of khaki shorts and a green T-shirt,. He started toward the front door, but I stopped him.

“It’s locked,” I shouted. His eyes went wide, but when I walked into the light, he visibly sighed.