Reye's Gold (24 page)

“Sam,” she shouted, running to catch up to him. He
turned at the sound of her voice and waited.

“Guess what?”

“What?”

“Stephen is here, and I talked him into coming to the
game. Maybe he could play?”

“Maybe. I need to meet him first,” Sam said as he and Reye walked over to their field. About five minutes later,
Stephen walked up. Reye turned to make the introductions. “Stephen, this is my brother Sam. Sam, Stephen.”

Reye watched them take each other’s measure. Sam
extended his hand for Stephen to shake. Stephen
accepted. Stephen could tell that Sam and Reye were
related, same height, same coloring.

“Reye tells me you came ready to play,” Sam said.
“If you need me, sure, but don’t make any changes to
your line-up on my account.”

“Don’t worry, we lost two games already and we’re out
of the tournament for all practical purposes. So you can
play if you want.”

Reye stood there smiling. “Reye,” Sam said to her. “Would you go to the main tent and grab the game card
for me, I forgot to pick it up.”

“
Sure,” said Reye, looking anxious. She turned to
leave, but not before giving her brother a warning look.
They both watched her walk away.

* * *

“So, Stephen, Reye tells me that this is your last year
in law school?”

“Yep, that’s true.”

“What are your plans after you finish? Are you going
to remain in Austin, or will you be going back to Dallas?”

“Dallas is home. My family’s law practice is there, so if I want to work with them I’ll need to be there.”

“Hmm. Let me just cut through the bullshit. You
seem like a nice enough guy, so don’t take this the wrong
way. My sister likes you, and I wouldn’t want to see her
hurt, so if this is a game to you, you need to move on to
someone else,” Sam said, all business.

Stephen was equally serious and not at all intimi
dated. “I appreciate your advice, but Reye and I are both
adults and what happens to us is between us,” Stephen
said.

“Just a warning, that’s all. Just be careful. I wouldn’t
want to see her hurt,” Sam said.

“So you’ve said and I’ve heard. I wouldn’t want to
hurt her, so I guess we’re in agreement.”

Both men stared at each other for a minute, neither
blinking. Sam turned and walked off to warm up and
Stephen stood there and waited for Reye to return.

* * *

Later on that night, Stephen lay next to Reye in bed,
watching her while she slept. She was funny and a bit
quirky even in her sleep. When he spent the night, she’d
draw her body into a tight ball and root around until she
found her spot just underneath his arm, tucking herself
into his chest. He didn’t know of anyone besides her who
could sleep in one position all night. He looked down at
her again and ran his hand along her side to rest on her
hip. He understood her brother’s need to warn him. He
was almost certain that Reye loved him. He was a jerk to
remain here when he knew he would ultimately leave her.
But not yet; she was his for the remainder of this semester.
He leaned over and trailed kisses down the side of her
face. She moaned; even in her sleep, she was responsive to
him. It gave him such a kick. She turned onto her back
and stretched her arms up and placed them around his
neck, pulling him to her, not really asleep after all. He felt
her legs stretch out under him, positioning her body so it
lined up with his, squirming under him further to align
herself until she was completely covered by his body. She
opened her legs and secured them around the backs of his
thighs, shifting her lower body until she felt him aligned with her. She lifted her hips, taking him in, kissing him as
he slid into her warmth. He groaned as he pushed slowly
into her, his rhythm not veering from that pace until they
came together, quiet this time. He kissed her again and
sought her hands to hold in his. Sated and now sleepy, he
laid his head next to hers and closed his eyes, content to
stay here with her, in her.

Dr. Houston sat in her office reviewing the changes that would be made to the center’s staff next year. She’d
just completed a discussion with Reye where she’d offered her a full time job at the center, and Reye had tentatively agreed to accept the offer. They would talk further about
Reye’s role beyond the aftercare program, but for now
she’d been content knowing Reye would continue to be
involved with the center.

Being a mother to kids had been Susan’s desire since
college. She wanted to nurture and give opportunities to those kids who were born without much. She’d wanted
children of her own to mother, had married the love of her
life with that goal in mind, but life had a different plan, and after years of probing and testing by doctors, children were
ruled out. When life gives you lemons, and all that, so she’d
become a mother to the many here at the center, including Reye. She recognized a gift and talent in Reye, along with a
huge heart for kids. She couldn’t have been more proud had
Reye been hers by birth, watching her grow in confidence
as she encouraged her kids, kids who now felt safe showing
Reye their deficiencies, knowing that she would treat them
with care. The soccer team was a big hit, the kids and their
parents were all hooked, now diligently creating a team
name, and determined to locate a sponsor to buy uniforms.

S
he was a little worried about Reye and that
boyfriend of hers, although she hadn’t met him yet. As far
as Reye was concerned, he could walk on water. Did Reye have plans to follow him after school? Would she put her
career on hold to be with him? Reye, with all of her talents
and achievements, was far from confident, unable to see
how capable she was. Having grown up focused solely on
her difficulties with learning, which she perceived as defi
ciencies, had left her unable to view her accomplishments.

* * *

Reye opened the door and walked into her home. She
was excited because she’d just finished a great soccer prac
tice. The kids were improving, not yet ready for prime
time, but well on their way to being equipped for the first
game in a couple of weeks. She needed to talk to Joe
about Shane, and she needed to do it soon. She hadn’t
seen him in two weeks.

Reye stepped through the door to find Stephen on his
back, stretched out on her couch, his head bent over a
book, studying. He looked up and smiled when she
entered. That smile always made her catch her breath.

“Hey, babe,” he said, putting his book down. She
walked over to him and bent down, placing a quick kiss
on his mouth. “How was practice?”

“You wouldn’t believe how the kids are improving.”
She discarded her bag and kicked off her shoes, toed her
socks off, and pulled her t-shirt over her head, continuing
to talk. “They have graduated finally from kicking each o
ther’s ankles to kicking shins. Do you remember when
you first learned soccer?” She stood before him wearing a
pair of his high school gym shorts and a sports bra. She
could wear a paper sack and his body would respond to the sight of her.

“Who, me? I was born playing at the pro level. It’s
you regular people who had to work at soccer. I was
always good.”

“You have such an ego,” she said, laughing and
punching him in the stomach. He grabbed her hand and
pulled her to sit on his lap, putting his arms around her
to hold her there. “Did I tell you that Sam is helping me
with the center’s soccer team as an assistant coach?” she
asked, testing to see if he would offer to help. She was
well aware of the constraints on his time, but she wanted
him to at least offer anyway.

“Yep, how is that working out?” he said, not the
response she was looking for.

“It’s good.” She watched as his eyes moved to her lips,
a clear sign that he wanted to do something other than
talk. He pulled her to him, snagging her lower lip with
his teeth. Undeterred and still in testing mode, she drew
back and continued talking. “I was invited to dinner at
my parents’ house tonight. My brother Jack and his wife
are down from Ft. Worth, and I was thinking that if you
weren’t busy tonight you could come with me.” His arms
loosened their hold on her, not immediately, but quicker
than she would have liked.

“I can’t,” he said, looking at her. “I am seriously
behind in this class and I need to put some more time
i
n.” He watched the disappointment form on her face,
regretful that he’d put it there, but not wanting to get
tangled up in her family. He captured her face in his
hands, making her look at him. “I’m sorry. I would if I
could.” He leaned in and kissed her. She tasted like mint
and Reye, his favorite flavor. He pulled back and rested
his forehead against hers. “You’re not too disappointed,
are you?”

“No, I’m good,” she said, not meeting his eyes. He lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him.

“I’m fine,” she said, looking into his eyes. “Really.
Will you be here later on, after I get back?”

“I’ll come by tomorrow. I haven’t been to my apartment in so long, I’ve forgotten what it looks like. I’ll just
work from there tonight and see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.” She leaned into him for another kiss,
opening her mouth, seeking some proof that he wanted
her in the face of his small rejections.

* * *

Later that evening Henri entered his apartment
expecting the usual quiet, since Stephen had abandoned
it for Reye’s. He’d seen him only occasionally since
Christmas, and he was surprised to find him sitting on
the couch watching TV.

“Dude, what’s up? When did you get here?”

“A couple of hours ago.”

“What, Reye give you a free day pass?” he asked
jokingly.

“
She’s at her parents’ for some family get-together and
I didn’t go.”

“But you were invited?”

“Yes.”

“I feel you. Meeting the parents means commitment, and you aren’t that serious.”

“Nope,” he said.

“So what are you going to do? Are we still on for spring break in Cancun?”

“Yep.”

“Is Reye okay with you going?” Henri asked.
“I haven’t told her yet.”

“Okay. Don’t you think she’ll mind? You do spend most of your time together.”

“I’ll be just hanging with the guys, right? I’ve never
promised her more than casual, and I’ve got to start
backing off sooner or later. The sex is still amazing,
though. Can you believe that? It’s not like anything I’ve
had with anyone else, and it’s one of the things I am
going to really miss.”

“She’s more than sex to you, dude? I know you.”

“So what if it is? Okay. It is more, there, I’ll admit it,
I like her, a lot, but I’m putting an end to it anyway at the end of the semester. I am going home to Dallas. Period.
End of story. Will I miss her? Yes. But I’ll get over it, I’m
sure. Okay.”

“Whatever you say, dude,” Henri said and left the room.

* * *

Reye pulled up to the front of Shane’s house. A lone
car sat parked in the drive; it belonged to Joe, she remem
bered. The lights were on in the house, a good sign that
someone was home. Shane hadn’t been at practice today
and she was through with putting this off. She’d decided
to go by later rather than early, figuring that later would
offer her a better chance of finding someone at home.
She’d stopped by a local coffee shop to grab a cup of her
favorite brew, killing time while she waited.