Stadium of Lights: A Second Chance Sports Romance (6 page)

G
arrett’s fiancée
—I would have to learn her name at some point—had picked a chic restaurant called The Bronze Rose in a high-rent part of town for our family dinner. The street was lined on both sides with boutiques and jewelry stores. The sort of place the soon-to-be-wife of an NFL player would be familiar with, I guessed.

Going to all these fancy restaurants was something I definitely needed to get used to. The minute I walked into the restaurant with its marble floors and gold-tiled mosaics along the walls and ceiling, I felt out of my league in a big way. I was the only woman there in a polo shirt, for one. Why hadn’t I thought to get changed into something more appropriate? I could pretend to be a savvy woman, but I would never get things quite right. The other women wore dresses, heels, while I wore a khaki skirt and running shoes. I wanted to die from embarrassment. I darted from the room that had been reserved for us before anybody noticed me and headed straight for the ladies’ room.

“Okay,” I whispered, looking at myself in the mirror. I was blessedly alone. My heart felt like it was about to explode from my chest. “Okay. You’re fine. Chill out. Chill. It’s okay.” I leaned over the sink, my head hanging between my shoulders.

“Are you?” I looked up, stunned to find that a woman had walked in without my noticing. She looked concerned. She also looked stunning, in a gorgeous black tunic and gold sandals. She could have been a goddess, though I didn’t think the goddesses wore black. But what did I know?

“Pardon?” I asked, stumbling over my tongue.

“I said, are you okay? You look a little upset.” She put a light hand on my back, rubbing a little. She was friendly, at least, and warm.

“Oh, I’m okay. Just overwhelmed.” I briefly laughed.

“Over what, honey?” She leaned on the sink. “I’m sorry, I know I’m a stranger, and I'm probably rude being nosey. Just tell me to mind my own business if you want to—no offense taken.”

I grinned. “No offense felt.” I nodded to the door, and the room on the other side of it. “I should have dressed more appropriately for the occasion. I didn’t think. I’m not really used to these type of places you know.”

“Appropriately?” She looked me up and down. “I think you look cute.”

I smirked. “Please. You look cute—better than cute. You’re beautiful. I look like somebody’s soccer mom in this outfit, just dropping the kids off at school.”

“Nothing wrong with that. Who are you, anyway? My name is Skylar. I’m Garrett’s fiancée.” She held out her perfectly French-manicured hand to shake.

“You call him Garrett, too?” I chuckled, shaking her hand. “I’m Abby.”

“Yeah, the team calls him that, I just thought it would be easier. A lot of people don’t recognize his first name.” She turned to check herself out in the mirror. Not a thing out of place—perfect blonde hair, perfect tan, perfect makeup. Bright, sparkling hazel eyes. She glanced at me in the mirror. I wondered if she was comparing us.

“I feel totally out of place,” I admitted. “You all are so pretty.”

“Stop. So are you! But yeah, I can see why you would feel a little out of place. That’s not a bad thing! Just be comfortable, you know?” She shrugged with a smile. I could tell she was trying her best to be supportive, so I smiled back.

“I’m not comfortable. I’m extremely uncomfortable. I don’t know why I’m telling you this.” I pulled out the clip that was holding my hair in a bun, shaking my head from side to side to loosen it.

“Whoa. Your hair is gorgeous!” Skylar reached out, touching it. She had no sense of personal space, but I didn’t mind. It had been a long time since I had a girlfriend. She put a hand to her own hair—I noticed the massive diamond on her left hand and tried not to feel jealous—and grimaced. “I’m so jealous.”

“Oh, please. You? Jealous of me?” I chuckled.

“Listen. I just got an idea.” Skylar checked the time on her diamond-encrusted watch. “We still have twenty minutes before we were even supposed to be here to make our reservation. Why don’t we pop out for a minute to the store across the street? They have a lot of really cute dresses and shoes. I bet we could find you something you’d feel more comfortable in.”

My head spun. “You think so? I mean, this is sort of your thing. You organized it.”

“Yeah, and we’ll be back in plenty of time. It won’t take more than a few minutes to find something for you—you have such a lovely figure; I would kill for that tiny waist.” Meanwhile, her waist was practically invisible. “Come on! It’ll be fun, and you’ll feel more confident.”

“Okay, if you say so!” I only hoped I could afford it—something told me that my new friend and I moved in vastly different tax brackets. I followed her out of the restaurant, and she giggled as she led me across the street. Stepping into the boutique—not just a store, but a boutique—made me feel wealthier. My credit card would be getting a workout, I thought as I looked around. There were even girls handing out sparkling champagne on silver trays. Skylar gave me a flute before taking one for herself.

Skylar looked me up and down. “Size four?” she asked.

“How did you know?” I sipped the sweet, bubbly liquid. It loosened me up a little.

“I have a good eye.” She winked, then dashed around the store putting together an outfit. A white, one-sleeved dress. Silver belt and sandals. She nearly shoved me into a dressing room to try it all on, and when I stepped out to show her how I looked, she cheered with a huge smile on her face.

“I look okay?” I checked myself out in the mirror. I had to give it to her—she had an eye, all right. She’d picked something that brought out my hair and eyes, accentuating my small waist and skimming over my breasts and hips. It fell to just above my knee, and the sandals were both stylish and comfortable.

“You look gorgeous! Come on, we don’t have much time.” She handed me a shopping bag in which to bundle my work clothes, gave me a silver clutch to replace my shoulder bag, and helped me transfer a few things from one bag to the other.

“She’s going to wear this out of the store,” Skylar informed the salesgirl. She was a force of nature—I understood why she was the one who organized get-togethers. She had the dominant personality that made it possible to wrangle an entire football team.

I handed over my credit card while Skylar cut the tags on everything. “Don’t tell me how much it costs,” I said. “I’ll change my mind.” The girl behind the register smiled and rang up the tabs as Skylar handed them over. It wasn’t over my card’s limit, so that was a plus.

“Breathe. You look stunning,” Skylar assured me. “And see, it only took ten minutes.” She led me back to the restaurant and into the ladies’ room, where I touched up my makeup. I giggled, feeling much better about myself. It was incredible, the difference a dress and somebody else’s confidence could make.

“Thank you,” I said before we went back to the party. “I mean it. I would’ve felt hopelessly out of place all night. I might not have stayed.”

“You’re welcome and it’s nothing. We NFL girls have to stick together. I’ll introduce you around—for now, I have to go out and make sure everything’s okay. Get yourself a drink, loosen up.” She winked, took one more look at herself in the mirror and dashed out of the bathroom. I felt a little breathless like a storm had just blown over me.

One more look at myself. “You look stunning,” I said, repeating Skylar’s words. “You look stunning.” I stepped out into the restaurant, reminding myself that it didn’t matter if Max liked the way I looked. Maybe I would see what I was missing with a few of the others from the team. He wasn’t the only man in the world. That Chad seemed to like me—he’d responded well enough when I’d flirted with him, at least. I spotted him across the room, near the bar. He was attractive, for sure—shoulder-length golden blonde hair, deep-set brown eyes, with muscles to spare. I was used to seeing well-built guys in my line of work, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t appreciate a fine specimen when I saw one. The top two buttons of his white linen shirt were open, exposing a patch of his tanned chest.

His eyes widened as I approached. I guessed I looked as
stunning
as Skylar said I did, judging by the way he did everything but lick his chops. There was something powerful in the feeling that a man was turned on by me. It gave me even more confidence.

“Hi,” I said with a smile. “Buy me a drink?”

“Uh, sure. Jesus, you look so—beautiful.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” I asked when he flagged down the bartender. “Skylar helped me pick it out.”

“Oh, she’s the best, right? But you can’t put lipstick on a pig and expect a supermodel like my mama always said.” He saw me frown and chuckled.

“What?”

“What I mean is, she had great material to start out with. If you weren’t already pretty …”

“Oh, I get it now. You almost lost me there,” I blushed. He wasn’t the very best with his metaphors, but he seemed friendly enough. And he definitely liked what he saw, no question. I ordered a glass of scotch, and I saw Chad’s eyes widen in appreciation.

“Good for you,” he murmured as the bartender poured.

“I have no time for frou-frou drinks,” I explained with a smile. We toasted to that.

“So, how do you like your new job so far?” he asked, as we made our way across the room to where a buffet was being set up. The food smelled great, and I realized I hadn’t eaten since eight that morning. I’d been too nervous during the game to eat anything.

“Oh, I love it,” I said. “All I need is for you guys to stay healthy, not get injured, and I’m golden. I can just sit and watch the games.”

He laughed. “Wishful thinking. I think all of us end up in the therapy room at least once during the season.”

“I’m sure, and I’m ready.”

“I heard you used to work with rugby and soccer players.”

“Don’t let any of them hear you calling it soccer,” I laughed. “And yes I did.”

“You must be pretty tough then. It’s rare, finding a woman like you who’s also very attractive.” His eyes seemed to glow with special meaning as they roamed my body again. I felt a distinct tingle between my legs and knew that if I gave Chad the go-ahead, we’d be back at his place before the food was ever served. He could be mine at the end of the night if I wanted him.

Did I want him? My body screamed yes, a thousand times yes. It had been
way
too long since the last time I’d been with a man, and that experience had been wholly unsatisfying. My girlfriends back in London had convinced me to go home with a guy who’d picked me up, and he was utterly hopeless. Not that I was the queen of sexual experience, but I knew it was a problem if I had to show him where certain parts were. It had been over after five thrusts. Terrible.

I knew Chad would be excellent—a man like him? He’d only have to lay there and let me look at him while I rode him. It wouldn’t take me long at all. I knew NFL players got around, so with the experience he surely had, he’d rock my world.

So my body was all-in.

But was my heart?

I
got
to The Bronze Rose around six. The valet took my car, and the Maître D’ showed me to the room Skylar had reserved for us. It was pretty typical—dim lighting, a few long tables cloaked in white and gold, the restaurant’s signature colors. Gold fabric draped along the walls, a gold mosaic along the ceiling. Not exactly homey, but the sort of place I was used to.

I wondered if she’d taken Chad up on his invite, then doubted it. She didn’t seem to like any of us very much, and she’d be way out of place with a group like ours. I said hi to a few of the woman—all good-looking, all perfectly dressed and made up. I doubted Abby owned a dress. She would’ve stuck out like Waldo in a place like this.

I ordered a drink at the bar, chatting with the bartender while I waited. Skylar had been smart to ask for one in the room—but then she was well-acquainted with the way we rolled. There had to be alcohol, especially after an incredible win.

She must have heard me thinking about her, because she came up behind me. “Hey, QB. Great game out there today!” I turned to give her a hug, bending over her tiny frame.

“Careful, don’t let your man see you hugging me like this,” I joked.

“Oh, please, like he hasn’t hugged a million women … and worse than that.” She rolled her eyes. I liked her a lot—she knew the way things went and didn’t let it make her bitter. She always wanted us to be a family, to have dinners together like the one she’d just organized. And she was drop-dead gorgeous, which didn’t hurt. Garrett knew he’d never find another woman like her in a million years, which was why he at least tried to keep it in his pants sometimes.

“This was a great pick. I love the food here,” I said.

“I know. You boys sure know how to eat. That’s why I went with a buffet—I’ve seen Garrett put away three, four plates of food.”

“Four? That’s nothing.” I winked, looking across the room to where the servers were setting up two carving stations and around two dozen chafing dishes. They knew we’d come to eat.

Just then, at the end of the long buffet table, my eyes fell on what could only be an angel. She wore a white dress with one sort of floaty sleeve. Her other arm was bare, long and slender. A cloud of wavy red hair. She laughed, tipping her head back to expose a long, smooth throat. My heart almost stopped beating.

Skylar followed my gaze. “Doesn’t she look great?” she gushed. “I had excellent raw material to work with.”

“That’s … it can’t be …”

“Abby,” she confirmed. “The poor girl, she felt so out of place. But look at her. I don’t think there’s a man here who hasn’t already slipped in a puddle of his own drool after staring—including my fiancé.” She chuckled.

“That’s Abby?” No way. Then she laughed again. I knew that laugh like I knew my own. Abby. Jesus Christ. I’d already been surprised at how much she’d changed, but in that dress … and the hair … and makeup, holy shit, she was wearing makeup.

And she was with Chad. That piece of shit.

“Hello? Max?”

“Huh?” I looked down at Skylar, who smirked.

“I said, do you have your eye on her? I thought you got in a tongue fight with one of the cheerleaders after the game.”

“That was an accident,” I told her. “That wasn’t real.”

“Oh, I know that you idiot.” She slapped my arm. “I was only teasing. Nobody gets serious over a cheerleader. So, you like her, huh?”

“The cheerleader?”

“Abby. You know who I mean.”

“No. It’s just … didn’t Garrett tell you?”

“Garrett tells me nothing.”

I looked back to where Abby stood. “I’ve known her my whole life.” But I never really knew her, and I finally figured it out when I saw her standing there with Chad. The girl I thought I knew was gone, long dead. How could I have been so blind?

“Hmm …” That was all Skylar said as she walked away. Funny, but even though she was a woman, I trusted her more than I trusted my teammates. She wouldn’t go around blabbing to everybody that I’d almost shit my pants when I got my first look at Abby in her new dress.

Damn, that Chad. He didn’t care about her. He only wanted another notch in his headboard. And from the way she was laughing at just about everything he said, he would get it before the night was over. Unless I stepped in, of course.

And I would.

I walked over to them with a smile on my face. “Well, you showed up,” I said, looking at Abby. She was so beautiful. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before—yeah, she had a nice body, and she’d lost the glasses, but she’d never looked this radiant and confident before.

“Yeah, here I am.” She giggled like she’d said something funny. I saw the almost-empty glass in her hand and wondered how much she’d had to drink already.

“Glad to see you, man.” Chad did not sound happy to see me. He sounded very un-glad, and the look in his eye told me to stop cock blocking him. Well, I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. Not when she looked so damned good, and not when she was already a little loopy. Even if I didn’t think she looked more beautiful than any woman in the room, I would have protected her if she had too much to drink. I owed her that.

“Yeah, you too, bro. So, you think we’re ready for Denver?” I gave him a smile.

“Relax, man! There’s a whole week until that game. We don’t even fly out for four days.”

“Yeah, I know, but we can’t assume they’ll be too easy.”

“Sure, sure.” He was getting agitated. He wanted me gone. I could tell from the way he stood—chest puffed out like he wanted me to know Abby was his territory. He had no fucking idea.

“What did you think of the game? You never did say.” I turned to her, and she smiled weakly.

“I thought it was incredible,” she said. “The way you guys pulled it out like you did. Chad, great pick up on that fumble.”

“Oh, you noticed that that was me?” he asked with a megawatt smile. I wanted to push him through the plate-glass window.

“Of course! Who wouldn’t?” Yeah, she was flirting even harder than she had been in the therapy room. I needed to put a stop to it, fast.

“Hey, Chad? Come over here and settle a bet!” Garrett waved him over from the other side of the room. I wondered if Skylar had put him up to it and decided I didn’t care. There were plenty of women in the world. He wasn’t getting Abby. I didn’t even know if I wanted her for myself, but I knew he didn’t deserve her.

Chad glanced at Abby like he was debating on leaving her alone, or maybe considering bringing her with him. He sighed, shaking his head before walking away. Abby’s mouth fell open.

“What the hell was that all about?” she asked. She looked up at me with wide, innocent eyes. A little glassy, I noted.

“What do you mean?”

“I thought we were hitting it off,” she said, pouting a little.

“Listen, I know you’re pissed at me right now, so don’t take this the wrong way. How much have you had to drink tonight?”

“Just this,” she said, holding up the empty glass. “A scotch. Oh, and champagne at the boutique.” Not enough to get her drunk.

“Have you eaten anything?”

“Not since breakfast.” She shrugged.

“Yeah, that’ll do it.” I’d have to stick with her all night to be sure nobody else swooped in to pick up the bird with the broken wing. All eyes were on her, just like Skylar had said. Every guy wanted a crack at the new girl—the only single woman at the dinner, I realized. All the other women were there because they were with one of the guys. Shit.

Skylar came rushing over. “Come on,” she said, taking Abby by the hand. “I told you I would introduce you around a little. Then we’ll all get our food—it’s almost ready.” She started to lead Abby away from me. It took everything I had not to follow her, or even take her free hand to pull her back to me. I was afraid to leave her on her own. Only the realization of that fear was enough to stop me.

Why did I care so fucking much? It wasn’t just our history. Sure, I’d look out for my little sister if I thought a guy would take advantage of her. But I wouldn’t feel the sort of murderous jealousy I had towards Chad when I saw the two of them talking and laughing. That wasn’t protectiveness.

Even when I talked to other people, I kept an eye on her. Skylar was serious about showing Abby around—I was glad she had taken her under her wing. She needed that and I couldn’t do it for her.

She wasn’t invisible anymore. She was the belle of the ball. I could tell she felt overwhelmed but happy. It was nice to see her smile the way she was.

I stood two spots behind her in line for the buffet to make sure she got enough food. She had to soak up that liquor. My heart sank a little when one of the servers poured her a glass of white wine as soon as she sat. I sat a little further down on her side of the table, listening to the conversation. Trey sat across from her, Randy to her right. The two of them kept her laughing through the meal, competing for her attention. I wondered if she knew what they were doing, or if she was just enjoying herself.

I thought back to all the times she had stood by and watched me with my many girlfriends and hookups. Whenever I had a problem with any of them, I’d ask her what to do since she was a girl. I never once thought of her the way I thought of them, not once. And when I met her again, that same old image was in my head. The dorky, geeky girl with glasses who always bumped into things and knocked them over, who didn’t have any friends except for me. When the other kids would ask why I was friends with her, I could never explain why. It was probably because of that early friendship, back when we were little kids. I couldn’t just drop her because she wasn’t cool. She was my little sis.

My little sis had grown up, but I made her cry when I reminded her of the girl she used to be. How stupid! I finally understood why she had cried the day before. I kept thinking of her as the old girl, who she obviously hated. I wouldn’t let her be the new person she’d become. I was so blind.

It was actually sort of funny, watching the guys trade places just so they could sit with her. When Trey got up for another plate, Joe took his place. Brett took Randy’s place. On and on, and Abby just kept drinking her wine and laughing and having fun. I just kept watching to see who would ask to take her home.

The time came around nine o’clock when we’d all stuffed ourselves. Abby stood up from the table, a little wobbly. I swooped in, waiting for her to decide it was time to go.

“Come on. I’ll take you home,” I murmured, taking her by the elbow. She looked up at me.

“No,” she murmured.

“What?”

“No. I don’t want you to take me home. Now will you move?”

“Wait. Slow down.”

“I want somebody else, Max. Now move.”

“Who?”

“Anybody. It doesn’t matter. Just not you.” She shook me off—thank God we’d both been whispering, or practically, because it didn’t seem like anybody else noticed. I followed her out the door to the restaurant’s entrance.

“You can’t drive in this condition,” I warned her.

“Then I’ll get a cab. You can leave now.” She glared at me, her cheeks flushed.

“What?”

“You ruined it. You always ruin it.”

“How the hell did I ruin anything?”

She looked back into the restaurant, frowning. “I was having fun. People were talking to me, seeing me, liking me. And you had to take over like you always do.”

My car pulled up in front of us, and I took the keys from the valet. “Come on. I’ll drive you home, and we can talk about it on the way.” I practically threw her into the car before she could curse me out, then got in myself. Once I locked the doors from my side, she couldn’t open them.

“What the fuck Max!” She slapped the dashboard, then sank into her seat with a groan. “I was having fun. I was about to get laid, damn it!”

I bit my tongue until I calmed down. “By whom?”

“I don’t know! What did it matter? I was gonna get some for me, for once. And you won’t let me. I have to always be there for you, but you can never be there for me. You couldn’t just let me enjoy myself. No, you probably wanted to tell me all about your stupid fucking cheerleader girlfriend and ask me what you should do about her!” There was so much venom in her voice. She hated me.

I pulled over to the shoulder of the road. “What are you doing?” she asked. I unbuckled my belt without saying a word, then turned to her.

“You wanna know why I wanted to take you home?” I reached out, grabbing her by the shoulders. I pulled her to me before she could push me away and crushed my mouth against hers.

She only fought me for a split second before giving in. She sighed, relaxing, and I wrapped my arms around her. Her lips were so sweet, soft and yielding. When I slid my tongue between them, they opened to give me better access. I tasted the inside of her mouth, taking my time. This girl who had been my friend for so long, and she was right—I’d used her in a way. This girl who was always there for me without asking anything in return. This sexy, incredible girl.

The kiss deepened, with her tongue dancing alongside mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck, almost growling. Sounding hungry, desperate. I ran one of my hands over her body, listening to the way the breath caught in her throat. She whined a little, pressing against me, and when I made contact with her tits she moaned into my mouth.

By the time the kiss ended, we were both breathless. Her eyes were wide, stunned.

“That’s why,” I whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.