The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (90 page)

I collect all three of our meals:  a Brie Burger for Evan, a bacon-avocado Panini for Auggie, and a chicken Caesar wrap for me.  When I arrive at Auggie’s, he’s not his normal vibrant self.  He looks like he’s been sitting on the couch for hours.  His lunch is sitting on the coffee table untouched. “Hey, Sunshine.  What’s going on?”  I give him a kiss and bring our dinner to the kitchen. 

“I saw Big Mac on TV, Jepetto.  He’s looking good, girl.  You happy?”  His voice is lifeless, and it seems like it’s taking great effort on his part to hold a conversation.

“Very happy, Augs.  But something’s wrong, you don’t look so good.  How are you feeling?  You look pale.”  I touch his forehead to check for a fever.  He’s clammy, but not feverish.

“I’ve been getting cramps on and off all day.  It’s not too bad, nothing I can’t handle.  Just a bad day, that’s all, Jepetto.  But I’m so glad you’re here.  Are you staying?”

“I’m not going anywhere.  Do you want to try to eat something?  It looks like you haven’t eaten a thing today.”  I start cleaning up his sandwich from lunch. 

“I’m really not hungry.  Can you just put the sandwich away?  I’ll have it for lunch tomorrow.”

I sit down with Auggie and keep him company while we wait for Evan.  He tells me about Lucas’ filming schedule and all the on-set gossip.  He’s got at least six more weeks of shooting.  Auggie misses him, but at least they can Skype as often as Lucas’ schedule allows.

Then it’s my turn to talk about everything that’s happened over the last twenty-four hours.  I help Auggie over to the window to show off my new ride.  It’s getting dark out, so he can’t see it too well.  I promise to show it to him first thing in the morning.

“So, based on the new car and last night’s sleeping arrangement, I take it you worked things out during your visit to the therapist?” he asks, shifting around uncomfortably on the couch.

Auggie is the only one who knows all the details of our visits. I even told him about Evan giving blood during our last appointment.  Not that long ago, we sat in this very room and convinced one another and ourselves that Evan was suffering from PTSD.  We were certain.  The plan was to wait for Evan to agree to counseling before we would move forward.

“You’re never going to believe this, but Dr. Falkowski found traces of steroids in Evan’s system.”

“Holy shrinkage, Batman.  Didn’t you notice any changes to the size of his package?  I would have thought that when his junk started to shrink, it would have
tipped
you off.”  He chuckles to himself, then winces from the pain.  If he were well, I’d smack him for that remark.

“I can’t believe you asked that, Aug.  But no, there were no physical signs.”

“So let me get this straight, you found out he’s taking drugs and you took him back just like that?  I thought I taught you better than that, girl.”

“No, you don’t get it.  Evan never took drugs.  Someone else gave them to him.  He never knew.”

“How’s that possible?  Wouldn’t you know it if someone was shooting you up with drugs, Jepetto?  I want to believe him, really, I do.  But it just doesn’t sound right.”

“Think about it, Auggie.  If Evan knew he was taking drugs, why would he consent to drug testing twice?  And by the way, he’s been getting cortisone injections by the team physician along with vitamin and mineral supplements from the team trainer.  Either one of them could have done it, easily.”

“I suppose you’re right.  Is Evan going to fire them all?” he asks.

“He can’t.  They don’t work for him, they work for the team.  Besides, he wants to move forward and not waste his energy looking back at things he can’t change.  But I guarantee, Evan won’t be letting anyone give him any more shots or supplements, that’s for sure.”

“Do you think Adam knows anything, Jette?  He’s got his nose so far up Evan’s ass, I’m surprised he doesn’t have pink eye.”

“Well, I’m glad you still have your sense of humor, Auggie.  But I’m not going down that road with you.  Remember what happened last time we were convinced that Derek was involved with some crazy shit?  That blew up in all our faces.  I won’t let that happen again.”

“I’m just sayin’, Evan doesn’t make a move without Adam’s approval, and you know it.  Are you going to let this go?  I know you, Jepetto.  You’re like a dog with a bone.  You can’t just walk away from this without finding out some answers.”  Damn, he knows me too well.

“No, you’re right.  I would love to be able to get to the bottom of this.  But I have to be very careful.  If word gets out about this situation, Evan could be in serious trouble.  Now that he’s the starting quarterback, it’s more important than ever to keep this quiet.”

“Understood.  Well, no one will hear anything from me.  How did Evan handle the news?  Is he okay?”

“The past twenty-four hours have been, as Emmy would say, amazeballs.  Evan feels like a new man.  He knows there’s nothing wrong with him and he knows why he was so angry all the time.  It’s really great having my boyfriend back.  I’ve missed him so much.”

Auggie wants details about our reconciliation.  I tell him about Evan’s romantic gesture with dinner and homemade French toast for dessert.  He’s very impressed.  When I tell him about how I marked up Evan’s beautiful chest, he told me, “That’s kinda hot, Jette my Pet.  I didn’t know you had it in you, girl.  You go ahead and tear that boy up.  He can handle it.”

I love Auggie.  He just makes me laugh.  Finally, a little after eight, Evan shows up, half starved.  He scarfs down his burger, and it looks like he’s still hungry.  Auggie offers him his sandwich, and Evan finishes that off, too.  “There was no time for lunch today.  I haven’t eaten a thing since breakfast,” he explains.

Evan tells us about his visit with Matt and it sounds like it went very well.  Matt’s in good spirits, despite his present condition.  He’s scheduled for a surgical procedure tomorrow.  Evan says that now that Matt’s doctors know what the problem is, they can manage his health fairly well.  Unfortunately, they don’t think he’ll ever be able to play football again.  But he’s still young, not yet forty.  Matt is already thinking about a second career coaching or sports casting. 

By ten o’clock, it’s time to help Auggie to bed.  He’s been trying his best to keep up with the conversation, but at this point, he’s just completely worn out.  I help Auggie to his room while Evan cleans up. 

“Evan, I’m worried about Auggie.  He doesn’t look good.  He puts on a good show, but I can tell something’s wrong.  He should be getting better, not worse.  Do you have anywhere you need to be tomorrow?”

“Nope, my calendar’s wide open.”

“Good, keep it that way.  We may be taking Auggie to see his doctor.  I’ll call you in the morning and let you know how the night was.  I don’t think I’m going to get much sleep tonight.”

“Baby, I just got you back.  I’m not going home without you.  Where ever you are is where I want to be.  If you’re sleeping here, then so am I.”

He’s so sweet.  I really do want him here, but I didn’t want to push too hard or too fast.  “Okay.”  We decide to curl up on the couch together and binge watch a little Breaking Bad until after midnight.  I sneak in Auggie’s room to check on him, and he seems to be resting comfortably.  I hope he stays that way.

My bed is smaller than Evan’s.  I undress and crawl into bed first.  Evan follows after me, peeling off his clothes and spooning with me.  I can feel his hot breath on the back of my neck and his warm body curled up against me.  My body fits so perfectly against the curves of his, it’s like he was made just for me. 

Evan sweeps the hair off my neck and places sweet gentle kisses all along my neck and up to my ear where he stops to nibble.  My skin immediately pricks to life, acutely aware of every part of my body in contact with his.  We have a lot of lost time to make up for, and I need to feel that connection with him every bit as much as he does.  Just one wriggle of my hips is all the invitation Evan needs and in the flash of an eye, he’s inside me.  The excitement of rekindled love is very difficult to keep contained.  But the effort to keep our lovemaking quiet from our housemate adds an element of wickedness that is thrilling.

Eventually, we drift off to sleep held tightly in one another’s arms.  We sleep peacefully throughout the night.  Maddy wakes us early the next morning, pleased to see Evan is still here.  She’s all over him, licking his face and wagging her tail. 

Evan gladly lets her out while I check on Auggie, who’s starting to wake, too.  “Hey, sleepyhead.  How did you sleep?  Are you feeling any better?”

“Yeah, I feel a lot better.  I slept pretty well, actually.”  Auggie tries to sit up, but it’s still hard for him to bear down on his stomach muscles.  I give him a hand, and he’s able to move with help.  “What’s for breakfast?”

I help Auggie up and out of bed and get him settled at the kitchen table.  I’m so relieved to see that Auggie has his appetite back.  Evan and I prepare a simple breakfast and the three of us discuss our plans for the day, free of emergency doctor visits, thankfully.

“So, Juliette,” Evan asks, “it’s Friday already.  Mind if I join you at the restaurant today?  I haven’t spent much time there and I’d like to hang out before I have to go back to training camp next week.”

“Sounds perfect.  Marcus has made some changes I think he wants to discuss with you, anyway.”

“Oh, okay,” Evan answers with a full mouth, not at all curious about the potential changes Marcus wants to discuss.  “What time are we going in?”

“Early.  I’m opening.  Natalie is coming in for the second shift.  I thought maybe we could go out to dinner tonight, just the two of us.  What do you think?”

“No complaints here,” Evan answers.

“Auggie, are you going to be okay for dinner?”

“Yeah, I’m eating with my parents tonight.”  He rolls his eyes.  “I couldn’t come up with a good enough excuse to say ‘no’ when she called yesterday.  Don’t worry about me.  Maybe I’ll stay the night and let her smother me.  I mean mother me.  Actually, no, I had it right the first time.”

Causing a Stir

E
van drives us to work in my new car.  I just love that new car smell.  Everything is so new and clean.  We open the panoramic sunroof to let in the sunshine and the cool summer breeze.  Evan and I are the first to arrive this morning and there’s plenty to do before we open.  He knows very well how to operate the video and audio systems, so he slips behind the bar to fiddle with the controls.

My first task is to check the e-mail and place the food orders for this weekend.  Reese left me a list, but I see none from Derek.  I make a mental note to check with him before the end of the day.  As bar manager, he really needs to stay on top of our liquor inventory.

The restaurant feels warm today, so I walk over to the thermostat on the wall to adjust the settings.  As I do, I feel a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist.  I twist around, wrap my arms around Evan’s neck, and lay my head on his chest.  The clean, manly scent of his body is like an aphrodisiac, making me crave the feel of his skin pressed against mine.  I close my eyes while he runs his hand beneath the hem of my shirt and makes contact with by bare back.  My body tingles from his gentle touch.  He holds me close in his warm embrace and whispers, “I love you with all my heart.” 

I move my hands up into his hair and pull him down for a kiss.  “I love you more than words can say,” I confess, looking deeply into his piercing blue eyes.  His hand, which is still pressed against the small of my back, pulls me in closer.  Slowly, he lifts me off my feet and places me down on the small couch.  I grab the neck of his shirt to pull him down with me as I lay back.  I tangle my fingers in his hair as his tongue swirls with mine. 

A powerful jolt of desire and arousal shoots through me as Evan moves his hands from my waist to my breasts, cupping them tightly and tempting me with a sensual roll of his hips.  I moan into his mouth as I bite and suck his lower lip into my mouth.  I can feel the hardness of him press against my jeans as his hips thrust forward.  Pleasure and need slam through me and I hold him tightly, silently begging for more.

“Hey, Jette, I have the liquor orders ready . . . oh, fuck!  I’m so sorry.”  Derek’s shocked voice startles me and immediately brings me back from the brink.  He turns away and places the list on my desk.  “I, um, yeah, never mind.”  Derek walks away mumbling more apologies as he leaves.

“Shit!” I huff as I try in vain to push against Evan’s strong chest, still hovering above mine.  “Evan, get up, please,” I beg.

He gives another sensual thrust of his hips and reminds me, “Oh, Juliette, I am up,” he teases, rising up from me slowly.  As I try to gather my wits, Evan adjusts his pants.  “You better go out there.  Give me a minute.  I’ll be right out.”

With a grin on my face and a spring in my step, I step out of my office and head straight for the bar.  “Morning, Derek.  Sorry about that,” I offer.  I can still feel the flush of my cheeks and swollen lips.

“Don’t worry about it,” he reassures me, still not making eye contact.

“Um, can I have a glass of ice water, please?”  I need something to cool the heat flowing through my veins.  “Maybe a lime or lemon if it’s ready.”  Derek nods, fills my glass, and places it in front of me.  He makes up some excuse about getting fresh kegs from the back and leaves the bar quickly.  The awkwardness is so thick you can slice it with a knife.