CHAPTER NINE
KAYLEE
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I grab my bag once the plane lands and try to keep my eyes on anything except Levi Montgomery. You’d think after almost seven weeks of being friends, I’d be immune to him.
I’m not.
If he smiles at me, I blush.
If he winks, my core clenches and I have to do all I can not to moan. Truly, I deserve an Academy Award for my act of being the ex-girlfriend least affected by the hottest ex-boyfriend.
I mean, he’s an NFL Player, so shoot me.
I’m human.
That said, there are over fifty of them in the team and not one— not one !—of them affects me the way Levi does.
Natalie asked me about it one day a few weeks after I started. Not long after, he drove me to my parents after Dad was in hospital.
Levi had popped his head around the corner. “Nat, I know you’re expecting me at four today, but I’m probably going to be ten minutes late. Sorry.”
She nodded, barely concerned. “Thanks for letting me know.”
It was only because he stayed in the doorway, his hand gripping the top of it like he was a sports model on a photoshoot—which he totally could be—that she glanced up.
And caught him winking at me. “You good Kaylee?”
“I’m always good, you know that, Levi.”
He walked away with a slow smile, and I shook my head as my entire body heat rose a million percent.
Ugh, he’s just so sexy.
“Is there something going on between you two?” Nat asked, watching me.
Shit.
I shook my head. “No. No. We dated in college. Ages ago. He just likes teasing me.”
Her look said she didn’t believe me, but I just stuck my nose back in my computer and then dove into the supply cupboard, claiming to do a stock take. Instead, I leaned against the wall, bit my lip and wished Levi was in there with me.
I was going insane thinking about all the naughty things he could do to me. If only we weren’t just friends.
I did like that things were back on neutral ground again, though. He was the same happy, flirty Levi I’d met in college who made my heart flutter.
That was the problem.
How could I move on when my body and heart wanted the one man I couldn’t have?
When the players have disembarked, the rest of us follow and head toward the bus waiting to take us to our hotel.
This is their first away game of the season, and the excitement is rich in the air.
“Hey short stuff,” Gleeson, the center, says as I stride alongside him.
“Hey you,” I reply as he takes my bag, hoisting it on his shoulder.
One thing I will say about these guys is they are all giant gentlemen. Their mammas raised them right, that’s for sure.
“Thanks.” I smile and swap my purse for my other arm. “Excited for the game tomorrow?”
“We’re going to kick the Tigers’ asses!” he replies, and the next minute Jackson Billows and he are high fiving one another.
I glance down at my blue jeans, Adidas sneakers, and Hawkes jacket. I look plain and boring beside these guys. Many of them are decked out in designer gear. Some of it blingy, some bright and abstract.
All of it is excessively expensive.
I see Levi ahead of us. He’s wealthier than all of them, despite what some of them earn and for how long. As a newbie, he doesn’t yet have a sponsorship deal like many of the others, but he had his trust fund.
I know this from what he shared while we dated.
Oh, and Steph googled it.
Perhaps that’s why he’s wearing a stylish low- key gray suit, white shirt, and white sneakers. No doubt the Verity & Co. luxury brand owned by his family.
Or Tom Ford.
What did I know?
Levi seemed to prefer the spotlight off him when he wasn’t on the field. When he was, that was a whole other story. I’ve loved watching him play when the coach put him out there this season.
It was decided he wouldn’t start the first game, but after a knee injury put the star quarterback out, Coach said he wanted to put Montgomery in while Carson Lott gave it a rest.
What a game.
They won that day and Levi had two touchdowns. The crowd loved him. Surprising all of us after each touchdown, he ran in a circle and did this stupid little dance.
Next minute, kids everywhere were doing the Levitate ...as they called it. I loved that for him.
We slow, waiting to climb on the bus, while Gleeson is towering over me.
My phone beeps and I tug it out of my pocket. Then my heart skips a beat.
Levi.
I glance up and find him watching me.
Sit with me
I stare at the message, frozen on the spot, and I swear I would’ve stayed in that position if someone behind me hadn’t nudged me forward.
Like a robot, I walk down the aisle and when I see him, I stop. Levi slides over and tugs me down into the seat.
Gleeson doesn’t react, simply tosses my bag on the overhead shelf and keeps walking.
I stare at the seat ahead of me.
“Hi.” Levi leans closer as the bus begins to move.
“Hi,” I reply.
He wiggles, getting comfortable, and my eyes dip to his huge thighs and back up at him.
“Do you guys really need to spread your legs that much?” I ask without thinking.
He lets out a laugh, glances out the window trying to hide his smirk, and fails, then leans back and whispers. “I think you know the answer to that, Kaylee.”
I choke.
On nothing but oxygen.
He pats my back, laughing.
“Don’t kill our physio, Montgomery,” Jackson calls out.
“I’m fine!” I hold up my hand, not wanting anyone to ask what we were talking about. Sitting back, I shoot Levi a pathetic attempt at a glare.
“Be careful. Someone might think you actually like me.”
He leans back against the headrest and closes his eyes. “No chance.”
I smile at the same time as he does, then follow suit and lean my head back, closing my eyes.
That’s when I feel his leg press against mine, and his hand brushes my arm. I swear I can feel his heartbeat, and it’s got the same rhythm as mine.
My body sizzles, craving more of his touch.
I don’t think I’m alone.
I think Levi craves me, too.
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THE WHISTLE BLOWS and the players burst into action in the second half of the game against the Tigers. In one snap the ball is passed to Levi, who the coach put on the field again.
I clap way too much, and Natalie shoots me a look.
“He’s a friend. What can I say? I’m happy for him,” I say, playing it off as nothing despite really wanting him to fuck my brains out.
After sitting next to him on the bus, like a crazy teenage girl, I checked into my hotel room and had to go have a cold shower.
And relieve my ache.
Sliding my fingers through my swollen flesh, I moaned out his name. God. I need him so much it hurts.
It took about two minutes before a full body orgasm ripped through me.
Right now, I force my eyes to stay off the ball and do my job. That’s Sports Therapy 101. Watch the players, not the game. Especially the knees and ankles of the offensive line.
The job is not as glamorous as people would think, we spend less time hands on when there’s an injury and more time asking “what’s the score” or “what’s your kid's name” to ascertain if there’s a head injury.
That’s priority.
Of course, I’m only a few months into the job and still think it’s amazing, but I’m craving some good table time with some players.
Not for creepy reasons.
Although let’s just say it’s not a bad part of the job.
“Just remember, when it’s a live game finding out if they are conscious and determining whether they can keep playing safely is the main focus. Assess if doing so will be a detriment to the team in the short and long term.” Natalie had told the physio team before game one.
It's just her and me this weekend.
She heads off to treat Kemal, who comes off after hurting his ankle, and I dart my eyes away from Levi.
They almost score, and the ball is stopped on the fifty-yard line by the Tigers.
The crowd roars.
I watch Levi talk into his helmet mic and nearby the coaches regroup, and there’s a mix of discussions and banter around me.
The game continues, and I begin to jump on the sport as Levi pump fakes the ball to Billows, then hands off to Gage, who runs down the field, past the twenty yard line, the ten, and...
Touchdown!
The stadium erupts.
Oh my god. I think we’re going to win this game.
Then again, it’s only halftime.
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BY THE LAST quarter I am so wound up I can’t feel my fingers and toes.
They snap the ball to Levi, who hands it to Billows, who runs before being tackled by two Tigers.
Damn.
The play starts again. Gleeson snaps the ball to Levi, and in a practiced move, Billows leaps in the air.
Yes! I clench my fists and jog on the spot excitedly.
Ten minutes of play left.
Levi drops back for what looks like a promising deep pass, and I watch him scan the field—I assume for an open receiver—when the opposing team's linebacker breaks through our offensive line and slams into him.
Woah!
The stadium is full of gasps as Levi is driven hard into the turf.
The ball bounces away and one of the Hawkes grabs it and runs out of bounds thirty yards out.
I don’t hesitate. I run out onto the field and drop down next to him as he clutches his shoulder.
“Out of ten, how much pain are you in?” I ask, looking him in the eye to assess any other issues.
“Seven. Fuck, eight.”
I stand, my hand on his arm, and nod to the coach who followed me.
He’s off.
“God fucking damn it.” Levi curses as he grips his shoulder and runs beside us back to the bench.