Andres 11.
“You’ve got a little drool.” I reach up to wipe the corner of his mouth, but he smacks my hand away. My hearty laugh draws attention to us, not that two former NFL players don’t draw enough as it is. I’m used to it.
“Fuck you,” he spits out, but there’s no real heat behind it. His eyes are glued to the cheerleaders. Mine are too, but for different reasons. At least, they better be.
“You aren’t looking at my woman, are you?”
He slowly turns his head to stare at me like I’m fucking stupid.
The back of my neck heats in embarrassment.
I’ve never been jealous a day in my life.
And I know Theo. He’s hung out with Jenna and I when she comes down to visit.
The two of them have some sort of meme-a-thon going on where they try to one up each other using funny memes.
It makes me happy that my best friend and my best girl get along so well.
She talks with my mom too. They text all the time, and when she came down a couple weeks ago, she and mom had lunch together and spent the day shopping.
I’m pretty sure at this point, if Jenna leaves me, I won’t just lose her, I’ll lose my best friend and my parents too.
They love her, as they should. I just have to make sure I don’t ever give her a reason to leave.
I won’t survive without her. She’s become everything to me.
I tease her, call myself her future, but it’s true. There is no tomorrow without her.
I just hate that I’m traveling all the time.
There’s really only a few months a year where I’m not actively working.
Regular season, playoffs, combine, draft, rinse and repeat.
It’s a cycle that never ends and I love what I do but I love Jenna more.
I haven’t told her that because she’s like a vicious rabbit, ready to bite me and bolt at any moment.
She’s gotten better, especially since her first visit to my place, but I still sense she’s holding back.
Not all the time, but every now and then.
I miss her. I hate the distance between us.
If we were together, one place, one city, perhaps she wouldn’t feel the need to hold back.
She could go all in. I’ve spent the last week trying to figure out how I can do my job remotely.
I’d have to still travel, but I could use her place as my home base.
I’d happily give up my house in Fox Chapel and move here to be with her.
My assistants have been instrumental in putting some options together, so I have a proposal to present to the team’s owners and managers.
They tease me all the time for my obsession with Jenna.
I think I could get away with only going into the offices in Pittsburgh once or twice a month.
And in her off season we could stay in Pittsburgh.
I want concrete plans in place so when I present the idea to her, she doesn’t bite me and run.
Theo’s laughter snaps me to the present and I glance at him in confusion. “Dude, you are so fucking gone for that woman. I’ve been talking to you for like three minutes and you’ve just been muttering to yourself.”
“Oh. Sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind.” I rub the back of my neck and shift my focus to the game and the players.
“Well, try to keep the thoughts PG because you’ve got a stadium of looky-loos and you’ve got a big dick.”
I smile at my friend and dip my chin. “Thanks for noticing.”
“It’s not as big as mine, but Jenna seems pleased.”
My smile drops instantly and I scowl at Theo. “Never discuss my woman’s pleasure again.”
“Understood.” He gives me a half-ass salute and smirks as he turns back to the field.
They stop for a commercial break and that’s when Theo and I do our best work.
Players are not paying attention to the cameras and fans, focusing on the team and the game.
We’ve joked in the past that we often feel like Jane Goodall as we observe them in their natural habitat.
Something about the noises coming from the video playing on the jumbotron catches my attention, and I stare up at the big screen and my jaw promptly drops.
“Fuck.” Elijah Addelsbach and Daya Moul, larger than life, and about to get down and dirty for the entire stadium to see.
Shit. I don’t know them personally, but Jenna loves them.
She and her best friend Lilly orchestrated a hell of a campaign for the university using the Mic-Man and new cheerleading sensation and all their hard work, not to mention the reputation of two promising young students is going up in smoke… in technicolor and surround sound.
I’m worried for the two of them, obviously, but Jenna is my main priority. She’s going to be so upset. I hate that we aren’t public, I hate that I can’t run to her on the sidelines and comfort her right now.
The rest of the game is like a movie on fast-forward.
And yet it feels like the longest fucking college game in history.
I’m so damn proud of Addy and Daya, watching them get the crowd back into it, not letting the heinous violation of their privacy interfere with their responsibilities.
It’s a testament to who they are as people, and as a couple.
Theo hangs around with me after the game.
I wait for things to cool down, then head to Jenna’s office.
The door is closed and several voices from inside sound upset.
She’s probably talking with Daya and Addy.
I’m surprised when I recognize Beiler’s deep voice.
After a few minutes, the doors open and Theo and I smile politely and stand back as the occupants filter out.
Addy has his arm around Daya and guides her down the hall with his head bent as he talks to her.
“Andres! Theo!” Lilly greets enthusiastically. “What are you two doing lurking outside Jenna’s off—holy shit, are you how she learned women are supposed to enjoy cunnilingus? Both of you?”
I laugh and growl, stepping forward. “Just me,” I assure her and her eyes light up.
Theo puffs up his chest and the corners of his lips lift.
I’ve seen the look before, it’s a potent expression that yields results.
Just not with Jenna. “Andres has got her well taken care of, she’d never survive both of us.
But you—" Or Lilly, apparently. She throws her head back and howls with laughter. Theo’s brows dip down and his lips thin into a straight line. Someone’s ego is bruised.
Brody Zeigler, head of security, steps out behind Lilly and scowls at Theo. “Celebrity or not, I’ll smash you into the ground and haul your squashed remains out in a wheelbarrow.”
“That was…have you thought of doing that before?” Theo asks, his eyes wide. Lilly blushes and leans up on her tiptoes to kiss Brody’s lips. “Oh. I get it. Sorry, man. Habit.”
Jenna leans out of her office and shakes her head in disapproval at Theo. “How has your dick not fallen off? Or been ripped off and used to bludgeon you?”
Theo’s ego recovers quickly. “You think I’m substantial enough to bludgeon someone? You been spying on me, Jenna?”
“No.” She smirks up at him. “That underwear ad you did years ago is taped up in the stalls of the women’s restroom.
It has strips of paper underneath it with a phone number listed…
sadly, they are all still there.” She pats his shoulder and steps in front of me.
I wait with baited breath to see what she’ll do.
The cat’s kind of out of the bag considering my answer to Lilly.
Is she going to be mad? She face-plants in my chest, my arms wrapping around her automatically and squeezing her tight.
“I’m so ready for this fucking season to be over. ”
I glance at Brody over Jenna’s head and smile at Beiler when he pokes his head out of her office. I guess we’re kind of blocking the exit. “Did you find out who’s responsible?”
“Yeah, we got it all wrapped up tight with a slutty bow.” They give Theo and I a breakdown.
Bribery, breaking and entering, trespassing, illegal distribution of sexual material, and the list goes on.
The same girls who attacked Lyndell and Edee.
And they turned on each other really quick, so did the jumbotron operator who sold out a young couple’s privacy for a fucking blow job.
“I guess it’s good you weren’t dealing with a criminal mastermind.”
Jenna snorts, drawing back to look at me and then the others. “No, just petulant spoiled psychotic college students with loose morals and looser legs.”
Theo hooks his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m gonna head out and find some trouble for the evening. Will I see you back at the hotel?” I shake my head and his smile turns predatory as he rubs his hands together. “Oh, goody!”
“Theo!” Jenna calls out to him. “Breakfast at my house tomorrow morning.” He circles back and drops a quick kiss on her cheek.
“He ever fucks up, you let me know and I’ll set him straight.” Theo walks backward as his gaze moves to me. “And then I’ll comfort you through the pain, Jenna.”
“Motherfucker.” Everyone laughs but me. He’s such an ass.
“All of you are invited for breakfast tomorrow morning.” Jenna leans around Lilly and Brody to find Beiler. “Make sure Oscar knows too.” Beiler smiles at her, kisses her cheek on the way past and pats my shoulder.
“I love this! And I want more details and a concise timeline when I come over tomorrow morning.” Lilly waves a finger between Jenna and myself, then lets Brody lead her away.
Alone in the hall, I bring Jenna back into my arms and kiss the top of her head. “Do you need anything from your office?” She shakes her head. “Then let’s get it locked up and head home. We can order takeout.”
“I just…can you hold me, Andres? I feel like I’m falling apart, and I need you to hold me together.”
I smile into her hair. “Always.”