Chapter One #2
Not to be an asshole or anything, but I zone out the rest. Leaning back in my chair, I sip at the wine as everyone continues to chat through their desserts.
The sky here is so dark that the stars are the brightest I’ve ever seen, probably from lack of light pollution.
I’ve always been more of a city guy, so seeing a real night sky has been rare.
Once dinner and dessert are over, everyone continues to talk, but the jet lag still weighs me down, so I’m not in the mood for forced socializing.
With a kiss on Olivia’s cheek and a cool glass of wine tucked in my hand, I head to the garden at the back of the large villa.
A cool breeze washes over me, and I close my eyes to drink in the heady moment.
“Hey,” a voice calls from behind me.
Startled, I almost drop my wine but quickly recover easily as I spin to turn around. I blink slowly as I take in the man standing before me. Broad shoulders, a thick waist, tousled golden blond hair, and a clean-shaven face. He looks young, probably Bailey’s age.
“Hello,” I reply like the idiot that I am.
The man steps forward and holds out his hand with a shy smile. “I’m Sully, or, well, Sullivan. But everyone calls me Sully.”
I shake his offered hand, noting his firm grip and the calluses on his fingertips. Our hands hold for a little longer than they need to as my heart speeds up ever so slightly.
“Tate.”
Sully grins and nods. “I know, Olivia’s older brother.”
“Half-brother,” I quickly correct him.
Sully tilts his head like a puppy. “Same difference.”
Taking a sip of my wine, I hum in indifference. “How do you know Bailey?”
“We played together in high school and college.”
Ah, football player. That makes sense. “What do you do now?”
That pulls a chuckle from Sully. He has a nice, deep, warm laugh, and the sound moves through me like the breeze over my skin. “I still play football. I’m just not a big, fancy quarterback like Bailey. I’m a defensive safety.”
A blush works its way up my neck as I stare at him. “I know absolutely nothing about football.”
Sully shrugs his broad shoulders. “It’s just my job. What do you do?”
“I’m a cardiac surgeon.”
Sully blinks slowly. “Heart surgeon?”
I lift my wineglass with a smile. “Yep.”
“I bet that’s stressful.”
“You can say that again.”
Sully steps closer to me so that I can feel the heat radiating off of him. He smells nice, a little smoky, with a hint of spice. It’s a warm smell that oddly settles my nerves.
“So, you’re between seasons now, right? I know that much about football.”
Sully gives me this puzzled look before taking a sip of his wine. “Yes, we head back to pre-season training in a few weeks. That’s why Bailey picked now for the wedding so he can enjoy his time off, enjoy the honeymoon.”
I nod as if I understand. “Makes sense.”
Sully chuckles, soft and low. “Do you even know when the season is?”
I at least have the decency to give him a sheepish look. “Guilty as charged, I don’t. I’m not much of a sports guy.”
Sully takes a step further into the garden, and I follow as if tied to him by a string.
Our arms brush gently; my shoulder brushes his bicep since he has enough inches on me that I have to look up a little when we speak.
A shiver passes over me in the dark as the breeze picks up again, causing Sully’s blond hair to ruffle delightfully in the wind. He’s beautiful.
“So, what do you do for fun?”
I blink slowly, then frown as I try to think up something. What do I do for fun? Such a horrible little three-letter word.
“I used to rock climb back in college and during residency.”
Sully’s eyes light up. “I love to rock climb! Well, I used to. I’m over the weight limit for most gyms now, so I can only belay. You don’t climb anymore?”
“No,” I say sadly, swishing the wine in my glass as we walk. “I don’t have much time anymore with work. I still have all of my gear… just never go.”
Sully sends a frown my way, then looks back up at the sky as we walk aimlessly. “That’s sad. It’s fun. Even though most gyms have that auto-belay feature now.”
“Mmm, yes. The best part is trusting your partner and them guiding you when you’re stuck on a tough route.”
Sully all-out grins again. He’s got a nice mouth, and his eyes crinkle at the corners when he grins.
Oh boy. I feel myself flush and tear my gaze away from him before I can start thinking dangerous thoughts.
It’s been so long since I felt intimacy, not even just sex, but true intimacy, like holding a lover's hand as we walk down the sidewalk after dinner or someone spooning behind me in the middle of the night when they’re cold.
I might’ve been bad at marriage, but I enjoy the intimacy of a partner, of being loved.
“It’s lovely here.” Sully glances over at me, then back ahead as if caught looking at me. “I got in this morning, napped, then swam. The pool’s nice!”
Sully says everything in a rush, almost as if he’s nervous. I glance behind me only to find we’ve wandered further away than I realized. The villa is a bright spot in the darkness, with the sound of the others faded from view. Out here under the stars, Sully and I are almost completely alone.
“What college did you play for?”
“University of Florida.”
I gasp and smack his arm, which is a solid rock under my hand. Jesus. “I did my medical degree there.”
“When?”
I roll my eyes. “Many years ago. I’m forty.”
Sully shrugs as we stop at the end of the trail.
I hadn’t noticed how much noise we’d been making by walking on the gravel until we came to a stop.
It’s so silent here. Only the distant sound of the villa and the wind swooshing through the trees.
I take a sip of my wine just as I glance up to find Sully staring down at me.
“Forty isn’t old,” Sully says matter-of-factly.
I blink up at him. “I know.”
“I’m thirty.” Sully runs a hand through his hair, oddly making him look even more attractive.
I’ve never been someone who has a “type,” but I think if I did, it would be someone exactly like Sully.
My throat feels thick as I imagine wrapping my arms around his neck, him lifting me up, him tossing me around like a rag doll. Yeah, bad train of thought. Bad Tate.
“Lots of life left to live,” I reply because I don’t know what else to say.
“I’m probably going to retire soon,” Sully says softly, like a secret shared only with me. “I injured my shoulder a couple of seasons ago, and it hurts more and more each year.”
As if out of habit, Sully rubs at his shoulder. I have this odd urge to reach up and touch the tender spot, even more so when he scowls at his own touch. But instead, I grip my wineglass tighter and grimace in sympathy when he looks my way.
“What will you do after you retire?”
A flush steals over Sully’s face as a shy smile tilts his lips up. Oh. I dig my toes into my dress shoes until it hurts, anything to center myself because I don’t think I’ve felt this level of attraction in a very long time.
“I have a degree in computer science, so I’ll probably just get a normal-person job.
I never planned to stay in the league for long.
” Sully blows out a breath as he once again looks up at the sky.
“I grew up in the system, so the league was mostly a way to set myself up for success. The league has a great pension too… I wanted to ensure I could provide for my family for a long time.”
“Your family?”
“My future family,” Sully says softly with a hint of embarrassment.
“That’s sweet,” I admit without a hint of teasing. That is sweet. He’s so young to be thinking of the future.
“Where do you live back in the States?” Sully asks just before finishing his glass of wine. He tips the glass to hold the stem between his forefinger and middle finger. For some reason, I find that way hotter than I should. When I glance back up, he’s staring at me in wait.
I clear my throat softly. “Oregon.”
“Ah, I’m in Seattle. I play for the team that Bailey will be joining.”
“The Seahawks?”
Sully grins, all teeth and a bit of smirk. “So, you do know some football?”
I snort. “I’d have to be blind not to know the Seahawks. What do you do in your free time?”
“I love a good nap, but I love to go for a hike. Oregon has a lot of good hiking, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” I admit slowly, a niggle of shame working its way through me. “I just work so much that I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like. All I do is work and sleep.”
“Makes life short when all you do is work and sleep. This must be hard for you.”
My eyebrows furrow. “What’s hard for me?”
Sully sweeps his hand out to gesture at the land around us. “Taking a break? No work for a week. What will you do?”
“I don’t know yet.” I rub anxiously at my neck as I polish off my cabernet. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“I was thinking of going for a wine tour tomorrow. Would you like to join me?”
I stare up at Sully in the hushed darkness.
His deep blue eyes are soft as he gazes down at me, mouth slightly tipped up into a shy but tender smile.
I could sit around and watch my dear sister fall deeper in love with her future husband, or I could galivant around with Sully. The decision is pretty easy to make.
“I’d love to go with you,” I reply before I can talk myself out of it.
Sully’s answering grin could illuminate the darkest of nights.