Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Reese sat in the back of the large, black Tahoe, watching Knoxville pass as they made their way to Sutton’s apartment.
She asked him if she could drive, but Reese wasn’t sure of the media coverage, so he asked her if he could pick her up instead.
The team didn’t usually have this much attention on them, but with the Kings being the last of four teams in contention, the media attention had increased since they won the last game.
The Tahoe came to a halt, and he looked out the window.
Nice place.
He tugged his phone from his pocket.
Reese
We’re here. What’s the apartment number so I can come to you?
The bubbles appeared, then her reply.
Sutton
That’s okay. I’m almost ready. I’ll come down when I’m done.
He leaned forward to his driver. “Hey Sam, did you write down the apartment number when she was giving us the address?”
She tugged a small notebook from her pocket and flipped it open. “Apartment 3101. Are you going up?”
He undid his seatbelt and grabbed the door handle. “I am.”
She turned off the car and unlocked the door for him to slip out into the darkness.
He straightened his jacket and headed into the lobby with a thank you to the doorman. Walking over to the elevators, he clicked the button to go up, waiting for the doors to open.
It took no time for the elevator to appear, and he got in: the ride to Sutton’s floor was short. When the doors opened, he looked out, the short hallway leading to four doors on the left and three on the right.
He saw 3101 and walked over to the door. He raised his hand to knock and was surprised by the hesitation he felt.
Seems to be happening a lot lately.
And he wasn’t exactly fond of it, either. Especially if it leaked into his football game. That would mess him up in ways he didn’t want.
Brushing it off, he knocked firmly on the door.
He heard steps come to the door, and a curse reached his ears, along with a small argument and scuffle. He smothered his laughter with a hand as the footsteps receded, leaving him alone at the door again.
“Mia, no!” He heard Sutton call. The door burst open, and a tall blonde with the softest brown eyes he’d ever seen stood there, a huge smile on her face.
“Sutton, he is way cuter then you said he was,” she said.
“Thanks,” he replied.
She laughed and stepped back from the door. “Come on in.”
Reese walked into the apartment, and his eyes widened at the scene in front of him. It looked like a tornado had blown through the apartment, with women’s clothing on every surface.
“Couldn’t find anything to wear?” he asked, turning back to the blonde.
“Pretty much.” She stuck out her hand. “Mia Kelly, realtor.”
“Reese Vaughn, football player,” he replied, shaking it.
Turning back to the chaos, he asked, “Did she find something? The reservation is at eight.” He pulled his sleeve up to look at his watch. “It’s seven thirty.”
“She did, don’t worry.” Mia grabbed a few articles of clothing from a nearby barstool. “Sutton! Hurry up!”
She pointed to the stool next to her. “Would you like to sit?”
He shook his head, and she shrugged, slipping onto the barstool she had already cleared.
Tucking his hands into his coat, his attention was drawn toward a nearby door when it swung open. Sutton stepped from her bedroom, and Reese fought to keep his jaw closed at the sight of her.
“You look amazing,” he said. They might be fake dating, but he was still going to give her real compliments.
A pink flush covered her face, and he smiled, her discomfort at the compliment cute.
“Thank you,” she replied, running a hand down the front of the black satin pants she wore. To match the pants, she wore a pair of black, strappy heels, her toenails the same dusty rose as her velvet and sequined, long-sleeved crop top.
“You look great, too,” she replied. “I like the black.”
He looked down at his full black ensemble and preened with pride. “Thanks. Can’t go wrong with a classic black look.”
She nodded. “Excuse me.” She squeezed past him to go to the couch to grab a small pink purse from the arm.
“Ready to go?” she asked as she turned and slipped the gold chain over her shoulder.
“Yep.” He motioned for her to lead the way, and she headed for the door.
“Don’t you need a coat?” Reese asked. “It’s cold out there.”
Mia grabbed a long, black coat and went to hand it to her, but he reached for it. “If I may?”
Sutton smiled and turned around, and he helped her into it.
“Thank you,” she said, tugging it closed.
He grabbed the doorknob and pulled open the door for her.
“Bye, Mia,” he said with a small wave as he shut the door behind him.
One quick elevator ride later, they arrived at the lobby of Sutton’s building.
Reese held the door for her, and she stepped off, waiting for him to join her.
He held the door for another couple getting on, and Sutton couldn’t help but laugh at the face of the man when he realized who Reese was as the door shut.
“Does that happen a lot?” she asked.
“It differs, depending on how often we’re in the news,” he replied, putting his hand on her lower back as they left the building.
“How often you’re in the news?” she repeated, confused.
He waved the driver off when she came around, and he opened the door for Sutton, taking her hand to help her into the SUV.
Making me feel all fancy.
She settled into the seat and put her seatbelt on while Reese came around the other side and got in, the driver already in their seat.
“Ready, Sam,” Reese said, the SUV taking off while Reese put on his seatbelt.
He turned to her and gave her a smile, her breath catching in her chest.
He is so hot.
“So,” she said, shifting away from him to keep herself under control, “whose idea was it to use the kids at the foundation?”
His smile faltered briefly. “It was Tito’s. At first, he wanted to borrow one or two kids, but I think this idea is much better. It’s community building, especially with the championship game this weekend. It’s good for the team morale, too.”
She hadn’t thought of it that way.
“Is it because of the kids?”
“We love the game, and getting so far has brought us together as a team in a way we haven’t before.
” His hazel eyes softened. “But seeing those kids, and have us call them their heroes? That feeling is unmatched. A couple of years ago, I had a kid come up to me and tell me he was proud of me and the job I was doing. Can’t lie, I might have cried when I got back to the locker room. ”
“Stop it, that is so adorable,” Sutton replied, putting a hand over her chest.
Reese shifted in the seat next to her, and she could tell he was a little uncomfortable with the vulnerable moment.
“Did you have an idea for the picture you wanted to post for tonight?” she asked, shifting the conversation back to business.
“I have one!” Sam called from the front seat.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, leaning forward in his seat.
“How about you two walking down the foyer, arm-in-arm with her head on your shoulder?”
Sutton leaned forward and looked at him. “She knows?”
“I do,” Sam replied. Stopped at a red light, she turned. “Hi, I’m Sam. Lovely to meet you. Reese and I had a whole talk about staying focused on the football, so when he told me about tonight, I pestered him until he cracked.”
Sutton shook her head, and he held his hands up in a shrug with a grin.
“Nothing I could do.” He pointed at Sam. “She wasn’t going anywhere until I told her, and I didn’t want to be late.”
He leaned back against the seat. “What do you think about her idea?”
“Wait, wait,” Sam said, drawing their attention back to her. “What if the paparazzi are already there? Their photos will probably be up before you can post it.”
Paparazzi?
“There will be paparazzi there?” she asked, concern settling in her stomach.
“Don’t worry,” he said, setting a hand on her arm. “I’ll be there to help you. Plus, there shouldn’t be too many. We aren’t super famous around here.”
“One of the hazards of living so close to the ‘country music capital of the world.’ A lot of artists come to Knoxville to get away, so the paparazzi follow them here,” Sam quipped from the front seat.
“What if we do a photo in the car?” he asked.
“What can we do?” she asked, looking around. “There isn’t much space or anything. Do you want to take a selfie or something?”
“How about this?” he said, holding out his phone to her. He turned on the overhead light. “Passcode is 2017.”
She took his phone and unlocked it with the passcode. “Now what?”
“Give me your left hand.”
She held it out to him, and he took it in his and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Now take a picture.”
“Oh, okay,” she replied. He held her hand close to his face as she snapped a couple of photos, trying to ignore the warmth creeping through her at her hand in his.
When she had a few she thought were good, she handed the phone back to him.
Before he released her hand, he turned it over palm up and kissed the pulse at her wrist, then released it and grabbed his phone.
She clasped her hands together in her lap and took a couple of deep breaths to calm her racing heart, grateful that he turned off the overhead light so he couldn’t see her flushed face.
She watched him flip through the photos, the light from the streetlights catching his face as they drove. One of the lights washed over him, and she caught a disappointed look.
“Are the pictures no good?” she asked, scooting close to look at the screen.
He leaned over and showed her the screen. “I’m not sure. What do you think?”
She flipped through them. “They’re okay, I guess.”
He sighed. “Okay? Hmm.”
“Let’s try again. This time, maybe I can kiss your cheek instead,” he said, flicking the overhead light back on.
“Okay,” she said.
He turned on his front camera and held it out, making sure he could get the two of them together.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded nervously, and he leaned over and gave her a kiss on her cheek, taking a couple of photos along with it.
He didn’t move but opened up the photos to look at them.
“You look scared,” he said, looking up at her.
“I’m sorry, I’m just a little nervous,” she replied.
“It’s okay, let’s try again,” he said. He turned on the camera again and held it out. “Try a smile.” She smiled, and he chuckled. “You still look so scared.”
He put the fingers of his free hand under her chin and turned her face to his. “Don’t be scared. I don’t bite.”
His hazel eyes warmed. “Hard.”
Sutton’s jaw dropped a little, and he ran his thumb over her lips, leaning closer to her until there was barely any distance between them.
He moved his hands to cup her cheeks, the phone forgotten between them somewhere, and leaned in to bring his lips to hers.
She sat still as he kissed her, the lines blurring between fake and reality as time slowed.
Heat rushed through her, and she let out a soft moan. She moved her hands from her lap to grasp the lapels of his coat, the wool scratchy under her hands.
The SUV came to a halt, jerking them forward against the seat.
“Fuck,” Reese whispered. He released her and shoved his hand through his hair, ruffling the blond strands.
“Sorry, you two,” Sam said. “We’re here.”
His phone went off, and she looked down, the phone in her lap.
“Oh,” she said, picking it up, “here you go.”
“Thanks.” He unlocked it and spent a moment on his phone, then turned it to face her. “What do you think?”
“Wow,” she said. The photo was of their moment before the kiss, his hand on her chin and their eyes staring at one another. “It looks so intimate.”
He turned the phone around. “Yeah, it does.” He scrolled through to the other photos. “Let’s use this one. It’s the best one.”
He showed her one of the hand-kissing ones, the photo still sweet but much less intimate than the other one.
“Okay. Looks good.”
He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He handed her the phone, the photo loaded into Instagram already, just waiting for a caption.
“Go ahead,” he said.
She took a moment to think, then typed in a simple blue heart and handed it back to him. “What do you think?”
“Simple, I like it.”
“Thanks.”
He posted the photo and looked at her. “Ready for dinner?”
“I am.”