The New York Nighthawks, Vol. 3

Chapter 1

RIGBY

Ipulled the hood of my sweatshirt up as I stepped outside of my building into the cool November air.

After returning home from an away game this afternoon and dealing with team business the rest of the day, I hadn’t had a chance to put in a grocery delivery order.

So when I got back to my penthouse, I was starving and had nothing to eat.

In the mood for home cooking, I decided to run to the store and grab the ingredients for a healthy chicken stir-fry.

Keeping my head down, I jogged the block to Butler’s Grocery, mindful that the paparazzi sometimes hung around right after a big win.

Not that they took an interest in me very often.

Despite being a punter for the wildly popular New York Nighthawks, I wasn’t what people would call “personable.” Is it my fault most people annoy me?

As I strolled through the automated double doors, I uncovered my head and lifted my chin at George, the manager, who returned my greeting with a wave.

“Nice win,” he called in a thick British accent.

Then he smirked and winked. “I guess you walked into the right locker room this time,” he quipped, referring to a T-shirt he’d bought for me last Christmas that said, “Kickers: Soccer players that walked into the wrong locker room.”

Grinning, I rolled my eyes and snarked, “I’d crush it in either locker room.”

I’d first visited the store the day I moved into my apartment, which I bought early in my first year with the Nighthawks.

They’d given me a four-season contract, then a year ago, they signed me for another six when the first was about to expire.

So I’d been coming to this store for over half a decade.

George, his wife, and kids had become like family to me.

His daughter had even lived with my parents in Wisconsin during her first year of college.

He laughed and tipped an imaginary hat. “Touché.”

I grabbed a cart and ambled over to the dairy aisle to grab a gallon of milk before making my way to the produce. I’d put in a full order of groceries later, but for now, I just needed the stuff for dinner and some staples.

When my basket was full, I turned with the intent to head to the register, but I was stopped in my tracks by the sexiest ass I’d ever seen.

The woman was bent over, studying the products on the bottom shelf.

I admired the view, and to my surprise, the sight of that heart-shaped ass made my pants fit tighter.

It was a foreign reaction because I hadn’t been interested in a woman in a long time.

And that had suited me just fine since my focus was on my career.

She brushed a waterfall of bright-pink hair back over her shoulder when she stood. It fell in waves to the small of her back, and I pictured wrapping it around my fist as I pumped into her from behind.

I shook my head, trying to clear away the fog of lust clouding my mind. Now was not the time to think about sex. I’d barely managed to take control of my thoughts when she turned around, and my imagination went wild again.

Her long, pink bangs were swept to the side and tucked behind her ear, revealing striking green eyes surrounded by thick, dark lashes. A subtle sprinkling of freckles dotted the bridge of her nose and cheeks, and her plump lips made my mouth water at the thought of tasting them.

My eyes continued to travel south, taking in a lavender sweater that hugged her high, round tits that would spill out of my palms. The bottom sat just above the waistline of her pants, giving me a tantalizing glimpse of her smooth skin and cute belly button.

Her jeans were molded to her curvy hips and endless legs, prompting thoughts about what they would feel like wrapped around me.

I was broken out of my stupor when she crossed the aisle and went up on her tiptoes, stretching her arm up to a high shelf she couldn’t reach.

A grin split my face as I recognized the opportunity for what it was and quickly sauntered over to her. “Hi,” I murmured.

I stifled a laugh when she jumped and whirled around, dropping her head back to look up at me. At six foot, three inches, I towered over her smaller frame, and I found that it made me feel protective of her. Although I suspected her body would fit perfectly against mine.

I put on my most charming smile, and her green eyes darted to my lips before meeting my gaze again. A pretty pink blush dusted her cheeks, and her lips curled up. “Um…hi.”

“Which one are you going for?”

“The vanilla extract,” she mumbled, seemingly a little dazed. I silently cheered because she appeared to be as affected by me as I was by her.

I plucked the box she requested off the top shelf and handed it to her. When she took it, I held on just long enough to ensure our fingers brushed together. Electricity sparked between us, and her blush deepened as her eyes widened.

“Thank you.”

“Glad I could help,” I replied with a wink.

She laughed ruefully and gestured to the shelving. “I never had this much trouble growing up, but everything in New York gets taller instead of wider.”

I cocked my head to the side and tried to place her subtle accent. “Where are you from?”

“Illinois.”

I smiled and crossed my arms over my chest. “What a coincidence. I happen to be from Wisconsin. We’re basically neighbors. And neighbors should know each other’s names.” I held out my hand but turned it palm up rather than the traditional offer of a handshake. “Rigby Hunt.”

She placed her small, soft hand in mine, and another frisson of electricity shot up my arm and down my body, straight to my dick. My fingers closed around hers, and I contemplated how to prolong our time together so I didn’t have to let go.

“I’m Cleo Fox,” she told me, glancing down at our joined hands.

To my delight, she didn’t try to pull back, and I gave her a lopsided grin. “It’s nice to meet you, neighbor.”

Cleo giggled, her eyes twinkling as she bobbed her head up and down once. “Ditto.”

I didn’t want to press my luck, so I reluctantly loosened my hold and gently dropped her hand. When hesitancy flashed across her beautiful face, I fought the urge to grab her hand again and pull her against my body.

“Did you just move to the neighborhood?” I asked, trying to distract myself while learning more about her.

Cleo shook her head—then nodded before laughing. “I mean, I didn’t just move into the neighborhood, but I just moved to New York in the fall.”

She gestured in a random direction and added, “I’m a student at Tisch. I live in the dorms there, but a friend of mine is only two blocks from here. I’m visiting her for the night, and we decided we needed cookies.”

I chuckled before turning my lips down into a fake pout that made her giggle. “Damn, I was hoping to run into you more often.”

Cleo raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. “There are many ways to run into people. Like say, at a specific date, time, and place.”

I laughed again, surprised at how thoroughly I enjoyed her company. Normally, the only women I was comfortable around were my sister and my teammates’ wives, who were like family. Not that I spent much time around anyone…being surrounded by too many people tended to make me irritable.

Plus, most of the women I’d met who looked like Cleo were as fake as all the body parts they’d had nipped and tucked in order to be that way.

However, Cleo was a mesmerizing mixture of beautiful, sweet, sassy, and fun.

“You have a point, baby.” I tapped my chin in fake contemplation. “Why don’t you give me your number, and we can plan to run into each other again?”

Cleo beamed at me and nodded. “I’d love that.”

I took my cell out of my pocket and handed it to her so she could enter her information into my contacts.

“I’ll call you,” I said softly as I took the device back and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Cleo blushed again and nodded. “I hope so,” she murmured before turning to walk away.

It hit me right then that not only hadn’t she fawned all over me, but she also hadn’t made a single reference to my career or who I was.

Curious, I called out, “Are you a fan of football?”

Cleo halted and pivoted around, her lips forming a smirk. “I’ve been a Nighthawks fan all my life. My dad is originally from Long Island.”

My brow rose to my hairline. “So you know who I am?”

Cleo grinned. “Of course, you’re my new neighbor.”

She spun around, and I dropped my head back to laugh before admiring her swaying hips and sexy ass as she sauntered down the aisle.

After a few moments, I hurried to check out, then jogged out front and down the sidewalk to catch up with her.

“I know you’re a New Yorker now and all,” I teased, “but I’m still not going to let you walk back by yourself this late at night.”

Cleo ducked her head, then looked up at me with color blooming on her cheeks and a pretty smile curving her lips. “Thank you.”

“Any time.” And I meant it.

After making sure she arrived at her friend’s apartment building safely, I waited until she was inside before making the trek back to my place.

This time, as I walked, I was oblivious to the cold because my body was running extremely hot.

Once I was home and had put everything away, I hopped into an ice-cold shower.

The arctic conditions did the trick…mostly…

so I got out and dried off, then donned a pair of boxers.

As I padded out to my kitchen, I debated how early I could call Cleo without seeming too eager.

Except I didn’t give a fuck about appearing overly interested in her, so I decided I would call first thing in the morning and make a date for that night.

I had just climbed into bed when my cell phone rang, and I glanced over, hope rising in my chest until I remembered that I hadn’t given Cleo my number.

It was my baby sister’s face flashing on the screen though, so I hit accept and put the phone on speaker.

“What’s up, Nat?”

“Soooo…” Natalie stopped and sighed. I knew her well enough to recognize she was about to ask me for a favor I wouldn’t be happy about.

“Raymond canceled on me.”

I flopped back onto my pillows and rolled my eyes but held in my grumble of disgust at the name of her co-star.

Natalie was an actress and had just wrapped up acting in and producing a miniseries in London before returning to New York to star in the hottest musical on Broadway.

Raymond was a pompous ass and had nearly driven her to quit.

However, she was a professional and refused to let him ruin her career.

Unfortunately, they shared an agent who frequently booked them at the same events, then talked them into attending together to keep them in the tabloids with rumors about their “relationship.”

In this case, however, Natalie and her show had been nominated, and she would also present an award. I wasn’t surprised to hear that her ego-driven, narcissistic co-star had backed out on attending with her. All the limelight would be on his date.

“Please come with me, Rigby,” she begged. “I can’t go alone. If they see him out with another starlet, and I’m at the award ceremony alone, I’ll have to deal with all of the bullshit tabloids saying I’m heartbroken over him and blah, blah, blah.”

I hated celebrity bullshit, and I rarely used the perks that came with being a famous football player. I preferred not to be in the spotlight unless I was on the field.

And I didn’t like most people—which would be harder to hide if I was under the microscope of the press.

I would do anything for my little sister, though, so I swallowed my growl of frustration and grumbled, “Fine.”

Natalie squealed happily, and I pulled the phone away from my ear to keep my eardrum from bursting. “Thank you! Thank you! I owe you, big time!”

“Yes, you do,” I muttered. “And I’m going to collect.”

She laughed, knowing that my payment was usually in the form of home-cooked meals.

“You have a tux fitting at nine tomorrow morning. Then we’ll go to the pre-luncheon and a press conference before heading to the award ceremony.

We have to be there early enough to walk the red carpet before I’m briefed on the award I’ll present. ”

Fuck. That meant my entire day was being hijacked. I couldn’t take Cleo out, and I had a late practice the following afternoon. Our date would have to wait until later in the week, which made me even grouchier.

“You’re going to have to suck it up and pretend not to be such a grump,” Natalie warned.

“No promises, sis,” I grunted. “Just be glad I’m agreeing to go at all.”

“I’ll take it!” she chirped. “Love you. See you at the fitting tomorrow.”

“Love you, too,” I murmured before hanging up. I put my hands behind my head and stared up at the ceiling.

At least the next couple of days would be busy. I hoped it would help keep my mind off the woman who was suddenly all I could think about. Until I could do something about it anyway.