Chapter Eleven Rome
M EDIA CROWDED THE diamond as the game was called for the Jacksonville Barracudas, two to nothing. I had trained my mind for years to never give in to baser reactions at the conclusion of the games, but this one proved more difficult than I thought. Not scoring a single run stung.
I stayed in the dugout to collect a few things when I saw a particularly tenacious reporter beeline it for me.
He was followed by a cameraman as he shouted my name, then quickly transitioned into questioning why I was suddenly so camera shy.
Brett ran interference before I could do anything, stepping in the reporter’s pathway to give an impromptu interview that the reporter took advantage of.
The cacophony of the stadium turned to sighing whispers as I walked briskly down the tunnel toward the clubhouse.
I heard rumblings from teammates as I passed, others not as in control of their reactions as I was.
I put a stoic look on my face and made haste to my locker.
I knew there’d be a text from Alex waiting for me.
Maybe he had sent me another one of those sexy pictures he had become fond of over the past couple of days.
We had’t had a chance to meet since our pool day and Alex’s encouraging texts helped me get to sleep when other things wanted to stay awake.
Can’t wait to get home , I thought as I reached the locker room.
I’d meet Alex at his car after the traffic cleared and together we’d head back to my place.
My mind ran through possible scenarios: stripping naked the moment the door closed, or asking him to massage my shoulders to start, or just jerking him off right there in his car in the parking lot.
I didn’t know why he had been so shy at the pool.
His body was amazing. Lithe, with just the right amount of muscle.
I wanted his legs and arms wrapped around me every second we were together.
And his dick was perfect, too. Something that my hand didn’t dwarf, and was the right length for whenever I would get the chance to put my mouth on it.
Which was hopefully soon. Already at second base and I wanted to sprint past third and slide into home.
“Romo,” a familiar voice said.
I had been starting to grow stiff at the thought of Alex and half-turned, half-sat on the bench in front of my locker. “Oh, hey Devin,” I said. “What’s up?”
“Can we talk? In private?”
Whatever hard-on tented my pants went flaccid. I stood up. “Is Alex okay? Did something happen?”
“What? No. Alex is… look, let’s talk.”
I followed him on numb feet as we left the locker room, went down a narrow hall, and grabbed one of the private conference rooms with frosted glass walls. I stepped in first and Devin closed the door behind me and stood before it, as if he could stop me from leaving.
I had a moment to look him up and down. Alex was taller, but they shared the same square jaw and thin build, though Devin had considerably more muscle on his arms, given his job as a conditioning coach for the team.
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
“I’m stepping out of line here as support staff for the talent, but I’m setting that aside and strictly coming at this as a big brother.
” He kept his eyes on me. I knew what this was.
I would respect whatever Devin had to tell me about Alex.
“You two are moving way, way too fast. It has only been a couple of weeks and I already see that Alex is head over heels for you.”
I blinked, confused at first, and said, “I know we lost tonight but I can assure you it isn’t impacting my game.”
Devin shook his head. “I know that. You’re a consummate professional and a hell of an athlete, Romo, but this is about my little brother, not you.
” He crossed his arms over his chest. “He just got out of something. I’m not sure how much he’s told you about it and it isn’t my place to go and tell things that he’s probably withholding.
But you need to know they’ve known each other for four years and were serious for three of them.
That doesn’t just vanish. I hated that son of a bitch and I’d kill the asshole if society ever had a murder-free day.
” I rocked back on my heels. I had never seen Devin speak so plainly.
“You guys are probably getting hot and heavy. I get that. It’s new.
It’s exciting. And,” he gestured up and down at me, “you’re you .
Alex might seem confident, but he’s dealing with shit upstairs. ”
“I know his ex is an MMA fighter,” I told Devin. “I know he hit Alex and that was the last time he heard from him.”
Something in the way Devin blinked just then. A flinch, almost. I realized it a moment later.
The ex is still talking to Alex. Devin knows .
A fire in my heart formed words and demands that I wanted to shout. Burned up my chest, into my throat, seared my tongue… but I swallowed those nasty things down. This was neither the time, nor the place, to lose my temper. Absently, my hand clutched at the fabric covering the crucifix beneath.
“People don’t just suddenly snap,” Devin said.
“And he… there were a lot of warning signs. So many. I’ll never forgive myself for not intervening.
He mentally tortured Alex for months before it finally became physical.
” Devin uncrossed his arms and advanced a pace toward me.
“I’m not condemning your relationship with my brother.
I’m sorry that I came in hot just now. But you need to know that Alex needs time. Please remember that .”
I opened my mouth to speak but the words evaporated.
My chin bobbed up and down. My mind raced to find something to say.
I knew with absolute certainty that I would continue to be around Alex, but would it have to be in a different capacity?
Could I keep my hands off of him while we stayed at a friendly distance?
Even after his fingers had traced my skin? Made me feel alive?
“I refuse to let him be hurt again,” Devin said. “Mentally or physically.”
I gasped, put my hands to my chest. “Devin, I would never lay a hand on—”
He wiped the air with his hands. “No, no, no. Of course you wouldn’t.
That doesn’t worry me. Shit, Romo, this isn’t about you .
” His hands fell and slapped against his thighs.
“Not everything is about you . I’m trying to tell you that my little brother needs time to process what he’s been through, and him putting that off to focus on a hot new thing is doing you both a disservice.
” He shook his head, scoffed. He turned and slapped his hands against the doorknob.
“I’m not telling you to stay away from him. I’m not. I’m just telling you to…”
“Back off?” The words dried my throat as they came out.
Pinched my heart. “Devin, if you think he needs space away from me to process what happened, I will do that.” But I don’t want to .
“If you think that’s best.” I couldn’t believe I was offering this up.
Alex was his own man. Someone to make his own decisions.
But I respected Devin and respected his role as Alex’s guardian.
Devin pulled his hand from the doorknob. “No. I’m not telling you to back off or stay away. I’m just telling you to slow things down, okay?”
He left before I could give a response. Walking away from Alex made sense. Continuing on our path also made sense. But “slow things down”? What did he mean by that? How was I supposed to interpret that?
?
I knew Alex could tell something was off the second we stepped up to my front door.
The sexual energy wafting off him was like heat from a furnace.
All my desires burned for me to take that heat and let it wash over my naked body, to let him touch me again as he did the other night.
Instead, I gave off cold energy, something icy that Devin had given to me.
We stepped inside my house. This would have been the moment where I would press my body against his, pin him to the door, and let my hands and lips say everything I’ve been holding in since we last did this. Instead, I stalked down the hall and went into the kitchen to grab some waters for us.
“So am I gonna have to pry it out of you?” Alex asked as I closed the fridge door.
“Pry what?” I asked and handed him the bottle. He took it and put it on the countertop between us.
“Something’s up. And it wasn’t your loss. I’ve learned enough about you to know that you’re still in a good headspace even after losing. So what’s up?”
“I…” I swallowed, dimmed my brow. I could—I would find the right words. “I spoke to your brother after the game.”
Alex’s beautiful face drained of color. “What the hell did Devin say to you?” He pulled his phone from his pocket and said, “No, don’t tell me. I’ll find out for myself.”
I craned my long arms across the counter and stayed his hand. “Please, don’t. He’s just being a good older brother, okay? I respect that. I respect him.”
The fire stayed in Alex’s eyes. “What did he tell you? Did he tell you about Ricky? He told you about Ricky.”
“Ricky?” I said and cocked my head. “Is… is that your ex? I didn’t know his name.”
Alex flinched. “Dammit. Yes. It’s Ricky. I’m trying not to use his name. What did he say?”
Ricky, I thought and turned the name over and over in my mind. MMA fighter in Boston. Ricky…
My mouth dropped open. “Alex, is your ex Ricky Jordan?” His face revealed the answer. My brow went up. “Your ex is that Ricky?”
I had been to a number of Ricky’s fights over the years, especially in Vegas.
The man was a beast in the octagon, known for his ferocity and coldhearted, calculated hits.
He was shorter than Alex but stacked like a bull and had a sharp but incredibly handsome face.
He had a reputation for smack talking and being MMA’s “bad boy.” He had a girl on his arm before each match. I had always assumed…