21. Autumn
CHAPTER 21
AUTUMN
I ’m in my office when a text comes in on my phone.
Rogan: Where are you now?
Me: I’m in my office.
I’m on my way to see you.
Okay.
I imagine he wants to discuss what happened with Brett. I’d like to know, although I have a pretty good idea what it might’ve been about.
A few minutes later Rogan knocks on my open door, and I smile. “Hey.”
“Hi. Can I close this?” he asks.
“Sure.”
He pulls the door shut behind him and walks toward me. I rise from my chair and he pulls me into his arms. He holds me close, his hands stroking up and down my back. His face is tucked into the curve of my neck. “God, you smell good.”
We finally draw apart and he smiles down at me. “Thank you. I really needed that hug.”
“I’m here to help. What happened earlier?”
“Brett heard me talking with Cooper and Griffin about my girlfriend, and he asked if it was you. And then he said ‘my Autumn’ and I told him you’re a person and don’t belong to him or anyone else. He said I’m just a rebound and…” He scratches the back of his neck. “I may have told him that’s not what you said when I made you come.” He won’t even look at me. He’s afraid I’m angry with him.
I break into laughter, and his head snaps in my direction. “You’re not mad?”
I shake my head. “No.” I start laughing all over again. When I’ve finally got it all out of my system, I wipe the tears from my eyes.
“I thought you were gonna be pissed at me.”
“Why?”
He takes hold of my hand, studying my fingers. “Because I mentioned something about you that’s personal and private.”
“Normally, I wouldn’t want you saying that but Brett deserved to hear it.”
“He did. I don’t regret telling him now that I know you’re not upset. I don’t want to do anything that disappoints you or makes you think less of me.”
“I love that you stood up for us.”
“I really wanted to pound his face in, but I couldn’t.”
“You showed great restraint, and I’m proud of you. What happened with Coach Chubb?”
“He gave us hell, but there wasn’t any disciplinary action taken. So all is well. Unless he decides to hold it against me. I hope he doesn’t do that.”
“How can he? Everyone saw Brett swing at you first. I don’t see a reason why he’d hold you accountable but not Brett.”
“Yeah, that’s true. He didn’t make as big of a deal out of it as I thought he would.”
“Good. Now you can focus on the final preseason game. How are you feeling about it?”
“I’m ready and looking forward to playing.”
“I’m not staying over tonight. I want you to get plenty of rest for tomorrow.”
“What? I want you there.”
“And I want to be there. But I need to do laundry and get caught up on some stuff at home. I promise I’ll stay over before the first game of the season if you still want me to.”
“Of course I will. Now, give me a kiss before I go, and make sure it has tongue to tide me over until I see you tomorrow after the game.”
“I’ll do my best,” I say, rising on my toes as his face lowers toward mine. The first touch of his lips has me moaning, as if I’m dying for his kiss. And with the intense shot of desire that’s running through me, it feels as though I might be. My tongue slips past his parted lips to tango with his. He releases my hand to grip my hips and tug me closer. His thigh ends up between my legs, and I grind on the defined muscle, looking for whatever friction I can get to relieve my throbbing clit.
Rogan tears his lips free, breathing raggedly. “We can’t do this here.”
Dammit. I lost my ability to think clearly the moment our mouths connected.
“You’re right. We can’t.”
“As much as I want to bend you over this desk and take you, we can’t take the risk. What if your boss walked in?”
“I could lock the door.”
“And that wouldn’t seem suspicious at all?”
“Ugh, you’re right.”
“I better leave before you tear my clothes off,” he teases, walking across the room. “I’ll talk to you tonight.”
I nod. “Okay, good.”
He opens the door and sends me a smile. I blow him a kiss before he disappears around the corner. I sit down in my chair and turn my attention to finishing up the reels I’d started before he showed up. I’m using some of the candid shots, showing them at different points throughout the day. In some, the players are laughing, and in others, their expressions are so serious they could be speaking about top-secret information.
It takes me about an hour more to finish and be on my way out the door. I’m halfway to my car when I notice Brett standing next to the driver’s side. Fuck me. Talking to him is the last thing I want to do.
“Brett, what are you doing here?” I ask as I approach, stopping about four feet away from him.
“Autumn, have you lost your mind? What are you doing wasting your time with Rogan? If you want a quarterback, I’m still here, babe. All you need to do is ask.”
My lip reflexively curls. What an egomaniac. “Brett, you’ll never understand this but I’ll say it anyway. It’s not that I want a quarterback, it’s that I want a man who’s kind and caring. One who doesn’t take me for granted or manipulate me. One who genuinely cares about me. And that man is Rogan. He does all of those things and more.”
“He’s unhinged. He took a swing at me at practice today when I told him he better do right by you.”
I let out a clipped laugh. “Nice try, but I was there. I saw what happened, and I know you’re the one who shoved him first and took a swing at him. You and I haven’t been together in two years, and the only time you speak to me is when you want something. For too long I’ve tried to be nice, and I even felt sorry for you. But I’m done. I don’t want to talk to you ever again.”
“Autumn, babe, you don’t mean that. You’re just being dramatic as usual.”
“Brett, babe , you’re gaslighting won’t work on me any longer. Look at me. I’m completely calm, so hear me when I say, stay away from me and Rogan. Don’t even look my way. I don’t want anything to do with you. Find a new sucker to manipulate because I’ve finally seen the light, and your dumb games won’t work on me any longer. So kindly fuck off and get away from my car.”
With the way his dark eyes have grown rounder, I can tell he’s taken aback by my words. He holds up his hands and opens his mouth, as if he still wants to plead his case.
“Don’t!” I shout. “Leave now.”
He gives a curt nod, then walks off. I watch him until I’m satisfied he’s not going to change his mind and come back over, then I slip behind my wheel. I get the engine started and my seat belt on before the enormity of what I just did hits me. My smile starts off small, growing until I’m full-on beaming. Brett has been an area of self-contempt for years. I finally put an end to the cycle of manipulation, and I feel amazing.
The stadium is abuzz with energy as the clock ticks down to the final two minutes of the game. I’m perched on the edge of my seat, as is Scarlett, who’s sitting next to me.
“Oh my God, my heart is racing so fast,” she says.
“Tell me about it. My knee is bouncing at a ridiculous pace, it feels like an electric current is running through my body.”
Everywhere I look brings a sea of fans decked out in red and black, and cheering wildly for our guys. The scoreboard at the end of the field shows us down by three points, and it’s up to Rogan to overcome that deficit.
I grip Scarlett’s hand as Rogan stands in the huddle. When they clap and break apart, he glances over in my direction, and I notice a brief smile but it’s gone in a blink as he gets down to the task at hand.
“How can you stand this? I don’t think I could take it if my boyfriend was out there playing. I’m a nervous fucking wreck and I don’t even like football.”
“Ha! I think you like it more than you expected.”
“I do like the way they look in those tight pants. Is it me or do they make their asses look amazing?”
“It’s not just you.”
Rogan takes the snap, and I’m tempted to cover my face so I don’t have to watch. But that wouldn’t be fair to him. The defense closes in as his eyes scan the field. He scrambles forward, dodging one tackle, then jukes to avoid a second while I softly chant, “You can do this, Rogan.” He drops to the turf and slides a few feet on the side of his leg before he can get sacked, making the first down.
On the next play, he launches the ball in a perfect spiral that slices through the air sharp as a knife. Cooper runs down the field and snatches it right before the defender can. He gains another ten yards after the catch for another first down.
“Wow. That was awesome. He’s so fast,” Scarlett comments.
“That was a nice play. Let’s hope they can do it again.” They’re making their way toward the end zone but the clock is quickly running down. If they don’t make this next play, they’ll have to kick a field goal and the game could go into overtime.
On the next snap, Rogan looks for an open receiver, and when he doesn’t find one, he takes off with the ball in his hand. His face is a study in extreme concentration as he sprints down the field. And when he dives into the end zone, the crowd erupts all around us.
“Touchdown!” I shout, jumping to my feet and tugging Scarlett with me. “He did it. He did it.” I clap my hands.
“He sure did,” she says.
Rogan is dragged to his feet by his teammates as they celebrate the win. He throws his fist in the air, and the fans cheer louder. My heart swells with pride as I watch. He’s worked so hard for this, and to see him getting the results he deserves is amazing.
“I might need to come to another game soon. What a great time.”
“Football is the best sport in the world,” I state, but I’m not biased at all. Rogan points up at me and smiles as he jogs from the field, and I’m overcome with an emotion that feels a lot like love.
The crowd begins to make their way toward the exits while Scarlett and I head down to see Rogan. We still have to weave through the crowds of exultant fans. He pulls me into his arms, spinning us around.
“Congratulations! You were awesome. Completely amazing.”
“Thank you, but it takes an entire team to win,” he says modestly.
“I thought you were badass out there,” Scarlett says, high fiving him.
“Thanks. It’s the last preseason game we have, so I’m glad we came away with the win.”
“Well, if the coach has a brain in his head, he’ll make you the starter,” Scarlett says.
“There’s more to consider than just this game. But I hope he shares your views.” He turns his attention back to me. “I need to get into the locker room now. Thank you for coming and cheering me on. I appreciate it so much.” He leans over and presses a kiss to my lips and whispers, “I couldn’t have done it without you, Fall.”