14. Lance
fourteen
Lance
Present
The parking lot is nearly empty as the driver I hired pulls up behind a black Lincoln in front of the employee entrance to Evaders Stadium. Most of us guys take a car service on days we head out on the road.
This week, we play in Boston and Toronto.
Up ahead, I watch Reed jump out of the idling car in front.
Great.
I will never hear the end of it when he spots me. Leaving without a word to him or Blake was a terrible idea. They are going to have a million questions about why I disappeared. None of which I plan to answer.
What happened last night will stay between me and Gwen.
Reed grabs his suitcase from the trunk of the car and places it on the curb. As he looks over his shoulder, he spots me in the car and waves.
I was hoping he wouldn’t notice me. Pushing open the rear door, I thank my driver, who pops the trunk for me, and I climb out.
“’Sup, Taylor?” Reed sidles up next to me as I reach into the trunk and pull out my suitcase.
“Hey.”
“Dude, what the fuck happened last night? You just disappeared.” He stares at me, expecting me to give him the reason I left.
“Sorry. Uh, I didn’t feel good.”
“What?” Reed rears back, confused.
I don’t ditch my friends, and I never get sick, so I understand his confusion. But there’s a first time for everything, right? So, I use an excuse I know Reed won’t question. “Stomach trouble.”
“The shits? Damn, bro, that sucks.”
“Yeah,” I grunt, playing into my lie.
Over Reed’s shoulder, I see Gwen exit her car. We make eye contact for a moment. She looks away, staring at the ground, but I can see the hurt written all over her face. My stomach sinks. She probably fucking hates me after last night.
I didn’t mean what I said.
When Gwen entered the VIP section with her friend, my heart leaped out of my damn chest. She looked so damn sexy in that short pink skirt and flowy top. I almost jumped out of the booth to take her home.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her bouncing curls and mile-long legs. Legs that I want wrapped around my head and waist again.
The women Reed brought over had no boundaries. I didn’t ask, or want, the woman who sat in my lap to be there. Then Gwen walked off with that guy, and I lost my damn mind.
I followed her. Watched from afar. When he got too close, I got rid of him and cut in. My jealousy overrode my judgment, and things went too far.
There are no words to describe how fucking hot it was to have Gwen come in sixty seconds. Her moans, the feel of her ass rubbing against my dick … it felt incredible.
Of course, I came in my pants, and I sure as hell couldn’t go back to my friends with cum-filled boxers.
Gwen hustles the last few feet and pushes through the doors in a hurry. She disappears inside as Reed turns his head to see what I’m looking at, but comes up empty.
Reed shakes his head and grabs the handle of his bag. “You’re being really fucking weird.”
I don’t know if it’s the hurt look on Gwen’s face or purely her absence in my life, but I do something I promised myself I wouldn’t.
I chase her.
The need to make things right between us before I go on the road overrides all logic. I need to apologize. We can’t be together, but I don’t want her to hate me. I don’t regret our night or our dance. Just bad timing and complicated circumstances.
With a groan, I clutch my stomach. “You know what? My stomach is doing that … thing again. Will you grab my bag for me?”
“Yeah, of course, dude.” I rush off before Reed can finish his sentence, but I hear him shout at my back, “Get some Imodium so you don’t shit your pants during our game tomorrow.”
“Will do. Thanks, McKay.” Over my shoulder, I wave at him and rush through the entrance.
Gwen is nowhere in sight.
There is only one place she can go, so instead of turning right toward the team doctor’s office near the locker room—because I don’t have a case of the shits—I go left toward the conference rooms and the elevator that takes the executive front office employees up to the top level.
I jog down the corridor toward the elevator. The halls are quiet, except for the clack of heels, so I speed up. When I turn right toward the elevators, she comes into view. Her curly hair bounces as she hustles down the hall.
I break into a sprint to catch up with her. Gripping her elbow, I pull her to a stop.
Gwen screams and jerks back, making me lose my grip on her elbow. She practically jumps out of her skin, which causes her to lose her footing. Her heel slips on the concrete, and she teeters backward.
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I catch her before she falls to the ground. “I got you.”
Gwen’s chest heaves as she tries to catch her breath. Her eyes quickly morph from wide and terrified to narrow and angry. “Dammit, Lance. Don’t sneak up on women and scare them. It’s not cool.”
“I’m sorry.” I chuckle, steadying her upright.
Taking a step back, Gwen places her hands on my chest and pushes me away with a huff as she flips her curly hair to the side and smooths it behind her ear. “You’re forgiven … I guess.”
Unable to help myself, I rock back on my heels and quickly check Gwen out.
As usual, she looks sexy and professional in a silky white blouse that reveals just a hint of cleavage, shiny wide-leg dress pants, and satin-pink stilettos.
Her cute little toes are painted pink, and for some reason I have the urge to nip them with my teeth.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
“Okay, well. I’ll see you around.” Gwen manages two steps before I gently grab her wrist and pull her through the first door I see, slamming it behind us.
The room is dark and dank, reeks of something metallic, and is lined with shelves upon shelves of an obscene amount of electrical and video equipment.
“What the hell are you doing?” Gwen places her hands on her hips and glares at me.
“I need to talk to you.”
“Nope. No way.” She looks anywhere but at me, and it cuts deep.
“Please look at me.” I so badly want to touch her face and force her to look at me, but I keep my hands to myself. Distance. I owe her that much after last night.
When her aqua eyes finally connect with mine, it’s like a kick to the balls. Hurt swirls in her beautiful blue-green depths, and it kills me. I did that.
“I’m looking. Now say what you’re going to say, so we can be done with this already.
” The hostile sass makes my dick twitch.
Gwen is stunningly beautiful when she’s assertive and ready to fight for herself.
She’s so damn strong, and she doesn’t even know it.
I knew it when we met. It’s one of the hundreds of reasons I fell for her that night.
Fell for her?
I must be going crazy.
“Last night was not a mistake,” I blurt.
“Okay.” She gives nothing away, waiting for me to continue.
“I’m sorry.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and drills me with her stare, searching my face for something before she responds, “Last night wasn’t the only time you were an ass.”
I like that she’s calling me out. Like I said, so fucking strong. “You’re right.”
“And?” she presses.
Resisting the urge to smile, I apologize. “I’m sorry for being an ass on more than one occasion.”
Gwen’s pink lips twitch as she fights a smile. “I forgive you. But if you act like an ass again, I’ll punch you when you’re not wearing a cup.”
“Understood.”
“And you have to do all the PR videos I want without complaining.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Miss Montgomery.”
Gwen makes a face. “Don’t call me that.”
I find it interesting that she doesn’t like me addressing her by her last name. Maybe one day, when Gwen doesn’t want to junk-punch me, I’ll ask her why. “As you wish.”
“Okay. Good. I’m going to get back to work, and you should get ready to hit the road.”
As she reaches for the handle and pulls open the closet door, I call out, “Hey, Gwen?”
“Yes, Lance?” She looks up at me with those hypnotizing eyes and almost knocks me to my knees.
There are so many things I want to say to her. I wish things were different. I think about you all the time. I miss you … But I can’t. So, I go with, “You’re doing an amazing job around here.”
She recoils, shocked by my compliment. It makes me angry and sad on her behalf. How has no one told her she’s doing a great job? For some reason, that just pisses me off. She deserves to be seen for all that she does.
I hate social media, and even I’ve noticed that our online fan base has increased and the team’s engagement is at an all-time high.
A smile spreads across her gorgeous face. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I watch her take a few steps before turning back to face me. “Hey, Lance?”
“Yes, Gwen?” I answer just as she did.
“Be safe on the road.”
My ribs tighten at her parting words as an unrecognizable warmth floods my chest. “I will.”
With a little wave, Gwen walks out of the closet, leaving her powdery, floral scent behind, all while taking a small piece of me with her as she disappears on me again.