Free Fall
Lex
A crash jolts me awake, my heart hammering. I bolt upright, ears straining for any sign of what just happened.
Is someone breaking in?
Somewhere between convincing myself that we are about to be the victims of a home invasion and a murderer, I register the sound of men laughing coming from elsewhere in the house. The clock on the nightstand says it’s just after 1 am, and I’m tired and instantly annoyed. Aleks had left earlier and not returned before we retired to bed, and he must’ve invited his friends back after they finished golf and whatever else they had been up to.
I listen for a few minutes, my irritation morphing slightly; they sound drunk and silly. There’s no way I am getting back to sleep while they are here; they’re so loud. At this volume, they will wake the entire house. Rising from the bed, I wander to the dresser and look at my reflection. My hair dried from the impromptu cold shower, falling in soft waves down my back and below the waistband of the sleep shorts I packed only because I couldn’t wander in undies.
I slip into the bathroom outside my room, brush my teeth, and clip my hair half up. Aleks is a good-looking guy, and I have to assume—hope—his friends are also attractive. I need the distraction. My stomach fills with tiny butterflies as my nerves kick in over walking into a group of men I don’t know. I straighten and lift my chin, reminding myself to appear casual and friendly.
The distance from the guest room to the kitchen, where it sounds like they are, is short, and I count roughly five men when I approach, all in a version of golf attire. The island is covered in empty beer cans and bottles. A tall man with skin that looks like a gorgeous blend of coffee and honey notices me first and smiles brightly; he seems a little older, in his mid to late thirties. I return the smile, nervously wrapping one arm around my waist while continuing toward the kitchen.
Aleks spins around and throws his arms in the air.
“Lex!” His volume is too high and makes me cringe slightly; the kids will wake up, and Jules will be furious. “Did we wake you? Shit!”
I’m still laughing as I step further into the room—until my stomach drops at the sight of a familiar face—the Mediterranean-looking guy with the devious smirk. My steps have slowed, but I continue inching forward, the weight of their stares bordering on unbearable.
“Come join the party,” he says… What is his name?
I force a small smile and step further inside. The kitchen suddenly feels too small and claustrophobic when I finally see him—perched on a stool, watching me. The side that was blocked by the divider wall until just now. His face looks flushed, probably from being in the sun all day. He’s wearing shorts, and for the first time, I see his strong, muscular legs are covered in bright tattoos. My gaze drags up his body—over the fitted t-shirt clinging to broad shoulders and, finally, his face. His warm eyes reflect the smile on his lips, and this might be the first time I’ve seen him smile like this, where it reaches his eyes.
My body turns molten, every nerve firing at once. He’s here. Adrian is here, in Florida, at my best friend’s house. My breath stutters. I never told him I was leaving.
I never told him where I was going.
But he’s here.
And he’s smiling at me.
“Hey, baby.”
Whoa .
Those words shouldn’t have the effect they do.
“What can we get you to drink?” Aleks asks, motioning to the bottles around the island.
“Gin?” I swallow, and it feels like my throat is closing up.
How is this possible?
“You got it!”
Everyone in the large kitchen introduces themselves, and the group is a mix of men Aleks knows through work and their hockey buddies who are here for a game.
Ronan shakes my hand, adding that we’ve met and go way back. Laughing and adding, “Not as far back as Lex and Libby thought, right?”
Aleks couldn’t be more intrigued by this.
“You all know each other? Wild coincidence.”
He pushes a drink into my hands, and I take a large mouthful, nearly choking when I register that it’s about 90% gin. They all laugh and go back to talking, but I feel the heat of his stare, and there is an undeniable magnetic pull; I just need to get closer to him, if only to quietly ask him, ‘What the fuck?’ I move around the island, taking the long route and watching him watch me move; his eyes are so different from every time I’ve seen him. He is playful and carries a conversation with the group easily while keeping his eyes on me. I pause beside him, knowing I must look awkward standing there staring. There is a moment of silence around the island; no one speaks as we stare at each other. Ronan’s low voice breaks it.
“They do this, ignore them.”
And the conversation and laughing resume. The question I planned to ask when I decided to go to him is gone, and I have no words. My heart races wildly, my face flushes, and his mouth curves into a smirk.
I should go back to bed.
I should walk away.
Before I can move, his hand finds my bare leg—warm, firm, claiming—a slow drag up to my hip, then a sudden tug. My breath catches as he pulls me in, pressing me flush against him. I am slightly above him and can’t look away; my already warmed body heats further from the places we touch.
“Missed you, Lex.” His tone is gentle and low.
My resolve and nerves splinter apart, and my hand, as if with a mind of its own, lands on his chest, where I can feel that his heart rate mirrors mine, doing a wild, uneven dance.
I feel like I’m in free fall.
Adrian
The look on her face?
Worth everything.
The flight. The last-minute NHL tickets. The bullshit it took to drag Ronan along. The way her lips parted, the way her breath hitched? That made it priceless. It wasn’t that much, and Ronan hadn’t argued—any excuse to get out of the cold weather. It had all aligned perfectly; one of our former players moved down here a few years ago to work for some financial firm, which coincidentally happens to be where her friend’s husband works.
I don’t believe in fate, but if I did, I would say this was fate. I gave her space, needed it myself, and when I decided to check in, I watched her walk out of her apartment with a suitcase. Initially, I was livid and ready to burn the world, but saner minds prevailed, and Ronan has been fucking her friend regularly since that night at the club. She’d willingly told him all about Lex’s trip to Florida to visit a friend. Based on what I can tell, we got out on the first flight after hers. We landed less than two hours later than she did, hit the golf course, and went to dinner and drinks.
The anticipation of being in this house, near her, was torture—and that twisted, ugly feeling evaporated the second she rounded the corner into view in those tiny shorts and that skimpy top. She’s perfect.
She’s also in a lot of trouble, and she knows it.
The words slip out before I can stop them.
“Missed you, Lex.”
Fuck. I wasn’t supposed to say that.
I wasn’t even supposed to feel that. But I do. It’s like something inside me cracks open, raw and ugly. Giving her space was a mistake—I felt like I was in withdrawal, like my skin didn’t fit right, like I was losing my fucking mind. I wrap my other hand around her, and she relaxes into my hold. I need to stop staring at her before this gets weird for everyone else, but her wild hair and the way she just licked her bottom lip is making it really fucking hard to do.
I force my eyes away from her and back to the group, rejoining the conversation but never taking my awareness off her, off the way her fingers gently probe my chest. My dick swells from the contact, and I shift, pulling her into my lap so no one else can see what she’s doing to me. She doesn’t fight, but her body does stiffen slightly before she leans to the island to grab her drink and—fuck, this view.
“So how long have you two been…you two?” Aleks questions.
Her lips part—about to argue. I won’t let her. My hand tightens around her thigh, fingers pressing in, staking my claim.
“Still pretty new, but we’ve known each other for years. Met in some small town on the West Coast and reconnected randomly a couple of months ago.”
Her hand flexes on my thigh, but it’s the only sign that she’s objecting to the statement. She keeps her mouth shut.
“Oh,” Alek looks contemplative. “Is this the guy you sent to Jules on Instagram? She’s been insufferable about me going back to the gym. Thanks for that, by the way.”
Her whole body locks up, her face coloring before she ducks her head.
That’s… interesting.
Wrapping my arms around her tighter, I lean forward to look at her face. I drag my gaze over her, slow and thoughtful. She never told me that.
“Instagram, eh?”
Ronan shakes silently, laughing; he looks ready to lose it.
“You two are so fucked.” He laughs, and the comment has the other guys laughing loudly.
There is the sound of a door opening into a wall, and a blonde woman storms out from the other side of the house, her hair wild in a messy bun and pillow lines on her face—on her very clearly furious face.
Party’s over.
She storms up to Aleks, yelling in another language I can’t place. Something Eastern European. Aleks laughs, but that only makes her angrier. She moves and, with both hands, shoves him hard in the chest, which only makes him laugh harder before she spins around, calls him a ‘fucking asshole,’ and storms away, slamming the bedroom door.
Ronan and the other guys exchange awkward glances before Ronan says, “Listen, man, it’s late. We have early golf tomorrow and the game tomorrow night. Let’s call it before she comes back to end us permanently.”
“Yeah, I’m in for it tomorrow.”
He shrugs, and I release Lex, slowly rising to my feet.
I don’t want to leave.
She steps away, and the space she was touching me feels icy, empty. Turning, she looks up at me, holding my stare again, and I’m about to demand that she leave with me when Aleks speaks.
“Adrian, you can stay with Lex if you like. Then, I can drive you to the course in the morning.”
His tone is so casual; he doesn’t understand the favor he just did me, and I make a mental note to buy him a drink tomorrow in thanks for the offer. Her eyes widen, and I slide my arm around her waist and look at Aleks before she can decline.
“Thanks, man. I’d love to.”
She shifts nervously, her hands balling into fists, her eyes filling with intensity, but she doesn’t move. We say goodbye to the guys, and I wish Aleks luck with whatever awaits him behind his bedroom door before urging Lex toward the room she’s staying in. She wraps both arms around her midsection nervously as she slowly walks; I follow closely behind, breathing in that warm vanilla scent that will always bring me back to that first night in the bar.
We reach the door, and I notice the bathroom, letting her continue into the bedroom alone and closing the bathroom door behind me. I didn’t know if this would work out, and I have nothing with me for an overnight. Looking at the countertop, I spot her small bag of makeup and a toothbrush on top. I can easily say I’ve never been one to share a toothbrush, but she’s different, this is different, and I’ve been drinking beer all night. I quickly scrub my teeth and rinse my mouth with cold water before turning off the light, walking to the bedroom door, and pausing outside, listening intently to see if I can predict what she is doing in there, what she’s thinking.
Something shifted in the kitchen. She looked at me differently. She felt different against me.
But she left. I need her to understand what she can and can’t do.
And she can’t leave me. Ever.
She’ll learn.