Chapter 17 Lucia #2
“When he cheated on me, I finally had a valid reason to leave him. And I know that, to some, I had plenty of valid reasons before then, and I get that. But to me, at that time in my life, it wasn’t so easy.
So yeah, I’m glad he cheated on me. All I was in Richmond was a numbers girl.
The professional woman who worked hard, whose accomplishments had to remain quiet because Max couldn’t handle being overshadowed.
But here, I’m more than that. I have Jenna and Leigh.
And you. And the team. And I can be whoever I want to be. ”
It felt good to get that off her chest. She hadn’t told anybody, had hardly admitted it to herself, but she knew it down to the depths of her being that it was true.
It was why she hadn’t been able to voice her frustrations that first day to Isa when the news had broken and she’d been in a state of shock.
She hadn’t realized then that, in addition to feeling angry, she was relieved.
Colton had stilled as she spoke, his eyes on her, eyebrows drawn.
In a pained voice, he whispered, “Of course you’re more than numbers, Luc.
You are the most intelligent person I have ever met, and that’s in everything, not just football and data.
You—” A strangled noise left him, and she wondered if he’d been about to say something he shouldn’t.
Something neither of them should have voiced.
Sensing that he needed comfort almost as much as she did, she stood and walked over to sit beside him on the bed. She kept her distance from him, but when he slid his hand across the bed toward her, she moved hers so that her pinky met his.
She hadn’t realized that he’d put on Pretty Woman until she heard Julia Roberts telling the saleswomen what a huge mistake they’d made by not helping her the day before. Lucia smiled, knowing Colton had put the movie on for her before she’d even come into the room.
His bed was twenty times more comfortable than hers, and she sank into it happily.
Around the time Richard Gere threw a wad of cash on the bed, Lucia’s eyelids began to feel heavy, and her phone vibrated beside her.
Colton was already glaring down at it, and before Lucia had decided whether to let it ring out or send it straight to voicemail, he’d picked it up.
“What are you doing?” she hissed at him.
“Lucia Moretti’s phone.” Colton’s voice had an angry edge to it, but she was thankful he held his temper at bay.
She heard an angry male voice on the other end, and she jumped over him to try to grab the phone that was firmly locked in his hand.
“May I ask who’s calling?” He paused. “Max?” Another pause. “Clark? Hmm, that doesn’t sound familiar. Maybe you have the wrong number?”
“Colton!” Her whole body was on top of his as she grappled with him for the phone.
He wrapped his free arm tightly around her, anchoring her to him and holding her arms down in the process.
His entire body was solid muscle, hard like stone, and she wiggled against him to try to pry the phone from his grasp once again.
His pupils dilated as she rubbed against him in just the right way, his brows drawing together. When she realized the reason, she rubbed her hand against his hardening cock, a smirk on her face.
“Give me the phone, big boy,” she whispered. The last thing she wanted was for Max to hear that little nickname. His arm slackened a bit, just enough for her to wiggle free and grab the phone.
“Hello,” she said coolly.
“Lucia, what the fuck was that? You’re screening my calls via that asshole? Are you blind?”
Colton’s jaw was clenched like he’d heard the words Max was yelling at her. She walked into the bathroom, ignoring the embarrassment heating her insides. Colton was probably judging her for not having Max blocked, much less speaking to him. Especially after what she’d just admitted to him.
“I don’t have him screening my calls, he’s just being silly.”
“He’s being an asshole, is what he’s doing.”
“Can you blame him?” Her words were so sharp that she surprised even herself. She’d rarely stood up for herself in her relationship with Max, but she was tired of this game he was playing. She’d finally managed to escape him, and he just wouldn’t leave her alone.
“The fuck does that mean?”
“It means, why the fuck are you calling me? Why are you still texting me? We’re done. You made sure of that the minute you went out with that woman.”
“Amelia has nothing to do with this.”
Amelia. She had a name. And what a way to find it out.
Like he still spoke with her, intimately.
Sure, she could admit she was relieved that their relationship had ended, but that didn’t change the sting of knowing that he’d preferred someone over her.
Suddenly, her whole body felt heavy, drained and exhausted.
“Please stop calling me. Unless you have something important to say, please leave me alone.” She hated how the words sounded so weak, like she was pleading with him. She should’ve blocked him, but even still, something inside of her wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Is this important enough? Your boyfriend is the biggest asshole on the face of the planet. He’s going to ruin you. You’ll come crawling back to me soon. And by the way, the next time my name comes out of his mouth, I’m serving his ass. You let him know that.”
Tears pricked Lucia’s eyes. She’d told Colton that the only valid reason she’d had to leave him was the infidelity, but more and more, she hated herself for not seeing the abuse as reason enough.
“Like I said, unless you have something important to say to me, please stop calling.”
“Lu, I do. I do have something important to say to you, okay? I’m sorry, baby. Look, it was a mistake, and I know that. Let’s talk it out. If it’s what you want, I’ll stop calling after you let me explain myself. When you’re not with him.”
She knew she should just say no. She knew she’d probably live to regret it, but wasn’t this what she’d been waiting for?
For him to want to talk it out and apologize?
And she’d had enough realizations about her relationship with Max that she no longer felt like a conversation with him would lead to her going back to him.
Even if she didn’t necessarily believe he’d leave her alone, it was worth a try.
She dropped her voice, not wanting Colton to hear her relent. “Fine, but I’m busy with the season right now. I’ll let you know when I have some time. Give me some space until then. And you and I will just be talking, Max. Nothing more than that.”
“Of course, baby. Just tell me when.”
The word, which used to be a comfort, only made her skin itch.
“Goodbye, Max.” She clicked her phone off, walking back into Colton’s room. His head turned from the TV, eyes fixed on her face, concern written in every groove of his face and every shift in his chest.
“Luc…” So oddly tender.
She shook her head, climbing onto the tall bed and sinking deep into the warmth of the sleek sheets. She felt a gentle hand trace up and down her waist, lulling her into sleep’s clutches.
It was hours later when she awoke, the TV still humming softly, lights off, a strong, muscled arm tight around her, pressing her back into a solid chest. She thought about trying to leave but remembered the cold, depressing ride she would face to get to her floor and instead nestled closer, thankful for Colton’s presence, more and more an anchor in the raging waters of her life.