Chapter 10 #2
“We spent one night together,” she says. “I thought…I thought things had gone well, and when we got back to Sophia’s, I swore you were going to kiss me. Instead, you kissed me on the forehead like a child and left without so much as a phone number. Then I never heard from you again.”
“You didn’t seem interested,” I say with a shrug. “Yeah, we had a good conversation at dinner, and I would have liked to get to know you better, but to me, it seemed like you couldn’t see past your bias against wrestling. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t respect what I do.”
“I didn’t understand it, and I still don’t, not completely. Except for the gorgeous half-naked men, I completely understand that.” Sloane’s smirk makes me roll my eyes. “I’m willing to try for you, though. I may have been a little—”
My brow raises.
“A lot biased before, but when I saw you at Marie’s, it felt like everything was falling into place…I don’t know how else to describe it.”
That’s exactly how I felt, too. At first, I thought it was going to be a quick run-in, a hello-goodbye situation.
Then the invitation to the James Jubilee slipped out before I could think twice about it, and when she accepted, a fire ignited inside my chest. She wanted to hang out again, and from the moment we left until I saw her again, I felt an ache that was only soothed when she was near.
“So, what are you saying, Sloane?” I ask.
Pushing up from the couch, she closes the space between us.
My hands flex in the crooks of my elbows as she comes to stand in front of me, begging to touch her, but I withhold.
Her fingers toy with the fabric of my shirt before she looks up through thick lashes and rises on her toes until our faces are centimeters apart.
When I think she’s going to kiss me, she plucks the hat from my head and flips it backwards.
“I’m saying, I think I’d like to become a fan of professional wrestling. ”
“You’re joking, right?” Savannah says from the other side of the gym two days later. Brody spots me as I finish my last rep on the bench press, helping mount the barbell in its proper place before I sit up. Savannah’s venomous gaze never leaves me as she waits for an answer.
I skipped my workout yesterday morning, but there was no way I could bail today.
The five of us meeting up for a workout is rare.
Most of the time, at least one of us can’t make it, which usually means their partner doesn’t come either.
And it’s usually the woman glaring at me from the squat rack, or her husband, who just finished another round of snatches, that can’t attend.
Raelynn balances on a BOSU ball with one leg lifted in the air in a one-legged mountain pose.
She counts under her breath, arms out to the sides, too focused on maintaining perfect balance to notice her husband creep toward her.
Without warning, he knocks her off the ball, and she screams. Regaining her footing, she shoves his arm. “You ass!”
“Bennett,” Savannah snaps, cutting through their laughter. All eyes are on her, except Brooks’s, who takes apart the weights on the end of the barbell. “Are you saying that you invited her on the road?”
I shrug, rolling my shoulders. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“So, are you dating or what? Because if you’re not, that makes this whole thing a little…weird. I mean, you just started talking again. It’s not—”
“Sav, I don’t know why you’re so against this,” I say, cutting her off. “You’re the one who said we needed to find her that day at NextGen when you and Rae were discussing my dating life.”
“I’m not against it. I…” She sighs, stepping under the barbell to walk closer. “Something about all of this feels off. I mean, what are the odds she would be in the same town we are for the Fourth of July, a week after we talked about her? They’re pretty slim, if you ask me.”
“And she’s a journalist,” Rae adds, and Savannah echoes the sentiment.
“Look, I don’t want you to get hurt. I would hate for her to be doing this for some story or something.”
“She’s not. I asked her,” I say.
Both of their brows shoot up, but it’s Brody who asks the question. “You asked her?”
“Last night, after the show.”
Rae laughs. “Damn, Wolf. Forward much?”
“I wanted to clear the air before we put a label on things.” Reaching down for my water, I bring it to my lips and take a long drink. Under their stares, the room suddenly feels at least ten degrees warmer.
“And did you?” Brooks asks, finally joining the conversation. “Put a label on things.”
I nod, standing from the bench. “We’re going to give it a try.
See how things go. Since she can work from pretty much anywhere, she’s going to join us on the road, starting Thursday, unless she can’t for one reason or another.
So, I’d appreciate it if you don’t do anything to make her feel unwelcome. ”
I don’t mean to only look at Savannah when I say it, but subconsciously, I know she’s the one most likely to say something that might cause problems.
She rolls her eyes, planting her right hand on her hip and cocking it to the side. “I’m not going to say anything unless she does something to deserve it. As long as she doesn’t lie or break your heart, then she has nothing to worry about.”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for my friends, grateful that they care so much about me, but sometimes I think they forget I’m not the same love-drunk puppy I was when I first came to EWE. And I’m not the man I was during the divorce, either.
“She’s not Harper, Sav,” I say.
“Thank God for that.” Brody exhales, and laughter fills the room around us, easing the tension.