Chapter 27
Marcus
The light breeze from the open balcony grazes over my naked back, and I stretch out a goofy smile on my face.
Last night was incredible. The way she moved against me on the dance floor, I was hypnotized.
She molded against my body perfectly. But when we collided in her room, I’ve never felt such raw passion, nor have I been pushed as much as she pushes me.
Her sharp, quick tongue had me thinking of all the ways I could bring her pleasure.
Reaching out to pull her to me, but when I can’t feel her, I open my eyes, my heart stalling when I find I’m alone.
What? She definitely fell asleep next to me last night.
I ran my fingers through her stunning red locks, fascinated by the different shades, and I drifted off with her soft breaths tickling my chest.
Sitting up, the covers pool around me and I rub the sleep out of my eyes.
The connecting door we fell through last night is now closed.
Swinging my legs out of bed, I stride toward it, not caring that I’m butt naked.
Reaching to test the handle, I freeze. I can’t bring myself to do it.
I won’t push her. There’s something she’s holding back from me, and I need to get her to trust me enough to allow herself to be vulnerable.
So I drop my hand in defeat, pull on my gray sweats and turn to flick on the kettle to make myself a cup of tea.
Which apparently is something I do now in the morning.
I take my mug out onto our joint balcony, crossword book in hand, just as the sun rises above the trees opposite. The sky is a beautiful shade of reds and oranges, my coiled muscles relaxing as the morning heat hits my face, the gentle breeze ruffling my hair.
The sunrise is something I try to see every morning.
It reminds me that I’m lucky enough to be here doing something I love.
I was lost after my accident. My head was in a constant state of chaos that, no matter what I did or what anyone said, I couldn’t calm.
Harris tried his hardest, but I was too far gone for him to help me.
Football was all I ever wanted to do. All I dreamed of doing, but when it was taken from me, part of me went with it.
It took me a long time, a wakeup call, and finally a lot of therapy to get my head back on straight.
I still have setbacks, triggers if you like.
Like, the anniversary of the accident, but I’m no longer lost.
I’ve been sitting out here for no more than five minutes when the balcony door slides open from next door, and out steps Lily freshly showered.
Her hair wet and loose, and her face free from makeup.
Her body is wrapped tightly in a white fluffy hotel robe as she hugs a steaming hotel mug to her chest. She looks radiant.
When she sees me, her cheek pinken slightly and a coy smile tugs at my lips.
“Morning.” I greet her, deciding I’m not going to make it a big deal that I woke up alone this morning.
Or how it made me feel. I’ll process that later.
“Morning.” She nods toward my mug as she takes a seat on the cushioned garden chair. “You don’t strike me as a tea drinker, Diaz.”
“It’s recently become one of my favorite things to drink.” I take a sip, not breaking eye contact. She dips her head, hiding her smile behind her mug.
“So, last night.”
“Last night?” I raise my eyebrow.
“It was fun.” She shrugs. “Who knew?”
I chuckle. “Yeah, it was fun.” My stomach flips as she lightly sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, her eyes trailing down my exposed chest. From that look, I’m hoping this is going to go the way I want and this isn’t a brush off.
“Look.” She blows out a breath, crossing her legs, staring out over the horizon.
Mierda, it’s a brush off.
“I’m not looking for anything right now.
I’ve given up, if I’m truly honest. I think my other half got lost and took a wrong turn, and I’m too tired to keep looking for him, so…
” She stares out at the stunning view as my grip on my mug tightens.
“I still have needs, so do you and… oh for fuck's sake.” She puts her mug down on the small bistro table next to us, turning her body toward me. Her robe gaps slightly, and like an addict getting his next fix, my eyes drop for a second. “What I’m saying is I know you don’t do relationships so we could help each other out. ”
“You want us to be fuck buddies?”
“I don’t like that term.” She scrunches her nose. “I prefer casual, but yes.”
“And I’ll be the only person you’re casual with, right?” My heart drops into my stomach. I’ve never cared who the people I fuck are fucking, but with Lily, I don’t want anyone else looking at her, let alone touching her.
“I don’t have the headspace for more than one person, so yes, but if you decide you want to go with someone else, we stop this. I’ll be no one's substitute, Diaz.”
“There’ll be no one else.” I hope she understands the conviction in my words because the only way we end this is… Actually, this won’t end. She doesn't get it yet, but I will win Lily Chambers' heart.
She nods. “I do have two demands though. One, no sleepovers.” She holds up one finger. “This is not a relationship. We don’t get along unless we’re in bed.”
“Not sure we spent much time in bed last night.”
“This right here is why I’m kicking myself for suggesting this.” She throws up her hands, glaring at me.
“Don’t stop now. I’m on the edge of my seat.”
“You’re the worst.” She rubs her temples as she strains out.
“I must be mad.” Looking me dead in the eye, she holds up a second finger as she releases a hesitant breath.
“And two, you take me to the training ground this morning. I need to get over myself and lace up my boots. I can’t not take part in these challenges because I can’t woman up.
” Her lacing up her boots is more than her needing to ‘woman up’ as she puts it.
It’s definitely something I can help with.
I have the need to chip away at the impressive walls she has built.
Knocking them down brick by brick until she trusts me enough with her heart and her pain.
Knowing I’ll always be there to build her back up.
“Deal. But I have two of my own.”
“I’m listening.”
“One, you don’t lock that door.” I motion inside, toward the connecting door.
She shrugs her response. “Fine. Next.”
“And two. Every day, I get three questions. Three questions about you that you have to answer honestly.”
“Only if I get to do the same.”
“Deal.” Standing, I extend my hand to hers.
She shakes it but wobbles as I pull her gently, so her chest is flush with mine.
I tilt her head with my finger, our breaths entangle, and she looks up at me, her stunning emerald eyes darkening.
I take her lips in a soft, gentle kiss, her mouth molding against mine.
I pull away. “Get your kit. We leave in ten.”
She huffs as she shifts out of my hold, giving me her back, picking her mug up as she walks away. “I’ll leave in twenty Diaz.”
Checking my watch for the hundredth time, I lean against the wall in the entrance to the hotel, waiting for Lily to appear. The elevator doors open, revealing her in her athletic gear. I can’t help but smile.
As she walks towards me, her training bag slung over her shoulder, I’m momentarily struck dumb by her effortless beauty.
Her legs are wrapped tightly in black yoga pants, showing just how defined her muscles are.
Her breasts are covered by a matching black sports bra with a thick green band underneath—a beautiful contrast to the exposed strip of porcelain skin of her flat, toned stomach.
Her thick red locks are piled high on her head in a high ponytail, swinging behind her as she walks toward me.
A pair of sunglasses is perched on her head, keeping some of the strands that have fallen out of her ponytail away from her face.
I commit every part of her flawless face to memory. High cheekbones with a smattering of unique freckles, plump, rosy lips, and those eyes that always seem to draw me in, making me want to reach out and hold her, but I know that’s not what she wants in this moment.
Slipping her bag off her shoulder, I hook it over mine with my bag instead. The brief contact makes her shiver slightly as my fingers graze her exposed shoulder. Her eyes lock with mine, and a silent conversation passes between us.
Not here.
“I’ve got a cab waiting. He already has twenty Euros on the clock as you took so long.”
“Told you not to rush me, Diaz. I said I’d be twenty and here I am.” She brushed past me out of the hotel doors, pushing her sunglasses over her eyes, before spreading her arms wide dramatically. “Well, come on then. Apparently, keeping you waiting is expensive.”
I rush to beat her to the cab, opening her door with a flourish, bowing slightly at the waist. “Don’t be cute, Diaz.
” She smiles before dropping into the cab.
I place our bags in the trunk and slip around to my side.
The driver curses me in Spanish before setting off to the training ground.
I have to laugh because even though this man is a fan—he made me sign his newspaper—he doesn’t like being kept waiting. Got to love his work ethic.
I notice Lily’s legs are bopping restlessly, and she’s drumming her fingers on them in the same pattern she did yesterday.
Reaching over and covering her hand with mine, I gently rub circles with my thumb until she relaxes under my touch.
She grips my hand in silent appreciation before her focus returns to the scenes flying past us out of her window.
It doesn’t take us long to make it to the training ground, and we walk out onto the purpose built empty training pitch. This pitch is one that I have trained on countless times. It isn’t being used for the international teams this year, so no one will be here to bother us. Today it’s all ours.