Chapter 36
Jared
Ican tell the exact moment Kailey realizes who I am.
Her body relaxes while her breathing is halted, goosebumps cascading across her neck.
After tasting the salty sweat from her neck, right over that sunflower tattoo, the tequila shot went down smooth.
My wet lips shadow her right ear. “Hello, Dimples.” She still smells of pears and lavender.
Not able to help myself, I bite the lobe of her ear before releasing my hold on her.
A small gasp leaves Kailey’s mouth, and she immediately pulls away from me.
Just that small taste of her has my dick swelling in my sweats.
Those beautiful whiskey hazel eyes lock onto mine.
Kailey’s hand shoots out in front of her, grabbing the high-top to steady herself.
“Jared.” My name comes out in a whisper from her beautiful lips.
“What? No more Cap Guy?” Casually, I lean my hip against the table.
I make sure to keep myself close to her, just in case she tries to run.
She’s good at that after all. Kailey’s face doesn’t hide her very adorable, shocked expression—wide eyes, disbelieving stare, the rare inability for her to form words.
But the way her body is responding to me, I know she still wants me, craves my touch.
A bright pink blush takes over her face, spreading down that luscious body of hers.
At first glance, she hasn’t changed at all, besides the purple undertone in her dark hair.
The pulse in her neck hasn’t stopped racing since my tongue made contact.
Once she realizes that I’m real—and absolutely not going anywhere until she speaks to me—the silent treatment ends.
Kailey straightens, standing taller, and her tone is sharp and clipped. “What are you doing here, Jared?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious? I’m here for a drink.” I give the now empty shot glass a little shake.
She attempts to hold back a smile, but I still notice. “And? Why this bar? There are lots of other places you could go to have a drink in this town.” Not waiting for my response, she picks up the small rectangle tray, along with the empty glass, and turns to head back to the bar.
I take a moment to watch her walk away, and something inside of me snaps. I will never let her walk away from me again. She thinks she can go on about her shift like I don’t exist? Not the fuck likely…
Following her, I lower myself into an empty stool at the bar.
Resting my hands on the bartop, I look around the establishment; it really is elegant but not too much.
A place for all types of people to come hang out.
Kailey is called for—as KC—by a younger couple on the other side of the bar.
She gives them a smile, not a plastered fake one but the real deal.
I can’t help but sit in awe of her as she interacts with the customers and moves around the area freely.
The only giveaway that Kailey knows I’m still here is the now deepened pink blush that’s clinging to her cheeks and her purposeful avoidance of my spot at the bar.
Val, the one I paid a hundred dollars to make sure Kailey was the one to serve me that shot, is walking back over to me. Her stare bounces back and forth from me to Kailey, eyebrows furrowed, and she grabs a bar towel and starts wiping down the bartop near me. “What’d you do?”
“Nothing.”
I look back at Kailey, and she’s now making her rounds to the various customers who have just shown up. Val stops in front of me. “KC is all over this place tonight, except where you are. Any reason for that?”
I can’t help the ache that ricochets against my ribcage from her question.
Truly, I had hoped our reunion would have gone a little differently, almost expecting that Kailey would have knelt before me, begging for forgiveness.
Telling me how she never forgot about me and regretted ever leaving me.
Obviously, it won’t be that easy. Instead, reality is like a punch to the gut.
While popping my knuckles, I ponder how I should answer Val’s question.
Leaning my body closer to her face, I cup the side of my mouth with my hand, like a child would when whispering to their friend.
“We used to be… friends.” Turning my head, I see that Kailey is watching us.
Is that jealousy in her stare? Game on, beautiful.
I force my stare away from Kailey’s face and back to the bartender. “I just moved here, and I’m needing some friends to hang out with.”
Val’s chest is now directly in front of me, leaning in as she whispers back, “I could be your friend.” Her eyes look me up and down as she licks her lips. “Show you the spots around Chicago. Promise we’d have a lot of fun.”
I lean back against the stool and give her a grin. “Oh, yeah?” I can feel Kailey’s presence; the hairs on the back of my neck start to stand up, and my heart’s racing.
Kailey plops her body down into the seat next to me, her tone annoyed. “Val, go check on the customers.”
Yikes. Wonder if she’ll tell her who I am later?
Val gives Kailey a subtle nod. Before walking away, she looks back at me. “I hope to see you around. What was your name again?”
My face lights up, knowing this attention is really going to get under Kailey’s skin.
I make direct eye contact with Val and give her a genuine smile before responding, “Jared, and I’m sure you will.” She smiles back at me before leaving to check on the customers around the bar with a pep in her step.
Ahh, there’s my Dimples. Even if she’s going to hide her excitement from seeing me, I know she’s still in there.
Slowly, I turn my body to face her, and, accidentally, our knees touch; instant electricity flows through my body.
Her chest is rising and lowering faster than before, and I catch the glint of a chain around her neck, tucked under her shirt.
Yeah, you feel this too, don’t you? I take a beat to try to read her face before I ask, “What’s up? ”
Kailey looks over my face before slightly shaking her head. “Nothing. I’m working, obviously.” She motions around the bar with her hand. “What’s up with you?”
“Ah, I’m so glad you asked, Dimples. I actually just accepted a six-month cage fighting contract. I’ll be living here.”
Her expression falls flat, and she throws her head back, eyes closed. “Here? As in Chicago here?!”
“Yep...” I make sure to pop the p dramatically while shrugging my shoulders, looking anywhere but at her beautiful face.
Kailey’s nostrils flare and she stomps her feet like a toddler would when pouting. “Why?”
“What do you mean why?” I place my elbow on the bartop, resting my cheek on my knuckles, then lock my stare onto those whiskey hazel eyes. “Because I’m a cage fighter. I mean, you know that; you were at my fight the other night, right?”
Her knee is bouncing up and down when it accidentally bumps into mine, and her body freezes from the contact.
“Yeah, with my boyfriend, and I assure you it wasn’t to see you, Jared. I had no idea you’d even be there.” Kailey’s fingertips are now drumming on the bartop. Ohh, she’s anxious—maybe even nervous? I’ll allow her to fight this attraction… But not for much longer.
I snap my fingers. “That’s right. Brittney’s boyfriend, Skyler, is one of my teammates. I assume we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. Sooo… Now that I happened to run into you, I needed to make sure everything was all good between us.” My finger points back-and-forth in the space between us.
Kailey’s eyes water at my last statement, making them appear greener than usual.
Her front teeth sink into her plump bottom lip.
“Of course we’re ‘all good.’” She lifts her fingers to make air quotes.
“Our past is just that, Jared… In the past, right?” Kailey’s stare is now looking up at me from under her eyelashes, and it takes my breath away.
Makes me envision her with mascara running down her face, on her knees, with my dick down her throat.
No, Kailey’s statement about us being in the past is not at all fucking right. So fucking wrong.
My heart starts to hammer against my chest; my palms are clammy, and sweat starts to drip down my neck.
All of my feelings toward her that I’ve been able to keep contained over time are about to rupture out of me.
I can’t take it anymore! I stand up abruptly; the legs of the stool squeal across the floor, and it almost falls over.
Hanging my head low, because I’m unable to look at that face anymore today, I tap my knuckles on the bartop twice.
“Right.” The pain I’ve buried deep starts to consume my whole body.
Dimples shredded my heart to pieces five years ago.
Didn’t even try to work through the trauma of that night with me.
Her silence is enough to give me the willpower to leave this bar.
I turn away from her, not waiting for her to reply. I walk around multiple tables where people are laughing and having a good time, and right out the door. Kailey doesn’t know it yet, but she’s the reason I’m in this town. The only reason I signed with the Chicago team.
Greg let Brittney and Kailey’s little secret destination slip around six months ago.
Not that it’s his fault really. He didn’t realize I’d walked back into the room and could hear his conversation with Steffan on the phone, about Brittney’s upcoming graduation.
The emotions that call stirred inside me was enough to set this whole plan into motion.
Dimples has never left my heart or my soul.
Of course, I couldn’t let any of our friends in on my plan; somebody might have tried to talk me out of it.
There’s no going back for me, unless Kailey returns with me. Everyone will know soon enough…
The universe must agree, because how lucky am I that she put herself in my sights?
Seeing her at the fight was a surprise that sealed our fate.
I thought I would’ve had to hire a private investigator to track her down once I arrived in Chicago.
Beau giving me the details on her job made it a hell of a lot easier.
And Brittney’s dating a cage fighter on my team.
Check, check, check. The signs are all there.
Dimples, oh how beautiful you’ll be when you’re mine again.
Even if I have to drag you down to see it.
Mathew may be her fucktoy for right now, but everything in her world is about to change.
I’ll make sure of it.