Chapter 4

Trent

 

 

Reese is beautiful. The more I thought about the outspoken woman, the more I wanted to get to know her. She intrigued me on a level different from any woman I’d ever met. Maybe it was because my profession didn’t matter to her. She’d been around athletes and the sport so much, the last thing she probably wanted was to date a player. Still, I wasn’t about to let that deter me.

I pulled up to her house, grabbed the bouquet of white and yellow roses and the bottle of wine I picked up on the way, and got out of the car. Her home was on a quiet street nestled between rows of trees. The classic two-story structure suited her. It was understated and beautiful, much like her.

Giving myself a once-over, I ran my hand through my hair before ringing her doorbell. The sound of barking caught my attention first. Through the wooden door, I could hear her muted voice talking to what I assumed was the dog. She pulled the door open and smiled. The little puffy white pup she held wiggled, looking as though it wanted to jump out of her arms and into mine.

“Hi, come on in.” Reese stepped aside and closed the door behind me.

“Cute dog.”

“It’s not mine. My sister and her husband went on vacation and left Bubba with me.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. The dog looked more like soft cotton, and its sparkly blue collar didn’t seem like an accessory someone named Bubba would wear.

“The dog’s name is Bubba?”

Reese nodded and set him down. “Yes. Dave, that’s my brother-in-law, conceded to my sister’s choice in getting a Bichon, but with the stipulation that he could pick the name.” She shrugged and looked at the fluff ball, who was currently smelling my Italian leather loafers. “I think he thought Kenzie would change her mind. She didn’t… clearly.”

“Clearly,” I said, handing Reese the flowers and wine. “These are for you. I wasn’t sure what was on the menu, so I brought a rosé.”

“Thank you.” She walked into her kitchen, put the flowers in a vase she pulled from the cabinet above her refrigerator, and set the wine on the counter.

Meanwhile, I bent down to pick up Bubba. “Aren’t you a cutie?” His little tongue decided to bathe my jaw. “I think he likes me.”

“He likes everyone,” she touted, walking back into the room.

I held the dog in the air so our noses were a couple inches apart. “That’s not true is it, Bubba?” The dog repeatedly licked my face. “I didn’t think so.” Reese shook her head. I chuckled, set Bubba down, and took off my jacket.

“Here, I’ll take that.” Reese hung it in the foyer closet. My eyes took the opportunity to scan her body. Her light-colored jeans hung loose on her slim frame. When she lifted her arms to hang my jacket, the red sweater she wore rose just enough to expose the top of two dimples on her lower back, which I happened to find ridiculously sexy. I was almost busted when she quickly turned and closed the closet door. “Dinner should be ready shortly. Would you like something to drink?” She rattled off a couple of options before I settled on a beer.

“I like your house.” Taking a moment, I took in the cottage style décor, including a stone fireplace with built-in shelves on either side. The charcoal gray wood flooring contrasting to the white walls was strikingly beautiful… much like the owner.

A beaming smile grew across her face. “Thank you.” She walked into the main room with my beer and a glass of wine in her hand. “Here you go.”

We sat down and a picture on the side table caught my eye. Reese wore a black graduation gown with a red honor stoles around her neck along with another one with Greek letters. Her grandfather stood next to her in front of a familiar building. “You went to Sutton?” She nodded. “How could we have gone to the same university, without me knowing that?”

“Because you were gone when I got there. I was a freshman your senior year.” That would make Reese around twenty-three or twenty-four. Although, I didn’t plan on confirming that assumption.

“And your sorority?”

“Gamma Pi Delta.”

“That was my frat’s sister sorority.”

“I know.” Something in her snippy tone had me wondering if maybe we had met before, but there was no way I wouldn’t have remembered. The timer on her oven beeped; Bubba sprang up and followed her into the kitchen, preventing me from asking why she sounded ticked off about that.

Opting to abandon the previous conversation, I stood and walked toward her. “Everything smells great.” Reese pulled a casserole dish from the oven and set it on a hot plate in the center of the table. I hadn’t noticed the salad and rolls already there.

“Thank you. I hope you like it.”

We sat down and she plated our dinners. I didn’t know when the last time a woman, other than my mother or my housekeeper, cooked for me. Reese wasn’t only stunning, she was a great cook. We ate in silence, and before long, my plate was empty. When I looked up, she was staring at me.

“Sorry, I was hungry and well, this is the best thing I’ve eaten in a long time. You’re a very good cook.”

“Thank you. I love cooking. Kenzie and I learned at an early age.” She looked as though she wanted to give me insight to why that was, but instead she motioned toward the casserole. “Please help yourself to more.”

She didn’t need to tell me twice. Once my plate was filled with my second round of chicken, rice, and broccoli, I decided to ask the question that has been bothering me. “Why do you dislike me so much?”

Reese placed her fork down and dabbed her lips with her napkin. “I don’t dislike you…” I cocked a brow. Her lips quirked up in the corners before she added, “Much.”

“So, you generally give people you like the finger?”

“Not usually, no.”

“What can I do to make you change your mind about me? Because I can’t stop thinking about you. I think you should give me a shot.”

“A shot at what?”

“Dating you—” Before I even finished what I wanted to say, she shook her head, sending her blonde hair swaying on her shoulders.

“Hear me out. I think we’d be good together. If nothing else, we can be friends.”

“You don’t even know me. How could you think that?”

“I know you love your family, you understand football, and you have a soft spot for animals. I also know you protect those you care about.” I went on to say, “I too love my family, also have football running through my veins, and like animals. See… match made in heaven.”

“Those are hardly reasons to date.”

She got up and carried her almost empty plate to the sink and turned the water on. I followed, stood behind her, bringing my chest a breath away from her back. Reese’s floral perfume tickled my senses. I could feel every part of my body begin to react to her. If I wasn’t careful, she was going to think I was only after one thing.

Reese turned off the faucet, then looked over her shoulder and tilted her head back. Her lips were mere inches away from mine. What would she do if I leaned forward and kissed her? It wouldn’t take much, just a slight dip of my head. Then again, if blowing her a kiss and winking earned me her middle finger, would our lips touching force her to punch me? Not wanting to risk it, I stepped back.

Reese’s chest rose and fell with a few deep breaths, her cheeks pinkened, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say she was just as affected by our close proximity as I had been. Taking a chance, I confessed. “You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a great idea.”

“Or it could be the best idea. Actually, could be the best kiss you’ve ever had.”

She failed at suppressing a grin. “You’re awfully confident.”

“It’s my nature.”

I should be happy that she didn’t flat-out decline, and, not wanting to seem like a prick, I nodded and went to the table to get my plate. We silently worked in tandem cleaning the dinner dishes as though we’d done it a million times together, and when we were done, I thought she’d ask me to leave. Instead, she opened a cabinet and pulled out a pink box that I recognized from the bakery.

She put a few cookies on a small dish. “Would you like some coffee?”

“No, thank you.”

Reese brewed herself a cup and carried it along with the sweets into the family room. She sat on the couch, but I couldn’t stop myself from walking to the built-ins. Books, pictures, and a few awards adorned the shelves. Most of the framed images were of her and her grandfather, her sister, and a woman holding a baby.

“That’s my mother.” I turned and strode to where she was sitting and made myself comfortable on the opposite end of the sofa. “She passed away shortly after I was born.”

“I’m sorry. I understand how important family is.”

“Thank you. Yes, they are. You were right, I am very protective of those I care about. It probably stems from my childhood. My grandparents stepped in and gave us a wonderful life.” She sipped her coffee and abruptly changed the subject. “Congratulations on the playoffs.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “How hard was that to say? Your face looks like you just bit into a dill pickle.”

“First, I happen to love dill pickles, and second, just a little.” She gave me a tight grin. “The Rockets are a good team. You just need to watch your tells.”

“My tells?”

“Yes, you have certain quirks. If I had a headset and direct line to the defensive coordinator, that final play yesterday would have resulted in a sack and not you running into the end zone.”

My head reared back. No way did I give anything away at the line. When Reese gave a silent whatever via a nonchalant shrug, my curiosity piqued. “Okay, why don’t you enlighten me? What did I do that prompted you to think you knew the play we were going to run?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure I should say anything.”

I rested my right ankle on my left knee and stretched my arm on the sofa’s back cushion, making myself comfortable. In other words, I’ve got all night.

Reese rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll tell you.” Okay, maybe she can read my mind. “When you’re going to throw a screen, you tap your center’s back twice, when you’re going to hand the ball to your running back, you tilt your hip to the left or right depending on which way the defense lines up, and yesterday, you looked at your tight end before shifting your eyes and giving a slight nod to the defensive back who was ready to block your wide receiver.” She casually raised one shoulder. “It was a bold move. That’s when I knew you were going to take it yourself.”

If I hadn’t been so shocked, I would have been completely turned on. No, scratch that. Hearing her describe my offensive play had me needing to readjust my pants. That had to be the hottest thing anyone had ever said to me.

“Do you know how sexy you are?”

She laughed and, once again, I wanted to kiss her. Instead, I picked up a cookie and polished it off, giving my mouth something else to do. Except something told me Reese’s lips would be sweeter.

“I’m sexy because I know what play you’re going to call?”

I shook my head. “No, you’re sexy because you understand the game I live for. Knowing you watch me so intently is what turns me on.” Her face took on a rosy hue. “I like this side of you much better than the expressive fan in the stands. But since I don’t want to press my luck, I’m going to call it a night.”

We both stood, Reese retrieved my jacket, and I slid it on while she picked up Bubba. I palmed my phone and unlocked it. “Can I have your number?” When she paused, I added, “Please?” To my surprise, she rattled off ten digits. After I immediately dialed them and her phone rang, I hung up. “Now you have mine. Will you be watching the game this weekend?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Good. I’ll be sure to make the necessary offensive adjustments.” I stepped onto the porch. “Thanks again for dinner. See ya, Bubba.”

She nodded, and the white puffball barked. If it didn’t sound ridiculous, I’d say that puppy was smiling. I turned to leave, and she said, “Trent, watch out if Beckett lines up in the Stars’ backfield. If he swaps with Sanchez, he’s going to blitz. Oh, and the Stars, they are 0-8 against quarterbacks with an E in their first name. So you have that going for you.”

Who was this woman? “Anything else?”

“Bailey falls for a hard count. He leads the league in neutral zone infractions and false starts. Free yardage up for grabs.”

That one I knew about, but didn’t let on that I did. “Noted. Thanks, Reese.”

“What are friends for?” The bright smile that lit up her face had me reciprocating with one of my own.

“Friends.” I bobbed my head a few times. “I can live with that… for now.”

We stared at each other for a long minute until she moved back and closed the door. I had no idea what just happened, except I knew Reese Parker could change my life.