Page 73 of Gridlocked on the Gridiron

Instead, he pleaded, “Give me one more night. Please. Just let me have one more night.”

Maybe taking the night would give him enough time to process and figure out the right thing to say to her. He needed to. He couldn’t go back to seeing her as just an analyst that was there to help his game.

Lucia’s eyes met his. She wiped the tears from her face, patting her cheeks and under her eyes a few times before she nodded. “Okay. We agreed to be there, so one more night. I’ll get ready to go to Devin’s,” she whispered.

He nodded, and even though he should’ve, he didn’t feel victorious in the slightest. “I’m gonna take a drive. I’ll be back in thirty.”

The drive hadn’t cleared his head, and the short, sparkly, silver dress Lucia chose to wear wasn’t helping one bit. That fucking dress. It was absolutely going to be his undoing.

All he’d wanted was to take her back into her house and talk to her, make her see that she was making a mistake. But that probably wouldn’t have done anything since he still couldn’t formulate a coherent thought to explain his feelings. So instead, he’d driven them to Devin’s house and parked himself beside Rudy and Cooper, his eyes never straying from Lucia for long.

Lucia laughed at something Jenna said as they danced together, and Colton could hardly pay attention to what Cooper and Rudy were talking about beside him as he watched her smile light up her whole face. That tug on his chest that he felt any time she was near made an appearance, and he tried to breathe through it, rubbing two knuckles over his sternum.

“Do you feel ready for playoffs, Colt?” Cooper looked over his beer at him.

“About as ready as we can be, I think,” he answered distractedly.

Cooper and Rudy exchanged a surprised look, which pulled Colton’s attention back to them. “What?”

Coop shrugged. “Nothing, man. That’s just…I never thought I’d hear you say we’re ready for any game, let alone a playoff game. You’re Mr. We-can-always-be-better.” Rudy raised an eyebrow at Colton like he agreed with Cooper.

“Well, of course we can always be better. But if we beat Tampa Bay next week, we have a bye for Wildcard week, which we always utilize well. Don’t you agree we’ve found our rhythm? We’re playing like last year.”

His friends still looked unconvinced, but Colton’s mind was already off football. Of course he was excited for playoffs and for what the rest of the season might bring them. They were right on the cusp of what they’d all been hungry for: a chance at another Super Bowl ring. That didn’t change the fact that being separated from Lucia for those three days when she was in Philadelphia had been agonizing. His fingers had itched to text her about every minute detail of his life, from his pizza leftovers to the horrible bars Maya and Landon had dragged him to. He’d wanted to tell her everything but had settled for little daily check-ins, even when she seemed distant. And now, without understanding why, he was about to have to say goodbye to their quality time together. To their texts. To his safe space. All he would have of her would be their sessions after practice.

“You know how much I love the game, but let me tell you, I’m so glad the season’s gonna be over soon. I’m tired of the road. I just wanna be home with Jen and the kids, man.”

Cooper set a hand on Rudy’s shoulder. “That sounds like a personal problem, my friend.”

“Nobody’s managed to seduce Cooper Hayes’ heart, then? You’d think with all the women who throw themselves at you, you’d have found somebody you like enough.”

Cooper’s eyes flicked to Colton briefly before going back to Rudy. “Nah, I’m not really interested in settling down like y’all two. I’ve got a few years before I gotta worry about that. If I ever do.”

“I never thought I’d see the day that Colton would be out so often, and it’s for a woman. So who knows what might happen, Coop.”

Colton frowned. “What does that mean?”

Rudy put his hands up in surrender before taking a swig of his beer. “You never came to parties for more than an hour or so. Same with Thanksgiving at our house and any other team event. You’d come, show your face, and go home to watch film or lift like a masochist.” He shrugged. “It’s just nice to see that Lucia has gotten you to relax a little. Shown you that there’s more to life than a pigskin.”

Colton’s eyes slid back to the woman in question. Devin’s house had never been so packed, people crushed together body to body like the parties back in college. Still, he could make out the wide grin on Lucia’s face as she moved her hips to the music, her hair wild and free, cheeks flushed from the heat of the house and the alcohol that was surely in her system. He was glad she was feeling better. The sight of her crying had destroyed him, and he’d hated every second of it. Just watching her made his lips twitch up into a smile, despite the pain he felt knowing it might be the last time they were together in this way. He vowed he would do everything he could to ensure she had a good night, even if it killed him. Even if it meant pretending it didn’t.

“See? I’ve never seen you like this.”

“Huh?”

Rudy just smiled at him, genuineness lining his features. “I’m happy for you, man.”

“Alright, this is getting to be a bit sappy for me, so I’m gonna go find a sexy and willing woman to satisfy my many desires. Catch y’all tomorrow.” Cooper headed outside where a large group of women danced together. Colton was sure Coop would have no trouble finding what he was looking for, knowing his friend really did have women throwing themselves at him in droves.

“I’m gonna go get another beer. Do you need one?” Rudy eyed Colton’s nearly full beer.

“No, I’m set for now, thanks.” His eyes, drawn like a magnet to Lucia, found her again. Leigh had joined them, along with another couple of women.

A group of men Colton didn’t know had been circling the girls most of the night as if waiting for the right moment to approach. Colton tensed as a guy moved toward Lucia and whispered in her ear, a grin on his face. He hadn’t touched her yet, but Colton’s hand still tightened around the bottle in his hand. He watched as the guy danced at a surprisingly respectful distance from her, even as she stopped paying him any mind and resumed dancing with Jenna.

They continued like that for a few minutes, Colton’s eyes never leaving them. The guy talked to his friend, watching the girls dance with a look on his face that made Colton’s blood boil. Then the song changed, and the guy’s hands landed on Lucia’s waist.

Colton’s mind emptied, and he was across the room in seconds.

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