Page 5 of Dangerously Yours

It was the last thing I wanted to think about right now. With it only being May, I wanted to enjoy the rest of my offseason before the daily grind started once more. No veterans really enjoyed those hot summer days of practice, and the thought of holding out long enough to avoid most of it did enter my mind, but I was not going to feed into the media frenzy and appear to be the very diva they claimed me to be. No, I would spend the next two months living my best life, then report to work, ready and able to drive this team to the championship they greatly deserved.

It really sucked, though, hearing the preseason reports, and knowing that my star was diminishing in this city. Gabriel would often tell me how much he wished he could have experienced any of this, but Romeo and I would then send him back to Earth with the truth. He was in the public eye, like all of us Titans, but it was a lot different. If I wasn’t an athlete, I would still be involved in sports, so essentially, football was something that would never leave me. It was in my blood. When suiting up and getting out on the field, very little matched the same adrenaline. Only sex did, which was why I was already grumbling about having to pick up Callum. The five of us were actually headed to Manhattan for the weekend, and I had to go upstairs to get my friend.

He lived close to where he was currently, and I already knew why he was here more than his own place. Nicole Courtland. It was absolutely wild that Callum had ended up with Jonas’s niece, and not been killed over it by the redhead. I knew the younger Courtland well, but his older brother was a different story. I was actually surprised that Logan hadn’t killed Callum, either. He loved Nicole, and I was sure the other Titans noticed it which was why they begrudgingly accepted it. I just hoped that this weekend away wouldn’t involve Gabe and Cal moping around without their women.

I was shaking my head wryly as I pictured the two constantly on their cell phones, acting like those girls in teen movies. At least I would have Daxon and Romeo by my side, just in case. A loud rumble of thunder boomed overhead once I got out of my car, so I quickly shut the door and headed toward the building. I had hoped to make it inside before the skies opened up and I very well might have had a woman not asked for me to hold the door. I couldn’t see who she was, but I did notice the large bags she seemed to struggle with balancing.

“Hold the door,” she said again, her voice sounding oddly familiar.

“I am, but please, let me help you,” I replied, then grabbed the bag she seemed to be struggling the most with. Once I got it into my hands, and we both escaped the rest of the heavy rain, I looked over and knew exactly why she sounded so familiar. “Where’s Cade?”

I knew of her husband, although the two of us had never been close. We would see each other at parties and even on the golf course, but his group of Titans were nothing like mine. The man was also almost twenty years older than me which would also explain a lot. What didn’t make sense was that he had his wife carrying so many bags. Lulu paled at the mention of her husband, before mumbling something under her breath.

“What did you say?” I asked as we both stepped into the elevator. I already knew which floor was hers, so I hit the key and the doors closed behind us.

“Cade’s out of town this week,” she offered up, and while it didn’t sound like what she had said, I didn’t care one way or another. I was simply being courteous and helping a female in distress. “I heard it’s going to storm pretty badly out there. I’m glad I got back home in time.”

I turned and when I did, I heard her hiss out loud. It didn’t take long for my eyes to follow hers. It was then when I saw the Starbucks cup wedged between her and another bag, and a darkening wet splotch on her one pristine white shirt.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you had?—”

“It’s okay,” she told me, and when I set the one bag down and grabbed the other, my eyes immediately moved lower. Hernipples were hard beneath the cotton of her tank top, and like any man, my dick hardened. She reached into her purse and produced a napkin, then started to dab at her chest which only kept my eyes glued there. This woman was also likely closer in age to Cade than me, so I shouldn’t have been aroused by anything on her, yet there I was with a hard on as I imagined my tongue licking every dark drop of liquid from her flesh. I had fucked older women before, and realizing they were the most experienced of lovers I had, my current state only got harder.

“Are you okay? I hope you didn’t burn your?—”

“It was iced coffee.” And that would explain why her nipples were hard enough to cut glass.

The elevator chimed, and I knew we had reached her floor. I remembered why I was there with her, and I picked up both bags, only shaking my head when she went to grab one of them from my hands.

“I’ve got these. Could you tell me more about the incoming storm?”

Travel in Chicago was always hit and miss, especially when Mother Nature was involved. I couldn’t even count the number of times a flight either in or out of the city was canceled due to wind, ice, snow, or even rain, if heavy enough. The last thing I needed was for ours today to be cancelled or delayed. There was a concert in Manhattan, and a bachelor party at the Vault right after. Due to Daxon and some last minute appointment, we already had to bump our flights back. If there was any delay, we would miss the opening acts completely.

“We’re under a tornado watch, and I heard there might’ve been one on the ground in Kankakee.”

“Fuck,” I cursed.

“I can get these if you need to go. I?—”

“It isn’t that. Do you mind if I check the weather after helping you get these things inside?”

“Yes, yes. Of course,” she quickly told me, then unlocked her door.

I followed her inside the massive penthouse, and it was nice. I had never been in this particular unit, although I had seen others during the early construction phase of this building some time ago. Lulu didn’t tell me where to set the things down, so I placed them on the counter, and she turned the television on. The local news was playing, and they mentioned something about the weather after a small commercial break.

“Perfect timing,” she told me, then handed me the remote. “Here you go. I’ll be right back.”

My eyes followed her backside as she disappeared into the bedroom. For someone right around forty, she still had one hell of a figure. I had seen this woman in just about every state of dress at one time or another, but seeing her in something so casual as a pair of khaki cargo pants and a once-white tank, this particular look had its appeal.

“Welcome back to ABC7. Meteorologist Shannan Carter is here to tell you about the latest severe warning just issued by the National Weather Service,” the news anchor said, catching my attention immediately.

“Thanks, Pierre. This afternoon is shaping up to be very active as not one but two tornado warnings have been issued for our area.” The woman went on to detail when and where theyexpected the storm to land, and hearing that a funnel cloud had been detected by storm chasers on the ground near O’Hare had me growling. “And over two dozen flights have been canceled out of both airports tonight. For a full listing of which ones, please check your flight trackers or our website.”

The news continued to stay on the weather as the two desk anchors rattled on and on about this being a particularly dangerous situation. The only thing in danger was my weekend of fun. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and the airline website had nearly finished loading when Lulu reentered the room.

I looked up from what I was doing to see that she had put on a pair of yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt. I had no doubt that her shirt was likely her husband’s, and upon realizing that, I stopped ogling her. Instead, I turned my attention back to the screen, and sure enough, my flight had been canceled. There was no way I would get to the concert without flying, and I wasn’t sure what I was maddest about – the concert or the after party.

I loved hanging out at the Vault. We made use of the one here so often that we had a section of the club reserved for us. It was much of the same in New York City. Callum’s cousin Mason Stone owned both of them. He also owned clubs in other cities as well. The last time I had spent any time with the man had been around the week of his wedding. Marriage seemed to suit him, as it did others I knew in the Big Apple, but I doubted that it ever would for me. I enjoyed my single lifestyle too much, even if it basically meant being alone when plans like tonight’s were canceled.

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