Page 1 of Tailored for Them

Chapter One

TAYLOR

My name is Taylor Desmond,and I was fucking sore.

I took a moment to brace my hands on my knees, inhaling through my nose and exhaling out of my mouth to calm my heart rate. I could smell the saltwater from the nearby ocean in the air. The sound of the waves crashing beyond the grass field I stood on was loud enough for me to focus on for a moment. The sun was setting, painting the cloudless sky in deep warmth. The marine layer was providing a chill in the air, something my sweat-soaked body was struggling to tolerate. My rugby team and I almost had our asses kicked in this last match, but I sprinted like hell to ensure that didn’t happen.

I was going to be so fucking stiff tomorrow.

“Good game, T.” Leo roughly patted me on the back as he jogged past. His light blue eyes were already on his girlfriend on the sidelines, who held a water bottle in her hands for him. Jacqueline raised a brow as he shook out his inky black hair, grinning as she backed away from him a step. Then another. Soon she was widening her dark brown eyes and grinning from ear to ear, anticipating Leo’s moves as he sprinted the last few feet and scooped her up in his sweaty arms. She squealed, playfully hitting his shoulders while he attacked her with kissesto her neck. All of her dark brown hair was tied in a knot on the top of her head, and it fell loose as Leo ravished his girlfriend.

I pulled off my headband and put it back on again, keeping my hair off my face while I turned toward the sound of a man laughing.

My other teammate, Zaid, adjusted his glasses on his nose. He was with his girlfriend and family. He held his nephew, who could be his mini twin. They both shared olive-toned skin and dark hair. Zaid spun his nephew in a circle, making the kid laugh while his girlfriend, Signe, stared at the two of them with hearts in her eyes. She tucked her red hair behind her ears as a grin spread across her cheeks, and she made grabby hands at Zaid’s cheeks.

“Taylor!” I heard a child’s voice call in the opposite direction. I turned my head to the side and saw Susie Madey excitedly waving me over. I grinned and jogged over to the nine-year-old, who gave me a once-over before loudly proclaiming, “You’re stinky.”

“Who, me?” I asked, pointing to my cheap jersey and sniffing it, “No. You must be smelling yourself.”

Susie wrinkled her nose, her curly blonde hair shaking with her head. “No, trust me. It’s you.” Her look reminded me so much of her namesake that I felt my chest twist in mourning. Before I could get too in my feelings about that, Susie’s dad, and one of my best friends, spoke up.

“Where’s the cooler of Gatorade your team gets to dump on you?” Josh, who wore a beanie and sunglasses, attempting to blend in, asked. No one here had recognized the famous rockstar yet, and it had been months since he started bringing Susie to watch me play. I was impressed, but then again, it wasn’t uncommon to see celebrities in southern California. Once you’ve seen enough, the shock and awe start to wear off. Seeing Josh perform live for the first time all those years ago was cool, butthe moment Courtney brought him over to hang out with all of us, he was just another guy my friend was dating.

“This isn’t football,” I rolled my eyes at him as I bent down to pull my water bottle out of my bag, “Plus, no one here would dare try that with me.”

I heard a soft, feminine laugh, and my back stiffened at the sound.

When did she show up?

I stood, bringing my water bottle to my lips as I glanced toward the sound that sent my blood pumping, pretending to watch Susie run out onto the field with the rugby ball.

There she was.

Nicole Young.

She stood with Leo and Zaid, and their partners. Whereas Leo and Zaid were my teammates, they were Nicole’s coworkers. She was friends with Jacqueline and Signe. The first time I saw her was actually at Signe’s apartment a couple of months ago. My friend Eloise wanted to stop by to have Signe sign her romance novel, and I tagged along. That’s also how I discovered that one ofmyclients, Violet Thompson, was also an employee at Sun Steer Technologies.

Small world.

Nicole and I didn’t talk that night. Eloise and I only stayed for a moment before leaving. But I caught a glimpse of Nicole, sitting on all the pillows and blankets Signe had prepared for their movie night. She tucked her legs close to her body; her arms wrapped around her knees in a hug. She was quiet, observing the scene around her. As soon as my eyes landed on her, Nicole looked away from me and blushed.

She was a stunning woman, even in her pajamas.

I ran into Nicole again when Jacqueline confessed her love to Leo a few weeks ago, and I considered making small talk with her. After watching Nicole watch Jacqueline’s performance,I started to become infatuated with the shy, curvy woman. Unfortunately, I got pulled away to help set the large speaker back in Jacqueline’s car. The way Nicole smiled and blushed at Jacqueline’s dance was endearing.

Our eyes met once, she blushed hard and immediately looked away from me.

When I accidentally bumped into her later, I choked.

She smelled too good. She was so sweet and apologized to me, even thoughIbumped intoher.

So, yes, I was still very infatuated with her.

I was pretty sure I wanted her.

She had straight, short, almost black hair that hung above her shoulders in a bob. Her dark eyes twinkled at whatever stupid joke Leo probably made, and her lush lips pulled back in a grin that made a dimple pop in her cheek.

I capped my water bottle, caught in her trance.

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