“With any luck, I’ll only be out one game. Worst case scenario, it takes longer than it should to heal and I can’t play till next season. I’m sure plenty of people would attempt to soothe me by saying things likeit’s only half a year, but the Mustangs were the joke of the NFL when I signed my contract. Now, we’re second in our league. Not that I’m solely responsible—the entire team’s worked their asses off. And the thought of letting them all down…” He swallowed hard, twisting his head enough to lock eyes with her.
“If anyone can defy the odds, it’s you. This is just a minor setback, and I…” She hesitated, not because she didn’t believe in Gavin with her whole heart, but because she was a woman of science and didn’t want to make promises she didn’t have control over keeping.
But every once in a while, logical problems didn’t need logical answers. Hope and faith were powerful emotions, ones that had been scientifically proven when it came to faster recovery.
Julie took hold of the hand not resting on his torso and gave it a squeeze. “Let’s focus on the here and now, and what we can control. If you rush to jump back in, you could end up with a full tear and injure the CC ligaments as well. That’s why we’re going to listen to your trainers and coaches and take this week to rest and heal.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he teased, and she pursed her lips. Then she transitioned back into his peppy personal cheerleader.
“Do that, and I have no doubt that when playoffs come, you’ll be out there on the field with the rest of the team, blowing everyone away. The crowd, anyone involved with the Mustangs, all the doubters and haters, and most importantly, me.”
One corner of his mouth kicked up, forming a groove in his cheek. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days, so the faint outline of a mustache and a five o’ clock shadow dusted his upper lip and jawline. Not that she’d ever questioned the tastes of the list makers of the hottest football players, but as she took in Gavin’s profile and separated the boy she’d known forever from the kickass quarterback he’d become, she couldn’t help thinking he deserved not just to be on the list, but at the tippy-top.
“Thanks, Jules. I needed to hear that. Especially from my friend who’s right most of the time.”
“Most?”She made an offended noise in the back of her throat. “What’s all thismostnonsense?”
His laugh soothed her worries and had her settling deeper into the futon. Then he rolled to fully face her, his left shoulder the one bearing his weight. “Enough of my pity party. What’s going on with you?”
To tell or not to tell, that was the question. “Okay, so don’t make fun of me, but…” She sat up and wrung her hands together. “I want—noneed—to try something against the norm for me, and I…
“The truth is, I could use a whole heap of help in order to… Ugh, it’s honestly so embarrassing that I’m not sure if I can even…” Suddenly, the temperature in the room shot up at least a dozen degrees. Sweat beaded her brow and she fought the urge to yank off her stifling pants. Bonus, she could then use them to cover her undoubtedly bright red face.
Gavin sat up and nudged her. “Gonna finish any of those sentences?”
She sank her teeth into her lower lip. “Yes. No. Maybe?”
He rolled a finger, prompting her to spit it out already. If she continued to peer into his questioning eyes, she’d never be able to, so she dropped her head into her hands. “Remember Brad?”
His voice dropped low and markedly even. “It’s hard to forget about Brad the bastard.”
“Well, when he dumped me, he…” Her words came out muffled, but she couldn’t bring herself to lower her hands. That stupid stab in her chest returned with a vengeance, too, chipping away more of her confidence. “He told me I was boring, and yes, that included in the bedroom. So what little sexual prowess I had is completely gone, and I can’t believe I’m telling you this, but anyway, I’m going to proveto myselfthat I’m not boring. By having a fling over the holidays—it’s a present to myself, really.”
She spread her fingers enough to peek through them. “And, since that Kory guy is handsome and, as everyone heard my mom say several times, single, I’m considering attempting having that fling with him.”
…
How in the hell was Gavin supposed to respond to that? Especially since he was still trying to rearrange all the pieces so that the picture made sense.
A fling? With that scrawny dude she met tonight?
Also, Brad the bastard told her she was boring and bad at sex?
Gavin curled his hands into fists. What a fucking asshole—he’d never been a fan, but now he wanted to hunt him down and pummel him to a bloody pulp. With one arm literally tied down, it’d help Brad’s chances of survival, but no promises.
Worse, he’d heard the hurt as she’d confessed that part, and now she was lowering her hands to her lap, clearly expecting a response. Instances like these were the reason he preferred she do the bulk of the talking. He never knew the right thing to say.
Although, given her earlier display with Kory, she could use help in that area, which she’d also mentioned. “Brad’s a total tool, and come to think of it, Smitts lives in Mesa, Arizona, so not too far out of the way. I wonder if he’d do me a solid and go kick his ass for me.”
“That’s the only thing you got out of my entire spiel?” Her voice cracked, and it shot him right through the heart.
He placed his hand over hers. “Sorry. My anger made me fixate on what a jerk your ex is, and I went straight to plotting payback on your behalf. As for that other stuff, the fact that he said something so cruel to you”—he exhaled as his blood pumped in hot, quick bursts—“means that he obviously doesn’t know how to please a woman, so don’t you dare take that out on yourself.”
Her eyes turned glossy, a clear sign she was fighting her emotions. “What if it’s true, though? I like sex, and happened to think I was good at it, but maybe he was the only guy willing to tell me the truth. Even if he didn’t have to put the brutal part in being so brutally honest.”
“I don’t buy it. Any guy who’s worth your time, even if it’s just a fling, should study your reactions and take a few fucking seconds to figure out what you like. Did he ever ask you what you wanted? Did you ever have a discussion about it?”
Julie’s shoulders sagged. “No. I guess that’s on me, too. There were times I…” Her cheeks flared red, the same way they’d done earlier. “I had to take matters into my own hands, if you catch my drift. I didn’t talk to him about that, either, because I didn’t want to bruise his ego. Ironic, considering he had no problem shattering mine.”