Page 18 of Mr. Irrelevant
“Fine,” I reply, pretending to be annoyed. “But no funny business. We don’t have time to fuck around. Looky, but no touchy.” I point an accusing finger his way. He lunges forward in an attempt to trap it between his teeth, but I pull away before he can. “We’ll be working on speed and agility tonight.”
“The worst,” he repeats, lifting me from the ground and carrying me toward the en suite, both of us laughing the entire way as he peppers playful kisses all over my face and neck. We shower together, him watching as I slowly and sensually wash myself in a private show just for him. He tries to break the rules, attempting to reach out and touch me every now and then, but I swat him away, promising to let him do whatever he wants to me next time we’re alone.
As I’m on my way home to change into work clothes, dressed in Maddox’s sweats and matching Renegades hoodie, I can’t help the silly smile that breaks free when I think about how amazing the evening was, and how I can’t wait to do it again.
SEVENTEEN
LIVVY
“Hey!”I say, opening the door of my apartment to a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Bailey. It’s early morning, and she’s here to do Syd’s and my makeup for today’s home game. We’re halfway through the season, but I’m onlyjustgetting used to having to look my best in front of the cameras. Sure, we were in the public eye from time to time when I was younger, but it’s nothing like it is now that we own the Renegades. As the future of the team’s front office, I can’t just show up in leggings and a worn-in hoodie with my hair in a messy bun. I have to look the part and put myself together every time the media is around, which is why we brought in a professional. As soon as I found out that our new tight end had a significant other who’s worked with some of the most well-respected WAGs in the league, I had to lock her down. And I don’t have a single regret, because she’s amazing.
“I come bearing caffeine,” she replies, holding up a cardboard drink carrier with three large cups. Thearoma of hot, fresh coffee hits my nose, and suddenly, I’m feeling a lot more alive than I was five minutes ago.
“Are you sure you don’t want to marry me instead of Jett?” I ask, taking it from her hand and leading her inside. She pulls her giant suitcase of goodies behind her, scoffing playfully.
“He’d have to propose first.” Even though they only reconnected this past February, I imagine she’s on pins and needles waiting for him to pop the question. I don’t really blame her for that, since they missed so much of their lives together after Jett’s parents passed away and he had to leave without saying goodbye. I’ve learned a lot about their history in the month she’s been my esthetician, and I can say without a doubt, I’ve never seen a cuter couple. If I don’t find a love like theirs, with a man who would walk across broken glass just to give me a kiss, I don’t want it. I settled for less for entirely too long in my last relationship. I can wait for Mr. Perfect. In the meantime, I have something pretty damn close, minus the fact that we aren’t in an actual relationship.
It’s been two weeks since Maddox and I finally gave in to our attraction, and I don’t think I’ve had more fun—or been this thoroughly fucked—in my entire life. When we aren’t having mind-altering sex, we’re working hard at the practice facility, which has still been going great. Between him being more confident and the team showing major improvements now that they’re used to playing together, things are starting to look up. Maddox swears my magical pussy—his words, not mine—is responsible for the fact that they haven’tlost since we started sleeping together, but I know better. He’s like a totally different quarterback than he was when he stepped onto the field for the first time earlier this season. His confidence has grown by leaps and bounds. Adding his amazing leadership skills to the mix has made the Renegades the team to watch. The entire city is behind them, and with the way the rest of our division is struggling, we may even have a chance at making the playoffs if we continue building on this momentum. Sure, it’s a long shot…but it’s not impossible. I believe in this team, and I know I’m not the only one.
“I’m sure it’s coming soon. I’ve never met anyone who’s more obsessed with their girl than Jett,” I tell her, a pink blush creeping across her cheeks as she grins like a fool. Knowing him, he’s probably renting out a billboard as we speak. He’ll want to shout it from the rooftops, so the world knows that Bailey Hart agreed to be his wife.
“I hate everything and everyone,” Sydney says, dragging herself down the hallway from my guest bedroom, where she stayed last night. She’s wrapped in a thick comforter, blonde hair resembling that of a rat’s nest, clearly not happy to be awake at this hour. But kickoff is at one o’clock, and there’s no way to the staff parking lot at the stadium without braving city traffic. If we don’t leave early, the game will be over before we even get there.
“I brought coffee,” Bailey rushes out, handing a cup to my gremlin of a sister before anyone gets hurt. Syd shoots her a sleepy smile, taking a sip before ploppingdown into one of the upholstered chairs at my dining table.
“You’re my favorite person in the whole world,” she says. “Even more than—” She pretends to hide her hand as she points to where I’m standing. I answer by flipping her off, lowering into my seat so we can get started. The lack of sleep from always being on the go is messing with my skin, so I’m hoping my girl can work some magic to brighten it up.
She unzips her suitcase, taking out everything we’ll need for a quick facial and laying it out next to me before securing a spa wrap over my freshly blown-out hair to keep it out of her way. I sip my coffee, enjoying the feeling of being pampered as she cleanses and exfoliates.
“So,” Bailey begins, her fingertips smoothing over my face, “what have you been up to? I feel like it’s been weeks since we really caught up.” It’s not that we haven’t seen each other. She’s been here pretty often. But other than team stuff—which makes zero sense to anyone, sometimes even me—all I’ve done is spend time with Maddox. And neither of them knows the details. Syd knows that I’m working with him and that I think he’s hot, but that’s it. Initially, I wasn’t going to tell her because I didn’t want her making jokes about it. But the longer I keep the details to myself, the worse I feel. My sister and I tell each other everything, and Bailey has very quickly become part of my inner circle. Maybe it’s time to let them know what’s really going on.
“I’ve been, umm…” I trail off, swallowing thickly. “I’ve been hanging out with Maddox Dane.” Her movements come to a screeching halt, fingers hovering over me as her brows furrow in confusion.
“Like, the Renegades’ quarterback?ThatMaddox Dane?”
“That’s the one,” Sydney cuts in. “Apparently, he sucks and needs Livvy’s help to not embarrass the fuck out of our family name.” I roll my eyes in response, shooting an annoyed look over my shoulder. But of course, she can’t just shut the hell up. “She also wants him to blow her back out.”
Bailey tilts her head, a coy smile spreading across her lips. “What a scandal,” she chides. “What does your dad think about all of this?” Bringing her attention back to my face, she adds a few drops of serum before massaging it in. It smells amazing, and I can actually feel my skin begin to plump under her fingertips. I attempt to answer her question, but Big Mouth behind me interrupts before I can.
“He has no idea it’s even going on,” she says. I can hear the mischievous grin in her tone, and I sigh in indignation as she continues. “They sneak into the practice facility every night—to work, so she says. But if you ask me, it all seems like a wasted opportunity to fuck him behind the bleachers. I’d have been folded like a pretzel weeks ago, just saying.”
Here goes nothing.
I turn, looking down my nose at my sister. “Who says I haven’t?” I toss back, a nervous smirk passing over my features as her eyes widen in surprise. Her jaw drops, and she sputters for several seconds, making mereturn to my previous position with a new air of confidence. It isn’t easy to render Sydney speechless, but it sure is rewarding.
“Wait,” Bailey marvels, the revelation finally hitting her. “Are you telling us you’ve slept with Maddox?” Her eyes are burning into me like laser beams, just as I’m sure my sister’s are, but now that some of the words are out, I just want to keep going. I’ve been keeping this to myself for weeks, with absolutely no reason for doing so. They aren’t going to spill the beans to anyone, and it’ll be nice to actually process the situation out loud.
“Yeah,” I answer with a shrug. “It happened after they won their first game. I went to his house to watch tape, which was something we’d done previously. I thought it would be cute to show up in his jersey, which he apparently appreciated, because I didn’t even make it through the door before he was devouring me. One thing led to another, and now we’re just kind of casually having sex.”
“Just sex?” Sydney asks. “You seemed reluctant when we talked about it before. What made you change your mind?”
I wrinkle my nose. “I don’t really know. The pros outweighed the cons, I guess. We have so much fun together, and our chemistry is insane. He doesn’t treat me like I’m some wannabe cool girl who doesn’t really know her stuff. He appreciates and respects me—and even though we both know we can’t be together, I love spending time with him. The sex is amazing—don’t get me wrong—but even when we’re just messing around,it feels like I don’t have the weight of the entire city on my shoulders. I can just be…me.”
Bailey pulls out a chair, sitting down with a sigh. Her eyes soften, and before she even utters a single word, I already know what she’s going to say. I can’t blame her, either. Because now that I’ve heard myself say it out loud—I’d probably draw the same assumption. “Are you going to be able to do this without getting attached? I’m all for having a good time, but will you be able to end things when the time comes, and it not affect your life? It’s not like it’ll be a clean break. You guys basically work together.”
“We’ll be totally fine,” I reply with a wave of my hand, doing my best not to show the disappointment twisting in my chest at the thought of having to stop what we’re doing. I know it’s inevitable with our circumstances, but he’s quickly become a safe place for me, and I can’t imagine not having him to escape with at the end of every day. “We both know what this is, and what it isn’t. When it’s over, we’ll part ways like mature adults.”
“Okay,” Bailey relents, raising her hands in surrender. “As long as you don’t end up hurt.” I really do appreciate her concern. She doesn’t know about my past with Deacon, and what a shitshow our relationship was, but she’s not wrong to be worried about my feelings. That breakup is the reason I vowed never to date another football player, and even though I’ve allowed myself to have some fun with Maddox, I’m not breaking the promise I made to myself.
