Page 11 of Undisputed Player
Another day, I might have indulged her, maybe suggested drinks at my beach house after her kid was tucked in. Today, I just wasn't in the mood.
"Jax!"
I looked up to see Avery barreling toward me, her blonde curls bouncing, uniform slightly rumpled as if she'd been in a hurry. I pocketed my phone and crouched down, arms open, as she launched herself at me.
The impact of her tiny body against my chest sent a rush of warmth through me that no amount of ring victories or model conquests could replicate.
I laughed, lifting her into the air and spinning her around. Her giggles echoed off the vaulted ceiling, drawing smiles from even the most stoic-faced staff members.
"How was school?"
"It was the BEST day!" She wiggled in my arms, her blue eyes wide with excitement. "We learned about dinosaurs and Leo knew ALL their names and everyone said I asked really good questions and?—"
"Whoa, slow down," I laughed, setting her down and taking her backpack. "Who's Leo? The dinosaur expert?"
"My FRIEND," she emphasized, as if I should obviously know this crucial information. "He sits next to me at lunch and he has a T-Rex eraser and he lets me borrow it sometimes even though it's his favorite and he's really quiet but really smart and?—"
She paused, inhaling dramatically. "OH! You have to meet him! He's still here! COME!"
Before I could respond, she grabbed my hand, tugging me toward a classroom off the main hallway. I allowed myself to be led, amused by her enthusiasm.
Avery made friends easily, a trait she'd inherited from me rather than her mother, but this Leo kid seemed to have made quite an impression.
The classroom was mostly empty, the end-of-day chaos having subsided. Colorful artwork lined the walls, and tiny chairs were stacked neatly on miniature tables.
A small boy with brown hair sat at a desk in the corner, carefully placing books into a worn backpack. He glanced up as we entered, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of me.
"Leo!" Avery called, skipping toward him. "This is my uncle! The one I told you about! He's alion!"
The boy—Leo—offered a shy smile, his gaze quickly returning to his backpack. "Hi," he said softly, the word barely audible.
I was about to introduce myself when movement from the other side of the room caught my attention.
My attention that would be kept forever.
She stepped out from behind her desk, arms full of papers, her head bent as she scanned a worksheet.
She was nothing like the women who usually caught my eye; she had no platinum hair or surgically enhanced curves, no designer clothes, and no calculated sex appeal.
She was slender, with honey-brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, loose strands framing a face that looked like it had been carved from starlight and exhaustion.
Her features were delicate but sharp—high cheekbones that caught the light, a small nose, lips pressed thinly together in concentration that spoke of someone who'd forgotten what it felt like to relax.
She wore faded jeans and a simple jacket that should have been forgettable, but on her, they transformed into something that made my fingers itch to touch the worn fabric and feel her warmth beneath it.
Her skin was sun-warmed, her body slim and understated, unlike the women who usually draped themselves over me with their silicone and artifice.
There was a quiet strength in how she moved, a kind of deep wariness that made her seem present yet untouchable, like she was here yet not.
She was so fucking beautiful.
She moved with careful grace through the classroom, her steps almost soundless against the alphabet rug.
There was something in the way she carried herself, a readiness, a vigilance, that reminded me of fighters before a match—coiled strength beneath a calm exterior.
But it was her eyes that destroyed me. Large honey-brown eyes framed by long, dark lashes. They were sharp as broken glass and twice as dangerous, holding a depth I'd never seen before, a quiet intelligence mixed with exhaustion so profound it made my chest ache.
When those eyes flicked up and met mine for just a heartbeat, I felt something fundamental shift in my world, like tectonic plates realigning to create a new landscape I didn't recognize.
