Page 24 of Learn the Play
I need to tread lightly here. “I’m not your dad, Bellamy. I’m me. I’m a man who met his dream girl, and all I want to do is spend more time with you. I want to take you on a date. No, lots of dates. I want to spend hours talking to you, getting to know you better. I want to hold you while we sleep, and I want more of you, any fucking way I can have you.”
“You don’t mean that.” She looks off into the distance to avoid my gaze.
“Bell?” I take her hand in mine, giving it a soft squeeze. Her eyes come back to me—my brown-eyed girl. “I do mean that. It’s been four weeks since that night, and you’re all I can think about. Ask my friends. I told them about you. I told them you were my dream girl, and that I hoped one day you’d come back to me.”
“Right,” she scoffs.
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I call Knox. He picks up immediately. “Can you come over here?”
“On my way.”
I end the call, shoving my phone back into my pocket.
“What are you doing?” she asks, panic in her tone.
“I want him to tell you who you are to me.” Knox is the calmest and most serious of the five of us, next to Foster, and then Baker, who became more serious when he found out he was going to be a dad. Damn, maybe I should have called himover. He could be the perfect example of a father who can have a career.
Oh well, too late to change my mind now.
“I’m your one-night stand, Reid. That’s who I am.”
Fuck, she’s killing me here. I can see it in her eyes. She wants to fall into me, just as badly as I want her to, but she’s fighting it. She’s set on football players being bad, and it’s going to take a damn hard fight to change her mind.
“What’s up?” Knox says, his eyes bouncing from me to Bellamy.
“This is Bellamy. Bellamy, this is my quarterback, and one of my best friends, Knox Beckett.”
“Nice to meet you.” Knox offers Bellamy his hand, and she takes it.
“You too,” she says politely, but she’s guarded.
“Knox, what do you know about Bellamy?”
He raises a brow. “What do you mean?”
“What have I told you about her?” I ask him.
Understanding passes between us. “Well, you said you met a beautiful woman named Bellamy at Landon’s wedding, and you called her your dream girl. You had some drinks, walked on the beach, and closed down the bar together.”
“Thanks, man.” I nod.
“I hope to see you again soon, Bellamy,” he says, before turning and walking away.
I watch as he leaves, and my eyes land on my coach. He’s staring daggers at me, but her best friend is all smiles. That’s encouraging. Turning my back to them, I block her view. I want all of her attention on me.
“Say something.”
“Reid, we can’t do this.”
“We can. You have to let us. Give me your number. We’ll start slow, but it’s just you and me. No others between us while we figure this out.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Your dad didn’t cheat, Bellamy. He worked too much. Just because I’m a football player doesn’t mean I don’t know how to keep my dick in my pants. You can’t just lump me in with your dad or every other football player you’ve heard bad things about. That’s not fair to either of us.”
“How is that not fair to me?” she asks, just as I was hoping that she would.
“You’re robbing yourself of the opportunity to see what this is between us. Even if we don’t end up dating.” We totally will. “I’m a pretty awesome guy.” This makes her crack a smile, but she quickly schools her features.
