Catching Summer (9 page)

We ended up eating at a fancy steakhouse that had the best chocolate cake I’d ever tasted. The steak was good, but nothing compared to the dessert. “Are you going to start serving chocolate cake at the restaurant now?” Evan teased.

“I might have to. The only problem is that I’d probably gain fifty pounds if I did.” That was why we were walking around the gardens at the hotel. I had eaten so much I could barely move.

Evan chuckled. “You’d still be sexy if you did. For so long, all I’ve been around are women who only cared about what they looked like. I almost thought that was going to be my life, a trophy, with an endless parade of women who only wanted me to be in the spotlight.”

“I would rather be alone than live like that.”

“I basically was. At least until you decided to be mine.”

I smiled up at him. “Same here.” We continued walking until we reached a gazebo that was right in the middle of the gardens, surrounded by lush flowers. The sun bathed the sky in warm glows of pink and orange, signaling its retreat; it was breathtaking. “What’s the longest relationship you’ve ever had?” I asked.

He snorted. “I don’t think you can consider any of the women I’ve dated ‘relationships.’ Lindsey was the longest at three months. She was just like the others. They’d get pissed when I wouldn’t shower them in gifts. I knew their games and I wasn’t going to play along.”

“I don’t expect gifts. You know that, right?” I whispered, facing him.

“I know. But there isn’t anything I wouldn’t give you.”

We sat in silence until the last remnant of the sun disappeared in the distance. Hand in hand, we walked back to the room, stealing glances here and there. When he opened the door, a chilled bottle of wine waited for us on the counter. “You’re not trying to get me drunk, are you?” I teased.

He chuckled lightly. “No, I just thought you’d like it.” When I got closer to the bottle, I recognized the label immediately. It was my favorite white wine. I hopped up on the counter and watched him open it.

“I see someone has been paying attention.”

He poured me a glass and handed it to me. “I’ve known for a while. Every time I’d come into the restaurant, you’d ask Grayson for a glass once the night was coming to a close.”

I took a sip and studied him. “I didn’t think you really noticed me back then.”

Shrugging, he poured himself a glass and swirled it around. “I did, but Lara was the one who warned me away. Even my sister told me to back off.”

“That might have been a good thing. I wasn’t in my right mind back then. So much has changed.”

He tapped my glass with his. “I’ll drink to that.”

I drank the rest of my wine, and he poured me another glass. “Are you going to miss seeing me at the field every day?” I asked. Now that my first-aid and CPR certifications were renewed, my time with the team was done, at least until Kate took time off with the baby. I would probably help out a little bit, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it full-time while she was gone. Lara and Grayson would still need me at the restaurant.

Gently, Evan placed his hands on my knees and spread my legs apart so he could stand between them. My insides clenched with just the simple touch of his body to mine. “I will, but now you’ll have nights free to be with me. I’d rather not share you with my teammates.”

“Why, Evan, were you jealous?” I teased.

He drank the rest of his wine, keeping his hungry gaze on mine. “I’m not going to lie. Seeing the way they looked at you was enough to drive me in-fucking-sane.”

Setting my glass down, I placed my hands on his cheeks. “You don’t have to worry about that now. I’m yours…completely.” I took a deep breath and reached for his hand, his heated gray gaze swirling with desire. I guided his hand up to my shoulder and slid it down, along with my dress strap.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked huskily.

I nodded and dropped the other strap of my dress. “Yes.”

Leaning over, he placed his lips on my shoulder, kissing his way up my neck. His cock grew hard between my legs, pushing into me. “How long has it been?”

“Not since Austin,” I whispered.

He looked down at me, his gaze sad. “I understand.”

Reaching behind me, he unclasped my bra and tossed it on the floor. Bare from the waist up, I heard a rumble of satisfaction growling in his chest when he looked at me. He picked me up in his arms and carried me to the master bedroom, setting me down on the large bed. Once all of his clothes were gone, and I had slid my dress off, he climbed onto the bed and spread me wide. “I promise to go slow, sunshine. I don’t want to hurt you.”

I glanced down at his thick length and shivered, my body growing wet at the sight. “I’ll be fine as long as you make love to me.”

He kissed his way down my leg to the inside of my thigh and slid his tongue down my slit. My body jerked and I gasped, wanting more. Entering me with his tongue, he fondled my clit with his nose and breathed me in. “You’re so wet,” he growled. He replaced his tongue with his fingers and pushed them inside with ease. Holy hell, I wanted to feel him inside me. I didn’t care if it hurt; I just wanted to feel the connection. I was so close to losing control, but he pulled back before my orgasm could peak.

Kissing his way up my stomach, he latched onto a nipple, sucking it greedily. I arched off the bed and whimpered. Chuckling, he flicked his tongue across a sensitive peak before hovering above me, the tip of him pressing against my opening. “I know you were close. But I want to be inside you when you come.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

Lowering his body onto mine, he circled his cock in my wetness before pushing. My body instantly clenched, wanting more of him…all of him. But he kept his word and glided in slowly, determined not to hurt me. His body rocked gently back and forth until he was fully submerged inside of me. I moaned in the pleasure and pain of it and he groaned, picking up his pace. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I held on tight as he made love to me. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I let myself fully open up to him, letting him in. Our bodies moved perfectly together, in sync. My orgasm built, and without warning, it exploded from within. Digging my nails in his back, I rode wave after wave of pleasure until he released inside me, all warm and thick. His breaths came out deep, almost like growls, as he regained his composure. I didn’t want him to see my tears, but when he looked down at me, he saw them. He turned my face to the side to be sure and swiped his fingers along the wetness.

“Fuck, Summer, did I hurt you?”

Swallowing hard, I shook my head and tried not to let any more tears fall, hoping my voice didn’t crack. “No, it was amazing.”

“Then why are you crying?”

He held my face in his hands, his eyes boring into mine, refusing to let me go until I answered. “I’m scared. I didn’t realize it until now,” I confessed.

“What are you scared of?” he asked gently.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and opened them back up. “I’m scared of losing you. I already lost one love of my life and I don’t think I can handle it again.”

His smile took my breath away. “I’m not going anywhere, sunshine. Not unless you tell me to go.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.” Pulling out of me, he lay down on his back, pulling me to his chest. His heart thumped against my ear, and it soon lulled me to sleep. And never once did I awake from a nightmare.

The crowd cheered for their home team, but we were dominating the field. We were up by fifteen points with half the game left to play. Football could be brutal, and I was witnessing it firsthand. Today, I wasn’t really liking the sport.

“Is it just my imagination or does fifty-two seem to be gunning for Evan?”

Andrew Sawyer, the other team physician besides Kate, pursed his lips and peered out over the field at Evan, who had just taken a brutal hit from an ogre on the other team. “Hmm, he does seem to be a little volatile out there. Let’s see what he does with this next play.”

While we watched in curiosity, I chewed on my nails. I was way past ready for the game to be over. Then again, like clockwork, number fifty-two went straight for Evan before Cooper could even pass him the ball. Luckily, he was able to dart out of the way, but he wasn’t able to make the catch.

“I’m thinking he probably pissed the guy off,” Jaxon added. He stood on my other side and grinned down at me. Andrew just shook his head and rolled his eyes. Apparently, he didn’t like Jaxon, either.

“You would know all about pissing someone off, wouldn’t you, Jax?”

He chuckled. “It’s part of the game, baby. There’re always vendettas against someone in this sport. Townsend probably fucked the guy’s girlfriend or something.”

“Really?” I snapped, glaring up at him. “Get away from me.”

Still laughing, he stepped away, but he was still too close. Coach Joel was just a few feet away, and I could hear him bitching through his headset about fifty-two being right on Evan’s ass each play. Luckily, the clock ran out for halftime. The players rushed off the field to head to the locker room, but Evan walked with me.

“Are you okay? You’ve taken some hard hits,” I said to him.

Taking off his helmet, he gave me a smile. “I take hits with each game, sunshine. I’m kind of used to it.”

Instead of going into the locker room, I stopped him by the door. “Yeah, but I’ve never seen anyone go after you like that. Did you piss the guy off?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “No, I’ve never talked to the fucker before. It’s just part of the game.” Moving closer, he pressed me against the wall and kissed me, long and hard. “You need to stop worrying. I’ll be fine.”

I nodded and bit my lip. Hearing my irrational fears would only drive him insane. Maybe I was worrying for nothing, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going on. “Okay,” I mumbled. “I’ll stop stressing.”

“Good, because tonight we’re going to celebrate…just you and me.”

I smiled. “I can’t wait.”

He kissed me quickly and rushed off into the locker room. I wished I could shake the uneasiness, but I couldn’t. Once the break was over, the guys emerged with more energy than before. Andrew came out and walked with me back onto the field while the players rushed past us. He was a nice man in his midforties with ash brown hair and amber-colored eyes. Since Kate wasn’t there, he’d asked me if I could help him out if any of the guys got injured. Of course I agreed.

As the game continued, I stood there with Andrew as, play after play, Evan had to dodge the same mammoth. There were only two minutes left in the game and I jumped up and down in excitement, mainly because I was ready for it to be over. Cameras flashed from all directions, and it took me a while to realize they were taking pictures of me. It was never like that when I was with Austin at his MMA fights.

“Get used to it, sweetheart,” Brianna cheered. She waved her pom-poms in the air and shouted for the team.

“Used to what?” I asked.

She looked at me and winked. “The attention. I’ve been watching you, though. I think somebody got lucky last night.”

“And that is my cue to go,” Andrew added, quickly retreating.

Brianna sheepishly watched him leave. “Oops, sorry about that.”

Laughing, I shook my head. “It’s too late now. How can you tell, anyway?”

She circled around me, giggling. “Because you, my friend, are positively glowing. You look radiant. Who would’ve thought that having sex would brighten you up?”

Unfortunately, my smile didn’t last long because she said it so damn loud that everyone around me heard, including Jaxon. “Shit, Bri, people can hear you.”

“Oh, who cares? There’s nothing to hide, is there? The only person sore about it is Dickwad, since he didn’t get to you first,” she said, nodding toward Jaxon, who had a scowl on his face. “And, of course, skank-ass Lindsey.”

“I just worry about them scheming again. I feel like I’m back in high school.”

She snorted. “Tell me about it. But I don’t think you have to worry about that. After what they did, they’re probably afraid of Evan turning them in. You should be safe.” With only a minute left to go, she said goodbye so she could get back to the other cheerleaders. Everyone expected Cooper to throw the ball to Evan, which was what I thought he would do, but instead he threw it to Gavin. So many things happened at once that I didn’t know what I should focus on. Gavin caught the ball and ran it down the field while our team shouted in joy, but then number fifty-two barreled toward Evan from behind.

“Evan, watch out!”
I screamed. Though I didn’t know if he’d heard me, he turned around just in time to duck out of the way, but the other player still lunged and tackled him to the ground. We scored a touchdown, but that wasn’t what the audience was cheering about. All hell had broken loose. Evan and the other player grappled around on the grass before a helmet flew across the field and a fist lifted in the air. Evan got in one good punch before Derek and some of the players from the other team broke the fight apart. At first, seeing how everyone was pushing on one another, I thought it was going to be World War III on the field. I wanted to rush out to make sure Evan was okay, but then I saw the team being herded through the crowd and off the field.

The game was over.

We had won, but everyone was on edge. Luckily, Evan didn’t face any penalties for punching the other player, since number fifty-two was the one who had provoked it all. It was clear Evan was being targeted. However, it left us all wondering what he might have done to cause such strife.

“Are you sure you didn’t fuck the dude’s sister, mother, or anyone, for that matter?” Derek asked.

Clenching his jaw, Evan gripped the armrest and glared at Derek’s reflection in the rearview mirror. We were sitting in the very back of the SUV, so I placed my hand on his knee, hoping it’d help him calm down. It seemed to work a little, but not much. “For the fiftieth fucking time, I have never talked to that douche or touched anyone that could remotely be connected to him. I don’t know what the fuck his problem was.”

“Well, he obviously had a problem with you,” Cooper said, glancing at us over his shoulder. Gavin looked at us, too, and nodded.

“At least it’s over and we can call it a night,” I cut in.

Derek chuckled. “You got that right, sweetheart. We need us a few drinks.” He pulled into a restaurant parking lot and turned off the ignition. “What y’all say about stopping here? It looks like a nice place.”

“As long as they have food, I’ll be fine. Is it okay with everyone else?” Brianna asked. She glanced back at me and lifted her brows. I nodded to let her know I was in. Now that I owned my own restaurant, I actually liked visiting other places to see how their presentations were. Evan could probably use a few drinks, and I knew I could. The whole game had stressed me out.

“Are you okay?” I whispered in his ear.

Forcing a smile, he looked over at me, placing his hand on mine. “I’ll be fine. Just let me get a couple of shots in me.” I could tell he was baffled by the whole game incident. If he couldn’t figure out why that douchenozzle was going after him, then I knew none of us could. Maybe the guy was just being a dick. Unfortunately, we’d most likely never find out.

We all got out of the car and strolled into the restaurant. The hostess’s eyes got wide as we walked in, and she squealed when she realized who the guys were. All heads turned our way as she guided us toward a table. Before we could sit down, Brianna grabbed my arm, whispering, “Do you mind coming with me to the restroom?”

Evan pulled out my seat, but I held up my hand. “I’ll be right back.”

He nodded and sat down, but Derek chuckled. “What is it with you women? You can’t take a piss by yourself?”

Brianna winked. “It’s the only time we can escape and talk shit about you.”

Her smile faded as soon as we got far enough away for the boys not to notice. “Are you okay?” Holding my arm tighter, she shook her head and burst through the bathroom door.

As soon as we were inside, she let me go and ran her hands through her chestnut hair, her brown eyes worried. “I have a really huge problem,” she confessed.

“What’s wrong?”

A lone tear fell down her cheek, and her shoulders slumped. “I’m pregnant.”

Mouth gaping, I stared at her in shock. “Wow.”

She leaned against the counter. “Exactly. I found out two days ago, and I don’t know what to do.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know what to do? Are you thinking about aborting it?”

Her head lifted, eyes wild. “
No,
that hasn’t even crossed my mind. I want to keep the baby more than anything. I just don’t know how to tell Derek. You know how he is. He’s such a goofball. I can’t imagine him wanting to settle down. Not to mention, I’d have to give up cheerleading.”

“What else do you do besides cheerleading? Did you go to college?”

She nodded. “To dental assisting school. I guess I could always do that if I needed to.”

I had no doubt Derek would take care of her, but it was good that she had other connections in case she had to take care of herself. Putting my hands on her shoulders, I smiled. “You’ve got this, I promise. Only you know when the time’s right to tell Derek. I think he’ll surprise you.”

“You think?” she asked, her eyes hopeful. Brianna was still young, and she had an innocence about her that reminded me of myself. Derek would be a fool if he screwed things up with her.

“I
know,
” I said wholeheartedly. “Derek’s a good guy. I have faith in him.”

Wiping away her tears, she nodded and stood straighter. “I feel much better now. I’ll tell him soon.”

I put my arm around her and led her to the door. “That sounds like a perfect plan. Now let’s get you and that little one in there something to eat. I’m kind of famished myself.”

When we got to the table, Derek held out her chair while Evan did the same for me. I focused on the way Derek looked and interacted with her, and it confirmed I was right. He loved her. “Why are you looking at them like that?” Evan whispered in my ear.

I looked at his smiling face and then at the three empty shot glasses in front of him. At least he was loosening up. It just so happened that I had a glass of wine in front of me. “I was just observing them,” I said, picking up my drink. “Thank you for ordering this for me.”

He put his hand on my leg and slowly slid it up my thigh. “You’re welcome. Are you hungry?”

“Very.”

Discreetly, he leaned closer to my ear. “Then make sure to eat up and get your energy. You’re going to need it tonight.”

My body tingled and I shivered. His hand stopped right between my legs, where he put gentle pressure against my center. It was enough to drive me mad. I squeezed my thighs against his hand and let out a shaky breath. “You’re going to need it, too. Be prepared.”

“I look forward to it.”

Brianna had offered beforehand to be the designated driver, which was smart on her part since she didn’t want Derek to know she was pregnant just yet. Hopefully, she wouldn’t put off telling him. The food was amazing, but it wasn’t as good as my restaurant’s. I was beginning to believe that no place was going to be as fabulous as mine. There was nothing wrong with being biased.

Once everyone was done eating, we paid our bills and started for the door. Evan winked at me and I could tell he was feeling much better. That moment lasted for only a second, though, before we were outside in the parking lot, and definitely not alone. Standing by our SUV were three guys, all built like football players and ready for trouble. Evan stiffened and so did the others.

“Get behind me now,” Evan ordered.

My heart thundered out of control, but I did as he said, and Brianna joined me. “Who are they?” I asked quietly.

“The guy in the middle is number fifty-two. His name is Levi Milner.” Eyes wide, I looked at the tall dark-headed figure with the evil leer on his face. This wasn’t going to be good.

“Having a good night?” Levi asked.

Evan scoffed. “What do you want, Milner?”

Levi and his two goons approached. “Just seeing if you guys wanted to celebrate your win tonight.”

Clenching his fists, Evan was about to attack, but I grabbed his hand and squeezed. He took a deep breath and looked down at our clasped hands before turning his glare back to Levi. “I think we’ll pass. As much as I’d enjoy kicking your ass, I know that’s what you were hoping for. I’m not a fool, Milner. So back the fuck up.”

If Evan were to retaliate, he could easily lose his football career. I just prayed he had the patience to get us out of there. Levi wasn’t backing down, so I stepped in between them, placing a hand on both of their chests. Evan tensed, and so did Derek and Cooper. Smiling, I turned my attention to the opposing players. “Come on, boys, where’s your manners? Surely you have more important things to be doing tonight, right? I’m pretty sure I saw some hot-looking chicks inside.”

Levi grinned widely. “I see one out here. How about you come with me, and I’ll forget everything?”

My smile faded. “There might be a slight problem with that. I tend to get a little kick-happy in the presence of douchebags. I’d hate for you to choke on your balls, but by all means, keep taunting me.”

Levi smirked and nodded for his friends to walk on. When they left, Brianna unlocked the car and Derek helped her inside. Cooper and Gavin both got in, leaving Evan and me with Levi. “I’d keep her close,” he warned, winking at me. “You never know when someone might try to steal her away from you.”