Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77900 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77900 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“I needed to know you were okay,” he finally answers, his voice low and soothing.
“It was one night,” I remind him.
“Was it? That’s not how I remember it.”
“Your memory is lacking.”
“Hmm,” he says, burying his face in my neck and breathing me in. “I don’t think so. You smell the same. Your body feels the same wrapped in my arms, and look at us, Bell, you still fit me perfectly, just like you were made for me.”
I open my mouth to argue with him, but he’s right. His messy, dirty-blond hair, those vibrant blue eyes, and his inked-up arms look good next to me. I can admit that to myself, but not to him. Before I can form a response, there’s a knock at the door, and then footsteps as the door opens.
“Everything okay in here?” Amanda asks, stepping into the bathroom with Corie, Rowan, and Sloane on her heels.
“I’ll leave you ladies to it.” I watch in the mirror as Reid presses his lips to my temple. “Take care of my girl, yeah?” he asks as he drops his arms from around my waist and steps back. He hesitates before finally walking out of the bathroom.
I exhale a heavy breath. Damn, that sexy, infuriating, intoxicating man.
“Wow,” Amanda says, fanning her face with her hands. “You said wedding guy was hot, but you didn’t tell me he was that hot,” she says, making the other three laugh.
“Are you okay, Bellamy?” one of them asks. She steps next to me, placing her hand gently on my arm. “I’m Rowan, Landry’s wife.”
“I’m sorry,” I mumble.
“What? Why on earth are you apologizing?” she asks, her brow furrowed.
“For acting like a fool and running off like that. I just needed a minute.”
“Corie.” One of them raises her hand. “Knox’s wife,” she adds helpfully. “First of all, you didn’t act like a fool. Secondly, there’s no crime in needing a minute to catch your breath. It’s obvious that you didn’t expect to see Reid here today, or at all.”
“No. I didn’t expect him to be here, and not at all,” I agree with her.
“I know that you don’t know us,” Corie says. “I know we’re strangers to you, but I promise you, Reid’s a good man. He came home from that wedding defeated. He’s always happy and smiling, but that spark has been missing over the last month.”
“Until today,” Rowan adds. “The moment he saw you, we had the old Reid back.”
“I gotta be honest here,” the third one says. “I’m Sloane, by the way, not married to any of the Rampage hotties, but besties with this one since we were kids”—she points at Corie—“and this one because we said so.” She laughs as she points at Rowan. “She did marry my pseudo brother, which is her brother, after all.” She nods to Corie. “Anyway, back to what I was saying. Honestly, it’s hot as hell to see Reid chase after you the way he did. You should have seen that man’s face when you jogged off. It was a mix of concern, fear, and determination.”
“What?” I shake my head, trying to process her words.
“Concern, because he didn’t understand why you ran. Fear, because you were running again, and determination because no matter how fast you tried to run, he was always going to catch you.”
“That’s not creepy at all,” I mutter. I’m thankful they’ve reintroduced themselves now that I’m coherent enough to remember their names, but of course, they’re going to be on his side. They’re his family, after all.
“I think it’s sweet,” Amanda says. “You’re too close to this entire situation to see what we see,” my best friend says gently.
I don’t ask her what she sees because I’m not sure that I want to know. It doesn’t matter, because Reid, whose last name I now know is Montgomery, is a professional football player, one who works for my father, or under him, I guess—I’m not exactly sure, but they’re together—mixed with the game that stole my family from me. I’ll never do that to my potential future children. Never. So, what they see doesn’t matter, because Reid and I can never be anything more than a night of shared passion.
“He’s a football player.”
“I’m guessing there’s a story there,” Corie muses.
“Yeah,” I say, then decide I might as well tell her. “My father left my mom and me for his career. Football ruined my life. I swore I’d never date a professional athlete.”
“Rules were meant to be broken, Bellamy,” Amanda says gently.
“Not this one.” Never this one. Football ruined my life.
“I’m sorry,” Rowan says. “But you’re wrong.” My mouth falls open at her words. “I dated a football player, who emotionally, mentally, and physically abused me. It wasn’t his career; it was the man. Now, here I am, married to a football player who would rather cut his own arm off than even consider ever harming me.” She pauses, giving me time to process her words, and the bathroom is silent as I do. “I don’t know what happened between your parents, but I can tell you it wasn’t football that’s to blame. It could have been any career. Don’t hold someone else’s mistakes or shortcomings against Reid.”