Loved by the Linebacker (14 page)

Chapter 23

Evan

I tug at the tie around my neck, it feeling more
like a noose than an accessory. I’m wearing a monkey suit because my new agent,
Kip Deevers, insists it’s for a good cause. He’s right, the gala tonight is to
raise money for cancer, but I hate being outside of my comfort zone which
includes wearing a suit and tie and pretending to like everyone around me.

A string quartet plays on the stage underneath the
twinkling Christmas lights. Ungodly amounts of tulle and satin garnish the
tables and I wouldn’t be surprised if a bride and groom walked in at any
moment. It was a thousand bucks a pop for a seat at tonight’s dinner, imagine
how much would actually go to charity if it wasn’t wasted on these elaborate
decorations. The Christmas lights reflect in the attendance gift, a crystal
cancer ribbon ornament. I roll my eyes, only imagining what that alone cost.

Leaning back in my assigned seat, I loosen my tie
and begin to people watch. The only guests seated are senior citizens and
pregnant women. At the bar are the single men checking their phones, ready to
get out of here, because the chances of picking up a single woman here is slim
to none. I let my eyes drift and scan the rest of the room. My eyes stop in
front of the stage when I see her.

From my view, her long dark hair falls in waves
down her back. Her tan skin contrasts against the burnt orange dress that is
molded to her tight body. Even from almost a hundred feet away, I almost need
to wear sunglasses to block the sparkle from the diamonds she adorns. Just the
sight of her and my palms are sweaty and I’m more nervous than before a game.

Camila and I have been apart almost as long as we
were together. Part of me wants to say, fuck it, who cares she slept with Blake
and lied about it. I miss her—her laugh, her confidence, her attitude. I just
miss
her
. But then the other part of me reminds myself that she did just
that, she lied to me. She slept with my brother. How do I know I’m not just a
token in her scheme to get Blake back?

I take a few minutes to observe her in her
element. Standing beside the number one NFL draft pick, a rookie from Oklahoma,
Camila commands the attention from every man standing in their circle. The
group of men laugh as she tells a joke and I feel myself smiling along with
them even across the room.
Screw it, I’m not going to sit here and watch
this all night.

Rising out of my chair, I stride across the room,
making my way to Camila. Once I reach her, I simply take her by the elbow and
walk her out to the dance floor. I don’t take the time to apologize as I do
this and Camila is too stunned to say anything either. Pulling her against me,
I link our hands together and put my other on her waist. We sway to the tunes
of the violin and other instruments, Camila’s face still in shock.

“Wh-wh…Evan,” she says, finally closing her mouth.

I grin that for once in her life she’s speechless.
“Camila,” I say back curtly, getting a laugh out of her.

She moves her hands around my neck, hugging me and
we continue dancing in that position. “How’ve you been?”

I shrug, staring into her chocolate eyes. “I’ve
been better. You?”

She looks away and glances around the room. “I’ve
picked up a few new clients.”

“Then I guess your loss on me wasn’t too bad,” I
reply, the bitterness clearly evident in my tone.

Her jaw stiffens, but she doesn’t respond to my
comment. We dance quietly and her tantalizing scent drives me wild. Her head
rests on my shoulder and I let one hand caress her bare back. My mind’s made
up, I’m going to forgive her. Beg for her to come back to me, but then again, I
already knew that when I got out of my seat.

“Camila—” I begin and then stop. Walking toward us
in a burnt orange tie that matches her dress, is the old geezer Gregg Turner. I
lean back, looking down at Camila and shaking my head. “Are you fucking kidding
me? You ran back to
him
?”

Camila glances over her shoulder, not moving her
hands away from my neck. “Gregg and I are friends, Evan. I haven’t slept with
him since Colorado.”

“Well then, I guess tonight should be good for
both of you.” I pluck her hands off my neck and turn away from her with a
disgusted sigh.

She doesn’t let me get far. Her hand grasps mine
and she tugs at it, forcing me to look back at her. “Evan, please, can we
talk?”

“That’s nothing to talk about, Camila. We had some
good times, you’re a good lay. Now, let’s move on and forget about each other.”

Her hand drops mine and her face goes blank. My
heart sinks and I turn before she can see the pain in my eyes. She’s hurt me
one too many times, now it’s time to turn the tables. Walking up to the bar, I
wave the bartender over. “Whiskey on the rocks and make it a double.”

Camila

“Everything alright?” Gregg asks, his hands on
either side of my waist as he stands behind me, watching Evan walk away.

Turning quickly, I look up at him and nod. “Of
course.” I spot Mia across the room and turn to Gregg. “I’m going to run to the
ladies’ room and I’ll be right back.”

He nods, kissing my cheek. “Camila, don’t let him
go if that’s what you want.”

I look up at Gregg, tears in my eyes and he
brushes his lips across my forehead. I make my way to Mia, dragging her by the
hand to the ladies’ room. Once the door closes, I drop to the couch and let the
tears fall, sobbing to my friend about the incident that just occurred. Mia
moves beside me, her arm draped over my shoulders as she tries to console me.

“Why am I like this?” I question, wiping at the
tears and forcing myself to stop crying.

“Oh Camila, because you really like him,” Mia says
and gives my shoulders a squeeze. “You need to talk to him, away from everyone.
I’m sure he’ll forgive you and you two can be together. Men don’t always see
the big picture, just ask my husband.” Mia smiles as she finishes her sentence
because for the longest time Tate thought Mia was still married to her
ex-husband.

Standing up, I move to the sink and begin to fix
my make-up. “You’re right. I just need a few minutes to explain and beg him for
a second chance.” I sigh. There’s nothing to explain. Plain and simple, I slept
with Blake. More than that I had a relationship with him and I blatantly denied
it. Now, I’m going to have to grovel if I want to get Evan back.

Mia hands me my lipstick. “He’s a fool if he
doesn’t take you back.”

I pause, looking at my friend and giving her an
earnest hug. For the longest time, I only had Blake in my life as both my best
friend and lover. Meeting Colie and Mia has been a blessing because there’s
only so much farting and football a girl can handle.

Gregg greets us at the door, waiting for our
return. He’s filling in as both mine and Mia’s date tonight since I’m
hopelessly single and not talking to Blake and Tate’s on the road, unable to
attend with Mia. He takes each of our hands, giving them a kiss on the
knuckles.

“The two most beautiful women and I’m lucky enough
to call them my dates,” he says with his charming tone.

Mia laughs and thanks him but I’m too busy looking
around the room for Evan, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Gregg takes my hand,
giving it a light squeeze and he raises his eyebrow.

Forcing a smile, I shrug and he leads us to the
dance floor. The three of us begin dancing to the DJ that’s replaced the string
quartet. We all laugh at how bad our dance skills are and Evan is pushed out of
my mind. A few songs go by and Mia excuses herself to get a drink. The DJ
announces he’s taking a break and the string quartet begins again. The music is
slowed down when they play a familiar Elton John tune. Gregg slides his hands
to my waist, pulling me close to him and we sway with the music.

“Thanks for coming tonight,” I tell him as I slip
my arms around his neck.

He nods. “Anything for you, Camila, you know
that.”

I smile and rest my head on his chest. “You’re a
great friend, Gregg.”

“You’ve been a very special woman to me for a long
time. No matter what changes between us, you know I’d do anything for you.” His
voice is soft and sincere and I hug him closer.
Why can’t all relationships
be this easy?

We dance in silence and I reflect on the course
our relationship has taken since our first meeting. The song ends, but Gregg
holds me close. I take a deep breath, inhaling his musky cologne. When I look
into his eyes, we both smile as he leans down but then he stops when someone
taps him on the shoulder. I lean to the left to see who is requesting his
attention when
BAM!
A giant fist makes contact with Gregg’s jaw, sending
him back a few steps.

“Evan! What the hell are you doing?” I demand,
stepping between the two of them. Gregg rubs his mouth while Evan balls his
fist, poised for Gregg’s retaliation. Evan doesn’t get a chance to answer as
security approaches and it takes three guys to push Evan toward the door. My
body shakes as I watch him leave and I turn back to Gregg, who is still too
dazed to look up. Mia stands by his side.

“Gregg, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Guilt takes
over as I reach out for him, unsure where to touch.

He nods. “I’ll be fine, Cam. Go.”

I narrow my eyes, confused. “Go?”

He points toward the lobby. “Go after him, Camila!
If you want him, fight back.”

I glance back at the door then to Gregg. “Are you
sure?”

Mia already has a bag of ice pressed to his cheek
as he nods. Feeling flustered because I’m not sure whether to go after Evan or
stay with Gregg, Mia lifts her eyebrows. “What are you waiting for?” she asks.

I kiss her cheek then do the same to Gregg who
grimaces. Apologizing quickly, I run off after Evan, hoping I can do something
to reel him back in.

Chapter 24

Camila

Five security guards surround Evan in the lobby
outside the gala. I glance around but don’t see Kip anywhere in sight. I push
my way through the guards, all of them at least double my size, one at least triple,
about the size of Evan.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen. My client got a little
upset in there, but no worries, he’s headed to his room so there won’t be any
more trouble tonight.” I put on my confident attitude, taking Evan by the hand
and walking us toward the elevator. Sometimes the best line of defense is
distraction. The guards all speak at once, but I quickly push the button on the
elevator, closing the doors in their face. With no one watching us, Evan drops
my hand and moves to the corner, pouting like a little baby.

The doors open on the twenty-fifth floor and Evan
steps out, not saying a word. I follow behind him and when he opens his room
door, he doesn’t hold it for me to come in. Shocked, I almost get locked out,
but catch the door before it latches shut. Evan throws his jacket on the chair,
shedding his tie, and unbuttoning his shirt, not even acknowledging my
presence. I clear my throat and he finally turns around to look in my
direction.

“Answer my question. What the
hell
was
that?” My hands are firmly on my waist and my eyebrows are arched high, waiting
for his answer.

He shrugs and glances down at his hand, shaking it
from the ache of contact. “What’s it matter? You’ll get laid tonight whether I
did that or not.”

I sigh and shake my head. “Why are you so
insecure?”

A vein throbs in his forehead and he yanks open
his shirt, popping the last few buttons off. In just three steps, he’s standing
in front of me, my back against the door as he looms over me.

“I’m not insecure. You just sleep around, not my
problem.”

I scoff. “Bullshit! So I slept with Blake, big
deal. It was years ago, Evan,
years!
There’s no reason for you to be so
upset that you’d sacrifice us unless one of two things. One—your ego’s too big
to handle it. Or, two—you’re afraid. Afraid that I’ll compare the two of you,
afraid that I’m going to break your heart, afraid that this might be more than
the one-night stands you’re used to. Afraid that I might actually love you the
way you love me.”

Evan’s eyes flicker from anger to an emotion I’m
not familiar with.
Is he letting his guard down? Is he embarrassed that I
called him out?
I hold my breath, waiting for his response until his mouth
crushes mine. It’s the sweet kiss I’ve been wanting, been waiting for until I
taste the alcohol on his breath. With almost no room to move, I put my hands on
his chest and shove as hard as I can. It takes a few seconds to register until
he finally ends the kiss.

“What the hell, Evan? Have you been drinking?” My
chest heaves as I jab my finger into his chest accusingly. “I thought you said
you didn’t want to ruin us and you gave up drinking.”

He takes a step away from me, running his hand
over his bald scalp. “Ruin us?” He snickers and shakes his head. “I’m not the
one who lied about sleeping with my brother. It has nothing to do with my ego
or my insecurity, Camila. We aren’t together because you lied. You’re a liar
and I won’t be with anyone that is. How can I ever believe a word that comes
out of your mouth?”

Tears brim my eyes, but I don’t move toward him.
He’s right. I lied and there’s no way for me to change it. Slowly, I walk to
him, cupping his cheek in one hand and I softly kiss him. “If you’d give me a
second chance, I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you that I’ll never lie to
you again.”

Evan closes his eyes, leaning his forehead against
mine. “It’s too late, Cami. The damage is done.”

Evan

The overpowering scent of pineapples hits my nose,
making me want to wretch. Blinking my eyes open to find out where the smell is
coming from, I’m still surrounded by darkness. In a panic, I rub my eyes,
finding my tie from last night is covering them. I get a sinking feeling in the
pit of my stomach as I slowly pull the makeshift blindfold off.

Lying stark naked in bed beside me is a platinum
blonde. I take in her body as I try to recall what happened last night but her
double D tits and over inflated lips aren’t ringing any bells. Too bad because
I would’ve liked to have seen those lips in action. Quietly, I slip out of bed
and get in the shower. Maybe I can wash away the incident and she’ll be gone
when I get out.

The water on the hottest setting, I close my eyes,
trying to recall the previous evening. I scoff when the first image that comes
to mind is Camila looking more gorgeous than ever in that orange evening gown.
Dancing with her had been the highlight of the evening, holding her that close.
I wanted nothing more than to forgive her and pick up where we left off but
then he appeared. Gregg’s not quite as bad as Blake but still, shock hit me as
I realized how disposable I really am to Camila. If things didn’t work out
between us, she is out nothing because she has Gregg and Blake to run back to.

Spitting water out of my mouth, I shake my head,
pissed that I turned to the bottle last night. I know better, I’ve seen the
effects alcohol has taken on my entire family, but I was just trying to come to
terms with letting Camila go forever. Then when I saw Gregg about to kiss her,
fury took over my body. If I can’t have her, I don’t want anyone else to
either. Thinking of the punch, my hand begins to throb and I look down at my
swollen knuckles. Shit, I wouldn’t be surprised if the cops weren’t waiting
outside my door.

I turn off the water and step into the steamy
bathroom. Drying off with a towel, I wipe away the condensation on the mirror.
Fuck!
Bright red scratches cover my chest, probably from the busty blonde in my
bed right now.
What the hell did I do last night?
One things for sure, I
definitely won’t be falling off the wagon any time soon.

With a towel slung low around my waist, I decide
to face the music and walk back into the bedroom. I stare at this stranger,
wondering what satisfaction she gave me last night. Sure, she might’ve gotten
me off, too bad I can’t remember, but it meant nothing. The only woman I’ve had
sex with that I’ve connected with, wanted to make love to, wanted to hold her
more than have sex with has been Camila. But that ship has sailed so does that
mean I’m destined for meaningless sex the rest of my life?

Deciding it’s probably best I have clothes on
before she wakes up, I pull on some jeans and an undershirt. Taking a deep
breath, I tug on the sheet, trying to casually wake her up, but she doesn’t
budge, only lets out a loud snore.
Fuck my life…

Screw it, I don’t have anywhere to be until my
flight at noon. I order room service and when it arrives thirty minutes later,
I flip on the T.V. When I see a news clip of me and security, I turn the
television off and Blondie finally wakes up.

“Mmm, breakfast in bed. You’re a doll,” she says,
climbing off the mattress and walking across the room.

I chew the bacon in my mouth, watching her curves
and wondering how I was attracted to her. She’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong,
but she’s nothing like Camila and that’s the only person I want. Ignoring
Blondie, I go back to my food while she makes a plate herself, sitting across from
me still in the buff. When I finish my breakfast, I stand up and look at her.

“You need to leave.”

She leers at me, her eyebrows high. “What? You’re
not in the mood for some fun this morning?”

“I don’t remember shit from last night,
sweetheart, and based on the marks you left behind, I’d venture to say I’m
good.”

Her smile gets wider and she stands up, taking a
step toward me. Her long fingernails walk up my chest and I shudder
uncomfortably underneath her touch. “I never knew such a big man could be so
heartbroken.”

My stomach drops and I stare down at her. “What’s
that mean?”

She lifts her shoulders up and down. “Camila’s
missing out on a great lover.” Blondie turns and picks up the leather dress
that’s discarded on the floor. She takes her time pulling it on and zipping up
the matching hooker boots.

“What do you know about Camila?” I demand, both
worried about what I said and defensive about Cami at the same time.

She stands and makes her way to the door, looking
over her shoulder before she opens it. “Not much other than she broke your
heart and you called out her name all night. I should really thank her,”
Blondie says and disappears out the door.

I drop to the bed, leaning forward on my knees and
shaking my head.
Get it together, Evan
. Before I lose everything, I need
to pull it together and get my head on straight. Too bad I’ve already lost
what’s most important.