Loved by the Linebacker (6 page)

Chapter 9

Camila

My eyes flutter open after the most fantastic
night of sleep. Glancing at the clock, it’s almost nine in the morning, the
latest I’ve slept since college. My mind begins to race with the phone calls I
need to make, the meetings I need to set up, along with the five-hundred other
tasks I need to accomplish. When I try to sit up, a muscular arm tightens
around my waist, forcing me to continue lying against the sculpted chest
beneath me.

Turning my head, I look up at Evan Purser,
watching him sleep. I smile as he looks so peaceful and innocent, which he’s
far from. I’m enjoying this man in the moment, letting my mind run free about
who he could be. My finger swirls in circles across his chest as I allow myself
to daydream, thinking thoughts that I should push far, far away.

Completely lost in my thoughts, Evan spooks me
when he lets out a low moan. “Mmm… you sleep alright, Cami?”

I roll my eyes at his pet name, but he doesn’t see
as his eyes are still shut. “Not too bad, but I need to get up so I can start
working.”

I begin to rise again, but his grip tightens.
Opening his eyes, he looks at me with a frown. “You’re not working today.”

I scoff and Evan lets me up, but doesn’t release
his hands now on my waist. “I didn’t do anything yesterday so I have to play
catch up.”

His hand is on my bare thigh now, lightly rubbing
his palm against me and making me damp between my legs. Shaking his head, he
says, “Cam, you supported your friend while she brought a baby into the world.
If you ask me, it was worth the day off.”

I have to force myself to stop staring at his hand
and look at his face. “Of course it was worth it, but now I need to regroup.
We’ll grab breakfast and then I can take you to your truck so you can head
home.”

Evan’s bottom lip protrudes and I want nothing
more than to lean forward and suck on it. “Trying to get rid of me?”

I laugh and shake my head, throwing my leg over
him to climb out of bed. As my leg touches the mattress on the other side of him,
Evan grabs my hips so that I’m firmly in his grip and straddling him. My
nightshirt slips up my thighs and his hands slide around to my back and down my
quads. My heart races as I wait for his next move.

His hand moves to my chin, tilting my face in his
direction so we’re looking in each other’s eyes. “Camila, I understand your
rule, I don’t agree with it, but I get it. Still, I want to get to know you,
and before you object and say I do, I mean, I want to get to know the Camila
that Blake knows. I want us to be friends, I want to know why you really smile
for him, but not the rest of the world.”

I gulp as he says this. I should deny it, I should
send him on his way, and keep my distance. This is exactly how I fell for the
older Purser brother the first time. Instead, I nod. “I love pancakes. There’s
a hole in the wall diner on Parsons that makes the best in Los Angeles.”

With a grin, Evan sits up and kisses my cheek.
“Then it sounds like we’re having pancakes.”

Evan

My fourth stack of flapjacks sits in front of me
but I’m so stuffed, I can’t take another bite. Camila was right, Dan’s Diner’s
pancakes are phenomenal, and unlimited, too. Good thing the guys on my team
don’t know about this place or we’d probably put them out of business. Across
from me though, Camila is killing her second stack, topped with strawberries
and whipped cream.

She looks up, a streak of berries on her lip and
she stops. “So...ree,” she mumbles around a mouthful of ‘cakes.

I laugh and hand her a napkin. “No need to be. So,
you like pancakes… a lot. What else should I know about you? Family? School?
Crazy exes?”

She takes a drink of milk, washing down the
remnants in her mouth. Leaning back on her side of the booth, she smoothes out
the navy fitted Seawolves’ t-shirt, much more conservative than she normally
wears. I’m not sure if I should be offended that she’s not dressing sexy for me
or pleased that she listened to what I said back in Colorado about her clothing
choices.

“Only child. Parents died when I was in college.
College, of course, at Cal U with your brother. No, crazy exes,” Camila answers
matter-of-factly with a smirk on her face.

I nod. “Alright, smartass. I’m sorry about your
parents, what happened?”

Her eyes dart back to her pancakes and she moves
the flapjacks around her plate with her fork. I reach out and take her hand,
encouraging her to continue.

“Drunk driver hit them on their way home from
visiting me at college. Blake was studying with me for our econ test when I got
the news, I guess that kind of jump started our friendship.”

I rub my thumb over her palm, things suddenly
making perfect sense. Even though I was only fifteen when it happened, I still
remember Blake calling home and telling me about Camila. He told me about this
amazing woman he met in his economics class and how she’d agreed to tutor him.
Blake had always been the big man on campus, dating any woman he wanted, but
this was the first time he spoke about one specific girl. Then one day, he
called home, telling our mom that he wouldn’t be home for Thanksgiving because
his friend’s parents had died. When I got on the phone, all he did was cry.
This is the first time that I put two and two together that the friend was
Camila.

I swallow before I follow up with, “Tell me about
your exes if they aren’t crazy.”

Camila looks up, a twinkle in her eye. “Why, Evan
Purser? What’s got you worried about my exes?”

I laugh nervously and squeeze her hand. “I’m just
trying to understand how a gorgeous woman like yourself is single. So tell me,
did someone break your heart?”

Ever so briefly, she hesitates, but speaks before
I can comment. “I choose to be single because of my job. I’m rarely home,
except when a certain linebacker refuses to let me go to work. As for my heart,
it’s all in one piece and the couples exes I have, I either don’t talk to
because I don’t see them regularly or we’re good friends.”

I raise my eyebrow.
Good friends? Like her and
Blake?
I want to know so bad about their relationship, but things are going
well and I don’t want to ruin it. “Well, in that case, I’m going to refuse to
let you go to work still and we’re going to the beach to go surfing.”

She tosses her head back and the sweetest sound of
laughter fills the air. “In February? The water will be freezing.”

“Wetsuits, sweetheart.” I throw some bills on the
table and stand up, taking her hand. Eagerly, she links her fingers with mine
and lets me lead us out to her SUV. I drive toward the beach, glancing at her
sideways. “So what’s the story with you and Gregg Turner?”

Her cheeks turn neon red and she stares straight
ahead. “I told you, my job has a crazy schedule. Neither Gregg nor I want
anything serious, so when we happen to be in the same place at the same time,
we enjoy each other’s company.”

“And the pitching coach just happened to be at the
NFL Combine?” I ask, trying to hide my sarcasm unsuccessfully.

“A girl has needs, Evan. Sometimes we put a little
effort into meeting up,” she says, her cheeks burning even brighter. It’s more
than charming and a total turn-on.

I reach over and take her hand, giving it a light
squeeze. “Don’t be embarrassed, I understand. Some of us just fulfill our needs
in other ways.”

Her laughter fills the car again. “Yeah, not all
of us bang anyone that’ll follow us into the bathroom.”

“Ouch,” I say with a laugh, but I can’t be too
offended because it’s true.

“So, what about you? I’m sure you have some crazy
exes,” Camila asks, her body turned toward mine now and I can see impetuosity
all over her face with her raised eyebrows and pursed lips.

Now it’s my turn to blush. “I, uh, don’t have any
exes.”

I see her lips drop into a frown. “What do you
mean? I’ve seen you with two different women in just the last couple weeks.”

I shrug, trying to play it off. “Yeah, random
hook-ups. No numbers exchanged, just wham-bam-thank you ma’am…unless someone
interrupts us.”

She giggles and her fingers walk over the back of
my hand. “Sorry about that, but seriously? You’ve never had a girlfriend?”

Pulling into the parking lot at the local beach, I
put the car in park and turn to her. “Just a girl in high school, nothing
serious. I’ve never fucked a girl more than once.”

Her eyebrows arch even higher and I can tell she’s
trying to hide her shock. “Wh-what about in high school? College?”

I shake my head. “No one wants to date a six-foot-six
giant who’s hung like a horse when they’re that age. I was awkward and had
bigger problems to worry about than having a girlfriend. I had my own shit to
deal with, I didn’t need anyone else’s.”

“Your mother?” Camila asks in a whisper.

I grip my fingers tightly around the steering
wheel and my knuckles turn white. “Yeah,” I mutter and memories of her
stumbling up the front steps in a drunken stupor flood my mind.

Camila flips my hand over, letting her fingers
caress my callous skin and relaxing my body that’s on edge from my thoughts.
“Blake’s told me about her—”

“Blake doesn’t know shit!” I yell and Camila’s
other hand moves to my thigh and grasps it tightly, reminding me not to take it
out of her. I take a deep breath before I go on. “When he left for college, she
wasn’t that bad, but when he stopped coming home, it got worse. She’d be
drinking when I went to bed and still be drinking when I got up. I almost lost
my football scholarship because I had to skip school to make sure she didn’t
suffocate in her own puke.”

Camila slides her hand up and down my thigh.
“That’s my fault, I’m sorry,” she whispers.

I turn to her and shake my head. “No, it’s not. I
never told Blake how bad it was. The one time I mentioned it, he suggested I
move out to California with him, but I couldn’t leave our mom behind. I was the
man of the house and I had to take care of her which is why I went to state
college. She got sober before I left for the NFL, only because I told her I
wouldn’t accept any contract if she didn’t.”

Camila lifts my hand to her lips and kisses my
knuckles. “You’re a good man, Evan.”

“Blake had you to take care of, we were both where
we needed to be,” I say, looking into her eyes. And now, I’m taking over for
him. In this moment, I know I will do whatever it takes to take care of Camila
Lemos.

Chapter 10

Camila

Icy Hot, stinky feet, and sweaty men taint the
room. With my job, some days are better than others, but on days like these
when I’m walking through the spring training locker room of the New York Aces,
I have to bite the inside of my cheek when I see one hot baseball player’s ass
after another. I lean against the locker of Benny Martinez, the Aces top
closing pitcher and my long-time client.

“How’s the arm, Benny?” I am desperately trying to
avert my eyes from the backside of an outfielder directly behind him.

Rotating his arm in a circle, he nods. “It feels
great, I really think this is the year. Wish we still had Adamson on the team,
but we can win another World Series without him.”

I laugh at his comment. “I’ll be sure to pass that
on to him.” Grant Adamson is a former teammate of Benny’s and also Colie’s
husband. Benny and Grant have been long time best friends and even on opposite
coasts, that hasn’t changed.

“So, date with Mr. Turner tonight or can I have
the privilege of wining and dining the hottest sports agent in the industry?”
Benny asks, pulling his shirt over his taut stomach.

“Actually, Gregg and I wanted to take you out to
dinner. We’re both in town just for the evening.” Gregg, Grant, and Benny all
joined the MLB pitching rosters the same season and have a solid friendship
from over the years.

Benny nods, kissing my cheek. “Sounds good to me
as long as the place has some hotties.”

I roll my eyes and laugh as I walk out with Benny.
He’s a total flirt, never actually following through on any dirty intentions.
He’s got a girl back home, Isabel, who is the mother of his thirteen-year-old
son. To say their relationship is complicated is an understatement. I just try
to stay out of it.

In the parking lot, we agree to eat at Benny’s
favorite Spanish restaurant, Diego’s. We bid our farewells and I get into my
car, texting Gregg about the plan as he’s driving into Port St. Lucie right
now. I start my rental car and when the bluetooth connects, my phone rings
immediately.

“Camila Lemos,” I answer without looking to see
who it is.

“Hello, Miss Lemos. This is your pain in the ass
linebacker.”

Butterflies are released in my stomach and a grin
creeps over my face at the sound of Evan’s voice. Ever since our surfing
lesson, I’ve let my guard down with him, slowly opening up and letting us get
to know each other better. Truth be told, I look forward to the few minutes a
day we share with each other, whether it be texts or phone calls. I’m treading
in dangerous territory, but I can’t seem to keep myself away from Evan
Purser—both physically and mentally.

Pretending to groan, I tease him back. “Ugh, what
do you need now?”

On the other end of the line, Evan fakes a gasp.
“What? Can’t even spare me five minutes?”

Like a schoolgirl, I giggle. “I take it you’re
done at the gym with nothing better to do other than pester me?”

Evan’s chuckle comes across the phone and this
feeling deep in my stomach churns. “Something like that, what are you up to?”

“Headed to dinner with Benny at Diego’s, he swears
their wood-fire lamb is to die for.”

“Gotcha, well, I’ll let you go. Catch ya later,”
Evan says, ending our phone call abruptly.

My stomach drops and I stare at the dashboard
where it says “Call ended.” I didn’t want the call to be ended. I wanted to
hear Evan’s voice, find out how his workout was, roll my eyes at his endless
attempts of flirting. My drive across town is filled with empty thoughts of
Evan and how our conversation should have been. Putting my car in park, I sigh.
I’m falling for Evan Purser faster than I can catch myself. I need to put some
distance between us before this ends badly, for more than just Evan and me.

Benny and I make our way to the table, Gregg
joining us a few minutes later. The two men talk curve balls and sliders while
my mind wanders to a certain linebacker. Watching Gregg talk, I think back over
our relationship. It’s served its purpose over the past few years, but maybe
I’m ready for something more. All this time I’m spending with Evan has made me
think back to the days when I wanted a companion, not just a bed buddy. I’ll
talk to Gregg tonight after dinner, maybe our days together are coming to a
close, but that doesn’t mean I’ll start anything with Evan. He’s still a client
and no matter how well I do in the profession, I’m constantly having to prove
myself. Dating one of my athletes is the cardinal sin in my line of work.

“Got room for one more?”

I recognize the voice before I look up. When I do,
my jaw falls open at the sight of Evan Purser standing beside our table. He
looks amazingly sexy in a navy sweater, the sleeves pushed up his muscular
forearms and his jeans hugging every muscle of his thick legs.

I quickly close my mouth, hoping no one noticed. I
stand and since I’m wearing a pair of flat, strappy sandals, I have to push on
my tippy toes to reach his cheek where I barely brush my lips. My hand steadies
my balance on his chest, but not my racing heart. Evan’s large hand grips my
waist, not helping my heartbeat.

“What are you doing here?” I whisper, glancing
over my shoulder at Benny and Gregg, both looking equally as shocked as I am.

Grinning like the Joker, he responses, “I finished
my workout for the day.”

I roll my eyes and give him a playful shove. Evan
laughs and we turn to the table. My stomach churns nervously as I remember
Gregg is watching us.

Benny pats the chair beside him. “Here, man, take
a seat.”

Evan shakes his hand, the two men introduce
themselves as I take my place beside Gregg. I glance over at him, but Gregg
just pats my shoulder, his arm resting on the back of my chair.

Evan takes the seat directly across from me and
his knee knocks mine, sending a shot of electricity directly between my legs.
He gives me a sly wink before turning to the baseball players and chit chatting
with them. I’m silent the rest of dinner, completely not on top of my game as I
sit awkwardly between my lover and my linebacker. Evan’s not helping any since
he hasn’t moved his legs and continues to rub the denim of our pants together,
evoking more of a reaction than I care for.

Finally, after an excruciating hour of Benny
flirting with the waitress while Evan eggs him on and Gregg laughing at both of
them, the men have decided they’re ready to call it a night. I can’t help but
wonder if I wasn’t here if Evan would be in the bathroom having his way with
the perky blonde server. My stomach twists at the thought and I force myself to
push it away, it’s not my business who Evan Purser has sex with.

Outside the restaurant, Benny shakes the men’s
hands and kisses my cheek, whispering in my ear, “Never knew that was your
type!”

I roll my eyes and tell him good night. My cheeks
burn bright and I know this thing with Evan Purser has to stop. I don’t sleep
with my clients and while I may not be screwing Evan, apparently that’s the
idea I’m giving which is just as bad.

I watch Benny walk to his car, too afraid to turn
around and face Gregg and Evan at the same time. Luckily, I don’t have to. A
hand moves to my lower back and I feel a cheek against mine. In a low voice,
Gregg says, “I’ll meet you back at the hotel.” With a quick peck on my cheek,
he walks into the darkness and I’m forced to turn around and meet Evan.

His hands are shoved in his pockets and he’s
wearing a shit-eating grin, exuding nothing but cockiness. I shiver in my peach
baby doll tank top, my teeth chattering when I begin to speak. It’s not that
cold in Florida this time of year, but my nerves are taking over. Honestly, I
haven’t felt this way since back in college.

Evan pulls his hands out of his pocket and easily
draws me against him, his hands sliding up and down my arms. “Geez, Cami, you
weren’t shaking this much when we went surfing.”

He’s right and the water temperature was in the
fifties. Slowly, my confidence comes back and I shake his hands off me, taking
a step back. “What the hell are you doing here, Evan? I’m working, you can’t
just show up whenever you want to.”

“Whoa!” He holds up his hands in a surrender
motion. “Fuck, Cam, I came down to visit my mom and thought I’d surprise you.
You really know how to show your appreciation,” he mutters the last part and
brushes past me.

Ugh
, I sigh and run after him. He stops
beside a black Yukon to get his keys out and I grab his hand. He looks back at
me, but doesn’t say a word. Softly, I squeeze his hand. “I’m sorry. I am happy
to see you. You… you just took me by surprise.”

Quickly, Evan spins around and with one step has
me pinned against the SUV on the other side of his. “What are you so worried
about? We’re friends, right? Blake pulls this kind of shit with you all the
time, why can’t I?”

I stare up into his blue eyes clouded with anger.
My fingers walk up his chest as I can’t tear myself to look away from him.
“Evan, you’re not Blake…”

His eyes get darker and he takes a step back,
muttering, “Of course I’m not and I never will be.”

My fingers clench around his sweater, keeping him
from moving. “Blake doesn’t show up and make me feel the way you do. When
Blake’s with me, I’m not constantly worried about what everyone else thinks.” I
pause, unsure where this honesty is coming from but deciding to just roll with
it. “When Blake’s with me, I don’t stare at his lips, wanting to taste them so
bad, but knowing they’re off limits.”

Evan’s chest rises and falls under my hand, his
eyes go from a dark midnight blue to almost a baby blue color and a smirk comes
to his lips. “Who said they’re off limits?” He takes a step back to me, his
body crushing me against the car behind us.

My heart in my throat, I’m barely able to squeak
out, “Me.”

Evan doesn’t make a move, he just stares at me, a
smile dancing in his eyes while his hand moves to my stomach. Goosebumps tickle
my skin as his fingers walk over the chiffon fabric of my shirt.

“What if no one knew?” he asks, his breath almost
a growl and my panties are immediately wet. “I don’t kiss and tell…”

I swallow hard, shaking my head and wetting my
lips at the same time. Taking his sweet time, Evan lowers his mouth to mine.
The instant they connect, every nerve ending in my body is on fire. My hands
immediately go to his neck, pulling him closer, wanting him more and not
wanting to let go. Evan’s hands are needy as they roam over my torso, pulling
at my shirt and teasing my nipples. My moans are smothered by our kiss and the
vibrations from his own tease me even more.

The loud shrill of my phone takes us both by
surprise and we pull apart. My chest heaves as I fumble in my purse to stop the
ringing. Finding it, I laugh and show the screen to Evan who shakes his head,
snickering.

“Of course Blake cock block’s me without even
knowing it,” he mumbles, his lips moving to my neck.

Bolts of heat shoot through me at his touch.
Wiggling away from his body, I take three long steps away from him. Trying to
sound firm, I say, “The cock block isn’t Blake, it’s the fact that I don’t date
clients.”

I move quickly across the parking lot, letting him
know we’re done. Evan guffaws. “Sweet dreams of me, Cami. I’ll talk to you in
the morning.”

Climbing into my rental car, I grip the wheel,
watching Evan pull out of the parking lot and drive away. Of course I’ll have
dreams of him tonight, like I do every night, but unlike most nights, Gregg is
waiting for me at my hotel. I turn on the engine and take my time driving to
the hotel. Just as I slide my keycard into my hotel room door, my phone beeps
with a text.

You’re a great kisser. Can’t wait to feel your
lips on me again.

Evan

AC/DC blares through my rental and I pound my
fists on the steering wheel, keeping beat with the music. The usual adrenaline
high I feel after being around Camila is a thousand times more after our kiss.
I keep running my tongue over my lips, trying to taste her fruity lipstick. The
ginger and floral perfume she always wears already had me in a frenzy at
dinner, but after finally getting my lips on her, I’m rock hard. It’s been a
month since I’ve gotten off and tonight is probably going to end up like every
other time I’m with Camila—blue balls.

The song ends but thoughts of Camila don’t go
away. My knuckles turn white as I grip the steering wheel, knowing she’s
probably naked with a certain pitching coach right about now. The thought
pisses me off and I am fighting the urge to turn this SUV around so I can stop
them. Instead, I grab my phone, sending her a text that will hopefully ruin any
desire she has to sleep with Gregg Turner.