Breaking Elle (6 page)

“Nice girl. Cane introduced me to her today.” I say, watching him closely as I bounce the ball. He smiles and runs his hand through his hair.

“She’s been my best friend since we were little kids.” He smiles.

My eyebrows shoot up at that little piece of news
Wow, ain’t that some shit?
How can you be best friends with someone who looks like that? I can tell right away that this dude wants more than that. The shit-eating grin on his face gives that away. I take my shot and make it.
Of course.
Not cocky or anything, just confident. “Hey, do you know what time it is? I forgot my watch.” It’s probably been close to an hour, and I need to change out of this stuff before I go meet Elle in the lounge.

“Sure.” He looks down at his watch. “It’s six forty.”

“Damn,
I’ve got to meet someone in a few minutes,” I say, grabbing my bag from the bench. I don’t want to make a bad first impression when it comes to this girl. It’s not part of who I am. “We should do this again sometime,” I say, watching him retrieve the ball from under the basket.

“That’s cool,” he says. “I’m around.”

“Cool.” I shake his hand and head off the court.

Damn, phone. Who’s calling me now
?

I stare at the familiar face that pops up on my cell, hating him for interrupting me right now. I’m glad it’s him and not somebody else.

“Hey, Tommy,” I answer.

“What’s up, lover boy?” He asks. “Just calling to see how you are doing. Haven’t heard from you in a few days.”

“Things are good. Just busy,” I answer, noticing Elle in the lounge. Earlier, I couldn’t take my eyes off her when I saw her step back out of the locker room in that nice short jean skirt and that tight tank top. Now, her tanned legs completely distract me as I imagining my hands caressing her thighs and slowly moving them up until she can’t take it anymore. Seriously, I’m not sure I could pull off the friendship thing. I’m not used to settling, but it’s more than what I have right now. She’s like a shock to my system that I wasn’t expecting, but I like how it feels.

“Are you at it again?” He questions. I laugh to myself thinking my old college buddy knows me all too well.

“At what?” Oh man, I get lost again. Her hair, her skin.
Look away man, look away
. Lowering my head, I stare at the floor, trying to shake her. You shall not covet Cane’s girl; you cannot covet Cane’s girl! “Damn, there’s this girl, Tommy.” I laugh uncertainly, not familiar with this pull she has over me.

“Not surprised!” He laughs. “Did you put another unsuspecting victim under your spell?” I can picture the big grin on his face right now, and it makes me smile.

“Nah, I think it’s the other way around this time.” I exhale loudly, fighting the urge to look at her. “God, there’s something about this one.” I shake my head. It’s as if someone tackled me and threw me flat on my back. How I’m feeling down south below the belt usually rules everything I do. Now, I got this one that’s melting my shit up north. I’m not scared, nothing like that, just not used to my upper head battling with my lower and it being on the verge of losing.

“She’s gotta be something to have you all confused.” He chuckles.

“I can’t talk right now.” I glance over again and imagine running my fingers through her long brown hair and pressing my body up against hers, tasting those lips, touching every inch of her. I check the clock on the wall. Damn, five more minutes and I’ll have an excuse to get closer to her.

“Going to turn on the charm for your latest conquest?” I can hear the smile in his voice.

“It’s not like that. I’m still trying to figure this out myself. But, you know I’m always up for a challenge.”

“A challenge has never stopped you from getting what you want.”

I’m frustrated with what Elle’s doing to me. You just don’t look at a girl and get these feelings, do you? Could I be getting soft? I’ve been here over two months, and I’ve finally settled into my apartment. I’ve got a routine down, a cool job at the center, and made a couple of friends. One of them happens to be this stunning girl’s boyfriend. I even threw around idea of possibly being roommates with him this fall! That’s got to change.

“I gotta go,” I say. “Tell Momma and JuJu I’ll call them tonight.”

“All right, seems like you are okay and doing what Reed does best.” He laughs. “I’ll be out with JuJu and Campbell. We all miss you, man.”

“Right, right miss y’all too.” It stings to hear her name. I love Campbell, but she had too much in the way of jealousy and insecurities to deal with. With everything else going on in my life, I needed her to be strong for me; instead, she just made things more intense. She was one of the reasons I had to move away. I had to put some space between me, and life back home. “So, have you heard anything? Everything still okay?”

“No. So far, so good. No one’s come around. You know I’ll call you if there’s any trouble, but your sister and momma want to know when you’re gonna come home.”

“Soon. For sure.” I say, still not convinced about the reason he’s calling. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”‘ I frown, scrubbing my hand over my face.

“Yeah, man. No worries. You know I would tell ya if anything was up,” he replies.

“I know.” I drop my shoulders, thinking about my family back home. “Thanks man. Thanks for everything. You don’t know how much this means to me.” I pause. “I’m not happy being away from everyone like this, but I had to do it just for a little while.”

“You got it. Anything for a friend, man, you know that. Take care of yourself out there and stay out of trouble. And don’t worry, I got everything under control.” I glance back at Elle, to make sure she’s still there. I smile when I see that she hasn’t moved. I’m almost certain she’s fallen asleep, and I’m anxious to get off the phone.

“I knew I could count on you.” I hang up with Tommy and watch the hands on the clock finally hit the twelve and seven. I swallow back my nerves, a feeling that no girl has made me endure and that makes me even more determined to see what she’s all about. I have to be smooth and feel her out, though. I quietly open the door to the lounge. Part of me doesn’t want to disturb Sleeping Beauty, but the other part of me, the selfish Reed does.

“Elle?”

My eyes flutter open at the sound of a voice calling my name. Rubbing my eyes to adjust them to the bright lighting in the room, I realize that I’d dozed off on the cozy sofa in the lounge.

I follow the voice calling my name, not expecting Reed to be sitting next to me. Startled by his presence, I hastily sit up, letting the magazine that I was holding slide to the floor at my feet. He grins crookedly at my reaction and makes a hesitant glance at my legs before he picks up the magazine, placing it on the old wooden coffee table. He’s so close that I can feel the heat of his body and see the intensity in his blue eyes. I clear my throat, not sure how long he has been sitting there.
Here we go again with his body wreaking havoc on mine
.

“I’m sorry. Did I scare ya?” He asks, turning his head slightly to me so I can see his clear blue eyes. I hold my breath under his thoughtful gaze.

“No, I just dozed off.” I answer, pushing my hair off my shoulder.

“You looked so peaceful.” He smiles, placing his hand on his chin.

How long has he been here?
Was he watching me?

I smile to myself thinking that this gorgeous guy may have been looking at me. I’m kind of flattered that someone other than my boyfriend and my best friend may find me attractive. But should I worry about this guy? What’s his story?

“So you don’t remember me from last night?” He flashes a boyish grin and I can’t help but smile. “I remember you. You were wearing red,” he says just above a whisper. I blush. He’s near enough now that his scent of mint and spice invades me.

“Vaguely.”
But clearly now.
“I really didn’t want to be out. I was there supporting a friend.” I exhale in a rush, realizing he not only remembered me, but also the color I wore last night.

“Well, small world, huh?” He says with his sweet accent. “We meet again. Well, not really, but now I can put a name to the beautiful face I saw.” He rubs his chin and smiles.

“Yes,” I reply tensely. I adjust my skirt and sit up, hoping that I didn’t expose myself, or worse, drool on myself. Why is he making this so difficult? Should I make an excuse and leave? He’s got me on sensory overload right now with those piercing blue eyes, that rich brown hair, and that manly scent.

“So, do you still want to hang out with me? We can stay here or maybe take a walk outside? It’s a nice night for it.” He stands, towering over me, and throwing me a gaze that would make me weak in the knees. I can’t help but notice the way his t-shirt hugs his torso like a second skin.

I casually look away and peer at the clock hanging on the wall. I really could use some fresh air. Struggling to rise gracefully from the sofa, I realize that my skirt is extremely short, but Reed doesn’t seem to mind. I catch him looking at my legs again.

“Sure, I’ll walk with you but only if you keep your eyes where they belong,” I reply, noticing the corners of his mouth curling slightly at my response and the way his arctic blue eyes twinkle dangerously. “Let me just let Cane know that I’m leaving.” I turn towards the door, trying to fight back a smile and the tingling sensation overcoming my body.

“He’s not here right now. He took the kids to Dean Park for a tournament,” he answers eagerly as his smile broadens both surprising me, and making me nervous. I glance towards the door, hoping that Cane shows, but then I realize that if Cane is friends with him, then I should be fine. I’ve hung out with plenty of Cane’s friends since we’ve been together and had no issue. Why is it any different?

“Oh,” I answer, turning back to him. I’m not sure what I should do, and wonder why Cane didn’t tell me he was leaving. I tell myself it’s just a harmless stroll with a hot guy. It’s not a crime to think someone is attractive; he’s not the first good-looking guy I’ve seen. I’m with Cane, but I’m not dead. God gave me these eyes to enjoy all of the wonderful sights of the world, and today, I just happen to be looking at one of them. No harm, no foul. I smile, anxiously debating what I should do as we stand a few feet apart. It seems like an eternity before I can string a sentence together.
Oh why not.
“Ready when you are.” I shrug as I earnestly tug at my skirt.

“Lead the way,” he replies with his silky drawl, motioning to the door. I grin, stepping ahead and sensing his lustful eyes covering me like melted butter. His whole essence screams ‘off limits’ and not just because I have a boyfriend.
If you get in too deep with him, you may live to regret it or fall madly in love with him.
Either way, any girl would be in for a whole lot of trouble. I have enough troubles to deal with right now. I certainly don’t think I need to add trying to handle a tattooed hottie to my list.

The night air revives me as Reed opens the glass doors, and cracks a smile as I walk past him. When the breeze blows my hair off my shoulders, I’m glad that I decided to come outside instead of staying cooped up inside reading magazines, and waiting for Cane. I feel that I probably shouldn’t be here with this guy. I’m just being a good host, though. I know that if I was in a new place and all alone, I would want someone to talk to and show me around. And how often do you find a fellow Cowboys fan this far north?