Edge of Glory (Friendship, Texas Book 1) (12 page)

Holy. Crap.

It actually looked good.

I mean good for me at least.

I ran my hands over the smooth material of the dress and then finally turned, stepping out of the dressing room.

Dana had been staring at her phone and the sales girl was nowhere to be found.

I cleared my throat and Dana did a double take then nodded appreciatively, a big smile on her face. "Yes! Are we saying yes to the dress?"

"I, um, I think so? As long as we can stop by Victoria Secret on the way out because there’s no way any of my bras are going to work with this."

Dana laughed. "Okay. We just won't tell your brother."

***

I bought the dress and we headed over to Victoria's Secret.

I'd never actually worn a strapless bra or one that plunged in the front and had a very low back.

I did a 360 turn and then stared at myself in the full-length mirror.

I could have been sexy in some kind of distorted way. Or maybe I just felt sexy being in a silky little bra.

Pulling my phone out of my purse, I pouted my lips and snapped a picture in the mirror.

This wasn't me. This wasn't something I normally did, but I had to admit that I felt good. Something about putting on something silky made me feel, I guess, sexier.

Without even thinking about it, I sent the picture to Jay.

Then immediately regretted it.

Crap.

What if he thought it was weird I was sending him pictures from a dressing room? What if he thought the bra was weird? Or I was weird.

All these scenarios ran through my head then my phone vibrated in my hand with a simple text.

Come over right now and wear that
.

I smiled, looking at the text, feeling the heat rise to my face. Biting down on my bottom lip, I thought of a coy response before I typed back.

I have to buy it first
.

Well then buy it and get over here. I'll be waiting.

***

I left the mall with Dana and two bags in my hand. Instead of going straight for the highway she veered off in the other direction toward Dallas.

"Um, Dana, I'm done shopping and don't you have to get to work?"

I was trying not to seem eager, but I was. I wanted to see Jay. I didn't exactly plan on doing more than over the panties action, but seeing his face instead of just reading his thoughts in a text, could change my ideas.

"We have one more stop." Dana smiled, pulling into a strip mall in Wylie.

"Are we going to see the family accountant?" I raised an eyebrow.

Dana rolled her eyes, parking in front of an eye care center.

"Um, is this a coup d’état to get rid of my glasses?"

"Lia, you've been hiding behind those things for years. The last time I saw you wear contacts was my wedding and I had to practically beg you to wear them for one day. That one pair is probably dried up somewhere under the space heater in the garage."

"They are not," I scoffed.

"Anyway," Dana continued. "I know you don't like wearing contacts because you have dry eyes or whatever, but I just thought you might want to try something new. You'll be in California soon and you'll need trendy sunglasses when you're spending all day studying on the beach or whatever you'll be doing."

I blinked, staring full-on at my sister-in-law. "You're not going to argue about me going to USC?"

Dana smiled. "Lia, if I could get out of Texas, I would. But your brother and I are here to stay. You're still young and you have a lot of life to live, so why not get out and explore?"

"Think you can get my parents to think that way?"

Dana squeezed my hand. "They'll come around. They always do. And if they don't, at least  you'll have one long weekend in the sunshine state and some new contacts to go with it."

I wasn't used to having peripheral vision or wearing something so silky underneath my t-shirt and jeans.

They were small changes, but I felt like a new woman. A new, more confident woman.

Usually I brought Jay a pizza for his post-swim meal, but I wanted to try something different, so I stepped into the Forever Sweet bakery next door to the restaurant before heading out.

Brad and Penny used to work behind the counter. Brad may have been the sexiest man I'd ever seen, aside from Jay, and Penny looked like an Armenian princess.

But they had recently left. I guess it was just some sort of an internship and now there was a new girl standing behind the white pallet counter, Abbey.

Abbey one of the BFF's of Christy Quinn.

Her long body looked awkward behind the counter with the bright red apron and her long brown hair in a messy bun. She blinked once then twice before forcing a smile. "Hey, Lia, are you here to pick up the order for Conti's?"

"Um, no, I'm actually here to pick up something for my...boyfriend..."

The word sounded foreign on my tongue and I spit it out like I couldn't wait to get it out of there. I couldn't remember the last time I actually called someone my boyfriend. Maybe a fake boyfriend on the internet, but now I was really dating him.

Abbey blinked those big green eyes. "Oh, does that swimmer you were with know that you have a boyfriend?"

I smiled, letting out a slight laugh. "Jay Morningstar is my boyfriend."

Abbey dropped her pen and stared at me wide-eyed with her mouth open. She stood like that for an entire ten seconds before she picked up her pen and shook her head. "Oh, um, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you two were actually a thing. Wow. That was rude of me. Sorry, I'm kind of awkward and I really don't know what I'm saying or doing."

"It's okay. You're not the first or probably the last that will wonder what a guy like him is doing with a girl like me."

Abbey shook her head and waved her hands. "No, that's not what I was saying at all."

I licked my lips and tossed my hair over my shoulder. Even with the new contacts, mascara, and new lingerie, I couldn't hide the awkward Sicilian girl. "I get it. He's a famous athlete and a and I'm just a waitress with strict parents. Maybe I'm just some fling for him, but whatever this is, I'm going to take it. I'm going to keep seeing him because he makes me happy and I think I make him happy, even if it's just for bringing him cupcakes."

A smile softened Abbey's face. "Well, I was going to say that he's probably checking out your amazing rack, but what do I know about guys?"

I finally laughed and relaxed for what seemed like the first time all day. Maybe Abbey wasn't out to judge me and maybe I needed to stop being so hard on myself.

Maybe.

***

I pulled into the long driveway and looked at myself one last time in the rearview mirror.

What the hell was I doing?

I was a virgin, about to walk into a very hot man's house, wearing lingerie, contacts, and mascara that cost more than ten dollars.

This was serious.

I sucked in a deep breath and let it out, then grabbed the box of two perfect red velvet cupcakes, and got out of the car.

Most places around the US in February were covered in ice and snow. Texas was an enigma in that we could have ice and everything be shut down, or it would be almost seventy degrees. Like it currently was.

The gravel crunched beneath my boots and it was like going through wet cement, pushing each step to the door.

Ringing the doorbell, I waited. It wasn't too late to turn around.

Or so I thought.

Then the door opened. I expected it to be Jay, but instead it was Johnny. A very wet Johnny in nothing but a Speedo, toweling off his hair.

Wow.

Even though the guy lived on junk food and Gatorade, he had an eight pack going on. Each curve of his body was like it was sculpted by the Greeks. If I was Sofie, I might have tried to keep in contact with him.

But even as I looked at his amazing body, I couldn't stop thinking about Jay's. Jay's body underneath his clothes that I had never seen in person, but maybe soon I would be and the thought of it made heat rush to places it hadn't rushed before.

"Hey, Jay's back in the pool." Johnny turned around, barely even looking at me as I followed him in.

"Um, there's a pool?" I raised an eyebrow.

Johnny smiled, shaking his head. "Yeah, I guess you haven’t been here much. I'll show you where it is."

He didn't even wait for my response as he made his way through the living room, the large kitchen, and to a back door.

I expected some sort of outdoor pool, but this was a large glass room that looked like one of those solariums that hotels have for indoor pools.

Just like Johnny said, Jay was still swimming. The pool looked like it was completely made of some expensive rocks with a waterfall and slide on one side. I thought he just practiced at the aquatic center in Rockwall, I didn’t expect him to be doing anything at the house.

Jay moved through the water like it was a part of him. His body slid in a fluid motion that was beautiful. He was one with the water and completely in his element. He was so focused on hitting the wall, rolling, and going to the next.

He didn't stop. I couldn't even stop watching him. I didn't want to yell and disrupt his movements so I slowly walked to the other end of the pool and crouched down on the tile.

It took Jay a few more laps before he crested over the water and a smile crossed his lips. He slowed down his movements and swam to the edge I was at. He tossed his goggles on the ground next to me and a large smile crossed his face while he let out heavy breaths.

"Hey, how long have you been here?"

"Not long."

It actually was at least ten minutes, but I wasn't going to interrupt him. I loved watching him do what he was so good at. And if I thought Johnny looked good in a Speedo, he couldn't hold a handle to the broad shoulders and sculpted biceps of Jay Morningstar.

"Liar." He smirked.

I shook my head. "No, really it hasn't been that long. I got here like ten, fifteen minutes ago."

"Okay, I'll cut you some slack for that bit of honesty, but since you didn't stop me sooner..."

In one quick movement, Jay's arm was around my waist. Before I could protest, I was going stomach first into the water.

I went under for a whole two seconds before I was back up, gasping for air and staring at a laughing Jay.

"Not cool!" I pushed my wet hair out of my face.

"Hey, have you been honey potting me?" Jay cocked an eyebrow, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"What? What does that even mean?"

He laughed, pulling me closer so that my body pressed against the hard lines of his. "It means, I'm into brunettes with glasses, and not that you don't look good like this, but now I'm wondering if you were just putting on the whole hot geek act to get me to take you out."

"That's crazy. I literally just got contacts today. Do you want me to go back to glasses?"

He shifted his body, adjusting the Speedo so I could feel exactly what was behind it and how it pressed against me. "I like both looks. I like all of you."

There was no other answer I could think of except to kiss him and he gladly reciprocated with a kiss that took my breath away. Moaning into his mouth, he tightened his grip on my waist and pushed me against the wall of the pool. I gasped as he pushed me up with his knees, pulling me onto his lap and I wrapped my legs around his waist.

I over thought everything. It was what got me through my life. Being cautious. Staying the same and not moving forward. The craziest thing I'd ever done was give my phone number to an Olympic swimmer.

Now, being in his arms in the water, made me stop thinking. Stop breathing. All I could focus on was his lips on mine.

I didn't know how long the guy had been standing at the edge of the pool. It wasn't until a giant wave of water hit the side of my face that I finally pried my lips away from Jay's and looked behind me where Noah Riley stood.

"Hey, Noah!" Jay waved, like it was no big deal that he was in a Speedo with his girlfriend on top of him. "Here to clean?"

Noah rubbed the back of his neck, his voice coming out husky with his accent. "Yeah. Sorry to interrupt. Johnny let me in."

"Sorry. Man. We can get out of the pool. I think Lia brought me some treats, too," Jay said, finally eyeing the red box at the side of the pool.

Noah just nodded and stepped to the side, keeping his head down.

Slowly I got off Jay's lap, my clothes dragging me down as I practically crawled out of the pool while Jay got out in one swift movement and held his hand out to me, helping me to my feet. We walked past Noah, through the door toward the kitchen.

Jay glanced behind me and shut the door before he leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine. Water dripped from his hair and over those long eyelashes to his full lips. "Sorry about that. I forgot Noah was coming to clean the pool. Sometimes I lose track of time when I'm in the water...or when I'm with you."

I wanted to say that I felt the same. That time stopped when he was around. That I forgot about my insecurities.

But, truth be told, I was too scared to say it. I didn't want to give my whole heart to this guy and have it be crumbled.

"Yeah...I didn’t even know there was a pool here. I thought you just practiced in Rockwall."

“This isn’t much of a pool. It’s only about twenty-five yards so not really great for heavy training, but we can do a few things. It works until I can get out to Rockwall.”

“Oh. Cool. I guess.”

He opened his mouth and then shut it, slightly shaking his head and pulling back. "So are those cupcakes really for me or did you bring them for Johnny and Scotty?"

I let him take my hand after he grabbed the box. "They're for you, but I guess you can share."

He squeezed my hand and smiled, leading me toward the kitchen before shutting the door to the pool behind us."I don't share my food and I don't share my girlfriend, so I think we'll have to save these for after dinner. Want me to order in?"

"I should probably head home at some point..."

Jay's eyes roamed over me. "In those wet clothes?"

"Yeah. I should dry them I guess."

He nodded toward the door. "Come on. I'll dry them, order us some Chinese, and you can wear something of mine. Sound like a plan?"

"You do know that the closest Chinese place is in Royse City and only pick up, right? I don't think I could leave the house like this?" I held my arms out, water dripping off my shirt.

"Then I'll order and pick it up while you change."

"Or...I can cook."

He raised his eyebrows. "You're going to cook for me?"

"My mom did teach me something. As long as your fridge isn't just filled with beer and potato chips, I should be able to whip up something."

"You should probably get out of those wet clothes first. He stepped closer, his toes against mine. I sucked in a deep breath as his fingers grazed the bottom of my wet shirt before he pulled it off, tossing it to the floor beside us.

His eyes roamed over me, biting his bottom lip before he ran his finger along my jaw line.

Every hair on my body stood on end and a shiver ran low in my stomach.

I wanted to kiss him. To get lost in him. To forget the world. But as much as my lady parts were like "
Yeah, girl, you go for that hottie swimmer
," my brain wasn't going to have it.

"Uh, so, dinner. And maybe a shirt?" I asked, stepping back.

Jay licked his lips and opened his mouth then shut it again. "Yeah. Let me grab you some clothes."

He turned, and was out of the kitchen, and up the stairs before I could say anything else. At least that gave me time to catch my breath.

God, I sucked at this. This beautiful man was going to end up leaving me because there was no way I could keep up with him.

He was back downstairs with a pair of sweatpants and a black t-shirt in his hands. I thought he might have changed out of his Speedo, but nope, there he was in all of his half-naked glory.

"Uh. Should I go to a bathroom to change?" I tried to keep my eyes on his face and not let it trail down his stomach and to other places.

"Oh. Yeah. It's past the living room so you'd have to go by Johnny and Scotty."

I blinked hard. Okay so I couldn't go past them wearing my bra and wet jeans and I couldn't exactly strip down in front of Jay.

Or could I?

Before I could let my pesky brain get in the way, slowly I unbuttoned my jeans and peeled them off along with my socks and shoes until I was standing in front of Jay in a very wet, very sexy bra and panties.

I grabbed the dry shirt out of Jay's hands and slipped it over my head, looking down at the writing. "Did you seriously give me a shirt that says 'I love breast?'"