Greeley's Spyce (30 page)

she slipped into her team jacket.

They walked outside into the pre-dawn. It was cold. Despite it still

being fall, there was a winterlike bite in the air. Inhaling deeply, Kacy

grinned. ―Great football weather.‖ Locking her house, her steps fell easily

beside with the tall man‘s.

Jake opened her door and closed it after she got inside. As he moved

back to his side of the vehicle, Kacy smiled. Today was going to be a great

day.



Today was going to be a shitty day. Ernst knew that the second he

rolled out of bed. The events of last night replayed in his head over and over,

not giving him a moment‘s rest. ―Kacy,‖ he moaned her name to the empti-

ness of his apartment as he moved to his workout room to release his frustra-

tions.

Hours later and standing under the water in his shower, Ernst

washed off the sweat of his extended workout. He had pushed his body

much further and harder than he had ever done before. Nevertheless, he

couldn‘t outrun the image of Kacy‘s dejected body turning away from him.

―I‘m such an idiot. I have no right to tell her what she can and can‘t

do.‖ Smacking his hand against the shower wall, he cursed as pain laced its

way through his wrist.

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Naked, he walked through his apartment, toweling off the hair on his

head. Passing the answering machine, he noticed the light flashing. Eagerly,

he pushed the button, hoping that maybe Kacy had left him a message.

“Hey, Ernst. It’s Scott. We are having a get-together at the house today.

Bring that Kacy of yours so we can get to know her better. Lex won’t take no for an

answer. Be here whenever; we eat about noon.”

That was it. Well, hell. Ernst swore under his breath, something he

realized he was doing more and more of lately—at least when he was away

from Kacy. Ernst headed to his room and began to get dressed. A dark long

sleeve polo shirt went over his head before he tugged a hip hugging pair of

jeans on followed by a pair of socks on his feet.

Glancing at his reflection, he shook his head. Ernst reached for his

watch and put it on before grabbing the towel to hang up in the bathroom. At

the apartment‘s door, he slipped on a pair of tennis shoes. God, he had even

begun to take his shoes off at the door as to not track dirt further into his

place.

Picking up wallet, keys, phone, and pager Ernst left his apartment

and headed for his truck. He waved at some people he passed but kept his

pace quick so he wouldn‘t have to stop and hold a long conversation with

them. It was nine now, so he had some time to kill. He would stop by on the

way and pick something up to take to the gathering. He was determined to

have fun today.

C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - S E V E N

Pulling up to Scott‘s home, Ernst took a deep breath. He was one of

the first to arrive. Getting out, he picked up the bags of drinks he had

stopped to purchase on his way.

Lex opened the door before he got there. ―Hey, Ernst,‖ she said with

a smile. Her brown eyes flickered around him, yet she didn‘t say anything

but, ―Come on in.‖

―Hey, yourself, Lex,‖ he responded as he followed her inside. Habit

made him slip his shoes off by the door an action that Lex silently noticed.

―Let‘s put that in the kitchen. Scott is in there with the babe.‖ She

touched his arm, momentarily halting him. ―It‘s really good to see you,

Ernst.‖

All he did was smile at her.

―Hey, Ernst,‖ Scott‘s deep voice carried to them both. ―Get in here,

man.‖

Setting the bags down on the counter, he helped Lex take the stuff

out of them as Scott walked over to shake his hand. ―Good to see you.‖ His

blue eyes looked between Ernst and the door. ―Where is she?‖

―Jesú, Scott,‖ Lex scolded. ―It‘s none of your business.‖ Shaking her

head over her husband‘s lack of decorum, she began putting finger foods on

trays.

Scott set his son down in the playpen that was in the kitchen and put

his eyes on his friend and teammate. Cornflower blue met artic blue. ―Well?‖

Scott demanded.

Folding the paper sack, Ernst shook his head. ―She‘s not coming.‖ He

leaned on the marbled countertop and stole a cracker, topping it with a piece

of salami and cheese before popping it in his mouth.

―Why not? Is she working?‖ Scott went to the fridge and grabbed

two beers. Handing one to Ernst, he opened the second one for himself.

―No. She is in North Carolina with another man,‖ he ground out

from behind his clenched teeth.

―What?‖ Scott and Lex asked as one.

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Helping himself to a healthy swig of beer, Ernst swallowed it before

he repeated himself. ―She went to North Carolina with another man. Told me

last night.‖

―So you aren‘t a couple anymore?‖ Lex was totally confused.

―According to her, not since I walked out of her house about four

months ago. Right after I told her I loved her.‖

Scott and Lex exchanged glances. ―But now that you‘re back, I don‘t

understand what happened.‖

Ernst looked at the leader of SEAL Team Seventeen. He seemed so

damn happy with Alexis at his side, although he did remember how testy

he‘d been before she was his. ―She saw me when I was out with another

Chief from the base on a double date. She saw that woman kiss me. Later that

night, we were at the same bar and it was like we were strangers. Like I‘d

never loved every inch of her body.‖ He blushed. ―Sorry, Lex.‖

Lex shrugged. ―So she had made this date prior to the two of you be-

ing back together?‖ She asked.

―It doesn‘t matter,‖ he hissed. ―She shouldn‘t be going out with any

man!‖

Scott clamped a hand over his wife‘s mouth. ―Lex, don‘t. Ernst, if she

saw you out with another woman, why wouldn‘t she make a date?‖

―Five!‖ Ernst ranted. ―He was at her house at five this morning to

drive her to North Carolina. And she has the gall to tell me it isn‘t romantic!‖

Tightening his hold on his wife who had begun to spit fire with her

eyes, Scott questioned, ―Don‘t you trust her?‖

―Man, she met him that night in the bar! What am I supposed to

think?‖ Ernst put the bottle back to his lips.

―Oww!‖ Scott‘s voice yelled. ―You bit me, woman!‖

Lex yanked Scott‘s hand from her face. ―Then get your hand off my

mouth! And you, Ernst, you listen. I can‘t believe you think that she is

supposed to forgive seeing you kiss another woman, but you can‘t trust her

enough to let her go on a date she had planned before you showed up at her

door!‖

―She told me she loves me,‖ Ernst interrupted.

―So?‖ Lex snapped. ―I loved this one but still went out on dates.

‘Cause we
weren’t
together.‖ Scott growled low and wrapped his arms

around the love of his life. She patted his arms and focused back on Ernst.

Her voice calm and soothing when she asked, ―Did you keep control of your

emotions or demand she not go?‖

Looking at Lex like she were crazy, Ernst said, ―I demanded!‖

Scott opened his mouth to say something but Lex hushed him. ―So,

after all that talk of wanting to protect her from the man who basically held

her prisoner, you go and do the same thing he did to her. Demand obedience.

Not trusting her.‖

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Aliyah Burke

Moving out of her husband‘s arms, Lex moved around the breakfast

bar and laid her dark hand on Ernst‘s arm. ―Do you really think that Kacy is

the type of woman to sleep around?‖ She cupped his face in a tender,

mothering gesture and smiled gently at him. ―If she loves you and you love

her then don‘t give up.‖ Lex went back to working on the food.

Eating another cracker, Ernst followed her graceful movements.

―How‘d you get to be so smart, Alexis?‖

She winked at him over the food. ―I‘m not. I can just look at it objec-

tively. Look, I don‘t know her. But if I were in her shoes, that is how I would

feel. I would be absolutely crushed that you didn‘t trust me.‖

Ernst nodded. ―So how do I get her back?‖ At the looks they sent him

he amended, ―I told her if I left I wouldn‘t be back.‖

―You have got to stop being so rash,‖ Scott reprimanded.

―You were the same way, Scott, cut him some slack.‖ Lex stuck up

for Ernst.

The doorbell rang halting the conversation for the time. Scott went to

answer it as Ernst stayed and helped Lex.

Soon the place was full of the Megalodon Team and their dates. Ernst

was the only one flying solo. He didn‘t mind; he had made up his mind to do

whatever it took to gain Kacy‘s trust again and marry her.

Lex smiled at him as she moved into the kitchen to grab another plat-

ter of snacks for the table in the living room. ―The game is on, Ernst; why

don‘t you go watch it?‖

The game. He‘d forgotten about that. ―What can I carry?‖ Ernst asked

as he moved beside her. Lex handed him a tray and together they walked

back out to the living room where everyone sat watching the start of the

football game.

Ernst found he was drawn into the game like the majority of people

there. The game was close, both teams doing an amazing job against the

other.

The home crowd was doing an awesome job of being the ―twelfth

man,‖ but it was during the fourth quarter Ernst really started paying

attention to it. He‘d just walked back in from the kitchen with more beers for

people. Remaining standing, he started to take a drink of his new brew, but

instead, he almost dropped the glass bottle.

Kacy was on the screen. The cameras were moving over the crowd

and stopped on her and the people surrounding her. The spark that he loved

so much shone brightly in her copper eyes.

She wore a numbered jersey that was black and blue with the team

logo at the bottom of each sleeve. On each cheek was a painted panther. Blue

and white ribbons were in her hair and she had a team logo towel that she

was whipping around in one hand. In the other was a beer.

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He noticed Jacob beside her similarly decked out in team gear. They

were both yelling and cheering their team. When Kacy looked into the

camera, she held up her index finger, yelling that her team was number one.

There was a woman on her other side and they were giving high-

fives and hugs to fans around. Not for one second did he notice anything

other than pure elation for being at the game. No hidden glances between her

and Jacob.

The camera moved on.

Ernst was glued to the screen from then on. He saw her a few more

times since they were right on the fifty-yard line. Her body was always fully

energetic and getting the crowd into the game right along with her, waving

the towel around, raising her hands to increase the noise from the fans.

The highlight for him was when the man whose number she was

wearing ran out of bounds near her after making a 45-yard punt return. He

jumped up towards Kacy and the ones around her only to give her the ball

and a hug. The blinding smile she gave him made Ernst wish he was there

beside her. All Jacob gave her was a high-five. At that moment, Ernst knew

he had been an idiot and she was one of the most honorable people he knew;

the only difference was he loved her.

Kacy‘s favorite football team won that day and as the commentators

were running over the highlights, Ernst knew his woman was leaving the

stadium with a big grin on her face and a souvenir football given to her by

her favorite player.

Ernst knew his teammates had recognized her in that moment when

the camera hovered on her face. But at the look on his face, for once they

remained polite and left him alone.

Standing with Scott by his truck as he was about to leave, Ernst

wasn‘t the least bit surprised when his superior asked, ―So, what are you

going to do now?‖

Glancing down towards the beach before looking at his friend, Ernst

licked his lips and grinned. ―Humble myself and get my woman back.‖

―About damn time,‖ Scott said as he clapped him on the back before

heading into his house.



Kacy was still smiling as she, Jacob and the group they had met there

made their way out the Bank of America Stadium. Her hands were holding

tightly onto the ball she had.

―Girl, you were so lucky to get that!‖ Jake exclaimed as they moved

with the crowd.

―I know!‖ she responded. ―And a hug! I don‘t think I‘m ever washing

this jersey again!‖

Jake put his dark eyes on the group. ―Dinner?‖

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Aliyah Burke

Everyone agreed and soon they were driving to a restaurant to have

a nice dinner before she and Jake began the drive back. Once it was just the

two of them in his car, Kacy looked over at him. ―Thanks again for bringing

me along. I had a wonderful time.‖

He grinned at her. ―My pleasure, Kacy. I enjoyed having you. I love a

sports fan like you.‖

It was after midnight when Jake pulled into her driveway. Turning

his car off, he set the break and glanced over at Kacy. Her eyes were on the