Running Home to You (The Running Series) (5 page)

W
hen I step into the living room, I find Evan sitting on the couch with the playbook in his lap, listening to Queen’s Greatest Hits.  The music is so loud and his concentration is so deep that he doesn’t even hear me enter.  I don’t mind, really.  It gives me a chance to appreciate the beautiful man that can still make my heart skip a beat.  It’s not his perfection that appeals to me the most, it’s the small imperfections that I’ve come to know and love.  The unshaved whiskers on his face that tell me he’s been too busy to shave.  The messy, unkempt hair that suggests he hasn’t left the house since his shower.  The slightly crooked angle of his nose from being broken one too many times on the football field.  The bare feet propped up on the table tapping away, keeping beat with the music.  Those are the things about him that I adore. 

A smile slowly etches itself on his face, and I know he’s acutely aware of me watching him.  When we are in the same room, even after all these months, there is still a tension that fills the air and has a profound effect on both of us.  He shuts the book and closes the distance between us in three long strides.  He sweeps me up into his arms and kisses me long and hard.  When he finally releases me, I can hardly stand straight.

“Wow!  What was that for, chief?”  I’m not complaining, of course, but I am curious.

“Guess who was at the training center today, Juliette.”  His eyes are sparkling with such joy and excitement.  It’s my second guessing game of the day, and I’m afraid I’m not going to do any better this time.

“Um, let’s see.  Was it Jeff Probst asking you to be on the next season of Survivor?” I tease.

“No, but that would be pretty cool,” he admits.  “Guess again.”

“Gee, I was pretty sure about my first guess.  Could it be NASCAR calling to offer you a spot on the circuit this year?”

“No, but again, that sounds great, too.  Should I just tell you?  Because frankly, you’re not even close.”

I nod and add, “You definitely need to tell me or we could be here all day.”

“Dr. Geiselman drove all the way down to the training center to meet with the team physicians and they all agreed – I can start weight lifting immediately, a whole week early.  If everything goes well, that means I might be able to start practicing with the team soon, too.”  He can hardly contain his elation.

“Oh, sweetheart, that’s incredible.  You worked so hard, I could tell you’re doing so much better than anyone expected.”  I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest.  Evan takes a deep breath, and I can tell a weight has been lifted from his shoulders.  He’s had this cloud hanging over him now that mini-camps have begun.  The team’s been practicing without him and I think he secretly worries that he might lose his second string position if he doesn’t get on the field soon.  “So, how do you want to celebrate?” I ask him.

“If I tell you, do you promise not to laugh?” he replies.

“Why on Earth would I laugh?” I ask him.

“I haven’t used my hand in seven weeks.  What I really want to do, right now, this very moment, is to go bowling.”  Evan looks right at me, waiting for my reaction.  I work extremely hard to suppress my shock.  That is the very last thing I expected to hear.

“Um, okay.  There’s a couple of bowling alleys nearby.  I guess we could pick one,” I tell him apprehensively.

“Juliette, you know I can’t just walk into any old bowling alley without things turning into a circus.  There’s a really cool place in Manhattan called Lucky Strike.  I already reserved their private bowling suite.  Call and invite anyone you want,” he tells me.

“Evan, are you serious?  I don’t know who I should ask.  We just went out with Emmy and Adam last night.  Maybe I’ll call Marcus and see if he and Camilla have plans.  Then again, I haven’t seen Auggie in a while.  Maybe I should call him.”

“Call them all,” he tells me.  “This is a celebration.  I already invited one couple to join us.  Joey Griffin and his wife Maggie Martin are joining us.  I hope you don’t mind.”

Evan and I split the phone calls and we start contacting them all.  Fortunately, they are all so happy for Evan that they drop everything and agree to meet us in the city at seven o’clock tonight.  They don’t even know that Joey will be there.  I decide to make that a surprise.

I guess it’s time I start getting used to living life with a public figure.  He has rich and famous friends.  He likes to go to swanky places.  And he likes to take good care of his friends and family.  I am one very lucky girl.

Behind Closed Doors

I
wake before Evan.  It’s Saturday morning and today, he has no practice.  Despite his previous restrictions, I know he’s been working his ass off at the training center.  We got home in the wee hours of the night and Evan fell asleep the moment his head hit his pillow.  The fact that he’s still asleep proves how physically exhausted he must be.

Quietly, I slip from our room and head into the kitchen.  I grab my laptop and check my e-mail.  Nestled between some spam mail and store ads, I find my daily Google alert on “Evan McGuire”.  I know Evan would pitch a fit if he knew I was keeping tabs on the gossip, but I love seeing pictures of him.  Most of the updates are pictures of him in uniform at camp and looking so damned edible.  Since I can’t go to practice with him, this is the next best thing.

Among the football pictures are photographs of Evan entering Lucky Strike Bowling Alley last night.  There is a young, petite brunette on his arm, and for a moment, I feel a heart-searing pang of jealousy.  They look so adorable together; his strength and power contrasted by her slight frame and simplicity.  The picture was taken just as the sun was setting on the skyline and the stark image of Evan set against the shadowy backdrop of skyscrapers draped in hues of orange and red is striking. 

That girl in the photograph is a perfect match for Evan in every way.  You can tell by the way they look at each other that they share a deep mutual affection.  As my temperature begins to rise, it occurs to me that the attractive girl in the picture with Evan is no stranger.  It’s me.  I’ve changed so much since high school that from time to time, I don’t even recognize myself in photographs.  It’s like when you hear your own voice in a recording and you’re certain that can’t possibly be what you sound like.  Well that’s what it’s like sometimes when I see pictures of myself. 

Sometimes, I still find it hard to believe that this is my life.  It’s a life I never even dreamed possible.  Meeting Evan was destiny, being with him was a gamble, but falling in love with him was way beyond my control.  We met only three months ago and a lot has happened in that short time. I cannot pinpoint the exact moment it happened, when I fell under his spell.  Was it our first date?  Our first kiss?  Maybe it was the very first time he smiled at me.  He is my hope, my dream, my ambition, and my desire.  The fact that he is in love with me still amazes and inspires me beyond all description.

As I look around at the beautiful beach home Evan and I share, I think about the restaurant we are about to open together and I realize how lucky I am, indeed.  I am truly grateful for the people who are a part of my life and have given me so much to be thankful for.  If there is any way I can pay it forward and do something for someone else, then I’m going to do it.  I have no idea what that might be, but I’m certain that if an opportunity arises for me to help someone in need of a friend or a helping hand, I’m going to do everything in my power to help.

I’m torn from my daydream when I feel that familiar tingle down my spine.  Evan doesn’t have to make a sound or be anywhere in my line of vision for me to know that he’s near.  He is a powerful magnet that draws me to him and I have no power to resist.  It was like that almost immediately, both of us drawn to the other in ways neither one can adequately explain.

Looking up from my laptop, I catch him eying me with his sultry blue eyes.  As we stare at each other, he flashes a sexy smile that makes my heart skip a beat.  The sexy stubble on his chin begs me to caress it and I feel a sudden and urgent need to feel the warmth of his breath on my cheek.  He turns his back to me as he pours himself a cup of coffee.  He’s standing bare-chested and barefooted, wearing nothing but a pair of drawstring pajama pants that hang low on his waist.  After nearly three months, I know I should be used to the vision of his beautiful body, but seeing his bare feet and bed head has me yearning for more.  I seem to be falling more deeply in love with him with each day that passes.

He knows I’m watching him.  He stretches his arms above his head, flexing his tight back muscles, feigning a yawn, and checking over his shoulder for my reaction.  With no power to resist him, and no desire to, either, I quickly close my laptop and march straight towards him.  I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head against his back.  Evan slips from my hold and turns to face me.  “I don’t like waking up alone, Juliette,” he says, planting a sweet kiss on my lips.

I snuggle up to his warm embrace, “You looked so peaceful.  I didn’t have the heart to wake you.”

His tongue darts out to wet his dry lips, sending another cold shiver right through me to my core.  “Well, I’m up now,” he tells me, rubbing up against me and showing me in no uncertain terms exactly how ‘up’ he is.

“Listen, chief, I took the whole day off because you told me you had plans for us for the day.  Do your plans include us hanging out here at home, naked all day?” I tease him.

“That wasn’t my original plan, but to hear you say it like that, it does sound like a very enticing idea,” he confesses. His hand searches beneath my top and makes contact with my bare skin, immediately creating tingly goose bumps that race across my skin.  Evan kisses me softly with slow, deep licks.  His unrestrained desire and appetite explode across my senses, and I whimper, giving in and relenting to his possession.

“E
van, we’ve been driving for over an hour.  Are you ever going to tell me where we’re going?” I ask.  I know we’re heading south towards Atlantic City, and we’re nearly there.

“So many choices, Juliette.  I could take you to the zoo.  I hear the Cape May Zoo is pretty cool.  Or we could do a little gambling at the casinos.  Maybe take in a show while we’re there.  What do you want to do, my love?”  Evan grabs my hand and brings it to his lips, places a gentle kiss on the palm of my hand, and then lays my hand over his heart.  “Just say the word, baby.  Name it.  Where am I taking you?”

“Well, there is one thing I’ve never done and recently become very curious about.  Are you sure you want me to pick?” I ask, hoping the answer is ‘yes’.

“Juliette, just say the word.  I know I’ve been more than a little distracted lately and you haven’t really gotten my full attention for a while now.  I’ve been under a lot of stress, not being able to practice with the team, and all.  But all that’s starting to change.  I can feel it.  Today’s all about you.  Tell me, where am I taking you?”  I think that if I asked him to take me to the moon, he would hit a button on the dashboard of his fully loaded sports car and off we’d go.

“I want to see where you work.  I want you to take me to Liberty Stadium,” I tell him.  “I’ve never been to a professional football game, and I’m trying to learn more about what my boyfriend does for a living.  What do you say, chief?” I ask eagerly.