Beauty and the Baller (Strangers in Love #1)(19)

Shit. My frustration ebbs as I whip my hat off and run my hands through my hair, then clutch my cap. I know grief, that feeling of grappling with death, when you want to cling to any reminder. I wore Whitney’s ring around my neck for a year.

I search for the right words. “I’ve hurt your feelings. I said the wrong thing. Of course they can’t be replaced and you’d want to keep them. I’m sorry.”

She gives me a surprised glance, then chews on her bottom lip. “Right. You understand.”

“Yes. I’ve lost someone.” My wreck made the news for weeks; plus if she dated Zane, I’m assuming she knows.

Something catches her attention across the street, and her eyes flare as a groan comes from her. “Uh-oh. Mrs. Meadows has us in her sights.”

Lois stands on her front porch, purse in hand as she walks down to her car wearing a blue flowered dress, heels, and her Stetson.

“Hey, y’all! Glad you two are getting along!” she calls. “Don’t mind me. Y’all keep talking! Get to know each other! I’m headed to church if you want to come!”

“Maybe next time, Mrs. Meadows!” Nova says brightly.

Lois gets in her silver Mercedes and backs out, then pulls away slowly with a satisfied smile on her face.

“Great. She’ll be pushing you on me now,” I mutter.

“Good thing I’m not interested,” she snaps.

“Same,” I say, slamming my hat back on.

A female voice calls Nova’s name from inside the house; then Sabine comes to the door, dressed in shorts and a baggy T-shirt. There’s a spatula in her hand, and a purple boa is around her neck. She gives me an unsurprised look. “Oh, hey, Coach Smith. Are you here for pancakes? I can make a few more. They’re gluten-free.”

“Hey, Sabine,” I say with a smile.

“He isn’t staying,” Nova says with her chin tilted up, her eyes on me. “He just brought Sparky home.”

I exhale. “Right. I’ll see you around.” My hand brushes against Nova’s when I move, and sensation ripples over my skin, my body tightening.

Weird. The same thing happened last night when I escorted her into my office. I made sure to keep my distance after that, but . . .

I make it to her sidewalk before my curiosity eats at me, and I stop and watch her flip around, her heart-shaped ass swaying back into the house.

She. Is. Beautiful.

And dammit . . .

Since the moment she turned around in the kitchen, her face pricked at me, tantalizing, like a memory out of reach.

I’ve enjoyed women over the years, and most of those sexual interactions tend to fade into the background of my mind. Then there are certain women who take up real space in your head, the ones you react to in a way you never forget.

Even if you can’t recall their faces . . .

Those tingles . . .

Then . . .

Long time no see—like for real, you have no idea.

Then there was her mention of payback and how life has a funny sense of humor . . .

And those lush lips . . .

Her fascination with Leia’s cuff . . .

I stop in my tracks, my hands clenching.

No way. No fucking way.

What are the odds? The mere idea is impossible!

Walking down the sidewalk, I pull out my phone and call the person who knows about the party. Tuck answers on the third ring, his voice groggy. “Ronan?” I hear the sound of fabric rustling. “Dude. I just woke up.” He pauses. “Fuck, happy birthday. I missed it. I suck!” he calls out, then curses again, several times. “I’m sending you a big-ass fruit basket today! Jesus! My brain is mush on these meds!”

I chuckle. “How’s the ankle?” He fractured it last week at practice.

“Hurts,” he moans. “I’m out for a while. Slowly dying of boredom. Send tequila and strippers, stat! Better yet, take a break, and come see me. I miss your ugly face.”

I laugh. “You’re a baby. Buck up. Can you talk for a few?”

“All right.” He lets out a grunt. “Let me get up and hit the start on coffee. I have to hobble, so hang tight.” He puts me on hold, and I picture him limping through his spacious apartment in Manhattan, the one we shared for years. We bonded from day one—me the serious one, him the party boy. He was there for me when I woke up and made a plan for my life.

He makes his coffee, complaining about his injury. He bitches about a new wide receiver who’s young and fresh, River Tate, then tells me about his love life, his voice escalating. His latest girlfriend left him for a violinist. He mopes about it, then lets out several long sighs.

“So what’s up with you?” he asks.

I reach my house and face the neighborhood, my gaze on the house next door. I sit down on the wicker swing and trace my hand over the smooth wood. “Remember that night of the Pythons party? The last one I went to?”

“You were throwing back bourbon like it was water—yeah, I recall.”

“Remember Princess Leia?”

There’s a beat of silence, then: “We’ve never talked about this. You insisted. You said it was none of my business what happened.”

I’m not one to discuss my sex life, but that incident was particularly hard. I let out an exhale. “Right. Things change. She came into that party because she knew I’d be there. She was looking for me. You remember that?”