AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Shep leads me toward the bar and bends close to my ear. “We’re here for this afterparty I needed to attend for an earlier shoot.”
That explains it. So, many of these women are actual models, models he photographed today. It’s after ten, and this is not my usual scene, but with Leo out of town and Shep hearing me talk about needing to get out more, I couldn’t say no when he called.
A couple drinks in and several people converging to chat with him, Shep leads me to the dance floor. And it’s a good thing I’ve got some alcohol in me because there is little to no room for us between all the gyrating bodies. But with its hypnotic beat, the music takes over, and we let go. His hands grip my hips, my arms wave in the air, and song after song, we laugh, joke, and dance.
With sweat slithering down my chest and beading at my temples, we make our way off the dance floor to cool down. It doesn’t take two minutes before Shep is pulled into another conversation with some man with a dazzling smile and handsy disposition. Shep’s a man in demand.
It’s after midnight. I really should get home if I want to be able to function for work in the morning. If this were a Friday or Saturday night, I’d suck it up and party until the sun rises, but I need to be a responsible adult.
Ready to interrupt Shep’s conversation and let him know I’m heading out, a different energy settles in the club. Heads turning, bodies angling. My eyes drift to the entrance where about eight well-built men in slick designer shirts, dripping with ice and gold, saunter through the crowd, headed for a VIP area up a set of stairs. This is an exclusive club in Miami Beach. Nothing about their appearance is different from the rest of the men here except the air they carry. And then, one by one, I recognize the Sharks’ first baseman Freddie Fraser, and pitcher Jevan Whittaker, and the buzz surrounding their arrival makes sense.
As my stare continues to wander, I just know who I’ll find. His familiar golden brown strands stand out above the rest, a five o’clock shadow on his jawline, his mouth working a piece of gum, as always. He lifts his hand, wrist clad in a gold watch, and combs his fingers through the tousled locks as he makes up the group’s rear. His head turns, his smile widening as he nods to someone on his left, and my body recoils, my brain seeking a place to duck and cover, but he’s distracted and turning to his right before my muscles can respond to the order.
They settle into two leather couches facing each other below a neon blue arch, only one edge of the furniture visible. As luck would have it, Devin takes up residence on one of the sides closest to the glass railing. I should leave like I was planning to, but my heart talks me into staying. Just to watch him in person for a few more minutes.
No more than five minutes pass before the guys are surrounded by Shep’s models. I know they’re his because I’ve been introduced to half of them throughout the night. One with cascading black hair finds a spot on the couch’s armrest next to Devin, crossing her legs and angling into him. He smiles and tilts his head as if to hear what she’s saying, and I have the irrational urge to march up those stairs and throw the model over the railing.
Where is Palmer? Why is he here without her? If he were mine, I’d be livid he was at a nightclub, cozying up with models. Patting her knee, Devin stands and heads to the bar in their section, rolling his sleeves as he goes. A moment later he appears near the glass railing again, standing at a bar height table and resting his forearm on the tabletop while he surveys his surroundings. He’s so gorgeous.Ugh. Why do my lungs want to pump out of my chest?
I can’t. I’m out of here. Subjecting myself to this isn’t doing me any good. I need to interrupt Shep. Tucking my phone into my clutch, I swivel in his direction. I spare one last glance at the VIP section, only for Devin to turn his head at that precise moment. And our stares cling.
thirty-two | devin
Catchingsight of her baby blues through a sea of motion knocks me on my ass. I turn, blinking as though she’s an illusion, but a check over my shoulder proves me wrong. Nova is here at VIBE.
Why?
Why do this woman and I circle each other like the moon orbits the Earth? In the six weeks since the Sharks promoted me, this is my first time out with my teammates, and she just happens to be here? When Palmer isn’t.Dammit.
I should leave.
A tall guy with messy dark hair and a short beard comes up behind her, bending close to her ear, and she brings her attention to him in a familiar way, resting her hand on his arm as he seems to touch her hip? Her ass? I crane my neck like that’s going to help me see anything below her shoulders in this crowd.
“Hey, man.” Freddie slides up beside me, sitting on the bar stool and pulling a brunette between his legs. “Have you met Tawna?”
His hands, hands that have won a Golden Glove at first base, trail indecently over her hips and her thighs, telling me he doesn’t care one way or the other if we’ve met because he’ll likely be hooking up with her later.
I force a smile for the beautiful brunette, a model, I’m sure. They’re all over VIBE tonight. I barely made it away from the one who perched herself in the slim space between the railing and me on the couch. If I’d known there was some photo shoot party here, I wouldn’t have agreed to come.
“You’re new to the team,” she says in a thick accent, and I dip my head in reply.
She doesn’t have to ask. The guys warned me most of the women here would know. I’m not surprised. What many pro players call ballgirls, we called cleat chasers in college. Maybe if I were someone different, I’d appreciate them more. We’ve been here ten minutes, and I’m already over the constant attention. Or maybe it’s seeing Nova that has me on edge.
Finding Nova at the bar in the sea below, her honey blonde hair like a beacon on a dark night, I knock back the one drink I’m allowing myself and push from the table in our roped-off section. “I might be heading out in a few.”
“Already? Man, we don’t have to be at the park tomorrow. Have another drink. Make some friends.” He grins, and I reach over, giving him a fist bump.
“Don’t worry, I have a friend in sight.” Tipping my head, I offer a polite smile. “Tawna, nice to meet you. Have a good night.”
Weaving through the women and my teammates—giving high fives, cutting up—takes longer than expected. It’s been fifteen minutes, if not more, by the time I make my way to Nova. She’s moved from her original spot near another VIP lounge to the other side of the club, but she looks to be alone.Interesting.
As I near her, there’s a parting of the waters, wide enough that my thoughts scramble as her backside comes into view—from strappy gold heels to bronzed dancer legs to a daringly short dress molding her curves and leaving her upper back and shoulders bare.Mercy.
To be heard, my lips press close to her ear. Okay, maybe it’s for being more than heard. I want to be felt.
“I thought about not disturbing you, but the last time I watched you from across a large building without saying hi, I was put in my place. Though I guess this club is about as far from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart as we can get.”
Her breathless hitch curves my lips into a smile. “Oh, I don’t know. They’re both filled with sinners.”
