AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah. I really do. Please come out?”
That did it. Maggie agreed and had him call in a complaint to her boss, demanding she come out and settle things. He paid for her plane ticket and got her her own hotel room, so that it looked legit. She came to the game, and this time didn’t feel so surreal about the whole thing.
Being in New York was incredible, though. It really was the city that never slept. After the game, they were able to find shows to go to and hit up a club or two. She hadn’t been out that late in years. The night was filled with laughter, sparkling lights, some of the finest champagne she’d ever had. Everyone wanted to talk to Bryan. He kept his arm around her the whole time, introducing her to movie stars and other athletes.
The paparazzi flashed their cameras at them, shouting questions, insults, anything they could to get a response out of him. She was amazed by Bryan’s ability to tune them out entirely. Some of the things they said about his mother weren’t just blanket insults, but sounded like really personal digs. They talked about her getting sick, and possibly dying, and how he was a monster for going around partying instead of being at her bedside.
When they got back into the limo on the way to the hotel, she wasn’t surprised when she saw him stare out the window for a few minutes.
“Are you okay?” she asked him and put a hand on his leg.
At first he flinched away from her touch, but then it looked like he “came back” when he looked at her. “Sorry,” he said.
“It’s okay,” she said.
“No, I really am.” He took her hand and put it back on his leg where she’d been touching him. “I’m not used to having someone that cares.”
“Is that what you have to deal with?”
He nodded and looked out the window again. It was clear he wasn’t looking at anything, but just more averting his eyes. Lines of moisture had already claimed his cheeks. “Every time I travel. It’s not so bad in our town, but it gets real bad here or in L.A. They say anything to try and make you angry. They can use those angry shots for anything. You see them stories about pregnancy scares, or divorce, or anything like that? These are how they get those pictures of people looking so pissed.”
“That’s terrible.”
He looked back at her, almost as though he was expecting that she was making fun of him. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” she said and scooted closer to him.
She rested her head on his shoulder and put an arm around the front of him. He reached up and took her arm, stroking his thumb over the back of her hand. When he brought it up to his lips and kiss the back of her fingers gently, she really saw the man he kept away from the public eye.
Now she felt like she was starting to understand him more, especially if that was what he had to deal with. Maybe it was her need to comfort him, maybe it was the alcohol, but she reached up and pulled his head toward her. He seemed only too eager to kiss her. The comforting kiss turned to hot passion all too quickly.
She didn’t know how much time they had before they got to wherever they were going – she had honestly forgotten – but she wasn’t going to wait until the hotel. She undid his pants and pulled them down just enough, then climbed on top of him. It was amazing how aroused she was already. It was partially because he looked so damn good in that suit, but also because of how she felt about him, how being around him awakened parts of her she long thought dead or just non-existent at all.
They kissed as they had sex in the back seat of the limo, the tinted windows hiding the world from their sins. They kissed the entire time, and when they climaxed he made sure to hold her eyes with his.
“This time,” she said, out of breath, “don’t let me leave.”
Bryan laughed and kissed her. “Never will.”
Bryan felt incredible. He’d never been so comforted by a woman, so fulfilled. Maggie was hands-down one of the most amazing women he’d ever met. He felt like he could be open with her, vulnerable. Normally that sort of thing made him scared, worried about being hurt or made fun of. Not with Maggie. She made him feel safe, like he could be who he really was and she accepted him. It felt like he was coming back to the person he used to be before all of this.
This time when morning came, he slipped off to go to the bathroom, and then slipped back into bed next to her. When she woke up he wrapped not just his arms around her, but comically tangled his legs in hers and held her close to him.
“Hungry?” he asked her.
She laughed, unable to move. “I dunno,” she said teasingly, “I think I should go.”
“Never!”
They laughed together and he kissed her. Unfortunately she did have to go soon. They were checking out and he needed to head out to the next city for the next game. She was reluctant to go, but understood that this was his job and he had to go. She left out the back so to avoid any paparazzi that may have been lingering about. Bryan packed up and got on the bus with the rest of the players.
At the next city, everything played out as normal. He texted Maggie when he got the chance, but didn’t hear much from her. She said that she was on a flight and couldn’t really text much. The game went well, but not as good as it could’ve been.
Admittedly his head wasn’t in it. For the first time, he had a girl to think about that he really enjoyed thinking about. Still, they won, so it wasn’t all bad. That night, he tried to just go to his room and chill. He didn’t feel much like going out. After the night he’d had with Maggie, everything else felt lame in comparison. Pale. Dull.
The room was nice, lavish. It had an entryway, a living area with couches and a huge TV. It had two bedrooms and three bathrooms. There was no way he needed that much space, but the hotels liked to give him rooms like this, since his staying there brought them more business by proxy. He sure wasn’t going to complain about it.
That night, as he was trying to relax, there was a knock on his door. He went to answer, and damn near his whole team was there. They’d brought girls, booze, the whole deal. How could he say no? They’d just won their game, they wanted to party, and up until just last night, he was totally into stuff like this. Maybe he’d try to party less starting tomorrow?
