Page 10

She’s Landry’s little sister. Landry Reynolds is my best friend and wide receiver.

Me pursuing something with his sister would complicate well…

everything. My personal and professional life would be up in flames.

The worst part is that a small portion of me wants to let it all burn to have her.

I don’t understand what the fuck is going on with me.

That’s not who I am. I follow the rules.

I always have. Football has made me disciplined, and I love the game.

It’s the air I breathe, but then there’s Corie Reynolds.

Four years ago, when she left for college, she was just my best friend’s kid sister. I was new to the league and determined to succeed and show the world and the Rampage that taking a chance on me was the right thing to do.

Now, here we are. Four years later, I’m seeing Corie in a different light. A light that shines so damn brightly, it’s blinding, but I have to look away. I have to reel myself in. I’ve met beautiful women. I’ve dated them and spent time with them casually and intimately.

She’s not different.

Maybe if I keep telling myself that, I’ll believe it. Miracles happen every day.

When I return to the living room, everyone is in their original seats. I plop down on the couch and refuse to make eye contact with Corie. Thankfully, Sloane fills the void of silence, unaware of the interaction between her best friend and me while she was in the kitchen.

“Movie time. What’s everyone in the mood for?” she asks.

“Don’t care,” Landry says, looking as if he’s already in a food coma and could fall asleep at any minute.

“Well, let’s move to the theater room.”

“Can’t move,” Landry whines.

“Come on, old man,” Sloane teases.

“Nope. We can watch out here.”

He’s not wrong. He has an eighty-inch flat-screen television hanging on the wall.

“But we’re sitting off to the side,” Sloane complains about the recliners she and Corie are sitting in. It’s not a bad seat, but it’s not as comfortable as staring straight ahead at the screen either.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell them they can take my spot when Landry comes up with his solution.

“Come over here with us. You two are tiny, but there’s plenty of room.”

“Fine,” Sloane grumbles. She stands from the recliner, wraps her blanket around her shoulders, and plops down next to Landry, taking the remote from his hands.

I can’t avoid her now, and let’s be honest, I don’t want to. Looking at Corie, I find her watching me, chewing her bottom lip. I pat the couch cushion next to me, letting her know that’s where I want her. Not that there’s another option since Sloane is next to Landry.

Corie grabs her blanket and moves to sit next to me on the couch. Her thigh presses up against mine, and I’m suddenly very thankful my best friend ate too much and was too lazy to move to the media room.

“Someone should have killed the lights,” Landry says.

“I’ll get it. I need a drink anyway,” Sloane says, tossing her cover off her lap and onto Landry. He snuggles up under it, and Sloane glares at him. “Don’t think you’re stealing my blanket, mister.”

“You have to share,” Landry fires back. “Besides, this thing is huge.”

“I know. That’s why I love it.”

They sound like two kids fighting over their favorite toy.

“Drinks?” Sloane asks again.

“No thanks,” Corie and I say at the same time.

“Yeah, grab me a Gatorade,” Landry requests.

Sloane skips off toward the kitchen and returns with two Gatorades as she kills the lights and takes her spot next to Landry. He holds up the cover for her, and she gets comfortable.

The room is dark, with nothing but the light of the television. Sloane and Landry settle on the movie. I don’t catch what it is, but it doesn’t matter. I won’t be able to concentrate with Corie next to me.

Hitting the button on the side to recline me back, I get comfortable and move my legs to the side so Corie can prop hers up too. Landry and Sloane are already sitting that way. I cross my arms over my chest to avoid touching her when she’s this close.

The movie starts, and I’m staring at the screen, not paying a damn bit of attention, when Corie places her blanket over my lap to cover us both.

She leans in close and whispers, “I can share.”

I nod as I slide my arms beneath the covers.

To anyone looking, we’re just a group of friends hanging out on the couch, watching a movie.

However, underneath this blanket, my hand slides to her thigh.

I rest it there, not to make a move on her, but just to be closer to her.

When she places her hand over mine, I turn my hand and lace our fingers together.

It’s risky.

I know that I’m playing with fire and that the outcome is that I’ll get burned. That my life could be set ablaze, but at this moment, I can’t seem to find the will inside me to stop it. Instead, I hold her hand under the blanket like a damn teenager, and it’s… nice.

Even better is, halfway through the movie, she leans her head on my shoulder. I’m still holding her hand, and now I’m her pillow, and I’m confident that if I were to tell anyone, especially the guys, that this is the best night I’ve had in longer than I can remember, they’d give me shit for it.

That doesn’t mean it’s not true.

Tonight, I’ll hold her hand, pretend she’s mine, and let her sleep snuggled beside me. Then that’s it. I have to stop this.

I can’t make her mine, even though I’m starting to think that’s exactly what I want her to be.

Mine.

Turning my eyes back to the movie, I stare at the screen and pretend to be engaged when I’m not. Corie has all of my attention. A few more hours, then I’ll put this behind me. I’ll stop thinking about her in ways I’m not allowed, and life can go back to normal.