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CHAPTER TWENTY

OCEANSIDE DANCE

ELLE

Then

The ride to Rhodes’ house in Miami was gorgeous.

“I can't believe all these palm trees are really here. I thought that was kind of...I don't know. Not a myth exactly…there are just way more than I expected!” I laughed an d so did he.

He was driving a fancy new sports car and looking over at him, with the sandy beaches and turquoise water in the background, was almost more than I could take.

“It's really beautiful. Are you still liking it?”

“I do,” he says. “I miss California, but I do like it here. And the team is great. I just miss seeing you.”

“I miss you too.”

And it was true. Missing Rhodes was an everyday occurrence. I woke up thinking about him and fell asleep thinking about him. We had done a good job staying in touch, but it wasn't the same, not seeing him every day like I had for four years. He had become a hot shot, just like I knew he would, but thankfully he hadn't forgotten me.

It was weird though, staying updated about his life through his social media and looking up articles about him. He always had a sexy girl by his side when he was at a party, never the same one twice. It was hard to get used to that, but he’d always had plenty of willing girls in college too. But in the nine months since we’d graduated and his world expanding in professional football, the opportunities were vast. The women he came across now were hotter and more accessible.

It was too hard to think about all the beautiful women, so I tried not to.

For the most part, we both steered somewhat clear of discussing our love lives with each other. I told him when I had a boyfriend and tried to ask about who he was dating now and then, but he’d always say, “I’m focusing on my career right now and these girls that I meet…it’s just fun, you know? I don’t trust them beyond a fun night.”

“What are you thinking?” he asked as we pulled into a driveway. “Your cheeks are pink.”

He grinned over at me .

“Oh my God, is this your house?”

I couldn’t tell him I was wondering about all the women he’d met. As long as it didn’t get in the way of our friendship, it wasn’t my business. That didn’t explain why it hurt to think about, even when I was in a relationship.

“Yes, it is,” he said proudly. “What do you think?”

“Wow. It's beautiful .”

It was in a nice neighborhood and looked bigger than I expected it to be, but not too big. He grabbed my luggage and opened the front door, the anticipation on his face tugging at my heartstrings.

“Welcome,” he said.

His hand landed on my lower back and I warmed all over just from that brief touch.

Yeah, some things never changed. I would always have a thing for Rhodes Archer.

He showed me around and I oohed and ahhed. The place really was nice, although a little bare in some rooms.

“You’ve got more room than you know what to do with,” I said, laughing when we came to the last bedroom and it was completely empty.

“Yep, you need to come move in with me. Fill up my house,” he said.

“Yeah, right. I’m not sure I'll ever leave Colorado now that I'm back.”

“Are you sure? Maybe I can convince you otherwise while you’re here.” He lifted his shoulders when I laughed. “Hey, you can’t blame me for trying.”

“What if you switched teams?”

He put his hand on his heart. “I’ll never switch teams, Elle love. You have my word on that. I love women too much for that.”

I laughed and shoved him, making him laugh. “You know what I mean. Anyway, Denver’s not bad. I miss California too…a lot,” I admitted. “And I miss seeing your parents regularly. Their visits were always a highlight.”

“Well, you know how we can fix that—we’ve got to go see them.”

“I’m game. As long as I give enough advance notice at work, I can pull that off.”

“Should we go out to eat or stay in?” he asked. “Are you tired?”

“I’m a little tired. It's been a long day and the time change is kind of doing a number on me.”

“How about we stay in?” he said. “We can watch a movie, pretend like we're at school.”

“I’d love that. I'm good with ordering a pizza or something too, so you don't have to make anything.”

“How hungry are you?” he asked.

“I’m starving.”

“All right, pizza it is. I'll make a big breakfast for us in the morning and take you out tomorrow night. There’s a party too, if you wanted to check that out.”

“Sure, anything.”

We ordered pizza and ate in front of the movie playing in the background. When we were done eating, I leaned back on the couch and he put his arm around me.

“It’s nice having you here,” he said. “It's been a big adjustment. The guys on the team are great…it just doesn't feel like home yet.”

“It's been hard to imagine you here. Seeing your place helps. When I’m talking to you on the phone or even FaceTime, I still picture you in California…at school or even your parents’ house.”

“It helped once I saw your condo in Denver too.”

He’d played in Denver a few months before and we’d only seen each other for one night, but I went to the game and then brought him back to my condo. We’d stayed up all night talking until I took him back to the hotel to meet the team before flying out.

“I know you think I was kidding about you moving, but seriously, Elle…everything would feel right if you were here.”

I turned to face him, crinkling my nose. “You really think you’d want me here all the time ? I’m sure the women in your life wouldn’t appreciate that much.”

“I don’t bring women here.” He shook his head. “They’re too much already. I keep that separate because I can’t trust that they wouldn’t share everything about my house on social media. And anyway…you’re the one who always has a boyfriend.”

“I don’t always have a boyfriend. I do date guys for longer than one night, so sue me.”

He poked me in the side and we laughed when I jerked, too ticklish for his grabby hands.

“I don't know. There are things I really miss about Silver Hills. It's not that far, so I'm close enough to go visit my parents and get my Silver Hills fix. I do like having my independence. My job is still just okay though. It’s not really improving.” I made a face and he put his hand on my neck and started playing with my hair.

I sighed and we were quiet for a few minutes.

“That’s nice,” I whispered, yawning.

I’d missed him playing with my hair.

“I’ll do my best to show you the best Miami has to offer,” he said.

My eyes drifted shut. “You are the best Miami has to offer.” I wasn’t sure if I said it out loud or just thought it.

The next thing I knew, I was being carried to my room. He set me carefully on the guest bed and I smiled up at him.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked. “I didn't want to wake you up by taking your shoes off, but you'd probably be more comfortable if we got rid of those.” He laughed when I just let out a big yawn. “Or I could get your shorts. I know you're usually in the ‘soft things’ for sleep.” He did quotes because I had strong opinions about wearing soft things to sleep in.

I grinned. “You know me well. That would be great. Sorry, I'm so tired. It hit me hard all at once.”

“You've had a long day,” he said. “Okay, what side would they be on?”

“The left side,” I said. “My shorts and a tank top.”

“All right.” He opened my suitcase while I pulled my shoes off.

All of a sudden, a buzzing came from my suitcase. He paused and I froze, horrified about what I knew was about to be one of my most embarrassing moments.

“I’ll get that,” I said, jumping off the bed, rushing toward him.

He held up my large, hot pink vibrator and waved it. “What have we here? Elle love. Girl.” He laughed his head off and studied the vibrator then turned it up to the next level.

I snapped out of my coma and swooped in to grab it away from him.

“I’ll have you know this has been the greatest thing ever…since being single.”

“I can see why. No need for those puny guys you go for anymore.” He tilted his head. “Does this seem big to you? It’s not all that long…and not much girth. ”

“Rhodes!” I yelped. “Don’t you know size doesn’t matter?”

He snorted.

“And just because they're not six-foot-four doesn't mean the guys I go out with are puny.”

“Well, I don't imagine they’ve got much going on, if you know what I mean.”

“Okay, Sexiest Man Alive.”

He rolled his eyes. I had teased him for months about being on People’s list. He acted embarrassed when I called him that but loved every second of it.

“And yeah, I know what you mean. So rude.” I tried to sound annoyed, but I couldn’t stop laughing.

“If they're so good, you wouldn't need this thing.” He shrugged.

I buried my face in my hands. “You're not wrong,” I said, laughing.

He smirked while I tried to hide it back in my suitcase.

“My little Elle and her hot pink vibrator.” He shook his head. “That is a sight I will never forget. I’ll let you…get to sleep. Don’t worry. These walls are probably soundproof.”

”Get out,” I said, throwing a pillow at him and cracking up.

Of course I was too afraid he’d hear me if I used the vibrator, so I woke up the next morning still keyed up from being near Rhodes again. I was shy when I walked into the kitchen, but Rhodes just gave me the dimpled smile that made me melt and said, “Pancakes?”

“You know it.”

All the shyness faded away as we talked and ate and then went to the beach. He smoothed sunscreen over me and I tried not to think of his length and girth as he did so. It was a losing battle. I hoped I’d meet a man that I didn’t constantly compare to Rhodes, but he was the gold standard for me. Once every few years—less now than in the beginning of our relationship—I was tempted to tell him how I felt about him.

But how embarrassing would that be? He didn’t feel the same about me. There had been pockets of time when I’d wondered if he did, but he never said anything, never made a move. We’d always been touchy-feely, so I didn’t count the times he played with my hair or even held my hand when we’d go into a restaurant or put his arm around me on the couch…that was just us. I’d wanted to forget the pact and yet, I knew it was what was best for us. He didn’t want to settle down and both of us wanted to keep what we had forever.

That night he took me to a gorgeous restaurant overlooking the water. We were dressed up and it was hard to tear my eyes away from him. Throughout the meal, every time I looked at him, he was staring back.

“You look so beautiful, Elle,” he said softly. “I love your dress.”

I wore a simple white sundress, but it made me feel pretty.

“Thank you.” I looked at his broad shoulders and the way the candlelight made his eyes glow. “You do too.”

His full lips lifted. “Thank you. Want to walk down the beach before we head to the party? We can actually get to the house from out there.”

I nodded and after he paid for the check, we walked onto the deck and down the stairs. I took off my heels and let them dangle from my hand, as he took my other hand. We took our time walking in the sand. He unbuttoned his dress shirt and took it off, revealing a white T-shirt underneath.

A combination of music came from either side of the beach, the nightlife of Miami just getting started, but the water was completely calm.

“This looks like a good place to dance,” he said.

“Yeah?” I giggled, but then I dropped my shoes onto the sand and he dropped his shirt, and we started moving to the song that was playing the loudest.

I felt dizzy and alive and happier than I’d been in so long. He twirled me around and dipped me back and I laughed, but it quieted when I saw the expression on his face. His gaze lowered to my mouth and when he lifted me back up, one of my hands was on his waist and the other on his head. His hand lifted to my neck, his thumb tracing near my mouth?—

“Rhodes Archer, I didn’t know you had moves like that!” A guy yelled, and we turned in slow motion, the moment dissolving.

Two of Rhodes’ teammates and three girls materialized. We must have been in our own world to miss them walking up. One girl came straight to Rhodes and put her hand on his chest. His hand dropped from me as she pushed into him.

“There you are. I thought you’d be at the party a long time ago,” she said.

“Uh, Elle, this is Crystal.” He held his hand toward the girl and then introduced the rest. “Jordan, Al, Mina, and Leanne.”

They all said hello and Crystal turned to look me over.

“Oh my God, you’re Elle?” She looked up at Rhodes. “I thought Elle was a dude…like short for Louie or Elliot or something. You didn’t say your bestie was a girl!”

“Pretty sure I did,” he said, looking at me .

I couldn’t tell if his expression was an apology or embarrassment, but I tried to laugh it off.

“Not a dude,” I said.

I grabbed my shoes and we walked the rest of the way to the house together. Once we were inside, he tried to stay close and tell me who everyone was, but people kept coming up and interrupting us. Eventually I gave up trying to have a conversation with him and just people watched.

This was a whole different world that I wasn’t a part of…his friends here hadn’t even known I wasn’t some bro from college. He’d made a life for himself and I was happy for him, but I felt on the outside for the first time. The longer the night went on, the more painful it got to realize things would change between us, whether we wanted them to or not. Life would take us in different directions.

We didn’t talk about the moment on the beach. I didn’t even know if it really was a moment or if I’d just wanted it to be one so badly. When we got home from the party, he suggested turning on a movie, but I told him I was exhausted, and I went to bed.

He brought up me moving to Miami a few more times that visit, but I knew following him wherever he was drafted wasn’t a path I could take.

It would only lead to heartbreak.