Page 11 of Reckless Storm (San Francisco End Game #3)

Reed

M y back aches when I wake up and as I try to roll over, I realize I fell asleep on my belt. Groaning, I open my eyes and startle, coming face-to-face with Bria staring down at me.

“What are you doing?” I rasp, clearing my throat as I sit up.

“You came back?” Her lips pull into a smile.

“I did.”

Despite telling me she’d be fine on her own, Bria wasn’t all that thrilled with me ditching her for the hour I spent with Hayley last night. But she was at least nice enough to wait until the speeches were over before causing a scene.

Before that, she’d been her usual self, and I don’t know if it’s because I’m not equipped to handle the whiplash, or it’s something else entirely, but for the first time…I didn’t apologize. And I’m still not sure if I should, though I’m certain she’ll expect it.

“Bria, I have no idea—”

“I’m sorry.”

“What?” I didn’t see that coming.

She sighs as she shoves my legs over and sits down. “I was a brat last night.” I nod subtly in the hope that it will cause less trouble than agreeing with her. But I do agree… she was. Holding my breath, I wait for her response, but when she laughs, I relax.

“What happened?”

“The guy I’ve been seeing kind of screwed me over,” she admits.

“And I didn’t handle it as well as I should have.

Instead of talking to you about it, I reacted poorly.

I’m not making excuses, but I was stuck between feeling vulnerable and wanting to say a big fuck you to love. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

Love ? Jesus Christ. She barely knew that guy.

“And by love,” she continues as though answering my unspoken question, “I don’t mean that I loved him so you can wipe the disgust from your face.” She raises a brow and I force a grin.

“Sorry, I was worried for a second. I thought you were smarter than that.”

“I am. I don’t fall in love that easily. What I mean is that I wanted to flirt and have fun, but I also selfishly wanted my friend.”

For fuck’s sake. I smile through my heartache and reach for her hand. “I’m good, but I’m not a mind reader. Next time, just tell me what you want and I’ll be there for you. Like always.”

“I will. And I know. So… Hayley Jackman, huh?” Bria waggles her eyebrows and the ache in my chest deepens. What the fuck am I doing? Bria and I are friends. And that’s all we’ll ever be. I wanted answers this weekend and I got them.

It’s time to move the fuck on.

“I still don’t know her that well, but we had a good chat last night.”

“And…” She smiles in anticipation.

“And that’s it.” I shrug because I’m not lying.

We chatted and nothing more. Unless you consider the fact that I went back to the venue to check on her and found her blind drunk as she danced with one of my teammates.

Thankfully, she picked a good one. Or at least, she picked one that was too young and naive to ever believe he had a shot with her.

He even moved aside graciously when he saw me coming.

I doubt she’ll even remember I was there or that I took her home, until she reads my text. Did I cockblock her for a second time? Possibly. But again, I couldn’t leave. And it didn’t take much convincing on my part when I offered.

“I think she’s pretty,” Bria adds, her wide smile stabbing me in the chest.

“She’s definitely something. But if anything, we’re just friends.”

“For now.” She winks before her face turns serious again. “Am I forgiven?”

“Of course. But next time—”

“I’ll talk to you about my problems instead of being a bitch.”

“Not what I was going to say, but close enough.” I shrug and Bria shoves me away before standing up and bouncing on her toes.

“Breakfast? I’m paying.”

“You’re on. I think I deserve lobster.”

“Hmm. How about bacon and eggs?”

An hour later, we’re sitting down to breakfast—bacon and eggs, not lobster—when Bria’s phone rings and she steps away to take the call.

Following her lead, I grab my phone and check my messages since it’s been buzzing in my pocket from the moment I sat down. Among the sea of messages from the group chat I share with a few of the guys on my team—Luke, Easton and our retired teammate, Dylan— there’s a message from Hayley.

Smiling, I open hers first.

HAYLEY: Did you at least look? You deserve a panty peek after getting me home safely. Again

My body quakes as I laugh silently. Only Hayley. She’s so different from anyone I’ve ever met. It’s refreshing.

REED: Damn. I didn’t. Next time I will. Now that I have your permission

I’m joking. I’d never do that. And despite us barely knowing each other, I trust that she gets that about me.

HAYLEY: As if. I doubt you’d peek even if I begged

REED: Look how well you know me already

HAYLEY: You’re too good for this world. Thank you for taking me home

REED: Anytime

I’m smiling when Bria sits down, and when I look up, she’s staring at me with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. “Is that her?”

“Who?”

“Hayley.”

“It was.”

It should be strange that Bria knows who I was with without me actually telling her, but I have no doubt Hayley’s on her way to being a household name. They’ve only released a teaser of her movie and people are already raving about it.

“I bet she wanted you to take her home.”

With her expression unreadable, Bria takes a sip of her coffee and I hit her with the truth.

“I did.”

“What?” She chokes on her drink. “After you left? And then you came back?”

She fakes a smile to appear calm, but the panic in her voice says otherwise.

“I went back to the event to see if I could help with anything, and when Hayley was still there, I made sure she got home safely. I walked her inside, got her settled, and then I went straight back to the hotel to make sure you got home today.”

The tension leaves Bria’s body and her shoulders drop. “You really are a gentleman.”

“Yep. That’s me.” But I’m starting to wish I wasn’t.

“Do you think you’ll see her again?”

My phone buzzes and when I note that it’s Hayley, I open the message before answering.

HAYLEY: Are you free to catch up this week? We should go somewhere

I stifle a smile as I type out my response.

REED: I might be. (Wink emoji) Day somewhere or night somewhere?

Glancing up as Hayley types her response, I curse audibly when I find Bria staring back at me. “Fuck. I’m sorry. That was rude.” Pocketing my phone, I grab my fork and shove a mouthful of eggs into my mouth, smiling awkwardly.

“You like her?” She grins and my eyes widen.

“What?” I shake my head as I laugh out loud. Is it actually possible that she’s oblivious to my feelings? To think, she claims to know me better than I know myself.

“As a friend, sure.” I shrug and shovel bacon into my mouth next, suddenly needing this breakfast to be over.

“Like me?” Bria asks, her voice soft and uncertain.

“Nah, not like you,” I say honestly because my feelings are vastly different. “Not yet.”

Bria’s eyes widen and it confuses me until I realize what I said. Not yet. Does she think I mean that I’m going to replace her as my best friend, or is that look because she knows how I feel and now thinks I’m falling for Hayley?

More to the point… why do I always overanalyze everything?

Fuck, my life is a mess .

Why the hell can’t it be easy?

“It will never be the same, Bria. You don’t have to worry about that.” She breathes a sigh of relief and I laugh, though I’m not at all sure it’s funny. All I know is that I’m fucked.

A fter texting back and forth with Hayley over the next few days, we finally arrange to meet up the following Tuesday, since we both have the day off.

But like last time, we don’t set anything in stone, and I don’t hear from her until I’m on my way into the stadium Sunday, getting in the zone for our game against Detroit.

Hayley: I know the perfect place to go

I smile to myself and respond before entering the building, surprised we’re actually making plans.

Reed: Great! Where are we going?

Hayley: It’s a surprise. Pick me up at ten

Hayley: And pack your bathers, but if you’re good you won’t get wet

I reply with a single question mark, but of course she leaves me hanging, and… What the fuck does that even mean?

One of my teammates walks past and holds the door for me, but I wave him off, quickly typing “bathers” into the search engine to make sure that term includes board shorts. And thankfully it does.

But what the hell are we doing? It’s October.

And while temperatures would usually be mild at this time of year, we’re in the middle of an unusual cold snap, so it’s not exactly swimming weather.

Or beach weather in general. We can’t be swimming because then I’d be getting wet.

Or does she want me to stand-up paddleboard?

I’m still racking my brain when I get to my locker, so I’m lost in thought when Thomas appears beside me. “I need a favor.”

“Huh?” I say, distracted.

“A favor?”

“Oh, sure, man. Sorry. I was in another world. Hit me with it.” While the guys assume I say yes to everything asked of me, I don’t. But there are some people I’ll help without hesitation, and Thomas is one of them.

“I think Landon could use an unofficial mentor on the team, and I’d love for you to be that guy.”

A mentor? “Really? Me?” I’ve been playing for a few years, but I’m not as seasoned as some of the other guys here. I would have thought there would be better options.

“Yes, you.” He chuckles. “He needs someone who’s going to take it seriously and someone killing it in the game. You fit both. What do you think?”

“I think that sounds good. I’d be happy to help. Just let me know what I have to do.” I’m not sure why, but the thought of mentoring feels like a huge responsibility to me, and while I’m far from perfect, I think I’m up for the challenge.

“Thanks, man.” Thomas smiles genuinely, and maybe a little relieved. “Sorry I interrupted your thoughts.”

Said thoughts immediately drift back to the forefront of my mind and I huff out a laugh. “All good, man. Actually, maybe you could help. Do you know something that requires trunks, but doesn’t mean you’ll get wet?”

“What?” He hits me with a puzzled expression and my laughter increases.

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Are you doing a crossword or something? Wait, what about a yacht or a boat? Wouldn’t someone wear a bathing suit even if they’re not going swimming?”

A yacht? Nice thought. I can handle that. “Here’s hoping. Thanks, Thomas.”

“No problem.” His brows furrow as he walks away and I chuckle to myself. Only two days until I find out. For now…it’s time to get my head in the game.

E aston catches the ball in his grasp and I race forward to block Detroit’s cornerback, getting in his way before he has the chance to tackle.

With seconds to spare in the first half, Easton rushes forward, beating the whistle to the end zone, scoring a touchdown to finally put us ahead.

And it couldn’t have come soon enough, especially considering we’d all assumed this one would be easy.

Never assume.

That’s been my motto as a player for years, but after winning the Super Bowl, I got cocky. As did the rest of the team.

After a quick but tame celebration, I run off the field beside Luke, mentally preparing for Coach’s “get your heads out of your asses” spiel.

But when Luke waves to one of the private suites, I follow his gaze, smiling when I spot a blonde staring back at us.

She waves subtly and I glance away, grinning to myself.

Once again, Hayley failed to mention she’d be coming to my game.

But somehow that doesn’t surprise me. I have a feeling being friends with Hayley is going to be a wild ride, full of surprises.

And it might be exactly what I need.

Even if she does keep me on my toes.