12. Lux

TWELVE

LUX

"Have either of you seen my earbuds?"

I turned around to Parker and Tanner who'd been permanently glued to the couch for the past three days, and what looked like the castle they'd built in Minecraft.

It was impressive, more so because they seemed to be concentrating so hard they'd lost the ability to speak, or more importantly, be annoying. It was a toss-up on whether I wanted to disturb them, but I was leaving anyway so they could continue being annoying without me.

"Earbuds? Have you seen them?"

I knew they were here. I'd put them down somewhere yesterday when I'd come in from running errands and collecting lunch from the deli down the street.

I'd already searched my pockets, emptied out my bags, and flipped up one of the cushions. Nothing.

Goddamn earbuds I was always losing. Someone needed to invent a GPS for them.

"Dude, don't put it there. You need the torch or the spider will g et through."

"What?"

My eyes flicked to Tanner, but he was muttering to Parker about how to defend their castle against monsters or whatever. If I wasn't in a hurry, I'd have cracked a joke – Tanner and spiders didn't mix, even if one was fictional and made of code.

I couldn't be bothered to ask again. They were clearly suffering from selective hearing, and I'd also spotted Tanner's over by the kitchen, in the baseball mitt we kept our keys in.

"Thanks for nothing. Tan, I'm taking yours. See you later," I called back as I stepped into the elevator.

I doubt they'd even noticed I'd gone.

"Enjoy your make out sesh!" yelled Parker, as the doors slid shut.

I knew they could hear me. Dickheads.

J ust like the couple of times we'd been running, Radley met me at our destination. While I'd prefer to pick her up, so it felt like a real date, I also knew she wasn't ready for it. Until she was, we'd be taking two cars.

I drove through the Lions' entrance for staff and players, and left names at the gate with security. It wasn't unusual for visitors to come to the gate. During the season, any number of meetings were held all day long, and they'd pass through the visitors' desk where they'd have to be signed in .

Today's visit, however, had the potential for raising a number of questions I'd rather weren't raised. The most pressing being, "Why is the President's daughter working out in the New York Lions gym?"

As I wasn't prepared to answer that just yet, I therefore handed over a series of alibis to the guys at the entrance, while also assuming they wouldn't recognize her anyway. Therefore, my guest for today would be Elizabeth Bennett, plus a Mr. S.A.A. Merica and Associates.

It made Radley laugh when I told her, even if I was the recipient of another scowl from Jake. But as long as Radley laughed, I didn't give a shit.

When they pulled up at the huge black Lions entrance, I was ready. I managed to open the back door before any of the agents had jumped out, and held my hand out for her to take.

"Hello." She grinned up at me, her caramel eyes sparkling. It was miles away from the shy, nervous girl who'd met me at Asher's a few weeks ago.

I soaked her in, committing every detail of her to memory, my eyes darting away from her lips to the rest of her face… the fast-fading freckles on her nose now winter was nearly here, the way her lashes fluttered as she held my gaze, the way the ends of her ponytail rested over her collar bone, but it was her smile that had my heart stopping for a second. She was so fucking beautiful, and if I stared at her any longer, my dick was going to start paying attention.

She'd long become the last thing I thought about every night and the first thing I thought about every morning, and my dick and brain were fully aware.

"Hello, yourself," I replied, though I frowned when I realized something was missing. "Where's your cap?"

She shrank into her shoulders, pulling a face that was fifty percen t guilt, fifty percent amusement. "It's enough that I'm here, isn't it? Everyone will assume I'm a Lions fan."

"I dunno." I added a little head tilt as I leaned forward. "We like to have the point reinforced whenever possible."

Her mouth dropped and a laugh burst out, though all I could focus on was the flash of her tongue resting behind her smile. Maybe this workout wasn't a good idea. I'd need a cold shower at the end of it, for sure.

Two of the agents – Ethan and Meg – rounded the back of the Escalade. As Ethan rested his hand on the door to close it, I heard an order come through from Jake.

"Stick with Bookstore and Baller. Ava and I will be outside."

My head snapped up from Radley to Jake, right as he drove off. "What did he call me?" I spun back to Ethan. "What did you call me?"

I liked Ethan, he seemed like a dependable type of person; the type of person you'd want protecting your life – alert, vigilant, always paying attention to his surroundings, without coming across as a dick. But I'd never seen him smile until now, or say more than two words to me – and he'd definitely never slapped me on the shoulder.

"Baller. It's the name we have for you."

"I have a name?'

He nodded. "Yeah. We use it for when you're with Radley, for our service reports."

"I'm in reports?"

"Yup," he grinned.

"Okay then," I replied, because what do you say to that? I focused on Radley again. "Let's go and workout."

We pushed through the main doors and into the foyer for the Ne w York Lions executive entrance – a vast atrium which stretched to the upper floor of the stadium. Along the left wall hung framed jerseys of players past and present, while along the right was a detailed timeline of the Lions history, starting from their inception in 1920. On the floor, a vast Lions logo was laid out in the marble, the golden flecks of the mane caught the sunlight and bounced off the surfaces.

During the season, the eleven-acre site bustled with hundreds of Lions staff, from security and the groundskeepers, to PTs and players. It was noisy and vibrant. Multiple daily tours took fans around the grounds, and there was always a line around the block before the Lions store opened at ten a.m.

It was a stark contrast to the offseason where everyone – maintenance staff included – was given a well-earned break. Tours still ran and the store was open, but the excitement of the season didn't filter through the air. Most of the players had families and houses around the country or in warmer climes, and didn't want to stick around in the New York cold. But the boys and I weren't in the family stage of life yet.

Every day since the season ended, we'd walked through the doors, cracked a few jokes with Pablo, who was always behind the main reception desk, as we made our way to the gym or went for a massage, or the batting cages for a swing.

But the thing about Pablo – he might look like a harmless grandpa, but nothing got past him, and I mean nothing . He caught it all, and Penn Shepherd would be informed before we'd even made it to the locker rooms. If I wanted to get my guests through without Shepherd hearing about it, I needed to do it as quickly as possible.

Pablo leaned across the counter as we approached. "Lux, I told you, you gotta rest those muscles, my boy. We can't have you tired before the season begins. "

I threw him my best grin and winked. "Ahh, you know I can't stay away. How else are we going to get to the World Series?"

Next to me, Radley scoffed quietly.

"That's what I like to hear. Always thinking," Pablo tapped a thick finger to his balding head.

"I've brought some friends to work out with me today."

Pablo stood a little higher as he scanned over the three of them, while I did my best to block Radley. After what seemed like forever, he heaved the weighty sign-in book onto the counter and handed me a pen.

Elizabeth Bennett and the Joes had been officially admitted.

"Welcome to the best place in the world."

"Thank you, sir," Ethan nodded with a one finger salute, and followed me down the corridor to the locker rooms.

I stopped in the entrance before we headed into the main locker rooms. All three of them looked around, eyes wide as they took in the big screen TVs, couches, and comfy chairs for down-time, the wall of fridges filled with any approved drink we wanted, or the shelves of snacks for when we were hungry.

"You guys are welcome to sit in here and chill, or…"

"We stay with Radley," interrupted Ethan.

"Or…" I continued, grinning wide at the seriousness on Ethan's face. Yeah, this dude was definitely one who'd take a bullet for you and beam with pride as he did. "You can work out."

"We'll come into the gym with you," he corrected.

I looked down at Radley and winked for the sole reason I knew it would make her smile. "Follow me then. "

I held open the door and they walked through. I wondered if Ethan and Meg had practiced the synchronization of their heads scanning slowly around the room, though ‘room' was an understatement.

Three thousand square feet of fitness equipment, separated into zones designed for each muscle group. Along the right-side wall was a hundred-meter sprint track, next to a dozen battle ropes and weighted sleds. Along the left was the stretching and floor work area, which led through to the PT suites. Treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and a couple of other contraptions I'd never bothered with were all in the center.

"Guess Penn Shepherd really doesn't mess around when it comes to making sure you guys stay fit."

I leaned into Ethan, with a lowered voice. "Does that mean it's good enough for someone who runs alongside moving cars?"

Ethan chuckled quietly. "It'll do."

"Go nuts," I replied, taking hold of Radley's hand as the two of them moved off to give us our space back. "Goldilocks, you can use anything in here. Where would you like to start?"

Her eyes slid up to mine. "This is where you work out every day?"

"Yup."

"No wonder…" she started before the familiar biting of her lip took over. I reached out and pulled it loose.

"You're gonna need to start finishing your sentences."

"No wonder your muscles are…" she trailed off again, and I let out a little chuckle.

I should help her out.

I reached behind and pulled off my sweater, watching as her big golden eyes followed the way my triceps flexed as my arm fo lded back. It wasn't the first time I'd seen her staring at my body – I'd caught her staring since the day I'd run into her – and I fucking loved it. I would never get enough. It made my heart pound like I was mid-workout.

Easing my head free while showing off maximum bicep tension, I tossed it to the floor by the door, pulled my t-shirt back down, and looked at her.

Fuck me.

I had a healthy sized ego, but if she kept looking at me like that, it would rival Ace's.

I watched as her gaze stay trained on my chest before she finally looked up at me, and my smile now stretched from ear to ear. Busted. The shade of pink she turned was impressive – not only from the speed at which her skin changed color, but the way it left no patch un-pinked.

Even the tips of her ears.

Her eyes narrowed enough that I could tell she knew I knew what I'd been doing, so I bent close and whispered, "Hey, I get paid a lot of money to look like this, but if you like it, I'd say it was totally worth every second I spend in here."

A little puff of exasperated air parted her lips, but it only made my grin widen.

"Shut up," she grumbled finally, refusing to meet my eyes. Instead, she looked around. "Where do you normally start?"

"I warm up with a quick mile on the treadmill followed by stretches, followed by weights, but you can start wherever you'd like. The gym is yours; free of anyone looking at you… except me," I winked, only for her to blush even deeper.

I wanted to watch that blush cover her entire body.

"How long do we have?"

"As long as you want, Goldilocks. It's your workout, I'll be here u ntil you're done."

She flashed me a smile so blinding that anything I was about to say died on my lips. Beautiful didn't do her justice.

"Running machine it is. Let's go, muscle man."

I'd be lying if I said I didn't wait a beat just so she'd step ahead and I could watch her ass move in her leggings, because I'm only human, and that ass looked like it had been sculpted by the Gods, but also because that smile had rendered me more than speechless.

It had woken my dick up.

It's hard to work out when fifty percent of your attention is focused on watching someone else. Another twenty-five percent goes on hoping they're watching you, and the rest is remembering what you were doing in the first place. I'd never been so acutely aware of my body, of the flex in my muscles, and the depth of my squat, or of the sweat dripping down by back.

One thing I knew, I lifted heavier today than I'd done in a long time, even when I was fucking around with the boys and we'd pile on the weights before anyone noticed.

I'd pay for it later.

Every time I looked at Radley, she'd been looking at me. I'd hold her wide, open eyes before a smile would curve up the left side of her full, perfect lips, and she'd glance away with a slow blink. So far, I was up to four seconds.

Four seconds of her gaze locked onto mine.

It was charging the air with an electric force, a static that pushed me to exert myself. Since I'd met her, my blood had been fueled with a level of energy I'd never experienced before, and I had yet to find evidence it had an off switch. Today, however, it was supercharged.

My body knew it, my mind knew it. My heart knew it .

I liked this girl… like, a lot.

I dropped the hundreds on the floor. My sister's face flashed up on my cell, and I swiped it before it went to voicemail.

"Hey, Snotbag, how's it going?" I puffed out, dragging a sweat towel down my face. In the mirror, Radley was kicking her left leg back on the glutes machine, and I lowered my gaze before I got an inappropriate boner.

"Where are you? You look gross and sweaty."

"At the gym working my butt off."

Her eyes widened, and I already knew what the next question would be. "Is Ace with you?"

I laughed and shook my head; it was no secret that my youngest sister had a mad crush on Ace, while Sienna had already told me too many times to count that she was in love with Tanner.

"No, I'm with my friend, Radley." I moved the cell screen so she could see Radley in the distance.

"Oooh. Is she your girlfriend?"

My eyes flicked to Radley's reflection in the mirror. She was near enough, and Maddie was loud enough, that she could hear every word, but she seemed to be concentrating too hard on the curl of the bar to be paying attention.

"No," I shook my head, and dropped my voice, "but if I tell you something, promise you'll keep it a secret?"

Maddie drew a finger across her lips and threw away an invisible key, as solemnly as if she was swearing an oath. I believed her; Sienna was the big mouth of the family.

"I want her to be."

"Lux has a girlfriend!" Her squeal was loud enough that Radley's head turned to face me, right as I cringed.

Great. Outed by my sister .

"Hey! Shhhhh. You promised."

"I promise I won't tell you have a girlfriend."

"Hey, Snotbag, stop saying ‘girlfriend'!"

She threw her head back with a laugh like she was the funniest comedian to ever walk the planet. I merely rolled my eyes.

"Madison, are you calling to make fun of your big brother, or did you need something?"

She stopped laughing, though the smile never dropped. "I was calling to tell you I won my race."

"Hey! Way to go! I'm so proud of you. It must be those long, skinny legs you have; no one can out pace them."

"Yeah, like yours," she snorted with a laugh. My legs were anything but skinny.

I turned as Radley dropped onto the bench next to me with a smile. "Hey, Maddie, I gotta go, but I'll call you later, ‘kay? I love you."

"Love you, Snotbag. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you have a girlfriend."

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and held in the groan that really wanted to let itself free. "Thank you."

The screen went black before I could say goodbye.

I knew Radley was staring at me, though I wasn't quite ready to look up.

It had been a little over a month since I'd seen her in the bookstore, and a matter of weeks since the day I'd taken her to Asher's. We messaged or talked daily. We'd been on three runs together, and if you counted them – which I did – then this, the Lions gym – was officially our fifth date.

In five dates I hadn't made any type of move, which had to be a record. I'd never been on five dates before – not with the same g irl. I'd make my moves, then move on.

But with Radley, we were a month in, and I'd done nothing more than hold her hand… even though all I could think about was what she'd feel like in my hands. Yet I'd been giving her the space I promised, something that got harder and harder every time I saw her, because every time I saw her, she looked at me the way I was looking at her.

Like she wanted me, but didn't know what to do.

Right now, with her less than a yard away, her cheeks flushed, hair sticking to her head as she dripped in sweat, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Kiss her. Feel her. Taste every single inch of her.

"Lux?"

My gaze slid up to meet hers. "Yeah?"

"Who was that?"

"Maddie, my youngest sister."

She began twisting the hem of her workout shirt. "Who's your girlfriend?"

"You heard that, huh?"

She nodded, and I wasn't sure if the look on her face was confusion or annoyance. My face screwed up. The baby steps I'd been trying to take were about to become big giant leaps.

"I'm sorry, Goldilocks, she's thirteen. All she cares about right now is boys and track."

"She should stick with track," she mumbled.

"Yeah, I'm working on it."

She looked away, her teeth sinking into the corner of her bottom lip, and we'd spent enough time by now that I knew when she was getting anxious.

"Radley, what wrong? "

"Nothing… nothing. It's just…" I reached and stilled her hands, but instead of letting go, her thumb brushed over my knuckles. Back and forth they moved, the pale pink of her nails catching the light as they did. "Was she talking about me?"

"About being my girlfriend?"

She nodded, her eyes flicking up to meet mine, bright and glistening.

"Yeah, but she's thirteen. She asked who I was here with, and I said you. She didn't mean anything."

"Have you thought about it?" she asked quietly, "you know… me being your girlfriend? You can say no… I get it."

I hated the nervousness coating her tone. I hated the way her body was almost shaking as she stuttered through her words. This woman deserved to ooze nothing but confidence, it should beam from her so everyone could see, and I was damn sure going to make it happen.

I shifted forward on the bench so my knees surrounded hers. "Do you remember the first time we met in Brown's?"

"It was only a month ago."

I chuckled. "Yeah. You turned around and I laid eyes on you for the first time. Would you believe me if I told you I remember every detail?"

I brushed a strand of damp hair away from her face, lifting up the ends of her sweaty ponytail which rested on her shoulder.

"Your hair was tied up with a pink scrunchie, and I remember thinking it looked like the color of Pepto-Bismol. You were wearing jeans, and a black hoodie with a little snail on… right here." Her eyes tracked my finger as I pressed just above her heart. "But the best part, your Air Jordans… I haven't told you about my love of Air Jordans have I?" Radley shook her head. "I love them, and the ones you were wearing was a pair I'd bought for my sisters last season. When you turned around and looked at me, I forgot everything. You were the most beautiful person I'd ever seen, and I would have stayed there all day staring at you if Special Agent America hadn't interrupted. It's why I ran after you from the bar – I didn't think I'd get lucky a third time, and I needed to know your name. So, yeah, I've thought about you being my girlfriend. It's almost all I think about."

She blinked once, twice. "Oh."

"Radley, I'm not rushing you, and I'm not going anywhere. We'll go at your pace."

"Willyoukissme?" she blurted out so quickly I wasn't entirely sure what she'd said. I think I got it, but it could have been wishful thinking.

"Could you repeat that, but slower?"

She swallowed but her chin tipped up to me, almost defiantly, with a level of confidence I'd only seen from her the night I got my ass kicked. Gone was the girl who twisted her hands into knots. She was now assertive, self-assured, and sexy as fuck. "Will you kiss me?"

"Radley…"

"I've been thinking about it, too. I've been thinking… I like you. I like spending time with you, and I've been wondering what it would be like to kiss you. So… if it's okay..."

My finger pressed against her lips gently. "Stop talking."

I dragged my eyes away from hers to glance in the mirror, turning around when I couldn't see Ethan and Meg in the mirrors.

"They're waiting outside. I asked them to give us privacy," Radley said quietly.

Her face was so earnest and truthful, any doubt I had that she wa nted this as much as I did vanished immediately. I stood up, pulling her with me.

"Where are we going?" she asked, while I almost lifted her so she could keep up with the speed I dragged her.

"The locker room."

"Why?"

"Cameras."

I didn't get all the way inside before I used her body to slam the door shut behind us. The soft suction of the door closing may as well have removed all the oxygen too, because I was suddenly short of breath, while Radley's was bursting out like she'd run a marathon.

Bracketing her legs between mine, I dropped to get as close to her as humanly possible without touching her, and looked down. I'd been dreaming about touching her for weeks, and I was about to have my first chance.

My eyes raked over her, focusing on the thump of her pulse directly below the soft patch of skin at the base of her throat. A lone bead of sweat rolled down the column and I caught it with the end of my thumb before it pooled in the little divot between her collar bones.

Using my thumb, I smeared that droplet across her skin until the pad rested above her pulse hammering and kicking hard under my touch, strong and forceful; just like the girl staring up at me with lust and fire blazing in her beautiful amber eyes. I might have been giving her the time and space until she was comfortable with us moving forward with whatever this was, but now she had, I was taking full control.

"Radley, you have one chance to change your mind, because once I start kissing you, there's no going back. You understand?"

She nodded without hesitation. "Kiss me. "

I didn't know someone could taste like happiness, but that is exactly what it was when my lips pressed into hers, smile on smile.

Time stood still. I knew from this moment on there would only be Before Radley and After Radley. There was no in-between.

Her cheeks were still damp from her workout as my hands found them. My fingers curled around her nape, desperate to pull her closer… or maybe she was pulling and I was sinking. Yeah, I was definitely sinking as her lips parted and my tongue met with hers; soft and warm tangling together, with a hint of the berry workout juice she'd been drinking. Berries and happiness.

It felt like I'd been waiting a lifetime for this moment. I took my time exploring her mouth, caressing her while my tongue and dick were already wondering what it would be like to explore every square inch of her, especially when a low moan rumbled up her throat.

Fuck me .

I wanted to feel that moan vibrate over my dick. I wanted to grab her ass and wrap her legs around my waist as I sunk into her hot, excited body. I wanted her. My fingers itched to see if she was as wet as my dick was hard – I was seconds away from finding out – but instead, I slowed down and moved half a step back before I could bear to separate us. Before I had to go without the feel of her lips on mine, because now I knew how amazing it felt, I'd need a regular fix, no doubt about it.

"Well, that was…"

My cheeks puffed, and I was thankful for the tight skins I had on under my gym shorts. Fuck me. I was a professional athlete, and here I was, catching my breath after one kiss .

If it wouldn't have completely robbed me of my manhood, I'd have bent over double with my hands on my knees.

"Worth the wait?" Her eyelashes fluttered gently with a hint of insecurity, like she had no idea she hadn't just put me on my ass.

I held her chin between my fingers so she could see the power she wielded over me. "I'd wait an entire fucking lifetime if I got to do that again."

I'd been in the gym every day for ten years.

Hands down, best workout I'd ever had.