2. Matt
2
MATT
I’m at the front entrance of the bar when my cell phone starts to ring. I step out of the line of people going in and stop next to the door. It’s Josh’s name on the caller ID. “Hey, bud, I’m about to walk in.”
“I need a favor,” he starts.
I don’t even hesitate. I was new to the Jasper Eagles this season, and Josh was the first one to welcome me and to help me fit in with the rest of the team. If he needs something, I’ll do it. No problem. “Sure thing, what’s up?”
“Our babysitter cancelled on us, and we won’t make it....”
I raise my hand even though he can’t see me. “Well, maybe I should have asked first. I mean, you know I love kids, but I’m not sure if I’d be the best babysitter,” I tell him honestly.
He starts to laugh. “Ha! I don’t need you to babysit. Look, Violet invited one of her friends to meet us at the bar, and we feel bad just leaving her there. Do you care to make sure she gets out to her car safely?”
“Oh yeah, no problem. How do I find her?” I ask as I stare through the front window of the bar. Instantly, my eyes are drawn to a woman in yellow. Unfortunately, she’s sitting with a man, but it doesn’t stop me from staring at her. Even though her lower half is hidden behind the table, I can tell she’s exactly my type of woman. Her long black hair is pulled up in a high ponytail that curls down her back. Her curvy body has my heart racing, and without realizing it, I put my hand up to my chest as if I can calm it or something.
“Hey, Matt. Earth to Matt. You still there?”
I clench my jaw and watch as the woman laughs and rolls her eyes at the man she’s sitting with. “Yeah, I’m still here,” I answer him without taking my eyes off the woman.
“So you think you can find her?” he asks.
“Sorry, I blanked out there for a minute. It’s pretty busy here. How did you say I could find her?”
“Violet says she’s wearing yellow.”
I gulp. “Yellow?”
“Yep, that’s what she said.”
I force my eyes off the woman in yellow and do a quick scan of the bar. She’s definitely the only woman in yellow. “She doesn’t have a boyfriend or anything?”
I hear him ask Violet. “No, no boyfriend. So you think you can find her?”
“What’s her name?” I ask.
“April.”
“Yeah, brother. I can find her. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her,” I tell him before hanging up. I step back into line at the entrance. I know I could bypass it, but I’m not that guy. As soon as I get to the door, I make a beeline for the woman in yellow and don’t stop until I’m hovering next to her at the table.
I put my hand on her shoulder, because how could I not touch her? “April.”
She looks up at me, and a mixture of reactions cross her face. Surprise, attraction, and then relief. She quickly looks away and at the man sitting across from her. “See, here’s my boyfriend now,” she says to him, gesturing to me. Her hand goes to mine that is still fitted on her shoulder.
The man is staring at me open-mouthed before closing it and looking at April. “Your boyfriend is Matt Adams? Center for the Jasper Eagles?”
She opens her mouth in surprise, and all I can think is what a perfect opportunity to kiss her. I lean down and press my lips to hers. She gasps, and because I can’t resist, I swipe my tongue across her lower lip. She moans, and I force myself to pull away. I look into her eyes, and she’s looking back at me with shock. Fuck, I just met her. Hell, I haven’t really even met her yet, and already I’m manhandling her. I pull back and try to keep my cool. I reach my hand out to the other man. “Yeah, I’m Matt. It’s nice to meet you.”
The man starts to stutter. “She said she had a boyfriend, but I had no idea. I’m sorry,” he says, looking between me and April.
I look at her, wondering what he has to say sorry for. Do I need to take care of this or what? Did he disrespect her?
April shakes her head. “No, really, it’s fine. I appreciate you keeping me company. It was nice meeting you, Thomas.”
He nods and gets up to leave but stops quickly. “Uh, do you think? I mean... would it be okay?”
He’s looking at me, and I know where this is going even though it’s taking a while to get it out. “What is it, Thomas?” I ask him, urging him to spit it out. I’m never rude. At least I try not to be, but my patience is running thin. I want to talk to April... alone.
“Can I get a picture with you?”
“Sure.” I squeeze April’s shoulder before letting it go. I move around to the other side of the table, and Thomas is holding his phone up to get the selfie. He’s quite a bit shorter than me, and his hand is shaking, so I take the phone and snap a few selfies of us real quick before handing him the phone back. “There you go. It was nice meeting you. Thanks for looking out for my girl,” I tell him, but the whole time my eyes are on April.
She’s watching me, and her eyes widen when I call her my girl. That’s right, sweetness. You’re going to be mine.
Thomas walks away, staring at the pictures on his phone, and I sit down in the chair he vacated. “Hey, April.”
She takes a deep breath. “Hey.”
I slide my chair around the table to get closer to her. “It’s loud in here, huh?”
She nods, and I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s beautiful, and I know I can’t fuck this up. I reach my hand across the table between us. “I guess I should formally introduce myself. I’m Matt.”
She looks at my outstretched hand for just a minute before finally putting hers in it. I should shake it and let it go, but I don’t. I hold on to it, stroking my thumb across her wrists. Her skin is soft against mine.
“I’m April,” she says.
“Josh asked me to check in on you,” I explain.
Instantly she pulls her hand back. “Oh right, you were going to make sure I made it to my car safely. But I promise it wasn’t my idea. I can make it to my car. I know you have a party to get to, so I’ll...”
She’s rambling, and when she stands up as if she’s going to leave, I stand up too. “Wait.”
She stops but doesn’t sit back down. “Hear me out? Hang out for a minute. I’m not in any rush.”
Her eyes are telling me she wants to, but she shakes her head. “No, I don’t want to keep you.”
I reach for her, tugging her to me. She lets her body melt to mine, and my first thought is she’s going to know exactly what I’m thinking because there’s no hiding my desire for her. Not after feeling her curvy, thick body against mine. “You’re not. Come on, have a drink with me before you go.”
She knows. Her hips press against mine, and her lips tilt up in a smile that is not meant to seduce, but that’s exactly what it does. She has me hook, line, and sinker. “Okay, I can stay for a little while.”
I nod and reach for her chair, holding it until she sits down. I pull mine closer and sit down with my thighs open and her legs between mine. “Tell me about you.”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I’m April. I’m a baker at Sugar Glaze Bakery in Whiskey Run.”
I lean closer and inhale. “Is that why you smell so sweet?”
She laughs and playfully swats at my chest. I catch her hand because it’s an excuse to touch her. I need to touch her. “I’m serious. You smell really good.”
She swallows. “Uh, actually, I joke about that all the time. I sometimes feel like I’ve got sugar baked into my skin. I am always smelling sugar and vanilla even when I’m not at work.”
I press my nose to the side of her neck. She doesn’t resist me. Her head tilts to the other side, and I feel her body tremble against me when I touch my lips behind her ear.
I pull back and shift in my seat. “Yeah, sugar and vanilla.”
Her eyes are wide. “So what about you? What’s a center?” she asks.
I try to hide my smirk. So she doesn’t follow football. “Uh a center is the one that hikes the ball.”
She looks at my hand on hers. I’m tracing on the back of her hand, and I switch up directions because I realize I’m drawing hearts on her. She scrunches her nose up. “Hikes it?”
I could brag and tell her that the center pretty much is the leader of the offensive line, but I don’t want to sound conceited. “Yeah, to the quarterback.”
She nods. “Cool. I’ll have to watch a game now and see you hike your ball.”
Her face turns red, but all I can think about is having her watch me. I’d love that. I’d love to have her cheering for me from the sidelines. “I’d like that. But we don’t play again until spring.”
She doesn’t commit. She even rears back a little when I mention the timeframe, letting me know she’s skittish. I lay my hand firmly across hers either to hold her to me or to calm her, I’m not sure. How in the world have Josh and Violet kept this woman a secret? I can already imagine if my teammates knew about her, they would have already made a play for her. Which brings me to my next question. “How do you know Josh and Violet?”