Page 18 of A Simple Love
A wave of her hand and a wide grin is the only confirmation she gives him, but it’s still enough to make me want to bash this volleyball right into his nose. Little did I know, that’s exactly what was about to happen to me about one minute from now.
Ben serves the ball again, the stitched leather flying back and forth as we go toe-to-toe, meeting each volley and bump that’s thrown our way, until Ben takes it a little too far and spikes the ball straight into my nose, the sound of a loud crack echoing through the yard and in my ears as I fall to the ground on my knees, clutching my face. My eyes water instantly, not because I’m crying, but because I got hit right between the eyes. Doesn’t that happen to everyone?
“Shit! Are you okay, bro?” Dean runs up to me, bending down to assess the devastation on my face. “Fuck, you’re bleeding!” He stands and shouts across the yard.
“P! Grab some tissue or napkins or something babe!” His palm comes down to meet my shoulder, just as I bring my hands away from my face long enough to see crimson blood layered all over my hands and down my shorts.
“Fuck!” I grit through my teeth, replacing my hands back over the bloody waterfall cascading down my face.
“Dude, I’m so sorry, Mike. It was an accident, I swear.” Ben is standing right in front of me, shaking his head back and forth, as I tilt my head up to watch him, his face genuinely looking distraught. I’m not sure I believe him though, especially after his comment to Victoria just moments ago.
“Mike, are you okay?” Victoria has raced down the steps of the deck now, crouching by my side to inspect my face, her eyes laced with concern while she holds out napkins to me. Reaching for her offer, I slap the thick stack of paper to my nose as I shoot a penetrating gaze up and over at Ben.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I don’t think it’s broken because I know what that feels like. But fuck, bro. Seriously?”
Ben crouches down now too, so we’re eye-to-eye. “I swear, Mike. It wasn’t intentional.” He looks over at Vic now, whose eyes are bouncing back and forth between us.
I want to believe him, but my gut is telling me that I can’t trust a damn word out of his mouth now. Every motion and decision he makes could be a back-handed attempt to one-up me in pursuit of Victoria. Realizing that placing blame on him could come back to make me look like the bad guy, I decide to let it go.
“Whatever, dude.” Victoria grabs my hand and I attempt to stand.
“Come on, Mike. Let’s get you cleaned up,” she grimaces at me, leading me up to the wooden deck and into the house towards the bathroom.
Once inside, shutting the door behind us, she grabs a washcloth from the shelf over the toilet and holds it under the running water as I rest my hips on the counter, facing away from the mirror. Standing in front of me, she wrings the excess water out of the rag and carefully swipes the cool fabric across my chest, wiping the blood from my skin. Even though it shouldn’t, given the situation that got me here, her touch is exciting me in an unfortunate way. I feel the twitch of my dick in my pants, mentally chastising myself for getting turned on as Victoria cleans me up.
Her navy blue swimsuit hugs her perfect chest and hips, her stark black hair pulled up in a messy bun under a visor. She looks so classic and beautiful, like a woman who knows how to highlight her body in a subtle and classy way, which I find so much more sexy than a girl who’s trying too hard. She looks like Victoria, the woman I’ve loved from afar for more than half my life, and now I’m having to fight against another man for her affection. Of course, right now in this bathroom, that other guy is nowhere to be found.
I’m mesmerized by the way she stares at my chest, studying every bulge of muscle and my short chest hair as she runs the washcloth back and forth. I memorize the pattern of the freckles across her nose and her long dark lashes framing her eyes as her arm moves, wiping so gently to remove the red stain on my skin, pausing as she reaches my neck and lifts her gaze to me.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” She chokes out, her hazel eyes laced with worry as she reaches up to wipe at my face now.
My hand lifts to encircle her wrist, stopping her movements while we stare aimlessly at each other, my heart pounding furiously in my chest. Just being near this woman makes my body react like a teenager, especially given how close we are right now. I can smell the mixture of sweat and honeysuckle from her perfume, penetrating my nose and stirring my stomach up in knots at how she must taste given how sweet she smells.
“I’m fine.” I swallow hard, willing my dick to bow down. “Thank you for cleaning me off, but I’ve got it from here.”
Honestly, I don’t want her to stop, but my half-erection is serving a warning that letting her continue will only make the situation in my shorts worse, ultimately embarrassing myself in front of her even further. I know my nose bleeding was a side-effect of getting hit in the face, but it doesn’t serve me well to look so vulnerable in front of the girl I’m trying to impress.
“I’m sorry. Who knew a volleyball game would be so intense?” She jokes as I turn to face the mirror, continuing to brush harshly at my skin to remove the blood that has not started to dry yet.
Meeting her eyes in the mirror, I reply, “Well, the game will always be that way when there’s something worth fighting for.”
Victoria stands still, frozen by my words. I hear her breathing beyond the muffled noise happening outside of the minuscule bathroom we’re encapsulated in. Turning around slowly after having removed the last of the blood, I reach for her head and pull her into me, pressing my lips ever so gently against hers as her hands meet my bare chest. The small moan I’m rewarded with and the press of her hands, as she moves to the back of my neck, makes all the bloodshed worth it. Even though I don’t believe Ben’s hit was entirely an accident, if it was intentional, the joke’s on him I concede, as I continue to immerse myself in my kiss with Victoria.
We break apart after just a few seconds, a kiss so small but fitting for the moment as I brush my thumb across her cheek.
“I’d better be going. I’m sure everyone is speculating what is going on in here.“ She reaches for the doorknob, the light blush across her cheeks starting to subside.
“Thanks again, Vic. I’ll call you soon,” I declare, releasing her arm at the very last minute as she shoots me a tilted grin and leaves me alone in the bathroom. Turning back to face the mirror, I exhale a deep breath as I contemplate the day. Well, that was not how I expected the barbeque going, but a kiss from Victoria definitely makes me feel like I won the game, regardless of the foul play.
Chapter 13
Victoria
“This place is gorgeous, Ben,” I whisper in fear of disturbing the surrounding ambiance. It’s my second date with Ben, just two weeks after the infamous volleyball incident that now the whole town is talking about, apparently. When Mike was seen around town following the Fourth of July with two black eyes, his souvenir from being smacked in the nose by the volleyball, rumors started flying, which my friends quickly squashed with the facts. However, now the town knows I’m dating both men, which of course, offers various opinions on the matter from anyone with a pulse.
“I thought you would like this place,” he whispers back jokingly at me under the bill of his ball cap. Ben is wearing khaki shorts and a light blue polo shirt with a Paxton Timber hat casually draped on his head. It’s a far more casual look than I’ve been granted with from him, but I’m enjoying it, nonetheless. It’s nice to know he doesn’t have to exude money and opulence every chance he gets.
“You know we don’t have to whisper, right?” He teases me as I peer over my shoulder at him, wrinkling my nose at his sarcastic response. Ben just smirks back at me.