Page 14 of Reckless Love
His lips demand attention, the fullness so alluring I have a hard time not staring at them.
His skin is like topaz kissed by the sun, and his eyes, they’re the prettiest hazel, constantly changing from a light amber to touches of green. The best part is how they’re always smiling at me, even when his lips haven’t gotten there yet.
His curls can be unruly at times, and I love it.
His shoulders are so broad, absolutely perfect for the best hugs.
It should be illegal to be as hot as he is.
But I’m not the only woman in the world who feels that way about Rhodes Archer. He was a hot commodity in college, but that’s nothing compared to now.
“Elle,” he says softly, his raspy voice reminding me of the things he said the night we kissed. His voice oozed sex and made my body feel like I was trying to run underwater. “We can’t pretend it didn’t happen. You felt something too. I didn’t dream that up.”
I shiver and smile big at Levi when he walks over and wraps his arms around my legs. “Hey, little man. Do you need a snack?”
He nods, and I pick him up, taking him to my pantry and opening the door wide. The snacks I’ve always kept for him are on a shelf that he can reach and I set him down, smiling as he hurries toward them.
“You still have his snacks even though we’re not supposed to be here right now?” Rhodes asks.
I turn and he’sright there, so close my chest brushesagainst his. He looks amused when I back into the pantry, away from him.
“I keep them in my purse too, just in case I get to see him somewhere. The blessing and curse of living in a small town…I run into you guys everywhere and I’m supposed to be staying far, far away.” I sound way too breathless when I’m aiming for nonchalant, and Rhodes doesn’t miss a thing.
He leans his arms up on either side of the doorway, looking me over, and my breathing halts. Yes, there have been plenty of times I’ve fought an attraction for my best friend, but I’ve managed to keep the boundaries resolutely in place.
Every time you’ve almost wavered, something or someone has prevented anything from happening, I remind myself. Call it divine intervention or poor luck, I have learned from this and now know better than to mess with what we have.
Because Rhodes is truly the best friend I’ve ever had, and I cannot lose him.
Our kiss was other-worldly good. I doubt I’ll ever have another kiss like it in my life. And the other things we did…I relive them in my head multiple times a day.
Still, I cannot be moved on this.
I love him too much to wreck us.
“You can always come to my place, you know,” he says. “It’s private. No one will see you but the guards, and I trust them.”
“I do need to see Levi more…”
“Not me?”
I groan and roll my eyes, but he knows I’m struggling not to laugh at the fool. “I’m thirty-one, Rhodes. I might not even make the team next year, but I want to try. And the season’s almost over…”
“With the way we’re playing, the season might be over sooner than later for us anyway. I can hang in there for a while.”
“You guys will get your mojo back. I heard Henley is working with the wide receiver—what’s his name? Cal? And that he’ll be around for more practices too. Maybe that will help the morale of the team to have Henley there.”
He nods. “Yeah, I think it will. We were all shaken up pretty badly to lose him and now we’re just shaken up, period, from all this losing.”
“I’m sorry I’m not there for you right now like you need me to be.” I point past him and he moves out of the way as Levi and I leave the pantry.
Rhodes wraps his hand around my arm before I’m out of range and I slowly exhale, as his thumb rubs softly over my skin.
“I’m the one who’s sorry. I haven’t been as supportive of you as I should’ve been. I love that you made the team.” He smiles and his head dips a little closer. “I just don’t like not seeing you, but I’ll try not to be so selfish.”
“Maybe it’s for the best that we’re not together so much right now.” I lift my shoulder and he frowns.
“That’s never gonna be for the best,” he says.