Reagan

“Hi, I just wanted to congratulate you on another amazing game,” I shouted into the phone over the noise in the background on his end. I lay back in bed and got comfortable. It was Carter’s second week away, and he’d just finished a game that went into overtime; it was that close.

He must be tired, but I felt the need to call him.

So, I did.

As the days passed, it was getting easier and easier to reach out to him without worrying if I was interrupting something or thinking he wouldn’t want to talk to me.

He did, because each time I called or texted, he either answered, texted back right away or got one of his friends to tell me he’d get in touch as soon as he could.

I’d been surprised he answered after the game. I was just going to leave a message telling him congratulations.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he yelled into the phone, just before more cheers erupted. “Sorry,” he added loudly.

I laughed. “It’s fine. I’ll call you later.”

“No, wait, I’ll go somewhere— Shit, who let them in here?” he called. More roars sounded around him.

That was when I heard a woman’s voice purring, “Carter Anthony, it’s been too long,” right near the phone.

My insides tightened.

“I’m on the phone,” Carter clipped.

“I’ll let you go,” I muttered, but he probably didn’t hear me.

“No,” he demanded into the phone. But was it to the other woman or me?

“Come on, how about we have a special night like last time?” the woman questioned.

I clenched my teeth together.

“Kelly, I—”

“Don’t say no, lover boy. You know how good we were betw—”

I ended the call. I couldn’t hear anymore.

A second later, I felt like kicking myself. What I should have done was have Carter hand over the phone to the bimbo Kelly and told her to go find someone else to play with. That Carter and I were working on something together. I was sure of it, and I refused to second guess what I felt and what I was sure Carter felt.

Of course there were going to be times women threw themselves at Carter. He was stunning—absolutely the hottest man I knew. Women would try for him, but I had to trust he could put a stop to it when I wasn’t around.

I had to trust.

Trust in him and in us.

I couldn’t see Carter falling for Kelly’s words and cheating… not that it was cheating when we hadn’t even talked about what we were. But I knew there was something between us, that damn woman needed to know also.

Kicking my legs so the sheet flung off me, I let out an annoyed, frustrated grumble. I sat up and slapped the bed.

Carter

I was pumped. We’d won the game, which meant we’d go to the conference championship game. Whoever won next would play in the Super Bowl against the LA Ligers. Teammates cheered and patted each other around me. I’d just finished speaking with North when I turned and slipped off my jersey and pads, flinging them into my locker, then my phone rang.

Grabbing it, I saw the caller ID and grinned.

“Hey, Ree.”

“Hi, I just wanted to congratulate you on another amazing game.” Reagan’s cheery voice came over the phone. It was a little hard to hear with all the noise around me, so I blocked my other ear.

“Thanks, sweetheart.” God, I loved she wanted to reach out to me after the game. And all the times she’d been the first to call or text while I was away. It showed me she was ready for us to move to the next stage.

When my teammate’s roared again, I said loudly, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’ll call you later,” she shouted, and I could tell she was smiling.

“No, wait, I’ll go somewhere—” Fuck. Hockey players had puck bunnies. Football players had the same type of women who slunk around the lockers. Jersey chasers. Without thinking, I said into the phone, “Shit, who let them in here?” When some of the team saw the women enter the room, more roars sounded. They were pumped, and all the single guys would be looking forward to the attention. I was just goddamn annoyed someone let them in.

“Carter Anthony, it’s been too long.” Kelly, someone I hooked up with a long time ago, sauntered over.

Hell. I hoped Reagan didn’t hear her.

“I’m on the phone,” I clipped harshly. I wasn’t in the mood for her or any other woman, except the one on the phone.

“I’ll let you go,” Reagan muttered. She probably didn’t think I heard, but I did, and my gut clenched.

“No,” I demanded into the phone, just as Kelly’s hand landed on my chest. I shook my head. “Come on, how about we have a special night like last time?”

Fuck. Reagan would have heard that since Kelly was damn close, and I was trying to fight off her octopus hands from rubbing all over me.

“Kelly, I—”

“Don’t say no, lover boy. You know how good we were between the sheets.” She pouted.

“Not interested,” I told her. “Reagan?” When I received no answer, I pulled the phone away and saw a blank screen.

Shit. Crap. Christ. She’d hung up on me.

God no. She could be thinking the worst.

There was no way in hell I would touch Kelly with a ten-foot pole when I had Reagan waiting at home for me. Reagan with a light laugh, soft heart, with an unfiltered mouth, and with a rockin’ body. All for me.

Kelly went to grab for me again. I backed up, pissed about the situation and about Reagan overhearing when she could jump to some messed up conclusion.

“Look, Kelly, that was one time, and it’ll never happen again, I have a woman now.”

Her brows shot up. “You do?”

“Yeah, and she was just on the fucking phone overhearing what you said.”

She winced. At least she felt bad for it.

“Yo, Carter. We heading out?” North asked, walking up to my side. He glanced over at Kelly and ignored her.

“I have to talk to Reagan ASAP.”

“Why?” North drew out.

“She overheard shit that wasn’t anything with Kelly.”

“Oh crap.”

Yep.

But then my phone rang. Pulling it up, my eyes shot wide when I saw it was Reagan’s number flashing across the screen.

I glanced at North. “It’s her.”

“Well, answer it, brother.” He turned and shouted, “Quiet it down, dickheads.” Things settled a little more.

Nodding, I pressed the button and put it against my ear. “Reagan, I’d never—”

“Can you put Kelly on the phone please?”

“Reagan, I—”

“Please, Carter. I promise to be nice if that helps?”

“It wouldn’t bother me if you weren’t. I’d let you do anything, so here she is.” I held the phone out to a shocked Kelly. “She wants to talk to you.”

My heart was ready to punch out of my chest the way it beat so hard, as if it wanted to hit me for the stupid incident in the first place. I should have shoved Kelly away as soon as I saw her and screamed, “I have a girlfriend.” But I didn’t, now all I could think about was Reagan wanting to tell Kelly she could have me.

Shit, would she move me out of the house?

Out of her life?

Kelly gulped, and said, “Hello? ... Yes. … I understand. … I’m sorry you heard that. I didn’t know. … I just like coming to these things. … Maybe you’re right. I could do better. … Thank you. Yes… you too. … I’ll put him on now. Bye.” A smiling Kelly handed me back the phone. “She sounds wonderful, Carter. I’m glad.”

Numbly, I nodded and watched Kelly walk off before North helped me put the phone back to my ear. “Reagan?”

“Hi, everything’s fine now.”

I opened my mouth, closed it, and opened it again to say, “What did you say to her?”

There was a pause.

She sucked in a breath and said, “I told her that you and I could have something going. That I didn’t appreciate hearing what I did when I’m so far away, and then I mentioned she could do so much better than hanging around in locker rooms for guys to hook up with.”

That woman.

My woman.

She surprised me all the time.

“You’re amazing,” I said, my voice suddenly thick with emotion. I wanted to tell her exactly how I felt. I didn’t care that even though it had been a little less than two months, I was completely in love with Reagan Wild. But I couldn’t say it over the phone.

Jesus, I wished I was home, so I could show her and tell her just how special she was to me.

I heard her giggle. “I try.”

“You don’t need to try, sweetheart. It’s just you.”

North stood beside me grinning from ear to ear. I shoved him away and mouthed, “Five.” He nodded, and I moved to a quieter corner.

“You didn’t mind I called and spoke to her?”

“No way. Jesus, I was scared you’d jump to the wrong conclusions. Having you call back to sort it out was better than winning the game tonight.”

She snorted.

“Ree, I mean it. I felt sick when you overheard—”

“We all have a past, Carter.”

“We do, thank you for understanding.”

“I…”

“Sweetheart?”

She cleared her throat. “I didn’t like hearing what she said, but what I wanted most was her to back off from you and understand you’re out of… um…”

“Out of what?”

I needed to hear her say it.

“The dating game. I mean, that’s if I read what you wanted to talk about before you left right. I could be wrong and getting ahead of myself since we haven’t actually talked, but—” She let out a cute little growl. “I didn’t like the thought of her being there with you when I wanted to be there for you to, uh, yeah, congratulate you.”

“Baby,” I muttered into the phone and tried to dampen down my huge-ass smile. “You read the situation right back at home. We haven’t talked, but that’s where I’d like for us to go. Dating. You willing?”

“Yes,” she admitted quietly and kind of breathlessly.

“Damn, I wish I was home about now.”

“So do I.”

Fuck it. My mind was made up. In a few days, I had a free day of nothing. I had to see her. Hold her and kiss her.

I had to go home, even if it was just for the day.