* * *
Our son.
TWENTY-SIX
JAX
THEN
“How does it feel to be known as the greatest of all time?”
I smiled at the reporter’s question. “It feels great.”
I'd spent the last hour at this damn press junket, and all I kept thinking about was getting the hell out of here. I needed to unwind and have a fucking drink.
For the next twenty minutes, question after question was thrown in my face. The more personal it was, the better the ratings were. I knew how this game was played, having a love/hate relationship with the press since I’d began playing for Miami five years ago.
“Jax,” the same reporter called out. “Do you think you’re ever going to settle down?”
I grinned. “Not anytime soon.”
The same journalist added, “Do you see yourself getting married maybe? Starting a family? A son who could possibly carry on your legacy?”
I resisted the urge to tell him to go fuck himself.
“Have any of the models you’ve been seen with this past month finally caught your attention enough to possibly become a girlfriend?” another reporter asked, bringing my attention over to her.
“I don’t have time for any distractions that include anything more than no strings attached.”
My answer seemed to appease them. They didn’t ask about my personal life for the rest of the interview. Instead, we spoke stats which was always my favorite.
Once the conference was over, I jumped in my truck and hightailed it out of there. I was ready to get my night started with some booze and women. I wasn’t a big drinker, but with the way I had been feeling I needed it. I wanted to let go for the evening, craving liquor and pussy.
It wasn’t hard for me to pick up groupies—they threw their panties at me. Especially when they saw me out on the town. By the time I’d made it to the bar, it was packed to the rim with people, some I recognized and others I didn’t. I ordered a Jack and Coke before meeting up with a couple teammates. We hung out, drinking and shooting the shit about nothing in particular, before I needed a break from the stifling atmosphere.
Excusing myself, I made my way out onto the empty balcony, wanting a change of scenery for a few minutes. It was hotter than Hell in there, and I wasn’t a fan of big crowds beyond the stadium.
I leaned against the railing and rested my elbows on it, taking in the people dancing inside, when all of a sudden the music changed to a much slower beat. I narrowed my eyes, trying to get a better look at the girl in the center of the dance floor with her back to me.
Her long hair cascaded down her back as her hips seductively swayed to the rhythm of the song. She was wearing a tight backless white dress that accentuated all the curves of her body, leaving very little to the imagination. I stood there amazed and in awe of the woman dancing, with all eyes on her as she slowly worked her hands up toward her head to run her fingers through her hair, holding it up off her back.
Biting my bottom lip, I imagined her doing exactly that while she rode my cock and screamed out my name. The way she danced was so unbelievably fucking sexy, but it wasn’t like every other girl I was used to seeing. She wasn’t dancing for anyone but herself. She rocked her hips and spun around, finally turning to face me.
Describing this woman wouldn’t do her justice. The lighting in the room was dim, and I couldn’t see her as much as I wanted to. Her eyes were closed, oblivious to all the stares that were solely fixated on her. She didn’t give a flying fuck who was around, who was talking, who was dancing which only drew my attraction to her more.
I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly becoming dry from the vision before my eyes. My gaze traveled down her body. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and I could see her nipples peeking through her clingy dress. She had the tiniest waist and curvy hips. An hourglass figure, exactly how I liked. The front of her dress was a deep V down her chest. My eyes wandered up to her face at the exact moment we locked eyes from across the room.
It was like she could feel my intense stare focused on her. I actually sucked in a visible breath, seeing her eyes for the first time. She looked so angelic, although I could tell she was anything but pure simply based on the way she was eye-fucking the shit out of me in that moment.
She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her gaze, taking me in as much as I had taken her in seconds ago. The music changed to a much faster beat, and the dance floor quickly began filling up again. Crowds of bodies started to surround her, but she didn’t let that deter her regard over me.
A sense of familiarity filled my bones.
Do I know her?
Slowly, she walked in my direction, parting through the men and women. She never broke our deep connection. I was still leaning against the railing, one leg placed over the other as I raised my glass to my lips, imagining the way her skin would feel beneath my mouth.
She was as intoxicating as the liquor in my hand.