Amelia: Yes.
Amelia: But I’m a hot mess.
I didn’t really even read the last text as I click her name and then the FaceTime button. It rings a few times as I sit up, holding the phone so I don’t have nine chins. While her stunning blue eyes steal every breath I have, a grin spreads over my mouth.
“Mess? Please. Perfection is more like it.”
Amelia rolls her eyes, leaning her chin on her hand as she looks back at me. “I just got out of the shower and haven’t even blow-dried my hair.”
Shower. Naked. Amelia. Fuuuuccckk…
And my cock is letting it be known that he likes that very much…
I shift slightly as I say, “Well, I think you look good.”
“Are you wearing a suit?” she asks, her eyes widening a bit.
“I am. We have to.”
“Well, you look very distinguished.”
“Is that another word for hot?”
She laughs softly, and all I can see are her wet lips. They’re so kissable. “You’re silly.” She moves back on her couch, and I can just imagine her pulling her knees up underneath her. “Are your parents with you?”
“Yeah, they’re here, staying at their condo.”
“You don’t want to stay with them?”
“I can’t. I stay with the guys, which is good. I went shopping with my mom yesterday, though. She made me buy stuff for my house.”
She smiles. “Why are you making that face?”
Am I making a face? “What face?”
“A face like you didn’t want to.”
“I didn’t!” I laugh, and she grins. “I like my house plain. She wants it all homey and inviting. I don’t care. I sleep there and hang there. I don’t need all the frills and shit.”
“I guess, but I would think you’d want it to look nice for company.”
“Why? No one comes over except guys who don’t care. Unless…you’re trying to come over. If that’s the case, then I need to let my mom go crazy.”
Her laughter is music to my ears. “You’re killing me.”
I smile back at her as her hair falls in her face. I want to push it back, wrap it around my fingers, and just hold her. “Is that your way of saying you want to come over?”
“Not at all. Plus, I don’t have an invite.”
“You don’t need one. You’re welcome anytime.”
Her eyes sparkle more as she fights back a smile. She shakes her head and then asks, “So, the game went well?”
That disappoints me. It was the perfect in for her to ask to come over, but she shut it down. She has a habit of doing that. On an exhale, I confirm, “It did.”
“That’s awesome.”
“Yeah, but I wish you’d watched. What if I’d scored for you?”
Her tongue comes out, running along her bottom lip. “Well, that would be nice, but I haven’t watched a game in a while. Ryan doesn’t play, and I have no desire to watch.”
“Why not? You used to come to all our games.”
She shrugs, looking a bit uncomfortable. “I don’t want to accidentally see Drew.”
I nod. “That’s a good reason.”
“I think so,” she says softly, her eyes intent on me. “Did Lana work?”
“Nope, she mooched off me.”
She giggles. “Really?”
“Really. She wanted to be a stay-at-home wife and mom. I didn’t care—I just wanted her to be happy.”
She nods. “I worked for a little bit at a gym in Philly. But then Drew didn’t want me working anymore, so I quit.”
I make a face. “That seems a bit unfair.”
“A lot of things about that marriage were unfair.”
I swallow nervously. I’ve wanted to know this for a long time, but I didn’t want to make her feel like she had to answer me. “Can I ask why you two divorced?”
Instantly, her face fills with something… Fear? I’m unsure, but she looks down. “I don’t want to talk about that over the phone.”
“Understandable. So let me take you out.”
“Take me out?”
“Yeah, anywhere. Movie, dinner, my house, yours, just let me take you out.”
“Well, this escalated quickly,” she teases, and I shake my head.
“You know it didn’t. I’ve wanted to take you out since the moment I saw you.”
She chews on her lip as she gazes back at me. “I don’t know, Chandler. I’m fine with being your friend—”
“Oh, come on. Are you friend-zoning me?”
She lets out a laugh as she shakes her head. “You know it’s not like that.”
“Then what is it?” I ask in all seriousness.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I do know.”
She pulls her brows in. “Know what?”
“That I want to take you out and that you want to go. But if you want to be difficult, give me a hard time, that’s fine. I’ll break down those walls, and I’ll get you to give me a chance. So, get ready.”
She takes in a deep breath, letting it out through her nose. “I don’t think I am ready.”
I playfully narrow my eyes a bit. My voice is deep, serious. I want her. I want her so damn much, it hurts. I want to show her I can give her the world. My eyes burn into hers, and my voice is rough as I say, “You couldn’t be. You have no clue what I am capable of.”