Page 49 of Off Limits

He slaps me on the back. “Just be careful with your knee. We don’t need you injuring it worse with extracurricular activities. I’ll give the other guys your regrets that you can’t make it out to Player’s tonight for a beer. Coach’s orders that you take it easy, after all.”

Cackling, he saunters to his own locker to get dressed.

Shaking my head again, I head out, forcing myself to wait until I’m in my truck before texting Ellie that I’m on my way home and that Cal will be gone for a few hours, at least.

She was right about one thing. Cal’s not a dummy. And he already knows I’m seeing someone, or at least hooking up with someone regularly, he just thinks it’s with someone he doesn’t know. If this continues long enough, he’ll start pushing to meet her, because that’s the way he is.

But just like with the thoughts of the impending doom of my pro football career, I ignore my concerns about Ellie and me and what it’ll mean for my relationship with her brother when he inevitably finds out the truth. I’ll deal with all of those consequences another day.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Ellie

I sigh with relief when I finally get Simon’s text.

Simon: I’m okay. Gotta take it easy this weekend. Cal’s going out. Meet me at my house in 30.

“Good news?” asks Autumn as we head up to our room.

I nod. “He just has to relax this weekend but says he’s fine. He wants me to come over.”

Autumn claps her hands before unlocking our room and pushing the door open. “Yay. That means I don’t have to find somewhere to hang out for the rest of the night.”

“I’m sorry for hogging the room—” I start, but she waves away my apology.

“I’m just messing with you. I know how it is, and I fully support you both. Do you need a ride over there?”

I study her for a second before nodding. “If you don’t mind. I also want to bring him some things, so could we maybe hit a store first?”

She gives me anawwwwlook. “Good idea. I’ll put a couple things together too,” she says and turns to rummage through her little bottles of oils and potions and who knows what.

“Um, thanks, but I don’t need any love spells.”

She just laughs and carries on with her rummaging, then pulls out a small brown glass bottle, pours some type of oil into it before adding a few drops out of a couple of other bottles. She caps it and rolls the bottle between her palms before handing it to me. “Here. It’s a massage oil. Rub it on his hurt knee, and it’ll help, okay? I’m well aware you don’t need any love spells.”

“Oh,” I say, looking down at the bottle in my hand. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. What else are you thinking?”

I shrug. “I dunno. Maybe a heat pack or another ice pack and …” I bite my lip, thinking.

Autumn pulls off the Marycliff University sweatshirt that she wore to the game. “We’ll look around and figure something out. It’ll be fun.” She grabs a different jacket, and I trail behind her down to her car.

I’m practically jangling with nerves when Autumn drops me off at Simon’s house. Which seems silly to some degree, because I’ve been here before, and I’ve been alone with Simon lots of times now. But even though he assured me Cal wouldn’t be here and would be out for hours, there’s still the risk of him coming home. The previous times I’ve been here, even without Cal being home, I wasn’t involved with Simon, so Cal coming home wasn’t really an issue. And the other times I’ve been alone with Simon have been places where I don’t have to worry about Cal.

So I guess I’m not being ridiculous.

But I’m also worried about Simon. He said he was fine, but if he has to take it easy and is asking me to come over so he doesn’t have to go up two flights of stairs to my room, how fine is he really?

I’m not left wondering for long once I knock and stand on his doorstep, my arms wrapped around the basket Autumn helped me put together.

When he opens the door, his face lights up, and I can’t help smiling back. “Hey,” he says, his voice low and sexy as his eyes track over me, snagging on the basket in my hands. “C’mere.”

I step inside, holding the basket to the side as he pulls me close and kisses me hello, then looks me over again. “I like the sweatshirt,” he murmurs, fingering the hem. “I’d like it better off, though.”

Laughing, I hand him the basket and pull off the sweatshirt, revealing the clingy thermal henley I wore underneath.

His eyes flash in approval. “That’s much better, though not as exciting as having my number painted on your chest like Autumn promised.” He leads the way to his couch, and my heart squeezes as I notice him limping. It’s slight, but since I’m so used to the easy way he moves through any space, it’s obvious to me.

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