Page 46 of Single Glance

You were amazing, baby. I’m so proud of you.

I read the messages again, knowing damn well I was smiling like a fool. God, I was fucking gone for this girl. Even when we lost last night, she was right there, cheering me on, despite being across the country. Tonight had been the same. When I called Emilia for our pre-game ritual, Hadley showed me their little set up to watch us play. During the game, she sent me updates of her girls’ night at the house, along with pictures of her and all her friends wearing Hawks jerseys with pride. In the middle was my little girl, her grin bigger than I’d ever seen.

As if she knew I was thinking about her, my phone chimed with another text. As I clicked open the attached photo, my jaw tensed, and all my blood rushed to my dick. Hadley sent a picture from my bed, where she was curled up in the blankets. She wore one of my shirts, and the hem rose enough that I could see the pale pink of her boy shorts peeking out underneath.

MENACE

Missing you, sarge. Can’t wait for you to come back to me.

Not waiting another second, I clicked on her contact, pulling up a FaceTime call. My dick hardened as I thought about the picture, wishing I was there to push the fabric up a little further, to explore her smooth, lush thighs with my fingers and tongue. As the phone rang, I closed my eyes, picturing her perky nipples pebbling in anticipation of my touch. I loved how responsive her bodywas, how it ached and screamed for me. By the time Hadley answered the phone, my erection was ready to bust through my sweats.

“Cam?”

Sleep tinged her voice, making it softer, more melodic. Hadley rubbed her eyes and squinted at the screen. With the way she smiled at me, like talking to me was the highlight of her day, I forgot about my straining cock.

“Sorry if I woke you, baby.” I placed the phone on the nightstand as I undressed, pulling off my shoes and tugging my shirt over my head. “Wanted to say goodnight to you properly.”

“It’s okay. I can’t sleep,” she mumbled. “Keep thinking about you and how empty this bed is without you. It’s too cold.”

“Only using me for my body heat?” I quipped as I grinned back at her. “Should’ve known.”

“You caught me,” Hadley answered. “Well, that and your baseball tickets. I’m getting major brownie points from my students because I get to go to Hawks games.” She shifted and settled on her stomach. “Speaking of games—I keep watching clips of your hit. It was so fucking incredible, Cam. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Hads. Wish you were here to celebrate with me.”

“Maybe the next one, I’ll be there.”

“If I had my way, you’d be there every time. I play better when you’re watching me.” I studied her tired expression. Her blonde waves fanned out over my pillows, her hands curled up under her head. She looked angelic.

Gratitude settled deep in my chest. How’d I get so lucky? I could have missed this—missed out on Hadley. Thank fuck I pulled my head out of my ass and kissed herthat first night. If I hadn’t—I shook my head, refusing to even entertain the thought. As I pulled off my jeans and laid on the scratchy bed cover, I turned back toward the phone. “Tell me about your day, baby.”

“While you’re sitting there in your boxers?” Hadley rolled her eyes. “My day is the last thing on my mind.”

“Keep your mind out of the gutter, Hadley.”

“Impossible when you look like that, sarge.”

“Hadley,” I snapped, using that no-nonsense tone I knew she loved. “Talk to me, baby. I miss you, miss your voice. Tell me what you’ve been up to all day.”

Hadley sighed but relented, telling me in great detail about her school day. With only a couple of weeks left in the year, she was almost done for the summer, but she didn’t sound excited. In fact, when she spoke about leaving her class, her voice cracked a little.

My jaw tensed, debating whether to push her. She might not have told me outright, but after reviewing her business plan, I knew it was something she really wanted. When we were in school, I heard her talk about opening an early childhood center, but I wrote it off as another one of her whims. But there was nothing impulsive in her business, another clear sign I’d been so wrong about her.

It was easy to buy that she was just another party girl, not looking for anything serious in her life. After all, she almost always wore a smile and never seemed to let life get in her way. But now, I saw the woman underneath, the one who kept fighting even though life had failed her so many times. It took so much strength to keep going after dealing with her circumstances, and it only made me respect her more. And what was even more impressive—she wanted to use her past to help others, to make sure otherchildren got the support they needed to achieve their own goals, for parents to have a support system in place to help guide them through the challenging parts of early parenthood.

I knew that struggle all too well. While I wouldn’t trade Emilia for the world, becoming a dad was the scariest moment of my life. I was only nineteen and had barely done anything with my life—made countless mistakes because I thought I knew best. The moment Victoria showed up at my door and showed me those two pink lines, my life’s course changed irreparably. Many dreams got shelved, pushed aside for a stable life for my daughter. Even playing ball had been put on the back burner. Before Emilia, I’d planned on signing up for the draft, wanting to go pro as soon as possible. With an infant at home, though, it wasn’t an option. Luckily, things worked out better than I’d imagined, but what if they hadn’t? Would the resentment and regret have eaten away at me until I’d transformed into a shell of myself?

I glanced back at the phone and stared at Hadley once again, amazed by what she’d already accomplished on her own and hoping I’d be there for whatever she decided to do next. Her dark blue eyes searched the screen, and I smirked back at her, a devious plan forming in my mind. I’d do anything to erase those worried lines from her face, even if I couldn’t physically be with her right now. I shifted onto my side. “Did you do anything else tonight, Hadley?”

She furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“You sent me that photo knowing damn well what it would do to me. Did you touch yourself in my bed, baby? Did you play with your clit, knowing that perfect pussy was aching for me?”

Hadley’s mouth fell open before she shook her head. “I didn’t—I didn’t think you’d beokay with that.”

“About you getting yourself off?” I grinned as I flipped onto my back. Hitting a button on the screen, I flipped the camera to show the effect the idea had on me. “Baby, picturing you in my bed, touching yourself until you come, is making me hard as fuck. Are you going to be mad if I jerk myself off to thoughts of you? If I grip my dick wishing it was your tight little cunt?”

“No,” Hadley breathed. “Fuck, Cam. You’re killing me here.”

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