Page 48 of Hot Route
My heart pounds in my chest, feeling like it could burst at any second with the love I feel for her. “Baby, you are fucking perfect. Thank you for letting me take care of you. I know it wasn’t easy for you. But you can lay down next to me every night and sleep easy knowing that I’ll always be there.”
She takes a content breath before a small giggle escapes her.
“What’s so funny?” I question.
“You called me your girlfriend,” she replies.
I exhale a laugh. “Yeah, I did. Didn’t I?”
She smiles, happiness radiating from her as she leans forward and rewards me with a deep kiss. Although Brady put a temporary damper on our evening, I refuse to let it ruin the ending for us. Instead, I take my girl home and spend the night showing her exactly how I feel about her.
THIRTY-SIX
MADS
I’ve beenawake for the past ten minutes, but I have yet to open my eyes. Blaze’s warm body is pressed against my back and his strong arm is holding me in place. I imagine my alarm is about to go off any second, but I’m going to squeeze every moment I can out of the peace and quiet of morning before we both have to get up and get ready to go our separate ways for the day.
It’s been two days since the Children’s Hospital fundraiser. I still can’t believe Brady had the balls to approach me and Blaze as we waited outside for our car. I’ve known him a long time and I’ve never seen him drunk like that. And the horrible things he said? It’s like he was a completely different person than the one I dated in high school.
Don’t get me wrong. Brady has always been spoiled and entitled. His father gave him everything he wanted growing up, which turned him into a self-centered brat. But he always put on a good front. Even I only saw bits and pieces of what he hid underneath his fake smile. The passive-aggressive way he always told me my thoughts and actions were juvenile. The way he made me feel like I should thank him for being with me.Thatis the real Brady Jones. And hopefully after Blaze’s threats, I’ll never have to deal with him again.
I’m broken from my thoughts when the alarm on my phone intrudes on the quiet of our bedroom. Blaze stirs behind me, tightening his hold as if I’ll just give up on the day altogether to stay in bed with him. While that’s not a terrible idea, I have to get in the shower or I’ll be late to my internship.
Trying to pull out from his iron grip, Blaze groans into my ear. “Let’s quit our jobs and become professional cuddlers.” His voice is gravelly and I feel something down low squeeze inside me.
I laugh. “As amazing as that sounds, the city would be pounding your door down after a day. They wouldn’t be too keen on losing their star receiver this late in the season.” The Blizzard have only lost two games so far and they’re currently leading the conference. They can clinch a playoff berth with a win against Tennessee this week.
“Fine,” he grumbles. “But I’m showering with you.”
We slip out of bed, still naked from last night. Memories flood my brain of Blaze sliding inside me while telling me how much he loved me. We made love for hours until we passed out in one another’s arms. As much as I love how rough and dominating he can be, something about the sweet moments we share mean so much.
We shower as quickly as we can before heading down to eat breakfast. Thankfully, he’s had his chef meal prep for us both. I was perfectly okay with my normal morning meal of absolutely nothing but coffee, but Blaze insists that I eat a well-balanced breakfast with him before work each day. We move around the kitchen seamlessly, as if we’ve been living like this forever. I love how comfortable all of it feels.
We grab our bags from the closet before kissing each other goodbye and getting in our cars. I’m still getting used to mynew G-Wagon, but I really love it. After my meltdown on my birthday, Blaze made me realize that my old car wasn’t safe and that me driving this one is just as much for him as it is for me. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the way he cares for me. It’s hard to believe that I deserve him sometimes.
I pull into a parking space at the Tailgate Media headquarters and grab my things before heading inside. I have an extra pep in my step lately knowing that the end is near. Jacob could be picking one of us to be hired on permanently any day now. He’s been extremely vague about where his head is at, but I feel confident. I’ve been putting so much effort into creating the perfect content. Out of the four of us, I’ve easily had the biggest names in my interviews. And I did it all without Blaze’s help. Dalton even begged me to do a full-length article on him. He recently became the number one running back in the league for touchdowns and he won’t shut up about it. I told him I didn’t want to interview anyone I met through Blaze until Jacob makes his final decision. I just want to prove that I have what it takes to win this job on my own merit.
When I get to my desk, I notice that Ella, Chance, and Jason are all there. That’s pretty common this early in the morning as we wait to get our daily assignments from Janine, but I’m caught off guard by the fact that they’re huddled together around Jason’s computer. Ella notices me first and gives me a small smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
Huh. Weird.
“Morning,” I say, my normal cheeriness clouded in trepidation. The guys turn, giving me a glimpse at what had their attention when I walked in. The browser is pulled up and there are paparazzi photos from the fundraiser. Blaze and I are walking down the red carpet, hand-in-hand as he looks back at me with a proud smile. I knew they only allowed certain media professionals inside, but it didn’t really register that they weren’tchecking press passes outside the doors. Anyone could’ve taken photos of us. And from what I’m seeing now, they did.
Chance stands, stalking my way. “No wonder you were able to get all those guys to do interviews with you. When you’re fucking Blaze Beckham, it’s pretty easy to make friends in high places.” I rear back at his words, but I can’t speak. I’m stunned silent.
It takes me several moments to collect my thoughts as the three of them wait for an answer. Finally, I find my voice. “I’m not— I work for him. As his assistant,” I say, quietly. Insecurity takes over as their stares bore into me.
Jason laughs. “Whatever. By the looks of these pictures, there’s more going on than that. Is that how you got here? Blaze told Jacob to accept your internship application? I imagine someone like him would have a lot of pull around here.”
This is exactly what I was afraid of. I knew as soon as people linked me to Blaze, they’d think he was the reason I was given these opportunities. I’ve worked my ass off here and they all know it. But none of that matters now.
Chance continues, “I saw you on TV during the Tampa game. I thought it was weird that he ran over to you after he scored that touchdown, but there weren’t that many Blizzard fans in the front row, so I figured maybe it was just a coincidence. That he was just giving a ball to a random fan. But now I see that pussy can get you anything you want. Even a job you didn’t earn.”
My eyes fill with tears. I want to put my fist right through his pretty-boy face. To tell him that I got here on my own. I didn’t even know Blaze when I applied to be here. I have every right to compete for this position, just like the rest of them.
I look up at Ella. She doesn’t look angry with me like the guys do. Pity covers her expression, but I hate that almost as much. She and I have worked closely, and I’ve done as much as I can to teach her how she can improve. She knows that I’ve workedhard to be here, but when it comes down to it, her opinion won’t matter when Jacob makes his decision. And I know he’ll probably consider all of this when he does.
Defeated, I sit down at my desk and try to focus on my plans for the day. Tears threaten to spill over, but I refuse to cry here. I just want Blaze. I want him to hold me and tell me it’s going to be okay. But right now, I’m on my own.
