Page 65 of Mad Rivals
I get hot and need some water.
Holy hell, this guy’s hot. Business attire, naked, in a jersey…they’re all great looks, and I can’t decide which I like best. I’ll take them all.
Did I really just think that?
“That looks good on you, Madden,” I say, my voice a little shy.
“It’s not Bears, but I do feel a sort of new energy having all this shit. It’s becoming real, and I guess I’m starting to get excited.”
“Have you made friends out there?” I ask.
“I’m starting to. The other wide receivers are all pretty good guys.”
“I bet none of them look likethatin the jersey, though,” I muse.
He laughs, and then he takes it off and trades it for his shirt.
But I will definitely allow my dreams to be filled with Madden Bradley and all his different looks going forward.
CHAPTER 26: Madden Bradley
The Future CEO
When I get into the office on Monday morning, I’m still in a haze over my weekend.
She left shortly after breakfast yesterday, but she did love my pancakes—even in their strange, square shape.
And something happened.
Something big.
Something deep.
When she left…I didn’t want her to go.
That’s not me, and it never has been. I’ve never allowed myself to get attached. So what the fuck makes her different? I have no idea.
I stop at Starbucks for some caffeine and the chance to run into her, but she’s not there. We’ve both eased into more projects at work that keep us separated, though I’m wondering if she’s come up with a way to get to the LA office.
I don’t hear from her during working hours, but I’m busy with projects anyway. I do, however, stop into my father’s office after lunch.
“You mentioned a San Diego office. Tell me more about it,” I say, sitting in the chair across from him.
“Coming around, I see,” he says. He pulls open something on his tablet, and he passes it over to me. I glance at the information on the office building he chose, and it’s in Carlsbad. As I recall, that’s north of San Diego, and perfect given what Kennedy and I talked about yesterday.
I shouldn’t be having those thoughts, yet they are certainly ever-present.Sheis certainly ever-present.
I haven’t stopped thinking about her since the moment I met her, and now we’re going to spend a weekend together in California? It seems dangerous somehow, yet I can’t seem to stop myself from moving in that direction anyway.
“What do you think?” he asks.
“Carlsbad isn’t very close to the practice facility, but I can make it work,” I say rather than the other rushing thoughts in my head regarding our competitor.
“Pick a place to live halfway between the two,” he suggests, always full of answers. I don’twantto pick a place further from our practice facility, but the thought of Kennedy having to drive further to her office isn’t exactly appealing, either.
Wait a second.
What the fuck did I just think to myself?
