Bryce is wearing a T-shirt that’s so threadbare that I know she’s wearing a bikini because I can see the outline of her bikini top through the fabric, even if the strings around her neck didn’t give it away. Her cutoff jean shorts only enhance her appeal, showing off her sexy legs.

  Damn it all to hell. Maybe I should cut my losses and bail on this thing.

  “We’re all going. Even Damon’s…” Ellery doesn’t finish her sentence because Damon doesn’t do labels and probably has no idea how to refer to his latest fling.

  “Her name is Mika, and I’d like you all to behave nicely toward her.” Damon walks over to the Uber that just pulled up on the curb.

  He opens the back door, and a woman with long legs, big breasts, her hair in a ponytail, steps out. She’s wearing a bikini with a very small amount of fabric and a see-through cover-up. Let’s just say Damon knows how to pick them.

  “Shit,” Bryce says. “She’s stunning. How does he get these women?”

  “Now I have to keep my shirt on all day. I haven’t been to the gym in weeks because I’ve had back-to-back shifts.” Ellery’s eyes remain on Mika.

  “You are both hot as fuck. Stop comparing yourselves to other women.” Cooper grabs the keys from Ellery. “Let’s go.”

  We all file into the SUV. Damon and his girl are in the far back, Bryce and me in the middle, and Ellery in the passenger seat next to Cooper. The hour-long drive is filled with Cooper and Ellery trying to act like a mom and dad, wanting us to play games or do a stupid sing-along, while the rest of us act like teenagers, ignoring them with our heads buried in our phones.

  When we finally arrive at our destination, we pull down the gravel drive, Cooper following the signs to the tubing river. A lot of families and groups of people are already getting out of their cars and putting on sunscreen by their vehicles. We park farther in the back because we’d like to do this without being recognized if we can.

  Cooper, Damon, and I put on ball caps and sunglasses, but our big frames sometimes draw attention and give us away. Hopefully, not today, since from what I researched, we’re on our own rafting, not in an assigned group. We just have to get through the safety class, and then we’re good.

  But all the research I did—the river shoes I bought, the sunscreen, bug spray, and even a waterproof bag to put my phone in—didn’t prepare me for Bryce taking off her T-shirt.

  Her narrow waist and more-than-a-handful tits tugging on the sand-colored fabric of her bikini make my mouth hang open. I probably look like a thirsty dog after a long walk with my tongue hanging out the side, panting. As if she’s trying to torture me, she unbuckles her jean shorts and shimmies them down her legs, her ass in my face until she steps out of them.

  “Stick your tongue back in your mouth,” Damon whispers and smacks me on the back.

  Bryce turns around, and I quickly look in the other direction, pretending I wasn’t gawking at her.

  I put on my sunscreen, and although I would’ve done it, Ellery puts Bryce’s sunblock on her back.

  “Elle, I’ll do you if you do me,” Cooper says.

  “Damon, spray my back,” I say.

  He narrows his eyes. “Ask Bryce.”

  She hurriedly buries her head in her bag as if she’s searching for something. I approach her because I really don’t have a choice, and it’s a spray, not a lotion, anyway.

  “Would you mind?” I hold it out to her.

  “Oh.” Her eyes meet mine, and my heart leaps. “Sure.”

  I turn around and hold out my arms. She sprays it then massages it in. It’s almost impossible to ignore how good her hand feels roaming over my skin. I have to think about dead puppies and my parents having sex not to get a hard-on.

  “This way you’re completely covered. You don’t want weird lines,” she says.

  I nod, trying to appear unaffected. “Thanks.”

  After the awkward moment has passed, Damon hikes Mika up on his back and leads the pack toward the rafts.

  Cooper comes alongside me. “Think he’s gonna give us away?”

  “If he does, then we leave him.” I’m serious, but Cooper laughs as if I’m not.

  I’ve known Damon a long time, and he’s a great guy. Definitely a friend who would be there for you, but he’s loud and loves to be the life of the party. I’m pretty sure it’s a facade to a degree, but I only know that from one drunken night in college when he opened up about his past. But it was only bits and pieces, and I could never piece it all together.

  We go through the safety class, grab our tubes, and head to the river.

  It’s a free-for-all, so Damon puts Mika in a raft, pushes hers out, then pushes his off and jumps in, almost tipping it. All I hear is his laugh as he ventures down the river.

  Cooper waits for Ellery to get in a raft before he gets in his own.

  “You got B, right, Miles?” Cooper asks, spinning Ellery around, who squeals.

  “Don’t worry, I can handle it myself.” Bryce puts her raft in the water, stands on the rock, and falls back into the opening, floating away.

  Not wanting to be the last one, I do the same.

  We travel down the river, talking about nothing much at all. Damon and Mika are so far ahead that they’re on their own, leaving it just the four of us. Ellery and Bryce talk about some show they’re watching while Cooper and I discuss our upcoming game.

  The girls eventually stop talking and seem content to sunbathe in the raft with their heads tipped back and eyes closed. I hit a rock and my float stops, which they warned us about during the safety orientation. I use my feet to get free, but it slows me down enough that I’m behind the group. Then I see that Bryce has floated into an inlet that isn’t pushing her back out.

  “B!” Ellery calls, as she and Cooper continue to flow down the river.

  Bryce opens her eyes and looks around. “Oh my god! Wait for me, Elle!” She laughs.

  “I got you,” I say and switch positions to be on my stomach so I can paddle over to her.

  “I can do it.” She shimmies to the end of the raft for her feet to go in and push her out, but the raft pops out from under her and she ends up in the river.

  Ellery’s laugh rings out, but I’m not even sure it’s because of Bryce since they’re so far ahead.

  “Here.” I hold out my hand.

  “Stop trying to save me all the time.”

  I retract my hand. “Fine. I’ll leave it to you. See you at the end.”

  I push forward and she stands on the rock, grabbing the inner tube and trying to get back in it, but she slips on the rocks and falls forward, the raft sliding out from under her.

  “You sure?” I arch an eyebrow.

  Her anger is like fire in her eyes, but she sighs. “Fine. But seriously…”

  “Seriously what? I’m just helping you like I would anyone else. Doesn’t make you special.” The words taste sour on my tongue.

  She frowns as I hold her raft in place for her to get on it. “I just… forget it. Thanks.”

  I’m not going to press her for more information. I probably wouldn’t like what she had to say anyway.

  Just as we get back on track, one drop of rain falls onto the water, then a few more, until suddenly it’s pouring.

  “Why is it raining?” Bryce whines.

  I did see it in the forecast, but it was supposed to be this evening, not now. “Come over here, we’ll stay under the tree until it passes. There are blue skies right behind it.”

  I drag her over to the part of the river that’s canopied under a large tree, then I tie our rafts together using our life vests and grab on to a tree branch.

  “It’s making it cold.” She covers her arms, and I see little goose bumps exploding all over them. I also see her nipples poking through the thin fabric, but I try not to think of that.

  “You’re welcome to hop in my raft if you’d like.” I wink, but she doesn’t take the bait because she never does.

  The rain only makes the rocks slipperier, which causes my footing to slide.

  “Should we just make a go of it?” I ask.

  She looks at the rain. A family sails past us with their mouths wide open, pointed at the sky, embracing the rain.

  “Well, that makes me feel like a wimp,” she says.

  “It’s up to you.”

  “Okay, let’s just go. I’m soaked anyway, who cares.”

  I let go of the tree branch and use my feet under the raft to get us moving. Now that we’re attached, she can stay right with me. I free us from the shelter, and the rain accosts us, pelting our skin and feeling a little like tiny pinpricks. When my raft stops on a rock, Bryce’s raft tips, causing her to slide off hers onto mine.

  Suddenly she’s halfway on top of me and half in the water. Our eyes lock, and the small amount of space between us feels filled with sexual tension—at least for me. Her in a bikini. Her hands on me, slippery from the sunscreen.

  We stare at one another for a moment before she inches up on her arms. “I’m sorry, I don’t know…” Her hands slip again, and she falls more on top of me, her breasts crushing against my chest.

  I grab her to keep her steady, but I’m distracted by her weight on mine, the smoothness of her body against the hardness of mine. I pull her forward, then release her so she’s completely over me. Before I know what I’m doing, my hand runs along her hair, my fingers wrap around the back of her neck, and I’m bringing her face to mine.

  Our lips meet, and I know I should stop it because I’ll regret it—it won’t be enough. I want so much more from her than this. I want her like I had her two years ago. I push that out of my head and enjoy the moment as she takes the initiative and slides her tongue into my mouth.

  I groan, and my hand slides down her side, grabbing her plump ass and grinding her along my now hardening length. She deepens the kiss, our tongues battling for dominance while her hips circle along my cock. My hand glides up her body and I’m just about to touch the bottom of her breast, to lift the fabric of her bikini and hold the weight of her tit in my hand, but a kid screams farther up the river, dragging us out of the haze we’re in.

  She strips her lips off mine, and we stare at one another for a second.

  I remove my hands from her, and she scrambles to free herself, falling into the water before grabbing her raft again. We don’t say anything as I dislodge myself from the big rock, hoping it didn’t tear a hole in my raft.

  We travel the rest of the way in silence, me navigating the water to reach the end of our designated tubing tour. I step off my raft to bring it in and help her with hers.

  “We can’t do that again,” she whispers, since our friends are on the hill, waiting for us by the bus that will drive us back to the parking lot where we started.

  “I know,” I answer.

  I walk up the hill, acting as if I don’t care, but in reality, I’m wondering what an enemies-with-benefits situation would look like. Just to get her out of my system.

  But that’s probably a terrible idea because I’m not sure Bryce Burns will ever be out of my system.

  Chapter 15

  Bryce

  A few days later, I walk up to my apartment building to find a man standing there with a suitcase. That man is my father.

  “Dad?”

  “Bryce,” he says in a cheerful voice as if I haven’t been dodging his and Mom’s calls.

  “What are you doing here?” I unlock the outside apartment door because I’m not going to have this conversation with him on the street.

  “I got tickets to the Grizzlies. We haven’t caught a game together in a long time. Figured it was time.” He hauls his suitcase up the stairs beside me.

  “I can get us tickets. Cooper is the quarterback, plus I work at Sportsverse now.”

  “Your mom and I are so proud of you. We’ve subscribed and read every article you’ve written. Your mom is clipping them out.”

  I open my apartment door and hold it for him to walk in first. “Dad…”

  He holds up his hand. “Listen, we don’t have to talk about it now. How about we go to the game, have a nice steak dinner, and then tomorrow morning we have breakfast and talk logistics? Let’s just enjoy today.”

  My shoulders sag. Game days with my dad were always my favorite. He’d pick me up from Mom’s, and we’d either watch a local game or he’d fly me to a new stadium. It was what happened after the steak dinners that I didn’t care for.

  “I can’t even get us into a good place this last minute. I might have to get Coop to call in a favor.”

  “We can have pizza if you’d like. I don’t care.” He sits on the couch, looking over the apartment. Not judging though—my dad doesn’t judge anyone, not even himself, even when he should.

  “Steak is the tradition. Let me see what I can do.”

  I sit down and look up some restaurants on my phone, trying to find a reservation. The universe must be on my side because I scored a table for two tonight after the game. I hurry and book it.

  At least he won’t talk to me in public about the fact that he and Mom are reconciling. It’d be most kids’ dream, but not mine. I saw too many things I can’t unsee now.

  “So, tell me about your new job.” My dad leans back, stretching his arm out across the back of the couch.

  I tell him about Shelly giving birth and not knowing she was pregnant and how my assignment with the Grizzlies is only temporary. I’ll probably have to go to another team that isn’t a national team when she returns from maternity leave, but I’m trying to do everything right so I’ll be offered the next opportunity that arises.

  “I feel like you’ve been a little nicer in your articles. Especially to Cavanaugh. Not that he’s done a lot to criticize this year.”

  “Mr. Osterman, our editor, says he hired me for my tough reporting, but then he kind of suggested I play nice when he gave me the position. Shelly is a huge fan of Cavanaugh. Promised him one-on-ones and stuff before she had the baby. I just don’t want to make waves.”

  “That’s not the Bryce Burns I know.”

  I shrug. “Sometimes I have to play by the rules.”

  He sits up and rests his elbows on his knees. “No, you don’t. You report how you see fit. Sportsverse is lucky to have you, and if they don’t see that, then they’re blind.”

  “You’re my dad. You have to say that.”

  He waves me off. “I told your mom I thought you and Cavanaugh were having some kind of relationship, the way you were complimenting him the other day.”

  My face screws up and then heats when I remember our kiss on the raft. “Absolutely not.”

  “I’m kidding, Bryce. Relax.” He stares at me for a long time as if he’s trying to read my mind.

  I stand. “Do you want a drink? I don’t have a ton. Water, a few cans of diet soda…”

  “Water is fine.” My head is buried in the fridge when he brings up the elephant in the room. “Your mom is good. Just had her checkup, and she’s still in remission.”

  He doesn’t see me take a deep, relieved breath. “That’s good.”

  “I figured you’d want to know.”

  I straighten and close the fridge door, bringing him his water. “Of course I do.”

  Awkwardness paints the room until he speaks again.

  “Well, why don’t you give me a tour of the city?” he asks.

  “Let me grab my coat,” I say and disappear to my bedroom, where I send a text to Ellery.

  * * *

  Me: My dad is here. He surprised me.

  * * *

  The three dots appear right away.

  * * *

  Miles: That sounds like it’s a bad thing.

  * * *

  I rear back and inspect my phone. Sure enough, I texted the wrong person.

  * * *

  Me: Sorry, that was for Elle.

  Miles: I figured.

  * * *

  We don’t say anything else, and now I’ve given him a little kernel into my upbringing. He’s probably thinking, “Of course she walked out on me two years ago—she’s got daddy issues.” Which isn’t wrong, but I didn’t want him to know that.

  I decide not to send the text to Elle, but rather just enjoy the day with my dad. She couldn’t go to the game today anyway because she’s pulling a double as a favor to someone.

  My dad and I visit all the tourist spots—the Willis Tower, Navy Pier, Grant Park. We walk the lakefront and museum campus, talking about everything except the one thing we should. We talk about different players and who will do well this year and why. Upcoming trades we think will happen and the draft prospects. I’m the son my dad never had. Who knows, maybe a son would’ve understood what he did better than I can.

  All I can do is see the hurt in my mom’s eyes for years after he left her. The hard work she did to pull herself out of her despair, only for him to reappear years later. I love my dad, but I don’t trust him with her.

  When it gets closer to game time, we head to the stadium. Being surrounded by tens of thousands of people will make it a lot easier to pretend nothing is lying under the surface.

  The Grizzlies won, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, I had a lot of fun with my dad. It was like old times. He’d even lean in and explain to me why they’re running this and that play as if I don’t know.

  I had trouble keeping my attention off Miles when he was on the field. The kiss we shared while tubing kept replaying in my head, and my skin would prickle. I swear at one point, he took off his helmet and looked up at where I would usually sit with Elle. Was it disappointment I saw on his face? I don’t know, because I’m not sure what he wants from me. He’s not a one-night stand kind of guy, so I don’t think he wants a repeat of what we’ve already done. If that was the case, we’d probably have done it already at some point.

  “I can’t wait for my ribeye. Let’s go.” My dad claps his hands together and rubs them when we leave the stadium. Then his phone rings, and he excuses himself and walks away to take the call.

 

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