"Ok I don't think he's here, if you see him or anything then you go straight to Coach Bradley ok? And if it's during a break then you come to the locker room to find me." he said bending to look at me sternly.
"Yes dad." I joked.
He grinned and shook his head, "It's not a joke Riley bear, I'm worried about you."
I wrapped my arms around his neck, "I know you are I'm just trying to lighten your mood. I promise to go straight to the coach or come to find you in the locker room if he comes near me or calls me again." I said crossing my heart.
He smiled but still looked tense. "Ok good. Love you Mrs. Preston." he kissed the tip of my nose and moved back scanning the crowd again quickly before he turned and ran off towards the middle of the field with the rest of the team who were warming up.
As he got a little way away I wolf whistled loudly, when he turned back to me I looked at Rachel pretending to be annoyed. "Rachel! That's my husband you're whistling at!" I said faking anger, making both her and Clay laugh.
"Wow your boy's overprotective." Rachel said shaking her head smiling.
"I know, I swear he's going to give himself a heart attack if he keeps this up." I frowned watching as he was jumping on the spot swinging his arms around getting ready to play.
Damn he looked so hot in that uniform. How on earth did I never realize how freaking hot Clay was before I went on that holiday? I always knew he was gorgeous but I never once looked at him lustfully, I could always see the attraction he held for other girls, but he was never that boy with me. He was always just my best friend and one person I knew I could rely on more than any other. Funny how that evolved over that month away, I was so grateful for that holiday but part of me couldn't help but wish I'd looked at him like that before. We wasted so much time being friends when the whole time I had the perfect boy right in front of me and I just couldn't see him.
The game went without a hitch, we won which I was happy about but I hated to watch him play. I'd never tell him but I would literally rather be anywhere than here watching him get smashed to the floor and jumped on, he even got trodden on a couple of times. How the hell he enjoyed playing this I have no idea.
After the game he jogged over to me, "Hey, did your man do good or what?" he asked smirking at me cockily.
I laughed and nodded, "Yeah your game didn't stink as much today." I teased.
He smiled and kissed me lightly, I noticed he was being careful not to touch me as he was covered in mud and sweat and I was dressed ready to go out. "So I'm gonna go shower, are you gonna come and wait in the coaches office for me?" he asked looking at me hopefully.
I turned my nose up, "How about I go with Rachel and Reece to the restaurant?" I suggested hopefully.
Instead of going straight to the party tonight a bunch of Clay's friends and mine were heading out for dinner, kind of a celebration for our wedding which would also now be mingled in with celebrating winning the game.
Clay looked at me a little pained, "Ok I guess, but stay with Reece."
"I will baby and stop stressing." I went up on tip toes and pressed my lips to his. When I pulled away I grinned, "Go shower baby, you smell bad." I teased, he actually smelt incredible, sweaty and dirty definitely suited Clay for some reason.
He laughed and slapped my ass before turning to Reece, "Watch her for me ok?" he asked pleadingly.
"Sure Clay, don't worry." Reece patted his shoulder reassuringly.
I watched his ass as he ran off towards the lockers then followed Rachel and Reece to his car in the parking lot. I sat in the back and smiled as Rachel fiddled with the stereo finding the Black eyed pea's and turning it up full blast making Reece roll his eyes as both of us girls sung the song, badly I might add.
When we pulled up at the restaurant Reece shook his head, "Well thank God we're not going somewhere further away, I don't think I could had stood anymore of your singing." he turned his nose up.
I laughed and got out linking my arm through Rachel's, "Oh you love my singing and don't pretend you don't." she teased linking her free arm through his and pulling him to the door laughing.
We got a table for eleven and sat at the back fooling around until the rest of the guys all turned up, it was actually everyone that went to Vegas and it was nice to see everyone all together again. It really was like some sort of wedding party or something. Andy came too as Clay wanted to try and bring him out of his shell a little and make him fit in with the team more, he always was thoughtful.
Tom slid into the seat next to mine quickly and smirked at Clay who frowned and went to sit on the other side of the table. "Oh poor baby's put out he doesn't get to sit next to his wife." Tom joked throwing a breadstick at Clay.
"Whatever, you're just jealous because I get to take her home." Clay waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Tom laughed, "Well at least someone's getting some tonight." he muttered looking at Rachel slyly from the corner of his eye.
I elbowed her in the ribs smiling, Tom liked her Clay had told me, but he'd made me promise not to interfere. I was desperate to tell her and play matchmaker because she liked him too but I don't think she was ready for a full time boyfriend. Tom was so adorable and I really liked him, I would love it if they got together properly.
We were all laughing and behaving like children while we waited for our food to come, the boys all teasing each other about mistakes they'd made in the game tonight, even Andy was joining in which was nice. The team all accepted him, they were a good bunch of guys really.
"Tom's looking hot tonight." I whispered to Rachel. It was killing me not to interfere but I'd promised Clay. This wasn't really interfering though right? Just giving her a little nudge in the right direction.
She looked at him, he was sitting there laughing hysterically at something one of the boys had said. At the exact moment she looked at him he choked on his drink where he was laughing and almost spat it everywhere, coke dribbling down his chin. Wow smooth Tom I'm here trying to help you out and you can't just keep yourself in check for a minute or two! I laughed as Andy slapped him on the back laughing.
"So attractive." she laughed shaking her head grinning.
"You know you fancy him right now even with the drool." I teased.
She rolled her eyes, "You know I went out with him last night? It was actually really fun, I had a really great time and we didn't have sex so that wasn't what made it good. Usually I base a date on how the night ended but that's the first time I've really enjoyed a date even though we didn't get past first base." she blushed a little and looked at him again.
I grinned, "He's a really nice guy. Maybe you should give him a chance. Did he ask you out again?" I asked mentally crossing my fingers.
"Yeah he asked me to go out with him tomorrow night." She bit her lip looking at him thoughtfully.
"And what did you say?" I asked hope bubbling up inside me.
"I told him I'd think about it. I don't want to get tied down to one guy. I did that before and when he cheated on me it hurt so much I swore to never let another guy have that power over me again. That's why I just use guys to get what I want." she said frowning slightly.
"But what if he didn't hurt you? You can't go through life scared to take a chance." I said honestly. I glanced at Clay, ok I was bordering on interfering now and was in slight danger of breaking my promise.
"Yeah maybe you're right." she nodded biting her lip looking at Tom again, he looked at her at the same time and smiled his cute dimpled smile. She would be really crazy not to give him a chance, I kind of wanted to shake her and grab them both and lock them in a room together and not let them out until they'd talked. She should just tell him what she just told me and then he could reassure her that he really liked her.
I sighed and pushed myself up from the seat as they started flirting with each other from each of my sides so I was caught in the middle. I smiled at Clay as I went to walk past him to the bathroom. He grabbed my hand and pulled me down onto his lap wrapping his arms around me.
"Hey Riley bear, where are you sneaking off to?" he teased running his hands down my back making me shiver slightly.
I looked into his green eyes and smiled, "I was just going to the bathroom, want to come with me just in case I need help buttoning up my jeans?" I asked flirtily.
He grinned and nodded, "Hell yeah I do, just in case you need help of course." he joked nodding slowly. He leant in close to my ear, "You go first and I'll be there in a couple of minutes." he breathed nibbling on my earlobe making me giggle.
I smiled and kissed him before pushing myself up from his lap, I practically skipped out the back towards the bathrooms. I waited round the corner out of sight for him to follow me when the coast was clear. I could barely breathe I was so excited, the thought of making love to Clay in a public place was actually a real turn on, the risk of getting caught making it seem even better somehow.
I heard him approaching and I giggled, damn I hoped we didn't get caught! He walked round the corner and my heart stopped.
It wasn't Clay. It was Blake.
Chapter 22
He grabbed my hand and pulled me forward clamping his hand over my mouth before I even had a chance to scream. There was a fire exit just off to the left out by the bathrooms so he pushed the bar down to release the door and shoved us both through it slamming it shut behind him.
He let go of me, I immediately stepped back away from him and looked back to the door to see it was one of those that only opened from the inside, there wasn't a handle or anything from this side. He was standing off to one side, and that was the way back to the front of the restaurant, so I would have to walk past him to get back to the front door. No one was around, we were just out the back of the restaurant by the trash cans in the middle of a little dark alleyway. There was no way I could run, and no one around to help.