Page 41 of Undeniable Love

Yawning again, Tyler waved as he walked away. Then Jax watched Lucy as she went to hers. He hated this—hated that she was so damn close and that he couldn’t be with her. When he heard both doors close, he let out a weary sigh before turning off all the lights and heading to his own room, shutting the door behind him.

Pulling his shirt up over his head, he tossed it into the hamper in his walk-in closet. For several minutes, he just wandered around his room and en suite. He wasn’t tired; if anything, he was restless. His immediate thought was the hot tub, but…he didn’t want it to look like he was trying to entice Lucy into joining him.

Even though he knew that’s exactly what he wanted.

Raking both hands through his hair, he walked back into the bathroom and studied his reflection in the massive mirror. He didn’t see the cocky young quarterback he used to be. Instead, he saw a man who was a little disenchanted with his life and was unsure of what direction he was supposed to go in.

The camp was a given. That was a passion project that he knew was going to take years to really take off. Playing football was something he would do for maybe another season or two. But the discontent he was feeling right now had nothing to do with his career and everything to do with his personal life.

Listening to Ty talk about his hookup with Sandy made him feel sad. There was a time when casual relationships were great—no commitments, no actual feelings, no strings. Lately, more and more of his teammates were getting engaged or married and settling down, and Jax was beginning to see the appeal.

“Am I seeing the appeal or am I seeing it because I’ve enjoyed having Lucy here this weekend?” And while it was only the weekend, it was surprisingly comfortable. He enjoyed their conversations—both the friendly ones and the sexy ones.

The sexy ones were definitely his favorite.

Now she was leaving, and it made him wonder if there was a woman out there for him. Someone who didn’t care that he was a successful football player or that he had money. He wanted someone who appreciated him for himself and not his profession or bank account.

Someone like Lucy.

Pushing that thought immediately aside, he stripped down to his boxers and walked back into the bedroom. When he reached the bed, he yanked the comforter down before reaching for the TV remote. He was just about to climb into bed when a sound outside grabbed his attention.

It couldn’t be Lucy, could it?

At the door to the back porch, he stood and saw her standing next to the hot tub in her robe. The lights in her bedroom were off and he leaned against the doorjamb, watching her. It took a moment for her to notice him, and in the moonlight, he could see her impish grin.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

“Contemplating a soak.” Slowly, she sauntered over to him. “I know it’s late, but…”

He didn’t move because if he stepped outside and got close to her, he’d do something stupid—like beg her to spend one more night with him.

“It’s no later than some of our other nights,” he casually told her. “If that’s what you want to do, then you should.”

Her head tilted slightly as she studied him. Jax knew it was pretty bold to be standing there in nothing but a pair of dark boxer briefs, but she’d seen him in less, so…

“What about you?” she asked. “Is that why you were coming out here?”

“I wasn’t,” he replied quietly. “I only opened the door because I heard a noise.”

“Oh.”

Neither spoke for several long moments. Jax knew what was going on in his head, but he had no idea what she was thinking. It wouldn’t be the worst thing to have one more night in the hot tub with her, he thought. After all, what was a little more torture?

Straightening, he stretched. “I guess a soak could be fun. Let me grab a towel and…”

“Jax?”

“Hmm?”

Lucy stepped closer until she was mere inches from the door. “I…I didn’t really want to go in the water. I wanted…I mean, I thought that maybe we could…um…I know we said…”

“Lucy?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re rambling,” he said gruffly as he reached out and took one of her hands in his and gently pulled her toward him. With her body flush against his, he stared down at her. “Would you like to join me in my bed?”

All she did was nod.