Not Enough: Is love ever enough? (The Enough Series Book 1) (2 page)

It has been
three years since the wedding that wasn’t. After the incident, I moved back to
Boston, took a position at a local sports agency, and stayed there for two
years learning from three of the top agents in the business. Last year I opened
my own agency, and it is steadily growing.

I travel back and forth to New York to see Jeremy play
whenever they are at home. Things have been going well lately, and I am content
with my life. I am not overjoyed, but I am not miserable either. I miss that
intimate connection you can have with a person you love, but I still refuse to
take that risk.

Jeremy and I are as close as two siblings can be. He is still
my best friend and overall go-to for everything. Jeremy is gorgeous and has no
trouble with the ladies, well except he is commitment phobic. J stands six feet
four inches with a chiseled athletic body. He keeps his jet-black hair short
and manageable, and his stark green eyes have women, of all ages, begging for his
attention. His eyes are the window to his soul if he lets you in. I have always
been able to read Jeremy's eyes much to his dismay.

Jeremy and I are built a lot alike. I stand five feet nine
inches with an athletic build. I am toned but not overly muscular. My long light
brown wavy hair spends most of its time in a ball cap or ponytail. Like J, my
skin has the sun kissed look year round and with a deep tan in the summer. However,
my favorite feature is my bright green eyes that are framed by long plush eyelashes
that most girls would kill to have, or buy off a shelf. People say it is our
eyes that reveal the kinship between us.

Whenever I am not working, I am working out. I try to keep myself
busy to avoid feeling the loneliness that consumes me from time to time. I work
seventy to eighty hours a week because I am determined to become a force in the
business. However, today is Sunday and I have little to do so as I lay here in my
comfortable bed I debate the day.

Looking out my window, I notice the sun is shining making it
a good day to take Boss for a walk. Boss is my baby even though he is anything
but a baby. Boss is a 160-pound shiny black Great Dane. As I look over, I see
Boss is sound asleep on his side of the bed so I ask, “Hey boy you want to go.”
That gets his attention, and now he is towering over me wagging his tail furiously.

Getting up I walk into the bathroom closely followed by Boss.
My bathroom is my sanctuary. It has dual sinks in the center of the room that
are a beautiful slate color. The walk-in shower is tiled in the same color off
to the left side of the room. The toilet is housed in its own closet. In
addition, a stunning black soaking tub sets to the right of the sinks. I have
accented the room with black and white towels giving it a retro chic feel.

I quickly brush my teeth and throw on my pink jogging shorts,
a long sleeve black dry fit shirt, and a pink baseball cap. As I slip on my black
running shoes, Boss is beside himself with excitement. I had him professionally
trained, so he is generally a delight to walk/run.

As we head down the stairs, I can smell coffee, which tells me
J is here. During the off-season, he comes and goes from here with frequency. Walking
over to the entry closet to grab Boss’s leash I see a tall blonde walk through
the living room in nothing but Jeremy’s shirt. Not wanting to go down that road
right now, I hook Boss’s black leash to his black and white collar and we quietly
sneak out the front door.

It is a
gorgeous spring day in Boston and warmer than usual. Boss and I walk up the
hill towards the little trail that leads down to a secluded beach. I notice
moving trucks and delivery trucks at the top of hill. They are unloading into a
house I have loved since I moved to this neighborhood.

It is a monster of a house that sits on a little over an acre
of land. I know it boasts an impressive five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a media
room, indoor pool, and a state of the art kitchen. I may have stalked the house
while it was on the market. It is so beautiful and the grounds around it are
manicured to perfection.

I wonder who is moving into my dream home. I try to get a sneak
a peek at the new owner as we pass by the gates, but all I see is moving men
carrying piece after piece of furniture through the huge mahogany double doors.

Boss and I head over to the beach and warm-up with a brisk
walk before running a couple miles. The beach is stunning this time of year. Being
so early in the year, the crowds are absent allowing a sense of serenity to
crash in with the waves.

After walking back to where we started Boss and I take a seat
and gaze out over the magnificence that is the Atlantic Ocean. He lies next to
me and I run my hands through the warm sand noticing that the deeper my fingers
go the cooler the sand becomes. We sit there for what seems like hours before I
pull Boss up and we head back up the rocky trail to the street.

As we reach the top of the hill, an orange cat runs across
the street and catches Boss’s attention.

“No boy, sit,” I plead to no avail.

Boss takes off in a full sprint after the trouble-making cat
pulling me down to the pavement before I can get the leash off my arm. I jump
up, notice I have blood running down my leg, and feel the gravel embedded in my
knees and hands, but I don’t have time to deal with it.

I take off in pursuit screaming, “Boss, come here boy.”

Fifteen minutes later after running around looking for him
everywhere I am just about to give up when I notice him sitting next to someone
in the driveway of my dream house. Well, at least the dog has good taste, and I
will get to check out the new owner.

I start half-jogging, half-limping up the driveway to collect
my badly behaved animal. I raise my hand to wave at the mysterious person as I
make my way, and he waves back. The walk seems endless as my legs and hands
begin to sting with pain. As I near the two of them Boss starts running my way
and I bend down to grab his leash when he reaches me.

“Dang it, Boss, you know better than that. Bad dog.”

I can’t help chuckling as he responds by licking my face and
smiling at me. With Boss in tow, I walk towards the mysterious man but realize
he is definitely not a stranger. He is Austin Black, the one and only drop-dead
gorgeous Austin Black.

Austin is the consummate All-American boy. Every girl wants
to be with him and every man wants to be him. Austin was drafted by Boston
three years ago and after this past season is the reigning Super Bowl MVP and
the league’s leading passer.

Austin is six feet five inches of swoon-worthy perfection. He
wears his light brown hair just long enough to run his hands through and his
eyes are a deep blue that remind me of the ocean. His strong features and
delectable dimples shine when he smiles that megawatt smile. Today he is
dressed in black jersey workout shorts and a tight gray team t-shirt that shows
off his rippled body.

As I finally approach Austin, I apologize for Boss, “Sorry he
disturbed you, Boss rarely takes off like that. In fact, he has never done this
before. I hope he didn’t cause you any trouble.”

His rugged beauty takes me back as I try to stop rambling.

“He was no trouble at all; I will always welcome four-legged
visitors and their gorgeous owners,” he says with a friendly smile.

I return his smile with a shy one of my own. Disarmed by his
presence I mumble, “Well thanks for catching him, I better get us home.” I grab
Boss’s leash and we turn to walk back to the street.

“Wait, hey wait,” I hear him call, as we are halfway back up
the drive. I turn to see what he is yelling about and notice he is steps away
from catching up to us so I stop.

Looking at him in confusion, “Did I forget something?”

I can see him studying me as he replies, “Don’t I know you.
Aren’t you James Carter’s agent?”

Well shoot, I was hoping he wouldn’t recognize me, especially
given my current state of dishevelment. We met by chance once when I was
visiting James at the team facility.

I extend my hand and reply, “Yes, I am. Rylee Ash. It is nice
to meet you again Mr. Black.” I see him glance at my hand with pause and I realize
it remains covered in blood. I am making an all-star impression today, I think
to myself.

I pull my gravel-covered gesture back as he says, “Why don’t
you come up to the house so we can clean-up those scrapes.”

Ordinarily I would refuse help from an almost stranger but
since it is almost a mile back down to my house and the throbbing in my knees
is getting worse I accept.

“Thank you, I really appreciate this,” I say as we walk
towards the house.

“Well, I can see why you call this big man, Boss. I doubt anyone
can control him when he sets his mind to something,” he says while taking hold
of Boss’s leash.

I chuckle at the bizarre situation, “No he is like a force of
nature when he wants something, but he will usually listen. I mean that is why
I spent a small fortune having him trained.”

Reaching the front steps, I notice a large bowl of water as
Boss just helps himself to it. Austin must notice the confused look on my face
as he explains, “Once he stopped chasing that cat I figured he might need a
drink.”

Well, that makes sense I think to myself. “Thank you that was
very thoughtful,” I reply sweetly.

I am surprised when he leads Boss into the house and then
just lets him loose. “Come on Rylee I remember seeing the first aid kit in the
kitchen.”

I am in awe of this house, it is even nicer than I would have
imagined. The entry boasts a high ceiling and exquisite marble columns. I catch
a glimpse of the living room on the way into the kitchen, and it has exquisite
hardwood floors. The kitchen is stunning with top of the line stainless steel
appliances. The counters are black marble with red accents in the backsplashes.
It looks like a chef’s wet dream in here.

After locating the first aid kit Austin walks over as I am
ogling his space. He places his hands on my either side of my waist lifting me
up to the sit on the edge of the island. I feel like an errant like a child.
His touch sends a jolt through me I swear jump-starts my heart. I no longer
feel like a child. He has awoken parts of me I left for dead years ago.
Oh
boy
.

He removes my shoes and socks with finesse before placing my
feet in the sink. He then pours antiseptic over the gashes in my knees. The
germ-killing liquid is like fire against my broken skin. As I wince from the
burning sensation, he wipes the dried blood off my shins. Completely mortified
I try to take the rag away from him but he declines with a playful slap of my
wrist.

“So Rylee tell me besides being drug around by your dog what
do you do for fun?”

He cleans my palms and removes the gravel chunks further
igniting the desire I feel for him. Trying to ignore the feelings engulfing my
system I reply, “I don’t. I work and workout that is all I time for these days.”

The sensation of his hands on me, even in this clinical way,
has my body responding in a myriad of inappropriate ways. The butterflies in my
stomach, lump in my throat, and raging want between my thighs tell me he is
trouble. He is simply playing the white knight to my damsel in distress and we
all know how those stories end. That ending is why I will have to end this beginning.

Once he seems satisfied with his cleaning he pulls out two
boxes of character Band-Aids, making me laugh. He holds them up with absolute
delight on his face. “So what will it be Scooby and the Gang or Darth Vader,” he
asks with mocking humor.

I cannot believe a grown man has not one but two boxes of
character Band-Aids in his first aid kit. “Scooby for sure, he seems like he
would be better suited for this job,” I say with sarcasm and a slight eye roll.

Pulling the strips from the back of the bandage, he gently
places several across my open wounds. My skin tingles with every touch of his
fingers. I cannot believe I am sitting here while Austin Black bandages me,
what a strange turn of events.

“You are right; I think Scooby fits you well. All done,
gorgeous.” Did he call me gorgeous? As he removes his strong hands from my near
trembling legs, I suddenly miss them and the feelings they stimulate. Austin Black
is capable of being my kryptonite.

As he bends over to retrieve a bottle of water out of the
fridge, I cannot help checking out the amazing view. I would love to get my
hands on that ass.
Jesus, Rylee snap out of it before he catches you
drooling.
As I am staring at him, I do not even notice when he looks back
and asks me a question.

“Huh, I’m sorry what did you say?”

With a smirk on his face he replies, “Oh nothing important,
you can resume objectifying me.” I am beyond embarrassed he caught me checking
out his perfect ass so I attempt to cover.

“I was doing no such thing, arrogant aren’t you,” I retort in
disgust. Although I feel myself blush as the lie leaves my lips.

“Rylee, why are you embarrassed I have been checking you out
since you walked up.” And just like that I have got to get out of here, it
seems the physical attraction is mutual. I can’t take the chance with a man
like Austin. He has already proven he has innate powers over my traitorous
body.

Our fingers graze as he hands me the bottle of water and I
can’t help fantasizing about having my way with him right here in his pristine kitchen.
Looking up I find myself locked into a powerful gaze coming out of the most
piercing blue eyes I have ever seen. I could lose myself in the depths of those
irises for hours. I am certain if I looked into them long enough I would be hypnotized
and willing to submit to his every desire. Hell, I am ready to consider that
option now.

Deciding I had better stop this situation before it goes any
further I try to hop off the counter only to stumble into his arms. My legs
have obviously tightened up on me and the stiffness makes it hard to pry myself
away from him. If I were the least bit inclined to pursue a romantic
relationship or fling I would stay in these strong arms forever.

However, I am the self-proclaimed ice queen of abstinence and
this man definitely has the power to melt my fortress. With the miniscule
amount of self-resolve I have left I withdraw from his arms and steady myself, “Austin
thank you for everything, I really appreciate it. I am sure I will see you
around since you are in the neighborhood.”
In the neighborhood, Rylee, come
on even you know that is word vomit.

I begin my retreat out of the kitchen before I can ramble
anymore. “Wait, Rylee why don’t you stay for a little while. I will order lunch
and we can hang out.” His slight southern accent is about to crumble my
resolve. It is just so damn sexy.

“Austin, it looks like you have plenty going on here with
your moving in and all, maybe another time ok.” There that wasn’t too harsh or
rude, I applaud myself.

“Please Rylee, I have nothing to do here the movers are just
about done, and then I will all alone in this big old house with nothing to do,”
he says with his best sad puppy face. I cannot help smiling but maybe harsh or
rude was the way to play it.

I am trying to figure out a tactful way to say no again, when
he pleads, “I am not trying to get in your pants, although I wouldn’t turn it
down. However, my mama raised me better than that. I just want a friend to hang
with. The only people I know around here are my teammates, coaches, and other organizational
staff. I would like to have one person in my life I do see at work.”

Upon finishing his statement, I see a flash of sadness in his
dreamy eyes and it is like a dagger straight to my heart.

“Okay Austin, but why me? You can’t possibly have trouble
meeting people.” I would love to give in and be his friend, in more ways than
one, but I know being close to him would test my sexual restraint daily if not
hourly.

I see bewilderment and intrigue in his eyes before he
explains, “Why you? Well, for starters you are the first person I have met that
I am fairly certain wants nothing from me. Well, besides my medical expertise
and dog catching skills.”

That earns him a little giggle and a smile. The truth is, I
don’t want anything from him, well except for all of him all over me.
That
right there is why you cannot do this Ry; you can’t even control your thoughts
around him.

Interrupting my thoughts he continues, “Most people only see
me as Super Bowl MVP Austin Black, and couldn't care less who I really am, and
that gets lonely Rylee.” He emphasizes the MVP part with air quotes and I suddenly
feel sorry for the man who I would have thought had it all.