After being cheated on by their long-term partners, can a pro-wide receiver and a PR agent remain friends with benefits without falling for each other?
I've been in love with Ava since I was fifteen. She was my first, my only, my everything, destroy...
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A date.
Ava beamed up with stars twinkling in her eyes. "I meant it when you have to kiss me tonight."
Beyond her fresh makeup and hair perfectly styled, the way she looked at me stripped me bare. She was smiling at the Josh inside.
I couldn't wait anymore.
With trembling fingers, I cupped her head and pressed my lips to hers. Sticky, plush, and warm, flavored like a burst of artificial cherries.
My heart jumped out of my chest when she gasped. "Sorry, couldn't resist," I mumbled into her lips. This would probably be the shortest date in history–
Her hands grabbed the back of my head and smashed our mouths together. Rough and sloppy, our teeth and tongues bumped for wherever the fuck they were supposed to go, but the kiss lit me up in explosive feelings.
She sucked my soul out of my body, leaving me lightheaded and flushed in heat. We parted, our chests heaving and me staring into her round pupils.
This girl was incredible.
Maya's flashing eyes and gentle smile meant she teased, but the word 'date' struck me like a punch in the gut.
Our dinner conversation couldn't have been more...awful.
I chewed my last bites hard enough to break my molars. Ellie—correction, Eddie—and Logan deservedly looked guilty as fuck, and Maya? Eying the door, she couldn't leave soon enough.
All while I wanted to leave but lived here.
No wonder Maya was emotional the second time I bumped into her. What a mindfuck.
Not Dante cheating. I wasn't surprised, given how many people he thought worshiped the turf under those gold cleats, but cheating on a solid, put-together person like Maya set a fire under my ass.
She didn't deserve to be cheated on. The hypocrisy of no one deserving it hung in the condo after she left, leaving the air quiet and uncomfortable.
I braced the island, the quartz cooling my heated palms, and glared at the secret keepers. "Anything else you'd like to tell me?"
Logan and Ellie stilled from where they loaded the dishwasher. "Josh." Her voice was quiet and apologetic, mirroring her gaze. "We didn't—"
"No." Logan crossed his arms, the movement flexing his biceps. "There's nothing else. And it's Maya's business, not ours."
He was right, but they should've told me. "You made me look like an idiot."
His laugh was sharp, jabbing at me. "Bro, your head is so far buried in the Ava sand, you can't see daylight. Don't think we don't know you check her socials, bro."
What the fuck did he mean? He needed to take those words back.
Thankfully, Ellie's hand on Logan's chest shut him up. "It's Josh's business," she murmured, her eyes on me. "But what did you want us to say about Maya? It's humiliating to have false rumors spread through the media. And I can't imagine the amount of pain she's processing right now. The person she thought she would marry betrayed her, and she's all alone."
