Here & Now by Melyssa Winchester, Joey Winchester Read Free Book Online Page A

he’s pointing to and my heart swells. Ryder’s noticed Cadence and from the looks of it, he’s already pieced together that the angel in the outfield is all mine.
    “How did you land a girl that looks like that?”
    “What makes you think she’s here for me?” I ask, laughing. “Maybe she came because she heard the almighty Ryder Kane was in town and wanted first crack.”
    His face does the same thing it did in the locker room and deflates right before my eyes, but almost as if he senses he’s giving something away he catches himself and he’s smirking again.
    “Her eyes haven’t left you the entire time she’s been here, which has been seventy percent of our practice. Trust me, there’s no way in hell she’s here for me. But I can’t say I’d be hurting if she was.”
    “She’s mine.”
    “You think?” He laughs. “So how’d ya land that?”
    “By not calling her that , for starters. Otherwise, you’d have to ask her. I’m still trying to figure it the fuck out.”
    Able now to see her eyes on me, my hands lift and not caring what Ryder thinks, I sign to her, hoping that with the distance she’s able to pick up on what I’m saying. What I’m signing, it’s not something for us only, which the minute he sees it, Ryder’s head dips to the side again, questions written all over his face.
    “Dude, what the hell?”
    “I don’t follow.”
    Of course I follow, I get this response a lot whenever I’m out with Cadence in public, but with the way I’m feeling right now, how not in the mood for another thoughtless jackass I am, I’m not gonna make this shit easy on him. If he’s about to give me shit for being with a deaf girl, he can save it.
    “I get that you’re signing to her, which is kind of badass, but what the hell did you say?”
    “You want the truth?”
    “No, I was hoping you’d stand here and bullshit me a little while longer.”
    “I told her you smell.” I joke, somehow managing to keep my face straight and make him believe me even though I’m lying out my ass. “Which man, you kind of do. I hear the showers calling you from here.”
    Scowling before slapping the back of my head, he smiles in Cadence’s direction with a small wave before veering off in the way of the locker room, giving me the one thing that since I saw her standing there I’ve been craving more than anything.
    Alone time with my girl, who even from ten feet away, heard me loud and clear as her response comes back.
    I love you more.
     

Chapter Four
     
    Cadence
     
    I’m the first to admit I don’t have the first clue what Dillon does when he’s on the field. I don’t have the first clue about football at all, but getting to stand here and watch him when he’s completely unaware of it; seeing how fast he moves, how far he throws to the guy that was walking with him when he noticed me, it’s kind of awesome.
    There are only a couple of things in life that Dillon really cares about and with the fluid way he moves when he’s on the football field, it’s easy to see this is a big one. He’s graceful yet commanding and it’s hard once your eyes are locked on him, to actually look away.
    Or maybe that’s just me.
    You don’t have to understand what’s going to appreciate the effort he puts in. The effort all of the guys on the field do. The only thing I wish I didn’t have to see are the times where Dillon was taken down to the ground.
    Maybe it’s because I’m gearing up for a pretty big surgery, one that’s got risks of injury attached, but seeing these guys, ones a whole lot bigger than my boyfriend, plowing their bodies straight into him and bringing him straight to the ground, it’s scary and there were more than a few moments where I’m pretty sure my heart stopped.
    He can get seriously hurt doing this.
    The closer he gets as he bridges the distance between us the more I see just how hard this game—the sport is on him. He’s moving a whole lot slower than usual and if it’s not