Relentless

Trevor was sweet. He was funny. He was financially sound. He was looking to settle down, and he really liked Aimee. So, why wasn’t she into him? Because her ex boyfriend, Grady fucking Sizemore, had ruined him. And Aimee was pissed. In forty eight hours she had gone from being excited about their lunch date to wanting nothing more than to ditch him. If Grady had kept his fucking mouth shut and not told her that Trevor was all wrong for her, she could have lived in bliss. Naïve bliss, but it was still bliss.

But, of course, Grady always had to ruin everything. That’s how he was. The sad part was, he was always right.

She smiled and nodded as Trevor talked about his job. It sounded like he had a very high powered job, and she could tell he enjoyed it by the way he was enthusiastically telling her about it. She was happy for him, of course. Few people found jobs they really enjoyed, but Trevor was one of those people. And so was Aimee; she just found her joy out of bartending. Did she seriously think that she and Trevor would work out? They were complete opposites, and not the opposites that could balance each other out. They were just all wrong.

Excusing herself, Aimee grabbed her purse and headed to the bathroom. She stood at the sink, looking at herself in the mirror. She had gotten all dressed up for a lunch date with Trevor, and why? That wasn’t her. She was a jeans and a blouse kind of girl, and she absolutely hated to get dressed up (which was probably part of the reason she had quit her office job) but yet, there she was dressed in a snug fitting dress, heels, her hair perfectly curled, her makeup flawless, and jewelry on. Honestly, she didn’t recognize herself.

Holding her purse tightly to her shoulder, she stepped out of the bathroom and instead of going to her right which would take her back to she and Trevor’s table, she turned left and walked right out the door of the restaurant.

Glancing down at the silver watch on her wrist, she saw it was just after noon. Biting the inside of her cheek, she contemplated what she was going to do. Turning toward the street, she hailed a cab. Not more than ten seconds went by before a large yellow car pulled to the curb and Aimee jumped into the back.

“Where to, miss?” The cabbie asked, his eyes catching hers in the rearview mirror.

“Progressive Field, thanks.”

She could have been making a huge mistake by going there, she knew. If she went there and hunted Grady down like she was planning, she would be opening herself up to his charm and his persuasion, but it was a risk she needed to take. She hadn’t seen him since the night he had come to her house nearly three days before and told her that they were going to get back together, that he was going to win her back.

She was afraid that everything he had said to her and the way he touched her had partially destroyed the wall she had built around herself to keep out all things Grady Sizemore. Why else would she have gone from liking Trevor and thinking she could have a relationship with him to being absolutely annoyed with everything he did? Her bets were on Grady. There was just something about him that kept her coming back to him. Of course, she was sure part of it was because he was so damn sexy and seductive. He knew all the right things to say to make her swoon.

And that made her nervous.

How was she supposed to know if he was being honest, if he had ever been honest with her? She could be so mad at him, and all he needed to do was say something to her, anything, and he was forgiven and the fight was forgotten about. It sure was his gift, but it was also her curse, she decided.

But she knew that Grady was a great guy, and he really was. He was sweet, he was loyal, he was caring, and when he loved someone, he loved them with everything he had. He was a romantic, and he was everything Aimee had ever wanted in a boyfriend. She’d be more than kidding herself if she said she couldn’t see herself marrying Grady and having his children; it would be the biggest lie she ever told. He made her feel more beautiful, more special than any man ever had, and now that she didn’t have him, she realized she wanted him back.

Going to Progressive Field to see him was no longer needed. She had wanted to go to see if when she saw him, she would realize she still had feelings for him, but she had already worked that out with herself. She did want him back in her heart, but her mind was still fighting it. Maybe she should still go see him, anyway. Seeing him might make her mind realize she needed Grady in her life, too.

The taxi pulled up to the main entrance of Progressive Field just seconds later, and Aimee snapped back to reality as the car lurched to a stop. Quickly paying the man, Aimee thanked him before walking into the main entrance, taking the familiar path that would lead her into the Indians’ workout room, where she knew Grady and a few of his teammates would be. They were always there. She saw the familiar security guard standing at the door that led to the private, no-fans-allowed, part of the baseball field, and she smiled at him.

“Aimee,” He said, smiling back. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Yeah, I’ve been around. I’m here to see Grady.”

He moved aside, “Go right ahead.”

Sighing, she walked down the hall and took the elevator to the basement, her heels clicking on the tiled floor as she walked. She saw the large Indians’ logo painted on the door marked ‘weight room,’ and she pushed it open. She let her eyes scan the rather large room, before her gaze settled on Grady. His bare back was to her as he sat on a bench, a weight in his right hand as he did arm curls. She watched from the door of the room as his muscles flexed with each movement, and she decided coming to see him was a bad idea; a very bad idea. But then again, how was she supposed to know he’d be doing his work out in only a pair of basketball shorts?

She finally pulled her gaze away from him, contemplating leaving before he saw her, but unfortunately for her, Wyatt had. Smirking a little, he called out to Grady, making the outfielder turn to his teammate and best friend. Wyatt said nothing when Grady had asked what he had called him for, but he pointed to Aimee. Grady’s eyes widened, and the thing that surprised her most was he did not smirk, but he smiled. He was grinning, and not in a cocky way, but in a way that said he was genuinely happy to see her.

He waved her over, and Aimee sighed lightly. Walking through the weight room, she felt everyone’s eyes on her. Grady knew it, too, and he stared darkly at a few of his teammates who were downright gawking at her. Aimee laughed a little and swayed her hips a little more as she walked, coming to a stop a foot from Grady. It was then that he got a good look at her, his brows immediately coming together in confusion.

“You’re dressed up,” He stated, his eyes clearly looking down at her cleavage. Most girls would be upset by such an action, but Aimee loved it, especially when Grady did it. He had seen all of her too many times to count, and the fact that he still looked at her like that when she was dressed only made her feel more beautiful, something he told her she was everyday.

“You don’t like it?” She asked, smirking a little.

His eyebrows shot up, “No! I love it. I mean, you look… wow.” She laughed, shifting her weight to one side and making her hip jut out a bit, causing Grady’s gaze to move south. “It’s just,” He cleared his throat. “You never dress up.”

“I was on my date with Trevor.” Grady winced, his eyes darting to the floor. Aimee laughed a bit, her hand gripping onto his forearm. “I ditched him.”

His head shot up and his eyes connected with hers, “What do you mean by ‘ditched him’?”

“I told him I was going to the restroom, and I left.”

“Why?”

“Because I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

He didn’t say anything, but his mouth opened and closed a couple times, making Aimee’s smile widen. She clearly had surprised him with that one. Leaning forward, she grabbed his biceps with her hands and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the corner of his mouth, telling him to stop by the bar that night after the game. Grady grinned when she pulled away, and turned to walk back toward the entrance to the weight room.

“Boys,” She smiled as she passed Grady’s teammates again. “And Grady?” She questioned, her back still to him and her foot still moving her toward the door.

“What?”

“Stop staring at my ass and get back to working out.”

Grady shook his head, as his teammates laughed. Clearing his throat, he sat back down on the bench, picking up the weight again. Aimee sure was something else, but Grady wouldn’t have it any other way.