Wild Ride (South Florida Riders Book 1)

by Breezie Bennett

  “Uh-huh.” Frankie nods desperately, her breathing getting more and more rapid as I pick up my pace.

  Our bodies are both slick with sweat and burning with passion I drive harder and faster into her. She’s wet and tight around me, and I can’t fucking take it anymore.

  “Leo, I’m so close.” She shuts her eyes and slams her head back against the headboard. Okay, fuck, I have to hold out.

  I slow down, taking long thrusts in and out of her, feeling her tighten more and more as she scratches into my back and shoulders, both of us moaning and cursing in the throes of this sex and how fucking incredible it feels.

  Frankie puts her hands on either side of my face and locks her gaze with mine, her eyes frantic and wild, her cheeks flushed. “You’re amazing, 15.”

  “You’re unreal,” I moan.

  “Now fuck me harder,” she begs.

  And I do. I drive my cock into her fast and hard as she moans my name even louder. We touch each other desperately, chasing bliss with absolutely no control.

  She gets tighter, and I shove all the way into her as she comes, a cry of ecstasy from her throat and glossy pleasure emanating from her face.

  The squeeze of her orgasm around me pushes me over the edge just seconds later. My whole body contracts, and sweet release crashes over me in waves.

  I let myself collapse onto her, and we both laugh slightly through shaky breaths.

  Frankie looks at me, a glisten of sweat on her cute little nose.

  I let myself admire her for a long minute, taking in the sight of her flawless, naked body, her knotted hair, and the unbelievable fire in her eyes. She’s perfect.

  I slide off and lie down next to her.

  “That was…yeah. We could do that again.” Frankie buries her head in the pillow and giggles.

  “I think that could be arranged.” I reach over to her, brushing my fingers over her cheek and then wrapping her up in my arms, savoring every soft, sexy, sweet inch of her.

  Suddenly, she jumps up and gasps. “Leo! Shit.”

  “What? Is something wrong?”

  She stands up and pulls my T-shirt on over her head. “I forgot to take the dog out!”

  “You’re coming back, right? Like, to this bed?” Wow, I sound like a pussy.

  She laughs and lifts a shoulder. “Duh.”

  Frankie rushes out of the room, and I lie back onto the pillow, smiling to myself for a long time. We could definitely do that again.

  TWENTY-TWO — Leo

  “Why do we have to go to Boston a day early again? I know the Patriots game is a big deal, but they’re not even making you practice that extra day,” Frankie says through a yawn from the passenger’s side of my car.

  It’s barely past sunrise, but I’m already hauling ass to the private airport. I can’t stand to be late for away-game trips, and this is the first one Frankie’s been to.

  “I’m not sure. Something about the flight schedule or weather. There’ll be coffee on the plane, promise,” I assure her with a smile.

  “Oh yeah, the plane.” She stretches her arms above her head. “Fancy NFL charter planes with food and drinks and comfy seats.” She sighs and closes her eyes. “I’m gonna nap.”

  I laugh at her adorable sleepy self. “Be my guest. We’re almost there.” I rest my hand on her leg and brush my fingertips up and down her gorgeous thigh, which is covered in gray leggings that make it impossible for me to look at anything but her ass.

  I glance over at her and let my brain wander to the image of the incredible sex we’ve been having the past couple nights. I feel a jolt of excitement when I think about spending a whole, uninterrupted day in Boston with her before the Pats game. I wonder if she’s excited, too.

  “We’re here.” I stop the car and smile at her. “Comfy sleeping seats await you, my dear.”

  She grunts something about coffee, and we walk up to the charter plane, where the rest of the team is already piling on.

  The smell of leather and air freshener hits me as I walk onto the plane with Frankie. I take the fact that there might be a camera or a reporter somewhere in the vicinity as an excuse to hold her hand, which she doesn’t resist.

  Why the fuck do I want to hold her hand so badly? I tell myself that it’s because I apparently play better ball with her there, and now that we’re fucking, it’s natural for us to touch each other. But I know it’s just because I like holding her hand.

  Shit.

  As we settle into the flight, Frankie drifts off to sleep, curled in the corner of the plush seat under a blanket. AJ nods at me from another row and motions for me to go sit with him.

  “Where’s Erica?” I say as I drop down into the seat next to him and take a swig of Gatorade.

  With a chuckle, he points to the row behind us, where Erica is sound asleep.

  “Beauty sleep, I guess.” I laugh.

  “Hyped for the Pats game? I’m feeling like we have a decent shot.”

  “If Chase can throw like he did last week, and our defense can keep hold of them, we could fuck their asses up, bro.” I hold my fist out, and AJ bumps it.

  “So, how’s your”—AJ drops his voice to a whisper and holds up air quotes—“‘fake’ relationship going?”

  I roll my eyes at the question and peek over my shoulder at Frankie. My chest feels warm and light just at the sight of her sleeping. I want to go over and kiss her right now. I want to tell AJ about how she was all I could think about when I scored that touchdown, and how incredible her family is, and how she and I get along with everything, and how we’ve been hooking up, but it doesn’t really feel like a hookup…

  “Fine,” I manage. “It’s going fine. Super chill.”

  I should know that AJ Anderson, who has been my boy since the year we both got drafted and has seen me through my entire NFL career, would instantly see right through my crap.

  He frowns at me. “I call bullshit.”

  Yep. Knew it.

  I take a deep breath. “Dude, please don’t call me a pussy. I mean, okay, you can call me a pussy, because I’m definitely about to sound like one.”

  AJ crosses his arms. “You love her, don’t you?”

  I jump at the word. “Whoa, whoa. Calm the hell down. I didn’t say anything about lo—about that.”

  He holds his hands up defensively. “Okay, man. I’m just saying. I can sense that shit. I’m kind of a relationship guru, if you will.”

  I have to laugh at that. “I don’t know, AJ. I…like her. Like, kinda a lot. And not even like I just like fucking her. Which, don’t get me wrong, I do. A shit-ton. But she’s so much more than that.”

  “I knew you two were banging. You’ve caught feels, my dude! Welcome to the land of monogamy. It’s not as bad as it sounds, trust me.” He gestures toward Erica sleeping in the seats behind us. “That little pain in the ass is my best friend and my number one, always. Couldn’t do any of this without her.”

  I clench my jaw and let his words set in. “I never thought that would be me. I mean, maybe when I’m, like, forty. Maybe. But I look at her, and I’m, like, this could be it. I feel like being with anyone else after her would be a step down.”

  AJ smiles and jokingly places a hand on my back. “I’m proud of you. You might actually have human emotions after all.”

  I laugh and swat his hand off. “Shut up. Now we’re in this fucked-up fake-engagement situation. Not to mention the fact that she got totally burned by some asshat on her college football team, so she’ll never trust me in a million years.” I run my hands through my hair. “Besides, I’m not, like, ready for this. Marriage and commitment and shit.”

  AJ raises his brows. “You’re not? Sounds like you’re just scared. And that makes you way more of a pussy than actually caring about someone.”

  I lean back and sink down into the plush leather seat.

  “Believe it or not, there’s such a thing as finding the one, no matter how stupid it sounds. It only sounds stupid to someone like…” He gestures
a few rows back at Chase Kennedy, who was just bragging about his alleged three-way with two supermodels last night.

  “That used to be me.” I scratch my head. “But now that life just seems…”

  “Sad. Empty. Pathetic.” AJ finishes my thoughts exactly. “And this…” He points his finger back and forth between me and sleeping Frankie. “This is real.”

  “Fuck, man.” I look at her again and let myself smile. “I think it is.”

  TWENTY-THREE — Frankie

  Just a crush. Just a crush with really good sex. And fun. And a lot of attraction. And laughs. And the occasional deep talk. And more sex. But it’s just a crush. On my fake, professional-athlete fiancé.

  Shit.

  “So, we’re in Boston, kiddo. And we have a whole day to do whatever we want.” Leo steps out of the bathroom in our absurd Ritz-Carlton suite, a billow of steam floating out from the shower behind him.

  I lose myself in the hard lines of his muscles and the tempting towel barely covering him up. I press my face into the pillows. “We could bang again,” I mumble.

  He climbs onto the bed, and I take in the freshly showered scent and the damp hair.

  “I love the enthusiasm, baby, I really do.” He kisses my forehead. “But I can’t be feeding your crazy sex addiction.” He winks at me.

  “Ha-ha. I’m only addicted to you and your…” I nod at the tiny knot barely holding up the towel.

  He lightly slaps my ass. “Get dressed. We’re gonna have a cute little date.”

  I stare at him. “You mean a fake date. For our obviously fake relationship.”

  He glances over his shoulder at me as he roots through his suitcase. “Yeah, right. Of course.”

  I push away the twinge of fear that rises in my throat. So, we’re having sex. So what? There was always obvious attraction, and it was bound to happen eventually. It doesn’t mean anything, right? Our relationship is still pretend…right?

  The words cute little date echo in my head as we step out of the hotel elevator. Who the hell is he?

  We walk outside, and I breathe in the northern air, marveling at the lack of humidity I’ve grown so used to over the years in South Florida.

  “It’s beautiful here.” I let the breeze lift up my hair. “I haven’t been back up North since we moved from Pittsburgh when I was in high school.”

  Leo threads his fingers through mine as we walk up the sidewalk, and I don’t even question the gesture. Holding his hand just feels so natural at this point.

  “Ah, yes.” He gives my palm a squeeze. “If I ever forget where you grew up, I just need to take a peek at your underwear.”

  I jab him with my elbow. “Shut up. So, where are we going?”

  “There’s the Boston Common. It’s pretty. I’ve been there.”

  I peer cross the street at the beautiful and expansive park in the middle of the city, vibrant with shades of green and full of people. “That’s beautiful! Let’s go.” I tug on Leo’s hand as we cross the street at the light.

  “It’s amazing,” I muse as we enter the Common. “It’s just like Central Park. You kinda forget you’re in the middle of a huge city.”

  “Yeah, a nice little oasis among the concrete.” He keeps his hand locked with mine, showing no intentions of dropping it.

  We chat about the scenery and the people as we walk through gates to an even more beautiful park called the Public Garden, and I savor every moment. Everything with Leo feels so exciting and new, and every time I look at him, I’m still shocked at how gorgeous he is.

  He cracks silly jokes about the older women power walking with two-pound weights, and we admire the wide variety of dogs in the park.

  “Kinda makes me miss our little virgin,” he teases me.

  The word our hits me in my chest, and I don’t even try to hide the childish smile it brings to my face.

  “I miss him, too, but my mom has been offering to keep him for a weekend away game, so trust me, he’s being spoiled.”

  “So…” He stops suddenly and turns my attention to a big, sparkling lake in the middle of the park.

  “Are those…swan boats?” I chuckle at the cheesy activity. “That’s so something my oldest brother and his wife would do.”

  “Well, now it’s something we’re gonna do.” Leo smiles at me like a little kid.

  I snort. “You’re joking, right?”

  He furrows his brow. “No. I’m not usually great at this stuff, but I thought this could be really, like, I don’t know, romantic.”

  The word hangs in the air, and I feel my jaw literally drop in awe. “But we’re…” I look over at the people climbing into boats with rows of seats to carry passengers.

  He grabs both my hands and locks eyes with me. “On a date. A fucking cute one. Can you just be cute with me for, like, five seconds, please?” He runs a hand through his hair.

  “Okay,” I say slowly and smile at him. He’s looking at me like I’m the only girl in the entire world. He’s always had this magical way of making me feel special, but in this particular moment, it feels unreal.

  I finally let myself have the thought that’s been lingering in the back of my mind for weeks. I think he might actually like me. Maybe a lot. And maybe it’s more than a crush.

  We slide into the seats at the back of the next available boat, and I can’t help but laugh at how touristy it is and at Leo’s childlike excitement about such a cliché date, one I would have expected him to scoff at just a few weeks ago.

  He grins at me. “See? It’s cute.”

  I reach out and touch his hand. “It’s very cute.”

  Something in his demeanor suddenly seems distracted. Nervous, even. He chews on his bottom lip and looks out over the water.

  I nudge his foot with mine. “What’s going on, Sterling?” I whisper as strangers fill the seats in front of us.

  “What? Nothing,” he says defensively.

  I raise my eyebrows at him, knowing he’ll cave instantly and tell me what’s on his mind. He always does.

  “Is it not obvious, Frankie?” He gestures at the boat and around at the scenery in general.

  I frown at him. “You secretly like swan boat rides?” I tease.

  “No. I like…” He looks off into the distance for a moment, then back at me with a new intensity. “You.”

  I chuckle. “I like you, too. I really liked you this morning.” Tossing him a playful wink, I try to throw some sexual humor in, but he’s not having it.

  “No. Not that. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like that. I like it a lot.” He draws in a slow breath and pinches the bridge of his nose. “But I like you, Frankie. More than a friend. And a hell of a lot more than a hookup. And I just wanted to tell you.”

  Something between nerves, excitement, and pure joy rises in my chest and sends prickles down my spine.

  “I’m sure it’s pretty clear I like you like that, too, Leo. But we’re working together on a job, remember? I don’t do athletes, and you don’t do commitment.”

  He clenches his jaw. “Well, I also don’t do fucking swan boats, and yet here I am. Things can change.”

  Can they?

  “And I know you think you can’t trust me because of my history and because of your ex. But maybe you could just try? Just for a little to see how it goes? Because I don’t want us to be over when the season ends. I don’t want to sleep with anyone else. And I’ve definitely never said that before.”

  Words slip out of my mouth before fear and hesitation have a chance to stop them. “Okay, Leo. Okay. We can try it.”

  I marvel at the tall, chiseled, completely ripped pro athlete who has girls dropping to their knees everywhere he goes. He’s sitting here begging for a chance with me.

  It’s a risk, but I want to take it.

  He leans across the boat and kisses me with a new excitement. He holds my face with both hands and presses his forehead to mine. “I’m, like, crazy about you.”

  I laugh and touch his nose with mine. “I
think you’re just crazy.”

  TWENTY-FOUR — Leo

  I yank my helmet off and shake out my sweaty, dirty hair as we walk back into the locker room.

  “Dude, we just beat the Patriots. Let’s fucking go.” Chase smacks my shoulder and jogs down the stadium corridor.

  The air buzzes with the intoxicating high of winning a game we were definitely projected to lose. I smile and throw a thumbs-up at a camera as we all jump around and hustle back into the locker room.

  As soon as we get in, Elliot pats my back. “Bro, what is going on? You were unreal out there. I’ve never seen plays like that.”

  I shrug and shake my head. “I don’t know, man. I’ve been hot lately on the field.”

  Dylan points at me. “That was some MVP-level shit today, Sterling.”

  Suddenly, the whole locker room breaks out into chants and cheers of my name. Normally, I would jump up on the bench and make some douchey, hype man-speech about how the Riders are the greatest of all time, but today I just smile and open my locker.

  It’s her. It’s everything that happened this past week, especially yesterday.

  AJ walks up to me with a childish grin on his face. “But women are too distracting for your game, right, bro?” He jabs me.

  “Shut up, asshole.” I roll my eyes. “I didn’t know that some lovey-dovey shit would actually make me play so well.”

  He sits on the bench and looks up at me, talking barely above a whisper. “So are you guys, like, together? Like, engaged for real? Or is that still fake?”

  I pause and shut my locker door slowly. “I don’t know, dude. All I know is I’ve never played like this, and I’ve sure as hell never felt like this about any chick before.” I sigh and slouch down onto the bench. “I’ll figure it out, I guess.”

  AJ raises his eyebrows. “Just be sure you guys are on the same page. You know how women can be. They hear one thing, think something else, and act in a way that makes absolutely no sense.”