The Kicker: A New Adult Sports Romance ~ Nico (The Rookies Book 4)

by Zoë Lane

  She whacked my arms. “Get off me. So disrespectful.”

  I laughed. “You coming to work with me today, Mamma? I’ve got practice. You can watch from the VIP lounge.”

  She had a thoughtful look on her face. “Yes, that would be nice. And I would like to watch Vero work as well.”

  Oh, great. I sent Vero a text telling her to be on the lookout.

  7

  VERONICA

  “No, the other file. This one isn’t… Veronica? Are you even listening to me?”

  “Huh?” My head came up and I caught Siobhan’s half-frustrated expression. “Oh, right.”

  Siobhan gave me a knowing smile. “Did you two sleep in the same room last night? Is that while you’re in such a dreamy state?”

  My eyes narrowed. “I’m not daydreaming.”

  “You’re thinking about Nico, though, aren’t you?” She giggled.

  True. Too true. And I wished I could forget how well he kissed. My body certainly hadn’t, and I still felt a lingering warmth from the top of my head to the very tips of my toes. I had to turn up the air conditioner in the office so I could stop sweating.

  I had thought we might have to sprinkle in a kiss or two for his mother’s sake, but so soon? And every time we parted? Was that how she and her husband did things? The idea sounded exhausting…but kissing Nico like that everyday had a certain appeal I didn’t want to think about.

  I’d just been dumped. I hadn’t had time to eat a pint of ice cream yet, or watch twelve straight hours of my favorite television show in a pool of tears surrounded by used napkins and a couple of pizza boxes. There was a process to grieving, and mixing in makeout sessions with Nico wouldn’t help me heal. It’d make me even more confused.

  Well, I would definitely gain weight if Nico’s mother cooked breakfast every morning. So amazingly good, and undoubtedly high in calories. They gave the cafeteria’s pancakes a run for their money. I could’ve died with a sweet roll in my mouth.

  Or in Nico’s arms.

  Something slammed into the back of my head. Siobhan waved a folder in my face.

  “Did you just hit me with that?” I hissed.

  “Sure did. You were daydreaming again.”

  “I wasn’t!”

  “Spill.”

  I let out a heavy breath, and then excitedly launched into the explanation. “Nico’s mother made the most amazing breakfast and then forced us to kiss before I left.”

  Siobhan’s approving smile only made me nauseous. “What do you mean, forced? Because that sounds kinky.” She bit her bottom lip and wagged her brows.

  I hit her arm with a folder. “Not like that. She said we shouldn’t part without first showing how much we loved each other.”

  “And now that you’ve kissed passionately, you’ll be having quickies before work…and on lunch breaks…and—ow!” She gripped her arm and gave me a fierce glare.

  I decided pinching would be more effective.

  “That hurt!”

  “It was not passionate, and there will be no sex!”

  “Not unless you want it,” came a deep voice from over the counter.

  I stared into Nico’s warm, black eyes. I had yet to learn to read them, but this time he made it obvious: he would be as accommodating as I wanted.

  He leaned against the counter. “And I thought the kiss was pretty passionate myself. I really liked it when your hands were in my hair.”

  Siobhan gasped and giggled like a teenage girl.

  I was in flames and wanted to melt into a puddle. “What…what are you doing here?”

  “My Mamma’s in VIP room three. She’ll be watching me practice. I wanted to warn you that she’ll probably come down here and…hover.”

  “Hover?” He hadn’t mentioned that in his text.

  His smile was apologetic. “She probably just wants to get to know you.”

  I thought about the name Nico had gotten wrong. “What else did you tell your mom about me that’s wrong?”

  “Huh?” Siobhan asked from her seat.

  “Nico told his mother my name was Michaela.”

  “Nico!” Siobhan said in a shocked voice.

  He rolled his eyes. “Sorry. I told her it was Michaela a while ago and…and I forgot.”

  “Because Michaela isn’t real,” I chided.

  Nico’s lips widened into a vicious smile. “Oh, but she is. She’s you, Veronica.”

  “How did you get out of that one?” Siobhan asked.

  I let out a groan. “By telling her I used to want to be called Michaela when I was younger and Nico likes to tease me and call me that sometimes.”

  Siobhan chuckled. “Well, now you sound silly. That’s why she wants to hover.”

  I narrowed my eyes at Nico. “Makes perfect sense.”

  Nico shook his head. “She doesn’t think that at all. Especially not after that kiss.” He winked. “Talked about it for five minutes straight. Didn’t think Puerto Ricans were as passionate as Italians.”

  Siobhan wagged her brows. “That good, huh?” She leaned toward Nico. “She’s been daydreaming about it all morning. Could not focus on her job.”

  “Thanks, traitor,” I grumbled.

  Nico’s tanned cheeks tinted, but his smirk was decidedly cocky. “Glad I’m doing my job. There’ll be a lot more of it since Mamma is here. She thinks we’re complacent, so you better lay it on me when you get home. Do whatever you want with your hands. My body is yours.”

  I hoped that included me smacking the smirk off his face.

  Siobhan laughed merrily while I sat and stewed. Yes, he could kiss my panties off. And, yes, he looked better than the marble statue of David.

  And, yes! Kissing him would fall into the perk column of this arrangement.

  But…my heart still hurt over Diego, and kissing a hot guy wouldn’t get me my money back, or make up for all the long, tiring shifts at the hospital I had taken at the hospital to save that money for a vacation that wouldn’t be.

  It wouldn’t get Teresa out of my bed.

  “I’m taking you ladies out to dinner tonight.” Nico slipped a black card across the counter. “I know you don’t have much, so buy whatever you need.”

  I stared at the card. He couldn’t be serious! I had clothes and enough cash to buy toiletries to last me the week. “I’m not a charity case,” I said too harshly.

  He took a step back. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  I pushed his card back. “And I can earn my own money. I’m not a gold digger.”

  His eyes darkened, but he didn’t pick up the card. “Never said you were.”

  “Thank you, but I’m okay.” I kept my head down and shuffled folders like I had a job to do, which I did.

  He cleared his throat and excused himself.

  “Veronica, that was really rude.”

  My head snapped to Siobhan. “I don’t want to be treated like I’m helpless, or like he expects me to want to spend all his money.”

  Siobhan’s mouth slanted down to one side. “I really doubt that’s the case. He didn’t have to let you stay in his home—for free.”

  “I am paying for it. I’m pretending to be his fiancée. Fooling his mother—who is an amazing cook and…she’s really nice.” Guilt wormed its way around my middle.

  “Yeah, kissing a hot guy is so hard,” Siobhan said sarcastically. “I do not have sympathy for you. Anyway, we’re going apartment hunting in a couple days, so relax.”

  I gestured toward the door. “I obviously can’t with that guy walking around kissing me the way he does.”

  Siobhan snorted. “He left his card.”

  She handed it to me. I groaned and sprinted out of the office. He had practice, so I ran down the stairs toward the locker room. I caught his attention before he went inside.

  “Here’s your card,” I said breathlessly. “Thank you, but…no.”

  He held up his hands. “Just in case.” I sighed in resignation. He smiled. “It’s okay, Vero. I trust you.”r />
  “I don’t know why.”

  A pensive expression crossed his face. “Me neither. Maybe it’s the kiss.” He winked.

  “I don’t like this.”

  His brows bushed. “The kissing? We could work on—”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course not the kissing. I mean…uh—” I cleared my throat.

  His mouth spread wide, his eyes smiling. He looked utterly pleased with himself. “So you do like the kissing. Anytime you want. And that’s not an offer I give out regularly.”

  Sure it wasn’t. “Your mom. Deceiving her. She’s really wonderful. And makes the best rolls.”

  He smirked. “Don’t let her culinary skills fool you. She would murder me if she found out that I’d lied about a fiancée. She values integrity more than your average person.”

  “Well, then, we’re screwed!”

  He rubbed my shoulders. “Not if she doesn’t find out,” he said gently.

  “You think she won’t? Nico, women always find out.”

  “I’m willing to take that chance.” He kissed my cheek. “Now, I gotta go play, woman.”

  “Don’t call me woman,” I shot back.

  He winked and made a clicking noise with his tongue, then pursed his lips and made a kissing noise. “Let’s give my Mamma a show when we get home.” He laughed all the way into the locker room.

  8

  VERONICA

  “Mamma, I said I wanted to take you out tonight!”

  “Nico, I want to cook for you! You don’t get to eat my meals anymore, so let me do this for you!”

  “Mamma!”

  “Don’t argue with me, Nico. You can take me out some other night. But I want to fix my famous lasagna. Veronica hasn’t tried it because you haven’t brought her home.”

  “Mamma, don’t start—”

  “You need to explain that one, Nico. You had me fly all the way out here to meet her—”

  “I told you I’d bring her when I was ready. You’re just butting in.”

  “I’m your mamma and it’s my duty.”

  “Oh, Mamma…”

  I tried not to snicker behind the bedroom door as I listened to Nico and his mother argue. Before we knew it, she had caught a taxi back here and had begun to fix dinner. It frustrated Nico, because he had half hoped she would be to tired to got out and it would be the two of us instead.

  Not that he didn’t want to spend time with his mother, but she was a bit much.

  The house smelled amazing, I thought. Homemade sauce and bread, freshly chopped herbs and gourmet cheeses. I wanted to look nice this evening, but I seriously considered wearing sweatpants to have enough breathing room. I settled on some pink-and-green yoga pants and a loose-fitting top.

  “Well, it’s almost finished. Stop yelling at me and go get your fiancée.”

  “Mamma! I’m not yelling!”

  I held my stomach while laughing.

  Nico burst into the room and I tumbled onto the floor, still giggling uncontrollably.

  He shut the door.

  My laughter subsided. He towered over me, looking incredible in his own sweatpants and a t-shirt, his hair slicked back and still slightly damp from the shower he’d taken after practice. Spice and musk washed over me. I tried not to breathe in, deciding it would probably be worth dying rather than swooning over aftershave.

  “And just what are you laughing at?”

  “Nothing.” I sat up. He took a seat on the floor next to me. When I attempted to get up, he caught me and pulled me into his lap. “Nico…”

  “Relax. I only want to sit with you for a minute.”

  “Kinda hard to relax when we’re this close.”

  His eyes studied my face. “I know,” he whispered.

  “Then—”

  “I’ve been thinking about our kiss all afternoon. I even flubbed an easy kick. Got a lot of flak for that.”

  My gaze had become tethered to his. “Sorry…”

  He smirked. “I doubt it. You probably want to see me fail.”

  “No, I wouldn’t. I’m getting accustomed to this lifestyle, so you need to keep your job,” I teased lightly.

  “I can take the jokes. I know how good I am.”

  Did he? My eyes dropped to his light-cherry-colored lips, framed by a slight five-o’clock shadow. Deep inside, I figured our kiss had barely scratched the surface.

  His lips were on mine before I could react, his arm enfolding me. I couldn’t stop myself from moaning, allowing his pace to dominate. I opened my mouth and eagerly accepted his tongue. He cupped my buttocks and brought me in closer, while I wrapped my legs around his back.

  His mouth traced a path down my neck. My hands moved to his hair—and not because that’s what he liked. I wasn’t trying to encourage him, but my body…

  I heard my own panting and felt sweat trickle down my back. He released a satisfied sigh when our lips met again.

  “Now that’s more like it.”

  I let out a yelp and fell over.

  “Mamma!”

  “I don’t mean to interrupt, but you can’t eat lasagna cold. I asked you to come get her, not make her—”

  “Mamma! We’re coming.”

  Nico helped me up.

  “I hope you enjoy my lasagna,” Mrs. Langetti said while serving. “It’s a family recipe that’s been passed down ten generations.”

  “Ten?” My brows rose as my eyes connected with Nico’s. “That’s a long time.”

  “My parents landed at Ellis Island right before the end of World War Two. They fled the Nazis and Mussolini’s regime, and brought little else with them except dreams, recipes, and their own skills.”

  “That’s quite a story,” I said. “My grandparents immigrated as well.”

  “They are proud that their little Nico is doing so well.” She patted Nico’s hand. Nico blushed.

  “What about your father, Nico?”

  Mrs. Langetti’s eyes snapped to her son. “You didn’t tell her?”

  Nico grunted. “Mamma’s divorced,” Nico said quietly. “No, I… I hadn’t told her.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I rushed to say. I sent Nico a pointed stare. He and I were going to have a long talk tonight so I wouldn’t keep embarrassing myself in front of his mother. How did he expect us to pull off this fake relationship if I didn’t know a damn thing about him?

  “It’s not your fault, dear. It happened a while ago.”

  “Sorry, Vero. I should’ve told you.”

  Nico looked upset and embarrassed. I assumed he and his father used to be close and the divorce still affected him.

  “His father was a cheat,” Mrs. Langetti said simply.

  Nico picked up a glass of wine and started gulping. Definitely still affected.

  “Cheated on me so many times.” She pointed a fork at me. “That’s why it’s important to kiss before leaving and when you come home. The moment affection stops, then you know something is wrong. I knew when his father didn’t want to wait for me at the door anymore.”

  “Anyone want more lasagna?” Nico asked with false cheer. I held up my plate to give him something to do.

  “Nico’s taken it hard. Fathers are a young boy’s world. But they are still men with temptations. And many fall.”

  Diego came to mind. I tried to pinpoint the exact moment his level of affection for me had begun to deteriorate. We’d still had sex up until two days before the breakup.

  But it hadn’t been the same. That I remembered thinking, but didn’t mention it at the time. I had figured he’d been stressed because he still hadn’t found a steady job.

  I nibbled on the lasagna Nico brought me, lost in thought while Mrs. Langetti continued. “Anyway, it is important to trust your partner. To choose a person of great integrity. My boy Nico is a lot like his father, but different in all the ways that truly matter.”

  I glanced at my fake fiancé. A mother would say those things about her engaged son. Didn’t really matter, since as soon as she left, I would ret
urn the ring and move into my own place. Nico would tell his mother the engagement had ended, and he’d have to deal with the consequences on his own.

  I’d probably just gain about ten pounds and would have to deal with that. The lasagna was amazing—the perfect blend of sauce and cheese. And the garlic bread…worth the ten pounds.

  “Well, I’m glad to have found your son,” I said, smiling at Nico. The corners of his lips lifted slightly. “He’s never given me a reason to worry.”

  “Good. If he does, I’ll gladly set him straight. Honesty is important in a relationship.”

  I downed some water to loosen my tightening throat. Honesty was important, and two out of three people at this table were liars.

  “Thanks, Mamma.”

  “I can tell Veronica is a good woman. Men are always so quick to leave a good one for one that has no conscience and would break up a marriage.”

  I felt Nico’s eyes on me. His mother had described Diego, and I agreed with her. What made men do this?

  “Men who can’t be faithful shouldn’t be married. I’ve told Nico this. Don’t hurt the heart of a good woman. If you do, you’re not a man and you’ll lose her forever.”

  Well, that explained why Nico wasn’t actually getting married. He loved to love women. At least he wouldn’t damage a woman’s heart.

  And he wouldn’t hurt mine, if I could keep from kissing him.

  “Now, I don’t want this to be a gloomy dinner. I want to enjoy my visit.” She grinned brightly.

  “Well, the food is delicious,” I said in a rush to solidify the change of subject. “I’ve never had lasagna this good.”

  Mrs. Langetti politely blushed. “Thank you, Veronica. It is always a pleasure to cook for family. Do you cook?”

  “Mamma,” Nico warned. “Don’t.”

  She had the most innocent look on her face, and I knew her question was a complete setup. “Actually, I do cook quite a few traditional dishes.”

  “How are they, Nico?” his mother asked.

  “Uh, really, really, good.” He nodded too enthusiastically. A look of suspicion crossed his mother’s eyes.