In It to Win It

by Ella Jade

  He pressed his forehead against hers, breathing hard. “Get in the shower, Rebecca.”

  “Come with me.” Her heart raced, her center throbbed. The ache to be taken by him was nothing short of torture.

  “I’m trying to be good,” he whispered, both hands now behind her head. He undid the knot holding her hair and fisted the locks, giving them a soft tug.

  “I have no doubt you’ll be good.” Rebecca grinned and pulled away from him, hoping he would follow her to the other side of the curtain.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Do I?” She winked, stepping in the shower.

  Rebecca closed her eyes, allowing the hot streams of water to pelt her skin, then grabbed the shampoo and quickly washed her hair. When she tilted her head back to rinse, Wade’s mouth took the curve of her neck, planting little kisses along her shoulder.

  He’d stepped in behind her and placed his hands flat on her stomach, pushing her against him. She let her head fall on his chest as his fingers trailed lower. The digits began to work between her thighs, making her shiver in spite of the steaming hot water. Rebecca slipped a hand behind her and took hold of Wade’s sex. He hissed at the contact and let out a soft grunt when she started rubbing him.

  She craned her neck to meet his gaze. His eyes burned, consumed with desperation and need, they fixated on hers. A glint of delight flashed through them, and he seized her lips with his. Turning her to face him completely, his hand slid behind her thigh and he hooked her knee, hiking her leg so it was on his hip, then shifted, pressing Rebecca’s back against the shower wall. Her ankles latched behind his waist. Tremors charged her core. Anticipation rushed her veins.

  With one hand holding her, Wade’s other pressed flat on the tile next to her head. Rebecca’s hands took on a life of their own, touching, feeling, memorizing every inch of his skin. Streams of water dripped from the tip of his nose and chin. His lashes clumped together with droplets. His jaw…God, he looked delicious dripping wet.

  “Babe...” Wade’s voice was strained. The corded muscles of his neck contracted as he swallowed, his eyes dark, uncontained. “I have to be in you.”

  Her pulse went wild, and her mind clouded. Her chest hammered, threatened to burst. She moved a shaking hand between them and managed to guide the tip of him to her entrance. When she grabbed the back of his head, Wade slammed inside, sending chills tearing up Rebecca’s spine. She clung to him, absorbing the sound of his labored breaths, the feel of each thrust. She couldn’t get enough. All control dissolved, a charge of electric heat erupted from her loins, and she quivered with release.

  Wade kept her pinned to the wall, leaving hundreds of kisses on her face. He drew his head back, his expression a combination of satisfaction and being totally spent. Rebecca felt the same, plus she needed food. As much as she wanted to stay naked with Wade, her stomach growled.

  He glanced to the tiger’s eye jewel resting on her chest. “You always have this on.” He slipped a finger under the small pendant.

  Rebecca nodded. “It was my sister’s.” She gave him a light kiss and climbed out of the shower. Reaching for a towel, she began to dry off. “Our grandmother gave it to her the day she delivered Dalton. I’ll give it to him when he’s older.”

  Wade turned the water off. “He’s a good kid.”

  “He really is, and he tries to be so strong…you know what?” Rebecca cleared her head of the devastation overcoming the conversation. She wouldn’t go there. Not today. Not now. Not after the best sex she’d ever had. “We need to get dressed. Dalton will be back with my mother anytime, and I think he would love to have some ice cream. I know I could eat a gallon.”

  Chapter 7

  “Wade, I’m gonna run way far out and you have to throw me the football. Aunt Becky, you have to try and tackle me.”

  The three of them were at the playground of Dalton’s elementary school. Wade came with Rebecca to pick him up most days, and every single time Dalton wanted to play football in the makeshift field used at recess. They never denied him.

  “How about I throw the ball and Wade does the tackling?” Rebecca asked, then turned to Wade and mouthed I’m still sore.

  He chuckled, deciding to help her out. The morning before, he and Rebecca had spent several hours with Bo at the field house. She’d wanted to run through some speed drills with him and had been moaning about her leg muscles ever since.

  “Your aunt is right, Dalton. I need to practice tackling anyway.”

  Dalton put his hands on his hips. “But when she throws the ball it flips and stuff and never goes straight.”

  “I think you’re afraid I’m too fast.” He ruffled Dalton’s hair. The kid was a mess, and after being around him every day for nearly two weeks, Wade had grown crazy about him. If he made a pro team, the squirt would definitely have to come to a game and hang out on the sidelines.

  Dalton tossed the football to Rebecca. “You’ll never catch me, Wade. I’m the fastest person on the planet.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Wade turned to Rebecca and winked. God, she was gorgeous. “I think he’s going long. Have you got this?”

  “I so have this.” She smiled big. “Dalton, are you ready?”

  “Here I go!” The boy took off in a dead sprint. A few other kids lingering at the school crowded around the field. Dalton ran fast, and all Wade hoped for was that Rebecca could throw hard enough to reach her nephew, and fingers crossed, he caught it with ease.

  The ball went flying through the air, end over end instead of spiraled, but the determination on Dalton’s face was priceless. He meant to catch the ball, and by the way he kept glancing at Wade, he intended to beat him to the makeshift end zone.

  Dalton turned quick and ran up on the short-thrown ball. With both hands in place in front of him, it landed perfectly at his chest, and he wrapped it with his arms the way Wade had taught him. The kid’s transition was impressive, even more so when he rolled away from Wade’s grasp.

  When Dalton crossed the line, he spiked the ball and threw his hands in the air. He started jumping. “Touchdown! Touchdown! I did it! Touchdown!”

  Wade scooped him up and perched him on one shoulder. “We’ve got a new playground champion!”

  “I’m the all-time champion.” Dalton laughed. “I even beat you at video games.”

  “Okay, little dude.” Wade set him on his feet with a chuckle. “Go play with your friends, and stop making me look bad in front of your aunt. I need her to keep liking me for a while.”

  Dalton glanced around Wade then back to him. He tucked the football under his arm and said with unwavering conviction, “She’ll like you forever.”

  * * * *

  “Girl, your hair is screaming sex,” Dominic said when Rebecca sat in the empty seat next to him at the anchor desk. “Did you not go to makeup, or did you sneak into sexy Superman’s office?”

  Rebecca flushed hot and she fingered through her hair to tame it some. She actually did go to makeup first, the next time she paid Wade an office visit she would have to remember to mind the hair.

  She turned to face her friend. “Please keep your voice down—”

  “Lord help you, Rebecca Ryan. Get your boney ass up and come with me to the bathroom. This is unacceptable. You look like you barely survived a gang bang.” Dominic took her by the elbow and led her out of the studio. They met Wade on their mission to the restroom, and Dominic winced at his appearance. “Nope, you can’t go on air looking like that, mister. Follow us, now.”

  The instant she was in front of a mirror, Rebecca gasped, trying to recall anyone else who had seen her. Her hair was out of whack in spite of her half-ass attempt to comb it. Mascara was smudged in a half-circle under her left eye. Her lipstick was smeared to a blob in the vicinity of her lips. She glanced at Wade and giggled as he splashed his lips with water and scrubbed them with liquid soap.

  “What?” he asked with a big, beaming grin. “Is this not my color?”

  Rebecca di
ed laughing. “It’s beautiful, but I’ve got to get to hair and makeup pronto.”

  “You two are going to get busted, and Maureen is going to blow a gasket. She has a strict policy against any of the staff dating.” Dominic darted his stare between the two of them. “I totally see the appeal though. You’re both drop-dead gorgeous, even with the ghastly makeup.” He motioned to Rebecca. “Scoot along, sex kitten. I’ll take care of your man.”

  After an emergency makeover, and a few lies to cover the reason for her facial chaos, Rebecca made it back to the anchor desk with minutes to spare. She glimpsed at Wade, so handsome in a white button-down shirt and a tan sports coat. He looked good in everything...and nothing. Her face heated at the thought of his chiseled chest underneath the cotton shirt, how breathtaking he was during his workouts, how his muscles contracted when he—

  Dominic nudged her arm, ripping her from the daze. “Calm your breathing, darling,” he whispered. “Your face looks great, by the way. I can’t even tell that less than fifteen minutes ago you were getting the hell banged out of you.”

  “Thank you. Oh, and thanks for saving us.”

  The cameraman, Chip, began the five second countdown to air, and Dominic gave her a wink. “Love looks good on you, doll.”

  Rebecca barely remembered the broadcast. She hardly remembered driving home. She snuck inside the dark house, trying not to wake her mother or Dalton. Leaving all the lights out, she crept to her bedroom and closed the door. The plan was to change clothes and head straight over to Wade’s apartment that he shared with his friend Bo. But she couldn’t go. Instead, she sat on the edge of her bed in total darkness and stared at the wall.

  Dominic’s words stuck with her; well, only one. Love.

  Love?

  No. She didn’t love him. Did she? Was it even possible? She’d known him for nearly two months. She liked him a lot and cared about him more than anyone outside of her family. Heck, in the past two weeks, since the Saturday he’d shown up at her house, he’d become a part of her family. Rebecca dropped her gaze to the pooling darkness of the floor with dreaded realization. She and Wade had already taken their relationship too far, too fast.

  Her phone lit up in her hand, still set to silent from work, Wade’s name flashed across the screen. She placed it on her nightstand without answering. Taking a step back to analyze their situation before it took over her life was best. She and Wade couldn’t become any more serious than what they already were, she had to call a time-out, and they both needed to chill for a while. But what sucked even more was the one heart she’d sworn to protect at all costs. What if Dalton had gotten too attached him? She couldn’t be responsible for another adult he loved leaving him, no matter what the circumstance.

  Rebecca swallowed the massive lump in her throat, placed her head on her pillow, and watched her phone light up as Wade called again.

  * * * *

  “Becks. Rebecca. Hey…” The heat of Wade’s breath brushed across her neck. His strong arm was wrapped her waist and had sealed her back against his chest. She opened her eyes but didn’t move, absorbing the feel of his heartbeats. “Becks.”

  “Hmm?” she finally responded, but the strength to move right away was absent.

  “I got worried when you didn’t show up at the house.” He kissed her shoulder and kept his warm lips against her skin. “And you weren’t answering your phone, so I came to check on you.”

  “I’m fine. Just really tired, Wade.”

  “Babe, you left the door unlocked. That isn’t safe.”

  “Okay, I’ll lock it next time,” she mumbled.

  “What if I were an intruder?”

  She couldn’t help but snicker, and she rolled to her back. “Well, you kind of are.”

  Wade’s brows pulled tight. He was on his side with his elbow bent, and his head was propped in his right hand. His left hand rested on her stomach. “What if I were dangerous?”

  Rebecca lifted her head and kissed his chin then slid her hand across her belly and linked their fingers. “Again, you kind of are.”

  He frowned once more, but relaxed his expression. Concern pooled in the shadows of his blue eyes, and he smoothed her hair away from her face. “No one’s ever had a hold on me like you do, Becks.”

  A small smile fell across her lips, and with her free hand, Rebecca brushed the tips of her fingers over his forehead, down the side of his face, and along his jawline. The apprehension from earlier dissolved the instant she awoke with him next to her. All kinds of new emotions knocked at her ribcage, especially since his stare was so full of unease and something else she couldn’t read.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  Wade nodded, releasing their fingers, and took her by the wrist. He kissed the middle of her palm then placed her hand flat against his cheek. “If I don’t go now, you’ll never get rid of me.”

  He had yet to stay the night because neither one of them wanted Dalton to wake up and find him there. In fact, this was only the second time he’d been in her bed. “Come by in the morning for breakfast…after I get Dalton to school?”

  Wade held her gaze for a few seconds then kissed her hard. His hand ran up the back of her neck and he fisted a handful of hair, giving the locks a tug. Rebecca gasped and grabbed his shoulders to pull him closer, but he resisted and jumped from the bed, breathing deep. He latched his hands behind his head, then scrubbed them through his hair, and a low, frustrated grumble came from his throat. “I’ll be by at eight-thirty.”

  Chapter 8

  Wade skipped breakfast with Rebecca, flat-out stood her up. He didn’t call, didn’t text. He hit the gym instead and hoped seven miles on the treadmill would clear his head. Running didn’t work. Lifting weights did nothing to mask the confliction stumbling around his brain. He didn’t mean to fall for her.

  He went to the field house around noon, helped out with the kids some, and taught them a few drills. His phone was in the truck, left there on purpose. She’d stopped trying to call him hours ago anyway. If he knew anything about Rebecca Ryan, it was she didn’t put up with any bullshit, and that was most definitely what he’d been doing—acting like a giant pile of bullshit. How could he have let this happen?

  He missed work. Maureen promised to keep his secret, to let him tell Rebecca, but he never could find the right time. And now there was no more time.

  By 11:30 that night he was sitting in his truck at the edge of Rebecca’s driveway, waiting for her to get home. He checked his phone to see if she’d tried to call, even though he knew she hadn’t. Dominic had messaged him twice, wanting to know what he’d done to upset Rebecca. As he was considering whether or not to reply, a set of headlights appeared and Rebecca’s car pulled into the driveway. The dome light came on when she opened her door. His mouth went dry. His heart hammered. It was time.

  Wade climbed out of his truck and shut the door. The instant he stepped in front of the vehicle, Rebecca planted both hands on his chest and shoved him against the grill. He threw his arms up in surrender, his heart aching.

  “You’re an asshole.” Her voice was low and shaky. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re leaving tomorrow?”

  “That’s why I’m here.”

  “You’re twelve hours too late. All it took was one internet search to find the truth. How stupid do you think I am? After the look you gave me last night, like it was the last time we would be together…and when you didn’t show up this morning. You didn’t answer your phone. I thought you were already gone.”

  “Becks.”

  “Don’t call me that!”

  “What am I supposed to do? Give up football? It’s all I’ve ever known. The game is in my blood!” He moved away from her, his chest heaving with each breath. His voice shook as he attempted to soften it. “You knew from the start this was my life, Rebecca. And I finally get paid to do what I love, to prove I’m the best at my position, at hitting the hardest, at timing the snap.”

  “Your timing isn’t so great right now.
” She crossed her arms, staring hard. “And don’t make it out like I’m trying to make you choose. The issue here isn’t the fact you’re leaving to live your dream, it’s that you didn’t tell me until now.”

  “I started to last night but couldn’t.”

  “Because I don’t matter? Because I’m so easily wrote off? These past couple of months, the time it took us to get here…it was all a waste of time.”

  Wade shook his head. Not one second of their time together had been a waste. He needed to hold her and went to do so but she twisted from his grasp. The maneuver stabbed at his chest. He couldn’t catch his breath, and leaned over to prop his hands on his knees. Staring at the ground, Wade said, “Every minute we’re together is better than the last. You have no idea how much you’ve changed my life, Rebecca.”

  “You should have told me you were leaving.” She shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her eyes were strained and she blinked hard then started toward the house without so much as even glancing at him.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going inside, Wade. I’m done.”

  * * * *

  Rebecca closed the door and turned off the porch light. She didn’t care how long Wade sat outside. She wouldn’t go back out there. She couldn’t. The sincerity in his voice when he confessed she’d changed his life was enough to shed all frustration. Staying out there with him for a second longer would do nothing but make her miss him more when he left…tomorrow.

  Tomorrow. Fucking tomorrow!

  If Dalton and her mother weren’t sleeping mere feet away, she would scream. How dare he? How dare Wade McKinney swoop into her life and make her feel again only to run away the first chance he got? Rebecca took a deep breath to compose her thoughts. She’d been fine before he came along, and she’d be fine with him gone.

  Her phone buzzed, and she dug it from her pocket to see Wade’s name on the screen. Too late. Powering off the device, she tossed it on the sofa. He couldn’t make things better with a text. Some stupid message wouldn’t change the fact that he’d kept vital information from her. According to the article she’d read online, he’d been in negotiations with his new team for weeks.