Risking the Crown

by Violet Paige

  I nodded, appreciative there would be some pain relief involved. My hand hadn’t stopped hurting all week.

  “Next, I’ll insert the gel with a larger needle. I’ll use the ultrasound camera to guide the needle between the bones.” He pointed to the suspension system hanging overhead. I looked up to see a lens pointed at my hand.

  “All right.”

  “Once the gel has penetrated the area, I’ll start with the first round of HGH. We’ll begin a regimen at a high dosage, and I’ll show you how to administer the rest at home.”

  It sounded standard and practical. It sounded exactly like what I should have done the instant the linebacker crunched my hand. But then I thought of Lennon. And how I wouldn’t have met her. How I wouldn’t be in whatever I was in with her if I didn’t end up in her OR.

  “Go for it. I’m ready to get this hand back together.”

  “Just lie back. Try to relax and we’ll begin.” Dr. Jones certainly didn’t have the same bedside manner as my surgeon. I closed my eyes and pictured her hair falling around my face. I tried to block out the stabbing needles poking through broken bones. I focused on her breath in my ear. The sounds she made when she clenched around my cock. God, she was everything I needed.

  An hour later, Dr. Jones squeezed my shoulder. “I’m finished.”

  I opened my eyes. “That’s it?”

  He nodded, handing me an opaque white bag. “You have two weeks worth of syringes inside. They are pre-measured. I still think you’re rushing it a little if you expect to play in two weeks, but it’s possible.”

  “That’s all I need to hear.” I hopped off the table. “Thanks, Doc.”

  “I guess we don’t need to say anything else?”

  I shook my head. “No. Everything is understood.” His career was as much at stake as was mine. One whiff of this and I’d be out of the league, and he’d lose every client he had, as well as his medical license.

  I left his office, my hand numb, but my mind optimistic the Wranglers were back in contention for the Super Bowl.

  14

  Lennon

  Twelve-hour shifts were long, but they felt like an eternity when I knew Wes was waiting for me on the other end. I scooted out of the hospital before one of the nurses could catch me and drag me back in to check on a patient. My pager was on. I was available for an emergency, I told myself.

  I had enough time to peel off my scrubs, shower, and make it to Wes’s for dinner if I drove quickly and took a shortcut through the city.

  For the first time since I had moved to San Antonio, I was kicking myself for not shopping. I’d worn the only sexy thing I had in my closet Saturday night. Other than jeans and a dozen tank tops, I was out of fashionable clothes. This man was used to going out with super models and cheerleaders. Every woman I had seen on his arm was paid to look amazing. Me, I was a surgeon. My fashion consisted of scrubs and a wide variety of yoga pants.

  I shuffled through the hangers in my closet, knowing nothing was going to make me happy. I wanted to stun him. Wow him. Seduce him with another gorgeous dress, but I couldn’t make those clothes magically appear. I settled on a pair of fitted jeans and a tank top that hugged my breasts.

  I grabbed my keys and left for his place. This still felt unbelievable. We had another date. I never did anything on a Tuesday night.

  He opened the door, grinning so wide my knees almost buckled. How could one man ooze sex appeal like that?

  “Hey, Doc.”

  “Hi.” Every part of my body told me to throw myself on him and jump in his arms, but I held back. Even if I knew I was hopeless, he didn’t have to know it.

  I walked over the threshold, feeling happiness surge through me to be back here again. I hadn’t seen him since my rush to work yesterday morning, and I already missed him. Thirty-six hours was a reasonable amount of time to miss someone, right?

  The door closed. “You look beautiful.”

  I spun on my heels to face him. “I’m out of black dresses.”

  He ran a finger along my shoulder. “I think you’re sexy in everything.”

  I blushed. The lines were good. I ate them up. “Are we going out?” I asked. When Wes called, I didn’t hear much other than he wanted to see me tonight.

  “Do you want to go out?” He let his finger slide from my shoulder along my collarbone.

  I didn’t want to go anywhere. I wanted to kiss him and run my hands through his hair and feel his hard body pin mine to the table. I wanted his tongue and his hands and his cock.

  “Yeah, let’s go out,” I answered. “Unless you think we shouldn’t.” I remembered wherever he went, he was photographed. Maybe he didn’t want to be seen with me, the non-super model.

  “Why shouldn’t we? We both know the night’s going to end up the same way. We should eat.”

  “And how is it going to end?” I challenged.

  “With me buried deep inside you and you screaming my name while I fuck you so hard you think we’ll both ignite.”

  Oh God. My legs wobbled. I couldn’t form words. I needed a witty retort. Something sarcastic and quick, but the image he painted played over and over. Maybe I wanted that instead of food.

  He held the door open for me. “Ready?”

  I nodded. He had stolen every word right from my mouth.

  The restaurant served Tex-Mex and enormous margaritas. I licked the salt on the edge of the glass. Wes smiled at me.

  “How was work today?” he asked.

  I stifled a laugh.

  “What?”

  “It’s just such a normal question. You really want to know about what I did at the hospital today?”

  “Sure. Tell me. Save a life?”

  “As a matter of fact, I helped a man walk again.” The tequila tasted good. I dipped a chip in a bowl of queso. We were still looking over the menus.

  “That’s fucking awesome.”

  I looked around to see if anyone had heard him. Wes didn’t seem to care what language he used or where he was when he used it.

  “Thanks. It was pretty awesome. What about your day?”

  “Me? Not much. We have a bye week. That means no game on Sunday,” he explained. “And I can’t practice. I spent a few hours at the office, then hung out at the apartment. Not really comparable to helping a man walk again.”

  My hand landed on his. “Don’t compare what I do to what you do. You’re basically a god in this city. No one cares if I stitch bones back together.”

  “Until they’re the ones who need you.” He leaned closer. “And I sure as hell needed you.”

  I felt a rush of adrenaline shoot down my spine. “You know people are staring at us.”

  He nodded. “They always stare when I go out. And I guarantee our picture is already on every social media site.” He kissed me long and hard until I had to break away to breathe.

  “What was that for?”

  “If they’re going to take pictures, might as well give them something hot.” He winked at me.

  My heart was still pounding, and he had awakened that deep ache between my legs. I took another sip of the cold margarita. I tried to be casual and not look around at the cell phones snapping pictures of us, or listen to the whispers at the table one over from ours.

  “You really live like this?”

  “Always have. Growing up in a small town and being the first quarterback to take the team to state, it started early.”

  “And you don’t mind the invasion of privacy?”

  “Comes with the territory. If this is the price of winning, I’m okay with that.”

  I was stunned. I could think of lots of tradeoffs that would make this difficult.

  “Why is winning so important to you, Wes?”

  “Is there anything else?”

  I folded my menu in half and placed it on the table. “I hope so.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re going to lecture me on the meaning of life and how there’s more to life than winning a game?”

 
“I don’t think I have to. You just told yourself.” The layers of ambition ran deeper in him than most men.

  “This is what I do. I win. I compete. And I don’t let anything stand in my way. You should know that now.”

  “Now?”

  “Yeah, now before…”

  “Before what? Before we go home tonight and you fuck me again like promised?” I was getting mad. I couldn’t help it. I was seeing his arrogant quarterback side. The side I had read about online.

  “That’s not what I was going to say.” He lowered his voice. “I was talking about this. Us.”

  “Oh. Us?” My tone softened. Was there an us? It had only been a few days since that night in his apartment.

  “I guess I need to say something, Doc. Ask you something.”

  “Okay.”

  “I need to know you’re not seeing anyone else.”

  “Me? You’re worried about me dating someone?” I almost laughed, but he looked dead serious and his green eyes were fixed on mine.

  “Yeah, that’s not going to work for me.” He shook his head. “I need a straight answer.”

  “And what about you?” I knew I had every right to ask this question, but I didn’t know I’d get the truth. This was the man who never saw the same woman two days in a row.

  “Not since Saturday.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Wow.”

  He grabbed my hand. “Before Saturday doesn’t count. For either of us.” His gaze was deep. “I don’t want anyone else to have you.”

  “I’m not property. You make it sound like you can own me.”

  He traced the side of my cheek and my breath caught in the back of my throat. My body betrayed every word I said. I knew he owned me. He possessed my body. I’d give it to him as many times as he asked. So why was I playing this game?

  “We’re leaving.” He stood, pulling me up with him.

  “But we haven’t even ordered,” I protested.

  He threw a hundred dollar bill on the table to cover the drinks and chips.

  “We can’t finish this conversation here.” He tugged me through the restaurant and into his car. He didn’t say another word as he whipped through the streets and parked in the garage under his building.

  “Wes, what’s going on?”

  He walked to my side of the car and helped me out, leading me to the elevators. He punched in the code for his penthouse and the silence filled the space as we rode to the top. So did the sexual tension. I could feel my body gravitating toward him. Needing him. Wanting him.

  As soon as the door closed behind us, he shoved me against the door, his lips furiously covering mine. I couldn’t keep up as his hand worked under my top, squeezing my breast, twisting my nipple. He spun me around, my hands splayed against the door as he pulled the jeans over my ass and past my knees.

  I was trembling and shaking, quivering with need. Whimpering as his hand slid between my legs.

  “You don’t think I own you?” His finger curled inside me.

  I closed my eyes. Oh God. I gripped him.

  His breath was hot on my neck. “Tell me, Lennon. Tell me to take you. Tell me you want me inside you. Tell me you are mine. You belong to me.”

  I panted as he dipped in and out of me. The passion built between my legs as he made me wetter with each perfect stroke, grazing my clit, then twisting inside my entrance. I could feel the control leaving my body as if he siphoned it from me.

  “Tell me,” he growled against my ear.

  “I’m yours. I’m fucking yours.” I sank on his hand. “I don’t want anyone else. I don’t belong to anyone else,” I moaned.

  He bit along my neck. I leaned into his chest as his fingers slid in and out of me.

  “What are you doing to me?” I whispered.

  “Making sure you know who you belong to.” His fingers withdrew and I gulped for air. I kicked the jeans off my ankles, and stepped away from the door, turning to face him.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing his lips to me. He was so much taller that I stood on the tips of my toes to press my point. “I might belong to you, but do you belong to me?”

  His eyes closed and I could feel the hardness of his shaft press against my leg through his jeans. He wanted me as badly as I wanted him. But that didn’t answer my question. Physically, we always wanted each other. But I knew that it couldn’t keep going like this for me anymore.

  “Because that’s the only way, Wes.”

  I didn’t intend to have a relationship conversation. Not after only a few days. Not half naked. And not while I was ready to come. But at some point, my body had to let my brain have a say in this. And the deal was I would give myself to this man. I’d be his whore. I’d be dirty. I’d suck him, kiss him, please him. But only if he belonged to me too.

  “Are you giving me an ultimatum?” He pulled back to study my eyes.

  I shook my head. “No, I wouldn’t. I’m offering myself in return for you. I can’t be like this with you if you’re like this with other women. I swear I’m not trying to pressure you. I’m not like that. I-I just can’t think of leaving you and then you’re with someone else.” My words trailed off.

  It was a stab to the heart picturing Wes kissing one of his super models. Or taking her to bed and whispering in her ear the same things he said to me. It made my stomach turn. I’d rather walk away than know I wasn’t the only one. I couldn’t share what we had.

  “It’s never been like this with other women,” he whispered, dipping to kiss my throat.

  “Then tell me, too,” I urged. “You belong to me.” I knew I was risking everything. If he said no, I’d have to walk out this door, and I wouldn’t be coming back. All of it would be over. I’d start living life again like the girl I was before Wes touched me.

  His fingers slid between my legs again and I groaned. He fell to his knees and I almost stepped back. I almost told him his seduction wouldn’t work. I needed words. I needed promises. But his fingers felt so good, he held me in place, playing my folds with electric strokes. My hands ran through his brown hair. I needed him to steady me. He was knocking me off my axis again—like he always did.

  He looked up at me. “You fucking own me, Doc. I’m yours. Now stop talking so I can make you come.”

  His tongue plunged between my legs and I rocked forward, feeling the bliss wash over me. Wes Blakefield was mine. And he had the most perfect way of showing it.

  15

  Wes

  I looked at the physical therapist expectantly. “So, what do you think?”

  “I’d say it’s a miracle. I’ve never had a player recover from surgery so quickly.” He looked at my right hand in awe.

  I balled it into a fist and wiggled each finger.

  I grabbed a football from a basket in the corner and spun it in my hand. “Catch,” I called as I tossed it to him.

  He bobbled the catch, but laughed. “You had surgery two and a half weeks ago?”

  I nodded. I didn’t want to draw attention to the timeline. The rapid recovery would sound better if it weren’t so damn rapid. But it was what I needed. I had three days until the next game, and I needed medical clearance and my starting spot back.

  “So you ready to sign off on me?” I looked at him.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’ll sign off. But the AFA needs your doctor’s signature too.”

  “I know. Dr. Evans. I’ll get it by today.” The old man would want a few signed autographs for the family and maybe a few tickets to the game. But he would sign. My hand was practically back to a hundred percent. There was no reason to keep me out of the game.

  “Keep up with those exercises I showed you.”

  “No problem.” I had been keeping up with my running regimen and doing double duty on the physical therapy. I had pushed myself beyond the physical limits I had been told, but I proved them all wrong. My hand was ready for touchdown passes and spirals that would wow the crowd.

  I slung my bag over my shoulder. “Thanks,” I called out
.

  Once I got Dr. Evans’s signature, I could get back to practice, and Cosech could sit his ass on the bench where it belonged. The hospital was my next stop.

  I tapped on the nurses’ station. “Hey, there.” I grinned.

  The nurse behind the counter looked flustered when she recognized me. “Oh my God. Wes Blakefield.”

  “Yep.” I leaned my elbows on the surface.

  “Are you here to see Dr. Ashworth?” She raised her eyebrows with a knowing look. Lennon and I had made it in the headlines. According to the press, we were practically engaged. Amazing what dating the same woman for two weeks could do for the gossip reporters. They acted like I was a tamed lion. Hardly.

  “Not this time. I need to see Dr. Evans about my paperwork.” Although I wouldn’t leave the hospital without seeing if Lennon was available. I knew she was in surgery most of the day.

  “Of course. He is your doctor.” She typed something into the computer. “Looks like he’s in between patients. I’ll page him.”

  I waited at the desk. A few seconds later, the white-haired man popped out of a lounge.

  “There’s our quarterback!” He beamed.

  “Yep. And I brought you a few things.” I held up a pair of tickets to Sunday’s game and a signed jersey. Just wanted to thank you.”

  “That’s not…” He took the gifts. “Tickets? My wife will be pleased with me.” He laughed. “I hear you need some kind of paperwork for the AFA.”

  “Yes. If you could sign off on that last set of documents, I’ll be waving to you from the field Sunday.”

  He scratched the back of his head. “Maybe we should find an exam room.” He looked at the nurse.

  “Oh, you can go in three.” She pointed.

  I followed the man and waited to show him my miraculous recovery.

  “Let’s take a look here.” He peered at my hand. “Can you make a fist?”

  I did as he asked.

  “Can you tap each finger to the center of my palm?”

  I followed the next instruction.

  He turned my hand over. “Any pain?”