“I’ll check back with you in a few .”
“Hey, grab my phone for me.” I pointed to where it was lying on the top shelf in my locker .
“Here you go.” Robbie passed it over the ice cubes and walked off so I could soak in silence .
There was no one else in the rehab room with me. I pressed Alexa’s number and waited for her to answer .
“Hey.” Her voice was like pure heaven in my ear .
“How was the flight ?”
She’d landed this morning and had been in Nashville for the entire day, but this was the first chance I had to call her. Team meeting followed by practice. After showers I had another meeting with Applewhite. It would be ten o’clock before I was at the ranch again .
“Good. Fine.” She sounded stiff .
“Is someone there?” I asked .
“I’m in the studio,” she explained .
“I thought you had a break.” The ice started to melt around me .
I had this mental image of her doing the same thing I was. Soaking her tight body in a marble tub. Her hair over her shoulders. Her tits bobbing on the water while the bubbles gathered at her curves. Fuck, it made me hard. I wanted to get in that tub with her and splash the water on her expensive tile floor until she was delirious from my cock pounding inside her. Hell, I had it bad for this girl .
“I sort of burned through it when I took that extra day with you,” she whispered .
“Any regrets?” I grinned. I already knew the fucking answer .
“No. None .”
“Good.” I saw Robbie on his way back. He was just on the other side of the glass window where the other guys were talking about practice. I had to make this quick. “I’ll try to call later. It will be late though .”
“That’s ok. I don’t know when we’re going to finish here .”
I wanted to ask her what she was working on. Was she recording the song she played for me last night in the living room? Had she approached Jake with the idea of expanding her audience? I thought it was a hell of an idea. If she could convert me to a fan, she could hook anyone .
Robbie’s hand was on the door. “Gotta go, baby .”
I tossed the phone on a dry towel folded on the bench .
“More ice?” he offered .
“Nah.” I shook him off. I hauled my large body from the tub. “I’ve got a meeting with Applewhite .”
Robbie handed another towel to me. I draped it around my hips and shuffled to the lockers. A few minutes later I was dressed and ready to run the playbook with Coach .
I headed up to his office with my notepad and the binder for this week’s game. It changed, depending on the opponent. There was a full team roster along with their most popular plays. There was no way to count on the injury report until minutes before the whistle blew. I made my decisions with the information I had .
I rapped on the outside of the door .
“Come on in,” he called .
We did this every week. Three days before the game we sat down and discussed the final strategy. Last time I was in this office he had handed my balls to me on a platter .
I spread my materials out on his desk. “I’ve got my first two drives set .”
We were past pretending we needed to small talk .
“Before we get to that I wanted to ask how things are going with Charlie .”
“You could have fucking warned me she didn’t have a dick.” I eyed him .
He laughed. “Yeah, she’s not a man. She’s the best in the business though. She keeps a low profile, but she has resurrected quite a few AFA careers. You can be sure of that .”
“I’m also sure she’s got her shit in my business.” I glared at him. I wasn’t giving up this fight .
“I’m counting on her to bring us a win .”
“I bring the wins,” I growled. Charlie might be good at her job, but she wasn’t the one the fans rooted for. They didn’t give a shit about a beautiful woman in a designer suit calling the shots on my personal life .
“It’s already working though. Had a call from McCade this morning. He liked the article on your donations to the children’s wing and was impressed with your visit to see the kids. He’s looking the other way right now and that’s what you want .”
“I’m only doing this because you threatened me with a league ban,” I snarled. “I didn’t get that girl pregnant. She played him for a complete fool and took him to the bank .”
As soon as I said it I thought about Alexa. I wondered what she would think if she knew there was some chick out there, claiming I was going to be a dad. And I couldn’t help but think about whether Alexa had gotten on a plane, carrying my child. That one moment of panic when I saw the broken condom had unfurled into dreams that I had planted my baby inside her. I didn’t know if it made me an asshole that it turned me on so much, or a real man who had found the right woman to give him a baby. I shook my head. It was too fucking confusing to sort out right now .
“I was trying to give you a compliment.” Coach pulled on his visor. “Let’s just forget it. I’ll let Charlie handle you where your image is concerned and you and I will focus on football .”
“I think we need to do that .”
We agreed on one thing. Only one fucking thing .
Twenty-One
Alexa
M y hands shook. My stomach flipped and tossed with nerves. I didn’t know how I was going to get through this. The doorbell rang and I jumped from the couch .
I rushed through the hallway, almost skating on the hardwoods to open the front door .
“Hey, girl.” Helena wrapped me in a hug. “Cute hair .”
“Thanks.” It was up in my standard ponytail .
I closed the door and set the alarm behind her. “Thank you for coming over. I didn’t think I could do this alone .”
“Sure thing. You know I’m a huge fan. It’s going to be fun .”
She followed me into my den. Her eyes widened when she saw the spread I had made .
“We’re going to eat all of this ?”
“Ok, so I don’t know what people eat when they watch football. Did I overdo it ?”
She plopped down on the couch. “Slightly overboard, but I don’t care. It looks amazing.” She scooped up some cheese dip on the end of a piece of toasted pita .
I sat next to her. My nerves were completely shot. “I don’t know if I can even watch .”
Helena picked up the remote and turned up the volume. “He’s going to be fine. He’s a big strong guy. Stop worrying. He does this all the time .”
I looked at the screen. Luke was throwing the ball on the sideline. My insides began to melt. He looked irresistible. I felt a sudden heaviness. I missed him terribly. More than I should .
“All I know is that guys play football and get concussions and have career-ending injuries. What if that happens to him? What if they have to haul him off on a stretcher ?”
Helena rolled her eyes. “That’s not going to happen. Have you seen the guys paid to surround him? The Warriors’ offensive line is intense .”
I picked at the veggie tray. I was craving cucumbers. “I’m glad you came over. I promised him I’d watch, but I didn’t realize it was going to freak me out. And you know so much more about football than I do .”
She giggled. “The advantage of having three brothers I guess. Besides, I think this whole thing with Luke is cute, and I love being in on the secret love affair,” she teased .
“That makes it sound so sordid .”
“Well is it?” She curled her knees under her and leaned into the oversized cushions. I’d had this room decorated a year ago and I was already thinking of how I could redo it. It was one of twenty in the house .
I turned an instant red color. I probably matched the peppers I had sliced .
“Maybe a little .”
She sighed. “I knew it. He’s way too hot not to be amazing in bed .”
“Ok, I’m really not going into thos
e details .”
But God did I want to. I wanted to tell someone how incredible Luke was. How he made me feel things I didn’t know were possible. How my body moved a certain way for him. That I’d experienced eroticism that was addictive and potent. That if I didn’t see him soon my body was going to erupt in an explosive fire that he had started. It had been burning for him ever since our last kiss .
I pulled a pillow to my chest. “I don’t think I can watch .”
“The Warriors are the favorites to win. Stop worrying. He is going to kick ass today .”
I somehow managed to let the pillow drop low enough so I could see over the edge. Luke was on the field. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He looked powerful. In command. Strong and confident. I held my breath until he took the snap .
And then it was as if all my worries faded as I let the air from my lungs. He was faster than the defense. He was smarter than the other team. He knew how to outstep them. In a split second the ball was out of his hands and soaring down field. It landed in the arms of one of the Warrior receivers .
Helena gleamed at me. “See? He’s fine .”
I nodded with a smile. “He is .”
My shoulders relaxed. The jitters eased. My fears weren’t Luke’s. He didn’t look terrified. Nothing around him fazed him. He ruled that field .
“Are we having wine at this party or what ?”
“Oh sorry.” There was a time out on the field for a referee review. “What would you like ?”
“Whatever you’re drinking .”
I stopped. Was I drinking? It was absurd not to. I’d already decided the chance of me being pregnant was only my runaway tendency to worry taking over. But there was that thought in the back of my head. What if I was? What if I was carrying Luke’s baby and getting ready to douse it in wine ?
“I’ll find something,” I offered .
I had filled Helena in on what happened with Luke—everything except the broken condom. It was the one piece of the story I had deliberately left out .
I looked through my liquor cabinet to see what I could concoct. I pulled out the cranberry juice, vodka, and spritzer. In one glass I added vodka. In the other I doused an extra splash of the spritzer. There. She’d never know I wasn’t drinking .
I returned just as the game came back from commercial .
“Here you go.” I handed her the tall Cosmo .
“Oh, yummy.” She took a sip. “Delish .”
“Good.” I wiggled back onto my spot on the couch .
The Warriors won the dispute and Luke had the ball again. His eyes were narrowed in concentration .
I’d never felt such a rush before watching football. I think it made me miss him more .
There was a deep pang in my chest and an ache in my core. I curled into a ball. I was glad Helena was here, but I wanted Luke. I wished I could be there with him after the game .
“So, we haven’t even talked about tomorrow .”
“What do you mean?” I was trying to focus on the next play .
“The Country Year Awards are going to be announced and you aren’t even batting an eyelash about them .”
Someone crossed over the line and grabbed a fistful of Luke’s jersey. I jerked to the edge of the couch. He had thrown the ball before the defender got to him. He was fine. Yelling enough curse words to fill a sailor’s bible, but fine .
I turned to her. “I’m not hung up on that stuff. You know that .”
“Yeah, but Jake is .”
“Can we not talk about him ?”
I didn’t want my good mood to sour .
“Sorry.”
“It’s ok. He and I aren’t on the best of terms right now and it’s going to be a long time before he forgives me for spending an extra day in Austin. All he can talk about is how my image has taken a hit from being seen with Luke. I’m tired of hearing about it .”
“And you can’t tell him that?” Helena always wanted me to stand up to Jake, but she didn’t know the full story .
“No.” I lowered my eyes and voice together. “It’s complicated with Jake .”
“Oh look, they’re going for it.” Helena’s eyes darted to the TV .
We both jumped from the couch when we saw Luke rear back and throw the ball to the other end of the field. That had to be at least forty yards, but I wasn’t paying attention. All I saw was his form. His body. His touchdown .
Helena reached in the air for a high-five. I giggled .
My crush was bad. So so bad .
Twenty-Two
Luke
T he locker room was always fucking loud, but after a win like tonight, we might as well have been in the middle of a mosh pit. I couldn’t hear the guy next to me. We had crushed the them. We ran up the score, and I didn’t give a shit .
I had proved a point tonight. The Warriors needed me—no matter what my image was. They could fuck off .
“Canton, going out for drinks with us ?”
I eyed the rookie tight end. He had done his job. When it came to clutch time, James had been solid .
The locker room already smelled like a fucking brewery. I thought about grabbing a few beers with the guys, and then I thought about stumbling home alone. I’d walk into the ranch. Dark. Cold. Empty .
I could do what I usually did after a game. Find a piece of ass that wanted to fuck me. A girl who knew I wouldn’t call her tomorrow. A girl who wanted to get her claws in me as long as I put my cock in her .
But I didn’t want that .
“Maybe I’ll see you out there .”
I knew I wasn’t going to a bar. I wasn’t going to hook up. I wasn’t taking a stranger home. There was only one person I wanted to spend tonight with .
“I’ll text you,” James offered .
I nodded. “Yeah .”
I didn’t care that my body was sore and bruised. I didn’t care tomorrow was a rest day. It had been four days since I had seen Alexa and that was four days too long .
I grabbed my bag and walked out of the tunnel. I had press to do, but as soon as I was done I was headed to the airport .
* * *
I t was dark by the time I pulled into the windy driveway. I looked around expecting to see a guard gate, but I had to remind myself this was Nashville. I was in the country. Not everyone had the kind of access I did to tracking down Alexa’s address .
I hoped she at least had a security system. She needed to be careful. There were crazy fans out there. People who could show up here. I needed to talk to her about adding some level of security .
I climbed the wide steps, noticing the swing on the wraparound porch. I pushed the button for the doorbell. Small flames flickered in gaslight lamps on the porch. The place had the right amount of charm, but I could definitely tell a woman lived here. I’d never have a swing or copper lamps .
The door cracked slightly and then I heard a squeal before it opened wide .
“What are you doing here ?”
I picked her up in my arms. “Surprise visit .”
My mouth covered hers in hungry pursuit of her lips. I growled, sucking them and holding her close to my body. Her lips parted as my tongue twisted along hers with dominate strokes .
Her legs wrapped around my waist and I pressed her into the closest wall, grinding into her .
“Oh God, this is the best surprise,” she whispered between kisses .
“I thought so.” I dipped to the V at the base of her throat .
She was wearing cutoff shorts that rode up the curves of her ass. My fingers dug into her skin .
“I can’t believe you’re here. I just saw you on TV .”
“You watched the game ?”
She nodded. “All the way to the end,” she moaned when my teeth took her earlobe with a rough nip. “And that turn over …,” she moaned .
“Keep talking football to me, baby .”
“The touchdowns. I loved the touchdowns .”
“Fuck, say touchdown again .”
“Touchdown.” Her voice was laced with raspy seduction .
Too fucking hot .
“I was happy you won .”
“Me too .”
I had to get her out of these clothes. I had to feel her. Taste her. Touch her. Fuck her senseless. My cock hardened. I wanted to be inside this girl more than I’d wanted anything .
“Do you want me to guess where your bed is?” I asked, squeezing her bottom urgently. “Or should I fuck you here ?”
She sucked in for air. God, she was so dirty. So horny. So fucking perfect. She was thinking what I was. The bed was too many steps to walk. I turned and deposited her on a round table in the foyer, gripping the band of those tiny shorts .
I dragged them over her hips and off her thighs. Her hands wrapped around my neck, drawing me back to her lips .
“Fuck me here,” she pleaded .
“Oh, I am, baby. I was only asking to be polite.” I grinned wolfishly .
I slid her panties to the side enough to push my fingers inside her soaking entrance. I growled. Fuck .
She whimpered when I withdrew them and reached in my back pocket for a condom. I’d put one there as soon as I packed my bag at the ranch, anticipating this exact moment. I shed the jeans, and shoved my boxer briefs to my ankles. Alexa sighed at the sight of my cock bobbing along with my throbbing ache. I rolled the condom on. I hadn’t forgotten what I promised her. One day I was doing this without one of these damn things .
I yanked the T-shirt over her head, smiling at her perky breasts. I licked each one while I nestled my cock between my legs and with a solid thrust I buried myself inside her .
Her heels dug into my ass as she screamed out. I planted my palms on the table, driving into her again. It was fucking nirvana being inside this girl. She was tight. She was wet. She was hotter than a roaring fire .
She looked sexier than fuck with the tatters of her panties clinging to her hips while my cock pulsed in and out of her .
“You’re fucking gorgeous, baby.” I cradled her face, sucking a kiss from her lips .
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