by Lulu Pratt
Bella and I went to talk to the team outside of their locker room so I could meet the players. There was a handsome one who walked right over, showing me a sexy, crooked smile that probably worked on a lot of women. I said hello and met the rest of them. I felt an arm across my shoulders, looking up to see Jackson. I couldn’t move with his arm being so tight around me and I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Let’s talk for a minute, Em.”
He pulled me outside to where we were before, out of sight of the fans.
“What’s wrong with you? I’m going to be talking to the guys, Jackson. I work here now. You can’t keep me in a bubble,” I felt anger rising as I thought back to all the times that my family sheltered me.
“I’m your surrogate brother. It’s what Greg wants and what I want.” His eyes flared.
What do you want, Jackson?
“I will protect you from whoever I feel is not worthy of you, Em.”
I think you are worthy of me.
But I wasn’t a little girl, especially as I could now feel my body ache with need.
“I’m not a little girl anymore, Jackson. You’re no better than the rest of them!” I said.
He had a sneer that made me want to kiss him and I struggled to find my composure. “I’m a big girl now. A woman. I can sleep with anyone I want. I can sleep with the whole team if I choose to…”
Jackson’s eyebrow rose at the comment, but I was getting annoyed. Anger and lust was a bad combination.
“Hell, I even can sleep with you. Nobody can tell me otherwise,” I started to cross my arms over my chest before he grabbed them and pressed me against the wall in the dark.
“Is that what you want, Emma? Do you want to sleep with me?” he asked in a rough voice. His face was very close to mine. I dropped my head back and stared into his eyes. They were dark with lust as he searched my face.
He parted his full lips. Oh, God. He moved closer, and I felt his hot breath on my face. It smelled like mint and I slowly blinked.
“Do you want me to kiss you right now?” His voice was softer, and I licked my suddenly dry lips and he watched me closely.
I couldn’t speak because I might say yes, and we could never reverse a kiss, or a touch. We couldn’t take it back.
“I’ll bet your lips taste great, Em. I’m sure you taste great,” he said in a low voice that made my insides throb with want. His words made my eyelids flutter closed as I imagined his lips on my body, his tongue on my skin, his hands on my hips. I sighed a little, saving the moment in my head for the next time that I got myself off.
“Tell me, Emma. I won’t do anything to you until you tell me to.”
His face was even closer, and I felt the heat from his breath.
I couldn’t speak. Once we got started, I knew that it would be too hard to stop, and he ran his nose along my neck.
“Stop,” I said.
He chuckled and pulled away. “You don’t want me to stop, Em,” Jackson said, but he didn’t touch me again. Instead he stared at me for a long moment with a tortured look. “I know you don’t, but you need to say something.”
I didn’t. I stared back, not saying a word as the tension between us continued, both scaring and exciting me. I didn’t know what to do with my conflicted emotions. I swallowed, not wanting to end the moment.
“Goddamn it, Emma. You make me fucking insane,” Jackson said as a roar sounded above us. He looked up and took a deep breath.
“Stay away from the team. Don’t think about any of them, Emma. You’re here to work and I’m going to keep a close eye on you.”
Jackson turned and walked away.
He left me standing there as I gaped at him.
“I don’t want anyone else. I want you,” I whispered. I stood there for a few moments, trying to control my emotions. Once I felt I could walk steadily, I made my way back inside to clean up for the game. I headed to the smaller locker room’s bathroom and Bella poked her head around the wall.
“Are you okay? You look flushed. What happened?” she asked.
I rolled my eyes. “I just told Jackson to stop acting like my brother. I already have one,” I forced a smile, not wanting to admit the truth. “He thinks because he watched me grow up that I shouldn’t flirt.”
“You do have to be careful around them,” Bella said as I looked at her in the mirror. She was gorgeous, and I wondered how many of the guys she been with.
“I know. I’d just rather do it on my own than to be treated like a five-year-old.” I forced a laugh and shook my head, masking the pain that I was in.
“Let’s go get to the stands. We have to work the crowd up!” Bella beamed and grabbed my hand, pulling me to the rest of the group.
We were going to alternate with the cheerleaders in getting the crowd going and I just wanted to go home and cry. I knew that things were different between Jackson and me now. I knew that everything might be ruined.
I heard the cheers of the fans and watched as the cheerleaders did their routine before Bella led me out. We moved in front of the crowd and got them to interact with us.
Screw Jackson for treating me like that. I could flirt with whoever I wanted to, and I smiled brightly as I danced around, following Bella’s lead. We moved back when the game started, and I watched it as much as I could without looking too much at Jackson. I hated our fight, but it was in the past and I had to leave it there.
I was going to love this job and meet people. I was going to live my life.
We took the cannons out halfway through the game and called to everyone, telling them to let us know they wanted a shirt. People yelled and I looked at Bella with a smile before aiming the cannon high and attempting to shoot a shirt to a little girl halfway back. She was so cute with her blonde curls and her dad jumped up to get it as she waved at me. I smiled proudly as Bella shot hers to a guy to the left. We did this a few more times throughout the game and then ran off so the guys could score a touchdown to win.
We jumped up and down as everyone cheered and I genuinely felt happy for Jackson. He didn’t play a lot but when he did, he was good. I wondered why he wasn’t a starter, but we’d never talked about that. He was just happy to be playing with the pros.
We watched everyone leave the field and Bella asked if I wanted to go out with the group to celebrate a great day. I smiled and nodded as we walked to our locker room to shower and change into our street clothes, taking off my heavy make-up gratefully.
We piled into two cars to go to a local restaurant. I sat in the back seat and watched the lights of Nashville pass us by. I had no idea what would happen later with Jackson. I told myself to have fun now and deal with it later.
I still felt his face close to mine as Bella laughed and turned up the radio. I smiled, deciding to live in the moment.
CHAPTER 10
JACKSON
I passed on going out with the team to celebrate the win since I felt like shit about what happened with Emma. Apparently, she went out with the team and I ended up watching replays of our game as well as the others that were on that day. I finally went out to get some Chinese food and o bring home in case she was hungry later.
When I pulled up, I saw her walking to the building and watched as she unlocked the door. She was dressed in some leggings and a Henley, which I preferred over that skimpy uniform she wore at the game.
She looked hot and felt even better pressed against me, but I needed to put that behind me.
I let her close the door and walked a little faster to get in, as if I didn’t see her.
“Are you home? I got some Chinese and beer,” I kept my voice casual as I walked into the kitchen and set everything down.
She walked out of her room, brushing her hair.
“I ate with the team, but I could have beef and broccoli if you got that,” she replied nonchalantly looked at the bags on the counter and shook her head, reaching for a beer.
“Should you be drinking?”
Emma rolled her eyes. “You
and Greg pounded back quite a few over your high school years, if my memory serves me well. You have to stop being protective. I drink once in a while and always in moderation.”
I decided to change the subject. “I remembered what you like,” I assured her as she blushed and opened the bottle. “Did you like the game?”
“The game? It was a blast,” she replied, not making eye contact as I unloaded the containers of food.
I fucked up earlier, and I didn’t know what to do to fix it. I didn’t want to bring it up, but I had to say something.
“You looked great out there,” I said. She looked at me with a small smile. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I get protective with you because I watched you grow up. It’s hard to admit that you’re not that little girl anymore,” I wanted to say more, but I decided not to. “Just be careful. Please.”
“I know, Jackson.”
She reached for a container after she saw the broccoli, grabbing a fork before she went to sit on the chair. I ordered two containers of that since I knew how much she liked it.
I chose to fill a plate and got a beer before heading to the living room. She was sitting on the chair, watching TV as she settled her stuff on the table beside her. She seemed withdrawn, and I dropped down on the couch and speared some chicken as I looked at her again.
I remembered how she smelled as I pressed her against the wall. It drove me mad, and it took everything I had not to draw the soft skin of her neck between my teeth to taste her. While I chewed my food, I remembered my comment about tasting her, knowing how direct and crude it was. I took a long swallow of the beer and washed down the distaste at the back of my throat. Emma didn’t deserve to be spoken to like that, and I was an asshole for doing it to her.
How could I make it up to her?
I looked at her again as she sipped her own beer. I felt lust surge to my cock again. She looked innocent sitting there, but earlier today I’d seen the look in her eyes. I saw the way she parted her lips, teasing me. I felt like Emma might be the death of me if I give into this temptation.
“What did you do after the game?”
“They took me to some place close to the stadium. It was fun. It’s nice making friends here.”
Emma smiled, but I could still see the hurt in her eyes. “I think this job was a great idea.”
“It’ll keep you busy. You’ll get to travel with the team sometimes. That can get wild, so watch out.”
She looked at me for a moment as our eyes locked.
I wanted her.
“Don’t you get wild? Nobody warns you to be careful.” Her voice was soft, and I raised an eyebrow.
“My parents always have. I try to be smart about my choices the best I can,” I assured her, seeing something pass through her eyes as she understood what I meant. I wanted her to know how hard it was to make the right choice with her because I was confused about everything.
“Yeah, me too. You don’t need to worry about me.” Emma sighed and took another bite of food, chewing slowly. I could tell that she was down, and I hated myself for doing this. I could have conveyed my feelings a little better, but what did she think would happen by suggesting us being together? That caught me off guard and I couldn’t help but to react. I felt desire surge through me again as I tried to hold it in.
Emma finished her dish and put the rest in the fridge along with all the other food. She’d enjoyed two beers and watching her drink them made me want her mouth wrapped around me as I rocked my cock into her wet mouth.
She said good night and went to her room and I dropped my head back to the cushion. “Fuck,” I murmured as I tried to find a way to fix this situation.
I couldn’t fix things with Emma right now, but I could do something for myself. I got up and dropped my plate into the sink and checked to make sure everything was put away before I went to bed. I stripped off my clothes before sinking into my big mattress. I looked down at my hard cock in the dim light of the lamp and gripped it. It felt good with the pressure, but I wanted it to be her tight pussy wrapped around me, or even her mouth.
I closed my eyes and remembered her scent. The way that her body felt pressed against me earlier tonight. I could still feel her full breasts as I tightened my grip and started to stroke slowly.
In the past, I would have just filled my bed with a willing woman. Before Emma, I wouldn’t have needed to get myself off. But now I wanted Emma, and she hadn’t said yes, despite her comment earlier.
I thought about her sexy body. The way she walked and the scent of her body wash.
I stroked faster, rocking into my hand as I imagined the woman just across the hall from me naked in this bed. I still saw her eyes, darkened with desire as she looked at me crouched between her legs. I could practically taste her as I moaned and dropped my head back, knowing that she would be the sweetest taste I ever enjoyed. I’d lick her pussy clean and tease her clit with my tongue before drawing her between my teeth. I’d slide a finger into her tight core and bring her to the edge before slowly pulling back.
I imagined telling her when to come, making her obey me. She’d come harder that way and lose all control as she trembled. I wanted her to scream as she released around my hand and cock, hearing her give everything that she had to me.
I mentally moved on to her bent over in front of me as I took her from behind. It would be hard and fast as she rocked with me, making her come before I pressed her down to her back. It was then my turn, and I’d draw her legs up to my shoulder and move slow and hard. I gripped myself, letting out a moan as I stroked harder.
I arched my back as I came, shooting over my stomach and chest as I fought the urge to cry out her name. It was intense and hard, one of the best orgasms that I’d had. I held myself in my hand, recovering slowly as I fantasized about calling her in here to clean me up.
Holy fuck, that felt good. I slumped back to the mattress and heard my phone chiming from the nightstand. I ignored the sound until I was cleaned up, looking at the screen to see a girl I’d fucked weeks ago calling. She’d left as soon as we were finished and I hadn’t heard from her since. I didn’t remember giving my number, but I might have been drunk or something. I read the message about coming over for a bootie call and shook my head as I imagined the woman across the hall from me right now.
I blocked the number, deleted the text and set the phone to vibrate, putting it back onto the nightstand.
I’d welcome Emma into my bed and keep her there as long as I could. I’d hold her in my arms after we made love and wake up with the following day with no problem. I frowned, knowing that I was getting in deeper than I should with this one. She was the wrong woman to be falling for, but I knew that it was getting to be too late.
I was drifting off to sleep when I heard her bedroom door open. I lay still as I listened to her pause by my door. What was she thinking right now?
I heard her footsteps head to the bathroom and let out a sigh as exhaustion took me over. I didn’t need a workout in the morning after tonight. I already felt my muscles pulsing as I closed my eyes and gave into sleep.
I woke up to the alarm, taking a long shower before I headed to the gym to meet the team. I dressed in some shorts and a standard T-shirt before grabbing what I needed. I walked out to the living room and grabbed a water. When I turned to leave, I saw Emma curled up in front of the TV, sleeping soundly on the couch. She must have come out here last night. As I watched her breathing evenly, I vowed to put a TV in her room.
She was wearing a pair of loose shorts and a camisole and my eyes traced her body slowly as I grew hard in my shorts. She was gorgeous, and I licked my lips as I focused on her mouth for a long moment.
I took the blanket that was folded over the recliner, covering her gently as she stirred. Her head moved to the side and I stared at her neck. I wanted to lean down and kiss her awake gently, watching her arch her back as she moaned my name.
I groaned internally and cursed under my breath. She was gorgeous and off limits.<
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I finished tucking her in and stood to leave, hating my body for wanting her so much. I needed to get her out my system, but I knew that it would be more than that. I knew that I wanted to go the distance with her and it was fucking with my head as I walked out of the door.
CHAPTER 11
EMMA
It was the next evening when Bella came over to help me with my hair and make-up suggestions for upcoming games. The team was traveling for a game soon and she figured it would be good to be prepared.
We were in the small bathroom and she was finishing some curls.
“Bella, I look more like a drag queen than a cannon girl.”
Bella threw her head back and laughed.
“My best friend back home did my make-up a few times but I’m terrible at it. I used YouTube for the last game and it looked nothing like those girls,” I sighed and stared into the mirror. “I’m too shy for this job.”
“You looked gorgeous the other night. We’ll just try different stuff and have fun with it. It’s like being an actress or something,” Belle shrugged.
“I’m a nerd no matter what the costume.” I resigned myself to the truth as she looked over my cosmetics. This reminded me of Willow and home, though nothing could replace my times with her.
Bella was different but good. She was fun and was forcing me to lighten up, which was needed when there was rising tension between Jackson and me.
“You are beautiful and intelligent. That is a deadly combo, my friend.”
Bella winked as she reached for a liner.
“Close your eyes, hun.”
I felt her lining the lid with the pretty metallic burgundy color.
“This looks hot, Em. Jackson, what do you think?”
I jumped and opened my eyes to see him passing by the door. I blushed as he looked in to see me in a loose T-shirt and leggings with messy hair and halfway completed make-up.
“Looks good,” he said as he met my eyes. He grinned and continued on his way.
