by U
“And Torsten is lining up for another shot and GOAL! Even with the grounds being turned into a series of hills! The Vultures’ coach is demanding a foul call. He’s claiming Deeks did an illegal hit on Toomes! And the ref says no! Play will continue.”
The rest of the game became far more aggressive with shoving, fights, and a few punches thrown. Yellow cards were given all over the place. With three minutes to go, the ref called a penalty against the Thunder Prowlers, which gave the Vultures a free kick.
“Tanner lines up. The wall is formed and goal! The score is tied! Overtime. First to score wins.”
Pierce found himself downing beer after beer, feeling a light buzz in his system, but it did nothing to calm him down. If anything, when overtime was signaled he thought he would pass out from lightheadedness. He jumped up and began to swear and pace. “Motherfucking, referees. Perfectly good call. That should have been a free shot.”
Weston laughed. “Not likely. Good call in my view.”
Pierce snorted and Mack threw a pillow at him. “I agree with Weston. Good call. Now shut up and sit the hell down, mate. You’re making me want to shift.”
Mack had a glint in his eye. Pierce figured that Mack just wanted to strip down naked and streak the field to give the fans something to cheer for.
“Keep your clothes on, Macky. Wait until the auction.”
“Why wait with so many birds in the stands, eh?” Mack took a pull of beer and turned to say something to Eddy, who let out a gruff laugh.
Even Eddy was having a good time. Everyone was. Pierce was tempted to ask Weston to call Madison and ask if she was watching, but he shook his head and took a tug on his beer. He allowed the cool liquid to distract him from fantasies of Madison watching, getting just as excited as he was about the sport. No time to think about her. So far so good, but they still had overtime to deal with.
He rubbed his hands on his denim-covered thighs and tried to eat a hot dog piled high with fixings. At least his stomach had calmed down enough for him to try to down something. He barely tasted the spiciness as the game resumed. Pierce sat as if in a trance, his gaze glued to the pitch, his body working on autopilot as he waited for something magical to happen. They had enough highlights to satisfy all the sports programs, but he wanted an icing-on-the-cake moment.
He didn’t have to wait long. The Thunder Prowlers made it down the field when one of the Vultures tackled Keene, who ended up limping off the field. The ref stopped the game, a yellow card was issued, and a free kick was declared. The fans went wild.
Torsten lined up. The wall was formed. The goalie got ready. Torsten kicked and it went over the players. The goalie tried to get a hand on it. The ball sailed over his shoulder, just out of reach, and straight into the back of the net.
“Goal! Goal! Thunder Prowlers win! The crowd is going insane!”
Pierce allowed his body to go limp. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes. If all the games could be like this one…He found himself wishing once more that Madison was watching and had loved the game, that she would accompany her father next time.
Matt tapped him on the shoulder, breaking his trance. Matt’s eyes sparkled, and a look of pride was on his face.
“Everything looks good, sir. Twitter is on fire with all sorts of hashtags for players and teams and moments. And our Facebook page has been flooded with compliments. Everyone seems to want to see a game up close, and the next game is already sold out. I’d say it was a success.”
Excitement buzzed in Pierce’s body. He couldn’t wait to see the final numbers and tally up the sales for tickets for the next games. They’d passed out coupons for discounts for the match at the end of the month. Lei would be over the moon with this win and Cable, the coach for the Vultures, would be pissed that he’d lost the opener. It didn’t matter though. They were all winners in this. The league was a success.
“I say we celebrate at Tanner’s tonight, on me. Matt, let the teams and the staff know and tell Tanner’s to open up their banquet rooms. I want their best of everything.”
Pierce brushed his fingers over his stubble as memories of past celebrations drifted up in his mind. He knew exactly how hard players could party. Whether they won or lost, they could really destroy themselves. It wouldn’t do to have them wasted in practice tomorrow. He knew Lei would be hard on them if they arrived hung over. Cable would be a barking maniac, whipping his boys into shape for the next matchup.
Tomorrow he also had to deal with Caddie Larson and her demand for a women’s league. She’d promised names, but had yet to deliver on contracts and assurances. She didn’t even have a practice space lined up, much less a plan for how to lure in advertisers who wouldn’t exploit the players.
Pierce shook away those thoughts. He’d deal with Caddie later. Tonight was a time for celebration.
“Everything is set up, sir.” Matt grinned. “And I made sure that they had extra security for the fanfare. As soon as I sent in the request it appeared on Twitter.” A bright ruby flush appeared on his cheeks. “Sorry, sir.”
Pierce chuckled. “Nothing to worry about, Matt. Word would have gotten out anyway. Let’s go.”
Weston gave Pierce a hug. “Sorry, Pierce. I’d love to but I can’t. Lizzie would kill me if I didn’t come home directly. I don’t want to give the girls too much to worry about. If I’m a good boy I may even get sugar in my dessert.” He clapped Pierce on the back, shook hands with all those left in the room, and then took his leave.
Once Weston was gone, Pierce felt as if the ghost of Madison went with him. As he took in his friends, downing the last of their beers, smiles on their faces, joy in the atmosphere, he couldn’t help but allow the thought of Madison to rise up again. This time he found himself wondering what it would have been like to have her here to celebrate with him. Would she approve of Tanner’s or would she want a more intimate setting with just the two of them?
He sighed, rubbed the back of his head, and signaled that it was time to go. Again, there was no reason to think about her. She was out of his reach for now. But at least he wouldn’t be celebrating the success of his new venture alone.
Chapter Four
Stress ran through Madison’s body, jittering along her veins, filling her with unused energy. She banged around her kitchen, shoving pots and pans back and slipping out the cupcake tins. All her ingredients were ready for her gluten-free, super-fudgy devil’s food cupcakes. All she had to do was scoop and bake. Frustration continued to simmer in her body as she moved around. Despite her fun dinner with Lea and Alec and a great time watching the game together, her traitorous mind kept drifting back to Pierce, wondering how he was doing. Was he stressed out? Excited? Watching between his fingers during the most stressful moments? Her disloyal brain decided to punish her by filling the owner’s box with women wearing tight-fitting, barely there outfits, pouring his beer, flirting outrageously with him, and feeding him nibbles from their hands while trying to show off their plastic-surgeon-enhanced assets. It made her want to scream. And her lioness watched, smug, in her dark corner, as Madison tried to fight down surges of jealousy and anger.
Rather than give her lioness, Lea, and Alec the satisfaction of watching her have a meltdown, she’d indulged in deep-fried stress relief while watching the game. None of that mattered. By the end of the match, she was both emotionally exhausted and angry all over again. It didn’t help that she could still smell his musky, spicy scent, could still see his icy blue eyes and rugged features.
He wasn’t before her or with her. For all she knew, he was out having an orgy on his massive estate in celebration of a job well done on the first day of para-football. Rips opened up in her heart at the thought that he would dismiss his desire for her so easily in the face of such vacuous offerings as the football groupies.
Over and over again, she reminded herself that she had no mark on him, no claim in the least. It didn’t matter though. Her body knew different, stupid, emotional things. Her skin craved his touch, thos
e roughened hands all over her body soothing away her aches and pain from the attack. She could feel the touch of his lips on hers, leaving small tingles in their wake, the phantom of his tongue in her mouth, rough and so sweet and seductive, teasing her teeth and tracing delicate patterns on the roof of her mouth.
Pierce. Pierce. Pierce. She could feel him everywhere, even when he was nowhere near her. It infuriated her, but most of all it made her feel helpless, unworthy. Those fissures in her chest cracked open wider, attacking her lungs and making breathing painful.
She paused in her actions and bent over the center island to take a moment, willing herself to feel anything but vulnerable. Fury shook through her once again. Her lioness had been thrilled to be saved by such a powerful mate and man. To Madison her sense of independence had gotten bruised. For a year, she had been tied down helping her mother take care of her father. Now that he had recovered she thought she was going to start a new, independent phase of her life, but all of that had fallen apart in the face of an angry Pierce. She hadn’t been able to break free and fight for herself, which made her question her own self worth. Her calm demeanor was shaken to its core. At home, in her bed alone, she couldn’t escape the ghosts that haunted her thoughts. How could she be strong if she had to depend on other people to prop her up and save her from danger?
Besides, what did she have to offer a well-traveled man like Pierce McKinney when she still lived at home with her parents? She worked as her father’s assistant, which gave her a chance to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t overstrain himself, but once he was fully recovered he wouldn’t need her. Then what? Where would she work? How would she make a living? Her sense of pride took another hit. She tried to breathe past it as her demons reared up, poking her with tridents tipped with stinging points. Madison took her time as she tried to work through the suffocating fog that encircled her once again.
Before her father’s heart attack she’d had an apartment and a job working in a dress boutique in the affluent district of Pines Ville. Despite the banality of having to pay bills on time, she worked enough hours to get at least a little extra for herself and take care of her cat, Zoe. It had been her slice of heaven. She wasn’t some spoiled rich girl living off the fat of her family. Madison Weston was her own person. She even had a membership at a private club to explore her sexual desires when she was between boyfriends. All that mattered to her was that she had an actual life, something beyond her childhood and the people she’d grown up with. Nothing was being handed to her on a silver platter because of her name and connections.
But she had given all that up when her family had needed her. Now she was just another heiress living in her family’s guesthouse on the allowance her grandmother’s inheritance gave her.
Tears formed in her eyes as the pain increased and her heart became a stone, a lump of heaviness that sat in her rib cage. Her breathing became labored as the urge to curl up into the fetal position crawled along her limbs. She didn’t want to live at her parents’. She wanted to live in her own apartment again, to pay her own bills, and to have her own job. She wanted to feel like she had a life of her own.
And then there were the issues of romance. Taking a date back to her parents’ mansion didn’t encourage romance. Her suitors all had dollar signs in their eyes. Besides, she didn’t feel comfortable even thinking about having sex in the vicinity of her parents. Sure, there was a decent amount of yardage between the guesthouse and the main house, but that didn’t mean her mom or dad couldn’t stop by at any moment—something that they liked to do. They didn’t even call before coming in, just, Hi! How ya doing? Want to do this, that, or the other thing with me?
Then there would be a barrage of questions about why she was home in the first place, why she didn’t go out, which then led to questions about when she was going to find a nice young man to settle down with. Finally, the topic of grandkids would come up and comments about how she was not getting any younger.
Madison dragged a stool over and sank down on it. The fog began to lift and the pain began to recede, but her issues continued to weigh upon her. Silk and fire brushed against her leg, followed by the gentle flick of a small sandpaper tongue. Madison smiled and reached down to scoop Zoe up. The ball of white and gray fur with bright blue eyes scrambled until she was settled and comfortable in Madison’s arms. A deep purring began. The vibrations pushed past Madison’s shirt and deep into her heart until she felt soothed and comforted. Madison ran her palm over the vibrating little bundle of fur in her arms, allowing the comfort the animal offered to seep into her until her doubts receded and she could think clearly again.
She was thirty-two and therefore required to be tied down to a family and a man rather than be single. It hurt that her mother believed this should be her fate. No matter how many talks they had, her mother continued to push eligible shifters in her direction. Madison wanted to have a say in her own life. Everyone’s opinion mattered, but it was her life that would be affected.
Who she was looking for she didn’t know, but she didn’t feel comfortable opening her heart yet—not when she had nothing to offer a possible partner. She didn’t have her own money anymore, nor did she have anything to give sexually. It had been a year since she’d even thought of her body’s need. She hadn’t been to Shadows, the private club, in more than twelve months. Madison didn’t know what she wanted as far as sex was concerned. She hadn’t even indulged in her favorite erotic authors.
Now that she was free from her father’s health issues, she found herself with time on her hands. With free time came thoughts, and thoughts led to notions, which led to ideas. But she had no clue how to implement them.
“What do you think I should do, huh, kitten?” She scratched behind Zoe’s ears and listened to the cat purr loudly in approval. The heat of the room pressed against her clothes and she let out a sigh. If she didn’t bake something, all her prep work would be for naught and she’d have nothing to bring into the office for her farewell. As of Friday, her father’s normal personal assistant would take over all of her duties and Madison would truly be out of a job.
Madison placed Zoe on the floor, washed her hands, and got to work scooping the batter out of the bowls and into the baking cups. The rich, fudgy chocolate perfume drifted up to her. The delicious aroma made her cares seem smaller. As she focused on her task, her thoughts swirled around her mind.
She could look around town on her lunch break for job openings. She did have some experience with customers, ringing up sales, stocking, and ordering things. She knew the current computer programs and could work with Mac and Windows, as well as Linux. Her resume was complete and up to date, and personal assistant experience only added to her skills.
She would look over the bachelor auction too, she decided, but only look. And she would go to Shadows, update her profile, get a few books, and check out some things that she was interested in.
Alec and Lea would be overjoyed at that last thought. She frowned. Madison would never hear the end of it. With another sigh, she finished up with the batter and then slid the pans into the oven. She cleaned up and headed to the bathroom. Despite all the mixing she’d done, she could still smell Pierce’s tiger musk on her. Just being aware of it jarred her sense of equilibrium. A hint of that delicious, spicy scent made heat pool in her gut and slip into her core. She groaned as her walls flexed. The skin of her inner thighs tingled as her breasts became heavy and tight. Her nipples puckered and began to pulse.
She groaned. Not now. Zoe leapt up on the bed and nudged her head against Madison’s shoulder.
“Smell Pierce, huh?” she asked.
Zoe flopped onto her back and wriggled around on the bed. The purring grew louder. Traitor.
Her phone rang and she rolled over and grabbed the receiver. “Hello?”
“Madison?” Pierce’s rough voice slithered through the speaker. The muscles in her legs quivered as her knees turned to gelatin. The prickles in her inner thighs and her lower back g
rew as spikes of heat increased. Liquid fire filled her vagina as her face flared hot.
Despite the distance, that rich British tone felt so close, as if he was in the room with her. She could feel the humidity of his breath against the delicate shell of her ear and her cheek. Sparks danced on her sensitive skin and trailed down her neck.
Madison swallowed. “Y-y-yes?” Disgust filled her at her stuttering. Why did she lose her cool around this man? Was it because he actually did scare her that badly?
Pierce made an indistinguishable sound that she didn’t understand. “I just wanted to see if you were all right. How are you? Shaken up?”
That rough tenor in his voice smoothed over her like warm satin. She shivered at the sensation as her nipples tightened. Every word seemed to have another meaning. Each syllable was weighted with a little something extra that she couldn’t define. Or maybe she was going insane. She shook her head while she reached out to pet Zoe, who had moseyed up to her side and rubbed herself against her.
“Fine, but I don’t think that you really called me to check up on me. What do you want?” Her tone was still breathy with a bit of huskiness. The heat continued to climb until her face was enflamed. Even her ears prickled with it.
“Come now, I can’t check in on you after you’ve been attacked by a stumbling, slovenly, drunken bear shifter, intent on making you purr?” Pierce teased.
His tone was smooth, low, and heated. It warmed her from her throat down to her stomach. It was as if she’d drunk an old Scotch, aged perfectly. Her nipples and clit pulsed, making her aware of her sex and of how long it had been since she’d had a man. Annoyed at her body’s reactions, she pushed away some of the building arousal and focused on the situation and ending this call.
“Lions don’t purr,” she shot back. “And don’t think you can make me either.”
It was a ridiculous comeback and yet she grabbed onto her anger like a life raft, focused on it, and let it grow. Madison refused to allow Pierce to take control and set the rules. It was just a damn phone call. She wouldn’t let all the work and calm she’d built up during baking start to erode just because he had spoken to her. Nor would she allow herself to get sentimental, just because he wanted to make sure she was OK.
