Tackled by the Girl Next Door

by Susan Scott Shelley

  “With Kevin healing and out of our hair for a few more days, we need to talk about us,” she said.

  “Us? As in you and I making out on this couch last night?” He lifted her sweater up her torso. Sam shifted, helping him slip it over her head. He tossed it to the armchair. “That was the best part of yesterday. And I like us. I always have. I always will.”

  “I like us, too, but I’m scared.”

  Scared? Yeah, he was terrified, too. Once they went down this path, they’d never see each other the same way as before. He lifted her chin up to look at her face. After that first kiss, her presence in his life was as necessary to him as breathing. Banked desire in her eyes beckoned him closer. Nope. No going back. To hell with fear.

  A dot of teriyaki sauce remained on her cheek. The woman couldn’t eat a meal without wearing part of it, and damn if it didn’t make him want her all the more.

  “What are you scared of? Me licking leftovers off your face?” He kissed her cheek and sucked off the sauce, causing her to moan.

  “No,” she whispered. “I like that.” She pressed her lips together as though hiding them from him.

  “Afraid I might need to kiss you more thoroughly? No one can be afraid of kissing, that’s just wrong.” He moved his lips over hers and felt them relax and open. The taste of wine mixed with a shot of estrogen escalated his need for her from craving to desperation.

  She spoke into his mouth. “I definitely like the kissing.”

  “Are you afraid I may strip all your clothes off? You shouldn’t be. From what I saw of you on the treadmill, you’re perfect and should be naked in front of me always.” A red satin bra beckoned him toward her chest. His kisses trailed down her neck, and his hands shifted the bra aside, giving him free access to the most amazing breasts. Large and full. He could become lost in them and never want to leave.

  This, however, was Sam, and he slowed himself down from his frenzied exploration and savored her. A fine wine, a gourmet chocolate, a choice piece of Kobe beef. Soft strangled pleas fell to his ears as she brushed her hands through his hair and drove him crazy. Control. He wanted her, but needed to take this slow. She deserved a long, satisfying journey, even if it killed him.

  “Jason?” Her voice sounded breathy and sensual.

  “Yeah.”

  “You know I’m not a virgin.”

  “I know.” His hands wandered over the uncovered skin of her shoulders, her back, and tiny waist. Although he ached to see the rest of that decadent body, patience and gentle handling would create a perfect experience for their first time together.

  “Jason?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’re making me insane. I need you now, fast, hard, crazy. I promise I’ll let you massage my body for hours afterward, if that’s what you like. I’ll even massage you in a few creative places.” She brushed her hand across his waist and tugged at the button on his jeans.

  His tongue stopped moving, and her words and actions began to register. She lifted his fingers to her mouth and sucked on his thumb. The sensation pulled him from the fog and forced him to look up at her expression. Hot, needy, incredibly sexy.

  He had both their clothes off in record time. The sight of her spread out on the couch scrambled his brain and strengthened his lower half. Her chestnut hair half on the little pillow and half cascading over the edge. One of her knees bent up and leaned on the back of the couch, the other leg fell off the side. Open, waiting. He didn’t remember placing the condom on, but it appeared ready to go. He slipped inside her.

  “Yes.” Her fingers dug into his shoulders. Her mouth dropped open, and her head flung back. Too much temptation, too much feeling.

  His tongue plunged into her mouth, and she accepted it. Her taste, her scent, and her touch overwhelmed him until his willpower completely disintegrated. They rocketed back and forth, growing more impatient and more selfish in their needs. She gripped him and forced him harder, faster. His angel had a devil side, and he took advantage of it all the way. She shuddered under him, tossing her head away from their kiss, and calling out his name. He followed her into oblivion, but instead of pulling away, he brought her closer in his arms and pressed into her. He’d never felt more at home, more at peace with a woman in his arms.

  Her chest started to shake and low deep sounds came from her throat. Damn it all. She was crying. It was too amazing to last. He’d gone and ruined their friendship. The thought ripped his heart apart. He pushed off the couch ready to face the emotions he’d caused.

  Then he heard the laughter. Booming, hysterical, and totally inappropriate to such a solemn moment. Those angel eyes with a wicked smile stared up at him. “You almost crushed me to death, but it would’ve been worth it. You’re amazing.”

  The corners of his mouth lifted in relief, yet his heart still hammered in his chest. “Angel, I’ve never been so thoroughly used in my life.”

  “Not even with the picture-perfect pin-ups in LA?” Her expression was amused, the vixen.

  “Not with anyone. I can’t ever go back to average after you.”

  Her arms wrapped around him, tugging him back to her. She crushed her lips against his. Desire and need pounded through his blood. Nothing compared to being with Sam. He looped his arm around her back, supporting her weight, and proceeded to kiss her senseless, which was necessary to keep himself sane. She bit his lower lip before falling back onto the pillow.

  “Thanks for giving in to my impatience. Now about that foreplay we skipped?”

  It was going to be a long evening. And perhaps the beginning of a perfect future.

  Chapter Five

  Wednesday

  The buzzing of the bedside alarm jarred Sam out of dreamland. She reached out to hit the alarm, but the warm body curled around hers held firm.

  Jason shifted over her and silenced the alarm. He propped himself on his elbow, and his lips curved in a lazy, sexy smile. “Morning.”

  Sam rose to meet his descending lips. She wrapped her arms around the strong muscles in his back. Waking next to Jason split her world into two, as cozy as flannel pajamas she wanted to sleep in every day and as electrifying as a firestorm that threatened to destroy everything it consumed.

  He already owned a large piece of her heart, and by giving in to their attraction, she allotted him even more. Not smart. Jason kept his romantic entanglements carefree, casual, and brief. She couldn’t approach relationships that way, especially one with him. She didn’t want to be the next in line, the current interest that burned hot and bright and then faded in a flash. With him, she wanted forever.

  The realization knocked her back against the mattress. Where had that come from? He never got serious with anyone, and she was as far from his preferred type as Pennsylvania was from California.

  “You okay?” His brow cocked and his fingers traced her cheek.

  Not ready to share the direction of her thoughts, she tugged at the sheet tangled around their legs. “Fine. Just debating about leaving you to go running.”

  “I brought sneakers and sweats with me.” He pointed to the bag by the door. “Thought I’d join you.”

  “Really?” Surprise coaxed out a laugh, and she leaned into him for another kiss. “I’d love it.”

  “We can save time when we get back by showering together. I’ll drive you to work again.”

  How perfectly he’d settled into her routine. But yearning for more wasn’t wise. She needed to squelch the fantasy of being his wife and guard her heart before she lost it completely.

  Seven hours later, Sam’s workday dwindled to an end. Closing early for the holiday meant compressing eight hours of work into four. She waded through a sea of never-ending emails and client concerns, feeling as effective as a hamster spinning in a wheel. The sun glinted off Kevin’s graduation photo on her desk. She sighed. Her husband’s death followed by her mother’s death had gutted her. Taking care of Kevin had helped pull her out of her grief. She’d never regretted her choice to come home, but some
days, she really missed the excitement of her former career and life in the city.

  As one o’clock approached, she pushed away from her desk. Craving a change of scenery and a stretch of her legs, she wove through the maze of dull gray cubicles on her way to the water cooler.

  “Hey, Sammie.” Larry Goodman’s voice rang out behind her.

  Irritation crawled along her skin. She waved over her shoulder and increased her pace. The office slacker used his senior status to dump accounts and projects into her lap, and her friendship with Jason to score autographs of his favorite football players.

  He fell in step beside her. “Just saw on the Football Channel’s website that Jason’s signed on to commentate at the four o’clock game tomorrow.”

  She paused. “Tomorrow’s game? Are you sure?”

  “Yep. In black and white, right here.” He waved his phone at her. “Hit the rumor mill last night and was confirmed by the network’s president this morning. See if he can get me John Connolly’s autograph.”

  Her lips pressed together. Why hadn’t Jason told her? Hurt and confusion pulsed deep, but she pasted a smile on her face, nodded, and returned to her desk.

  She climbed into his truck at one fifteen. He flashed her a grin and leaned in for a kiss. “Hey, beautiful, how was your day?”

  “Fine. Did anything interesting happen during yours?”

  “Started off perfect with you. Then I braved the grocery store for my mom.” Laughing, he shuddered and launched into a story about wayward carts and fights over turkeys.

  They pulled into her driveway. She undid her seatbelt and turned to him. “I heard a rumor you’ll be on TV tomorrow.”

  “It’s true. I’ll be in Chicago for most of the day.”

  “When did they ask you?” Maybe Larry’s information was wrong…

  “Last night.”

  The phone call he’d left to take. Surprise joined the hurt aching in her stomach. “Before we made love? You shared yourself with me that way, but couldn’t share that you’ll be gone tomorrow and why? I had to find out through the office slimeball?”

  The laughter in his eyes died. “I’d planned to tell you over dinner but got distracted. I wasn’t thinking so much about tomorrow’s game. They also asked me to cover the commentator job for the rest of this season, then do guest spots on their network this off-season.”

  “Seriously?” She focused on his face. Huge news. Yet, he’d kept it to himself. He was leaving and she wasn’t prepared. Damn, it wasn’t supposed to be this way. Shock forced her to move. She sprang out of the truck and rounded the hood.

  Jason followed her across the lawn. “I haven’t accepted their offer yet, and I don’t know if I will. I’d be based out of LA.”

  Sam fumbled her key in the lock and then entered the house. He wouldn’t turn the job down. He loved the game and his adopted city. Once he went back to California, some model or starlet would take her place in no time. She didn’t fit into the cookie-cutter image of his typical girlfriends. With Jason, she’d always be the girl next door. Shoving aside the hurt, tamping down the anger, she grasped for what advice best friend Sam would give. “You’ve got to take it. This is perfect for you. You need a solid career.”

  “There are some things I hadn’t counted on.” Jason paced the length of the living room.

  As much as she didn’t want him to go, leaving was best for him. He needed to be back on the West Coast and move on with his postfootball career. She needed to forego the fantasy of a life with him and focus on the responsibilities that would remain when he left town. “Sounds like a no-brainer to me. You love your life in LA, and you love football.”

  “I’m not sure I want to take it. I want you—”

  “You have to take the job. You need to get your future in order. Vacation time is over. You can’t hide here forever.” The words snapped out of her lips before her heart could stop them.

  Jason’s brows lifted. His lips tightened and he shook his head. “You’re the last person I expected to pressure me.”

  “I want to see you happy and fulfilled. I’d hate to see you waste this opportunity. This is a way for you to get back part of what you lost.”

  He shoved his hand through his hair. “And you think this opportunity will complete me? You don’t know anything about loss.”

  She froze. Pain tore through her as real as if he’d plunged a knife into her heart and ripped it to shreds.

  Jason’s features morphed from frustration into a horrified expression. Raising his hands, he moved toward her. “Sam...I didn’t mean...”

  She backed away. Shaky fingers closed over the doorknob. “Forget it. Just forget it. You have your life to live, and I have mine. Please go.”

  “We need to talk about this.”

  Her breath hitched. Sorrow twinged her chest. She shook her head against the tears threatening to spill. Damn it, she refused to cry in front of him again. Yanking the front door open, she bit the inside of her lip. “I don’t live in a fairytale world. Reality sucks, but you pick up the pieces of your broken dreams and create new ones. You need to leave before we hurt each other any more.”

  Jason stepped onto the porch and lifted his hand to her face. His phone rang. He frowned and muttered a curse.

  “Get back to your life, Jason. You belong in your world, and I belong here.” She quietly shut the door in his face, then gave in to the torrent of tears.

  Chapter Six

  Thanksgiving Day

  The alarm’s buzzing woke her. But this time, Jason wasn’t there to roll over her and turn it off. Sam slapped the buzzer and pushed out of bed. Thanksgiving morning. She tugged on workout clothes and then stepped outside and glanced at Jason’s house. His truck was in the driveway. Was he still asleep or awake and watching her from his window? They couldn’t leave things the way they’d parted the day before. What if he continued on to LA after the game? She might not see him for months. With her stomach clenched, her head full of jumbled thoughts and her heart aching, she turned to the road. A run first, to clear her head and organize what to say.

  She loped down the familiar streets. Being with Jason was perfect. She didn’t know what to do about their explosive physical responses to each other, but feared becoming another “sweet kid” who passed through his life. She preferred the role as his best friend. And a best friend would let him go. She’d explain how she only wanted what was best for him. Taking the job would take him away from her, but he needed to do it.

  Sam turned onto her street and slowed to a stop in front of his house. She’d go right over, knock on his door, and apologize. Somehow, they’d make it right. Exhaling the balloon of tension, she grabbed the morning paper off the lawn and started for the front door. Before she reached the first step, the door opened.

  Jason’s mother, dressed in a blue bathrobe, her blonde hair blowing in the breeze, leaned out. “Hi sweetie, thanks for bringing that up.”

  “No problem, Beth.” She handed over the bundle and shifted her feet. Had Jason told her about their argument?

  “Oh, here.” Beth ducked inside the house and returned with a key dangling from a football-shaped key chain. “Jason left you his truck. He said to use it as long as you need it.”

  “He’s gone?” Her fingers clasped the cold metal.

  “Out of the house at four thirty. He’s flying to Chicago and then straight to LA after the game. Shame he’ll miss out on my cranberry stuffing, but David and I are so excited to see him back in the game. See you tonight for dessert.” Waving, Beth closed the door.

  Sam leaned against the truck as her legs weakened. Taking a few deep breaths to steady herself, she ran her hand over the black glossy paint. Jason granting her use of it for as long as she needed sounded like he didn’t plan on coming back for a long time. Why would he stay? She’d told him to go.

  She turned back toward her house. Jason was gone. And so was her opportunity to make things right.

  ****

  Jason drove straight
from O’Hare to a small restaurant a few blocks from the stadium to meet with his agent Allen Blake. Allen had been Jason’s best offense in contract negotiations since joining pro football years ago. He negotiated hard, but never left the other side bitter. During Jason’s active years, Allen worked miracles in creating opportunities out of dust. The guy was the real deal, and Jason was lucky to still have him on his side.

  Allen stood when Jason approached his table. “Mr. Black risen from the dead. How have you been?”

  “Never better.”

  They shook hands, and Jason ordered a cup of coffee and some scrambled eggs. Several patrons turned toward them and stared. With this new position, his face would be even more in the public eye. Life as a celebrity had a few perks, but mostly it was a pain in the ass. While playing football, Jason endured constant rumors about his sexual conquests, his undeserved salary, and his wild lifestyle. He preferred a simple life with a wife who loved him despite his bank account and celebrity. A few kids would be pretty cool too. Sam’s image floated into his mind, but she was a thorn in his side for the moment. He ignored thoughts of her pretty face, to-die-for body, and warm heart and focused on making his future solid, as she requested.

  Allen drank his coffee black and rarely ate when he was in negotiations. Too much nervous energy. This deal must be bigger than expected if he was foregoing the blueberry muffin.

  “I hope you’ve had a good vacation, because I’m about to make your life crazy again. You’re my most in-demand retired player. Everyone wants you for endorsements, investments, and now this. The deal with the Football Channel is everything you’ve been looking for. You’re in the booth, color commentary, based out of Los Angeles.”