by Bella Andre
"Looks like I'm developing a serious sweet tooth."
His grin was wolfish--satisfied and full of ownership. Her heart clenched, even though she knew better. Yes, Cole made her feel good. Yes, she enjoyed being with him.
But that didn't mean she could let herself fall for him.
She needed to remember at all times that he was using her to make his grandmother happy.
She needed to make sure all she did was use him right back.
She needed to make sure she didn't fall in love.
She scrambled off the bed, grabbing a blanket that had fallen off the bed in their frantic lovemaking. "I have some things to get ready for school on Monday."
He raised an eyebrow. "You trying to kick me out?"
She started to shake her head, then realized that after the things they'd just done to each other, there really was no point in lying to him. "Yes."
He shifted off the bed and the quick swelling of disappointment in her stomach at the thought of him actually leaving surprised her.
"I'll help you with your suitcase."
Maybe it was all the brain cells she'd lost when her brain exploded from three intense orgasms, but she wasn't following. "I can unpack my bag just fine on my own, thanks."
"It's going to hurt my feelings soon, you know."
"What is?"
"The way you keep forgetting that we're married, sweet Anna."
She wrapped the blanket tighter around herself and took a step backward. "I haven't forgotten."
"Then why don't you seem to understand that you're moving in with me?"
"No."
Entirely without her permission, he opened up her closet, found a larger suitcase, and threw it on the bed. "People expect a new wife to live with her husband." He yanked open her dresser, grabbed a handful of her underwear, and tossed it into the bag.
"Stop doing that." She gathered up her underwear, accidentally loosening her hold on the blanket. "Has it even occurred to you to ask me first before you make a decision about something?"
"My grandmother would know something was up in an instant if the papers reported me leaving here without you."
"I'm sick and tired of you using your grandmother as your excuse for every stupid thing you do!"
She all but clamped her hand over her mouth, the blanket dropping all the way to the floor. Not only did she already know that Eugenia was the entire reason for their relationship, not only did she know that Cole would have never, ever picked her out of a crowd if he hadn't been looking for a good girl--but she also knew how deeply he was hurting over his grandmother's illness.
"I'm sorry." She wanted so badly to take back her careless words. "I know how much you love her."
She was surprised to find him standing in front of her, one finger tipping her chin up so that she was meeting his dark and serious eyes. She was naked, now, but he didn't look away.
"My grandmother has nothing to do with the fireworks between us, Anna. While we're married, you're going to be in my bed every single night."
Still trying to find a loophole, she pointed to the window where the last rays of light were still peeking through her blinds. "It's not night yet."
She waited for his stubborn response, waited for him to tell her it was nonnegotiable.
"I want you with me, Anna. More than I've wanted anything in a very long time." He looked as serious as she'd ever seen him, totally earnest. Honest in his desires, both prurient and otherwise. "Please come home with me, sweetheart. Stay with me. Let me take you back to my bed and give you all the loving you deserve."
Oh no.
Anna knew exactly how he meant "loving." He was talking about sex, about what they'd been doing in her bedroom and in his apartment in Las Vegas.
But her heart--her stupid, pathetic, rapidly pounding heart--was doing everything it could to ignore the truth.
And it was her heart, not her brain, that made her drop her underwear back in the suitcase and say, "I need the matching bras, too."
His answering smile was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
Oh no.
Chapter Ten
Anna looked at his house and said, "You really should have had me sign a pre-nup."
Not only was Cole known as one of the meanest men in the NFL, he was also one of the surest footed. Nonetheless, Anna's crazy statement had him tripping over his feet.
"Say that again."
Clearly unaware of his dangerous reaction to what she'd said, she gestured to his huge stainless steel and granite kitchen, out the sliding glass doors to his infinity pool and sloping green lawn. "All this must be worth a fortune. When your lawyer or manager or whoever it is that works for you finds out about our marriage, they're going to lose it in a serious way."
"Well then, maybe I won't ever let you go."
Her eyes widened in surprise, making him realize what he'd just said.
He didn't want to let her go. Not now. Not ever.
Jesus, what the hell was he saying? What the fuck was he thinking?
Her taste, her sweet little whimpers as she came, the wonder in her innocent eyes as she took him into her mouth--clearly, they were all fucking with his head.
"We both know I'm going, Cole. After you don't need me anymore."
Yes, he knew that was their agreement. One he'd thought he was happy with.
"You won't even take jewelry, Anna. I'm not worried about you coming after my house."
But instead of agreeing with him, she frowned. "But you don't know anything about me."
He couldn't keep away from her, had to move closer. "You sure about that? Seems to me I've learned quite a bit about you since last night."
Her beautiful face flushed. "I'm not talking about sex."
"Sure you are, sweetheart. You can't hide from your sensuality anymore. I won't let you."
"I'm not hiding from anything." She thrust her chin up into the air, putting her lips even closer to his.
He moved even closer. "My sweet little liar. Don't you know you give yourself away every time you look at me like that--like you'll die if I don't kiss you in the next five seconds?"
Her eyes widened again, but this time desire trumped her surprise, and he had to kiss her.
Her mouth opened for his, her tongue meeting him halfway.
Cole loved fucking as much as any other guy. More, probably, given the rampant opportunities in his line of work. But usually after he'd come a couple of times, he was pretty much done for a while. At least until the next day.
Not this time.
Not with Anna.
For some reason, just looking at her, just talking to her, teasing her, had him wanting her so bad he was about to bust through his zipper. She made him feel insatiable to the point that he knew he could easily spend the rest of the night taking her again and again. Hell, the only reason he could see to get out of bed at any point in the near future was because he had a job to do out on the field Sunday.
Which meant they had a good twelve hours to fill until then.
But the way she'd said, "You don't know anything about me," bothered him. "Where were you born?"
Her body stiffened in clear surprise. "Why?"
"Tell me, sweetheart. Where were you born?"
"Palo Alto."
Noting that she hadn't moved far from home, her apartment barely an hour from her childhood home, he asked, "College?"
"Stanford."
He wasn't surprised to hear that his sweet little sex goddess was carrying around a big brain too. Intelligence sparkled from her ocean eyes.
"Major?"
"Education."
"Favorite color?"
"Yellow."
He had to smile against her lips, where he'd been asking his questions. He loved talking to her like this, right on the verge of a kiss, knowing he could take her mouth, devour her at any time.
"Hobbies?"
"Reading."
"Any ex-husbands?"
She tried to pull away fr
om him. "No!"
He tightened his hold on her, was glad to feel her relax back into his arms. "I know you have four sisters. Any brothers?"
"No."
He knew her age and birthday from the marriage license they'd filled out. "Favorite movie?"
"Hoosiers."
This time he was the one shifting in surprise. "A basketball movie?"
She grinned. "Basketball is just one facet of the story. It's actually a very moving portrayal of second chances and overcoming racism and finding real love."
He grinned back at the woman he'd married. She was just so likeable.
And so damn pretty.
"Your turn. But let's do it backwards. Movie?"
"Pretty Woman." Her eyes sparkled. "Are you laughing at my answer?"
"No." A giggle erupted. "Okay, yes. A little bit. It was a great movie, but you're such a guy."
"What guy wouldn't like the part where Vivian waited for Edward at his dining table wearing only a tie and spike heels?"
"Perv." She smacked his chest, but she didn't try to move out of his arms. "Brothers or sisters?"
He shook his head. "I wish."
She paused for a moment, her eyes softening, her fingers unconsciously stroking his biceps. "Ex-wives?"
"Hell, no."
She raised an eyebrow at that. "Hobbies."
"Crushing the offense."
She cocked her head to the side. "What does that mean?"
"I'm a linebacker, sweetheart. My job is making sure no one gets through the line."
"What about your spare time? What do you like to do when you're not playing football?"
He grinned wickedly. "How about I show you again right now?"
"Cole!" She smacked his shoulder. "Apart from that."
He shrugged. "Helping out a teammate's camp for kids and doing some reading with a literacy program."
Cole was used to people looking at him like he was a walking bank account. Like he was a hero, a sports god. But no one but his grandmother had ever looked at him like this, like she saw something inside him that pleased her.
Anna's mouth was a light brush of pleasure against his. "Favorite color?"
He licked the curve of her lower lip, made her shiver against him as her nipples hardened into his chest. "Green."
It sounded like she was having some trouble breathing evenly as she asked, "College?"
"University of Las Vegas."
"Major?"
"Football."
She gave him a hard look. "Do you ever think about anything else?" He shot her another wicked glance and she quickly said, "Never mind. Forget I asked. But apart from football, what classes did you like best?"
"Probability. Statistics." Jesus, why was he telling her these things? "It's one of the reasons I like football so much. Coming up with plays is a lot like the problems I used to do in class."
Her answering smile stole his breath. "I thought you all just ran around and jumped on each other."
"You're so sweet. So naive. Good thing there's nothing I'd rather do than teach my sweet little schoolteacher all the things she doesn't know."
He cupped her ass and pulled her tighter into him, ready to move onto the next part of getting to know each other better.
"Wait," she said breathlessly, "I still don't know where you were born."
"Vegas."
"What about your parents?"
He gave her his standard answer. "I don't have that many memories of them."
"How old were you when they passed away?"
He'd been asked this question a thousand times at press conferences and interviews, but never with such palpable concern.
Never by anyone who really cared.
"Five."
"Cole." She stroked his cheek, her fingertips feathering pleasure across his skin. "I'm so sorry."
He forced a shrug. "My grandmother took care of me. She was great."
"You're great, Cole."
And then, finally, he was back to where they started, with his mouth a breath away from hers.
The chorus to I Just Called To Say I Love You played from her purse.
"Oh no. I need to get that."
She pushed out of his arms and pulled the phone out of her purse on the kitchen counter.
"Hi, Mom. I was going to call, I swear. It all happened so fast." She shot him a wild look. "You want us to come over? Right now?"
Cole fought back panic. Meeting the parents wasn't something he did. Hell, there'd been no chance of that from one-night stands.
But he'd married Anna.
And her family wanted to meet her husband.
Fuck.
It had all seemed so simple in the club, when he was kissing her, and holding her, and looking for a Hail Mary pass that would fill his grandmother's dying wish.
First the paps. Now Anna's parents and siblings.
What would be next?
Anna looked so panicked--he hated to see her doing anything but smiling or crying out in ecstasy--that when she sent him a silent question with her eyes, he found himself nodding.
"Okay. Yes, we can come. Back in San Francisco. No we haven't eaten." Her eyes grew bigger. "Everyone's going to be there?" She swallowed hard. "Fantastic." She put the phone down. "We're having dinner with my family." She put her face in her hands. "What am I going to tell them?"
Shit. He'd asked her to lie to his grandmother. But he couldn't ask her to lie to her own family.
"The truth."
She lifted her head. "Are you kidding?"
"I know how important family is, Anna. I'm not going to ask you to lie to them."
One corner of her mouth lifted, but it wasn't a smile. It was a grimace. "I appreciate that, Cole. But I can't tell them the truth."
"Why? You think they'd tell the press that this isn't a real marriage?"
Pain flashed in her eyes. She blinked and it was gone. "No. They would never betray me like that. I can't tell them the truth because they'll think I'm a desperate fool who had to marry the first man who asked."
Hating to hear her talk about herself like that, he had to pull her back into his arms before he set her straight. "No one who knows you would ever think you were a desperate fool."
He felt her relax in his arms and let himself enjoy holding her. Until now, he'd been totally focused on sex. But this, the warm, soft comfort of her, knowing he was comforting her too, was surprisingly nice.
She lifted her head. "I have a feeling things could get pretty messy tonight. Can you follow my lead?"
Did she have any idea what she was asking him to do? Cole Taylor wasn't a follower. He was a leader. And yet, this tiny woman was asking him to hand over the reins.
Even stranger was the fact that he actually wanted to do it, wanted to help her, any way he could. Because she didn't deserve to have her life turned upside down by a football player with ulterior motives.
"I'll do it. On one condition."
Her sweet lips parted slightly, the plump lower lip slightly damp from where she'd been chewing on it. "You're making this a trade?"
"Oh, I think you'll like my terms."
Her skin flushed and her eyes gave away the desire she didn't have the first clue about hiding from him. "You're awfully sure of yourself."
"That's because I know I can deliver."
"Deliver what?"
"I want you to promise me you'll do anything I want the next time we're in bed."
Her body heated up against his, the vee between her legs the hottest of all, like a beacon drawing him in to her. "What could you possibly want to do that we haven't already done?"
He had to smile at the fact that she hadn't just said no. She was looking for details instead. Because she was interested. Because she wanted to say yes.
"Make you feel really, really good."
Her response came, honest and unfiltered. "You've already done that."
He slipped his hands around her incredible ass and tucked her up against his hard-on.
&n
bsp; "I'm very glad to hear it, sweetheart. But trust me. There's more."
"More?" Disbelief warred with anticipation on her beautiful face.
He had her.
"Is that a yes?"
She bit her lip again. "Yes."
He couldn't stop grinning--or thinking about how badly he need to fuck her right fucking now. Especially with the way she was pressing herself against him, little circles of sweet heat that had him a heartbeat away from ripping her clothes off and taking her on the floor in the middle of his kitchen.
"When are your parents expecting us?"
"Right away."
Meeting her family for the first time looking and smelling like they'd just been fucking each other's brains out was wrong. That was the only thing that could have stopped him from picking her up and making a meal out of her on the kitchen island.
Still, that didn't mean he couldn't kiss her, didn't mean he couldn't shift his thigh between her legs so that she was pressing herself into him with a desperate little moan.
On the verge of no return, he forced himself to pull back. "So, what's your plan?"
Her eyes were hazy with desire and he felt a deep sense of pride at how long it took them to clear.
"I wish I knew. I'm hoping I'll figure it out during the drive."
Cole surprised himself with the rumble of laughter that escaped his chest at her completely honest response. Usually when his dick was this hard--fuck, had it ever been this freaking hard?--he wasn't sitting around thinking how cute the woman was. He was just focused on fucking her.
Somehow, Anna managed to be both astonishingly sexy and cute as hell.
"Stop laughing. It's not funny."
But now that he'd started, he couldn't stop, and then, neither could she.
It felt good to hold her and laugh together.
Damn good.
*
"Cole and I have been together secretly for months." Half a dozen gasps rang out throughout her parents' living room and Cole worked like hell to keep a straight face.
They'd literally just walked in the front door. Her father and her sisters' husbands were all clearly starstruck, which he hoped would work in their favor. Her sisters looked surprised, maybe even a little envious.
Her mother just looked mad.
No, he quickly realized, it wasn't anger. She was hurt. And disappointed.
Guilt knocked into Cole's gut. Last night at the club when he'd asked Anna to marry him, he hadn't thought about anyone else. Just himself. And now eight strangers were looking with confusion at the woman he'd dragged into his mess.
