The Final Score

by Jaci Burton

  "Hey, let's get you out of those clothes."

  He cooperated, so she got him undressed and under the covers. And when she turned out the light and climbed into bed, he turned and nestled against her.

  She closed her eyes.

  TWENTY

  MIA ROLLED OVER AND BLINKED, THEN REACHED HER arm out for Nathan.

  His side of the bed was empty. And cold.

  She frowned, then reached for her phone.

  Okay, it was seven a.m. and way too early to get up. She looked over at the bathroom door, but it was open and the bathroom was dark, so he wasn't in there. Did he get up and leave already?

  No. Nathan wouldn't do that without waking her up to say good-bye. At least she didn't think he would. It wasn't like they'd spent the night together a lot.

  She got out of bed and saw his clothes from last night laid over the chair.

  Okay, he was still here. Somewhere.

  She slid into a tank top and a pair of shorts, then started downstairs. The smell of coffee hit her halfway down. She kept coffee around for guests, but normally she brewed tea. When she turned the corner at the landing, Nathan was there, leaning against her kitchen island while he drank a cup of coffee.

  Wearing just his boxer briefs.

  She had to gape for a moment at the picture he presented. Wide shoulders, broad back, muscled thighs. She was fully awake now, for sure. If only a nearly naked beefcake like this could present himself in her kitchen every morning, it would be the best wake-up call ever.

  She made her way into the kitchen. Nathan turned his head and leveled his thousand-watt smile on her.

  "Morning."

  "Good morning. You're up early."

  "I got plenty of sleep. You're the one who's up early. I thought you might want to sleep in."

  "I'm good, but thanks." She filled her teapot with water, then set it on the stove and went to grab a cup and the tea diffuser.

  "Thanks for taking me in last night."

  "You're welcome. I'm glad you had fun at your party."

  He laid his cup on the counter and tugged her against him. "I was surprised as hell. And I had a great time. Thank you."

  He was rubbing her back, and she had to admit it felt good to be pressed against his warm body. And when he grasped the nape of her neck and pulled her forward for a kiss, she didn't resist.

  This was what she'd wanted last night--a continuation of what they'd started in the coat closet. She raised up on her toes to get closer, to run her hands over all the glorious, exposed muscle of his arms and shoulders. He responded by cupping her butt and drawing her against his now-hard cock.

  Her sex was now sharply awake and ready for him.

  Until the teapot whistled. She pulled back. "Sorry."

  He gave her a look that was all raw hunger and need. "Turn it off."

  She flipped the burner knob to off, then went back to Nathan, who drew her against him.

  "I'm hard and I need to be inside of you," he said. "You sleeping naked in the bed next to me when I got up this morning? That was torture. I wanted to wake you up and fuck you."

  She lifted her gaze to his. "Why didn't you?"

  He bent and took her bottom lip between his teeth, teasing her before kissing her again, more deeply this time. She moaned against his mouth, flicking her tongue against his.

  He pulled his mouth from hers. "Because you needed to sleep. But now you're awake and we started something last night that we didn't get to finish."

  She smoothed her hands over his chest, using the pads of her thumb to roll over his nipples, and was rewarded with his sharp intake of breath.

  "I agree. I'm ready for you."

  He flipped her around so she was facing the island, then slid his hand inside her shorts. She quivered at his touch, a hot fire of need sparking inside of her.

  She tilted her head back and rested it against his collarbone, arching her hips forward to meet his questing fingers.

  "You're wet," he whispered against her ear.

  "I need to come. You make me so hot, Nathan."

  He slid a finger inside of her, using his hand to massage her clit. With his other hand he reached under her tank top to massage her breasts and nipples. She could already feel herself falling, her body quivering in response to the magic his hand and fingers aroused within her. She felt as if she was floating on a cloud of delicious sensations, and before she knew what was happening, she was climaxing with a loud cry.

  Nathan pressed his fingers in and out of her while she rode out her orgasm, leaving her spent and taking in deep breaths. He kissed the back of her neck.

  "Stay like this. I'll be right back."

  He disappeared up the stairs and was back in a hurry with a condom in his hand. He drew her shorts down, then his boxer briefs, and put the condom on. He spread her legs and put his arm around her, shielding her body from the kitchen island.

  "You ready for me?" he asked, teasing her pussy with the head of his cock.

  She gripped the edge of the counter. "Yes."

  He slid inside of her with one thrust, then stilled. Her skin broke out in chill bumps, every nerve ending feeling the intense pleasure of his cock swelling inside of her. It was the sweetest sensation, and she reached down to rub her clit, making her sex quiver with powerful quakes.

  "Oh, fuck yeah," he said. "I feel that."

  He withdrew, then drove into her again, this time with more force, grasping her hips as he powered into her over and over while she strummed her clit with frenzied strokes.

  Her body tightened around him as she spiraled toward orgasm again.

  "Yeah," he said, reaching up to cup her breast, to tease and pluck her nipples. "Take me with you. Come on my cock, Mia."

  His words were a dark whisper of promise, his voice deep and husky and telling of his own need. She pushed her hips toward him and lost herself in the sensations that wrapped around her, in the musky scent of Nathan and her own sex mingling together, in the way his warm breath caressed her, the way he kissed and nibbled on her neck.

  When she came, it was with an unintelligible cry and mix of words. Nathan bucked against her and dug his fingers into her hips, only adding to the wild pleasure that sent her toppling into a deeper, more penetrating orgasm. And when Nathan wrapped both arms around her and shuddered against her, she felt that connection to him while they both rocketed into oblivion.

  Sometime a few minutes later she came out of the fog. She was still bent over the island and Nathan was draped over her back.

  "We're sweaty," she said.

  "Yeah." He disengaged from her and she turned to face him.

  "I need tea. But I need a shower first. Want to join me?"

  "Definitely. Let me grab a pair of shorts and a T-shirt from my car first."

  She arched a brow and looked at him. "You're naked."

  He laughed. "I'm going to grab my pants from upstairs."

  "Good call. I'm not posting bail for your indecent exposure."

  She went upstairs and started the shower, and got in once the water was hot. Nathan joined her a couple of minutes later. They both washed and rinsed, then got out and dried off.

  Mia dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and Nathan put on the clothes he'd grabbed from his car. She headed downstairs to start the tea brewing process all over again and Nathan poured himself another cup of coffee.

  "That was one hell of a great start to the day," he said as he took a swallow of coffee.

  Her tea finally ready, she grabbed a seat at the island. "Yes, I'm fully awake now. And you told Jamal last night you were going to show up at the gym bright and early and mentioned something about kicking his butt."

  He pulled up a bar stool and sat next to her. "I did? Huh. Guess I'll be late."

  She thought for sure he'd want to run right out of there considering how competitive he was. "I guess so."

  "What are your plans for today?" he asked.

  "Catching up on work stuff."

  "I could make
you breakfast. Are you hungry?"

  "Actually I am. I'll help you cook."

  "Sounds good."

  They worked side by side and made spinach, artichoke and tomato omelets. She poured juice and they sat at the island and ate. Mia picked up her phone and scanned social media.

  She frowned when she saw the pictures.

  "A photographer snuck into the birthday party last night."

  Nathan swallowed. "Yeah?"

  "Yes. Look."

  She slid her phone across to him. "There are pictures from the party. And we did not invite photographers."

  He looked at the photos, then passed her phone back to her. "They got some good shots. You should grab those."

  "Nathan. This is serious."

  "Why?"

  "How did a paparazzo even know about the party?"

  He downed the last of his coffee, then got up to make another cup. "Come on, Mia. That many people there? Plus my parents, Tyler, Gavin, other teammates. It was bound to attract some attention."

  She rubbed her temple and read the article on the sports news site about the party. It was fairly innocuous, but still, it irked her that someone had been at the party sneaking pictures and she hadn't even noticed. "I . . . guess."

  She did a search using Nathan's name and "birthday party." More articles and photos came up. She found one of the two of them together, his arm slung around her. She chewed on her lower lip as she read the article, this one on a sports gossip site. "Here's one questioning whether or not I'm gunning to be your new girlfriend. Ugh."

  "You're going to have to tune all that out, Mia."

  She couldn't believe he'd even suggest that. "It's hard to tune that out. I'm trying to build a business, and part of my business is not 'gunning to be Nathan Riley's new girlfriend.' "

  He brought his cup to the island and sat next to her, then reached over to grasp her hand. "You're right. I'm sorry. To me it's all fluff and no one pays attention to it. I'll try to keep a closer eye out in the future."

  "Thank you. I will, too."

  They sat in silence for a while and Mia searched more sites but didn't find anything on the party, which she supposed was a good thing. She decided to set her worry aside, at least for now.

  "So now your birthday is over and the next thing up is training camp. Are you excited?"

  He scooped up a forkful of omelet and slid it between his lips. He nodded, swallowed and said, "Yeah."

  That didn't seem enthusiastic.

  "Nervous about leading the team?"

  "Sort of. I mean, it's a big fucking deal, ya know? I know they're looking to me to walk onto the field and be Mick Riley. Only I'm not."

  She laid her hand on his forearm. "I don't think anyone is expecting you to be anything like your dad, Nathan. And if the team didn't feel you had the skills at quarterback to lead the team, then they wouldn't have made you the starter."

  He let out a sigh. "I guess. It'll be fine, I'm sure. I'm just anxious to get started."

  "I'm sure you are. And I'll bet all this anxiety you're having is fear of the unknown. You had so much confidence in Texas, right?"

  "Well, yeah."

  "That's because you knew what you were doing. This is no different. As soon as you take the reins on the offense, you'll get back in your groove."

  He leaned back on the bar stool. "This is different. It's the pros. A lot more eyes on me."

  She understood his anxiety more than he knew. "When I had the idea to start up this company, in theory and as long as it was in my head, it was fine. The reality of it is so much different, because you're right. Everyone's watching to see if you fail."

  He rubbed her back. "I've never known anyone more determined to succeed than you. You have the skills and the knowledge and the background, Mia. You'll make a go of your business, and you'll be the best at it."

  She hadn't been fishing for compliments, but his certainty about her abilities sure felt good. "Thanks for your confidence in me. I feel the same way about you, Nathan. You've got this."

  He swept his hand up her back and into her hair. "Then I guess we're both going to kick some ass, aren't we?"

  She gave him a smile. "Hell yes we are."

  He brushed his lips across hers, lingering for a few seconds and making her breath catch before he pulled back to take a swallow of coffee.

  "So . . . about last night."

  She tilted her head. "What about last night?"

  "In the car on the way to the party. I thought you were texting a guy."

  "Oh." Her lips curved. "I wasn't. I was texting your mom."

  "Yeah. Well, when I thought you had a date, I didn't like it."

  She tried to fight the smile. "Okay."

  "So I'd like you to be with me, Mia. Just me. Try me out for a while. I know you'll like me."

  She laughed. "I'm not seeing anyone else, Nathan, and have no intention of doing so. And I already like you."

  "Good. And ditto. I'm not seeing anyone else, either. And this is different from what we were before. Now we're dating. In a relationship. Ya know?"

  His broad grin made her melt. "Yes. I know. We'll try it out for size and see how it goes."

  So now they were officially in a relationship. Which was weird since they'd been friends for years. She mentally crossed her fingers, hoping this worked out between them without ruining what they had.

  TWENTY-ONE

  MIA HAD PACED AND PONDERED AND THOUGHT AND agonized about this, tossing the idea around in her head and throwing it away multiple times. But she was running out of time and she needed to make a decision. Or at least ask the damn question. Which she wished she had asked a couple of weeks ago. But their status had changed only a few days ago, and oh, why was she worrying about this?

  She finally grabbed her phone and called Nathan Tuesday afternoon. He picked up.

  "Hey, what's up?"

  "Are you busy?" she asked.

  "Nah. Just doing some things around the house."

  "I need to ask you a question, and you can feel free to say no."

  He paused. "Okay."

  "My brother Barrett is getting married this weekend in Texas. I need a date for the wedding."

  He paused again. "I don't know anyone in Texas, but if you give me a few hours I'm sure I could rustle someone up for you."

  "Funny."

  "So you're asking me to be your date for the wedding?"

  She liked that he made this easy for her. "Yes, I would really like it, if you're not busy this weekend, if you'd come with me and be my date for my brother's wedding. It's super last minute and all and you can feel free to say no."

  "I'd love to come with you, Mia."

  She exhaled. "Thanks. I hate going to these things solo and I would have asked you sooner, but our relationship just changed recently and before that I was going by myself. But now you and I--you know--God, I'm not making any sense."

  He laughed. "I said I'd be happy to go, babe. Just text me the details."

  "Great. I'll make the travel arrangements. We'll go up Thursday night and come home Sunday night if that doesn't interfere with anything you're doing."

  "Right now I'm only doing gym time and a few meetings. So my schedule is clear."

  "Perfect. I really appreciate this, Nathan."

  "Not a problem. I'm sure it'll be fun. I like at least one of your brothers, and your parents."

  She laughed. "You'll love my entire family. I promise."

  They hung up and she felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off of her. She went to her office window and looked out over the bay. It was foggy today, and she wanted nothing more than to be outside to feel the salty spray on her face.

  She didn't feel it was necessary to have a date for the wedding. She didn't. She was an adult and a businesswoman. She didn't need a man to feel complete. It was just that a lot of her friends would be there. A lot of her married friends who would then ask her endless questions about her dating life. That was what she didn't need.

/>   But now she was dating Nathan. Which would likely bring about a whole new set of questions. Then again, no one would have to know if they didn't tell anyone.

  She rubbed her forehead with her finger.

  Relationships were fraught with baggage, both external and internal. She was going to have to have a discussion with Nathan about whether or not to discuss their relationship while they were with her family. Did she really want to get into it with her parents? Her brothers? God, her brothers. The inquisition could be mind-boggling, both for her and for Nathan. And right now things between Nathan and her were so new, so tenuous, the last thing she wanted or needed was for her family to insert themselves into the middle of it all.

  No. Absolutely not. She'd let everyone believe they were still just friends and leave it at that.

  Now that that was out of the way, she made Nathan's flight arrangements to coincide with hers, and called her mother.

  "Mia, it's so great to hear from you."

  "How goes the wedding planning, Mom?"

  "It's all under control over here. Harmony's mother, Diane, and I have been on the phone daily going over the checklist, and we have everything covered. Harmony and Barrett will be in town soon and we'll do final dress fittings, and pick up the tuxes, and oh, by the way, I'll have your dress here."

  "Thanks, Mom." It was so sweet of Harmony to ask her to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. And even sweeter that she had chosen the most beautiful dresses to wear. Not all bridesmaids were that lucky.

  "So what's up?" her mom asked.

  "I'm bringing someone with me to the ranch."

  "Oh? And who's that?"

  "Nathan Riley. You remember him from college?"

  "Of course."

  "He's a friend, so separate bedrooms for us."

  "Okay. I'll jot his name down on the guest list."

  She loved that her mother didn't ask probing questions.

  At least not yet. She imagined her mother would want to get a feel for her relationship with Nathan. Then she'd ask the probing questions.

  Which was fine. Her mom could ask all the questions she wanted.

  Mia intended to divulge nothing.

  TWENTY-TWO

  NATHAN PULLED INTO THE DRIVE OF THE DOUBLE C ranch.

  "One hell of an impressive place," he said to Mia.

  She sighed. "To me, it's always been home."

  "It must have been great to grow up here."