Football Dad: (Friends to Lovers)

by Terry Towers

  “Your ass looks incredible in that dress,” I commented, my dick jerking alive in my pants.

  She verbally didn’t respond, but the sway in her ass increased just slightly. It was enough to notice and only made me more horny. If she’d felt well, I’d have spent the night ravaging her sexy little body. Maybe in the morning.

  I followed her into the bedroom. It wasn’t a huge room, but decently sized. It fit a queen-sized bed and dresser set quite nicely, with room to move around without issue. It wasn’t anything over the top but had a nice classic look. It suited her.

  “Hold up your hair and I’ll take your necklace off first.

  Turning her back to me, she pulled up her hair displaying the graceful line of her neck. Undoing the clasp on the necklace, I couldn’t resist leaning forward and kissing her tenderly on the side of the neck. “You looked amazing tonight and did so well. I know it was scary and uncomfortable for you. I really respect how well you managed yourself.”

  “It got easier as the night wore on. Can you get my zipper?”

  Grasping the delicate tab, I slowly pulled the zipper down, loosening the garment on her body.

  “Thanks.” She turned to face me and pushed the dress down, taking care to not let it drop on the floor.

  I appreciated the care she took with the dress. She wasn’t taking the value for granted. It was nice to see how she valued it. Watching her carefully put it away in a garment bag and hang it up in her walk-in closet made the affection I felt for her heighten.

  As she hung up her dress, I pulled back the blankets of her bed and gave the bed a pat when she emerged from the closet. “Let’s go, my little patient.”

  She smiled wide. I could see the affection she felt for me in her eyes even though she’d never actually said the word. Of course considering I’d never said those three magic words yet either, I suppose we were even. I really didn’t know what I was waiting for. You’d think I’d have learned my lesson after the fiasco that ensued from not telling her about my former profession. But this was different.

  “Yes, doctor.” She slid under the covers, naked.

  Fuck me. My dick was fully erect at this point and the erection was driving me crazy.

  “Are you coming to bed?”

  “Soon.” After I raid your liquor cabinet and get rid of this hard-on. “I’m going to tell Justin we’re home and get something to drink first.”

  “Oh,” her smile faded.

  “But I’ll be back.”

  “Okay.” Her smile returned and she pulled the blankets up to her chin. Once settled on her side, she closed her eyes.

  I watched her a moment before turning and leaving and the bedroom, closing the door behind me.

  Chapter 22

  Cole

  It was a bit of a dick move, but she was still sleeping, and I had a load of errands to run today. When I woke up and saw her sleeping so peacefully, I couldn’t wake her so I slipped out of bed as easily and quietly as possible.

  I left a note though. That had to account for something.

  Pulling into my driveway, I was surprised to see a Porsche in my driveway. That was until I saw the New York vanity plates that read Nadine.

  “Fuck my life.” I hadn’t seen Nadine in person since our court date several months ago. My good mood immediately soured.

  I have to be civil for Alex. For Alex. She’s still his mother.

  I’d noticed Nadine at the ball last night, but she didn’t let on that she even knew me, and I’d been perfectly happy with that. I should have known she’d come sniffing around this morning once she saw me with another woman. I’d been led to believe she wasn’t attending. But with Nadine anything was possible.

  Parking the SUV, I got out and made my way to the front door. My hand paused on the door handle, giving myself a moment to ensure I was completely calm. The last thing I needed was to show emotion of any time around that woman.

  Opening the door, I entered and could hear voices coming from the sitting room to the left of the foyer. Making my way to the sitting room I stood at the entryway a moment before entering, watching Nadine and Alexander chatting. Alexander sat on the sofa and his mother was across from him on an oversized plush chair.

  Alexander always said he didn’t care that his mother was never around, but I knew that was a lie. He was good at covering his emotions when he wanted to, but I was his father and could see through his attempt to be indifferent.

  “Hey Dad! Mom’s here.” Alex smiled as he nodded towards his mother.

  I tried to keep my aversion towards her from my tone as I spoke. “Yes, I see that. How are you doing, Nadine, it’s been a while.” I gave her a quick once over. She was dressed down today wearing jeans and a low-cut corset style shirt with her hair pulled up into a ponytail.

  “It has been. It’s really been too long.”

  Can’t say I felt it had been long enough. I kept that remark to myself. “I noticed you at the ball.” Instead of joining them, I folded my arms over my chest and leaned a shoulder against the entryway frame. If she pissed me off enough, I could make a swift exit.

  “Yes.” She smiled, displaying a row of white perfect teeth. “You never came over to say hello to me, Cole. I must say I was rather hurt.”

  “I bet. I apologize, Nadine. I just didn’t think it was necessary. How long have you been in town?”

  She waved a perfectly-manicured hand at me dismissively. “Oh, not too long. I was flown in last week for a photoshoot and an appearance on a regional talk show.”

  “I see.”

  “Do you mind leaving your father and I for a minute, Alex? I need to speak with him in private.”

  Alex’s smile faltered. “Sure, Mom.” He stood and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. “I’d love for you to meet my girlfriend. She’s great and she’s a huge fan of yours. She wants to be a model too.”

  “We’ll see.”

  There was no way in hell she was going to be willing to meet Alex’s girlfriend. I sighed. It was such a damned shame Alexander couldn’t see what I did, maybe if he did he wouldn’t be continually disappointed by her. Maybe she’d change, all I could do was hope.

  I watched Alex leave and once he was out of earshot, I turned back to Nadine.

  “What is it would want, Nadine?”

  She uncrossed her legs and stood. I stood my ground as she walked over to me. She didn’t speak but leaned into me and brushed her lips across mine. “I want you, Cole.”

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  London

  “Mmm, Cole…” a lazy smile spread across my lips as she spread out onto the bed expecting to feel Cole next to me. He’d claimed he was going to stay all night and be here in the morning, when I’d woken at 4am, he had been beside me.

  Where was he?

  Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked over to where the dent from his head was still on the pillow. Rolling over to my side, I ran my hand over the soft cotton pillowcase.

  Looking up to the wall, I was shocked to see it was almost noon.

  Holy crap! No wonder he was gone.

  Sitting up, I flung the blanket off myself and swung my legs to the side. It was then I saw a handwritten note on my nightside table.

  Sorry baby, I had to get going. Lots to do today. I want to see you tonight.

  P.S. You’re stunning when you’re asleep. I even love the sound of you snoring.

  I began laughing. I bet he loved the snoring. Justin had complained on numerous occasions that I sounded like a chainsaw that was making loud, horrible love to another chainsaw when I snored. The fact he’d made it until 4am really should have been a testament to his dedication to me.

  After taking a quick shower, I got dressed, taking great care of how I looked. I’d decided that I was going to drop in on Cole. He may not be home, but if he was perhaps we could grab lunch and I could run errands with him.

  I finally settled on a pair of jeans and black blouse that was just slightly transparent. You had to really look to see it wa
s transparent, which is why I figured he’d love it. Once I was done with my makeup, I made my way downstairs to find Justin in the kitchen having lunch.

  “Morning, sweetie,” I greeted him. Was it just me or was there a sing-song tone in my voice? My encounter with Nadine had thrown me off and had brought out my insecurities, but after a good night’s sleep I realized she only had control over me if I let her. She’d tried to get under my skin and had succeeded, at first.

  “Did you have a good time at the ball, Mom?”

  “I did.” Walking over to the table, I sat across from him. “There was a lot of famous people there.”

  “I know. I was watching some of the YouTube videos and pictures on Instagram. Did you know his ex-wife was going to be there?”

  “No.”

  “Did you meet her?”

  Chuckling, I nodded. “I guess you could say that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She ambushed me in the bathroom and said some things.”

  He took another bite out of what smelt to be a tuna sandwich before asking. “Like what things?”

  I mentally debated whether I should tell him or not.

  “Just tell me. I’m not a kid you know.”

  “She called me fat and a rebound.”

  He straightened up in the chair, outrage in his expression. “What a bitch! I hope you kicked her ass.”

  “Yes, Justin. I’m all about kicking supermodel asses at televised charity events.”

  Justin rolled his eyes at me. “You know what I mean, Mom.”

  “No. I didn’t say much of anything. I didn’t know she was there and she took me by surprise. You know how I am, I always come up with witty comebacks hours after the fact.”

  “Is that why you two were home early?”

  I lowered my head ashamed. “I told him I was sick and needed to go home.”

  “Oh Mom. Cole is one of the good ones. He loves you. Alex even told me his dad has never acted like he does with anyone else. You need to tell him the truth and let him know what happened.”

  I fell back into the chair and groaned. “I hate that you’re so smart.”

  Putting his sandwich down, he came around the table and gave me a hug. “You raised me so you can take some of the credit.”

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  London

  Pulling into Cole’s estate, it occurred to me that his house didn’t overwhelm me like it had the first few times I’d been here. I was adjusting. I was happy to see that Cole’s Escalade was I the driveway. What gave me pause was the Porsche that was parked directly behind it.

  Maybe it’s his… I didn’t even finish the thought when I saw the licence plate that read Nadine.

  What’s she doing here? Jealousy spiked up within me, but I forced it down. Her son did live in the house. Of course she’d visit him while she was in town. But still. I pulled up to the house and it just so happened that from where I was parked I could see into the sitting room. I didn’t mean to, but my gaze shot to the inside of the house and with viper-like precision caught sight of Nadine walking over to Cole.

  What in the hell? She got closer and closer to Cole. He didn’t back away but didn’t seem impressed with her being there.

  A gasp escaped me as I watched Nadine press herself against my man and kiss him. My hands immediately shot up and covered my mouth as if they could hear me if I didn’t.

  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. She was kissing Cole! Before I could jump to any conclusions; he pushed her away. Dammit, I wished I could read lips because what happened after he rejected her seemed to be a very heated argument.

  My heart leapt for joy. Why would I have had any doubts about him? It was at that moment that a realization came over me. I didn’t need to be thin or have perfect skin or have a twenty-year old’s breasts to be desirable. If that was all that mattered than Cole wouldn’t have turned her down.

  I kept worrying I wouldn’t be good enough, even before I realized he was a superstar, it was a fear I’d had deep down no doubt to the string of bad relationships. I was good enough, I was better than good enough. I was London Kennedy, author, mother and a beautiful person both inside and out.

  To hell with it. Turning off the car, I got out. I was halfway to the front door when it was flung open and Nadine went tearing down the front steps yelling something in Russian.

  She was almost to her car when she caught sight of me. She immediately made a ninety degree turn and headed straight to me. She started to direct her rage at me, yelling in a mixture of English and Russian.

  I was tempted to take a step back as she neared, but forced myself to stand my ground. I wasn’t the woman I was last night. I had to remember that. I was the one Cole loved and I was the one that belonged her. She was the interloper.

  When she started to wag her finger in my face, an inch from my nose, something within me snapped and did something I’d never done in my entire life. I drew my hand back and slapped the model. The slap shut her up and she stood staring at me in wide-eyed horror.

  She braced herself to lunge and I prepared to defend myself, but it wasn’t necessary.

  “Nadine, that is enough!” Cole’s voice boomed out as he grabbed her arm and pulled her away from me. “Get in your car and leave. You can call Alex later.” He turned his attention to me. “Go on in London while I get her out of here.”

  I didn’t argue and did as told. As I made my way into the house a sense of pride washed over me. Yes, I should never have slapped her, nothing excuses violence, but it still felt damned good. Once inside the house, I immediately went to the sitting room and sat down to wait for Cole.

  Cole was only a couple minutes before he was back inside, joining me in the sitting room. At first, he stood at the entryway, arms crossed and staring at me, his expression was unreadable.

  “Cole, I’m—”

  Suddenly, a roar of laughter burst from him. “That was amazing.” He lifted his finger. “You should never have done it, but it was fucking amazing, babe.”

  “I—she just came at me. I reacted. I hope it’s not going to cause problems.”

  The laughter slowed and he shook his head. “No. It’ll be fine.” He began to walk into the room so I stood and met him in the middle, wrapping my arms around his neck, pressing my body against his and basking in the strength of his embrace.

  “She ambushed me in the bathroom last night and said some things that upset me.”

  He pulled back, just a tiny bit to look me in the eye. “So you weren’t sick.”

  Pulling my lower lip between my teeth, I shook my head. “No. I’m sorry. She said some mean things and I just wanted to escape. I should have told you. Did you know she was going to be there?”

  “No. But I had noticed her. I just didn’t want to make you more anxious then you already were so I kept it to myself hoping you wouldn’t notice.”

  “I saw her kiss you,” I blurted out.

  “Then you also saw me push her away and kick her out.”

  “I did.”

  He took another step back and took my hands in his. “London, you’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever known. I love you. I haven’t had the nerve to tell you, but I’ve been in love with you for quite a while now.”

  A grin tugged at the corners of my mouth. “You didn’t have the nerve?”

  “No. I didn’t. We’ve had some ups and downs, but those ups and downs have shown me that you’re important and special enough to fight for.”

  My heart was so filled with joy that it felt like it was about to explode in my chest. He loved me. I’d suspected, but he’d verified it. He was in love with me and God knew, I was head over heels for him.

  “I love you too, Cole.” Releasing his hands, I threw myself into his arms and began placing frantic kisses on his neck and across his jaw. “I’ve felt something from the moment I saw you.”

  “Good. So you think you can handle the craziness that comes with being with me?”

  I stopped
kissing him to look him in the eyes again. “I can handle anything you can throw at me, if it means we end up together in the end.”

  A low, dramatic groan sounded from behind us. “God, guys, again. Find a room!”

  “That sounds like a good idea.” Cole bent and effortlessly lifted me up and into his arms. I squealed and wrapped my arms around his neck, though I wasn’t overly concerned about his ability to carry me.

  “So many rooms, so little time.”

  Cole’s answer was a wiggle of the eyebrows as he carried me from the sitting room.

  Epilogue

  London

  Holy shit! These fans are insane!

  I sat on the bleachers at Justin’s very first football game. I’d never gone to a high school football game before, and although I knew football fans were intense, I had no idea how overzealous they could be. This wasn’t even the NFL for heaven’s sakes. Parents were wearing their kids’ team colors, they were waving flags and those big foam fingers.

  In addition to the parents in attendance for the game, word had spread like wildfire that the new team coach was none other then the legendary Cole Grant. Considering the amount of jerseys on people with his name on the back, I’d guess over half of the people in attendance were there for Cole and didn’t give a rat’s ass about the students. I considered myself lucky that I had arrived early otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten a seat, the game was sold out.

  “Cole! I love you!” A woman screamed in my ear from behind me when came out from the dressing rooms along with the team. Craning my head to look at the young woman, I couldn’t help the dirty look I shot her. I was getting used to women staring at him, or yelling to him, hell I’d even born witness to a woman charging up to us and tearing her shirt open to display her fake DD’s just to ask for him to sign her boob. The story was that she wanted him to sign it so she could go get his signature tattooed on her. He politely refused, asking her to cover herself and offering to sign something else on her.

  Cole was such a gentleman. How I managed to get so lucky to score a man like him was beyond me.