Protecting Her Heart: Indianapolis Eagles Series Book 4

by Samantha Lind

  “I’m ready,” Laura says, stopping in front of me with her purse slung over her shoulder.

  I stand and slip my hand into hers, entwining our fingers together before leading us out to the parking lot.

  “Did you want to head to your place until we have to leave for dinner?” I ask, approaching our cars.

  “Yes, I need to get off my feet and relax for a little bit.”

  I wait for Laura to unlock her car and then open the door for her, closing it after she gets settled.

  With the door shut, I rap my knuckles against the top of the car a couple times and then walk over to my car, to follow Laura home.

  We don’t have to be at the restaurant for a couple of hours, so as soon as we get to Laura’s place, she kicks off her shoes and beelines it for her couch.

  I grab a couple glasses of water before I join her in the living room.

  “You did a great job today with everything,” I tell her as I sit down on the couch and pull her into my side.

  “Thanks, I just hope I didn’t overdo anything for him. He was looking pretty tired a few times.”

  “I’m sure he loved every minute of it. Does he know that we’ll all be at dinner tonight?”

  “I don’t think so. I told Amber and Will, as I didn’t want them to be overwhelmed or turn down my offer of dinner out tonight.”

  “I grabbed an extra jersey of mine to sign and bring to him. Think I should give it to him tonight?”

  “I think he’d love that. And thank you for helping me with this.”

  “Hey, no need to thank me. I’ll always do anything for a young fan, especially when it’s a kid’s last wish. No kid or parent should have to go through what the Macentire family is going through right now, and if me showing up, signing a few items, and going to dinner with them will make this kid’s wish come true, then I’ll do it. Anytime, any day.”

  “You’re an amazing man,” Laura tells me, leaning over to kiss my cheek. I move my head and capture her lisps with mine, deepening the kiss quickly. I pull her into my lap and sink my hands into her hair before I cup both sides of her face and neck between my palms.

  She settles on my lap, straddling me as both of her knees slide to bracket my hips. I lower one of my hands to her ass, pulling her closer to me, and my cock hardens in my jeans as her core comes into contact with it. I can feel the heat of her pussy, even with the layers of our clothes between us.

  Laura breaks the kiss and rests her forehead against mine as she sucks in a few deep breaths, working to calm herself down.

  “We need to slow things down. I need to be presentable at dinner tonight, not freshly fucked,” she says, sighing, as if admitting that killed her.

  “Then think of it as a taste of what’s to come tonight,” I say, nipping at her bottom lip.

  She smiles at that and doesn’t pull away when I kiss her again. I keep things mostly above the clothes. I crave the feeling of her skin, and have a hard time not stripping her anytime we’re alone so I can cover her body with my own and touch as much of it as possible.

  A few hours later, we make our way to the restaurant. We arrive about ten minutes earlier than the reservation time, so she can get us checked in and make sure they have everything ready before everyone arrives. As we’re waiting, Scott and Becca arrive shortly, followed by Brian and Kinley.

  “No Michael tonight?” I ask Scott as he comes to stand next to me, offering his hand for me to shake.

  “Nope, Becca’s mom is down visiting and kept him home for us.”

  “Nice to see you, Becca,” I say, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.

  “Thanks, how are you doing?” she asks.

  “Pretty good, thanks for asking.” I don’t know the guys’ wives all that well, as I tend to keep to myself, but I’ve visited with them a few times and know that Becca and Kinley have been best friends since childhood and are some of the nicest women I’ve met. They are also the most important people in their husbands’ lives, and both men would hang up their skates without blinking an eye if either one of them even whispered a word about needing them home more or not being able to handle the hectic schedule any longer.

  I envy the relationships Scott and Brian have with their wives as I wait for Laura to be ready for something more. I crave what they have, wanting that easy, loving connection with a partner who would be there to celebrate the highs and support me through the lows, just as I’d do for her.

  “I can show you in now,” the hostess calls out to those of us who have already arrived.

  We follow her into a private room all set up for the large party. With the six of us from the team, and the nine coming from the Macentire family, they set up a large oval-shaped table for all of us to sit around.

  “Thank you, it all looks fantastic,” Laura tells the hostess after we enter the room.

  “I’ll bring in the rest of your party as soon as they arrive. In the meantime, I’ll send in your servers to get your drink orders.”

  “Thank you,” Laura tells her once again before she leaves the room, and then turns to everyone in the room. “Please, take a seat and feel free to start looking at the menus.”

  Becca and Kinley sit next to each other and are flanked by their husbands. I linger back, as I’d like to sit next to Brayden and Laura, if possible, tonight. He really started to get comfortable talking to me earlier today, and I’d like to continue talking to the kid over dinner.

  A few moments later, the Macentire family is ushered into the room and Brayden’s face lights up when he sees us all in here.

  “Oh my God!” he whisper-yells out in shock, turning to his parents. “W-we’re having dinner with Eagles players?”

  “Yes,” his mom confirms, doing her best to stay strong as she takes in the emotion her son isn’t holding back.

  I stand back up and walk over to them, offering my hand to his grandparents and dad before fist bumping with his siblings, then bend down so I’m a little closer to his eye level and height.

  “Hey, buddy. We thought”—I motion between Scott, Brian, and myself—“we could have dinner with your family tonight. Get to know you and your family a little better. It’s a tradition that the veterans on a team go out to dinner with the rookies every season, and since you’re our newest teammate, we thought it was only right to keep tradition.”

  “Really?!” he asks, surprise lacing his voice.

  “Yep, so take a seat and we’ll get some food ordered,” I tell him as I stand back to my full height.

  “Thank you,” Will says to me before I can walk back over to the table. He offers me his hand to shake again and I take it.

  “It’s no problem at all. When Laura came up with the idea for dinner tonight, we were all on board right away. Anything any of us can do for you, just let us know,” I tell Will sincerely as I stand next to him.

  He holds back the emotion that’s threatening to break free. I’m sure this entire experience is overwhelming. From everything Laura planned to knowing this might just be his family’s last trip with one of their kids. I can’t even begin to imagine what they are going through. What it must feel like as a parent, knowing your child is dying, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it.

  We finally all find a seat, and I was able to grab one between Brayden and Laura, as I’d hoped.

  The dinner goes extremely well. Brayden, along with his siblings, pepper the three of us players with every question they can think of while the other adults talk amongst themselves. We stuff ourselves full of some of the best food, all while making this little boy’s dreams come true.

  It’s getting late, and I can tell that Brayden is starting to fade. With the game tomorrow night, and with a late night ahead of them, I know we need to wrap up tonight.

  “Before we go, we should have the server grab a group picture of all of us,” I whisper to Laura. I’d dropped my hand to her thigh under the table any moment I could tonight. While all the guys know that we’re together, we still have
n’t announced it to the world yet.

  “That sounds like a perfect idea,” she tells me, then flags down our server when she comes back into the room.

  “Can you please bring the check to me, and would you be willing to take a group picture for us?” Laura asks.

  “Absolutely,” she replies.

  “Can everyone gather around, I’d like to get a group shot, if that’s okay?” Laura calls out to the group.

  Everyone springs into action, all gathering around Brayden and his family as our server backs up and captures the group, making sure to take a couple shots for us.

  “I’ll text you a copy right now,” Laura tells both Amber and Will, selecting the images and forwarding them on. “Would you have any issues with me posting them to the team’s Instagram account?”

  “That would be fine with us,” Amber tells her.

  “Thank you.”

  We all linger a little longer as we wrap up conversations. Laura pays the bill once the server brings it. I tried to get her to let me pick it up, but she insisted the team was picking up the charges, and wouldn’t hear another word about it.

  We all gather our things and finally clear out of the restaurant.

  Scott, Becca, Brian, and Kinley head out right away while Laura and I linger back for a few more minutes, as she’s still talking with Amber. We come to a stop in front of their rental car, and while the kids pile in, Laura and Amber stand outside, finishing up their conversation.

  “Now, tomorrow, please feel free to come by in the morning at any time. Game-day skate is usually over by eleven or so, to give the players enough time to get lunch and then head home for game-day naps before they have to be back to the arena around five. In the evening, if you can plan on being here no later than six, we can get you all settled in the suite, and then bring you guys down to the ice level for the ceremonial puck drop.”

  “We’ll see how Brayden is doing in the morning, and I’ll send you a text if we decide to just stay at the house, letting him rest up for the game.”

  “Whatever works best for you guys. And the suite is fully catered, so don’t worry about dinner tomorrow night or grabbing anything out in the concourse. If they don’t have something you guys want or need, they can get it and bring it in, so just ask,” Laura tells her.

  “Thank you for everything. We’re just so overwhelmed by your hospitality,” Amber says, pulling Laura into a hug.

  “It’s our pleasure, I assure you,” Laura replies.

  “And thank you, and the other two guys who took time out of their schedules to come here tonight. I could never repay any of you for what you’ve already done for my family,” Amber tells me.

  “As Laura already said,” I say, pulling Laura into my side as I drape my arm around her, “it’s our pleasure. As soon as I heard about the wish, I told Laura I was fully on board to make his dreams come true.”

  I don’t miss the sparkle in Amber’s eyes as the realization hits her that Laura and I are a couple. It brings a small smile to her face. The one she’s been trying to hold back the emotion from all evening.

  “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” she finally says as she steps away and climbs up into the SUV. We watch as the Macentire family pulls away and out of sight.

  “You were incredible tonight. Thank you,” Laura says, turning and wrapping her arms around my waist. I lean down and bring my lips to hers for a soft kiss. This isn’t the time nor place for anything more.

  “I was just being me,” I finally tell her after we’ve broken the kiss.

  “I know, but seeing Brayden light up when he walked in, and then listening to him talk to the three of you was like no other experience I’ve ever witnessed.”

  I kiss her again, this time a little more passionately. “How about we head home, have a little dessert of our own?” I ask, winking at her.

  “Mhmmm,” she moans, agreeing with my suggestion. “Yes, please.”

  I kiss her hard one more time and then link our fingers together and lead her over to the passenger side of my truck. After opening the door for her and helping her up into it, I make my way around the front of the truck, get myself situated, and head toward her home.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Laura

  Mark drives us back to my place, his hand firmly placed on my leg, where it always ends up when we’re in the car together.

  “I’m so glad tonight went so well,” I say, breaking the silence. The exhaustion is starting to hit me after the long day I’ve had today.

  “You did great,” he says, squeezing my leg. “Everyone could tell how much heart you put into making today the best you could, and I could tell the Macentires were appreciative of it.”

  We make it back to my place a few minutes later, and as soon as I walk in the door, I kick off my shoes. My feet are killing me, and I didn’t even wear heels today.

  “Why don’t you go sit down and relax? I’ll grab you a glass of wine and come join you,” Mark says against my ear, his arms circling my waist from behind.

  I lean against him, melting just a bit into his hardness and body heat. “That sounds almost as heavenly as crawling into bed does.”

  “Well, we can do that after we have a drink and relax on the couch.”

  I make my way to the couch while Mark grabs us a drink from the kitchen. Pippin is curled up on the cushion but wakes and stretches when I walk in. As soon as I’m seated at the other end, he comes to sit in my lap. He curls up, and as soon as my hand connects with his back, he starts purring.

  “Here you go,” Mark says, handing me a stemless wineglass filled halfway with wine.

  “Thanks, babe,” I say, reaching for the glass and taking a healthy drink. I didn’t order any alcohol at dinner tonight.

  Mark sits down next to me, a glass of water in his hand for himself. He doesn’t drink much alcohol during the season, so this doesn’t surprise me one bit. I melt into him as he wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in closer. He sets his glass down on the end table and reaches over to pet Pippin. My cat has taken to him super quickly and moves from my lap to his.

  “I guess I’m just chopped liver now,” I huff.

  “What can I say, I guess everyone loves me,” Mark muses, leaning in close to kiss me. I swat at his chest, rolling my eyes at his cockiness. He grabs my wrist and holds my hand against his heart, then moves Pippin out of his lap and onto the floor, before pulling me into his lap.

  “Now who’s the center of my attention?” he says against my lips, before pressing his fully against mine, swallowing any reply I might have tried to get out.

  I turn from sitting in his lap sideways to straddling his lap. No way is he hiding the bulge in his jeans, not that I’d want him to. I grind against it, seeking the friction against my clit. I pull at his shirt, finally freeing it from the waistband of his jeans. I gather the hem in my fingers and slowly lift it up his body until I have it at his shoulders, tugging until he lifts up his arms so I can pull it over his head.

  With him now shirtless, I drop my hands to his muscled chest and arms, lightly tracing his tattoos that fill his chest. He has an intricate family crest with his grandparents’ names intertwined on his back, some script on his right pec that was his grandmothers’ favorite Bible verse, as well as a set of crossed sticks with a puck behind them over his heart. Before Mark, I could take or leave tattoos on guys. But there’s just something about his that do it for me.

  I don’t know if it’s the meaning behind them or just the way they complement his muscles, but I enjoy tracing them with my finger and tongue.

  He brings my shirt up and I lift my arms. He drops his lips to my collarbone as soon as my shirt clears my head, and inches down to the tops of my breasts. As he leaves open-mouthed kisses along the tops of my breasts, he reaches behind me and unfastens my bra, letting it fall away. The straps fall down my arms, and I quickly slip my arms free, flinging it onto the couch next to us where our shirts are piled.

  Mark’s lips find
one nipple as he quickly sucks on it, pulling it hard into his mouth. I arch into him, grinding my pussy against his hard dick. We’ve still got the barrier of our pants in the way of a full connection, but I grind anyways, seeking any pressure I can find.

  As Mark lavishes one breast, his hand caresses the other. He rolls my nipple between his fingers, plucking at it as it hardens under his attention. He releases my tit with a pop, then quickly moves to the other one, showing it the same care.

  His hands slip to my ass as he slides to the edge of the couch, lifting me up as he stands. My legs wrap around him as he walks us to the bedroom, his lips back on mine, kissing me hard as he makes love to my mouth.

  We make it into the bedroom, where he sets me on the bed. My hands fall to his belt and I have it unfastened, and his pants unbuttoned and unzipped, in a matter of seconds. We break our kiss as he stands to his full height and I take advantage, pushing his pants off his hips, along with his briefs. His cock springs free and I greedily wrap my hand around it, stroking it from tip to base. Before he can stop me, I bring my mouth down and lick the tip, then close my lips around his crown and suck him into my mouth.

  “Fuck, Laura,” he moans, as his hands find their way to my hair.

  I suck him in deep, letting the tip hit the back of my throat. I hollow my cheeks as I back off, bringing him out up to the crown. I flick the tip with my tongue and then follow the ridge on the underside of his cock as I suck him all the way back in again.

  I suck him until I can tell he’s on the brink, then I release his cock and look up at him. The blissed-out look on his face has my body humming.

  I pump his cock a few times in my hand lazily, not wanting to finish him off quite yet.