The Rookie (Calling the Signals Book 1)

by Ann Jacobs

  He wished he were as certain Marly wouldn’t take him up on the offer. The idea of sharing her made him want to hit something, which surprised him because he’d never before felt so possessive of a lover. As a matter of fact he and one of his college roommates had once gotten it on with one very kinky coed and he’d thoroughly enjoyed the action. But now he found he wanted to keep Marly strictly for himself. “Well, baby, do you want to take on two of us?”

  She reached up and stroked his cheek, and when she did her smile lit up the whole room and made him feel warm inside, too. “Not really. I know from experience that you don’t need any help. You’ve never failed to satisfy me and you know it. Now, before your head swells so big it won’t fit through doors, where’s that horizontal surface you were telling me about before we left the stadium?”

  “Right through that door, the one next to the mini-bar. Are you ready?”

  “Sure. I’m fine but the plane ride left me a little stiff.”

  Bobby laughed. “Just being around you keeps me stiff.”

  “You’re so bad.” Marly stood on tiptoe and placed a wet kiss on his neck just below his earlobe. The warm, smooth caress of her tongue sent shivers all the way to his toes. Not to mention that it coaxed his sex to full erection.

  Feeling her warm body flush against him had him determined to ignore the knee that was throbbing behind a tight elastic wrap. There was nothing wrong with the rest of him, and he figured the knee would forgive him. Saying nothing, he scooped her up in his arms and strode through the bedroom door, determined not to limp. He was determined not to do anything that would slow down the progress toward getting them naked and letting him inside her.

  “Bet I can get undressed before you can.” He shed his jacket, shirt and tie before she managed to get off her loose-fitting sweater. “Slowpoke.”

  She shot him a sexy smile as she unfastened her jeans and toed off her shoes. “No fair, you got a head start.”

  “I did, didn’t I? How about if I watch while you catch up?” He stared at her body now clad only in a lacy red bra and thong. His ring sparkled in the lamplight, reminding him that he’d staked his claim. God but she was beautiful, not just outside but inside, too. “You’re so fucking hot. And you belong to me now.”

  “That’s right, I do. Does this mean you belong to me, too?” She wiggled her finger, looked down at the ring before sliding that sexy thong down and off. “Like what you see?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m yours to do with however you want. But then you already know that. Get rid of that bra and come here, I can’t wait to taste you.”

  And he did. Tossing away the blanket and coverlet, Bobby laid her down on the bed and knelt beside her. More like, he took a knee, because he balanced on his right knee while keeping the left one bent but off the bed. As if she were the most precious thing in the world, he stroked her. His warm breath tickled her belly. Apparently he felt that putting a ring on her finger had settled all the questions about their relationship, and now he seemed satisfied to go slow, pay homage to every inch of her.

  She loved it, loved her man who could laugh one minute, become deadly serious the next. But in the sensually charged space that surrounded them her own hormones kicked into gear, made her restless under his seeking hands. When she shifted and brought her knees up, he reached down and massaged her feet. “You’ve got pretty feet. Pretty everything.”

  “Glad you think so, honey.” Marly had never thought having her feet rubbed could be such a turn-on, but it was. The firm brush of Bobby’s thumb across her instep sent waves of electricity up her leg, straight to her wet, swollen sex. She wanted to grab his massive shoulders, drag him up her body, feel the weight and heat of him all over.

  But he seemed content to touch her, almost innocently, as if they were youngsters just discovering all the sensual ways they could give each other pleasure. She’d never felt so cherished or so in love as well as in lust with anybody. Ever. “That feels so good,” she murmured when he slid huge hands up her lower legs then stopped to tickle behind her knees. “Don’t stop.”

  “I won’t, baby. Not ever.” Bending, he took her lips, a slow, sweet claiming that made her want to scream for more. She didn’t, though. Instead she raised a hand to his cheek, traced the high cheekbones, felt the slight rasp of his light evening stubble against her palm. When he ran the tip of his tongue against her lips, she opened to let him in.

  His rigid cock throbbed against her side, its heat a reminder that he was as ready as she, yet apparently determined to hold out until she screamed for release. She felt her own sex weeping, squirmed when the hot wet liquid made its way to her butt. Her nipples ached for his hands, his wet mouth. “You’re torturing me,” she said, gasping for breath when he broke the kiss.

  “All you have to do is tell me what you want.” When he met her gaze, she saw barely masked lust in his expression.

  She dragged his hands to her breasts, gasped when he rolled the swollen nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. “Oh, yes, that hurts so good.” It was as though by pinching that rigid nub of flesh, he shocked her into full, screaming need. “Don’t make me wait any longer. Just fuck me. Fuck me hard.”

  “Thought you’d never ask, baby.” Rising on both knees, he swung a leg over hers, flinching just enough for her to notice as he settled between her legs.

  His knee. He’d favored it before. It had to be hurting him now to bend and rest his weight on it. But she was too needy to stop now, and she could tell from the heat in his expression that he was, too. Trembling, she took the condom he handed her and smoothed it over his shaft.

  When he shifted and took her in one hard thrust, she moaned. Wet, arousing sounds of sex filled her ears. Her climax was coming fast. The heat. The sense of surrender…the feeling of acceptance, of sharing. Pressure built as he fucked her deeper, harder. Her clit throbbed at the contact he made with every inward thrust, each grinding motion of his hips.

  Pressure built inside her, demanding release. She dug her fingers into his muscular upper arms. Needing. Wanting. Loving. Sensations bombarded her. The mingled smells of sex with his cologne and hers. The lusty look in his eyes that reflected her own. The heat of him pressing at the mouth of her womb, the sounds of their labored breathing.

  “Come for me, baby. I can’t hold out much longer.”

  The bubble inside her shattered at his command. Suddenly all the sensations inside her came together, made her sex contract and spasm as Bobby thrust deep one more time and bellowed with his own release. Then he rolled over, taking her with him and cradling her in his arms. “Love you, baby. Gotta rest the knee, though. The doc says it’s just a stretched ligament but it hurts like hell.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He held her a little tighter. “Not half as sorry as I am. I’d planned to make love with you all night long then sleep on the plane ride back to Memphis. Didn’t count on banging up my knee.”

  Snuggling closer, Marly laid one hand over his side. “Rest now. You should have told me you were hurting. There are ways to make love that wouldn’t have put stress on your knee. We’ll have plenty of time to play when we get home. ”

  But they wouldn’t, at least not right away. How the fuck was he going to tell her the guest he was expecting would be staying at his condo? He was pretty damn sure Marly was going to throw a fit because Tina was a girl.

  Bobby swore softly. There was no way to do this graciously, so he might as well get it over with now.

  No, he’d get rid of the condom first. “Be right back.”

  As he rinsed himself and watched water bubbling over the washcloth, he told himself what a fucking coward he was. Determined not to be a wimp any longer, he limped back to bed and stretched out beside Marly.

  He propped his head up on one hand, looked down at the silky cascade of her hair on the white pillow. “I told you about us having company, didn’t I?”

  “Uh-huh.” Marly stretched and yawned. “When’s he coming?”

  He
? Bobby only wished it were a guy. It took a lot of effort but he managed to look her in the eye. “She may be there before we get home.”

  Her look reminded him of thunderclouds gathering before a gully washer back home. “Don’t tell me you’ve got a girlfriend coming for a visit. Not right after you asked me to marry you.” As though she wanted to be anywhere but close to him, she sat up and scooted up to the head of the bed, dragging the coverlet over her.

  “Not a girlfriend, babe. An old friend that happens to be a girl. She’s been staying with Mom since her mother died. Her stepfather’s a real asshole. The bastard has been stalking her ever since her mom died, and she’s afraid of him.”

  Marly looked him in the eye. “Did you sleep with this girl?”

  “If you mean did I fuck her, yes, a few times back when we were both in high school. I’ll never lie to you, baby.” He moved closer, laid a hand on her cheek. “But I never slept with her. Or asked her to marry me. Don’t you know you’re the only woman I want?”

  When Marly finally met his gaze, he thought she really wanted to believe him—but that she still had her doubts. “I want to believe that, but it’s damned hard. Why haven’t you told me about this old girlfriend before? Especially since you say she’s been staying with your mom?”

  “Because what Tina’s doing and where she’s living isn’t that important to me. Besides, you’ve never asked about the other women I’ve laid.” Fuck it. Marly hadn’t been a virgin, either. Why did she seem to believe he should have been? “I haven’t asked about your old lovers, either. I assumed they didn’t matter anymore.”

  “Well, I thought that, too, until you come telling me, out of the blue, that this Tina’s coming to live with you. With us. Well, put that out of your head, because it’s not happening. I’m staying at home as long as she’s living with you.”

  Oh, hell. Why had Mom dumped Tina on him? Why hadn’t the sheriff locked up her pervert stepfather a long time ago and thrown away the key? “Please, Marly. I know this is a little awkward—well, a lot awkward—but it doesn’t have to be. You’re my fiancée, you belong in my bed. Together we can find Tina a job and a place to stay.”

  “You’re insane if you think I’m going to share you with her, even for a little while. I may have to share you with the fantasies of a lot of lascivious groupies, but I sure as hell don’t have to step aside and make a place for your down-and-out ex-girlfriend. You make enough money. If you feel you owe her, rent her an apartment of her own. I…am…not, repeat not, sharing space with her, and if you want me, you won’t be having her live in your place, either.” With that, Marly got up and wrapped the sheet around her. “I’m sleeping on the couch.”

  Bobby wasn’t surprised at her reaction. He was all too aware of her insecurities. But at least she didn’t throw her ring back in his face. Bobby lay there, his head throbbing almost enough to make him forget about his sore knee, trying to decide if he should let her cool down or follow her and fuck her until she saw reason. Women!

  He balled up a pillow and buried his head in it. He’d get no sleep tonight, no rest on the trip home. It would all work out. Marly would see Tina and realize right away that she had no competition.

  Meanwhile he wanted Marly in his arms. Getting up and moving gingerly on his aching leg, Bobby went to the couch. “You belong with me,” he growled, scooping her up and taking her back to bed. “Get it in your head, I don’t want Tina or any other woman, I want you. Not just now but always.”

  “Beast. You’ve got no business walking on that knee, much less carrying me around like I’m a stuffed toy or something. “ She still sounded pissed, but not as much so as she had when he first told her about Tina. “Come over here, warm my back. You need to rest that knee.”

  He figured they’d work this out, just as they’d work out a lot of disagreements over the coming years. Rolling onto his side, he lay down, tucked her tush against his groin and enjoyed the closeness he wasn’t about to give up on.

  Chapter 6

  Tina set her luggage down in what she figured was the guest bedroom, sighed. What she really would have liked to do was rest, but she imagined Bobby would be home in a few hours, and the least she could do was feed him. After all, he’d opened up his place to her.

  She felt awkward, here in this elegant condo that outshone any house she’d ever seen yet didn’t remind her at all of Bobby. Maybe if she kept busy…

  Not even the beef stew and peach cobbler she put together from the sparse supply of comfort food in the sparkling kitchen took Tina’s mind off why she’d left Hedgecock and come to live for a little while on Bobby’s charity. Her skin still crawled when she remembered her last encounter with Edgar Garcia, the stench of cheap beer and even cheaper perfume that had almost choked her as he held her down and tried to rape her in the back room of the school cafeteria where she’d been tidying up after the lunch crowd left.

  She’d scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed, but still she felt the humiliation, the filth…the terrible fear that had driven her here, to safety. No matter what, she’d never go back, never risk encountering her bastard of a stepfather again—unless she had the protection of a strong man.

  That man wouldn’t be Bobby. She’d known for years that he thought of her as a good pal, not a potential bride. Besides, she heard on the evening news yesterday that he’d asked one of the Gamblers’ cheerleaders to marry him. Marly Ragusa. A dark-haired beauty with gorgeous dark hair and a brilliant smile, she’d seemed fully comfortable up on that podium when Bobby had introduced her to a crowd of reporters.

  Tina would have sunk into the floor if she were ever put in that position. But then she wouldn’t be. Men didn’t flaunt girls like her, and she was glad. She’d find a job, a little apartment she could afford and maybe, someday, a man who’d love her the way she’d dreamed of all her life. A simple man with simple needs, not a superstar athlete like her first teenage lover.

  “You’ll like Tina. Everybody does.” Bobby spoke over the low purr of the engine as he drove himself and Marly out of the Gamblers’ practice field parking lot where the team bus had dropped them off. “Let’s go by your folks’ place first, though, and pick up a few of your things.”

  “No.” Who did Bobby think he was, to expect her to merrily accept the presence of his old—probably his first—girlfriend? “I said I’d meet her. I didn’t say I’d live with you when she’s staying there.”

  “Looks to me like you’d want to be there to make sure I’m not fucking her, which I won’t be.” He ground out the words, as though he’d taken just about all her petulance he was going to endure. “Tina is my friend. I’m going to help her get settled here, and if you love me like you say you do, you’re going to help.”

  Marly wished she could shake the feeling that there had to be more than friendship that made him so damned determined to help this Tina out. But she couldn’t imagine any of her brothers having gone out of their way to help old girlfriends. “Are you sure you want me to?”

  “Yes. I want you and Tina to be friends. How many times do I have to tell you it’s you I love? You I want to sleep with every night, and someday to have my kids?” Bobby was gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

  She twisted her new ring around, stared at the beautiful diamond, recalled the college boyfriend who’d dumped her their sophomore year for a high school lover he’d gotten pregnant over Christmas break. Maybe she should tell Bobby about Wes. But no. Even four years later, the humiliation still stung her deep inside, and the last thing she wanted was Bobby’s pity. “I’ll try. It’s just that every woman on Earth seems to want what’s in your pants.”

  Bobby’s laugh sounded forced. “I doubt that, and you’re the only one I want to want me that way. Come on, smile for me.”

  Marly tried, but she still wasn’t convinced. After all, he was a rising star, and according to the gossip columns, a lot of the studs on the football field scored more often in groupies’ beds than in the
games. Even some of the married ones weren’t averse to playing around. A few of them were even wide-open about their cheating. Longtime star Dave Delaney was almost as famous for his bedroom heroics as he was for having tossed some huge number of touchdown passes in his many years in the league. “Do you know Dave Delaney?” she blurted, recalling that the aging quarterback hailed from Bobby’s home town. Bobby seemed different, but…

  “No. He graduated from high school the year I was born. As far as I know, Dave never came back to Hedgecock once he left for college. I guess we’ll meet later on this year, though, since his team’s scheduled to play the Gamblers. What does Dave have to do with us?”

  “He’s supposedly one of the biggest womanizers around the league.”

  Bobby reached over and pinched her thigh. “So you think there might be something in the Hedgecock water that turns guys into satyrs? Think about Keith, baby. He didn’t play around while his wife was alive. Doesn’t now, so far as I know. He kind of shoots that theory down.”

  “I guess you’re right.” Marly figured she’d give in. After all, at least part of her worry stemmed from a putdown that was ancient history. It had nothing to do with Bobby. When he pulled into his parking spot at the condo, she leaned across the console and gave him a kiss. “It’s just that I love you so much, big guy.”

  “Love you, too. Remember that.” He slid out of the truck and strode around to her side. “Let’s go meet Tina.”

  Even before they stepped off the elevator and opened the door to Bobby’s condo, Marly smelled something savory. Something delicious that she bet Tina had spent all morning cooking to draw Bobby in.

  The bitch. Sure, the woman was just Bobby’s friend. Well, so far as Marly was concerned, it was clear she wanted to be much more. Trying to keep a pleasant expression on her face, Marly stepped inside ahead of Bobby and looked around for signs of the other woman in the entry foyer.