"Good," Jenna whispered. She nodded slightly and he began to slide into her. She could feel every part of his length inside of her, and with each inch, he was erasing the pain and fear of the day. Her hands moved to his hair, clutching it in her fists as she pushed herself down onto him.
His eyes never left hers as he gently eased in and out of her body. It was beautiful and sweet, but the excruciating cocktail of the day made Jenna need more…so much more. She wanted this water and his body to wash away everything ugly and leave nothing but the two of them behind.
She bounced up and down on him clumsily, but with determination. Wyatt noticed and quickly took over again. He pulled her off him, causing a disappointed grumble to escape from her lips. A wicked smile played on his mouth, before he moved his hands to her waist. Wyatt rose to his knees and turned her body to face away from him. She could feel his wet hands skim along her sides and then arms, until they covered hers.
Jenna was impatient, eager to have him inside of her again. She could feel his erection against her ass and squirmed backward to try and get closer, but his arms and torso were pinning her in place.
She felt his hot whisper in her ear, as he leaned over her, securing her hands to the edge of the tub. "You're right, I am obsessed with your breasts."
He paused, letting his hands caress the sides of her chest. But he didn't tease or touch them. She released a frustrated moan and pressed back against him again. A quick swat on her bottom made her jump. Jenna almost lost her balance, but Wyatt grabbed her quickly at her bent hips until she was steady on her knees.
"But, I also like this view. I'd hate to miss the chance to touch this perfect ass," he growled out, grasping the globes of her bottom firmly. Suddenly, he was inside her again. Jenna immediately groaned in pleasure. From this new angle, she could feel him even more completely than before. Each perfect inch of him, entering her so deeply she never wanted the feeling to end.
She gripped the edge of the tub, resting her hot cheek on its cool marble for a moment before lifting up on her hands to arch her body back and meet his powerful thrusts. Wyatt's strong fingers continued to grip the flesh of her ass, as he used his hold to gain leverage and increase his pace.
Soapy water swirled around them, creating a whirlpool, sucking and pushing at their bodies. Jenna felt him move his hands, one to her shoulder, while the other took a firm grasp of her hair and tugged on it hard. This allowed him to hit a point even more deeply inside her, causing her to scream out loud.
Electricity shot straight through to her core, as Wyatt leaned his large body across her back, moving his arms to hold her around her waist. He growled against the skin of her shoulder, biting it and pushing in short, hard thrusts until her own shouts were reverberating against the tile walls. They joined with his groans — creating an overwhelming crescendo of harmonious sound.
Wyatt released a deep grunt and she felt him spasm inside of her. She tensed and clenched around him, until her whole body went limp beneath him.
He breathed deeply, before sitting back against the tub, taking her with him. Returning her to his lap, he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Jenna grasped his hands, winding her fingers into his.
"You have such great ideas, Doc," Wyatt whispered, with a chuckle against her neck. Jenna giggled in return, resting the back of her head on his chest. He released her and began rubbing her shoulders. His hands began stroking down her arms and along her back, until she almost purred with pleasure. Sliding down the front of his body, she wet her hair with the water between his legs. When she sat back up, Wyatt began to rub shampoo into her hair.
"I hope washing my hair was a part of your tub fantasy, because it was definitely in mine."
"Making you feel good and having you at my mercy was my vision. This works for that," he said lightly.
Wyatt massaged her scalp with his strong fingers, and the relaxation she felt after her orgasm and from the pleasurable kneading of his fingertips was exquisite. The pain and fear of the day was ebbing away with each touch of Wyatt's hands on her scalp. The added tickling of his hairs against her smooth legs made her feel wrapped in protection from the rest of the world. The practical voice in her head was telling her she should hold back, but she couldn't make herself do it. It was this man that was making her feel so good.
Another voice in her head kept reminding her she may never feel this way again. It was getting louder and more overpowering with every one of Wyatt's insistent touches. Maybe he was her personal pied piper. In that case, for the next several days, Jenna was going to follow him anywhere he led her — even if it was right off a cliff.
After she rinsed the shampoo out and started to apply conditioner to her hair, Wyatt's hands began roaming over the rest of her body. He explored every inch of her, from her toes to her head, and then up again.
"Are you giving me an exam, Wyatt?" Jenna teased, working a small tangle out of her hair as she indulged in the sensuous slide of his hands on her body. After so many terrifying hours of actual examinations, she was grateful to have her body be her own again — even if only for these brief few days with Wyatt.
She had to wonder, How many scared patients have I scrutinized objectively like my doctors have done with me? How many people were trying to hide their worry, while I poked and prodded them without taking the time to understand what my seemingly nebulous words could do to them, and their way of life? Was Wyatt one of them? Did I fail him in some way?
His words broke through her spiral of anxiety.
"We've never had any time to just enjoy each other. I'm trying to make the most of this." His left hand settled on her knee, toying lightly with the raised flesh that was the remaining evidence of her arthroscopic surgery.
"That's a hell of a scar, Doc."
"It's from my knee surgery, but I guess you already knew that?"
"I did. Though I didn't get many details."
"I blew out both my ACL and MCL in this knee in the second half of a basketball game in college. We'd made it to the Elite Eight round of the championships my junior year. We were down five points with three minutes to go. I was a shooting guard and went up for a simple jump shot, just like I'd done a thousand times before. I came down funny and that was all she wrote. I couldn't walk and it took all my strength to keep from crying in front of all those people. They carted me off on a stretcher, it was all pretty humiliating."
"And you had to have surgery?"
"Yes, and a year of rehab. We lost the game, too. So it sucked all around."
"Were you able to play again?"
"Not competitively, no. My body was never the same after it happened."
"Did you miss it?"
"The game?" Jenna felt him nod slightly behind her. "Certain things, yes. My whole life had been in the world of competitive sports. It was how I related to my dad…and pretty much everyone else in the world, too. Everything was regimented and predictable. I always knew what the next day would hold, and that my body could provide me the security I needed to make a future for myself. All of that vanished with one misstep."
He went silent behind her, taking several deep breaths behind her, before asking, "Then you get why I don't want to have surgery?" he asked, gently rubbing the thin, raised skin on her knee with his thumb in a way that was at once soothing, yet also unsettling.
"I guess I do."
"All that security and predictability? I need that, too, but I don't have a brain like yours to fall back on. This game is all I can do. I'm not just a bum shoulder."
Her stomach flipped a bit at the reminder of Richard's advice. Maybe she hadn't taken into account the whole person when she examined Wyatt.
"No you aren't, Wyatt. I know that. I would've loved not to have that surgery. Thing is, it was the injury, not the surgery, that broke me."
He pulled her back flush against his front, and she could feel his chest move as he cleared his throat.
"I don't think you're broken, Doc." Wyatt leaned his head forward, nuzzl
ing his face into her neck. "I think you're pretty amazing."
Bacon was sizzling and popping vigorously in a pan as Wyatt sang quietly to himself in his kitchen. He was also dancing a bit, mainly because he was only wearing a pair of boxer briefs, which required some careful cooking on his part to avoid burning himself.
It was early Christmas morning and he was making breakfast for himself and Jenna while she still slept. He'd kept her up pretty late, alternately watching Christmas movies on TV and delighting in her body as much as he could. The last two days had been great, probably too enjoyable, based on how quickly he was growing accustomed to having her around.
There was something very different about her. She made him forget about his shoulder, his career, everything. That was dangerous, he knew. But for now, he was going to let himself enjoy the holiday with her and sort everything out later.
While flipping the bacon, his phone buzzed against his granite countertop, declaring Jason Myers had finally called him back. Jason had been Wyatt's go-to wide receiver and one of his best friends while he was at UT. He also had the unique qualification of having played for Jenna's father in high school. Wyatt had left a message with Jason the day after he'd kissed Jenna the first time. Her indication at the ice-skating rink that a football player in high school had hurt her somehow grabbed his attention and wouldn't let go. Wyatt turned down the burner and grabbed his phone quickly.
"Jason, what's up? Thanks for calling me back."
"You're welcome, man. Sorry it took me so long. Ever since I joined the Canadian Football League, I feel like I never have much free time anymore. But I have today off. I hope it's okay I called you so early on Christmas."
"No problem, this is perfect."
"Your message said you want to know about Coach Sutherland?"
"Sort of. It's more that I want to know about his daughter. Jenna."
"Oh right. I heard she moved to Pittsburgh a while back. Do you know her?"
"She's my…friend."
"Wow, small world. That's great. How's she doing?"
"Pretty well, but I do really want to know about when she was in high school. It's important."
"Um, okay. Well, she was a junior when I was a sophomore, and she graduated a year early, so I didn't really know her too well. I liked her a lot, though. She really knew her shit — was practically our assistant coach. I remember her being on the sidelines at every practice and games, too. But she was less involved the season before she graduated."
"Why do you think that was?"
"Well, there were rumors…"
"What rumors?" Wyatt asked quickly, squeezing the spatula in his hand so hard that he had to put it down and flex his fingers until the joints stopped hurting.
"I don't know. It was a long time ago. She was always nice to me. I don't want to talk shit when I don't know anything for sure…"
"Jason, just tell me. I won't use what you say to hurt her."
"People saw her with this dude, Chase. He kept it on the down-low, but it was a small town. She was a nice girl, but really shy and totally separated from the rest of the school…"
"Dude, just say it."
"Chill out, man. Why the fuck do you even want to know this?"
"I have my reasons. Just tell me."
"Fine. People said he banged her to get her to fall for him so she would beg her dad to make him starting QB."
Wyatt felt so much anger coursing through his body he almost dropped the phone before continuing to speak. "Do you think he would've done that? Used her like that, I mean?"
"He's definitely a ruthless piece of shit, and he did end up starting that season, so it may be true. I didn't want to believe it. I liked her, and Chase was a total asshole. His family had loads of money and he pretty much figured the world owed him everything. Back in high school, he liked to brag he would always get what he wanted, no matter what. Chase was born on third base and thought he hit a triple."
Wyatt felt a twisting sensation in his gut. He was pretty sure it was shame. "I know the type." Wyatt growled out, thinking of his father with irritation. "What happened to him?"
"Coach Sutherland made him the starting QB. If Chase hooked up with Jenna, there was no way Coach knew it. He was crazy protective of her. Jenna graduated a year early, leaving the team when we were poised to have our best season ever. That should've been a huge success for her to enjoy. She was a big part of the team. It didn't make any sense."
"And Chase?"
"He got a scholarship to the University of Georgia. He's been a backup for Atlanta for a few years now, though he started for several weeks this season when Travis Cunningham had that concussion."
"Oh, right, Chase Matthews, yeah, I've heard of him."
"He always talked a good game, you know, bullshitting people to get his way. He was pretty good at tricking coaches into thinking he was an okay guy. I'm sure he's done that in Atlanta, too."
"So he's just a smooth talker?"
"No. Chase is worse than just being a dick."
"How?"
"He beat up a girl in college. It was so bad, I even heard about it at UT. His parents used their money and connections to buy her off so she didn't press charges. They got him out of that one. Who knows what other bad shit he's pulled over the years."
"Do you think he threatened Jenna somehow to become QB?" Wyatt asked so quietly that he could barely hear the words himself. There was a long pause before Jason answered.
"That's what the rest of the team figured happened. I would love to kick his ass just for thinking he did it, though."
Wyatt felt a pair of soft hands touching his bare waist, shocking him back to reality. He turned to see Jenna gifting him with a warm, sleepy smile. Her hair was a mess — blonde and tousled around her pretty face — and he felt actual pain in his chest at the thought of someone hurting her.
It tore him apart to think he could be another in a line of quarterback jerks to take advantage of her. He'd never intended to do that. His plan had seemed so innocuous to him at the time. Yet, it was all so different to him now.
"Wy, dude, are you still there?" Jason asked on the other end of the line.
"Oh, yeah, sorry, I have to go. Thanks for everything, I mean it," Wyatt answered, staring at Jenna's face so intently he could tell it made her nervous. She started fiddling with her hair, pushing it behind her ear. He reached up and stroked her face tenderly, then smoothed her hair back for her. He kissed her cheek and forced a smile around the bilious guilt filling his mouth.
"All right. Well, if you do see Jenna, tell her I say hi."
"Will do. Bye." Wyatt lied. After ending the call he held Jenna in his arms, probably more tightly than was necessary. He lifted his head and placed his chin squarely on the top of her head for a moment.
"Are you okay, Wyatt? Who was that?"
"I'm great. It was my agent," he said on a swallow, shocked at how awful yet another lie felt in his mouth.
"Agent? Calling you on Christmas? That's some service," she said with a smile, as she circled her arms around his waist. "Yum, is that bacon I smell?"
"Shit, I don't want it to burn. Let me get it off the heat."
Wyatt crossed the room to the stove. After putting the phone down on the counter, he looked down at the sizzling bacon, hiding his guilty face from her. He used the time it took him to remove the bacon from the pan to get his emotions under control.
When he was ready, he took a fortifying breath and turned to her with a smile.
"Merry Christmas, Jenna," he said. And he meant it. He was happy she was there with him, surrounded by the Christmas lights and silly decorations they had put up together over the last couple of days.
She sparkled in front of him, glowing in his kitchen like a delicate snow angel. Her time with him was also ephemeral. His original plan to sway her opinion such that she adjusted her diagnosis of his shoulder made that almost inevitable. Yet, that made the moment no less confusing.
Maybe the feeling would pass, o
nce he got over the shock of imagining this strong, but vulnerable, beautiful woman being the victim of a villain like Chase. And now, Wyatt felt like he was just the latest predator — the carnivore that had dragged her back to his cave. He wasn't sure whom he hated more, Chase…or himself.
"Feliz Navidad, Wyatt Alejandro," she answered with a teasing grin. Wyatt leaned back against the kitchen counter and Jenna nestled her thighs between his legs. She looked into his eyes and lazily trailed her fingers across his chest, shoulders, and stomach.
"I like that you speak Spanish," Wyatt said, trying to shake off his dark mood. Jenna deserved a happy Christmas, and he would give it to her.
"Why, thank you. I like that I get to use it with you. But I think everyone knows those two Spanish words."
"It's still very sexy to hear them come out of that pretty mouth of yours. It reminds me of growing up."
"It's not too shabby coming out of yours, either. I think you have the sexiest mouth ever found in the real world. It's good you like me speaking Spanish, because my Irish accent is awful," Jenna teased.
"Why'd you study it?"
"An Irish accent? I never really studied how to do one. It's just more of a goofy thing I do when I drink…"
"Very funny, it's a real question. I thought you were supposed to be a serious woman."
"Oh, fine. I'll be serious. Well, I took it in school, but I worked really hard to become fluent because I wanted to do Doctors Without Borders in South America."
"Did you?"
"I was going to. About five years ago, I had to leave Atlanta." She paused and her eyes darkened, triggering that growling worry in Wyatt again. He clutched her hips and she leaned in more closely to him, before she continued on. "I thought that would be the perfect time to do it, but Tea's husband had died and after a year or so, she was still a mess. It was clear she needed me. That's what friends do for each other. If my mom's best friend Cheryl hadn't stepped in to help my dad raise me after she died…well, I don't even want to think about how much harder everything would've been. So, I decided to take an opportunity I found here in Pittsburgh instead."
City of Champions Page 22
