by KB Winters
We took our places at the table and Cassie introduced us to everyone. The people at our table comprised of Langston’s and Cassie’s family members who were in town for the holidays and the final playoff game. Carson ordered our drinks and we settled in for a night of drinking, eating, and dancing. All the while, trying not to eye-fuck each other to the point the innocent onlookers at the table would notice.
After the first round of drinks, Carson took my hand and pulled me to the dance floor. A live string band was playing music that made me feel as though I’d stepped through some kind of magic mirror and ended up in a lush, Jane Austin-ish scene.
Carson held me close as we moved around the floor. I grinned up at him. “I had no idea you could dance!”
“I’m a man of many secrets,” he replied, grinning down at me.
“Be honest, you took lessons just for tonight.”
He laughed and spun me around. “You might be right…crash course online.”
“You aced it, babe.”
Carson pulled me back in and dropped a sweet kiss to my lips. It was slow and soft and made me melt right there on the dance floor. “You think we’ve stayed long enough?” he asked once we parted.
I smiled up at him. “It’s not even close to midnight. Don’t you want to stay and do the whole countdown thing?”
Carson arched one of his thick brows. “Do you?”
I dissolved into giggles. He was onto me. With a slow shake of my head I replied, “Not even a little bit.”
“Check please!”
We finished the song, laughing softly, probably appearing to the rest of the room as though we were sharing some kind of inside joke. As he took me around the floor for the finale of the song, I dropped my head back and smiled up at the glittering chandelier floating overhead. I’d never figure out how I’d fallen into the amazing dream world of Carson Stiles, but I knew I was going to stay as long as possible.
****
“Do you have to go?” I asked, pouting up at Carson from the bed. I wiggled, smiling to myself as his eyes followed every move of my body under the sheets.
He bit down on his lip and grinned at me. “You trying to get me fired?”
I laughed. “Can you actually get fired? I mean football players kinda have a get outta jail free card, don’t they?”
“Spoken like a true lawyer.”
I pushed up and flipped my hair back over my bare shoulders. “Money can buy you just about anything, it seems.”
Carson smiled. “Well, you can bang hookers, get speeding tickets, and get into stupid ass bar fights, but last time I checked, we still had to show up for practice.”
I sighed dramatically and flopped back against the pillows. “How practical.”
“Tragically so.”
I watched with wide eyes as Carson got dressed. The way he moved, every play of his muscles, and every step he took was dripping with sex. When he pulled his sweatshirt on he turned back. “You gonna camp out here? Or you need a ride back to your folks’?”
I glanced around his bedroom. “You wouldn’t want me to stay here all day, would you?”
He shrugged. “Why not? I don’t have anything to hide from you. Plus,” he started toward the bed, his grin widening with each step. “It’s beyond hot to know you’d be here, naked in my bed, just waiting for me to get home again.” He dropped a sensual kiss to my lips, his fingers instantly tangling into my morning bedhead.
When he pulled away, our eyes met and my breath hitched.
“So, you stayin’?” he prompted, dragging his thumb over my cheek.
I sighed. “I wish I could. But I didn’t bring anything to work on.”
“You could take the day off, bum around and watch TV. I have ten zillion channels and you can even wear my favorite PJ pants.”
I laughed and turned my head to kiss his palm. “I wish I could, but I have to get my notes together for my meeting with Saul O’Brian.”
Carson straightened and took a step back as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. “Who’s that?”
“Oh, I thought I told you. He’s a lawyer that has a lot of experience with appeals. My soon-to-be boss at the public defender’s office set up the meeting. He thinks he’ll be able to advise me on how to best move forward with Vinnie’s case.” I stopped in the center of the room, all of a sudden realizing that I didn’t have anything other than my dress to wear. The idea of wrangling myself back into it was not a welcome thought.
“You can borrow some jeans and a t-shirt,” Carson said, obviously watching my mental struggle play out across my face.
I scoffed. “Like your jeans would even fit…” Over one thigh, I added in my own head.
“All right, here,” he said, crossing to his large walk-in closet. I followed and hung back in the doorway as he rummaged through a dresser. He pulled out a pair of athletic pants that looked like they might work and then he grabbed a sweatshirt that featured the Cannons logo. “This should work. You’re a real Cannons girl, now.”
I laughed. “As long as I don’t have to wear booty shorts and jump around shaking a pair of pom-poms.”
Carson smirked. “You’d look hot in booty shorts and you know I love it when you shake your pom-poms.”
Before I could object, Carson zeroed in for another kiss that made me lose sight of my argument entirely. “Although, this look is really working for me too,” he added, sliding his palm over my ass. “You sure you can’t stay here?”
He worked his way around and when his fingers slipped between my slit, I gasped and braced a hand against the doorway to the closet to keep my buckling knees from giving out entirely. “Damn, baby, you’re so wet…” Carson nibbled at the side of my neck as his finger lazily circled my clit. “I might be late to practice after all. I can’t let you go all day like this…”
I chuckled softly. “That would be cruel.”
He slid a finger inside of me and stars burst behind my eyes as he thrust deep before slipping another one of his long, sculpted fingers alongside the first, filling me as my walls clenched and shook, already on the cusp of a powerful orgasm. “Come for me, baby,” Carson’s voice was thick and husky in my ear, the warmth from his breath finding its way against my bare shoulder. His tongue flicked over the shell of my ear as he fingered my g-spot. A moan burst from my mouth and I dragged my thigh up to rest on his hip, allowing him better access.
Carson flashed a wicked smile. “That’s it, baby. Give me that sweet little pussy.”
At his words, I bit back another loud cry and my body shuddered, unable to withstand his beautiful torture for one more moment.
****
Stars were still dancing behind my eyes an hour later when I tiptoed up the stairs to my room. The house was still quiet and I figured my parents were sleeping off their own late night, since they probably stayed up long enough to watch the coverage from New York City as the ball dropped over Time’s Square.
Carson and I hadn’t seen the ball drop. As soon as we left Langston and Cassie’s dinner party, we went back to Carson’s place and were half naked as soon as we made it through the bedroom door. I smiled at the memory of him trying to remove me from my skin tight dress that had become even tighter over the course of the dinner. Eventually, he freed me and we battled through the double-sided sticky tape and crashed together.
It had been a hell of a way to ring in the new year. If it was any indication of what was in store, I was going to have a very good year.
I paused at my bedroom door. Something was sticking out from under the door in the soft light cast from the hallway nightlight. I stooped over and picked up what turned out to be a large envelope. A sticky note was attached to the front, written in my mom’s handwriting:
This came for you last night. Good luck, honey.
I gasped as my bleary eyes finally realized what I was holding in my hand. Certified mail. My bar exam results! The ones I’d been waiting on for months.
I stopped pouncing the mailman and was so
distracted by Carson that I’d forgotten to check the mail. Apparently, my parents were so used to me retrieving it like a well-trained dog they’d also stopped checking it for themselves.
With trembling hands, I tore open the envelope and pulled the pages out. I squeezed my eyes closed tight and forced myself to take a deep breath. It was in vain, my heart only hammered more frantically.
I stepped back and flipped on the hallway light and held my breath. My eyes raced over the papers in my hands and a muffled cry slipped out. “Yes!” I pumped my fist in the air. I passed!
The click of a door opening startled me and I whirled around to see my mom and dad standing in the door of the master bedroom. “Well?” my dad asked, his bushy eyebrows hiked up high on his forehead.
“I passed! It’s here!” I handed the envelope to my dad and burst into the happiest tears of my life.
Chapter Twenty
Carson
It was being hailed as the Blizzard Battle of the Midwest. The Cannons were hosting the Ospreys and it was going to get ugly. The snow fell relentlessly for days on end and even before we took the field, I felt like my bones were frozen from the inside out. It was going to be the hardest game of my life, but also the most important. If we won this game, we’d be flying out to LA to play in the Super Bowl in two weeks and my whole life would change.
Not that it hadn’t already.
“You ready to kick some ass, Stiles?” Langston asked, sidling up to me in the tunnel.
I grit my teeth and forced a nod.
We took the field to a deafening roar from the fans, and I took a moment to marvel at the fact that every seat had an ass in it, even though most of the seats were open and exposed to the frickin’ blizzard. True Cannons fans. I’d arranged for Gwen to be in the club level with the other wives and girlfriends. She wasn’t in a luxury box by any means but at least had an overhang to protect her from the snow and wind a bit. Cassie would be there with Kenzie, so I knew she wouldn’t be alone. I raised a hand to wave to the crowd, silently thanking them for putting their faith in my untested hands. They’d embraced me as the leader of our team, and I knew that no matter how many playoff games I’d play during my career, I’d never be able to top the love and support from the Cannons fans in this final push.
“Coin toss, Stiles, move your ass.”
I hustled to catch up to Rose and made it to center field where the refs were waiting to get the game started.
The weather was more than a major factor in the game. At times, visibility was damn near zero and made it impossible to even make a handoff. I gave up any thoughts of a real passing game and it was all about ball control. The only positive effect of the snowy weather was it kept my head in the game.
When the final whistle blew, I stood on the field, stunned into silence as I stared up at the scoreboard. It was like I’d been captured inside a snow globe come to life. Everything around me was frozen and icy but I was immune to it, a statue in the blowing snow. I couldn’t even see the score—and could barely hear it over the crowd!
Cannons WIN! Super Bowl bound! LA here we come!
I shook my head and started to laugh. A low rumble that bubbled up until I was howling and hollering with the rest of my teammates. “We fuckin’ did it! We did it!”
****
When Coach Wheels finally got us all corralled into the locker room, he gave us his final speech and though we all were still humming with excitement, a wave of emotion swept through the room and more than a few guys were caught swiping a mysterious something from their eyes. My own throat was clogged with a mixture of feelings that would likely take a few days to swallow. There were so many milestones to celebrate and many more still to come. I was proud of the way I’d played for my team, and I knew my future was forever changed thanks to the unexpected opportunity.
“Take the day off tomorrow,” Coach said, standing in the center of the circle of all of us players. “Don’t do anything stupid. I don’t want late night calls that one of you lost their damned mind and landed themselves in trouble.” Everyone laughed as his eyes lingered on a few of the notorious wild cats of the group.
Langston was beside me and laughed. “Damn, I really must be losing my touch. Normally that warning would explicitly mention my name, Coach.”
We all laughed and I slung an arm over my new friend’s shoulders. “Secret’s out, Rose. We all know you’re just a big pussy-whipped cream puff these days.”
He flashed a wide grin. “Damn it.”
Coach clapped his hands. “This is for you, gents. Each and every one of you left your guts out on that field today. So take the day off and spend it with your family, you’ve earned it. But Tuesday morning, I expect every single one of you here bright and early and we’re gonna double down until we’re all boarding that plane to LA. Ya feel me?”
We all nodded and added our agreement and then scattered, everyone eager to go off to whatever postgame activities they’d lined up. For me, there was only thing I wanted to do, and it involved Gwen and my bed.
Langston clapped me on the shoulder. “Should we go get our ladies?”
“Damn straight.”
He led the way and we went out into the hallway. Cassie was there, and started bouncing in place as soon as she locked her eyes onto Langston. She rushed forward and he picked her up, effortlessly spinning her around. “I’m so proud of you, babe!”
I peeked around the corner and then doubled back to where Langston and Cassie were making out—much to Kenzie’s chagrin. The small girl looked up at me, a grim look on her delicate face. “Can you make them stop?” she asked.
I laughed and patted her slight shoulder. “Sadly, I don’t think so. Hey, do you know where Gwen is?”
Kenzie shook her head. “I don’t think she was here.”
My eyebrows knit together and I slapped Langston on the shoulder. He removed himself from Cassie and shot me a glare. “Damn, dude. Kinda busy here.”
Kenzie swooped in and took the opportunity to grab Cassie’s hand. “He’s looking for Gwen.”
Cassie looked up at me and shook her head. “She wasn’t with us. Did she sit down in another section?”
Panic fluttered through my chest. Where was she? Had something happened? The roads were beyond treacherous even with the snow plows running around the clock. Had I been playing the best game of my life while my girlfriend—the woman I was falling in love with each and every day—was lying in a tangled mess of metal and glass?
With shaking hands, I fumbled through my coat pockets until I found my cell. There were two missed calls from Gwen. My stomach sank even lower. Was she trapped? I’d never forgive myself if she was hurt. I should have thought to send a car to get her and bring her to the game. Damn it, why hadn’t I thought about that? I shouldn’t have asked her to drive in this nasty snow storm.
I held up a finger to Cassie and Langston who were both wearing confused expressions. I listened to the phone ring, panic swelling higher with each long pause. Finally, I heard her pick up and heaved a sigh of relief. “Gwen, where are you? Are you all right?”
“I’m at home,” she said, her tone almost like it was a question.
“Home?”
Langston and Cassie exchanged a look and then reached for Kenzie’s hands. “See you later,” Cassie mouthed to me as they turned away to head for the nearest exit.
I offered a weak wave before they were lost in the crowd of other players and their families. “I thought you would be here, at the game, we just finished. Uh—we won. We’re going to the Super Bowl.”
“I know. I saw the fourth quarter on TV. You did great. Congratulations.”
I dragged a hand over the back of my neck. Something was wrong. I felt like I’d just taken a wrong turn, landed in a bad neighborhood, and had the ill sense to seek directions in a rough and tumble biker bar. “Is everything okay? Are you sick? I saw you tried to call before the game, but I was—”
“I’m fine, Carson. I was calling to let you know
I was going to miss the game.” Her tone was still too frosty. It set my nerves on edge. She sighed. “I’m sorry. I wanted to be there, to cheer you on, but something came up with Vinnie’s case and I didn’t have a choice.”
“What happened?” I asked, trying to keep my own voice under control and not let the irritation seep through.
“I had a meeting scheduled with this attorney who my new boss thought could help me with the case. It was supposed to be a cup of coffee tomorrow afternoon, a chance for me to pick his brain, but he called me last night and asked if we could move it to today. I had to go.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. She’d been working, with another guy, on a Sunday, instead of being at the biggest game of the season? I knew I had no right to get territorial and jealous but it felt like hot coals had been dropped into the pit of my stomach all the same. I forced myself to draw in a deep breath. “All right. Well, I’m uh—I’m sorry you missed it. You want me to come pick you up and we can go get something—well, nevermind, I’m assuming you already ate?”
“Carson, I said I was sorry I missed the game. You don’t have to be that way.”
“Be what way, Gwen? Disappointed? Upset?” I shook my head and scanned the room. Everyone was celebrating with their families. No one was so much as glancing my way. “Well, like it or not, I am. This was a huge night for me and when it was all over and done with, I wanted to see your face, to kiss you and spend the night with you. But instead, I’m here, watching everyone else…”
“Carson, I’m—”
“No,” I snapped, interrupting her. “It’s fine. You have your big case and I’ve had a long night, too. I don’t want to argue with you.”
“I don’t want to argue either, but, Carson, you can’t expect me to be there for every game or be able to drop everything and be the big football fan! I have a life too!”
“Right.” Anger swelled to the surface and I swallowed hard, pressing it back. I wasn’t going to allow myself to break. It wasn’t worth it. She wasn’t worth it.
