Game On! (Seaside Heat)

by Dani Jace

  Holy fuck. He couldn’t wait to spank those beautiful cheeks. He had a true fan and lover. Now he just had to keep her from running into the woman who nearly ruined her life.

  Chapter 13

  Jordan feigned interest while she and GiGi killed time in an upscale clothing store in Ohio before the Tritons game. “Come on, can’t you find someone else?”

  “Yeah, but I want my best friend in my show.” Gigi gave her a sad kitty face complete with saucer-big eyes.

  Getting out of being one of her models would prove next to impossible. “Okay, but nothing indecent.”

  GiGi spun around from the dress rack and hugged her. “Yay!”

  “And you owe me an outfit from your show.” Maybe something sexy for Heath. She almost stayed over the other night but that would have told him their fun had turned into more than a game.

  “Definitely. So, are you okay?” GiGi cocked her head.

  “What do you mean?”

  She pursed her lips. “The Branscome fiasco. Are you over it? Have you moved on?”

  “Yeah, I suppose. Why?” Heath had certainly helped.

  “This is a chance to be happy and let that part of your life be done.”

  “For the short term. After the strike, they’ll probably return to the practice squad in Texas or to another team.” She chewed a nail wishing it could be different.

  “They’re almost thirty, Jordan.” GiGi flung out a hand. “Think about it. I’m not trying to be mean, but that’s getting old for a player who hasn’t already made it as a NFL starter.”

  “You really believe Dugan won’t want to return to the big league even as a practice squad player?”

  “You never know.” GiGi held up a sea foam shift in front of Jordan. “Nice color. It’d look good on you. She returned the dress to the rack. “Come on, we gotta get going. Don’t want to be late for the pre-game fun.”

  GiGi had turned into a Disney princess. Fairy tales were in books and movies not real life. At least not in Jordan’s life. She’d enjoy her time with Heath and when their season ended it’d be back to reality.

  * * * *

  Sunday morning after the game Heath’s muscles protested. Being sore was the price, but at least he had Jordan to snuggle with after their loss. He followed her up the steps of the plane.

  He’d been shocked when Jordan and GiGi had showed up last night. A high dollar fashion friend of GiGi’s had chartered a bird from Florida to the game and offered all of them a flight back to Virginia.

  He sank onto the ample leather seat of the private jet, glad for the extra room.

  “You okay?” Jordan laid a hand on his arm. Her fingers appeared delicate against his forearm.

  “Perfect. This is awesome.” Butter-soft seats and couches, with burl wood tables and a huge flat screen TV were a flight luxury he’d probably never experience again.

  The plane took off and twenty minutes into the flight, Jordan ran her hand down his thigh.

  “Interested in some mile-high fun?” She glanced toward their dozing cabin mates.

  He fought a smile. Surprised again. She never wanted to fool around if Dugan was in the house, yet now she wanted to bang in the bathroom three feet away. “Raising the stakes, are we?”

  “You gonna call the bet?” A lick of her bottom lip and the low neckline enhancing the swell of her breasts beckoned.

  He waited until she’d reached the lavatory then followed.

  The door latched with a snap. She gathered her long skirt and sat on the marble sink. Her bare folds glistened. Wet and ready.

  “No panties? Damn, darlin’, you should have told me.” Then again, he’d have been hard all the way to the airport.

  “Wanted to surprise you.”

  His batteries instantly recharged. A mile-high fuck in this game had never entered his fantasy. Especially not in a private jet’s fancy facilities.

  She eyed him like a rich dessert.

  He dropped to his knees.

  Fresh like summer fruit, her flavor burst on his tongue sweet and juicy. She ruffled his hair and arched against his mouth.

  “God, Heath. Inside me now.” She panted. Her pussy was ripe and ready.

  After a final lick he stood. “Been planning this all morning?

  “Maybe.” She unzipped and shoved his shorts to the tiled floor.

  His teacher continued with surprises. “Ahh, darlin’ what you do to me.”

  Grazing his ribs with her nails, she peeled his t-shirt over his head. Her eyelashes fluttered as she rubbed his cockhead along her entrance.

  Thankful for more room than a commercial airliner’s bathroom, he captured the back of her knees in the crook of his arms. Opening her wide, he was dying to spear her tight slit.

  The plane pitched.

  Her hips rocked in a pleasing stroke against his junk. “Fuck.”

  “Please.” She gripped tighter.

  He glanced at his shorts on the floor for a condom he always kept in his pocket since Jordan entered his life. Unreachable at the moment. “Damn, just a second.”

  “We could go bare.” She palmed his chest.

  His heart stopped then sprinted to catch up. The sweet feel of her heat at the head of his cock ripped at his control. “Yeah?”

  “We’re both healthy and you know I’m on birth control.” Her gaze didn’t waver.

  He’d never been harder in his life. “Get ready, baby, cuz the pilot is going to think you’re a porn star.”

  “Prove it.” She nipped his neck.

  He propelled her hips forward then thrust deep. Slick and tight. She was so wet she felt like she’d already come. “You’re like heaven.”

  With a hand around his neck, she begged, “Hurry.”

  Granting her wish, he slammed home again and built a steady rhythm.

  “Harder. Faster.” Jordan moaned.

  He could have angled for her clit and had her coming in a few strokes, but anticipation was part of the game as well. Going bare felt so goddamn right. The tingling at the base of his spine pushed him to the ragged edge.

  “Yes! Yes!” Jordan clutched his back.

  He ached to fill her snug pussy.

  “Oh God!” Her muscles tightened, drawing him to her core.

  “That’s it, baby.”

  “Heath!” She pulsed around him.

  He filled her until he had nothing left. At the moment of ecstasy, being with her went beyond a game. He wanted this indefinitely.

  Jordan relaxed in his arms but made no move to separate. She grazed his earlobe. “Jesus, number eighty-seven, you sure know how to make flying fun.”

  Would he have the time to make her want more than fun with him?

  * * * *

  The next week Jordan held tryouts as new coach for the field hockey team at her high school. She was grateful for the distraction to get her mind off the man who had taken her higher sexually than she’d ever been. It wasn’t only sex that she missed the last couple of days. She missed him.

  “Better start to school year this time around.” Wendy, her assistant coach and former lacrosse teammate blew the whistle to start a drill.

  The girls passed the ball to one another while running the field. Jordan made checkmarks along her roster by the players showing superb skills. In three days, they’d narrowed down to their final selections. “The summer has helped me put that nightmare behind me.”

  “The summer or a decent guy?”

  Jordan adjusted her sunglasses. “Combo, I think.”

  Wendy blew the whistle for the next group to start. “When can I meet him?”

  “Not sure if he’ll be staying after his job is finished here.” Unless things changed, there was no point in introducing Heath to her school friends.

  They were wrapping up the last of tryouts when Wendy cleared her throat and nodded. “Wow, new coach I’m not aware of?”

  Even in athletic shorts and a plain t-shirt, Heath
stood out. A total badass in aviator shades.

  “Just a friend.” How in the hell did she land such a hottie?

  “Uh huh. I’ll tell the girls we’ll post final selections tomorrow.” Wendy shook her ponytail and walked onto the field.

  “Have you made your final picks?” He smiled and raised his sunglasses, revealing those heart-stopping blue eyes.

  “Not sure I know what I’m doing.” She stashed her clipboard in her backpack. His unexpected visit knocked her off kilter.

  He shouldered the equipment bag. “You’ll figure it out. You never take anything lightly, darlin’.”

  After a glance around, she kissed his cheek. “Thanks for the support. Give me a minute?”

  “Sure. I’ll take the gear to your car. Then do you want to grab some dinner?” He smiled.

  “Sounds great.” Her stomach fluttered like a crushing teen. She was eyeballs deep in trouble. After their weekends together, he was close to surpassing fuck buddy status. She started for the group huddled around Wendy. Fuck! She couldn’t afford to get emotionally attached.

  * * * *

  Jordan sat beside GiGi at the fifty-yard line in the Sports Complex, sweating in late summer humidity.

  Eighty-seven took his stance. He’d broken through her tough exterior. Made her want to love. Something she never trusted enough to attempt. Too bad she’d never have the chance to try.

  Next week’s game was away, and then he’d return home for their last game. She planned to make every available moment count before she was back to school, playing PE teacher.

  The quarterback passed the ball on first down. A receiver snagged it and sprinted nearly twenty yards before the defensive tackle dragged him to the ground.

  When another two downs gained only a few feet, the Tritons changed tactics. Heath blocked and broke through. A short pass lofted for him. He claimed it with ease and turned to run. A linebacker blindsided him with a crushing hit. Heath dropped into a heap.

  Jordan jumped to her feet. Her hand went to her mouth as her heart lurched against her ribs. She couldn’t breathe.

  He didn’t move.

  * * * *

  Blinding pain sliced through Heath’s brain. He squeezed his eyes shut as he became aware of his body. What a hit.

  He tried to move, but hands held him still. “Easy,” the trainer said. “We want to get you on a backboard.”

  Fuck! A backboard? He wiggled his toes inside his cleats and felt them rub against his socks. He relaxed somewhat even though what felt like a hot poker stabbed into his frontal lobe.

  They C-collared him then slid the board beneath him. Once they loaded him onto a cart, he let the darkness take him again.

  Soft fingers squeezed his hand, bringing him around as EMTs prepared to load him into an ambulance.

  “I’ll see you there.” Jordan said in a strained voice.

  Through his pain, he sensed her worry. In all his years in football, he’d avoided the ER. He tightened his fingers around hers. “Ride with me?”

  “Of course.” Wearing a weak smile, she followed him and the gurney into the back of the ambulance.

  He hated the fear in her eyes as the paramedic stuck his arm and hooked up an IV. “Scared of needles?”

  Her timid nod caused him to laugh, which shot a bolt of agony through his skull. “So natural childbirth for you?”

  “I doubt a man alive would endure such.” She squinted but kept hold of his hand.

  “You’re probably right. I’d rather be shot.”

  She rolled her eyes while the paramedic took his vitals.

  “I’ll stay in touch so I can happily remind your future wife.” Her brown gaze lasered him with an intensity he remembered from their mile-high fun on the plane.

  Riding to the hospital with him said a lot. Her trembling fingers locked tightly in his said even more.

  He’d never wanted to frighten her.

  Chapter 14

  Jordan paced behind the curtain in a small area while they’d taken Heath to be scanned by an MRI machine. A closet claustrophobic, she didn’t envy his time in the tube.

  Please let him have only sustained a concussion. After he’d been taken from the field on a backboard, she’d raced to the room where the trainers evaluated him. Never before would she have pushed her way into such a situation, but she had to know he’d regained consciousness.

  This injury shouldn’t take his dream. He’d helped her back from a bad place. She’d do the same for him. Trying to ignore the anesthetic odors of the hospital that made her queasy, she settled on a stiff-backed chair then texted GiGi and her father.

  Finally, the staff returned with a drowsy Heath who all but spilled off the tiny bed.

  He raised his head and gave her a thumbs-up.

  The nurse rolled his monitor to the side of his bed. “You’ll need to wake him every thirty minutes.”

  “I’m staying if that’s okay?” Taking his hand, she missed its normal warmth.

  Heath wore tired smile. “Thanks, darlin’.”

  GiGi and Dugan slipped in a few minutes later. Dugan looked pale and worn. GiGi stood close at his side, her hand tucked around his arm.

  Heath pressed the button to raise the bed. “How was the rest of the game?”

  “It was tough without you, bro, but we took care of business.” Dugan winked and elaborated on the rest of the game.

  “Mr. Lancaster.” A tiny female doctor whisked though the curtain and shook his hand.

  “Doc?” Heath tried to sit while GiGi and Dugan stepped out.

  “A moderate concussion.” She glanced at his monitor and then to Jordan. “He should feel better every day. No football until you can pass the concussion test.” She patted his shoulder.

  He nodded. “Got it.”

  “The nurse will bring you some prescriptions and instructions. You’re his wife?” She glanced to Jordan.

  “No, but I’ll be his nurse.”

  Heath chuckled.

  “Good luck with that.” The doctor grinned.

  Against his protest, the nurse wheeled him to the exit where Dugan and Gigi waited with the Jeep.

  Jordan sat with Heath in the back and Dugan took the wheel while GiGi followed in her car.

  At the beach house, Dugan helped Heath up the steps.

  Jordan followed him to the bathroom and helped him undress and get into the shower. She held her breath hoping he wouldn’t fall or pass out while he bathed. “You okay?”

  “Just a skull-crunching headache.” He partially opened the shower curtain. “Don’t look so worried. I’m okay.”

  Even though he looked like a conquering Viking standing naked in the tub, he’d been out cold and in an out of consciousness all the way to the hospital.

  “Let’s get you dressed and horizontal.”

  “Being horizontal with you sounds good.” He grinned, cut off the water and accepted the towel. “Forget the clothes.”

  “Funny.” Painkillers talking. She led him to his room and grabbed a pair of shorts and t-shirt from the dresser.

  “I’ll sleep better in the recliner and I want to see Dugan and GiGi before they leave.”

  Anything to get him off his feet for the night. “Okay big guy.”

  Jordan fixed Heath a tall glass of water while he settled in the chair.

  “He probably won’t be interested in food,” Dugan said. “When I had a concussion, I was nauseous for a couple of days.”

  “You’re a pussy.” Heath snorted.

  Dugan glared. “You’re a real comedian on Vicodin, dickwad. Next time you can crawl up the stairs.”

  “Brotherly love.” Jordan turned to GiGi and offered a sympathetic smile.

  “We can stay, if you need us.”

  “Naw, we’ll be fine.” Heath levered the recliner back. “I’ll have Jordan turn on some X-rated cable shows. That should keep me awake.”

  “Don’t you love a smartass fly
ing high on narcotics?” GiGi patted Heath on the shoulder.

  “Thanks, guys. I’ll call you in the morning.” Jordan walked them to the door.

  Heath slipped into a doze.

  She set her phone alarm to ring in an hour. Scanning through the cable menu, she found reruns of a sitcom and sprawled on the sofa.

  When her phone alarmed, Heath woke and took her hand. “Come on, baby, let’s go to bed.”

  His alluring, husky voice caused her to forget for a moment he was injured.

  In the bedroom, he sat on the bed and shrugged off his shorts then pulled her down next to him.

  She snuggled close, resting her head on his bare chest. His easy breathing reassured her and lulled her into a light sleep. Through the night, her phone buzzed a preset times and she woke him as instructed.

  By morning, a wall of warm muscle spooned behind her as sunlight glinted off the dresser mirror. Heath’s erection prodded her rear.

  She hoped it meant his head felt better.

  Last night was a first for her sleeping over at a lover’s place. Until now, she never thought of it as a means of distancing herself from them and staying uninvolved. Maybe deep down she’d suspected her ex was in a relationship because he never asked to stay at her apartment.

  Now, she lay next to a man she’d offered a sexual game and she wished for more. If she were brutally honest, she realized she’d fallen in love with him when fear of losing him had left her helpless. Admitting their days were numbered blurred her vision with unspent tears.

  * * * *

  “You’re thinking too hard,” Heath whispered hoarsely against her ear. Probably about staying the night. He didn’t understand the big deal.

  “Sorry.” She started to turn but he held her still.

  “Mmmm, those sweet cheeks of yours are begging for my attention.” He’d tempt her with other things since she didn’t want to talk.

  She broke his hold and faced him. “How’s your head?”

  “It’s down to a dull ache. Thanks for staying.” He tipped her chin and met her lips. They conformed to his in a tender kiss. He rolled atop of her and braced his weight on his arms.