Line of Scrimmage

by Desiree Holt

  He shrugged. “I’ve had worse. Believe me.”

  “I think you’re exaggerating, but if you say so. Let me elevate that leg again.”

  She worked the pillows under his cast as she had before. When she was finished, she folded the covers back neatly and left them at an angle in case he wanted to pull them up later. And she did all of it while doing her best to touch nothing but his cast.

  “That should take care of things for tonight. But of course please use the intercom if you need me again.”

  She backed away from the bed and headed for the door.

  “Erin?”

  She stopped but didn’t turn around. “Yes?”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” She left the room, closing the door gently behind her.

  Chapter 6

  At six thirty in the morning Erin wasn’t feeling too chipper. She’d had a hard time falling back to sleep after Jake buzzed for her in the middle of the night. By the time she’d got him situated on the bed and elevated his leg again, she’d decided it was useless to go back to bed. Who knew how soon Jake would wake up, and she really wanted to get hold of Ivy.

  After fixing herself a mug of coffee, she carried it to her bedroom—her bedroom?—unplugged her cell from the charger, and speed dialed Ivy.

  “Do you know what time it is?” were Ivy’s first words.

  “You’re damn lucky I didn’t call you hours ago. Ivy Russell, I am going to kill you the minute I lay eyes on you, which better be in the next hour. Or else.”

  Ivy’s yawn echoed over the phone. “No can do, sweetie. I’m leaving for Dallas this morning.”

  “Dallas?” Erin practically screamed the word. “You can’t go to Dallas.”

  Ivy laughed. “You want to try telling that to my boss? I have an appointment with a hot client this afternoon. I expect to be gone for a few days.”

  “Then you’d better figure out a way to get me out of this fucking mess before you hit the road. I’m not kidding, Ivy. This isn’t funny.”

  The silence went on for so long Erin wondered if her friend had hung up on her.

  “Ivy?” she prompted.

  Finally she heard a heavy sigh. “Okay, here’s the deal. I can’t do it because I have a job and as I told you right now I have to leave town. I did try a few people, but there is no one who has all the necessary skills you do.”

  “Necessary skills?” Erin was outraged. “How skillful does one have to be to help him back and forth to the bathroom?”

  “The bathroom?” A peal of laughter erupted. “Oh, that’s just too funny.”

  “Not funny from this end. At least he doesn’t expect me to attend to his personal hygiene.”

  “Really?” Ivy’s voice still held a tinge of humor. “That might be interesting.”

  “Ivy! Damn it anyway.” She drew in a calming breath. “So?”

  “So there is no one else. At least no one who’ll put up with his grumpiness and give it right back to him. And someone who has the skills to deal with the bullshit that’s going to come down.”

  “Bullshit?” Erin squeaked. “Oh, please tell me about it.”

  “Okay. I’m assuming the phone calls haven’t started yet, but be prepared. They will. I know he doesn’t want to talk to anyone, especially the players who are out there doing what he can’t right now.”

  “That’s the damn truth,” she muttered.

  “What? What did you say?”

  “Nothing. What else?”

  “We’ve gone over all this before, but it can’t hurt to repeat it. God knows how many women might have his number and want to pester him, although he’s not one to give it out easily. That’s not his style.”

  “Stingy with the number. Got it.” Erin took a fortifying sip of the coffee. “So where do they get it from?”

  “Some of his teammates have a hard time growing up.” Ivy sounded irritated. “They think it’s a kick to pass his number around and tell the football groupies they should call him.”

  “Well that certainly sucks.”

  “Yeah, he’s had to change it a couple of times.”

  Erin felt a headache coming on. “What else?”

  “He does some charity work that he likes to be low key about. I mean, like he wants no one to know about it.” She rattled off the names of a shelter for homeless women and children and a sports league for underprivileged kids.

  Erin was stunned. She never imagined Jake or any other player would be at all interested in philanthropy or volunteer work. Oh, she knew about all the hospital visits these guys made to children, but she always assumed that was more for publicity than anything else. She’d figured the minute the cameras were gone, so were the jocks.

  “Why does he want to hide it?” she asked. “I’d think he’d want everyone to know. I mean, not just for his ego but to get other people to contribute.”

  When Ivy didn’t answer at once, Erin began to wonder if they’d been disconnected.

  “He has his reasons,” Ivy said at last, “and they are very private. Don’t bring it up to him.”

  “Not me. Anyway, I didn’t realize he was that, um, philanthropic.”

  “See there?” Ivy said. “Maybe you’ve been giving him—and the other guys—a bum rap all this time.”

  “Ha!” She sniffed. “Remember, I’ve seen them in action.”

  “But only when they’ve been pumped about a game or a victory.” She paused. “Make this work, Erin. He needs someone to help him through this, and it has to be someone who can put him in his place when necessary. And put up with his bullshit.”

  “Well, thank you so very much for throwing me under this bus.”

  Damn! Damn! Damn!

  “You can do this. I know you can. And if you call me, from now on I promise to answer. And I’ll check in more frequently. Scout’s honor. But please. Just handle this for me. Okay? And for Jake?” Her voice softened. “Erin, he and I—we’ve only got each other. I’m sorry I tricked you into this, but I wouldn’t trust him to just anyone. Please do this for me.”

  Well, damn. How could she say no to that? She wondered exactly what Ivy meant about having no one. Didn’t everyone have relatives of some kind? But this wasn’t the time to discuss it.

  “I might end up killing him before this is over,” she pointed out. “Are you good with that?”

  “I’ll owe you big time.”

  “Yes, you will. By the way”—she tightened her grip on the phone—”you didn’t say exactly how long this was for. Just a few weeks, you told me. How long should it take?”

  “Just until he gets the cast off his wrist and can get around with crutches. Maybe have a walking cast.”

  “How long, Ivy?” she demanded.

  “Um, I think they said about two months. Or maybe three.”

  “Three months?” Erin screeched. “Are you kidding me? There’s no damn way I’ll last here three months.”

  “Sure you will. Okay, gotta run. Bye.”

  Erin stood there looking at the phone and wondering how the hell she was going to do this. Besides doing all the fetching and carrying, she had to battle this unwanted attraction to him that just didn’t seem to go away, no matter how hard she tried.

  Too agitated to get any rest, and accepting that she wouldn’t be out of this house anytime soon, she decided to unpack her suitcases and set up her laptop. Then, swallowing the last of her coffee, she headed for the bathroom and a hot shower.

  Although maybe what she needed was a cold one.

  * * * *

  Jake looked at the woman spread out before him on the bed. The rosy tips of her breasts complemented the dark thatch of red hair covering her mound. Slowly he pulled one tight nipple into his mouth, sucking on it, then grazing it lightly with his teeth as it hardened beneath his touch. Erin gave a small moan as she arched her breasts up to him, pushing herself up to his mouth. Lord, he could play with these magnificent bre
asts forever if he didn’t have other areas of her body he wanted to taste and enjoy.

  He laced a light kiss at the hollow of her throat where her pulse fluttered before laying a trail of kisses down through the valley between her breasts. Her skin was so soft, like brushed satin, and smelled faintly of roses. Her scent traveled through his body right down to his dick that was already painfully hard.

  He took a moment to trace his tongue through the circle of her belly button before moving his mouth lower. He inhaled deeply and the scent of her musk filled his nostrils. She smelled like heaven, maybe even better. He thought for sure he could get drunk from the perfume of her body. And when he dipped his head lower and inhaled again, all the blood in his body headed straight to his already throbbing groin.

  He ran his tongue between the lips of her pussy, humming in satisfaction at the delicious taste of her. He wanted to take the time to feast on her, but he didn’t think he could wait any longer. He reached into the nightstand drawer and retrieved a condom, then ripped the foil open with his teeth and sheathed himself. At the first thrust into her body, he had to stop and hold his breath, afraid it would be all over in a second if he didn’t find some control.

  Erin wound her legs around his hips and then drew herself closer to him, locking her ankles together at the small of his back. The feel of her was so exquisite, the tightness of her pussy around him so incredible, he wanted to stay like this forever.

  But she pulled herself to him a little more tightly, and that triggered his movements. He wove his fingers into the lush red hair tumbling around her face, holding her head in place so he could look into her eyes, seeing the hazel with its incredible gold flecks. Slowly at first, then faster, he drove in and out of her hot, wet heat, sliding against the slickness of her flesh. She gripped him like a vise with her inner walls, clamping down on him with the force of a fist.

  Jake was sure he’d died and gone to heaven. The taste of this woman, her scent, the feel of her, were more sensual than anything he’d ever experienced. More, he told himself, and picked up the pace, thrusting into her harder and faster. He locked his gaze with hers, seeing desire in her eyes as strong as his own.

  He drove into her again, stronger this time and—

  Jake came awake with a start and looked around, confused. Okay, he was in his room, in his bed, with—

  With his hand wrapped around his damn dick, about to explode.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  Then it hit him. The dream. Erin. Her sexy body beneath him, just as he’d dreamed about every night. Just as he remembered from their one night together. Hot and sweet and so sensuous she drove him right out of his mind. This wasn’t the first dream he’d had about her, not by a long shot. While he might not have had an orgasm in the dream, tonight his body was more than ready for it. In other circumstances, he would have made his way to the shower and finished himself off there. But he couldn’t even get out of the damn bed by himself right now.

  Eyes fastened on the door, he worried that Erin would pick this particular moment to barge in—wait, she never barged. Okay, knock on the door and come in to check on him. And his cock was begging for him to finish, for God’s sake.

  As aroused as he was it didn’t take long. He closed his eyes, imagined her delicious naked body again, and three or four quick strokes finished him off. He felt the semen spill over his fingers, felt the racing of his heart, and forced himself to draw slow breaths to control it. At last the tension eased from his body, his breathing slowed, and he opened his eyes.

  Just in time to hear a tap on the door and see it opening.

  “Jake? I thought I heard you cry out in here and—” She stopped, still as a statue, with her hand still on the knob of the partially opened door. Her jaw dropped and a delicate red flush crept up her creamy skin.

  “Uh, sorry. I thought I heard—I’ll, uh, come back later.”

  “Wait!” he practically shouted the word. “I find myself in a very embarrassing position here. Extremely embarrassing.” He blew out a breath. “I’m not sure quite how to explain this to you.”

  She stood in the doorway, her eyes widening as she took in every bit of his situation. “I, uh, think I can figure it out for myself.”

  He stared at her as he still clutched his now semi-hard dick, his hand damp and sticky, his shorts not much better, and wondered how much longer she would make him suffer. Or continue to be embarrassed. Finally she chuffed a sigh and moved forward.

  Despite the fact that he needed to clean himself up and his leg was beginning to hurt like a motherfucker again, he had to give her credit. She wasn’t running like a scared kitten.

  “Is this considered one of my executive assistant duties?” She was standing beside the bed now and apparently she had a wicked sense of humor. “Because I didn’t see it in my job description.”

  He wished she’d quit staring at his groin and get on with it. The longer she took the more humiliated he felt.

  “The home health care person won’t even be here for a couple more hours,” he told her. “You don’t want me lying here in this mess until then, do you? I mean, come on. I’ll beg if that will help.”

  Would she do it? Shit, he hoped so. He wanted to feel her soft hands on him, any way he could get it.

  “I think the embarrassment is enough.” Her plump lips curved in a tiny smile. “You are embarrassed, right?” Then she gave an exaggerated sigh. “Maybe I’ll just pretend I’m your nurse.”

  “Whatever it takes,” he told her. “You know, you could just bring me a cloth and a towel and I could do it myself.”

  But that wasn’t what he wanted. Could he convey the message without saying it out loud? Did she understand just from the way he looked at her that he really wanted her to take care of him?

  “But then I wouldn’t be living up to my responsibilities, right? Besides, with your casts and your injuries it will be next to impossible.”

  That was the damn truth. The thought of her soft hands on his cock and his balls was too much to resist. He watched as she walked into the bathroom, eyes fastened on the delightful sway of her hips. Hips he’d held in his grip while he plunged into her and—

  Nope. Not going there. He’d be primed for another little accident. He made himself take deep slow breaths while he listened to the water running. Then she was back, a towel in one hand, a damp washcloth in the other. And a businesslike attitude.

  Well, hell.

  “Okay, then let’s play hospital.”

  He saw a slight tremor in her hands as she sponged his fingers carefully after he eased his grip on his dick. She dried his hand off, then set the towel on the nightstand with the wash cloth on top of it.

  “Don’t you want to know how this happened?” His voice was low and thick. “I don’t normally just lay here in bed and jerk off.”

  Her face reddened with a delicate blush. “I think I’ll pass. Thanks anyway.”

  “What if I told you I was dreaming about you?”

  “Jake, please.”

  “Please what?” he teased. “Tell you the details?”

  “Please don’t tell me anything.” She made her voice as noncommittal as possible. “Okay. We have to get those shorts off,” she told him, “and I don’t think that’s going to be a lot of fun for you. I’ll be as careful as I can.”

  “Just do what you have to.”

  She untied the string on his shorts and began to ease them over his hips and down his legs. He sucked in a breath as she bent his uninjured leg so she could free that one first, then eased the fabric down over the cast. He hadn’t taken a pain pill since before he went to sleep, and the places in the damaged leg where they’d operated were throbbing like crazy. When she finally got the shorts free and tossed them to the floor, she picked up the washcloth again, and keeping her eyes averted from his, bathed his cock and his balls. She might pretend she was unaffected, but he saw that blush stain her cheeks again and her hands shook just the tin
iest bit.

  She dried him off and carried the cloth and towel toward the bathroom.

  “There’s a hamper in my closet,” he called out.

  Erin made a sharp turn into his walk-in closet. When she emerged she asked, “Fresh shorts?”

  “Third drawer in the dresser on the right hand side.”

  Getting the clean shorts on was nearly as bad as taking off the old ones. Finally she had him settled again, the pillows behind his head plumped, the ones beneath his injured leg rearranged. She took a step back and studied his face.

  “Pain pills,” she announced, and headed to the bathroom where she’d stashed them.

  “Nope,” he ground out, when she was back with them. “Still not taking them.”

  “Tough guy, aren’t you? There’s no need for you to lie here in pain, Jake. You had a severe injury to your leg and some complicated surgery. You might even do yourself damage if you don’t ease the pain.”

  “Fine. Fine, fine, fine.” He was getting pissed off all over again at the injustice of the whole situation, never mind that she might be right. “Just give the cripple his pills and go about your business.”

  He expected a smart comeback from her, but she just shook out two of his pills and handed them to him with the bottle on his nightstand.

  She looked at her watch. “It’s seven thirty.”

  He frowned. “Yeah? And you’re all dressed. What the hell time did you get up?”

  “Early. I’m an early riser. Would you like some coffee and juice? Your home care person will be here at ten o’clock. When he left yesterday he said that’s the time he’ll be here every day.”

  “Did you ever get hold of Ivy?”

  “Yes.” She nibbled her lip, then wiped all expression from her face. Still, he could see anger blazing in her eyes.

  Uh-oh.

  “I take it that did not go well. When is she coming over?”

  She tightened her fists and shoved them into her pockets. Today she was wearing slim jeans and a soft shirt that draped too nicely over her breasts.

  “She’s not. She’s going out of town.”