Hate to Love You

by Jennifer Sucevic

I pull away just enough to ask, “So…any interest in christening this place before we put in an offer?”

  She bursts out laughing like I’m joking around. “Brody…”

  “I’m completely serious, Davies.” Breaking apart, I drag her to the master bedroom, which, if I remember correctly, has a plush area rug we can take advantage of. “Let’s go make this place ours.”

  Epilogue

  Brody

  Two years later…

  The door to the condo opens and in strolls my wife.

  Yup, that’s right.

  My wife.

  We’ve been married for two months. Oh, you better believe I locked that shit down. As soon as I wrapped up my first season with the Milwaukee Mavericks, we got hitched and took a two-week honeymoon in Bora Bora. The place we stayed in was ultra-secluded, which is a polite way of saying that there was a whole heck of a lot of naked beach time going on.

  Goddamn, I miss seeing my wife frolicking in the water with nothing more than a sunhat. Come hell or high water, we’ll be heading back to the island for two weeks every year if I have anything to say about it.

  Because I’m in the running for a husband-of-the-year award, dinner is already plated and waiting on the terrace for Natalie. It’s just something simple—salad and spaghetti. During the off-season, I like to try my hand at some new recipes. Although I’m not under any illusions that I’m some kind of wizard in the kitchen. But, by the number of BJs I’ve received lately, I’d have to say that my culinary efforts are very much appreciated. And since I’m quick on the uptake, you bet your ass I’ll continue to have dinner waiting for my wife after she puts in a long day at the office.

  Now, would I love it if she didn’t work and we could spend more time together—naked and in bed, preferably? Hell, yeah. But a career in personal finance is what Natalie wants. And all I want is for my woman to be happy. We make this relationship work by supporting each other. That’s never going to change.

  “Hey, babe,” I say as she joins me in the living room. “Dinner and a glass of wine are already waiting for you on the terrace.”

  Natalie flashes me a grateful smile and slips off her heels before pulling the rubber band from her hair so that the shiny strands fall in a thick curtain around her shoulders.

  An arrow of lust shoots through me as I watch her. But it’s more than that. So much more than I ever could have expected when I caught my first glimpse of her across a crowded lecture hall.

  How the fuck did I get so lucky?

  I have no idea, but I’m going to hold on to it with both hands and never let go.

  “Have I told you how much I love you lately?” she asks.

  “Nope.” I point to my lips. “Give me some sugar, sugar.”

  She smirks and saunters over, twining her arms around my neck and pulling my face down to meet hers. “I love you,” she whispers huskily before feathering her mouth against mine.

  I immediately open and her tongue sweeps inside. The simple caress gives me an erection. Dinner is now the last thing on my mind. I want to pick Natalie up and carry her to the bedroom. I think the spaghetti will be just fine heated up in an hour or so. And if it’s not, we’ll order takeout.

  Been there, done that.

  “I love you, too,” I growl.

  Unable to wait a moment longer, my fingers attack the buttons of her shirt. She looks sexy as hell in a silky white blouse and tight pencil skirt that hits right above her knees. And let’s not forget the black heels.

  Professional Natalie is hot as fuck.

  Since me ripping off her clothing is a nightly occurrence, I know exactly what I’m going to find beneath her corporate wear—black thigh-high stockings and sexy undergarments. I’m impatient to see which matching bra and panty set she picked out this morning.

  The image of Natalie standing in the middle of our living room with the late afternoon sun pouring in wearing nothing more than her underwear, stockings, and heels is enough to make me sport some major wood.

  No matter how many times I have her, it’s never enough. My addiction only grows stronger.

  Thank God, she’s just as needy as I am.

  This whole thing between us may have started out as some kind of BS relationship, but it’s evolved into the most important one in my life.

  Once I peel the blouse from her body, I unhook the skirt and shove it down her narrow hips until she stands in front of me exactly how I imagined.

  This girl is a wet dream come to life. And she’s mine. She will always be mine.

  I groan and fall to my knees, staring up at her with open adoration. “Fuck, baby, you look hot.”

  Natalie smiles. Her hands stroke over my cheeks, her fingernails scraping along the five o’clock shadow darkening my jawline. I expect her to say something to the effect of, take me to bed or fuck me right here, you big stud.

  But she doesn’t.

  Instead, she says, “I spoke with Amber today.”

  I blink. “Huh?” If I don’t shut down this conversation pronto, my boner will deflate faster than you can say stepmother.

  “She’s expecting again,” Natalie says, continuing to stroke my face with her fingers.

  I groan. The process of softening has now commenced. “Really?” I grunt, hoping all is not lost. “Do we really have to discuss this right now when I’ve got you exactly where I want you?” She needs to throw me a bone. I’ve been slaving away over a hot stove all day making her dinner…Okay, not really. But still, I deserve a reward for my efforts.

  Her shoulders tremble with silent mirth. “I thought you’d want to know that you’re going to have another sibling.”

  I shake my head, trying to rid the image of just how that baby got in my stepmother’s belly. I almost shudder. “We have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment, if you know what I mean.” Which I’m sure she does. “I think you could have waited an hour or so to share the good news,” I grumble. Leaning forward, I feather a kiss over her lace-covered pussy.

  Her fingers tunnel through my hair. Gah…I love when she does that. “Well, I thought you might want to know that they won’t be the only ones with a baby in seven months.”

  Wait…What?

  My movements still as my eyes arrow to her brightly shining ones.

  “I’m pregnant,” she whispers with a growing smile.

  “How did this happen?” The question shoots out of my mouth before I can stop it.

  Natalie cocks a brow. “Do I really need to explain that to you, Brody? I mean, I can, but I thought…” She shrugs.

  “No,” I chuckle. That’s my girl, always a smartass. Of course, I wouldn’t have her any other way. This is the woman I fell head over heels in love with. “I meant, how did this happen since we were using protection?”

  She shakes her head and nibbles on her bottom lip. For the first time during this conversation, uncertainty flickers in her dark eyes. “I forgot to take my pill a few times when we were on vacation.” Her voice lowers, some of her happiness dimming. “Are you upset? I know we talked about waiting a few years before starting a family.”

  Still on my knees, I wrap my arms around her hips and pull her toward me until I can lay my head against her belly. How did I not see this before? Natalie has always had a perfectly flat abdomen. Now there’s a slight roundness to it. Not that anyone would notice, but I see her naked every night and didn’t think anything of it.

  “Are you kidding me? I’m fucking thrilled.” And I am.

  I turn my face so I can meet her eyes again. So she can see the truth of my words.

  “Really?” she whispers, still looking unsure. I hate that I’ve taken away even a moment of her joy.

  “Of course, I am. I love you. And I love that we created this baby on our honeymoon. It makes it even more special.”

  I lay a kiss against her belly and rise to my feet. In one swift motion, I sweep Natalie off hers and carry her to the bedroom. She beams at me, and there’s so much love shining in her eyes th
at it makes me feel like the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

  Yeah, we’ll definitely be ordering takeout in roughly two hours.

  Three, if I have anything to do with it.

  Now, if you’ll excuse us, you bunch of nosy bastards, I’m going to make slow love to my gorgeous wife. And maybe, just for shits and giggles, I’ll have her explain how babies are made. Because the thought of all the demonstrating she’ll have to do gets me all hot and bothered.

  ~The End~

  If You Were Mine

  Available Now!

  Chapter One

  Claire

  Narrowing my eyes, I watch him from my covert position inside the house. Even when we’re nowhere near each other, the man is still able to burrow his way deep under my skin. Like an itch I just can’t scratch. It’s irritating as hell.

  No… he’s irritating as hell.

  Someone needs to explain to me why he even bothered showing up today.

  This is hardly his scene.

  At this very moment, he’s lounging on the patio in a pair of vibrantly colored board shorts. His long, thickly muscled legs are stretched out lazily in front of him. Even though there’s a small smile curving his lips upwards, he can’t possibly be enjoying himself. He’s probably bored out of his ever-loving mind. This is, after all, some G-rated, Disney-esque family barbecue. This is hardly some wild, drunken orgy where women are going to be abandoning their bikinis in an hour or two because they’re so liquored up.

  Just in case you were wondering- JT Higgins is more of a drunken orgy kind of guy. Trust me, my conclusions haven’t been drawn from a few questionable lapses in judgment on his part. Oh no. It’s taken years for him to cultivate this kind of reputation. He was already making a name for himself at whatever Big Ten university he attended before being drafted by Green Bay three years ago. He may play professional football, but he’s even more notorious for his alcohol induced antics, bar brawls, and of course, the females who flock to him in droves.

  For the life of me, I can’t figure out why any self-respecting woman would actually want to be with him. Let alone broadcast it to the world at large. It’s a well-known fact that the guy dips his wick in anything that moves. Gross. The only possible upside I can see to all his activity is that he’s probably keeping some clinic in business with penicillin and swab tests.

  And it’s not just groupies who lose their minds over him either. He’s been linked with his fair share of actresses and models as well. I think he was even seeing two chicks from the US Women’s National Soccer Team last year.

  At the same time.

  From what I read online, it didn’t end well.

  “Why is who here?”

  Not realizing that I must have muttered those words out loud, my brother’s wife, Gia, steps beside me before slowly scanning the backyard as if she can pick out who I’m talking about. Gently she bounces four-month-old baby Max in her arms.

  Yanked right out of my thoughts, I try covering my slip up. “Hmmm? What? Did I say something?”

  Since her arms are full of baby, she nods towards the patio where about seventy people are enjoying the early September sunshine. It’s definitely a loud, boisterous group. All football players and their wives or girlfriends and offspring. People are lounging in the pool or playing bocce ball in the sand pit. A volleyball net has also been set up on the wide, expansive back lawn. Others are just hanging out at the many tables that have been scattered around the brick paver patio.

  This is the fifth year that my brother, Liam, has hosted a Labor Day party at his place. Everyone from the team is invited. Since it’s always more or less of an open house, friends and teammates will drop by throughout the day. The party starts around two, lasting well into the night before ending with a professional firework display.

  This is my fourth year attending. It’s something I look forward to all summer long. Everyone always has a good time. Liam and Gia are gracious hosts and go out of their way to make everyone feel welcome and included. Plus, there’s plenty of food and drinks being served. If you walk away hungry at the end of this party, it’s your own fault.

  Gia gives me a knowing look before asking again, “Who were you talking about?”

  A slight blush creeps its way up my cheeks as the fib slides right off my lips. “No one. Just mumbling to myself.”

  Narrowing her blue eyes, she gives me one of those deep speculative stares that under normal circumstances would leave me squirming on the spot. Thankfully she doesn’t push the issue.

  As far as I’m concerned, JT is a complete ass. He’s definitely not worth wasting my breath on. Especially when there’s a party in full swing. I’m just going to ignore him. Should be simple enough. It’s not like I haven’t had lots of practice.

  Out of all the players on the team, why did my brother have to take an interest in JT Higgins? It was bad enough having to run into him every so often at team events and functions, but now he seems to be hanging around all the time. It probably wouldn’t be so bad if he weren’t always trying to strike up a conversation.

  But that’s exactly what he does.

  Even though he knows perfectly well that I don’t care for him.

  This is JT’s fourth season with Green Bay. Fingers crossed, it might just be his last. It seems as though the powers that be of the organization have finally had enough of his shenanigans.

  JT was told at the end of last season to either shape up, or he was getting traded. That’s unfortunately when my brother decided to step in. I think the GM and coaches see my older brother as being settled and mature even though he’s only twenty-seven. Liam has been married for almost six years now and has three small kids. Ty who is five, Charlotte who is three, and baby Max. I think the higher ups were hoping that Liam would miraculously rub off on the younger man.

  I narrow my eyes again.

  Because it’s entirely possible that he has.

  It’s been at least eight months since JT was involved in any kind of fight. He’s still photographed with women, but it doesn’t seem to be at the crazy extent it once was. And it’s never with the same woman twice. There’s a revolving door of them as if he just can’t choose one.

  He even bought a house in the same gated community as my brother about six months ago. Which means that he is forever dropping by unannounced. Thankfully I don’t live here, so I miss a lot of that. But I usually have dinner with Liam, Gia, and the kids every Thursday night. It’s a family thing we’ve been doing ever since I moved out here to attend college three years ago. I’m all too aware that at the end of the day, family is all you have.

  When I was ten years old, my mother just disappeared from our lives. One day we came home from school to find a note propped up on the kitchen table. My father couldn’t deal with her leaving and spiraled into his own abyss. Drinking. Job loss. Gambling. Eventually, we lost our house. My dad’s unreliability forced Liam to grow up fast and take responsibility for everything.

  My other brother, Cullum, who is two years older than me, took her leaving the hardest. He also got the shortest end of the stick. To keep us financially afloat, Cullum ended up quitting wrestling and football so he could get a job and help financially support the family.

  So yeah… I don’t take family lightly. I know exactly how important we are to one another. And Gia is now part of that family, too. She’s the sister I never had, but always wanted.

  So getting together for family dinners on Thursday night is kind of our thing. Except for Cullum, who doesn’t live here, it’s a chance for us to all be in one place at the same time and talk about everything that’s going on in our lives. Even though school can get pretty busy, I make a point to never miss them.

  What doesn’t make sense is that JT has started showing up to our Thursday night dinners. The first time, I thought it was merely a fluke. But then it happened the following week and the week after that. I have a difficult time even being civil to the guy. I’d prefer for our worlds to not collide, b
ut apparently my wishes don’t matter because I swear he’s around more than ever before. So I do the only thing I can and grit my teeth all the while pretending he doesn’t exist.

  Which is rude, I know.

  But I don’t particularly care.

  When JT first arrived in Green Bay, I was eighteen years old. I’d just moved here to attend the University of Wisconsin- Green Bay because my brother had been drafted as a quarterback three years earlier. And I wanted to get out of the city I’d grown up in. I could have easily gone to Barnett University like my brother, but I didn’t want that. I wanted a fresh start some place new. Plus, I’d wanted to be near Liam and his growing family.

  So really, JT and I came here at the same time.

  At that point, I knew absolutely nothing about him. Just because Liam plays football doesn’t necessarily mean I follow it.

  I’ll freely admit that when I first glimpsed JT in person, I was completely bowled over. Say what you want about him- he’s absolutely gorgeous. Tall and muscular with a face that is angular and chiseled. All of that coupled with his shaggy blond hair that usually gets pulled back with one of those headband thingies that some guys wear for sports. I’m not into that kind of look, but he wears it well. Add in a blindingly white smile, unusual light green eyes, and a sexual magnetism that’s hard to resist and you have JT Higgins wrapped up neatly in a package with a bow.

  Needless to say, he made my heart go pitter-patter the first time I caught sight of him. And I hadn’t had that kind of thing happen very often. If at all. Because academics have never come easy for me, I spent most of high school focused on my studies and little else.

  Since JT was part of the Green Bay organization and I ended up attending a lot of team functions with Gia and Liam, I found myself coming into contact with him upon occasion. Almost all of the guys on the team treat me like something of a little sister. No one has ever hit on me or made me feel uncomfortable in any kind of sexual way. I don’t think they would dare mess with their QB’s little sister. Plus, I think they all know just how crazy protective Liam is regarding his family.