Exploring the Rules: An Enemies-to-Lovers Sports Romance Standalone

by Mariah Dietz

  Ty’s eyebrows jump as he pulls his hands out of his pockets, still scanning over the crowds. “What happened?”

  “Which guy?” Cooper asks.

  Nessie glances at me and then the others. “Thanks again, guys. Have a great night.” She wraps both hands around Cooper’s arm and leads him to the corner so we can cross the street.

  Tyler’s unease is apparent, which has me offering a quick wave to the strangers and weaving my hand in his.

  “Let’s go,” I tell him.

  His muscles are constricted, reluctant to leave. “Is that him?”

  I glance up at where the bearded man is waving at us like the moron he clearly is. “While I really enjoy seeing new sights, jail is not a place I want to see,” I tell him. “He was dumb and drunk, and he’s going to go to bed and wake up with a killer hangover and likely a broken nose if he continues this. Meanwhile, we can go and celebrate our last night in Vegas. Alone. Not in a jail cell.”

  His jaw flexes with irritation, and then he pulls out his phone and hits a few buttons before slipping his arm securely around my waist.

  We catch up to Nessie and Cooper, who’s still growling out threats and asking for details as they wait for the crosswalk.

  “It was nothing,” she assures him.

  “I saw your face.” He looks at me. “I don’t understand why you guys won’t just tell me what happened?”

  “Because we handled it,” Nessie says, placing a hand on her chest. “You heard that woman. We were badasses.” She tries to dazzle him with a smile, but Coop’s got his protective growly side on, the one that he’s always had toward us, even when he was the scrawny book nerd before the muscles and height kicked in to make him a legitimate threat.

  Cooper swings his gaze to mine. It’s a challenge, a demand that stands on ten years of friendship and not keeping (many) secrets from one another.

  I sigh, glancing across the street where the guy is still standing with his friends. “The guy was being a douche. He had some liquid courage and backwoods audacity and asked if we were hookers.”

  Tyler stiffens, and my grip on his hand tightens reflexively. “And we handled it,” I repeat Nessie’s words. “Team badass.” We high five each other.

  Cooper’s eyes are sharp as they search mine to see if I’m withholding any additional details before he releases a deep sigh. “Next time, just kick the asshole in the nuts.”

  I grin. “Deal.”

  “I sent his picture to the head of security at the hotel. He’ll contact the cops and have him followed, make sure he doesn’t act like a fucking tosser to others.” Tyler says before taking a long breath through his nose.

  “Good. Hopefully, he fucks up again and gets arrested.” Cooper stabs the elevator button with his finger.

  I glance at Nessie, releasing a heavy sigh. I was hoping this night would be filled with laughter and fun as we celebrated our final night in Vegas, rather than being accused of being a hooker for the second time in two days. I glance at my reflection in the doors, studying my dress and hair and makeup. At the beginning of this night, I’d been concerned I hadn’t looked sexy enough, my pink dress looking more like something I’d wear to a wedding than a Vegas club. Yet, the invisible label of “hooker” makes me feel tarnished in a way that makes my regret for this evening wane as my annoyance at others making me feel less with such simple and careless words burns across my skin.

  21

  Tyler

  “Hey, Nessie, truth or dare?” Chloe says as the lift doors close. She raises her chin and straightens her shoulders, attempting to push the bullshit out. It’s something she constantly does, and one of the things that’s always drawn me to her. She hates to focus on the lows, which I’m convinced is the only reason she thinks I’m redeemable.

  Vanessa turns to her, a smile creeping across her features. “I was wondering whose turn it was. Oh, man … truth?”

  Chloe grins. “If you woke up as a guy tomorrow, what’s the first thing you’d do?”

  Cooper shouts out an unintelligible objection as Vanessa laughs. “I’d freaking find out if morning wood is a myth.”

  Chloe’s nose crinkles with a giggle. “You’re so lying. You’d be outside peeing your name on the sidewalk.”

  “Oh my gosh, you’re right.” Vanessa belts out a laugh, her hand reaching for Chloe’s arm as the two start giggling, talking more with hand motions than actual words.

  “What would you do?” Vanessa asks, looking at Cooper.

  “Are you kidding? If I had boobs, I might never leave the house again,” he admits. “Tell them, Ty.”

  I consider the idea of waking up as a woman and shake my head. “You’re not wrong.”

  The tension seems to stay in the lift as we pile out into the suite. “Goodnight,” Nessie says, hugging Chloe and kissing her cheek. “Love you.”

  “Love you, too,” Chloe says before giving Coop a side hug. He kisses the top of her head, an action I’ve seen no less than a hundred times that only tonight registers about the significance of their connection. He read her emotions so quickly, recognizing something was amiss before he even realized it with Vanessa.

  Vanessa hugs me, her head turned, watching the same interaction. “It’s not…” She shakes her head. “It’s innocent,” she tells me.

  I nod, knowing it is, and yet I still feel the pang of jealousy as I watch the two laugh.

  Chloe’s eyes drift to mine, and her smile changes, growing as our eyes connect.

  “Let’s go to bed,” Vanessa says, placing an arm around Cooper and heading toward the stairs.

  I grab a glass and fill it with water, knowing it’s a part of Chloe’s nightly routine. “What are you thinking about?”

  “Are you sure you want to hear all this? Because a lot is going on up here.” She motions to her head.

  “I want to hear it all. All the unedited contemplations of Chloe Robinson.”

  Chloe looks at me, her eyes deep pools of thoughts and emotions that make me want to jump into the deepest end. She walks closer, stopping at the counter across from me where she leans back, crossing one ankle over the other. “I hate that men call women whores and hookers and cunts. I hate that it bothers me when they do because I know it’s a power game and that it reflects on them and not the person they’re speaking to, but I really hate that it devalues my sexuality. I went from having this incredibly hot and intimate moment with you that made me feel beautiful and desired and happy, and one stupid and callous idiot said something to me, and now I’m feeling like I should be wearing baggy sweatshirts and jeans so people can’t see my body.

  “It’s like if I’m too feminine, I’m a skank, and if I’m not, I’m ugly. There’s this tiny fine line, and it’s so easy to breach it.”

  The aggression I’d felt outside when Cooper recognized there was an issue comes back with a vengeance, knitting itself into my skin, wanting retribution. Yet, I have little doubt that vengeance is what Chloe’s seeking. I set the glass of water on the counter, hating that this is likely only going to get worse for her when we return to Brighton and the rumors start to fly about us dating because I’ve seen it happen—watched as people made something out of nothing. Someone feels inadequate or jealous, and that leads to judgment and hurtful words. I want to protect her from that ugly side. “Fuck that bloke. Tonight was perfect. You were perfect.”

  Her eyes fall from mine, and I move closer to her, tipping her chin up with my forefinger until her gorgeous green eyes meet mine. “Chloe, you’re always perfect. Whether you’re wearing sweatpants or a dress, there’s never a single moment I see anything except perfection. And that chap did too, and you’re absolutely right, he wanted to tear you down to make himself feel like more because he probably has a pencil dick that he’s trying to make up for by being an absolute tool. And to be honest, I can talk a big game about not caring about it or what anyone says, but in reality, I’d like nothing more than to make him bleed.”

  She smirks. “Karma will ca
tch up with him.”

  I nod. “Hopefully in the form of a broken femur.”

  Chloe laughs, and I feel her shoulders relax. I slide my hands to either of her hips, tugging her toward me so she’s pressed against my chest, her eyes brightening as she grabs my forearms to brace herself. I skim my nose across her cheekbone. “Let’s go to bed. We have another long day in the car tomorrow.”

  She turns her neck to look at me, but she remains silent.

  “What?”

  She shakes her head. “Nothing.” She takes a step back, reaching for the glass of water I’d filled for her, and takes a long drink before refilling it. Frustration rattles in my chest, reminding me how I’ve spent the past two years working not to be able to interpret all her small habits and expressions and how much I now regret it. I want to be able to read her as easily as Cooper can—know with a single glance that something is wrong and have an educated guess on what it entails.

  I take her hand as she reaches for her newly filled glass, twisting her in my arms like it’s a dance move. It earns me a radiating smile. “I want to know what you’re thinking. I want to give you what you want.” I slip my fingers into her hair, my palms resting along her jaw. Her gaze quickly diverts from mine, making me think she’s going to pull away or remind me this is my own doing.

  “I just…” She pauses, licking her lips. “I wanted to continue what we started at the show, and I thought when you mentioned me staying in your room you…”

  Confidence courses through my veins like adrenaline. “Chloe, if you ever … ever want me or want me to pleasure you, all you have to do is ask. That is something I will do regardless of the day or time or whatever is on my fucking calendar.”

  She moves her gaze to meet mine. “Things were going so well tonight, and then … if we hadn’t…”

  I shake my head. “Fuck that guy. Fuck what he thinks. It means absolute shit to me. The only reason I care is that it affected you. I was already planning to take you upstairs and spread you in front of the Vegas skyline, but I didn’t want to suggest that after that wanker made you feel like he did. This means we both want to shag, and we both think that guy is Napoleon Bonaparte level of arsehole.”

  Her grin returns, as well as that flash in her eyes that I’d seen when I pulled her against me, and I quickly file the detail away as pertinent information. “Well, if you’re sure you’re not too tired…”

  In one quick move, I hoist her over my shoulder, making her yelp, followed by a train of giggles and warnings as I move toward the stairs.

  “Ty!” she exclaims when I climb the steps two at a time. “I’m not wearing underwear.”

  I slide my hand over the back of her exposed thighs, skimming across her impossibly soft skin until I reach her exposed backside. I knead my fingers into the globe of her arse, wishing for a moment that Cooper and Vanessa weren’t here because I’d make it a personal mission to have sex on every object of this hotel suite. On the kitchen island with her legs spread, on the stairs from behind, on the chair in the study… She giggles again, but it’s softer, throatier. I grip her backside fully, tracing her seam as I pull my hand back so I can open the bedroom door.

  I close the door and leave the lights off, the opened shades and bright skyline illuminating my path to the bed. I set her on her feet because tonight I want to see all of her, taste every inch of skin, explore every bit of Chloe. Her smile is playful as I stand to my full height. I shuck off my jacket, tossing it to the bench at the end of the bed. I release the buttons at my wrists and loosen my tie, studying her reaction to each of my movements like film for football, noting how her eyes dilate and darken with lust.

  She reaches for my shirt, tugging it loose from my dress pants and quickly working through the buttons. I toss it and my tie to join my jacket, and then her fingers impatiently peel at my white tee. I reach for the hem, ridding it with a quick pull and letting it fall to our feet. Her eyes dance over my chest as her fingers slowly glide across my skin, looking at me like I’m something to marvel. Then her green gaze lifts to mine, and something registers in her eyes—an emotion that steals my breath and wayward past and makes me feel like a giant among men, all because of a single look that my mind is racing to memorize and replace all the doubt.

  I slant my lips over hers, her mouth still cold from the water she drank downstairs. Her scent fills my lungs and ushers my thoughts until I’m consumed with her. Our tongues twist and breaths mingle while our hands roam possessively. I run my thumb over her breast, and her body arches as she quietly gasps, tipping me from desire to pure need.

  “In the back,” Chloe says, reading my thoughts. “Three buttons at the top, zipper at my back.” She turns, and I follow the directions, reigning in my weakening patience to keep myself from tearing at the fabric. The pink dress slips down her soft curves, exposing a teal bra and her bare arase that have my cock straining against the fly of my pants.

  Chloe turns, slipping her heels off and letting them fall with a soft thump, and then my hands are on her again as I work to unfasten her bra and rid it as well. Her nipples are peaked, inviting me to run my thumbs across the sensitive flesh. She pushes her shoulders back, her breath coming out as a pant. It’s so fucking addictive that I do it again, rolling her nipples between my thumbs and forefingers, twisting and toying as she drops her head back, allowing me access to her neck where I suck and kiss along her collarbone and neck as I continue to tease her.

  Her short nails rake into my hair, and my name is on her breath as she exhales. It’s so fucking sexy I groan against her skin, wanting to hear my name in the same desperate plea. Her lips dot along my jaw, meeting my mouth in a kiss that is a challenge as she places her hands on my belt, releasing the clasp and making quick work of fishing it from the loops. But I’m not finished yet, so I haul her onto the bed as my belt falls to the ground with the rest of our discarded items. I climb over her, drunk on the brazen look in her eyes. I close my lips over one erect peak, and she moans my name. I swear to God, it’s even sexier than when she sighed my name, giving me another new goal as I run my fingers over her bare breast while I flick her other nipple with my tongue before licking a path to her other tit, where I draw circles with my tongue and gently scrape my teeth over the erect point. Her hands bury into my hair, holding me there as she moans with pleasure.

  I lap at her nipple as I trace down the path of her body to her pubic bone, and she shivers—gasps.

  Fuck me.

  I trace down her seam with my fingers, feeling that she’s already wet for me.

  Fucking soaked.

  I groan against her, my tongue flat and relentless as I try to take the upper hand and find some control again.

  Chloe widens her legs, and she reaches down, placing her hand on mine, and any semblance of me trying to find my control is gone as she moans with impatience, pressing my fingers down on her core. “Please,” she begs.

  She fucking begs.

  I run my fingers over her slit, rubbing her clit with my thumb. Her pressure on my hand loosens as she sighs a quiet, “Yes.”

  I return to her other breast, my tongue coming down on the peak as I slide a finger inside her, and she calls out my name. I move my fingers over and inside her in tandem until she’s writhing, and then I quickly finish undressing and grab a condom that I roll onto my throbbing cock and grab her ankles, dragging her to the edge of the bed, making her laugh. She falls silent as I rub my cock along her seam. I roll my thumb across her clit again, rubbing her as I slowly bury myself into her, pausing to allow her a moment to adjust as her chest rises with heavy breaths of need and a hint of discomfort that I’m grateful passes quickly. I continue to rub over her clit, trying to ensure pleasure is stronger than her soreness.

  She closes her eyes, and her muscles relax under my hands. I move slowly, gently thrusting inside of her, and her reaction is a soft moan as she nods, her hair a wave behind her. I thrust a bit harder and faster, watching her face with each move, obsessed with the sof
t sounds she makes and how she stares at me, unashamed as I drive into her.

  When her thighs start to tremble, my movements become faster as I count the number of times she cries my name like we’re at a fucking stadium, and her cheer is the only one I can hear. She fists the sheet in her hands as the pleasure of her orgasm parts her lips and furrows her brow, and I chase it with my own, losing myself in this moment until I don’t care about a single damn thing except being here with her.

  I pull out, kissing the inside of her calf that is still resting against my chest, before I gently rest it against the bed. Her eyes are closed, and she’s still except for her breaths lifting her chest.

  I lean forward, brushing my lips across hers, and she reaches for me, weakly grabbing my shoulders. Her eyes slowly drift open, and she smiles, kissing me again.

  “I’ll be right back,” I tell her.

  She nods, closing her eyes again as her hands slip down my arms. I make quick work of cleaning myself up and return to the bed, pulling her flush against me.

  “I feel like Jell-O,” she says, brushing her hair back and nuzzling her face against my chest.

  I grin, running my hand over the bare expanse of her back.

  “Do you have to wake up early tomorrow?”

  I shake my head. “No.”

  Her arm tightens around my waist. “Good.”

  I kiss the top of her head. “You should rest. I’m going to be waking you up soon, spreading you out in front of that window, and fucking you senseless.” I point toward the floor-to-ceiling window. It’s mirrored on the outside, but there’s still something borderline taboo about having sex with her while we watch people pass in front of the hotel, and I can tell she agrees when she leans up with shock and excitement shimmering in her eyes.

  “You’re addictive,” she tells me, dropping a kiss to my chest.

  I run my fingers through her hair. “I feel the same way.”

  She releases a long breath and a quiet hum. I wait until her breathing levels, and then I close my eyes, falling asleep to the sound of her peaceful slumber.