Thoughts of the encounter made my cock stiffen again. What a surprising turn yesterday had taken. Sweet and innocent Delaney wasn't so pure after all. She had a wild side that I hadn't expected existed, never mind ever thought I'd get a chance to experience. I had a feeling that if she hadn't disappeared last night, I would already be back inside of her again this morning—and maybe even at her urging.
I think you promised to fuck me, Tanner.
Those words still rang in my ears, turning my already hard cock to steel.
From taking my cock out on her own, sucking it, and then demanding that I fuck her, Laney had been one lascivious surprises after another. Ever since that morning she’d first shown up on my doorstep I'd spent a lot of time imagining what it would be like to fuck her, but when it finally happened it was nothing like I anticipated.
It had been so much better.
I couldn't wait to see her again.
The zoo was exhausting.
Between bouncing back and forth for multiple visits to both the monkeys and the elephants, both of which weren't exactly next to each other, and visiting all the rest of the animals, we must have walked ten miles. Or I must have walked ten miles, that is. Izzy spent most of the travel time between cages resting merrily in a stroller, pointing at the images of the animals on signs that we passed to indicate where she wanted me to take her next. Completely unconcerned with the number of times we had to completely travel from one end of the zoo to the other. It was a completely inefficient way to see everything.
But I still loved every minute of it.
My daughter was a joy. No matter how tired and sweaty I was, every time I saw her eyes bulge in wonder at what she was seeing, it breathed fresh energy into my limbs and sent me racing her over to the next exhibit.
Even when we entered the snake enclosure and she clung to me in a panic, screeching "daddy" right into my ear, you couldn't have pried the smile off my face with a crowbar. I’m sure every dirty look my reaction attracted from the other parents was because they thought I got some sadistic satisfaction over terrifying my kid, but that wasn’t it at all.
I was just thinking about my own childhood. How I would have given anything to have had a father that would have taken me to the zoo and spent the day with me. A father I could have clung to when frightened, secure in the belief that he would protect me and never let anything hurt me. Just the way Izzy had today. Being there to give her that made me deliriously happy.
We may not have known each other that long, but she trusted me. Sure, Izzy was the type of kid that trusted anyone until they gave her a reason not to, but that was the point.
I hadn't given her a reason not to, and I wasn't ever going to.
I resolved to always be there for her. She would never know the pain and heartbreak of having me disappear from her life, or break a promise, or callously let her down for no other reason than because I found something better to do with my time.
That was why our day didn't end until Izzy had literally passed out in the stroller. Only then was I content to leave, despite my own aching feet and sweaty brow. I'd worn a long sleeve shirt to cover up my tattoos, as well as a hat and dark sunglasses, all to keep from being recognized. It worked, for the most part. I'd only had to sign three autographs all day. But it felt like my cap was stuck to my head with sweat, and I longed to take it off when I finally got home.
The price of fame.
In the off season, I wasn't recognized as often, but I still had to cover up if I didn't want to get constantly interrupted. While it wasn't an overly hot day, for all the walking around I knew we were in for, I would have normally dressed much lighter and not worn a hat. I’m not normally one to try and keep away an adoring fan, but today I was here with my daughter. It was her day, and I wasn't going to let anything distract us from that. That was one of the reasons I'd come to the zoo on a Monday. Figured it would be less busy.
But it got me to thinking again about what Myers had first brought up when she tried to blindside me. Once the season started again, I wasn't going to be able to spend all my time with her anymore. I would be disappearing from her life, at least in spurts when we traveled to play or during intense training weeks. Who was going to take care of her then?
Delaney's offer popped into my head. She'd said it to get Myers off my back, but she also made it clear that the offer was real, if I wanted it. I hadn't really answered her. It wasn't a topic I’d been prepared to think about at the time, and then we’d gotten distracted and ended up in my bedroom for the rest of the night, never returning to the conversation.
Yet it was something I needed to figure out.
Not just for when the season started, but for early practice, which was coming up even sooner. Not to mention just having someone around that I could rely on when I needed to run errands or do anything where I couldn’t bring her along. I didn't really have anyone in my life I could trust Izzy with. Not that I didn't trust Cooper, I'm sure in a pinch I could rely on him to watch her for a couple hours, but he wouldn't be able to help when it came to looking after her when I was playing football. And my family were all hours away.
And then there was the fact that Izzy already knew and trusted Delaney. That was almost as important as every other reason.
Delaney made sense, for many reasons.
But relying on her for that meant really committing to having her in our lives long term. I'd promised that she would always have access to Izzy, and I meant that, but I also kind of figured that over time she would likely drift away. She had no real ties to the kid anymore. They weren't actually related. But asking her to commit to helping out that much would truly cement her into our lives.
Strangely, that thought didn't scare me away as much as it should have.
In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.
I strapped Izzy into her car seat without her barely stirring, and then packed the stroller back into the trunk. By the time we were on our way back home, the exhaustion I’d been pushing back against was really starting to set in.
She'd already made the offer, but I never accepted it and there were still details to work out, but I was already excited by the idea of asking Laney to help with Izzy. I knew she would be thrilled as well. Both of them would be.
But I knew I wasn’t going to have the energy to do anything about it when I got home, so it would have to wait until tomorrow.
27
Delaney
"So… the sex; fabulous or just plain amazing?"
"Why are those the only two choices? Maybe it was just garden variety, regular old sex."
Roxie let out a little squeak.
"Because it was with the friggin' Flash. I know you can't believe everything you read in the tabloids, but I've always believed that every rumor sprouts from some sort of seed, no matter how small. Which means the sex with him was anything but ordinary." There was silence over the phone for a moment. "Oh god, please tell me it wasn't ordinary?"
I laughed. It was amusing how invested she could be in my sex life. Really, though, she couldn't stand not knowing every bit of juicy gossip there was to know. I probably shouldn't have even mentioned sleeping with Tanner, but I knew she'd never forgive me for holding that sort of information back. Besides, some secrets are too big to keep to yourself.
"Okay, fine, you win. It was both amazing and fabulous. Probably the best sex I've ever had." In some ways it pained me to admit that, but as long as it was just to Roxie it was tolerable. Tanner didn't have to know. His head was already big enough. Anyway, it wasn't like I'd had a ton of experience to compare it with, but that didn’t stop the feeling that all future boyfriends were going to be a letdown.
"I knew it!" she yelped. "Give me details, girl? Is he into anything kinky?"
I shook my head, despite us being on the phone. "I'm not going into details. I've said too much already."
"Seriously, Del? You're going to leave a girl hanging on this one? You've got to give me someth
ing."
I sighed. Roxie wasn't going to drop this unless I gave her something more substantial. I thought back to my encounter the other day. The way Tanner had touched me. The way I'd touched him. The words we spoke. How it felt when I took his cock between my lips, and how much better it felt when he slipped it between my legs. A smile pushed against my lips. "He's very... big."
Roxie hissed. "Are we talking length here, or girth? Or wait, both? Is it both?"
"Roxie!"
"Alright, alright," she conceded. Then, under her breath but loud enough for me to hear, she added "Prude."
I just rolled my eyes. "It doesn't matter how well-endowed Tanner Garrick is, sleeping with him was still a big mistake."
"Oh Del," Roxie sighed. "Not this again. I thought we already debunked your objections to dating the man. Give the guy a chance. You could do a hell of a lot worse, you know. At least with him you already know that he's rich, famous, and most importantly, he's packing a huge—"
"You know I don't care about any of that," I huffed, interrupting her. "Anyway, I'm not just talking about the issues we already discussed. Other things have happened since then."
"Yeah, you fucked him. That's supposed to make things better, not worse. Unless the sex is terrible. Then it's a good reason to run. But we already determined that wasn't the case, so..."
"I don't think he wants me around. Long term, I mean."
"What makes you say that?"
I launched into a description of the meeting we'd had with Miss Myers on Sunday, where I'd pretty much offered myself as a free nanny, and how Tanner had completely ignored the offer, never once bringing it up afterwards. I also mentioned how I'd left in the middle of the night without even saying goodbye, and yet it was now Tuesday and I hadn't even heard from him.
He was probably happy I left so that he didn’t have to ask me to leave again.
"So just so I understand the issue here, let me summarize. You dropped a surprise Child and Protective Services bomb on him, defused it by offering to march right back into Izzy's life again as a primary caregiver, and now you're upset that he didn't thank you for it immediately?"
I opened my mouth to protest, but she continued.
"I mean, that's assuming you don't count the sex as a thank you—but in my experience, men will have sex with someone even if they're mad at them, so I'll admit that means little—but I still think you're over-reacting here just a tad, Del. Give him a chance to consider your offer. Hardly seems like a reason to do a midnight walk of shame after finally getting all hot and sweaty with the guy..."
"That wasn't the only reason I left," I protested, feeling a bit defensive after her callous summary of events. "I still think it would be weird for Izzy if she woke up to me in Tanner's bed the next morning."
"She's two, Del. She probably wouldn't even notice, or remember, if she walked in on the two of you literally screwing. Well, not if you were under the covers, at least. Although, Flash strikes me as the kind of guy that would just throw you down on top of the bed and rip your clothes—"
"Will you focus!" I interrupted. My face was burning hot, and I was thankful we were on the phone. Roxie had pretty much just guessed exactly how things went down. "I probably did him a favor by leaving. Like I said, he didn't even call me yesterday. He probably got what he wanted and that's that. Like I expected, he was just interested in getting into my pants. Now that he has, he's completely lost interest in me. You're right about rumors being true. The tabloids have always said Tanner was happy being a bachelor and would likely never settle down."
"Wow, you really have it bad for him, don't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I've never seen you so worried about a guy. If you didn't care about him, this wouldn't bother you so much. You could just chalk it up to a one-night stand with a hottie and move on. If you like him so much, why don't you call him?"
"That's not it at all."
"No?"
"No." What Roxie was suggesting was ridiculous. Sure, the sex was incredible but that was no reason for me to go all gaga for the guy. I wasn't about to call him and beg him for a relationship just because he could make me come just by practically looking at me.
I just didn't like being used.
"Well, if that's really the case then maybe you need to just forget about him. Go to Paris. If anything can make you forget Tanner Garrick, it would be a city full of hot French guys that specialize in wooing foreign women. Seriously, it's like the national past-time over there. They take their romance very seriously."
"Maybe you're right," I agreed. Could be I'd fought this idea for too long. There really was nothing holding me back here, now that Izzy had someone to look after her. Maybe I really did need to start taking my career more seriously. And if doing so led to a little mini overseas romance, would that really be so bad?
"Really?"
"Really. I mean, if—" I was interrupted by a quick chirp of the call waiting notification. "Sorry, hang on a sec Rox. Got another call."
I flipped over and answered it."
"Hey there sexy," came a deep and seductive voice. "Looking for some company?"
"Tanner? Where are you?" There was a bit of noise in the background. It was clear he was calling from his cell phone.
"I just dropped Izzy off at her grandparents’ house for a sleepover," he said. "And I was wondering if I could drop by for a few minutes. You left so early on Sunday we didn't get a chance to talk, and then I was out with Iz at the zoo all day yesterday. Kid wore me out. I barely got her tucked in before collapsing into bed myself. Although, to be fair, I may have still been a bit worn out by you..."
The zoo. Right. He'd mentioned those plans the other night but they'd completely slipped my mind.
Talking to Tanner had a way of doing that to me—making my head feel all fuzzy and confused. Even now I could feel my better judgment slipping from my grasp.
Which is probably why I found myself giving him directions to my apartment and then almost hanging up before remembering that I had completely forgotten about Roxie on the other line.
28
Tanner
"I wasn't expecting company, sorry about the mess."
Delaney ushered me into her small apartment with a nervous shrug. She seemed hesitant about seeing me. I'd planned on giving her a kiss as soon as I could reach her, but her body language made me question whether that would be welcome. Strange, given the other night. Was she regretting sleeping together?
I sure as hell wasn't.
"Seems pretty damn tidy to me," I noted honestly, glancing around. The front door opened into a living space that had a short sofa, coffee table, and small desk complete with computer and chair, all crammed into a space that was just a hair bigger than my master bathroom. But I wouldn't have called it messy. There was a half wall that opened onto a small kitchen just behind the far edge of the sofa.
"Yeah, well just don't look in the closet," she grinned sheepishly.
I laughed.
"You didn't have to hide your shit from me, Laney. I live with a two-year-old now. I've become one with mayhem and chaos."
She led me to the sofa and after I sat, she made sure to move to the opposite end. Since it wasn't very big, that still left her within arm’s reach. Yet it was a definite sign that she was uncomfortable.
I stared at her, wondering what was going on behind those gorgeous green eyes of hers. Usually I was the one that made things awkward after spending the night with a woman. I was used to them sticking around too long, or calling me incessantly afterward. I was out of my element with Laney. She'd disappeared before I woke up and then not even called the next day. Now she was acting like I was invading her personal space and I hadn't even made a move toward her.
But fuck did I want to. All I could think about was skimming the back of my hand against her freckled skin, brushing back her long red hair that still looked damp from a morning shower, and curling my fingers around her neck to pull her lips to mine. I'd ha
d another reason for calling and wanting to talk to her today, but at that moment all I could think about was kissing those luscious, full lips.
"So... how's Izzy?"
I snapped back to reality, blinking a few times but then still needing to look away from her face to regain focus. "She's good. Happy to see her grandparents. They seem nice." I looked around the small room, mostly as a distraction against my growing desire for Delaney. "Hey, did you paint these?"
I launched back onto my feet and walked across to the far end of the room where a couple of impressive canvases hung. I didn't know a lot about art, but these were very good. They were done with paint, but not in a typical style that I was familiar with. The colors were almost haphazardly strewn across the canvas, completely covering it, yet when you stood back it was obvious what the images were. One was a man, walking along a tree lined path, holding an umbrella. The other were of a couple, intertwined as they kissed.
"Yeah, those were... some of my earlier pieces. I've gotten better, but I figured no one would want these so I kept them for myself."
I turned to her in genuine shock. "Are you kidding me? These are fantastic. These are your cast offs?"
Her face reddened slightly and she shrugged. "I've just learned a lot since I did them."
"Wow." I studied them for another moment and then walked over to another that hung on a hallway wall leading away from the living space. "These are amazing. You do them here? In this apartment?"
I looked around wondering how she had the space to do much of anything.
Laney nodded. "Not in this room but yeah, I use one of the bedrooms. Technically this apartment is a two bedroom, but one of them is very small. Not practical for a real bedroom, which is the only reason I could afford this place. But when Izzy moved in I converted it into a nursery. Now that she's gone, I've been able to use it as a studio again."
Dirty Jock Page 14
