by Violet Paige
She faced me, her eyes fluttered open. “Good morning.”
“Sorry. I was trying to sneak out and not wake you.”
“It’s ok.” She tugged on my hand, drawing it to her belly. “I’m not the only one awake.” She grinned, biting her bottom lip.
My palm felt the tiny twinge hit her skin. “He’s up early.”
“He doesn’t want to miss out.”
My hand traced the gorgeous swell of her belly. Alexa was beautiful, but with my baby inside her she’d never looked more radiant. Her hair was thick and shiny. Her skin glowed. And her sexual appetite had ramped up to a whole new fucking nirvana. I couldn’t get enough of her.
She moaned when my hand dipped below her belly.
“I have a few minutes before I have to get in the shower,” I whispered.
She nodded. “Charlie isn’t going to like it if you’re late to the camp.”
I pushed my fingers between her legs. “A bunch of kids can wait for me to get to camp. I need to make sure my wife has what she needs before I go.”
“Oh God.” She fisted the pillows.
Pregnant Alexa could come at the flick of her clit. It was fucking amazing. She’d had more orgasms since she was pregnant than I knew was possible. And her tits were unbelievable. All of her. Her body was creating and growing my child. If she needed some morning attention, I could deliver that to her.
Her knees fell to the side and I smiled. She gave me her full pussy. All of it, to touch and rub. Soak in her juices. Fuck. I was hard.
She panted as the orgasm began to crest. I watched her nipples turn to hard peaks. Her clit throbbed. Her eyes sparkled.
I licked my fingers, groaning. “Fuck, baby.”
She nodded. “Yes, please.”
I chuckled as I climbed on top of her, careful of her belly and slid my cock inside her. I fucked her with gentle strokes. Pushing until she gasped and then pulling out until she cried for more.
I never thought I was the kind of man who could fuck one woman for the rest of his life. I never thought I wanted to be a father. I didn’t think I could do any of those things until I met Alexa. And now I was both. A husband and a father.
I was the kind of man who protected his wife. Who did what he had to do for his family.
“Oh yes,” she rocked her hips into me. I grinned, watching her pleasure. She was about to come again. Fucking epic.
Sometimes I thought about where my life was a year ago. I was angry. I was pissed at life. Drinking my way through practices. Fighting with my coach. Ignoring my teammates. I didn’t give a shit about anyone but myself.
And now my whole life was in my arms. Everything I wanted was this woman. This goddess. The temptress who lured me to love.
My fingers curled through hers, tangling our hands together as I felt my release begin to seize me. I bit at her lips, sucking and kissing them while I came deep inside her. She whimpered with satisfaction, gripping my cock with one squeeze after another until the pulsing subsided for both of us.
I looked in her eyes. “Good morning.”
She laughed. “Good morning.”
Alexa
Five months pregnant. I looked down at my belly and rubbed my hand over it protectively. I was having a boy. A cute little rambunctious boy that was probably going to be more like his Daddy than his Mommy. Hopefully, he could sing better than his father though.
I laughed and took a sip of tea.
Luke walked up behind me and kissed me on the neck.
“I’m going to be late to camp.”
“I tried to tell you.”
He had showered after our morning in bed. But I felt amazing. Pregnancy sex was incredible. I loved it more than any other kind of sex we had had. Having Luke’s baby had changed everything for us.
I was going to be a mother. And I was a wife. I looked at the big rock on my left hand. There was no question who I belonged to. Luke would have tattooed his name on my back if I would let him.
“I’ll be back by dinner I guess.” He filled a travel mug with coffee.
“Ok. I’m going over the new cuts for the album today.”
“That’s today? Shit.”
“It’s fine. I’ve got it.”
I had moved my headquarters to Austin. Nashville wasn’t the right fit for me anymore. Once the Mandy Brown story had broken, I had never fit in the way I had before. America’s sweetheart had crashed and burned in front of everyone.
But I still had fans, and I could still make music. Austin seemed more accepting of what I wanted to say. I moved and never looked back.
When I found out I was pregnant I had just thrown up Thanksgiving dinner. Luke and I looked at each and we knew immediately it had nothing to do with turkey and everything to do with our future.
That day I had told him the truth. The day he promised to give me a baby—was the day it had happened. I think he was upset we didn’t get to practice more, but I loved the pregnancy sex. Even when I had morning sickness it was the one thing that made me forget how terrible I felt.
But I was past all of that now. I felt healthy and strong. I had music I loved. A husband I loved even more and a baby that was going to be spoiled to death.
“I don’t want you to overdo it.” Luke looked worried.
“I’m going to listen to music. Can’t possibly overdo it.” It was cute that he wanted to watch over me. “Helena will be there too so you can text or call her.”
“Good. I’m glad she finally moved down here so I’m not the only one keeping you in line.” He pinched my ass playfully.
“She does not keep me in line,” I explained.
He leaned down and kissed my belly. “Be good while I’m gone.”
I looked up at him. “You know you’re adorable.”
“I’m not adorable. Save those words for the baby. I am a football player. The Warrior QB.” He scrunched up his face.
“Right,” I teased. “Ok fine. Have fun with the camp kids. Tell Charlie and Linc hello.”
He groaned. “Don’t get me started on them.”
“I think they’re cute together. It was like they were meant for each other or something.”
I was a fan of my brother-in-law and manager seeing each other. My husband hadn’t warmed up to the idea.
He eyed me. I took the warning.
Eventually he would see how they complimented each other. That Charlie had a way of being a softer version of herself when we weren’t at work. Sometimes she and Linc would come over for dinner. I would catch him doing the little things I loved that Luke did. Kissing her neck. Refilling her drinks. Making sure she had a blanket if we were out by the campfire. Linc was always more openly warm and loving than his younger brother, but I knew I had cracked every wall Luke Canton put up.
I had torn them down with a sledgehammer. And we built new walls together. The ones that sealed us inside a world with just the two of us and our baby. I knew when he asked me to marry him the road was going to be harder before it got easier.
Charlie had to work some kind of witchcraft to convince the Warriors to let the fallout from my scandal blow over. But she did it.
The biggest turning point came when she convinced me to do an exclusive one-time interview with Sports Now. A country star had never done anything like that before. Sports fans loved music, sure, but they weren’t my audience.
But her idea was brilliant. The Warrior fans rallied around me when they realized how quickly I had been slaughtered in the Nashville press. It made Luke instantly likeable that he stood by me. Even more that he asked me to marry him.
“Can we have them over for dinner?” I suggested. “And Helena and James?”
“Are we running some kind of match-making business on the side?” he groaned.
I looked at him from the corner of my eye. “It’s family. And friends. And if they all end up hooking up there is nothing we can do about it.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“Fuck,” he growled. “James is going to think
I’ve adopted him or some shit.”
“Love you, babe.” I smiled. “I’ll get everything ready. You just show up with beer and your brother.”
“Love you too.” He snaked an arm around my waist.
I inhaled sharply. His eyes raked over my lips and I knew what was coming next. It didn’t matter that we were married. It didn’t matter he had kissed me so many times it wasn’t possible to count. All that mattered was that he stole my breath every time he did it.
His mouth covered mine and I moaned softly as his tongue slipped between my lips, curling with expert flicks.
He eyed me. “If you didn’t invite all these damn people over tonight I could take that kiss a lot further when I got home.”
I pulled his lips back to mine, clinging to his neck, begging for more. The passion rolled between us. The fire stirred under my skin.
“Fuck, Alexa,” he whispered.
I looked into his eyes, trying to steady myself. God, he made me spin. He lit every fuse I had.
“Ten minutes?” I asked.
He growled, but I knew exactly how we would spend the next ten minutes. I smiled at him as he lifted me on the kitchen counter.
He would love me until we both drowned in our fever. And when he was done and I let him walk out of my arms, I would stroll to the front window to watch him drive toward the city.
I never would have thought the first time I drove to this ranch in the middle of the night that this would be the place I would raise my family. I thought it was a bachelor pad. The home of an egotistical womanizer. And maybe back then it was. But now it was where Luke and I loved each other.
It was where he whispered dirty things in my ear that made me quiver with want. It was where we stayed up all night and binge-watched TV shows. It was where we decorated the nursery for our baby. And invited our friends to be a part of what we had built together.
It was the place where my husband could make me come one more time on the kitchen counter before he left for work. Where I could tell him I loved him. Where we made our future. The walls were filled with music and football. Sports and art. Love.
I didn’t miss Nashville. I didn’t miss the mansion with the infinity pool, or my five-car garage. This was where I was meant to be. Because every time Luke was home I knew I was with the other half of my heart.
For the next ten minutes everything else would fall away. I would be his and he would be mine.
“You drive me completely crazy, you know that?” His gaze pierced me.
I nodded. “You drive me crazier.” My chest heaved with anticipation.
“Let’s make it fifteen, Mrs. Canton.” The hunger filled his gaze and I knew I had stoked more than I realized.
I bit my bottom lip. I had it so bad for my husband. For Luke Canton. For the man who had turned my life into a perfect country love song.
Naughty Notes
Y’all, Luke and Alexa’s story has been with me for so long I can’t believe I’m actually finished writing their HEA. Handing characters over is not the easiest thing to do. I get used to them. They become a part of my world—I’m not kidding. I wake up wondering how Alexa would handle something. I see something I know would completely piss Luke off and it makes me laugh. This is what happens to writers. We get in deep!
But I have to let them go and give them over to you so you can fall in love just like I did. So many people helped me work through this story and pushed me when I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get it right. Because that’s what matters to me—writing something that makes the readers feel. Something fun and sexy with twists of emotions here and there. And who are we kidding … we want that super hot guy. We want Luke Canton!
I have to share this memory because it seriously shapes my love for Texas guys. One of my all-time favorite nights when I lived there included this guy I was seeing. He was an artist, loved to two-step, had his share of tattoos, played baseball, loved country music, and was broody as hell. Oh, and the longest most beautiful eyelashes I have ever seen on a guy. He was not doting or super romantic—nothing like that, but one night he led me outside with a huge pile of blankets and spread them out in the backyard. He had a few of those famous Texas beers and we hung out and watched shooting stars and drank beer. It was simple, sweet, and just one of those moments a girl doesn’t forget.
Somewhere in the back of my head I think Luke would do the same thing for Alexa.
Seriously, everyone involved in this book (you know who you are) you rock! Thank you! I couldn’t do it without my family, friends, and the super awesome readers who have supported me this year. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Part 1
Sidelined
1
Sam
It was the game that popped the cherry on the season. Monday night football. The night. The one that gave millions a taste of what they had been waiting for all summer. And we were headed to Austin to play the fucking Warriors.
I got it. I knew that the schedules were arranged ahead of time. But we were Super Bowl champions. The Wranglers shouldn’t be in Austin for this game. They should have come to us. The hatred between our two teams was palpable and an overnight trip into Warrior territory was an insult to what we had accomplished.
I sat next to Stubbs on the plane. He kept his earbuds in for the twenty-minute flight from San Antonio.
I tried to stretch my legs, but even on the Wranglers’ private jet there wasn’t enough leg room. At six-five, airplanes were uncomfortable as shit. At least I wasn’t in the back with the linemen. Those guys had nowhere to go. I shifted again, banging my knee into the tray table.
“Damn it,” I muttered.
The flight attendant stepped forward in the aisle, handing out bottles of water. Coach Howell had given strict instructions that we weren’t supposed to drink the night before the game. He couldn’t regulate everything we did, but he sure as hell tried.
I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had told the flight crew to only stock water on this flight.
I smiled at the brunette as I took the bottle from her.
“Do you need anything else?” she asked.
“I think I’m good, darlin’.” I twisted off the cap and took a sip.
The season started tomorrow night and even though it was only my second year with the team, I had a strict policy once the first snap was taken. No women.
I’d made that mistake in college and it messed with my head. I didn’t broadcast it. I didn’t discuss it, but she had done a number on me and almost cost me my senior season. She could have ruined my chances in the pros. I’d never make that mistake again. I had a million-dollar contract, and no woman, no matter how great she fucked, was worth losing that.
I was the highest-rated tight end in the American Football Association. I had a Super Bowl ring and my agent had recently finalized a bonus contract for this season. I couldn’t let some pretty girl get in my head. Wasn’t happening. There was a prize for me come February worth about two million dollars.
I looked out the window as Austin came into view.
I’d spent my life playing Texas football. It was in my heart. In my blood. But this wasn’t my city. The Warriors were our biggest rivals. The fact that we were in constant competition to be crowned the state’s home team was always lingering between us.
But this time we were showing up as national champions, and they could shit talk all they wanted. They didn’t have the title we did.
The captain called over the speaker, “We are approaching Austin. Please prepare for landing.”
I exhaled. I was ready. Ready to get this game over with and take home another win.
As soon as we were on the ground and could unfasten our seatbelts, I stood up to an awkward bent position. None of us could stand in this jet. Wes, the team’s quarterback, was the first to take the steps to the tarmac.
I could hear the press outside the plane hitting him with questions. They loved that guy. He was a champion. He had led the team all the way to
San Diego last year. He had earned his place.
One by one, we disembarked. The flight attendant tugged my arm before it was my turn. I looked at her as she tucked a folded piece of paper in my suit jacket.
“I’ve got a twenty-four hour layover,” she whispered.
“Thanks.” I grinned before ducking out of the jet.
“Call me, Sam.”
I ran my hands through my dark hair and shook my head.
I wasn’t going to pretend I couldn’t get any woman I wanted. I knew how they looked at me. How they licked their lips when I walked by. I worked hard for this body. I spent endless hours in the gym lifting weights and working with my cross-fit trainers. It didn’t happen overnight, but I looked like a god when I took the field. There were painful weeks and months of sweat and hard work that went into creating the physical machine I had become. I didn’t care if I was eye-candy to them—the season started tomorrow and they were background noise.
I’d throw her number away as soon as I found a trashcan. No distractions. No women. Tomorrow night the spotlight was on all of us, and I had to show the world Sam Hickson was more than a lucky first-year rookie. I was as much a champion as Wes Blakefield. I had a career ahead of me that would blow all the numbers out of the fucking world.
I smiled at the cameras and walked past Wes. He was still answering questions. There was a bus waiting to take us the hotel. I hopped up the stairs, feeling the coldness of the air conditioning rush over my head. The season opener was all that mattered now.
There were two different playbooks. I stretched my legs on the hotel bed and picked up the one designed for Warriors games. We had our own set of rules when we faced them. I had been over it at least twenty times before tonight, but I wanted to review the plays again.
“Sam, you in there?”
I sat up when I heard Stubbs’ loud voice and his fist pounding on my door. I walked over and opened it.
