by Maya Hughes
“It’s going to need damage control?”
“Only to make sure the things they say aren’t out of order. I’ll do everything I can to decrease how much this impacts you.”
“Aedan, this is a lot to take in. A lot. I don’t know if I’m cut out for this. It’s been about ...” Jess pulled out her phone, “Thirty minutes and I’m already on the edge.” She noted that she had about fifteen missed calls and messages from Sam and Meg.
Aedan got down on his knees in front of her as she sat on the couch, and held her hands in his. “Jess, I know this is a lot. I know it’s a circus and a bit mental, but I really care about you. I know this isn’t what you signed up for. I know being with me can make things a bit of a mess, but I also know that I want to be with you,” Aedan said with a fire in his eyes.
“I know that I want to spend time with you. I don’t want this to stop whatever it is that we’re building together. And believe me, I believe we’re building something and I don’t want to give it up. Do you want to give it up?” Aedan asked, and Jess stared back into his eyes, biting her lip.
19
Aedan held his breath as he waited for her answer. All of this was the worst possible way for Jess to find out about all of his secrets, especially about Kate. He could see the mistrust in her eyes and he couldn’t blame her.
He’d been so wrapped up in pretending he was only a regular guy that he’d made things more difficult for her. Aedan opened the door to all this ugliness by not making it clear enough to Kate that in no uncertain terms could she say they were together. Because he hadn’t wanted to cause a scene, he didn’t make a statement to the press, and now they were stuck in paparazzi hell. It wasn’t what he intended at all, but because of his stupidity, here they were.
Knowing that Jess had to make her way through the lobby full of camera-carrying piranha, Aedan tried to think of a quick fix.
“What if I denied that we’re together? If I said we were only friends,” Aedan knew immediately that this was not the right choice, and the look of shock followed by hurt that passed over Jess’s face made him wish he could take it back.
You don’t want people to know that we’re together? You want to hide me?” she said her voice wobbling. Aedan attempted to pull her back to him, but Jess pushed him away.
“Jess, I want to shout about us from the rooftops. I want to tell everyone I meet about you and how great you are, but I know what being with me entails. And I know it can be a lot of pressure. I don’t want you to have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“Aedan, I don’t even know what I want to do. I was trying not to think about what would happen when you went back to the UK. Now you’re this big international soccer star with an entourage and a fleet of paparazzi that follow you.”
“It’s not a fleet, more like a small contingent. I did tell you that it wasn’t a big deal about the money for the hotel, didn’t I?” he said wryly.
“Yes, you certainly did,” she said with a small chuckle. “You had your family in on it as well didn’t you?”
“I mentioned to them that you didn’t know the full extent of my football career,” he ducked his eyes away at that admission.
“That’s why they got all weird at the VIP thing, isn’t it?”
“It was a slight slip on Seamus’s part.”
“So, what does the VIP treatment entail?”
“I fly them over, have them picked up from the airport, they usually bunk with me in my apartment, and then they get box seats at a couple of matches if they want.”
“Sounds really great,” she said distractedly and stood abruptly. “I should go.”
“Jess, please don’t … please don’t go.” Holding onto her hands, he pleaded with her, his heart racing. “It’s going to be crazy down there for a while; it would probably be best if you stayed here. Don’t make any decisions right now, but please don’t go. Stay here with me tonight,” Aedan said.
Jess pulled back from the kiss and stared at him warily as she thought about everything that could go wrong. But then she started to think about their time together—how he made her heart race, and laugh so hard that her sides hurt, and how comfortable and safe his arms made her feel. How she felt about him smoothed over some of her anxiety.
“You don’t have to decide anything tonight. Let’s just enjoy the night and be Aedan and Jess—two regular people having a regular date.”
“How do you propose we do that? There’s a swarm of over fifty photographers out in the lobby. It’s not exactly the kind of microscope we should be under when we’re still trying to figure out where this is going.”
“I know,” Aedan said as his shoulders slumped.
Jess stared into his eyes, that old insecurity bubbling up in her stomach. Being with a professional athlete was a lot different than dating a star college football player. A lot different.
“Aedan, maybe we should just—” he didn’t let her finish her sentence, instead pulling her face to his and delivering a searing kiss. It felt as if Aedan was putting all his feelings into that kiss; it was part desperation and part passion as he demanded access to her mouth. He kissed Jess until they were both panting.
He rested his forehead on hers. “Please give us a chance. Tonight, we’re just Aedan and Jess. That’s all I’m asking for—a chance.”
Jess peered into his eyes and couldn’t help but see his vulnerability and uncertainty at whether or not she would stay. Knowing that he was feeling as vulnerable as she was sealed it for her.
She pressed her lips to his. “I guess this means I should probably learn something about soccer ... I mean football, huh?”
He gave her a quick hard kiss and said, “Nope. I like that you have no idea about it. Don’t worry about learning the rules; all you need to know is that I get the ball in the back of the net.”
“You’re that good, huh?”
“I mean I do OK.” He grinned and shrugged, teasing her.
“I thought we said only the truth from now on,” she teased. “Don’t try to be modest; weren’t you just saying you were going to lead your team to a championship?”
“Well, yes, I mean I guess. Yeah, I’m pretty good.”
“So, do I need to go out and buy a jersey or something? I hope it’s not ugly,” Jess said cracking an uncertain smile.
“And here I was worried this would change everything. Ugly like those cow pajamas you wear?”
“What? You leave Bessie out of this!” Aedan leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. He held her hands and gazed into her eyes.
“I’m glad you decided to stay.”
“I’m still processing all this, but I need you to promise you’re not keeping anything else from me. This is a pretty big shock, but I can’t say I blame you for wanting a little bit of normal. I get it, but now’s the time to come clean.”
“I promise, I swear it. I don’t have any other secrets. I won’t keep any secrets. I’m an open book.” Jess paused and stared into his eyes. His sincerity showed plainly on his face. She tried not to let her previous experience with an athlete tarnish what she was building with Aedan. Emmett had been a boy; she was also young and not able to see the signs that were pointing to heartbreak. She’d learned lessons, gotten stronger, and wouldn’t fall into the same trap again.
“OK, then, I guess we’ll be having a night in since it’s a bit ridiculous out there.”
“Do you mind? I know I said we would do dinner, but we can do room service,” Aedan jumped up to go get the hotel phone and a menu. “I can mix some drinks and we can finish our series of binge watching,” he said, turning back to her.
She grinned and wrinkled her nose. “You had me at room service.”
“Come on,” She eyed him warily, wondering what he was up to. “Let’s go get you some PJs to change into. You’re definitely staying overnight, right?” He looked so uncertain that Jess’s heart skipped a beat.
He was nothing like Emmett and he really cared about her. At le
ast she was hoping he did.
Jess turned on her brightest smile.
“Yes, I’ll stay the night.” Aedan wrapped her arm around his as he led her into his bedroom.
“Right this way, milady.” Opening the middle drawer, he pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms.
“For milady,” with a bow he presented them to her.
“Dork.” She grabbed the pajamas and starting to strip down. The mood in the room went from light and airy to electric as she made eye contact with Aedan over her naked shoulder. He was staring at her like a starving man as he stalked across the room to stand behind her.
His breath on her neck caused her heartrate quickened and goosebumps breaking out all over body. He slid his palms around her waist to rest on her stomach.
“I’m so glad you decided to stay,” he whispered as he stroked his hands up her stomach before cupping her breasts.
“So am I,” she said turning in his loose embrace to seal her lips to his. Walking her back to the bed behind her, Aedan laid her out in front of him and stood at the edge of the bed. His emerald eyes glittering as they roamed over her body. Jess slowly moved to her knees and began to work on the button and zipper of his pants. Palming his shaft with her hand, she began to work her hand up and down, Aedan let out a moan.
“Yes, oh Jess, yes.”
He kissed her and reached down between them, pushing her knees apart, and began to rub her nub, flooding her core with moisture. Aedan gently edged her back, never breaking the kiss, Jess laid down on her back and Aedan brought her leg up to his hip. He settled it around his waist and lifted the other, pinning her to the bed, his shaft rubbing against her opening, teasing her. He pulled out a condom from the nightstand and rolled it on. He continued to rub himself against her opening and Jess’s hips thrust up to try to get him inside of her.
“Aedan, don’t tease me. I need you to—” and before she could finish her sentence, he was inside of her in one thrust and began pistoning in and out of her, driving her further and further up the bed with each thrust. Aedan stared down at her, not breaking eye contact until Jess let out a moan and called out Aedan’s name as her climax took her. Jess’s entire body shook as her vision winked out and she saw stars.
Aedan thrust into her, his thrusts getting harder and faster as he neared his own climax. He gave one final thrust before collapsing on top of her, careful not to crush her. He took a couple of minutes to catch his breath before rolling to his back, then stood to dispose of the condom. Aedan climbed back into bed and pulled her close to him and began playing with her hair.
They both drifted off into a short nap. It had been an emotional few hours. Waking only a little while later, Jess looked up to see that Aedan watching her. Such concern was etched on his face that Jess tried to sit up and look around the room.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, Aedan continued to look down at her.
“Nothing, I’m just glad you’re here.” Jess snuggled into him a little more.
“I’m glad I’m here too.” Her stomach let out an audible grumble. Blushing, Jess brushed her head up and down on Aedan’s chest as he let out a chuckle.
“Let’s get you fed.”
Grabbing the previously discarded pajama bottoms and t-shirt off the floor, she pulled them on while Aedan sat up in bed and slid the room service menu from the nightstand and handed it to her.
“What do you want to order?”
Jess skimmed over the menu, ravenous. “What about the chicken Caesar and the chocolate cake and a milk?”
“Sounds perfect to me. I’m going to go for the steak and potatoes.”
“What about dessert?”
“I thought you might share,” he said giving her a devilish look.
“Oh no buddy, you want dessert, you had better order your own.”
“I’m sure I could persuade you.” Giving her a quick kiss on the nose, he rolled over and called in their order.
The room service arrived in short order and Jess dove into her salad, devouring it in record time, then dug into her chocolate cake, savoring each bite as they sat at the small dining area table. It was so good, Jess moans with each bite.
“You have a little bit of chocolate on your mouth.” Aedan said pointing to the right side of her face. Jess stuck out her tongue and attempted to clean it off. “Did I get it?”
“Nope, still there.” Jess went back to work with her tongue trying to find the spot. “What about now?”
“No, still there.” Aedan leaned over the table and licked the spot on the corner of her mouth.
“I think I got it … ah, there’s a little bit more.” Aedan dove into a kiss, devouring her mouth, threading his fingers through her hair and pulling her close. Jess’s heart was racing a mile a minute as it always seemed to be when Aedan was within kissing distance. He pulled back and looked into her eyes with a bit of mischief in his smile. Before she knew what he was up to, Aedan grabbed her fork and stole the last bit of chocolate cake off her plate.
“You sneaky little weasel! Did you just kiss me senseless to get my last bite of chocolate cake?”
“Who me?” Aedan said innocently. “I would never use such a dirty, underhanded trick to get the last piece of delicious chocolate cake. I thought that you wanted me to have it.”
“Wanted you to have it my eye; you’ll pay for that. You have to go to sleep sometime …” She gave him a devious smile that he pretended to ignore.
They chose a new episode of their favorite show to stream and settled in for the night. They even ordered room service popcorn, something she didn’t even know was possible. Apparently, there wasn’t much they wouldn’t do for a world-famous footballer.
Jess couldn’t believe how silly she’d been by not realizing that Aedan was more than he seemed. The hotel room should have been the first tip off, then the attention they attracted at the BrazilFest. It was all a bit obvious now and she was kicking herself for not Googling him.
She’d done it when he was on the phone talking to his manager on the phone earlier. Holy Wikipedia page, Batman. Aedan was a bona fide superstar and it was odd to her how normal being with him felt. They were exactly how they were before she found out, but she knew that outside of these walls, things would definitely be different. She hoped she could handle whatever storms there were to come.
20
The next morning, Aedan and Jess said their goodbyes as she left to visit Sam and Meg. They were chomping at the bit to see her, and Aedan’s manager arrived early in the morning for a meeting with him. Something about that guy just made her uneasy. Maybe it was because he looked at her like she was a bug under a microscope. She needed to get out of there. With Meg’s and Sam’s continual calls and texts, she knew if she didn’t see them soon, they would be busting down the doors of the hotel to see her.
Jess never thought she’d ever need to be escorted out of the back of a hotel by someone’s bodyguard, then ushered into a waiting car, but there she was. Once Steven escorted her into the car, he hopped into the front seat with the driver.
“Where to Miss Montgomery?”
Jess told him Meg’s address and leaned her head back against the headrest. “You don’t have to call me Miss Montgomery. You can just call me Jess.”
“OK, Miss Montgomery. Thank you.”
J to M&S: On my way to Meg’s now.
M: About time!
S: You’re lucky you’re on your way. We were about 5 minutes from coming to that hotel ourselves.
J: Maybe I should just head home and talk to you both tomorrow ...
M: Don’t you dare!
Her phone started ringing; it was Sam. Jess held the phone away from her ear as she pressed Accept.
“If you do I’ll set your hair on fire the next time I see you!” Sam screeched from the phone.
“Says the lawyer, jeez, take a chill pill. I’m about two blocks away.”
“You better be.”
The
car pulled up in front of Meg’s building and before Jess could get her hand on the door handle, Steven had the door open and was standing beside it.
“Have a good day Miss Montgomery.” He reached into his jacket pocket and handed her a business card. “And please call this number if you need anything.”
“Thanks Steven. See you later, maybe,” she said with a shrug.
“Good afternoon Miss.” With that, he closed the door and watched as she entered the lobby. He didn’t get into the passenger side door until Jess was through the front doors. From the lobby, she watched the car drive off.
The ride up in the elevator gave Jess a little reprieve before Sam and Meg descended upon her. They didn’t even wait for her to get to the door—they were standing right at the elevator doors as they opened. Jess jumped, not expecting them to be waiting.
“Jesus! Way to scare the crap out of me!” she exclaimed.
It’s your fault you put us off for so long. And we’ve been out here for about five minutes. Poor Mr. Richardson nearly had a heart attack when the doors opened and he saw us.” Meg said holding in her laugh. “That poor man; I’m sure he’ll be reporting me to the condo association over that one.”
Jess walked into Meg’s apartment, plopped down, and rested her head on the back of the couch.
“Well Jess, when you go for it, you certainly hit it out of the park. Talk about getting out there.” Meg walked into her kitchen and reappeared with a bottle of wine and a glass. Sam was already sipping hers and lounging on the couch next to Jess.
“Tell me about it. How bad is it? I haven’t been reading any of the gossip stuff.”
“It’s not bad,” Sam reassured her.
“But it’s not good either, right?” Jess looked to Meg, knowing she wasn’t one to sugarcoat things.
“It’s not not good, honey. It’s mainly speculation. They don’t know what to make of you. And with this Kate chick, it’s just making things that much more confusing. What’s the deal with that?” Meg poured Jess a glass of wine filling it nearly to the top.
