She squirmed for a moment longer as the waves of pleasure continued to crash over her, and she was so wet that I almost slipped out of her. I buried myself deep inside her again, and my pace went higher this time as Eden bucked against me with expert timing. Our bodies had always worked so well together, and now that we’d been together almost every day for the last six months, it was even better. We both knew exactly what the other wanted without either of us saying a word, and we both knew exactly what would make the other explode like crazy.
When I was about to reach the precipice of my own orgasm, I groaned and pulled out before leaning back, giving Eden the chance to ride me. She held herself steady by keeping her hands on my abdomen as she worked me with her hips, moving in little circles, and her knees dug into the muscles of my thighs as she rode me like a cowgirl. Her breasts bounced up and down with each movement she made, and I watched, totally mesmerized by her as I tried to stop myself from coming yet.
Another orgasm hit Eden a moment later, and as she writhed and gushed on me, I groaned and finally let myself go, fiery pleasure draining out of me and into her. As Eden rolled off me, I dropped onto my back and lay there next to her, trying to catch my breath.
“Now your mind will be all clear for the game this afternoon,” Eden said breathlessly, propping herself up on one elbow and staring down at me.
“Doubt it. I’ll either have no energy and drop like a fly within the first few minutes, or I’ll be picturing you in that black lingerie again and accidentally pass the ball to the other team five times.”
Eden giggled, and I smiled back and drew her in close for a tight hug. “Think we’ll win today?” I asked.
“Nah, I hear the QB on your team is a bit of an idiot,” she replied, sticking her tongue out. I grabbed a pillow and jokingly brandished it at her, and she squealed. “I’m sorry, I was kidding! Of course I think you guys will win! And even if you don’t, that’s not what matters. What matters is that you all tried.”
I cocked my head to the side. “All right. I’ll accept your apology if you give the idiot QB a big kiss before he has to leave.”
She leaned over and planted her sweet lips on mine, and I closed my eyes and savored her taste for as long as I could before the clock on the wall chimed out the time.
“All right, Little Miss Senior Producer, it’s already nine A.M,” I said. “I’ve gotta head down to the stadium, and you better head to work.”
“You don’t want to have breakfast with me first?” Eden asked. “With afternoon games, you usually don’t need to head down there till about ten or eleven.”
“Uh…this is different because it’s the championship,” I replied. “Lots of stuff to go over before it starts, so I’ll just eat when I get there. But I’ll see you there later for the game, right?”
She gave me a suspicious look for a second, and I feigned innocence, hoping she wouldn’t question my lie. She finally smiled, nodded and hopped off the bed, and I breathed a quiet sigh of relief, glad that I was safe for now.
I didn’t like lying to Eden, but in this case it was necessary. I had something big planned for after the championship—regardless of whether we won or lost—and my team was helping to plan it. I didn’t want her getting wind of it, so I had to play it cool and act like nothing was going on other than the fact that today was a big game day.
Truthfully, though, something huge was going on.
While Eden had been visiting her parents about a month ago, I’d gone down there with her. They seemed glad that I’d sorted my shit out and grown into a man who was good enough for their daughter, and after dinner on our second night there, I pulled them aside and asked for their blessing. I told them how I didn’t think I could’ve become the man I was today without her influence, because she had changed the path I was originally on by showing me that I could be a good person. I didn’t have to booze it up and stay in trouble all the time like my parents had; I could be good, I could be tender, and I could love.
They were thrilled, and Eden’s mother had immediately started offering me advice for engagement rings. However, I already had an idea in mind for that. While Eden was showering the next morning, I went back to the park with the hollowed out tree where I’d left the ring for her all those years ago, praying that it was still there. I figured it should be—not many people would go and stick their hands in deep little holes in the side of a tree—and it was. It was right where I’d left it almost eight years ago, only the box was now dusty and covered with crunched up dead leaves.
Now that I had the ring, all I needed was the perfect proposal, and that’s what my teammates and I had been planning for weeks now.
Today was the day.
***
“Shit…we’re screwed.”
I heard my teammate curse near me, and I gave him a brief look before turning my attention back to what was happening in our final game for the season. Our defensive lineup was currently on the field, so I was standing on the sidelines with the others who were off at the moment. We’d played really well so far, and our team was up by two points with only seconds to spare—the score was currently 22-20—but that didn’t necessarily mean we were going to win. An incomplete pass on the third down had forced a field goal attempt for the other team, and their kicker was a guy named Todd Durban. That posed a problem, because he was one of the best kickers out of all the NFL teams at this point. Maybe even the best. He’d made nearly one-hundred percent of his field goals and extra points in the past, and he was about to kick a 38-yard field goal. That was child’s play to him, and there were only forty seconds left on the clock, so if he got it and we didn’t manage to score in the remaining few seconds afterwards, then we’d lose the championship.
I wasn’t holding out any hopes, because Durban had such a stellar record—a perfect record, in fact—but that was okay. We’d all played our best, and it was great that we’d come this far in the season, regardless of whether we won or lost today. Besides, I was going to walk off this field a winner today anyway, because Eden was going to be my fiancée in under an hour.
I watched Durban line up to make the kick, and the crowd went quiet with excited anticipation as his foot connected with the ball. It sailed through the air, and time seemed to slow down as it went. Thirty-nine seconds left on the clock….thirty-eight….thirty-seven…thirty-six…
And then time seemed to stop altogether.
“Holy shit, he missed!”
Our team’s fans began to scream with joy as they realized what had happened. Durban had shockingly missed his goal. With just thirty-five seconds left on the clock, our offensive lineup had to go back on the field. As we headed back on, I searched for Eden in the crowd, and I spotted her smiling and cheering as she watched us take our places. I grinned; she’d never been a sports fan when she was younger, but now she was at every game she could possibly get to when her job wasn’t too busy, cheering for us from the crowd.
The last seconds of the game went perfectly. I threw a pass to our wide receiver, who charged down the field and scored the touchdown we needed to guarantee our victory beyond a shadow of doubt, and as the clock ran out, the crowd went wild around us, screaming and whooping their joy at the top of their lungs. Blue and white confetti began to rain down on us all as we celebrated on the field—our team, coaches, team owners and support staff—and I soaked up the attention with a grin, waving and nodding at everyone around me.
This was our third championship since I’d started playing for the team, which was simply unbelievable, and absolutely fantastic. However, no amount of trophies could put the same smile on my face that Eden could—only she was capable of igniting that real fire in my heart.
She was running out onto the field right now, looking for me, and she looked emotional already; she was clearly overjoyed about my team’s win. As soon as she found me, she jumped on me for a tight hug, and I squeezed her while I gave the signal to one of my teammates, Kayden. Kayden was the fastest guy on our team, and he nodd
ed and ran full pelt through the crowds and up to the room where the stadium lighting and Jumbotrons were controlled from.
The big screen behind Eden was currently playing footage of this very field with all the celebrations and confetti-showering, but within a few minutes of Kayden running off the field, the screen went black for a second before being replaced with a picture of Eden and me along with some text which read, ‘Eden, will you marry me?’
“Look behind you,” I murmured into her ear, finally breaking away from what had been the longest hug ever.
“Why?” she asked, jerking her head around. “Oh…oh!”
She saw the screen and turned back to me, her jaw practically on the floor, and I dropped to one knee and held out the ring. One of the team coaches had been holding it for me during the game, and he’d slid it to me as soon as he saw Eden racing towards me a few moments ago.
“Eden, will you spend the rest of your life with me?” I asked, looking up at her.
Her eyes were already shining with tears of joy after seeing my team win, and my question sent her over the edge into full-on bawling. “Oh my god,” she choked out through sobs. “Oh my god!”
“Is it really that horrifying to think about marrying me?” I said with a grin.
She laughed through her tears at my ridiculous crack. “No! I mean, yes,” she replied. “I mean, no it’s not horrifying. And yes, I will marry you!”
Despite the chaotic celebrations going on around us, it felt like Eden and I were the only ones on the field. I didn’t even know what was going on with the trophy or anything else, and the world somehow seemed quiet despite all the screams and cheers. Maybe it seemed quiet because I was finally completely and utterly content with life. I had everything I’d ever wanted or needed, and most importantly, the only woman I’d ever loved had just agreed to marry me.
I was officially the happiest man in the world.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Eden
Six months later
“It’s not too late to change your mind.”
I peeked out through the gorgeous archway in the back of the church to see everyone I knew and loved sitting in the pews, anticipating my arrival. Troy was up at the front, looking handsome as hell in his tuxedo, flanked by a couple of his teammates as his groomsmen. My bridesmaids—Anya and Candice—were standing opposite them, looking beautiful in dusky pink gowns.
“I’m not going to change my mind,” I said, shaking my head.
“Are you sure?” Glenn cocked an eyebrow at me.
“Yes!”
“It’s really not too late. Half the crew are already here as guests, anyway. It’ll take ten minutes for me to set up. Twenty, tops.”
I smiled and lightly hit him with my bouquet. “Glenn, I’m not televising my wedding to Troy for a special Stud episode! This is our special day. Our special private day.”
“But can you imagine the ratings?” he replied, throwing his hands in the air. “The episode where you two got together stunned everyone so much that people are still talking about it a year later! They’d go crazy to see your wedding celebrations in a big double episode.”
“Life is not all about the ratings!” I said with an exasperated grin. “Now get out to your seat! You aren’t even meant to be back here.”
Glenn gave me a hangdog expression for a second, but he perked up again quickly and patted me on the back. “Good luck, Eden. I’m proud of you.”
He turned and headed towards the arch, but before he went through it, he looked back at me with a hopeful expression. “What about a post-wedding interview for the network magazine? You give us exclusive rights, and we…”
“Go!” I said, brandishing my bouquet. “You’re shameless, you know that! Always have been!”
He chuckled and headed into the church, and then my father took my arm a moment later, giving me a broad smile before beginning the slow march down the aisle, towards my fiancé.
Towards my future.
I still couldn’t believe how fortunate I was to have so many wonderful things in my life. My job was going well, my friends and family were all here to celebrate this day with me, and I was about to marry the sexiest man in the world. One of the best parts about that was that he thought I was the sexiest woman in the world, which he made sure I knew every single day.
Love had always been a crazily unpredictable thing for me. For a long time, I’d been convinced that it wasn’t real, but when Troy came back into my life last year, he’d shown me that it was. I’d been right as a starry-eyed teenager—true love did exist, and being with Troy was all I needed to realize that. Who would’ve thought that it would take him hunting me down on a reality show to get me back? Even thinking about it made it sound crazy, but god, I was glad he’d tried so hard, because we were made for each other. There would be no more awful misunderstandings, no more silly miscommunications, no more years apart….just pure, wild, wonderful love.
My heart raced as I reached the altar, and Troy looked down at me, his face glowing. Everyone else in the church seemed to fade away as we stared at each other, and I was slightly afraid that I might actually explode with excitement.
The priest began to take us through the ceremony, and I felt giddy with joy as I finally spoke the two words that I felt like I’d been waiting a thousand years to say to Troy.
“I do.”
“You may kiss the bride, Mr. Ballard,” the priest said, grinning as he watched me pre-emptively tilt my face up.
Troy leaned down and kissed me, one hand tucking a strand of hair behind my ear as everyone else cheered and whooped. When he pulled away from the embrace, his lips moved to my right ear, and he murmured into it. “Fuck going to the reception. I want to take you to that honeymoon hotel suite right now and screw your brains out.”
I giggled softly. “I think the priest just heard you say that.”
He winked. “I’ll throw a Hail Mary pass in my next game to make up for my sin, then.”
“Not sure that’s how it works,” I said, still giggling. “But I think we’re already in a bit of trouble with regards to the church, anyway.”
He arched an eyebrow. “How so?”
I leaned closer to him, and this time it was my mouth on his ear. “Let’s just say I wasn’t entirely pure and innocent when I walked down that aisle,” I whispered.
“I already know you aren’t a virgin, Eden,” Troy replied with a wolfish grin.
I drew back, my eyes sparkling, and I waited for him to finally get what I meant. “Wait…” he finally said, his eyes widening. “You mean you’re already…”
I nodded and put my hand on my abdomen. “Yes. I just found out yesterday. We’re going to have a baby in about seven months.”
Troy’s blue eyes lit up with joy, and he gripped both my hands in his. “I didn’t think I could possibly be any happier today, but this is the best news I’ve ever heard. Thank you, Eden,” he murmured.
“You don’t need to thank me; you helped make the baby,” I said with a cheeky grin. “You big stud.”
“You’re never going to let me live that name down, are you?” he replied with a grin. “That’s the last time I go on a reality show for your sake!”
We laughed as we finally turned and made our way through the cheering wedding guests towards the main church door, clutching each other’s hands. This was exactly how I wanted to spend the rest of my days; laughing, smiling, and beyond happy with Troy by my side. He was once my first love, and now he was also going to be my last.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
THE END
Other Titles by Caitlin Daire
Tease (A Stepbrother Romance)
Playboy (A Stepbrother Romance)
Touchdown Baby (A Secret Baby Sports Romance)
Amazon Page Link
Daddy's Fake Bride (A Fake Marriage Romance) Page 62
