Going Deep Boxed Set (Books 1-4)

by Virna DePaul

  He started with the meditation garden, complete with a flowing fountain, angel statue, and koi pond, and ending with the game room, or “man cave,” as he called it. “Not much time for Xbox these days, but every so often, I like to kick my sister’s butt in a game of Smash.” He picked up the Switch controllers. “Do you play?”

  Zoe held back a smile. “Maybe once or twice.” It was a lie, one she figured would come in handy later if he decided to challenge her. She played Smash with her brother at least once a week when she hung out at his place on his off-days. Her favorite was purple Kirby, and she could do some severe damage.

  There were old game machines in this room, as well. Pinball and a billiards table, a few old-school video games like Donkey Kong and Centipede, and something he called “pachinko.” Several boxes were still laying around, but for the most part, he’d gotten the room in square order, complete with old movie posters on the wall.

  “What’s this?” She pointed to a framed button inside a shadow box.

  “That’s my grandfather’s May the Force Be With You button. He got it on opening day in ’77 or whenever it was.”

  “Wow, your grandfather’s a big Star Wars fan? So’s my dad.” Well, he was, Zoe thought miserably. Back when Dad could recall the plethora of details that made up the universe of the 42-year-old movie. It was some of the happiest memories Zoe had of her father. He was gone so often, rarely made himself available to Zoe and Pete when they were kids, but they’d watched almost all of the Stars Wars movies together.

  “Yeah? That’s so cool. I’m a big fan of your dad, you know. I used to watch him as a kid. Pop would go over all the greats. Kip Reynolds, Dan Marino, Joe Montana. How’s he doing, by the way? Your father, I mean.”

  Zoe hesitated before saying, “He’s okay. In a retirement home now that my mom is gone. Driving everyone crazy.”

  “Nah, I bet everyone loves him. Your dad seemed like a charmer, always joking around.”

  He had been, though he hadn’t actually spent much time joking around with his kids. He’d loved them, he’d supported them, but it was clear they were not his priority. “Oh, yes. They love him alright.”

  “And your mother? What happened to her?”

  “She died last year of a massive stroke. It was a shock and we, Pete and I, and my father, well…” Zoe took in shuddering breath, not wanting to talk about her father or her mother any more.

  “I’m sorry, Zoe.”

  “Thank you. I miss her.” I miss them both. Needing to change the subject, she said, “Did you want to get something to eat? I’m kind of starving and I can run to the store. Grab some groceries.”

  “Did you want to see the gym first?” he asked.

  “Oh, Murph showed it to me before showing me my room, remember?”

  “Right, I forgot. Must be the ball I caught with my head yesterday.”

  She laughed, liking that he could poke fun at himself.

  “I’m in the mood for sushi and I know a great place that delivers.”

  “So long as we split the bill, that sounds good.”

  After discussing what they wanted, Gabe ordered sushi while she walked around the living room, checking out framed football paraphernalia along the walls, as well as old photos of a smiling couple with two small children. “Are these your parents?”

  “Yep.”

  “Good-looking couple.” She could definitely see where he and his sister had gotten their stunning good looks. As a child, he’d been more blond, though the stormy blue eyes were unmistakably Gabe.

  “Thanks. I remember a lot about them, surprisingly. Details you wouldn’t think, like the way my father cleared his throat often after every meal, or the way my mom would throw her head back with every laugh.”

  “It must be hard to grow up without your parents.” At least she’d had a lot of time with her parents, and she still had her father, though losing her father to Alzheimer’s was a completely different way of saying goodbye. Slowly and painfully, though she could still hold her father’s hand whenever she wanted.

  “It was at first. At least for me. I don’t think my sister remembers much. To her, it’s like our grandparents always raised us. Luckily, Mimi and Pop were pretty active. They could keep up with us. I feel guilty sometimes that they had to raise more kids when they thought they were done, you know?”

  “Aww, that’s a sad way to think of it. I’m sure they loved raising you and your sister.”

  “God, no. I was a terror. Gave them so much hell.” He laughed and pulled out a bottle of white wine, uncorking and pouring himself a glass. “That’s why they threw me into football, so I could channel that energy into something. Care for some?”

  She thought about it for half a second. It was all so much to get used to. The casualness of hanging out with a client, seeing him at home, and now they were going to share a bottle.

  What the hell. It’d been a stressful week, and besides, she was having a nice time with Gabe.

  “Sure.”

  He poured the glass and brought it around the island. When he handed off the glass, his fingers brushed against hers. His hands were large, rough, and strong, his arms lean and corded. Something clenched tightly in her chest even as he kept moving and chatting about his family.

  Apparently, his grandfather had given him an ultimatum as a teen to either get his shit together or go live with distant family, and because Gabe had enough sense not to want to lose his family all over again, he straightened himself out. Football had done the trick—it kept his grades from slipping, his focus sharp, and his body…in great shape.

  Yes.

  She sipped from her wine and tried not to stare at Exhibit A.

  She would have to agree.

  While they waited for the food to arrive, she took a seat at the counter while he stood on the adjacent end, asking her questions about her childhood. She focused mainly on her close relationship with Pete, who’d played football in high school and college, but hadn’t felt driven to pursue it professionally.

  “Was your Dad disappointed about that?” he asked.

  “I want to say no, but I think he was. And Pete knew it, too. I think it’s why Pete played as long as he did. Football was everything to Dad, so if you had that in common with him, it was so much easier to connect with him.”

  Gabe frowned. “So you didn’t have a great relationship with your dad?”

  Zoe hesitated, trying to separate reason from emotion. Trying to be fair. “He’s a good man. A good father. He was just an absent one most of the time.”

  He nodded slowly. “Is that why you got into training? To try to connect with him?”

  “To be honest, it was the reason, but only at first. Once I started my studies, it became a true passion for me. And I found I was actually pretty good at it, too, so…”

  She shrugged and Gabe shook his head. “You’re better than good at it, Zoe.”

  She cocked a brow. “You’ve only done one session with me, Gabe.”

  “One was more than enough. And yet, not nearly enough, too.”

  At his words and the warm look on his expression, Zoe felt something inside her melt. She opened her mouth, not sure what she was going to say, but Gabe’s phone buzzed. Glancing down, he tapped something on the screen. “Food’s here. Be right back.”

  Zoe leaned against an armoire and listened as Gabe answered the door. The delivery guy asked for an autograph and Gabe cheerfully agreed. She smiled. She remembered her dad doing the same years ago.

  “Let’s eat,” he said when he returned with the sushi boxes. He set everything down in front of a giant screen TV and turned on Netflix. She couldn’t remember what they watched, because it mostly served as background noise. As they ate, they went on talking about college, football, and favorite places to eat in town. She learned how much he really missed Chicago, but he avoided talking about his old team, and she knew there was resentment and hurt there. She’d also seen for herself at practice yesterday how reluctant he’d
been to be friendly with the guys on his new team.

  He just needed some time to adjust, she realized.

  And maybe he just needed a friend, too.

  Could she be that for him?

  When she was done with the wine, she poured herself another glass. She wanted to keep feeling the way she was feeling a little while longer. It was a refreshing change from the stress she’d been feeling lately. Chilling, Netflixing, eating delicious sushi and laughing with Gabe. Not Gabe Murphy, wide receiver. Just Gabe.

  “What was your sister saying yesterday?”

  “When?”

  “After you caught the ball with your head.”

  He flicked a piece of rice at her. “You mean the day I kicked ass and impressed Coach?”

  “Mmm, that’s debatable.” Zoe laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

  “Don’t.” He reached out and gently pulled her hand away. “Don’t cover your smile. It’s gorgeous. And sexy as hell.”

  She quieted and tried to swallow as softly as she could. There was something electric in the air between them, something she could almost grab and wrap around them both like a warm blanket.

  “She was quoting lines from Austin Powers.”

  “The old 90s movie?”

  “Yes. You want to see it? I can put it on right now, if you want…” He was already grabbing the remote, searching his database to find the movie in question. Zoe watched him, a little kid ready to show off his plastic dinosaur collection to the girl next door. As cute as it was, she didn’t care about Austin Powers. She cared about the man sitting next to her, perfectly happy and at home.

  “Here it is—it’s the scene with all the head puns.”

  When he spoke again, she flinched. She hadn’t realized it, but she’d been leaning into his space, preparing herself to cozy up and watch. So when he leaned back, their shoulders brushed against each other.

  Surprised, he stared at her with those damn sexy eyes.

  His mouth was so full, so perfect, she couldn’t think straight.

  When he leaned in just the slightest amount, she kissed him.

  Chapter 9

  The kiss caught him by surprise. All he meant to do was show her a video but when he sat back, he found Zoe lounging on the sofa, a jaguar with dainty feet tucked underneath her, both hands cupping her glass of wine. A relaxed woman, if ever he saw one. One with clear desire in her eyes and an invitation on her pouty lips.

  Though she initiated the kiss, he closed his eyes and dived right into it.

  He tasted the sweet tanginess of the wine first, then felt the soft push of her body arching into his, wanting more. So, he gave her more, because he wanted it, too. Drank more of her in, slipping his hand behind her neck and kissing her deeply, feeling a current of energy vibrating between them like connective tissue.

  Gabe loved the taste of her lips. He slid his tongue in search of hers, finding himself rewarded with a kiss more delicious than the last. He leaned in, beginning to pull her a little closer, feeling himself falling down the rabbit hole, when she suddenly stopped, as if the timer had run out on the quarter deposited into the carousel ride.

  Zoe pulled away and stared at him with wide eyes.

  “I’m so sorry. We can’t—”

  Setting her empty wine glass on the coffee table, she quickly stood, bent to grab her sandals, and left a Zoe-shaped cloud where she’d been only a moment before. He didn’t bother calling after her, or trying to talk about it. He let her go—it was clear why she was upset: they’d crossed the boundary of client and trainer.

  He listened to her footsteps disappearing down the hall before her door closed. Only then did Gabe lean back, set his feet up onto the table, and let out a sigh.

  They’d gotten caught up in the moment, that was all. Hell, not only was she his trainer, but she was now living with him. He couldn't take advantage of that. There’d be no more kisses.

  But damn, did he regret that. For a brief time, while they’d been talking and especially when they’d been kissing, Zoe had somehow managed to accomplish the impossible. She’d made him forget about football. Made him forget he’d lost his second family, his hometown, his sense of identity, which had always been tied to his performance as a football player.

  For the first time in a long time, he’d felt like a whole person again. He’d felt happy.

  Somehow, he had to get that feeling back without needing Zoe to get him there.

  He locked up the house, left his sister a note telling her the rest of the sushi was hers if she wanted it, and headed upstairs. He walked right past her room, where the door was closed but the bedside lamp light shone underneath. For a brief moment, he considered saying a soft goodnight as he walked by, but decided against it. As he shuffled past, he heard the muted sounds of her talking. Maybe she had a best friend she was talking to on the phone, telling her she should move out. He didn’t want that—he’d really enjoyed her company today. But whatever happened, he’d accept it. Hell, maybe it would be better for both of them if Gabe found another trainer. She wouldn’t have to worry about crossing professional boundaries, and he wouldn't have to worry that Zoe would distract him from his priority—getting back in tip-top shape so he could dominate at football.

  Gabe closed the door to his room, got ready for bed, and found his body ached. He rubbed his shoulder, willing the dull pain to go away. He took one of his prescribed pain medications, which took the throbbing away, but also made him quickly fall asleep.

  The subconscious was a beautiful thing, because suddenly, he and Zoe were back on the couch but instead of pulling away this time, she wanted more, same as he did. She rose, stepped over his legs and straddled him. Facing him, she dropped that heated core between her legs onto his crotch and ground down onto him. Breasts pushed against his chest, as she leaned into him and kissed him, deep and full of tongue.

  In the dream, she’d been wearing workout clothes, but a moment later, she wore nothing. He kissed his way down her neck, stopping to taste her collarbone, her heartbeat, latching onto one of her breasts. He squeezed them together, pushing her ripe pink nipples as close as he could to take turns drinking from each one.

  He pushed his cock up and into her, all the way to the hilt, burying himself deep into that beautiful, sculpted body. And then she rode him, tiny hands gripping his shoulders, her long dark hair tickling his chest, as she worked and used his cock to bring herself higher and higher. Her eyes closed, and he could taste the salty sweat forming on her chest, his nose buried between her breasts. Zoe rode his cock faster, hurtling them both toward climax…

  Gabe woke up in a flushed sweat, sitting up in the darkness, panting.

  What the fuck? He’d dreamed about her over the past few nights, but none of the dreams had been so vivid. Obviously kissing her had fine-tuned his imagination. His cock was rock hard, so hard it fucking hurt.

  And Zoe was right down the hall.

  No.

  Stay the fuck focused, asshole.

  He got up and walked to the bathroom, stripped off his clothes, and turned on the cold shower. As he stepped inside and his erection subsided, Gabe let the water drip all over him, bringing him back to the shocking reality that whether she moved out or not, whether she trained him or not, Zoe had already shaken him to the core.

  Chapter 10

  The next morning, Zoe and Gabe did their first training session in his home gym. Just as had happened when she’d seen the gym the first time, Zoe practically had an orgasm seeing the beautiful space, especially when she gazed at the sophisticated TechnoGym cardio machines and kinesis equipment, which used cables to work different muscles simultaneously. It was exactly what one would expect an NFL MVP with a multi-million-dollar salary to have. It put Iron Maiden to shame, which only depressed her about her father’s situation even more. She reminded herself that her time in this gym would lead to the refurbishment of the other, if she played her cards right.

  Neither she nor Gabe mentioned the kiss the nig
ht before, and although there were some awkward pauses in their conversation at first (as well as a whole lot of lingering glances), as soon as they began their session they managed to act normal around one another. Mostly, Zoe kept him busy with mobility and strength exercises, which would have left anyone else gasping for breath. Given his superior stamina, Gabe was never too breathless to talk, but thankfully when he did talk he kept the conversation light, asking her what she liked most about Savannah and working at Iron Maiden. Still, guilt niggled at Zoe. After initially saying he didn’t want her in his house, Gabe had trusted her to come into his home and act professionally and what had she done? At the first opportunity, she’d kissed him, then run away from him, as if he’d done something wrong. Even though he was being kind by not mentioning it, she needed to face up to what had happened.

  Last night, she’d talked with her brother, and told him she’d made a mistake moving in and that she was going to tell Gabe that, even if it meant losing the bonus Murph and Gabe had agreed to pay her. Pete had agreed with her decision. Why make things harder on herself, after all? Only her brother didn’t know the degree of debt Zoe was in. He helped with paying for their father’s memory care, but there were still the bills from Iron Maiden, and that was Zoe’s sole responsibility.

  Too bad that even now, when she was supposed to be all about business and Gabe’s workout, all she could think about were Gabe’s wide hands on her hips, his lips giving her that sweet, warm kiss. A kiss was tell-all, and from their one brief one last night, she knew there’d be more deliciousness where that one had come from.

  “Are we going to talk about it?” Gabe asked suddenly.

  Zoe looked up and saw him standing, hands on hips, obviously having stopped in the middle of doing a mind-boggling amount of burpees.

  Zoe sighed and swallowed hard. She’d been going to wait until they finished their session before saying something, but looked like now was the time. “I take full responsibility for what happened last night, Gabe.”