by Loni Ree
She wraps her long legs around my waist, and I lean down to kiss her as I feel an orgasm approaching. I slow my thrusts and reach between us to rub her clit. Tremors start deep in her pussy before her inner muscles clamp down on my cock as she comes. Her sharp teeth dig into my shoulder, and the tiny bite of pain is enough to cause me to lose my last shred of control. My release shoots into her silky center as I roll over and pull her with me.
The next morning, it kills me to leave her sleeping when I head to the stadium. I write a note and place it on the bedside table for her to find. The day is endless and frustrating. To put a cherry on my shitshow sundae, I lost my room key-card after lunch. One of the clumsy ass assistants tripped and spilled a frilly girl coffee down the front of my shirt and pants. Instead of wasting time running back to the hotel, I got a pair of team sweats and took a quick shower to get the sticky mess off me. I left all my stuff on the counter in the locker room while I changed, and somehow, the room key never made it back into my pocket. Luckily, Molly is meeting me for dinner in the French Quarter, and I’ll get a replacement key when we return to the hotel.
Later, we walk into the lobby, and I groan. “Fuck.”
Molly looks up at me then follows my eyes and sighs. “Yikes. That’s a long line.” There are at least ten people waiting at the front desk.
“Do you mind riding the elevator down in the morning with me?” I kiss the side of her neck and beg. Since I need a key-card to ride the elevator, Molly will have to wake up early to come with me.
“You’re going to owe me.” She raises an eyebrow as we step on the elevator.
My shitshow sundae turns into a full-fledged banana split, complete with the cherry on top, when I open our hotel room door. Sprawled across the bed, naked except for my light blue dress shirt, is Melody. I’m not sure who’s more shocked—me, Molly, or the soon-to-be unemployed assistant. “What the fuck are you doing in our room, and how did you get my fucking shirt?”
At least the dumb shit has an ounce of sense. She bolts upright and pulls the shirt across her scrawny ass before stuttering out, “I didn’t know you had someone here with you.” Red slashes across her pale cheekbones and runs down her neck. This girl is off her rocker. While the mysteries of my missing dress shirt and key-card are solved, I have a whole new set of problems.
Turning to Molly, I need to make one thing clear. “I’ve never invited this girl to my room.” I glare over my shoulder at the younger woman who’s trying to do her best to disappear. “She must’ve stolen my shirt and key card.”
“I know,” Molly swallows. “Shouldn’t you call hotel security?”
Running my hand down my face, I debate my choices. The fucking media will have a field day if I involve hotel security, but there’s no way I’m letting this go. I decide to call the team’s head coach and security and explain the situation to them. Four hours later, I’m finally closing the door on a different hotel room and resting my head against it. After deciding to handle the mess internally, team security arranged for us to get another room. And I honestly appreciate the gesture. Melody is gone, along with my pale blue dress shirt, but the feeling of being violated will linger for a long time.
“Are you okay?” Molly runs her hands up my back.
“Fuck. This has been a trying season,” I admit. I’m not sure coaching in the NFL is my calling.
“You’re exhausted and frustrated.” As she lays her head against my back, I take a deep breath and enjoy having her close.
“Thank you for trusting me.” I turn and wrap my arms around her.
She looks into my eyes and reaches up to hold my cheek with her soft hand. “I love you.” Standing on her tiptoes, she kisses my lips and smiles. “We’ve had a wild ride, but I know you wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize our relationship. Come on, let’s shower and get an hour or two of sleep.” As she drags me toward the bathroom, I thank my lucky stars tonight turned out the way it did.
Chapter 9
Molly
Even after all the upheaval and the late night, the Seahawks still manage to beat the Saints. I’m proud of Barrett but also dreading one more game before this trying season comes to an end.
Barrett decides to skip the parties and takes me back to the hotel the second he’s able to escape the locker room. “I hope you’re not missing out on the parties for me.” I worry after he shuts the door and turns to take me into his arms.
“I’ve been counting the minutes until I could escape.” He nuzzles my neck and leans down to pick me up.
After tossing me down on the bed, he turns and begins to pace the room. I lean up on my elbows and watch him, wondering what’s got him worked up.
“Hey, is something wrong?” I sit and cross my legs while he keeps walking back and forth.
“I love you.” He runs his hand through his messy hair and pauses. “And I hate, hate being away from you this much.” He walks over to the suitcases lined up against the wall. After our late night, we didn’t bother to unpack. We grabbed an outfit to wear today and left the rest hastily shoved in the cases.
Barrett picks his smaller suitcase up and sets it on the foot of the bed. He looks over at me and smiles before unzipping it and searching through it for a few moments. When I see a bright blue box in his hand, my heart begins to pound against my ribs. He stares into my eyes and swallows. “I’ve been waiting for the right time to give this to you.” He flips the lid open and pulls out a stunning diamond ring. “I’ve loved you forever, for over ten years, but I was too young and stupid to realize it.” He takes a deep breath. “I chose the wrong game.” He sighs. “Winning you should’ve been more important than anything else, and I won’t ever be that dumb again. Tell me you’ll marry me and let me spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
I race over to him and throw my arms around his neck. “There’s nothing to make up.” As he takes my hand and slips the ring on my finger, I stare at it and feel tears slide down my cheeks. “I love you, too,” I whisper.
Barrett wraps his hands around my face and brushes the wetness from my skin with his thumbs. Staring into my eyes, he smiles. “You still haven’t said the words I’m waiting for.”
I frown at him for a second, then realize I never agreed to his proposal. “Of course, I’ll marry you.” I hug his strong body close and joke, “But we need to work on you watching your surroundings better and keeping hold of your belongings when you’re out of town.”
“Smartass.”
“You love my ass.”
Nana notices my ring the second we walk in the door. “Well, thank God, you got your ass in gear.” She smirks at Barrett, and I cough to hide my laughter as an unreadable glint appears in her eyes. “Oh, I have the most wonderful idea.” Uh-oh.
“We can have a double wedding.” She slaps her hands together and begins chattering away about all the advantages of a double ceremony. This is a bad idea. Glancing over at Barrett, I mouth, “Do something.”
“Nana.” His grandmother turns and raises her eyebrow at him and shocks the hell out of me. “I promised Molly a destination wedding. We’re getting married in Hawaii right after the season is over.”
Nana’s eyes light up as I realize what he’s promising in three weeks. Dumbass. I reach behind him and pinch his side. His grandmother rushes from the room to make calls, and I turn to him and smack his shoulder. “What was that?”
“Me thinking on my toes.”
I shake my head and suggest, “From now on, let me do the fast-thinking in our family.”
“Would you rather have a double ceremony with Nana and George?” He’s stealing my smartass title.
While he spends the next two weeks working late, preparing for the championship game, I’m planning our wedding. When he leaves for Atlanta, I have a tiny bit of apprehension. After the whole Melody incident, I trust Barrett but not the female crazies in the world. My flight on Friday can’t come soon enough.
This time, Barrett meets me at the airport. After he pulls
me close and kisses my lips, I look up into his eyes and smile. “Throw any crazies out of your hotel room this trip?”
“Smartass.” He leans down and bites the side of my neck and growls next to my ear, “You keep begging for an ass whipping.”
I wait until he grabs my bags and laces his fingers with mine before whispering, “You keep making promises.” His eyes darken to almost black as he groans, “Walk in front of me to hide the evidence of your smartass mouth.” I chuckle and help him out. He should’ve known better than to wear his silky athletic pants to pick me up from the airport.
Friday afternoon traffic in Atlanta is horrible. There’s no way I can help him out with his problem without us both ending up behind bars for lewd behavior. When he pushes his hotel room door open and my eyes fall on the empty room, relief flows through me. I know it’s silly, but I’m still slightly traumatized from the last trip.
The weekend flies by in a flurry of activity, and I barely see Barrett. The game is a nail-biter, and I see the lines of strain on his face when the camera catches him on the sideline. He’s got Will Montgomery, the quarterback, pulled aside and they’re engrossed in a heated discussion. I breathe a sigh of relief when the game finally comes to end with Seattle on top. Not by much, but still a winner.
Barrett can’t cut out on the championship parties. I take one for the team and hold his hand while he introduces to me hundreds of people. There’s no way I’ll remember all these names. After what seems like an eternity, he leans over and kisses my forehead. “We’ve stayed long enough.” Thank God. My feet are throbbing, and I’m having trouble keeping my eyes open.
When we get home from Atlanta, we only have a week to finish wedding preparations. I’m sitting at the breakfast bar making my millionth list of the day when Barrett walks up and hugs me from behind. “How’s it going?”
“We should’ve run off to Las Vegas,” I answer honestly.
He spins my barstool around and stares into my eyes. “It’s not too late. If this is too much, we can book a couple of tickets to Las Vegas and run off.”
I lean up and kiss him before shaking my head. “And have my dad take out a hit on you? No way.” He throws back his head and laughs.
“Hey, I’m about to be his favorite son-in-law.”
“I’m an only child. You’re going to be his only son-in-law,” I remind him. “It’s a shame he came down with food poisoning and couldn’t use the tickets you got him for the championship game.” Evidently, Barrett called in several favors, which might have included our firstborn, to get my dad’s tickets. Then the night before my parents left for Atlanta, they had dinner at a local Chinese restaurant and were served bad fried rice. Those tickets went to waste, and they’re still cursing the place. Hopefully, they’ll recover in time to fly to Hawaii for our wedding in four days.
Nana walks into the kitchen, and I notice there’s an extra sparkle next to her engagement ring. I hip-check Barrett and point at her finger. His eyes widen, and he asks, “Uh, is there something you want to tell us?”
She looks between us for a second and shrugs. “I’m too old to dilly dally. My lady parts are about to shrivel up and dry out.”
Barrett slaps his hands over his ears. “Woah. I just wanted to know about the ring on your finger.”
Nana throws her hands up in the air. “And I’m explaining to you that George and I went down to the courthouse and got married.”
I hop up and rush around the counter to hug her. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you, dear girl. Now, we need to make you an official member of our family.”
The planning and packing continue for the rest of the week. I’m keeping busy and making sure everything is ready for us to leave on Sunday while Barrett has a few meetings at the stadium. All day Saturday, he seems preoccupied, and I start to worry that he’s having second thoughts. After dropping Barney One and Barney Two off at Chase’s house, I come home and look for Barrett. I find him staring out the patio door. “Hey.” He turns, and I notice he appears nervous. “I got the animals settled in.” I hold up the two presents that Chase gave me. One is from the book club, and the other is from all our employees at All the Steam. “He gave me these for us to open in Hawaii.”
Barrett briefly glances at the presents and back up at me. “I need to talk to you.” I drop the gifts on the side table and stand there.
My heart pounds frantically, and I swallow hard. “Okay,” I manage to push past my dry lips. “Are you breaking up with me?”
He jerks back like I’ve slapped him before rushing over and taking me into his arms. “God, no.” As he holds me close, I feel his heart pounding furiously against my cheek. “I love you.” He wraps his hand around my head and holds me to his chest. “I quit my job today.”
I gasp and pull back to look into his eyes. “What?”
“I hate it. I hate the stress, the time it takes, the time away from you.” He paces the room for a minute then stops. “I have money saved from my professional football days and a college degree. I’ll find something to do.”
I walk over and smile up at him. “I honestly don’t care. My coffee shop does pretty well. You can be my kept man for a while if you want.”
He pulls me up against his hard body and kisses me. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. But my dad might put that hit out on you when he finds out you can’t get him tickets next year.”
Epilogue
Barrett
As my girl walks across the sand toward me, I impatiently wait to give her my name. We decided on a simple, casual wedding on the beach followed by an intimate lunch. The wind blows the skirt of her strapless, white sundress around her legs as she walks barefoot along the path. Her hair is styled in a fancy twist with tiny white flowers woven throughout the strands. Her dad whispers something in her ear when they’re steps away, and she laughs quietly.
After he hands her over to me, he leans over to murmur, “I can make it look like an accident. Don’t fuck up with my girl.” Then he kisses Molly’s cheek and walks over to sit next to his wife.
The rest of the ceremony passes in a blur. I must utter the appropriate responses because the judge announces I can kiss my bride at the end. As I pull her close and kiss her soft lips, I barely resist the urge to shout with joy. I did it. I made the most important play of my life. She’s mine for life. Placing my forehead against hers, I smile down at my wife. “I love you, Mrs. Collins.”
“I love you, too, Mr. Collins.”
After sweeping her up into my arms, I turn to our families. “Let’s celebrate!”
Epilogue 2
Molly
Three years later
I sit on the sidelines and watch my husband coach. Yes, he’s coaching again. Now, it’s high school football. Ironic, I know. Without the stress of dealing with professional athletes and traveling, he rediscovered his love of the game. A few months after our wedding, a small private high school a few miles from our house offered him the head coach position. We discussed it, and he decided to give it a try. His college degree came in handy since the job required him to teach a subject at the school. Barrett learned he had a gift for teaching and coaching teenagers.
I love his new career, too. Having a sexy, biology teacher-slash-football coach husband is hot. Those tight, athletic pants are the reason we have a thirteen-month-old child. Barrett came home looking hot and yummy one day, and the rest is history.
Noah jumps up and down on my lap and claps his hands at the action happening on the field. “Daddy!” he screeches, and I wonder if Barrett hears him all the way down on the field.
Barrett looks over his shoulder and winks at me, and I have my answer. Watching my husband in action heats my blood. Hopefully, all the excitement of the evening will exhaust Noah, and he’ll fall asleep before we make it home. After half-time, he passes out on my shoulder, and I decide to call it a night. I try to get Barrett’s attention, but he’s engrossed in the game. Oh, well. He’ll real
ize what’s happening.
I’m pulling into the driveway when my phone dings with a message.
You okay?
My husband notices everything. I shoot him a quick text, reassuring him and letting him know I’m putting Noah to bed, then I lift my sturdy little man out of the SUV and carry him inside. It takes some maneuvering, but I manage to dress him in pajamas and tuck him in without waking him up.
I lie in bed and turn on the news to wait for my husband. The next thing I know, bright sunlight is pouring in through the blinds. Barrett is curled up behind me, holding me tightly to his hard body. “Good morning,” he breathes against the back of my neck.
“Why didn’t you wake me up last night?” I shiver as he bites my earlobe.
“I did. You threatened my manhood.” I glance over my shoulder and raise an eyebrow.
“I seriously doubt that.” Turning, I reach below the sheet and wrap my hand around his cock. “We’re friends.”
As I pump my fist, he groans, “Your exact words were ‘touch me and I’ll snap your dick in two’.”
“Oops.” I rub my thumb over the crown and spread the wetness around. “I need to make that up to you.” I push him onto his back and wink.
As I scoot under the covers, he agrees, “That’s an excellent idea.”
My lips close around his shaft, and he wraps his hand in my long hair and pulls it to the side. His eyes meet mine, and I watch as his blue eyes darken to nearly black. I flick my tongue around the head of his dick. “Stop torturing me,” he growls, and I wink at him.
