Rookie Move (Indianapolis Eagles Series Book 9)

by Samantha Lind

  “That sounds interesting,” I comment, not having heard of that one, so maybe we’re out of the clear on it. I might have to ask Hales about it tonight. I’d be curious what she’d place in a basket of items that reminded her of me.

  JC and I shoot the shit for a little while longer, both having long since cleared our plates. He’s got an appointment that causes us to cut our time and part ways. Getting together with him every few weeks to talk shop or whatever comes to mind has been helpful. I remember just a few short months ago when I arrived here, not really knowing anyone and feeling like I was so far out of my league. He came in, introduced himself, and the rest has been history. He’s become a mentor and friend at a time in my life and career I could really use one. Never in a million years did I think that Johnathan Camps would fill that spot in my life, mostly since he was one of the guys I watched play since I was a little kid. I always idolized him and his style of play, and to now call him my mentor and friend is a bit unnerving at times.

  “Are you ready for a short break?” I poke my head into the bedroom where Hailey is on the bed, textbooks spread out around her as she types away on her laptop.

  “Give me five?” she asks, looking up at me over her screen. “I’m almost done with this paper and don’t want to stop until I’m finished.” She smiles at me quickly before her eyes drop back to the screen.

  “Yep, I’ll cover up the food so it doesn’t get cold,” I tell her as I head back for the kitchen. I knew she was under a deadline for a school project, so I took cooking into my own hands tonight. I’ve never been that great of a cook, but we’ve been experimenting, trying new recipes out when the time allows. Tonight, I made an easy chicken, rice, and asparagus meal that we’ve had before and really liked.

  I sit down on the couch, flipping through the channels until I find an old Big Bang Theory episode to watch until Hales is ready to eat. By the time she comes out, my stomach is growling loudly, and I have to quickly microwave the food to warm it back up.

  “Sorry, that took longer than I wanted. I found an error that I had to fix,” she says as she tries to hide a yawn.

  “No need to be sorry, babe. I know you’ve been working hard on this project, and I don’t want to see your efforts not pay off. Not that I think that would happen,” I tell her as I set a plate of food in front of her.

  “This looks so good. All I’ve had today was a power bar and bottles of water,” she says, looking up at me.

  “You can’t forget to eat, babe,” I scold her. “How are you going to stay mentally strong if you don’t feed your body?” I ask.

  “I know, but you know I get into a groove and zone everything else out sometimes. Just how my mind works. When I’m focused, nothing can distract me, and I get the most work done. I also, sadly, get the most work done when I’m under a tight deadline.”

  “I’m well aware.” I chuckle as I take a bite of the dinner I made. “Not bad for a rookie,” I say after a few bites.

  “It’s perfect,” she praises.

  “So, what’s next after you turn in this project?” I ask.

  “Eh, another paper, probably a lab for one of my chemistry classes. Now that I think about it, I should probably check my syllabus after we’re done eating so I can try and predict when the next test and quiz will be.”

  “Probably a good plan, don’t want any surprises.”

  “Especially for that class. The professor is a hard ass. Probably my least favorite professor out of all of them.”

  “She must be a hardass if you don’t care for her,” I muse.

  “Yeah, keeping my four-point-oh is going to be a feat in and of itself. But I give her no choice but to give me the grade I deserve. I work my ass off to get As, and I’ll be damned if someone tries to dock me for useless shit or because they don’t like giving out As.”

  “I don’t blame you, babe. I also have faith that you’ll do what you can to keep that perfect grade point average.”

  “I’m really hoping for the Dean’s list and for some scholarships to come through for next year. I’d like to keep as much of my college fund for med school as I can,” she tells me, and this is nothing new. I’ve known all that information since we started the conversation about her moving here.

  “Don’t worry about med school right now. Let’s just get you through your undergrad; how does that sound?” I suggest. I’m hopeful that by the time she’s in med school, whatever her college fund and scholarships don’t cover, that my contracts will be more than enough to cover for her. I know she stresses over the idea of being in vast amounts of debt because of her schooling, so knowing that I can cover whatever she can’t helps me not worry about it.

  “Are you coming to the game tomorrow night?” I ask. She had to miss the game last night due to this project and a meeting with her study group. I knew she wouldn’t get to attend all my home games, but I love knowing when she is. I feel like I play that much harder knowing her eyes are on me the entire time.

  “I am. I think I’m going to meet up with Julia, Reese, Jill, and a few others before the game for some dinner and drinks with them.”

  “Good, I’m glad that you’ve made some friends that you can do things with around here,” I tell her, reaching across the table and squeezing her hand in mine.

  “Me too; I was a little nervous that I’d be so busy with school that I wouldn’t have time for friends, especially with my classes getting harder as the semesters go by.”

  “Don’t forget to take time for yourself. You don’t want to burn yourself out and really mess things up.”

  “I won’t. I’ve got a system that hasn’t failed me yet with scheduling out all my homework.”

  “That’s helpful,” I murmur. “Do you have more to do tonight?” I ask, hoping that we can spend some more time together that doesn’t involve Hales pounding away on a computer.

  “I think I’m done for the night; I just need to clean up my mess that is all spread out on the bed.”

  “Perfect, then. We can snuggle on the couch once you’re done and head to bed a little early, so you get a good night’s sleep before your full day of classes tomorrow. I’ll clean up from dinner, and you can clean up your school things.”

  “Sounds perfect. Not falling asleep with a textbook in my hand sounds like the perfect night,” she jokes.

  “I’m sure it does.” It will be nice to have her next to me when I fall asleep tonight. She’s been up most nights this week studying late, and I’ve had to fall asleep all alone.

  “Are you comfortable?” I ask, tucking Hailey in against me as we lay down on the couch together. My back is against the back of the couch, with Hailey in front of me. Her ass is tucked in right against my groin, and every time she moves, her sweet ass brushes against my hardening shaft.

  “Yep,” she says as she yawns.

  “We should have just gone to bed; do you want to move now before you get too comfortable?” I suggest but pose it like a question.

  “I’ll be fine here for a little bit. Just don’t let me fall asleep,” she requests.

  “That’s a loaded request,” I tease her.

  “I know, but I promise I’ll do my best to stay awake.”

  “I can think of a couple ways we can stay awake,” I murmur as I slide my hand up her hip and underneath the sweatshirt, she has on. Her skin is warm as I get higher, finding her with no bra on. I cup her breast, finding her nipple already hard against my palm. “Mmhmm. Someone is a little turned on tonight,” I observe as I massage her breast. She pushes her ass harder against my erection, and I slip my other hand into the waistband of her leggings, finding her wet and ready for me.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hailey

  I stand at the glass, watching as the guys warm-up. I don’t often come down to the ice level, but I enjoy it occasionally. It gives me the chance to see Dylan up close and personal for a few seconds before he plays.

  He stops in front of me, the goofy grin on his lips making me smile bac
k at him. He reads my shirt and laughs, obviously loving the “Dibs on #25” that is sprawled across my chest. I pull my hair up and turn so he can see his name across the back, along with his number.

  “Damn straight, you’ve got dibs,” he calls through the crack between the two panes of glass. I’m down in one of the corners, only accessible by those with passes to the arena's back hallways. I’m on the opposite side as the locker rooms are on; they don’t let many people down that side of the arena, not wanting to chance someone sneaking into the locker room that isn’t supposed to be there.

  “Good luck,” I mouth to him, holding up our old “I love you” sign we’ve used for years. Now that we live together and see one another almost every day, except when he’s gone on the road, our chances to use it have diminished, so I take every opportunity I can. I love that it is our little thing and don’t want it to ever go away.

  “Love you,” he mouths as he flashes it back to me before skating away and back to his warm-ups.

  I watch until they clear the ice, go back into the locker rooms for the last-minute words of advice from the coaching staff and do any last-minute preparing for the game that is about to start.

  I make my way upstairs and into the suite. It’s incredible how far I’ve come in just a couple of months. The first time I stepped into the suite, I was a nervous wreck who didn’t know anyone, and now I walk in like it is my second home, friends in every corner. I grab a drink, not hungry since I had dinner with the girls before we got here to the arena. That was one of the reasons I wanted to go down to the ice tonight for warm-ups. I wasn’t home when Dylan had to leave for the arena after his game-day nap, and I wanted to at least lay eyes on him before the puck dropped.

  “How was your man?” Kinley, one of the regulars whose husband retired from the team, asks. She’s good friends with Becca, the coach’s wife. They were actually best friends who married best friends. I’ve heard all about their love stories. Becca and Scott were high school sweethearts, much like Dylan and I are, but they split for a handful of years before finding their way back to one another. We had one long conversation about the demands this life has, but how the pros outweigh the cons so much. Having her advice in my mind has helped calm some of my worries and focus on the positives and what Dylan and I have together.

  “He was good, liked my shirt for today’s game,” I tell her. She’s the mastermind behind most of the coordinating clothing items all the WAGs have. She’s crafty like that and enjoys coming up with cute, sometimes funny, sometimes a tad sexy, things for us to all represent our guys.

  “Glad he liked it,” she says as her little girl comes running over and tugging at her shirt. “Sorry, mom duties call,” she says, stepping away with her daughter.

  I make my way over to the front of the suite and the glass, where I find Julia. She’s started to spend more and more time up here over sitting down in the seats her family has had since her dad played. “Hey,” I greet, plopping into the seat next to her.

  “Hey, how’s school going?” she asks. “I felt like I was too far away from you at dinner to really get to talk to you, especially with how loud it was in that place.”

  “Good, stressful, but good. I’m so looking forward to spring break next month. It can’t come soon enough,” I tell her.

  “You’re going somewhere for that, yes?”

  “Yep, on a cruise. Dylan got it as a Christmas present for my parents, my twin sister, and me. He was even going to include my brother and his girlfriend, but they couldn’t make it work.”

  “That sounds amazing right about now. I’d love to go sit my ass on a pool chair with a fruity drink in my hand.”

  “I’ll definitely be sitting my ass by the pool and the beach; I’ll have to sneak some sips of my mom’s drinks this time.”

  “I keep forgetting you aren’t twenty-one yet. Girl, we need to fast forward time.”

  “Tell me about it. I’ve got an entire year plus some still to go.”

  “When is your birthday?” she asks.

  “Next week,” I confess.

  “Wait, so you were just going to let it pass and not tell us about it?” Julia questions.

  “Something like that,” I tell her.

  “That is unacceptable. We’ve got to celebrate,” Julia states. “Hey, girls,” she calls out, gathering the attention of the others in the room. “Someone over here,” she says, looking my way and pointing at me, “was going to try and let her birthday slip past without us celebrating her. It’s next week, so how does Saturday sound? Dinner and something else…” She pauses. “I’ll figure something appropriate and fun, those that can come, let me know once I send deets, and we’ll have a great time.” Everyone agrees to Julia’s suggestion and, apparently, I’ll be having a birthday party next weekend.

  “You don’t have to, really,” I try and state, but Julia isn’t having any of it.

  “None of that, now. We’re a family around here, and everyone deserves a day to be celebrated,” she insists, and I quickly give in.

  “Okay, but nothing elaborate,” I insist.

  “You just let me handle things. Do you have any other plans next Saturday that I need to work around?”

  I pull my cell out to check my calendar, just in case there’s something I’m forgetting. “I’ve got a study group that is meeting for a few hours in the morning, but after about twelve-thirty, I’m free. The guys are on the road that weekend, so I would have just been studying, most likely,” I confess.

  “Perfect, it will be a girls-only outing, then!” she says, getting all excited.

  Our attention gets pulled to the ice where the game has started. I was so engrossed in my conversation with Julia that I missed the first couple of minutes of the game. Thankfully, we didn’t miss any goals from either team while distracted.

  “Good morning, birthday girl,” Dylan whispers against my neck as he peppers kisses up and down my skin.

  “Morning,” I sigh as he sucks lightly at my neck, waking me up in the best way possible.

  “Are you ready for a day of pampering?” he asks as he moves down my body, kissing as he goes.

  “What did you have in mind?” I moan as he licks across my nipple.

  We’re both still naked from last night, having fallen asleep post shower after a fantastic orgasm that left me like a limp noodle.

  “We’re going to start our day out with some birthday sex, followed by a quick shower. Then, we’re off for some breakfast before we have a couples massage, then you have a facial, manicure, and pedicure. That is all topped off with a trip to the salon for you, where you’re finally getting in for that haircut you’ve mentioned needing a few times. That will all be capped off with dinner out tonight at what I’ve been told is one of the best steak houses in the city, followed by me escorting you back here, where I’ll be your personal sex slave until we can’t stay awake any longer.”

  I can’t believe he planned all of this. I knew he wanted to do something, especially after inquiring if I could have my entire birthday off from school. He lucked out that it fell on a day that I don’t have any classes. I usually spend the whole day studying or working on homework. I shifted things around, and will have extra time the next few days with him out of town for a couple road games.

  “You sure know how to spoil me.” I gasp as he moves lower, his tongue sliding along my folds as he adjusts, tossing my legs over his shoulders before burying his face between my legs. The facial hair he’s let grow tickles my skin, adding a new layer of pleasure as he eats me out. It doesn’t take me long, and I’m coming on his tongue, followed shortly by his cock.

  “Love you,” he says, almost whisper quiet as we both lay on the bed post-orgasm.

  “I love you, too,” I say, taking in a few deep breaths before my stomach decided to start making loud noises, which amuses both of us, and we start cracking up laughing.

  “I guess it is time to get you fed,” Dylan says. He rolls out of bed before offering his hand to
me to help me out, as well. He leads me to the bathroom, turning on the hot water and allowing it to warm up for a minute or so. I take advantage of the time, peeing quickly before I wash my hands, brush my teeth, and then follow him into the shower.

  “Oh my God, I don’t think I can take one more bite.” I groan, pushing my plate away from me, a half-eaten Belgian waffle topped with strawberries and whip cream still on my plate. That is on top of the hash browns that were smothered with gravy and cheese, some bacon and sausage rounding out the large breakfast I just scarfed down.

  “I told you they had the best breakfast food here,” Dylan says, pushing his own plate away. “Only the best for the birthday girl.” He leans over, pressing his lips to mine in a chaste kiss.

  “I can definitely be talked into coming back here any morning. I bet their weekend brunch is to die for,” I mention, having read the advertisement for it on the table and the board when we arrived.

  “We can come sometime and check it out. Or maybe you can go with the girls one Sunday morning.”

  “Maybe! So what’s next on our agenda?” I ask, placing my napkin down on the table next to my plate.

  “We’ve got about an hour before our massage appointment. I didn’t want to make it too early and be rushed at breakfast,” he tells me.

  “Probably a good idea, plus, I don’t think being this full and immediately lying flat on my stomach would be very comfortable.”

  “There’s that, as well.” He laughs as our server steps up to the table.

  “Can I get the two of you anything else this morning?” she asks, and I notice that she’s been checking out Dylan each time she comes to our table. I try to not let it bother me, but it’s also a little disrespectful how she’s being a bit flirty with him with me right here.