Touchdowns and Tiaras: The Complete Boxed Set

by Frost, Sosie

  I thought I’d hidden the revulsion in my voice. Elle heard it though, and she paddled her feet, navigating the tube closer to me.

  “What did she want?”

  “Nothing that belonged to her. The usual—threats, demands, money. She’s not getting it though. Not a damn dime.” I exhaled, chasing the anger away. I never liked that ugly sort of rage. A smile was much more fun than a fist. “That day, she had just pissed me off. And the combine was already crazy stressful. I was hyped from the events and fitness tests, and then I saw a pretty woman taking pictures. I asked her to meet me for a drink. The rest is…fate.”

  She liked that. “But you haven’t asked for a divorce.”

  “Nope. Thought about it when I got drafted, but as soon as I saw you again…I thought this is it.”

  Elle stilled. “This is what?”

  “The girl for me.”

  If that didn’t flip her tube into the river, nothing would. I rocked her pretty good though. She gripped the handles so she didn’t tumble out.

  “You can’t mean that.”

  “I do.”

  “But…you’ve just been teasing me this whole time. Trying to get me into bed. How can you possibly know that we’d be good together?”

  Because I knew it. “I don’t remember much from Vegas, but that night at the bar? You listened to me.”

  “Not very well. I blacked out.”

  “Maybe after, but not during. You listened to me. You cared.”

  “A lot of girls might have listened to you that night. You could have spun around and picked someone at random.”

  “I didn’t want someone random. I wanted you. They might have listened to hear what they wanted, but they wouldn’t have understood me. You did. We had a connection. Never felt anything like that before.”

  “And what if it was just the alcohol that made us connect?”

  “I told you everything you’ve wanted to know, Red.” I crossed my arms behind my head, enjoying how she couldn’t resist a glance at my chest, biceps, and how low my trunks had fallen. “You’re the mystery.”

  “I am not.” She splashed me.

  “You’re a big riddle. You don’t let me in. You don’t tell me how much you really like me. You won’t tell me what’s been bothering you at the field.” I smirked. “Won’t tell me where you were the day I almost got turned into roadkill.”

  “I was sick that day—”

  “Yeah, right. You’re hiding everything from me, Elle. I only want to get inside…in more ways than one.”

  Elle splish-splashed her feet. She turned the camera to take a selfie, angling the shot to get both of us in the frame.

  “Could have used that for our wedding photos,” I said. “Fuck, I wish someone had taken a picture of us in the locker room the instant I said we were married. Your face was priceless.”

  “Yeah, that’d be…funny.” Her laugh was forced. She lowered the camera. “Do you want the truth, Charming?”

  “Always.”

  “I don’t know how I feel about you. I don’t know if I should feel what I do feel for you.”

  “So it’s something good?”

  “It’s something.”

  “I can work with anything that isn’t straight-up revulsion.” I hesitated. “Are you afraid I’ll hurt you?”

  “I’m more worried I’ll let you hurt me, maybe.”

  “Never. I can promise you that. Give me a chance. You know we’re good together.”

  She chose not to answer. Instead she pooled a little water in her hands and dripped the shimmering drops over her heated skin. The water teased her dark legs and arms, and my cock hardened as each droplet trickled down between her thighs.

  “I’ve always wanted to be a photographer,” she said. “I’d planned to see the world. My father thought it was a stupid and wasteful pursuit. He wanted me to stay near home, with family. Which meant he planned to control every aspect of my life. He wasn’t cruel, exactly. We weren’t afraid of him, but none of us were happy. I was the one who decided to live my own life. I got out.”

  “What made you leave. What was the trigger?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  I gestured to the water. “We’re on a four-hour bob down this river.”

  She bit her lip, not realizing how that tease tightened the limited space in my trunks.

  “There’s not one event. A couple maybe. When I was in high school, I met a boy. It was something totally innocent, just a little crush. We might have gone to see a movie when I could sneak out, but usually we were in a group of friends. When my dad found out, he was furious.”

  “Why?”

  She drifted close enough to touch. She brushed her finger over my arm, highlight the contrast. Dark against light.

  “Because he was…and I am…”

  “Oh,” I said.

  “Dad didn’t accept the modern world. He saw things in literal black and white. It was ugly, and he had a bad reputation for it. He was always livid that I didn’t see the world the way he did. So…I packed a bag.” She shrugged. “And here I am. Married and floating on an inner-tube.”

  “Have you seen your father since then?”

  She cleared her throat. “No. He tried to call me in Vegas, but it wasn’t to reconnect.”

  “You were upset.”

  “Nothing a couple body shots and a marriage couldn’t fix.” She tisked. “This is what happens when you forget to bring limes to the room. We had no choice but to get married.”

  “I’ll know for next time.” I grabbed her hand and spun her, casting her in a circle downstream. “Do you miss your family?”

  She blew the hair from her eyes. “I tried calling my dad these past two weeks.”

  “And?”

  “He’s…not returned my calls.” She sighed. “But my family isn’t like yours. You love your mom and Bast. You have a really big heart, Lachlan.”

  “I have bigger things.”

  “I don’t know…your heart is pretty impressive.”

  “Wanna check?”

  She splashed me. “Lemme guess. Sex in public? Another rush?”

  “Public?” I laughed. “Look around, Red. We’re the only idiots for miles who thought tubing in a half-dried-up river would be fun.”

  “I dunno…I think it’s kinda pretty.”

  It was, once I tore my eyes from her to check out the shore.

  The river widened and opened into a deeper, secluded area hidden by willow trees. The light softened, tickling through the thick, blossoming branches. I grinned at her.

  “You know…it’s just you, me, and too many layers of bathing suits. Why not have some fun?”

  “You are so bad.”

  “Elle, don’t you get it? Why I’m trying so hard?”

  “You want me.”

  “It’s more than that. You are the greatest adrenaline rush a man could have. My heart won’t stop pounding when I see you. I sweat when I talk to you. I shiver every time we touch. When you smile, I freeze because I’m afraid I’ll blow this…and then you won’t blow me.” I grinned. “Who needs bungee cords and rip-ties when I’ve got a beautiful woman to impress? You’re enough to keep me on my toes.”

  “And all you want to do is curl mine.”

  “Tease.”

  “Who says I’m teasing?”

  Elle shifted, tugging on the straps to her bikini. The suit popped off, and she tossed the top at me before I could get a look at the perfect swell of her breasts. She wiggled her hips, and I nearly launched out of the tube to catch the bottoms.

  I damn near capsized my ride to paddle to her side, staring at her beautiful curves and the soft, dark promise between her legs. She gave me a devilish smile.

  “Feeling adventurous, Red?” I kicked off my boxers.

  Her gaze feasted on my hard cock. She licked her lips and spoke with a sultry murmur.

  “You could say that…”

  I didn’t have time to prepare. She grabbed my tube, spun it, and yanked.
I sprawled off balance.

  I fell into the river with a splash.

  And the games were on.

  11

  Elle

  Lachlan tumbled backwards into the water.

  I dipped under the river without a splash.

  A couple strong kicks propelled me away from the tubes and into a secluded and pristine pool bordered by willow trees and large, smoothed stones. The rocks gently funneled the river into an opened mouthed reservoir perfect for a bit of fun.

  Lachlan surfaced with a growl. He didn’t have to tread the water—he was tall enough to stand. Lucky bastard. He rubbed his eyes and searched for me.

  He’d never find me.

  I sunk under the ripples again, hiding as he walked closer. He turned, granting me the perfect opportunity to swim close and pinch his ridiculously muscular, utterly amazing ass.

  “Hey!” Lachlan shouted, but I kicked under the waves and surfaced a few yards away.

  “So you wanna play that game?” He grinned.

  His smile was becoming one of my favorite features on him—as well as his typhoon green eyes. Or the dangerously wicked tattoos that curled over his biceps and other more interesting parts of him. His thick cut muscles were great too. Or maybe I liked his laugh the best. Everything about him charmed me.

  I dipped low in the water and hid most of my body from him. My hair fell loose from the braid, and the ends floated around me, bright red.

  “Think you can catch me?” I asked.

  “I know I can.”

  “And what happens when you do?”

  Lachlan’s smile twisted. “All sorts of horrible things, Red.”

  I pouted. “Horrible?”

  “Depraved. Nasty. Naughty. You’re gonna stay real wet, little girl.”

  A thrill shot through me. Lachlan dove forward, making a tremendous splash as he flailed and kicked and used brute strength to punish the water.

  “You’ll wear yourself out doing that.” I twisted away, surfacing a few yards from him. “And when you’re too tired to ravish me, you’ll only have yourself to blame.”

  Lachlan snorted, accidentally inhaled a mouthful of water, and unsuccessfully leapt again for me.

  “Don’t underestimate my strength,” he said.

  “It’s not about strength, Charming. This is all finesse.”

  I cut under the water, circling wide before pinching his ass once more. He shouted and surged forward, cutting the distance between us with just the massive size of his body.

  I squealed and kicked, splashing him to escape. It worked. I thrashed to the edge of the pool and hauled myself onto one of the giant boulders. The sun broke through the willow trees, and the light might have been the only reason Lachlan didn’t follow. He liked the natural spotlight on me.

  “No fair,” he warned. “Fish out of water.”

  I grinned, but my heart thudded hard in my chest. The sun grazed my skin, heating me, practically steaming off of me. Lachlan wasn’t even close, and already I burned for him.

  Maybe we both liked the thrill of the chase?

  I tight-rope walked over a fallen log bordering the pool. The thick trunk led through the drooping, blossoming branches of a willow tree. The cozy shelter hid me from Lachlan. Inside the branches, the light faded into a gentle blue haze. Something quiet and perfect. Totally romantic. I might have wished for my camera if I wasn’t so desperate to be seized by Lachlan.

  I committed this secret hideaway to memory. The lapping river. The clean, pine scent of the woods. The hulking man swimming in the depths, waiting for the chance to grab me, take me under, roll in the ripples…

  The waves splashed a little too rough against the rocks. Someone was trying to get out of the river. I knew he wouldn’t let me out of his sight for too long. I gauged the distance from my hidden lagoon to the deeper end of the pool and made my leap. I dove headfirst into the cool water.

  But Lachlan was faster than I anticipated.

  He wrapped me in his arms as I surfaced. I squealed, but he held me tight.

  Close.

  “Gotcha,” he whispered.

  I shivered—a deep, promising tremor that clenched me deep. “Are you gonna kiss the girl?”

  “I’ll do more than that.”

  I parted my lips, and he overwhelmed me, quick and fierce. His tongue immediately flicked against mine. Nothing about this man had seemed possessive or demanding, not until I trapped myself in his arms and nearly surrendered to desire.

  His body strained, and the corded strength of his muscles flexed under my hands. I shouldn’t have doubted him—it was adrenaline that surged through him when he seized me. Testosterone too. Something raw and animalistic that strengthened his grip and hardened his cock.

  I melted into his arms. This game, the hunt, excited me too much.

  But hadn’t I liked it? Hadn’t I been teasing and flirting and praying for this one moment when he’d capture me with no escape from his smile or touch or the fuzzy feelings that so dizzied my head?

  He nipped, playful and hungry. He didn’t need to hold me. His charming grin ensnared me more than his arms.

  What was I doing? Every minute I spent with him, every kiss I allowed, only encouraged him and his ridiculous plan. Making me fall in love with him in three dates? It was crazy. It was foolish.

  And, if I wasn’t careful…it’d be working.

  But maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing?

  The water rushed little deeper where we stood. My toes couldn’t graze the bottom, but Lachlan held me firm. I teased him with a flick of my tongue and pulled away from the kiss despite the ache for more of his touch, his words, his skilled lips. My daring smirk intrigued him. I slipped free of his arms, but I didn’t swim away.

  I dipped below the surface and caressed the strong muscles of his legs. My fingertips nearly crashed him into the water.

  If he liked that…

  I reached for him, gripping a cock so thick and hard it was no wonder he was a slow swimmer. I wrapped my hand over the shaft and floated closer.

  Even beneath the ripples, I heard his grateful profanity as I took his cock into my mouth. The water made it difficult, but nothing was would stop me from touching this man, teasing him with my tongue, drawing my lips along that hulking shaft.

  What was it about him that made me do the craziest things?

  The river’s touch was as gentle as mine. I teased him, using the warmth of my mouth and the chill of the water to harden him more. I surfaced after a minute and was rewarded by his deep-throated growl.

  “Where’d you learn to do that?” His cock flexed hard in my hand.

  “My secret.”

  The real secret was that I didn’t know what I was doing, I only longed to hear his sultry groan every time the water struck him or a tug of his cock delighted him.

  I’d never wanted to pleasure anyone else as much as I needed to please him. I longed to hear his gasp. To watch his body tremble. To feel how hard my touch made that amazingly thick cock.

  My insides clenched. Too much. Too desperate. I’d twist and drown in my own desire if I didn’t have him again.

  I dove under the river, taking him in my mouth for as long as I could with a single gasp of air. Lachlan called my name and leaned into my mouth. A couple of tugs primed him. He tensed, groaned, and bucked his hips through the water.

  This was it. I’d make him come.

  If only because I remember one of Lachlan’s talents from Vegas with perfect clarity.

  His endurance.

  His was a skill other men envied. I’d thought his cock was made from stone. His desire never wavered. For three days, Lachlan had fucked me until we both crashed in exhaustion, and even then his fingers and lips and tongue delighted my spent body.

  With any luck, he’d do it again.

  I jerked him as my lips sealed around his shaft. I pumped once, twice, but he pulled away.

  Lachlan pulled me to the surface, and my back slammed against his thick c
hest. I whimpered, unable to touch the bottom of the river. Didn’t matter. He held me by the hips and across my breasts. His whisper hazed my thoughts to everything but the pulsing, shivering, demanding beat of my core.

  “Not so slippery now, are you?” He kissed my neck, latching on with a gentle nip.

  “Thought you liked that.”

  “Oh, I do…but I much rather make you sticky.”

  “Not if I get you first.”

  I twisted, trying to reach for his cock. He dodged my touch, forcing me still with a bite to my ear. It worked. I went stiff with a whimper.

  “Aren’t you naughty?” Lachlan whispered. “What happened to our leisurely, relaxing ride down the river?” He breathed against the hollow of my throat, casting goosebumps over my shoulders and the tops of my arms. The water still hid most of my body, but his hands could easily discover all of my secrets. “Lachlan, why can’t you sit still? Lachlan, can’t you just enjoy the day?”

  “I thought this would be more fun,” I said.

  “You weren’t wrong.” The hand on my hip drifted lower. No pretense. No teasing. He found my slit and captured me with a searching hand.

  I pouted. “But I wanted to make you come.”

  “Ladies first.”

  I arched as he rolled my clit between his fingers. The fierce shocks dizzied me. My timid mew became a pleased gasp. He rubbed me with an expert touch. I went limp against his muscles.

  It didn’t make sense.

  Every twist of his fingers owned my body. He tore through my inhibitions and touched me as if he had known me for years, not the few days we spent tangled within drunken desperation and consuming desires.

  Harder or softer, quicker or slower, he knew exactly when to change his pace to make me shiver. Maybe he understood me that well…or maybe I surrendered to any touch he’d offer that secret place.

  No other man could dizzy me the way he could. Not just my body, but my mind. My heart.

  I shouldn’t have been so comfortable with him.

  Shouldn’t have gotten so close.

  Shouldn’t have trapped myself under his skilled fingers.

  I whispered in pleading breaths for him to take me. A couple flicks. A little rub. A pinch. Hell, even a rasped word from him. I paralyzed myself on the brink of his control and my passion. But as long as he touched me, I never wanted to be free again.