by Carrie Elks
She curled her hands around them, pulling her nipples between her fingers, and a pulse of pleasure shot down between her legs. Cam walked into the shower and lowered his head to kiss her again. She gasped at the sensation of his wet, naked body against hers.
His mouth set her pulse racing. Slowly, he slid a single finger between her legs, until it was barely touching where she needed him the most. Mia let out a gasp, as he traced a lazy circle around her, making her body clench with need.
Sliding his finger inside her, he curled it, searching for her pleasure points, his lips smiling against hers when he found it and she let out a moan. He circled inside her, his thumb teasing her until her mind was a swirl of pleasure and need. His kisses were hot, his movements rhythmic, and her body felt like it was burning from the inside out, water cascading over them as he brought her to the peak.
“Oh god, I’m going to…”
The words barely escaped her lips before he was pulling his finger out of her.
“Not until I’m inside you,” he whispered, pressing his lips to hers once more. He reached through the gap at the end of the shower, grabbing the condom and rolling it on. Then he was lifting her, turning their bodies until her back was against the tiles, his sheathed erection sliding against her wetness as the shower drenched them both.
She was shocked at how easily he held her. As though she weighed nothing at all. But then she looked at the corded muscles in his arms, and remembered that he was an athlete, trained to peak performance.
And damn, what a performance it was.
“You ready?” he asked, his gaze capturing hers. Mia let her head fall back against the tiles as he pulled her tighter against him, tucking her curves into his hard contours. He was there, the thick head of him pressing against her. She could feel as they connected, feel herself open up to him, and the hard ridged thickness of him as he slowly slid inside.
His eyes didn’t waver from hers. She felt captive in his gaze. She felt full, so full, that it took a moment for her to adjust.
Then he pulled back and slid forward again, and warmth pooled at the pit of her belly, making her thigh muscles tense, and her body clench around him. Cam let out a growl, then rolled his hips again, moving in a steady rhythm that set her on fire.
She could feel it building inside her. That teasing, aching delight that made her breath shorten and her back arch. She grasped tightly onto his shoulders, fingers digging into his warm skin, and he kissed her again, his tongue sliding against hers as he sent her soaring.
She was on the edge, barely holding on.
“So good,” he rasped, taking her harder and faster against the wall. Then she felt it. The storm breaking inside of her, as she shattered into tiny pieces, her body clenching around him.
He was the only thing holding her up, as her muscles loosened into a honeyed mess. He kissed her hard, swallowing her cries, his thrusts relentless until he let out a low groan as he emptied inside her.
She expected him to collapse with her on the floor, or pull out and walk away, but instead he pinned her against the wall, his eyes drilling into hers. For a moment they were silent, enough for her to hear the rush of blood through her ears as the pleasure continued to pulse through her.
“You okay?” he asked softly, brushing wet strands of hair from her face.
She nodded, afraid if she actually said anything she might start crying. Not because she’d hated it, but because it had been so good. Being held by this man was the first time in forever she’d felt safe. Not alone.
Sliding his nose against hers, he kissed her again. This time softly, slowly, as though he had all the time in the world. Her throat felt thick as she kissed him back, using the moment to blink back the tears before they started.
Tightening his arms around her, he lifted her from the wall and gently set her on her feet. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”
Chapter Sixteen
“I knew it! I read somewhere about athletes making the best kind of lovers. They have stamina, energy, and they always want to win.” Joanna sighed. “I’m so jealous I could spit.”
Mia put the phone a little closer to her ear, even though she was alone in her room and the boys should be fast asleep by now. But Joanna had a loud voice, and she didn’t want to take the chance that they’d be overheard.
“So what happened after the shower?” Joanna asked. “You can’t leave me hanging.”
“That’s what I said.” Mia bit down a grin.
Joanna giggled. “I’ve never been with a guy strong enough to hold me up for that long. I don’t suppose you can introduce me to his teammates.”
“Your boyfriend might have something to say about that,” Mia pointed out. “And anyway, I haven’t met any of his teammates. And I’m not likely to. This was a one time thing, remember? Get under him to get over the separation.”
“Ah, but you didn’t get under him.” Jo paused. “Or did you? What happened next? Come on, I’m living vicariously through you.”
“He carried me back to his bed, and we made out for a while. Then he… ah… went down on me.” And damn if her face didn’t flush with that memory. Cam Hartson had more than football skills. “After that, I had to leave to meet the boys at the field.” Mia leaned her head back on the bedframe. “Oh, he did dry my hair for me. I couldn’t turn up at pee wee practice with wet hair in October. I was going to just towel dry it, but he made me sit on a chair and he dried it for me.” She swallowed hard, remembering how gentle his fingers were as he aimed the dryer at her long hair. How good they’d felt as he raked them against her scalp. It had felt strangely intimate – more intimate than the act of sex.
And yeah, she’d liked it a bit too much.
“He dried your hair?” Jo’s voice was full of disbelief. “Seriously? And now I’m swooning. Do you think he has a thing about hair? Not that yours isn’t gorgeous, but no guy’s ever done something like that for me.”
“I think I did something to my shoulder when we were in the shower,” Mia confessed. “When I lifted the dryer up my muscles did a weird ping and I groaned a little.” Or a lot. She never was great with pain. “So he took it from me and told me to hold still.”
“Have you heard from him since?”
“Just a text this evening to ask how my shoulder was.” Today had been too busy to even think about him. “After practice, we went out to lunch with Josh’s friend’s family, and then they insisted on taking us to the local farm that’s just opened their pumpkin patch. Even Michael enjoyed it, I think. They have an older son, too. A junior at Michael’s high school, and the two of them get along pretty well. Which meant fitting all our chores into about two hours this evening.”
“So the boys are settling in. That must be a relief.”
Mia blew out a mouthful of air. “You have no idea how much. I’ve been wondering if I made the right decision coming here, but today it really feels like I have.”
“That’s because you got some.”
“Stop it.” Mia laughed. “It has nothing to do with that.” Okay, maybe it had a little something to do with her good mood. She had a good time with Cam this morning, and from the way he kissed her before she left, he did, too.
There were no regrets, and she was determined not to second guess herself. She’d done that for too long. As he’d said, they were two single adults having sex. It was nobody’s business but theirs.
And it was over. Done. She’d gotten back on the horse and she knew her body still worked. If one day she went on a date, maybe she’d have that extra bit of confidence.
“So what did you say when he texted you?” Joanna wasn’t giving up.
“I haven’t replied. I haven’t had time.”
“Don’t bullshit me. You always reply to messages. Even when I send you stupid memes of cats licking their own genetalia. The fact you haven’t replied to him tells me volumes.”
“It tells you I’m not interested in anything long term with him. It was a polite enquiry. He probably doe
sn’t even expect a reply.”
“Mmhmm.”
Mia shook her head. “You know I hate it when you do that. It reminds me of Grandma Maisie. She used to sound exactly like that when I told her I hadn’t stolen the last cookie from the jar.”
“Yeah, well Grandma Maisie would be saying the same thing as me. You can lie to yourself but don’t lie to me. If you’d have said you replied to tell him your shoulder was feeling better, I’d have known you weren’t interested in anything more. But the fact you didn’t reply… girl, you need to ask yourself why you’re not following the Mia Devlin rulebook of polite texting etiquette. But don’t bother telling me, because I already know the answer.”
“Which is?” Mia didn’t know why she was playing the game with Jo. But they’d been so close for as long as she could remember. More like sisters than cousins.
“That you want more of that big footballer d—“
“Okay! I get it. And in another life, sure I’d like to see him again. He’s funny, sweet, and great in the shower.” Not to mention his skills out of the shower. “But not in this life. I’m too busy with work and the boys to think about a relationship with anybody. And he’s leaving town soon. I’d rather not risk my children’s happiness for a booty call. Not after all they’ve been through.”
Joanna sighed. “Ah, but what a waste. If I lived any closer I’d be jumping on the guy like a shot.”
The sound of flushing came from the bathroom. One of the boys must have gotten up to use it. “I have to go,” Mia whispered. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”
“Okay. Take it easy, sweets. Rest that shoulder up.”
“I will.”
When she ended the call, Mia stared at the fading screen, her brows knitting together as she thought about Cam’s message. Her cousin was right, it was rude not to reply. If she was a suave, sophisticated woman of the world, she’d reply without a second thought. She was going to see him every Friday at football, after all.
The shoulder is still a little achy. I’m thinking of suing you for $10,000. Do you have good insurance? ;) M xx
She swallowed as she saw two green ticks appear.
This can happen in rehab sessions. Once sometimes isn’t enough. I’ll book you in again for next Saturday morning. See if I can iron out some kinks. C xx
She stared at his words for a moment, frowning at the way her heart leapt at the offer of another meeting. No, not a meeting. A sex session. She might as well be honest with herself about what it was.
Her phone started to buzz. His name lit up the screen as she swiped to accept, lifting her phone back to her ear.
“Hey. Is your shoulder really hurting?”
Her lips curled up. It was nice that somebody cared. “It’s not that bad. Just twinges when I roll it backward. I think my days of pretending to be a windmill are over.”
Cam laughed. “You need to do some cold compresses. Do you have an ice pack in the house?”
“I think so. My son plays football, remember?” She had a whole first aid kit full of things to mend his scrapes and bumps. Plus Josh wasn’t exactly Mr. Graceful. “I just can’t remember if I put it in the freezer when we got here, or if it’s still in the box.”
“You can use a pack of frozen peas or beans instead. Wrap it in a thin towel and ice for twenty minutes. Do it a few times and see how it is in the morning. I can come over and look if you’d like.”
“I bet you could.”
He laughed again. “I’m being serious. I know a little about muscle injuries. And for the record, I’m fantastic at massages.”
“It’d be fun explaining to Michael why his coach is in my bedroom rubbing me down.”
“I could do it quietly.” Cam’s voice was sugary low.
“I’ll go with the peas. But thank you.” How the hell did he always manage to make her smile?
“Okay, but I was serious about next Saturday. I think we should schedule in a recurring appointment. It’s going to take a few sessions until you’re fully rehabilitated.”
“Are you scared I’m really going to sue you for ten thousand dollars?” Mia asked him, leaning back on the headboard, then wincing when her shoulder twinged.
“No, Mia, I’m not scared of being sued. And if I’m honest, you’d be worth every cent. Not that I’m planning on paying.”
“I wouldn’t take it anyway. This morning was a mutually beneficial transaction.” She pressed her lips together, remembering how good he’d felt inside her.
“Yes, it was. And I think we should do it again.”
“That’s a really bad idea,” she whispered.
“Why?”
“Because today was a one off. If we do it again, it means…” She sighed. “I have no idea what it would mean.”
“Maybe it means we had a good time and want to do it again,” Cam said, his voice soft. “And I know it’s just semantics, but technically you didn’t get under me.” He echoed Joanna’s words. “You were against me. Between me and the tiles, but not under me. So maybe we should remedy that. I’d hate for the rehab to fail.”
She was silent for a moment. The only sound in the room was the soft cadence of her breath.
“Mia? You still there?”
“Yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking.”
“What about?”
“You,” she admitted.
“That’s good, because I’ve been thinking about you all day.” The low tone of his voice sent a shiver down her spine. “You want to know what I’ve been thinking?”
“I guess I do.”
“I’ve been thinking about how fucking beautiful you looked in my shower. How amazing you felt when you came all over my cock. And I’ve been driving myself crazy remembering how sweet you taste. I want to do it all over again.”
She felt a hot pulse of need shoot through her.
“Tell me you’ve been thinking about me, too.”
She opened her mouth, her breath catching in her throat. “I have,” she told him. “I’ve thought about you a lot.”
“Then come over again next Saturday.”
“Cam, I…”
“Don’t over think it. Just say yes. Same rules as before. Nobody has to know.”
Her nipples were hard and achy, pressing against the soft fabric of her pajamas. She thought of how he’d sucked and teased them with his tongue. He was a man who knew how to please, how to coax pleasure out of her.
Her thigh muscles clenched at the memory of him teasing her there.
“I’ll think about it.”
He let out a chuckle. “Okay. Think about it, and then say yes. Because we’re good together, you know we are.”
“I should go to sleep.”
“Are you in bed?”
“Yeah.”
“What are you wearing?”
It was her turn to laugh. “Good night, Cam.”
“’Night, Mia,” he replied, his voice good natured. “And just so you know, when I want something, I always get it.”
“Yeah, but you’ve never been against me before.”
He laughed. “No, I haven’t. You might have raised the stakes, but I’m still playing to win. I want you and you want me. This needs to happen.”
“We’ll see.” She ended the call with a smile, because it felt damn good to be chased. Especially by a man like Cam Hartson. Her self confidence had taken a knock over the past few years, and it felt like it was slowly being rebuilt, brick by brick.
The boys were happy.
She’d gotten a job and was making progress with it.
And now a man who could have any woman he wanted was chasing her. Whatever happened, she was determined to enjoy the feeling.
She lay back on the pillow, a smile pulling at her lips. She’d ice her shoulder in the morning. For now, she wanted to enjoy the warm, pleasant feeling breaking over her body.
And think about Cam Hartson for a little while.
Chapter Seventeen
“You wanna tell me why you’ve got some k
id from your team pushing a lawn mower out there?” Logan asked, lifting his mug to his lips and swallowing a mouthful of coffee.
“He’s paying off a debt. That’s the kid who dented my car. He asked me if he could work off the invoice instead of his mom paying it. I said yes.” Cam shrugged and poured himself a cup, glancing out of the window at the yard. “To be honest, I’m running out of work to give him. Any ideas?”
“You could send him to the farm. I’ve always got work there.”
Cam lifted his eyebrows. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“How old is he?” Logan asked, leaning his long arms on the breakfast bar. “He’d need to be over eighteen, or have his parents’ permission.”
“Fourteen. And he doesn’t want his mom to know he’s doing this. So the permission thing is a no go.”
Logan gave a low whistle. “You’re going behind his mom’s back? Isn’t that gonna cause some problems? Imagine if we’d done something like that to dad. He would’ve whooped our asses.”
“We did go behind dad’s back,” Cam pointed out. “How many parties did we go to when we promised him we were staying at a teammate’s house? And all those times when we pretended to be each other so one of us could sneak out to meet a girl? Lying to your parents is practically a requirement of being a teenager.”
“Tell me that again when you have kids of your own.” Logan’s smile was wry.
“Yeah, well we don’t have to worry about that any time soon.”
Through the window, Michael stopped pushing the lawn mower and wiped his brow with the back of his sleeve. “Shouldn’t you give him a drink or something?” Logan asked.
“I’ll give him a soda.”
“Invite the kid in. Let him sit down,” Logan suggested. “Give him a break.”
Grabbing a can of Coke from the refrigerator, Cam opened the back door and hollered Michael’s name. Looking up from the grass, Michael looked almost scared he’d been caught taking a break.
“Sorry. Just catching my breath.”