“You’re not helping.”
I run my cheek across his stubbled one and whisper back, “You know how good my fingers will feel around you and my—” I bite his earlobe. “My lips.”
I’m sure his growl can be heard past the door. “Check and see if I can leave without being seen,” he orders sharply.
“You’re no fun,” I pout but slide away from him and peek out the door. “You’re good if you go right this minute.”
Aiden slaps my ass and grins. “Nice kick, number nine.”
I answer his grin with my own. “It was, wasn’t it?” I close the door and lean back against it. This man is doing crazy things to my insides. Tomorrow night is too long to wait for private time with Aiden, but I don’t have a choice and first I need to get through tonight’s dinner with both our families. Oh yeah, and Killian MacGregor.
∞∞∞
We enter the restaurant to a round of clapping breaking out from the customers and staff. People literally take their feet and cheer. Aiden and I sign autographs as our family and friends proceed to the private room he reserved. I’m signing a napkin of a woman in her forties when she half chokes. “That’s Killian MacGregor.” I peer over my shoulder and see the star quarterback, larger than life, holding a woman’s hand while hers covers a baby bump.
“Lucky me to be having dinner with him,” I answer.
The woman, Tammy, gives me a conspiratorial wink. “If he wasn’t taken, I’d join you.” I look sideways at Aiden, who is just as big and intimidating, and, in my opinion, just a bit more handsome. “That one’s available. Grab him,” Tammy says.
“Man won’t know what hit him,” I assure her. She thinks I’m joking and laughs delightfully. Aiden lets out a shout and greets Killian before pulling Killian’s wife in for a huge hug. “I don’t know why you stay with a loser like him when you could have me,” he teases her.
“Because she knows it was a fluke,” Killian replies.
“Here, you can meet the fluke.” Aiden turns to me. “This is Jordan. No being rude to her for kicking your ass.” Everyone laughs. “Jordan this is Killian and his wife, Rebecca.”
Killian shakes my hand but Rebecca pulls me in close for a squeezing hug. “I’m so excited to finally meet you. Great game. Excuse this hulking Neanderthal if he suffers from moments of defeat depression. He’s getting better but we keep a Thorazine injection handy in case he loses control.
Killian smiles at her. And oh boy the look in his eyes—possessive and loving. She’s tall and gorgeous. She also looks at Killian the way he looks at her.
A waiter takes us to the back to join our families. I enter the room first and my eyes go to Laura, who looks up as we enter. I know exactly when she catches sight of Killian because she drops her glass. Reg scrambles to pull their napkins from their laps and wipe up the mess but Laura doesn’t take her eyes from Killian. Her eyes flash to mine. “Close your mouth,” I lip silently.
Her jaw slams shut and Aiden begins making introductions. Candice doesn’t wait. She stands and runs around the table throwing herself into Killian’s arms. “I’m sorry you lost but you can’t win them all and girl power needed this today. Just suck it up because I’m still betting you’re in the Super Bowl this year no matter how bad the season is starting out.”
“You’re a brat.” Killian laughs in good humor, obviously indulging her. “And whatever this girl power crap is, I think the Scorpions need some.”
Candice dances away and hugs Rebecca. “Can’t have our kicker. She’s the Pronghorns’ lucky charm.”
Candice gives me another quick hug and then I’m in Larry’s arms. “Great game. You make me proud.”
I’ve missed Larry so much. “It’s good to see you. How are the girls?”
“Pleased as pie that I represent the prettiest player in the league.” He squeezes me a little tighter before letting me go.
We take our seats and place our orders. Laura kicks me under the table and I look up. “Killian fucking MacGregor,” she mouths.
I turn to Rebecca, who is sitting beside me. “Aiden tells me you have a son at home. How old is he?”
“Mikey is two. This little guy,” she glances down and rubs her tummy before meeting my eyes with a soft smile, “is due in fourteen weeks.”
I would have guessed much longer. “You’re barely showing.”
She laughs. “Give it another week or two. I did the same thing with Mikey and then boom, my stomach extended like someone pumped ten gallons of air into it.” She leans in a little closer. “Great game today. Of course I rooted for my man but I can’t say I’m sad he lost to you.”
“Thank you. It’s been a nerve-racking day.”
“Game days are always that way. Killian barely says a word before game time. At least when we’re home, Mikey makes him grunt a sentence or two.”
We talk and get to know each other. Aiden sits on the other side of me and sometime during my conversation with Rebecca, he slides his hand into mine and squeezes. Rebecca doesn’t miss the exchange and her eyebrows go up. I blush.
“I need the ladies’ room. Would you care to join me?” she asks.
I turn and Laura is watching. I nod in the direction of the bathrooms and she stands to join us. Rebecca eyes Laura once we’re in the bathroom but doesn’t say anything about Aiden taking my hand. It’s obvious by the way she’s looking at me that she wants to say something.
“Laura knows about me and Aiden, so it’s cool,” I assure her.
“Laura,” Laura says, “just found out but hey, she’ll get over it eventually.”
I roll my eyes.
“I haven’t heard a word anywhere about you and Aiden. God, he’s hot. I can’t believe you’ve kept it secret,” Rebecca marvels.
Laura gives my shoulder a small punch. “See, she has Killian and she still thinks Aiden is hot. That means I can think the same about Killian and Aiden and not get into too much trouble.”
Rebecca laughs. “If you’re with the guy you’re sitting next to, he’s not a bad catch either. And ladies, we might each have a great guy but we’re not dead.”
“Don’t encourage her,” I reply with a bigger grin just as Candice walks into the bathroom.
“You really thought you could come in here and gossip and I wouldn’t find you?” she grumbles good-naturedly.
With a Longhorns win under our belt and three hot guys to entertain us all evening, I consider the day a success.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Aiden
The weeks roll by and the wear and tear on my body makes me down ibuprofen in order to function. Two losses followed our win against the Scorpions. I had two interceptions in the last game, was sacked twice, and Jordan missed a field goal. I’ve been here before and it’s a shitty feeling. Our team should be better than this.
Jordan practically lives at my place and I’m getting tired of sneaking her in and out. I’m sick of the whole thing as far as hiding our relationship. The only time we see each other is late at night when we’re both tired. Rick Dove has Jordan making special appearances and signing autographs around the city. He’s riding high representing football’s first female kicker even if we’ve lost two straight.
Tomorrow is Saturday and we fly out in the morning for a game in Pittsburgh on Sunday. I’m resting on the couch with ice on my wrist, which was tweaked during one of the two sacks I suffered last week. Jordan walks in. She finally picked out a car to buy and had it delivered to the hotel. She rests the keys on the table by the door and heads in my direction.
I move back on the cushion so she can sit down with me. She adjusts the ice-pack tighter around my wrist and kisses my cheek. “I’m tired. I should have gone straight to the hotel but I wanted to kiss you good night.”
“What’s stopping you?” I whisper against her lips.
Her fingers go to my neck and she runs the fingernails of one hand across my skin. “I don’t know. You look…wounded.”
“Kiss it and make it all better.”
She moves aside the ice, lifts my wrist, and rests her toasty lips against my skin. I turn my hand and slide my fingers over her jaw. “So much better. Did I mention the shot to the groin I took in the last game?”
She laughs and then carefully releases my wrist and re-covers it with ice. “You’re hopeless,” she murmurs against my lips before kissing me.
“Yum, pink,” I say and lick my lips when she pulls back.
“Pink is not a flavor,” she tells me and then yawns. “I need to drive back to my room and get some sleep.”
“Move in with me.”
Her eyes widen. “Here?”
I lace my fingers with hers. “Yes, here.”
“But the media—”
I stop her with a soft, “Shhh. How about no more hiding? What’s the worst that happens? The team needs a kick in the ass right now. You have a solid place with the Pronghorns and in the heart of this community. We can make it work.”
“I would need to talk to Larry and we would also need to run it by Rick Dove so our media relations team can work out a game plan,” she says wearily.
I can’t tell by her tone if this is good, bad, or overwhelming. “Say yes and we’ll work the rest out.”
“Can I think about it?”
I toss the ice pack on the table and lift her into my arms. “Only if you spend the night. I’ll put you to bed and make sure you’re up in time to grab your bag from the hotel.”
She loops her arms around my neck as I carry her to bed. I want Jordan in my life full-time. I have no doubt I can convince her over the next few days that she’d be less tired if she just moved in with me. I let her slide down my body next to the bathroom so she can go through her nighttime cleaning ritual. “I’ll meet you in bed and give you a one-hand massage.” Her sleepy gaze heats. “No,” I tell her. “Just a quick massage so you can unwind and sleep,” I order.
Her lips do the pouty thing that does me in every time. “Two orgasms would help me sleep better and you know it.”
“One,” I say because this is an ongoing joke of ours.
“One it is, but I’m not happy about it,” she sasses.
I undress and wait for her in bed. She turns off the light before crawling in beside me. I roll on my side and use my good hand to rub the backs of her thighs down to her calf. She gives a soft snore before I make it back up. I grin. The woman is testy when she doesn’t get her promised orgasms. I don’t wake her, though. She’s damn cute when she’s needy.
∞∞∞
We sleep late and have little time for more than grabbing a piece of fruit and running by Jordan’s hotel for her bag. Lane is waiting at her hotel. He jumps in my truck with us and I drive to the stadium where we take buses to the airport. Lane’s helped keep the heat off me and Jordan. We all know there’s speculation about him and Jordan and the more they deny, the more the media digs. This doesn’t bother me because it keeps the real story out of the limelight.
It’s a four-hour flight to Pittsburgh and once we land, we head straight to the field for a short practice. Besides a little time before the game tomorrow, this will be our only chance to get the feel of the field. Mostly we do quick warmups and walk through plays. Two hours later, we check into our hotel. The team dinner down in the restaurant is subdued. We need a damn win and as team captain and quarterback, I feel the weight of everything on my shoulders.
I shoot Jordan a text as soon as we’re back in our rooms.
Me: Care for a late night massage?
Jordan: Too tired, snuggling with my pillow.
Me: Lucky pillow.
Jordan: Good night.
Truthfully, she drives me insane. After years of women throwing themselves at me, I never know when Jordan will politely turn me away. It’s actually refreshing that she’s not a sure thing. I smile into the dark and roll over to snuggle my own pillow. The season won’t last forever and when it’s over, I’ll have more time to bring her around to my way of thinking. A cute little girl with her momma’s button lips and a missing tooth enters my mind. I’m turning into a woman with a biological clock for some reason. There’s no way I’ll let my future baby-momma slide through my fingers.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jordan
In the first quarter, we don’t look like the team who beat the Super Bowl champions three weeks ago. Aiden can’t get a break and his offensive line is practically falling down on the job. Aiden is sacked on his second possession of the game. I’m angry and fed up with the line’s BS. Aiden can’t carry the team alone.
All I’m able to do is glare from the sideline and watch Pittsburgh put points on the board. Terrible towels twirl through the air and cheers go up when they score again, making it seventeen zero. Aiden jogs out slowly after the kickoff and I know something is injured, maybe his knee. The second quarter begins and we finally have the ball in enemy territory.
Aiden goes back to pass and a Pittsburgh player manages to grab the back of Aiden’s jersey. Aiden spins and breaks the hold but he has no one open to pass the ball. He breaks right, spins left, and takes off for the end zone. He’s taken down by two players on the one yard line. He stays down after the tackle and I’m about ready to run onto the field, when he slowly stands with the assistance of another player. We score on the next play but Aiden has taken a beating. I kick the extra point and it’s now a ten-point ball game. Nothing changes before halftime and we head into the locker room with our emotions tightly in check.
Aiden kicks one of the garbage cans and swears. “What a fucking mess,” he yells in frustration.
“If you’d get your head out of her pants,” Tobias Landy taunts and nods my way, “maybe you could find an open player and complete a pass.”
“What the fuck did you just say?” Aiden turns and gets in his face.
Landy doesn’t back down. “The entire team knows you’re fucking her.”
“That,” Aiden spits, “is none of your damn business.”
“It is if it affects the team. It’s the business of everyone here.”
Aiden doesn’t bother denying what’s going on between us but his harshness makes me wince. “Where my dick goes has nothing to do with this team.”
“Then prove it,” Landy grinds out.
“That’s enough,” Coach Mitchel roars. “No one is doing their fucking job.”
There is nothing motivational about Coach’s halftime speech. He verbally kicks our asses.
“Cat’s out of the bag,” Lane whispers before we head back outside.
“It was bound to happen.”
“The team is playing shitty and that’s not your fault. We do our job. Got it.”
“Yeh.” I put my helmet back on. “Got it.”
We won the opening coin toss and elected first possession. Now it’s my turn to kick off. I look into the stands and miss our stadium. The number nine jerseys in the crowd always jump out at me and lift my spirits. Gold towels not so much.
The whistle blows and I charge the ball. A Pittsburgh player catches it behind the twenty and starts running. I’m knocking pads with opposing players and running toward the player with the ball. He takes a hit and the ball flies out of his hands. There are players everywhere as I make a grab and feel the ball within my grasp. The hit I take knocks the air from my chest. I reach the ground sooner than expected and the impact is jarring. The number of players who land on top of me doesn’t help. Not that I could breathe anyway but the crushing pressure almost makes me lose my mind with the need to breathe.
Slowly, and it feels like hours, the players slide off. Hands grab at the ball, but I have it tucked in close and I don’t show it to the ref until the last players move off me. Pronghorns’ players start jumping in the air and Landy sticks his hand out and helps me rise. It’s the first time he’s done more than sneer my way. I’m still holding the ball and even in Pittsburgh’s stadium, the fans go wild.
“That’s one way to hype the team,” Lane shouts after I run back to the sideline and he
gives me my customary pat on the ass. I barely answer. My adrenaline is pumping and my focus is on Aiden and our offense. Five plays later, it’s a three-point ballgame with plenty of time left on the clock. I’ve decided we aren’t losing this game no matter how much my friend Laura cheers for Pittsburgh. I’m tired of losing.
We keep the game close and it’s finally tied with four minutes left on the clock. When Aiden scores another touchdown, I know there’s too much time left and we need to go for two.
“Coach,” I say to Coach Morely. “We’ve been practicing it for weeks. Let’s go for it.”
He groans softly and then makes the sign for a fake extra point conversion for a two pointer. Fergus has been easy to work with on this play and the idea is for me to run at the ball when he sets it, dodge the kick at the last second, and Fergus throws the ball to anyone in position over the goal line. The play goes off without a hitch and I charge the end zone. I turn and see the ball coming toward me and jump. My fingers tip the ball and it tumbles into Carter’s hands.
Two points and we’re ahead by one in the ballgame.
Lane attempts an onside kick, but it doesn’t work and Pittsburgh gains control in our territory.
“Don’t make me kick your asses,” I yell onto the field. “Hold ’em.”
Several offensive players give me smiles and add their own smartass encouragement. I pace the sideline as the clock ticks down and Pittsburgh moves the ball within field goal range. We hit the two-minute break and I’m too nervous to stand still, so I continue pacing. The game resumes and Pittsburgh has one last play before their kicker comes in. I’m expecting the quarterback to drop on the ball but he fakes a handoff and then puts his arm back to pass.
Our very own Mason Jackson comes out of nowhere. We hear the jarring impact on the sideline. The quarterback goes down and the ball flies out of his hand. There’s a scramble when Mason rolls, comes up with the ball, and runs toward Pittsburgh’s goalposts. I’m not sure if my feet are even touching the ground as I jump up and down screaming my head off and Mason takes the ball into the end zone. Aiden is cheering beside me. When he notices me, he picks me up and twirls me around. I would give anything to kiss him.
Goal (Completion #6) Page 18