Pick Six: A Quick Snap Novella

by S. A. Clayton

  Her breathing becomes ragged as my other hand grasps her hip, pulling her close. I sigh when her head falls back against my chest. I lower my head and graze my lips over the shell of her ear as I whisper, “Only on game day and before practice.” She turns her head, our eyes locking as I cup the side of her face with my palm.

  “I still need to show you the field.” Her eyes go from looking straight into mine to staring at my lips. I didn't plan for this to happen like this, but…fuck, I’m glad it did.

  “I-I don't know what we’re doing…” she whispers as my thumb gently grazes her cheek. I give her a grateful smile before I lean my forehead against hers.

  “I don't either. But I know that if I don't kiss you right now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.” She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before lifting her lids again. When her gaze meets mine, I see determination, something I didn't see earlier.

  “Please, Ashley. Tell me I can kiss you,” I plead.

  “Yes, please,” she whimpers.

  I take both hands and grasp the sides of her face. She has no idea how I’ve dreamt about this. How many ways I’ve seen this happen in my head.

  As I lower my mouth to hers, I know this will change everything.

  Chapter 4

  Ashley

  He asked for permission to kiss me. What man does that? A freaking handsome devil that looks incredibly sexy standing in front of me, wearing low-hanging light-washed jeans and a black t-shirt. When his hands cup the sides of my face, I think I might melt into a puddle right there in the middle of the locker room. No man has ever asked permission to kiss me before. And if I’m not careful, I may just give him whatever else he wants.

  The moment his lips touch mine, everything around me goes silent. The locker room, the worry that this is all happening way too fast…it all disappears. All I can focus on is how soft his lips are, how amazing his hands feel as they drop to my hips as he pulls me closer until there isn’t even an inch separating us. My hands make their way to his biceps, and I hold on. This is unlike any kiss I’ve ever experienced before. I whimper as his hands make their way from my hips to up past my torso, lightly grazing the sides of my breasts. My breath catches, and my nipples pebble as his tongue demands entrance to my mouth. When I can’t stop the moan that escapes, he uses the opportunity to kiss me deeper, his tongue tangling with mine. I've never felt like this before. I have an inconceivable need to touch him, to be near him. To feel his hands on every part of my body. Just as his fingers make their way under my shirt, I break from the kiss, reality crashing down around me.

  What am I doing? I just met this guy, and I already have my tongue down his throat? I’m not this girl. I’m not this impulsive. Pretending that I am will only make things worse.

  “I’m sorry, this is…it’s just fast,” I say, looking up and hoping I don't see disappointment staring back at me. A smile breaks out across my face when I meet his eyes because Brooks doesn't look mad in the least. He actually looks content and almost pleased with himself.

  “Don't worry, baby, I’m a patient man.”

  I shiver. I don't know why I get such a warm feeling from him calling me “baby.” I’ve been called that before, and I never really gave it much thought. But from Brooks’ lips? It's like a whole new word with more meaning than I ever knew it had.

  His gaze tracks down to my lips once more, and I find myself leaning in despite my resolve to stay away. With effort, I make the conscious decision to detangle our limbs and walk away from him in the guise of seeing more of the room.

  “You know you don’t have to actively avoid me. If you don't want me to kiss you again, I won't.” He gives me that smirk that has quickly become one of my favorite things to see. His fingers push through his strawberry-blond locks, sending the style into disarray and making it look like I had my fingers in there for the past few minutes.

  “It's not that I don't want to kiss you,” I admit, walking past him and looking at all the pictures on the far wall. I don't know who any of the people are or what they mean to the team, but there are a lot of them.

  “I just don't want to take this too fast.” I stare at one of the photos that includes a smiling Brooks. He and a teammate are jumping into the air, celebrating something. I reach out to touch it, and before I have a chance to move, he’s behind me, his body flush with mine as his fingers graze the tips of mine.

  “That was the moment we found out we were going to the Super Bowl.” I tilt my head and wonder what that feeling must have been like. “It was the best moment of my career. I worked years for that feeling, and finally getting to experience it was the highlight of my life.”

  I tilt my head back again, looking at him, expecting to see his eyes on me, but they were still on the photo.

  “We ultimately lost, but I’ll never forget the euphoria of knowing that I made one of my dreams come true.”

  I stare at him and see his bright blue eyes shining, his hair sticking up in every direction. I take in the huge smile on his face. The best part? He has no idea I’m watching. It's as if I’m seeing the real him for the first time all day.

  I love it.

  “What?” he asks, his eyes still not leaving the picture. I avert my gaze quickly, looking down at the floor as Brooks chuckles behind me. “As much as I would love to stand here and stare at myself all night, do you want to maybe go and get some food?”

  I give him a skeptical look, hoping he doesn't mean from the places upstairs.

  “I’d love to take you to one of the fine establishments upstairs,” he says, taking my hand as he winks and leads me out of the room. “But they are all closed. Plus, I have somewhere else in mind.”

  I nod as he takes me past some janitors mopping the hallway floor, and then through the doors that lead outside.

  “You okay with us taking my truck?” he asks as we get closer to the black pickup that looks like it's on stilts. I stifle a laugh because all I can think about is what Daisey would say. She’d likely say Brooks was overcompensating for something.

  We stop just as we reach the passenger side, and he turns me so my back is against the bottom of the door. We’re about a foot apart, and by the look in his eyes, I know he wants to get closer. Given how his hands fidget at his sides, it's obvious that he wants to touch me.

  “I want to make sure you're okay with this. If you want to call a cab and meet me there, that’s okay. I already sent you my license picture to send to a friend.”

  I smile and take one of his hands in mine, linking our fingers while tugging him closer. His eyes soften as his other hand moves to caress the side of my face, sending shivers down my spine every time his thumb grazes the edge of my jaw.

  “Ash, I think you should get in the truck…” He untangles his hand from mine and drops it to my hip, and from the look in his eye, I know he doesn’t want to let me go. To be honest, I don't want that either.

  “And if I don't?” I ask, arching an eyebrow, baiting him because as much as I want to take this slowly, I also want to feel his lips on mine again.

  “Baby, please. I’m hanging on by a thread here,” he pleads, his eyes closing as his forehead tilts forward to rest against mine once more. His fingers dig into my hip, pulling me closer as the fingers of his other hand still caress the side of my face. He’s making it so hard to resist him.

  When I met him on that plane, I knew there was a connection between us. Now, I know that my first impression was spot-on. I can really see myself falling for him. Right now, however, all I can think about is the fact that he's an inch from me, his hands grabbing me as he pulls me closer.

  His breath washes over the side of my neck as he closes his eyes and whispers in my ear, “Ash, get in the truck.” The words are harsh, but the delivery is hushed.

  His eyes open and catch mine as I make a split-second decision. I wrap my hands around the base of his neck, pull him down to me, and seal my lips to his. It's like the tether is broken. We finally fall into each other wit
hout the world crashing down around us. The anxious thoughts I had at the beginning of the day slip away as his lips leave me with this feeling of levity I never thought I would ever experience.

  “Fuck,” he mutters as the kiss intensifies, and we fall against the side of his truck, his body locking me against him. For the first time in my life, I don't want to escape. The idea of being surrounded by Brooks only makes me want him more. So, I grab him again and kiss him as passionately as I can.

  His hands are everywhere. They start at my hips, pulling me closer the harder he kisses. Then they move up my torso, brushing the undersides of my breasts again. Like last time, a moan escapes. This time, it’s because all I can think about is what those hands would feel like if he grabbed my breasts or caressed the globes the way he's touching the rest of my body.

  Just as I think things can't get any better, his knee makes its way between my legs, creating delicious friction in a place that’s been aching ever since we left the locker room. His hands leave my body, and a whimper escapes as he pulls away, winking down at me as his fingers find their way into the loose strands of my hair.

  “You are fucking perfect,” he murmurs. Before I have a chance to rebut that statement because it is beyond untrue, his lips brush against mine again, and my head falls back against the truck. My hips find a rhythm, rocking of their own accord against the friction that his knee provides. He starts kissing down the side of my neck, leaving my body feeling boneless just as a car horn blares in the distance, breaking the spell.

  Our eyes meet, our breaths heavy. We both smile as Brooks slowly leans down and kisses me again softly. Then he reaches behind me and opens the truck’s passenger door.

  “You okay?” I give him a small smile, nodding as his hand lightly guides me into the truck. For a split second, I wonder if we should just go somewhere to finish what we started...but I know, deep down, that the best course of action would be to take this slow.

  Or as slowly as my libido would allow anyway.

  Chapter 5

  Brooks

  “So, why did you bring me to what looks like a hole in the wall?” Ashley asks as we sit in my truck, looking at Ground Rounds, my favorite burger joint.

  “Because they have the best burgers you will ever taste.” She gives me that look with the arched brow that tells me she doesn't believe a word coming out of my mouth. Only then does it dawn on me that she might not eat meat. It wasn’t something that had ever even crossed my mind.

  “You do eat meat, right? Because if you don't, then this is definitely not the place for you.” She bursts out laughing as her fingers wrap around the door handle, and she gets out of my truck.

  I meet her around the front of the vehicle. “If I didn’t eat meat, I’d starve.”

  I can’t help the smile that crosses my face as she takes my hand in hers, and I lead us into the restaurant. From the street, Ground Rounds looks like the front of an apartment building, but the closer you get, you can see the faded menu adhered to the brick wall. When I open the door, and we step inside, we’re bombarded by the unmistakable smell of ground beef and fried potatoes.

  “Wow,” she whispers as her eyes scan the room. I smirk, knowing that the outside definitely doesn't match the inside.

  “How did you find this place?” she asks as I tilt my head to Andrew, the owner, who is behind the counter. I lead Ash to one of the empty booths that line the back wall.

  “I have my ways.” She looks up as I wink. “One of my teammates is a silent partner. It's kind of required that we come here at least once a week. It helps that it really is the best burger you’ll ever have.”

  She sits down, and when I sit beside her and not across from her, she gives me a confused look. I simply smile as I kiss the side of her neck and trail my fingers lightly over her knee. When she shivers, I know she understands why I chose to sit here. And when her eyes meet mine, it takes all my control not to devour her right here in front of everyone. I do kiss her lightly, though, just as Andrew comes over and places some menus down on the table in front of us.

  “Davis, nice to see you, man.” I acknowledge him and hand Ash a menu, watching as she scans the page, looking at the numerous options.

  “You, too, Andrew. This is Ashley. Ashley, this is Andrew, Ground Rounds’ owner.”

  She smiles up at him as they say their hellos, and then her gaze goes back to the menu. Andrew gives me an arched eyebrow, and I just roll my eyes because he knows I never bring girls here. It hasn't been a conscious decision, exactly, but there has never been anyone I wanted to share this place with. So, Andrew seeing me with Ashley as I play with the loose strands of her hair while she reads the menu probably creates a lot of questions for the other man.

  “Do you need a minute, or are you ready?” Andrew asks. Ashley looks up and catches my eye.

  “I get the same thing every time, so we’re waiting on you, gorgeous.” She blushes at the endearment, and for the millionth time today, I wonder what that blush would look like all over her body.

  “What are you getting?” she asks. I show her the Big Boy, and she starts to laugh.

  “Of course, that’s the one you choose.” I smirk as she takes one last look and then flips over the menu. “I’ll have the Notre Dame.”

  Both Andrew and I stare at her in amazement for a moment. That was most definitely not what I expected to come out of her mouth.

  “What?” she asks, seeing the shocked look on both my and Andrew’s faces.

  “That’s definitely not what I was expecting you to say. Not many people go for that one,” Andrew admits.

  My eyes never leave hers. In this moment, I know that no matter how many hours I spend with this woman, she will forever surprise me.

  “Yeah, well, anything with Brie on it is a win for me.”

  The Notre Dame burger doesn't just have Brie on it, it's stuffed with Brie, then topped with grilled peppers, onions, and placed on a brioche bun. Even I’ve never had it.

  “Okay, then. I’ll be back.” Andrew takes the menus from the table and walks away, leaving us alone once again. I haven't stopped playing with that strand of hair since we sat down, and from the way her fingers graze my thigh, I don't think she minds.

  “How long have you played football?” she asks. I suppress a laugh because being near someone that knows absolutely nothing about me or my story is incredibly refreshing.

  “Well, I started playing when I was in high school, and I was good. Coaches took notice, and they guided me so I got a scholarship to the university of my choice. From there, I made the draft, and here we are.” I don’t want to bore her with specifics because I know it will mean nothing to someone who doesn’t follow the game.

  “What position do you play?” she asks, twisting in her seat to face me.

  “Linebacker.” She quirks an eyebrow and smirks.

  “Uh-huh. You're strong…” she teases, and I can't help the smile that crosses my face. I nod.

  “So, it was always a dream of yours, then? To play professionally?” I nod just as Andrew comes back with our drinks, He simply winks and walks away, leaving us alone again. Ashley gives me that shy smile that sends heat through my entire body, and I suppress a groan.

  “Eventually, yes. I love the game, but for a while in college, I was focused on the luxuries that came with being a good player. It led me down some dark paths.” She gives me a questioning look.

  “Alcohol and drugs were never a hard thing for me to get my hands on. Though when the coaches found out, let’s just say they scared me straight.” What I don't tell her is that I spent a week in jail, and that pretty much scared me shitless. I’ve never looked back since.

  “What about you, what’s your story?”

  She shakes her head and mutters, “You don't want to hear about that…” Just then, Andrew comes over with the burgers, and my mouth instantly waters at the smell. I ignore the food for a minute and turn to her, tilting her chin back with my fingers so her eyes meet mine.
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br />   “I want to know everything about you, Ash. It's why we’re here in my favorite burger joint. It's why I asked you out in the first place. And, honestly, it's why I can't seem to stop touching you, no matter how hard I try.” My thumbs graze the edge of her jaw, and when her eyes close, I do what I’ve been thinking about doing since we arrived—kissing the fuck out of her.

  She gasps as my fingers make their way into her hair, and I pull her closer as her lips fiercely attack mine in a way that is not at all appropriate for where we are right now. Her hands grasp the sides of my shirt, and I imagine what her fingers would feel like on my bare skin. Just as I’m about to cross an indecent line, someone clears their throat beside us. I look up to see Andrew’s smug face.

  “I was going to ask how everything tastes, but I see your mouths have been too busy doing other things.” I throw a napkin at him as he laughs and walks away, leaving Ashely hiding her face in the crook of my neck.

  “That was so embarrassing,” she mumbles, and a laugh bubbles out of me. “I can't believe we just did that...in public.”

  “I’m not complaining…” I say as the blush covering her chest rises. “But we should eat while the food is still hot.”

  She nods as she starts digging into the burger. When her mouth wraps around that bun, and she moans at the taste of her meal, I start to rethink my entire plan to bring her here. All I can think about now are those sounds and what they would sound like if she said my name or made them someplace not so public.

  What would they sound like with her legs wrapped around my waist?

  “Brooks? You gonna eat?” she asks, tilting her head to indicate my untouched plate of food. I give her a smirk as I dig in. Once I start, I realize that she never answered my question from earlier. When I ask again, it looks like she doesn't want to talk about it.

  “Look,” I say, taking a fry and chewing lightly, “if you don’t want to or can't talk about it, that’s okay. I don't want to push you. I just want to know more about you. I want to know more than the fact that you work at a hotel, and you're the best kiss I’ve ever had.”