The Hardest Play

by Teague, A. S.

  His tongue licked. My teeth nipped. Our mouths both so greedy for the other that the world could have come crashing down and I don’t think either of us would have cared.

  His hand was still gripping the back of my neck when the other fisted the base of my ponytail, holding me firmly in place.

  Not that I was interested in going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe not ever.

  I clung to his biceps, my grip so tight it was as though those muscles were the only things tethering us to the planet. Judging by how hard they were, I had no doubt that he could have defied gravity if he’d wanted. The way they flexed under my fingertips made me itch to run my hands over the rest of his body. Surely, his abs were just as impressive.

  Quinn’s hand left my hair to glide along my shoulder and then down my ribs. When his knuckles grazed the side of my breast, I shivered, my nipples aching to feel his thumb rub over the hardened tips.

  The center console of the truck was between us, stopping me from crawling in his lap, but even still I pressed closer to him. I’d have melted into him if I could, the way his tongue danced with mine fueling me to deepen the kiss.

  There were all types of kisses.

  Kisses that were awkward, nothing but clashing teeth and not knowing what to do with your hands.

  There were the kind that made your belly flutter, like maybe that single kiss was the start of something good.

  And then there was Quinn’s kiss. There was no way to describe his kiss. But if there had ever been a moment in my life when everything felt right with the world, this was it.

  Our teeth didn’t knock together. His mouth knew exactly how to move with mine. Our fingers touched everywhere they should without needing any instruction.

  It was as though this kiss was both the very first, full of excitement and lust, and our hundredth, practiced and deliciously perfect.

  When I finally pulled away for air, I was panting. His chest heaved as he said, “Now I really do wish I’d kissed you beside that bonfire.”

  I giggled and pressed my forehead to his. “You’re not the only one.”

  His tongue darted out and licked at the seam of my lips one last time before he pulled back. “We better go eat lunch before my appetite changes from steak to something else.”

  He waggled his eyebrows, and I giggled again, teasing, “You mean it hasn’t already?”

  “Oh, it definitely has.” He put the truck in reverse and backed out of the parking spot. “You navigate the way. Anywhere you want. My treat.”

  I shook my head wildly. “No way. You promised lunch would be on me.”

  “I absolutely did not.” His arm came to rest on the center console, and he wiggled his fingers at me.

  I laced my fingers through his, and his face broke into a lopsided grin.

  When he winked and murmured, “That’s better,” I glared at him.

  “You may be charming and chivalrous and kiss like a freakin’ God, but that doesn’t mean you’ve won this argument. I’m still paying for lunch.”

  He bit his lower lip and raised his brow. “Whatever you have to tell yourself, darlin’. But if you want this Adonis to kiss you again when I drop you off at home, you’ll let me celebrate your victory and treat you to lunch.”

  My eyes may have been narrowed in his direction, but my cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so damn much. “Fine. But we aren’t listening to country on the way there.”

  He squeezed my fingers and tipped his chin toward the dash. “That radio is all yours.”

  6

  Georgia

  After trying every one of the preset stations in Quinn’s truck, I’d given up at finding anything that wouldn’t make me want to throw myself from the moving vehicle and had turned the music off completely. Apparently, the only thing he liked to listen to was country, which wasn’t surprising, even if it was a bit concerning.

  I’d turned the radio off and declared that I would rather listen to him breathe than one more sad love song. Luckily, I hadn’t been forced to go to that extreme and Quinn had spent the drive to the restaurant telling me about his coach in college. Then we’d arrived, he’d opened the door for me like a gentleman, let me lead the way inside, and had told me to order anything I wanted from the menu. When he’d kissed me again, his mouth was just as delicious as it had been the first time I’d tasted him.

  I’d picked a casual barbeque restaurant that had a great vibe and the best burgers on the planet. We’d been seated for all of three minutes before a man came up to the table, grinning at my lunch date.

  “Hey, man, sorry to interrupt,” the guy said as he looked between us, “but I am a huge fan. Any chance I can get a picture?”

  Quinn grinned and tipped his chin. “Sure.” He took the picture and shook the guy’s hand before turning back to me.

  “That’s a first for me,” I told him as I looked over the menu.

  “Yeah, I get stopped some. Not too much.” He took a swallow of his water and then said, “So, what’s your favorite thing here?”

  I grinned. “Everything. I’m a sucker for a fancy burger and anything fried.”

  He let out a pained groan. “Me too. Which sucks since I can’t eat any of it nine months of the year.”

  “Seriously?”

  He wagged his brow and then flexed his bicep. “Takes a lot of sacrifice to look this good.”

  I laughed. “Is this one of the months you can eat it?”

  His shoulders dropped. “Nope.”

  “Not even a few fries?”

  He shook his head.

  “I feel so bad for you. What are you going to get?” I glanced over the menu, not even sure if there was anything here he could eat.

  “Looks like they have grilled salmon. Omega-3s does a body good.”

  “So does premium angus beef, which is what I’ll be eating in the form of a half-pound burger.”

  “I thought you said you felt bad for me?”

  “Not bad enough to eat a piece of fish at a burger place.”

  He clutched his chest, his face a mask of mock sadness, but before he could say another word, a man approached the table from the opposite side. “Quinn Miller?”

  Quinn nodded, and the guy’s face broke into a wide smile. “Man, can I get a picture? You used to be my favorite player. Back in the day, right after you were drafted, you were unstoppable.”

  “Was your favorite player?” Quinn asked, a slight smirk on his face.

  The oblivious guy bobbed his head so hard I thought it might roll right off his shoulders. “Yeah, man, back when you were at the top of your game. These last few years haven’t been your best.”

  I watched the interaction between the two, curious to see what Quinn would say next. The guy who was talking to him seemed to have no idea that he was giving Quinn the most backhanded compliment I’d ever heard.

  “Yeah, well, don’t call it a comeback.” Quinn winked and then said, “Sure, we can do a picture.” He leaned over closer to the guy, who had dropped into a squat next to him, and flashed a brilliant smile, the man holding his phone out and snapping a quick selfie.

  After shaking the guy’s hand, he turned his attention back to me. “Where were we? Oh, yeah. You were just telling me how you planned to spend the next hour torturing me with beef and bread that I can’t have.”

  The waitress appeared at that moment, and we both ordered, and true to his word, he asked for grilled salmon and a side salad.

  But true to my word, I ordered their signature burger and a side of fried pickles.

  Once she’d collected the menus and hurried away to put our orders in, I said, “Tell me about your sister.”

  Quinn’s eyes flashed for a split second and then they brightened. “Jamie is a pain in my ass. But I guess, as far as siblings go, she isn’t bad.”

  I watched as his large hands wrapped around his water glass, wondering what it would feel like to have them wrapped around my hips, his fingers flexing into my sides. I hadn’t been able to s
top looking at him since he’d picked me up this morning. Everything about him was gorgeous. But the more he talked, the more I started to think that maybe it wasn’t just his physical appearance that made him so damn attractive.

  “She’s two years younger than me, so naturally, she idolizes me. I mean, can you blame her?” He winked and continued, “We’re close. It’s just the two of us, has been for a long time, so I look out for her. Plus, despite being a pain in my ass, she’s actually pretty cool.”

  I smiled. I was extremely close to my brothers too, but I couldn’t imagine not having my parents around. They were the glue that held us all together. I made a mental note to find out what had happened to his parents later. I had a feeling it wasn’t a happy story, and I didn’t want to ruin the good time we were having. “Cool except when she picks terrible chick flicks to watch?”

  He snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “Yep. Then she’s evil.”

  The waitress set our food in front of us, and Quinn let out a loud groan. “God, that burger smells amazing.”

  I picked it up and took a bite, my eyes fluttering shut as I chewed. When I let out a moan of delight, Quinn practically growled, “You’re evil too.”

  I held the burger in his direction. “You want a bite? I’ll share.”

  He eyed what I was offering and then shook his head. “Nah, gotta stay committed. Won’t get much playing time if I can’t run down the field because I’m full of meat and cheese.”

  I shrugged a shoulder. “Your loss.”

  We ate our lunch, the conversation flowing, and when the check arrived, he grabbed it before I had the chance and paid. As we walked through the doors to head home, a nasty sneer echoed behind us, “Quinn Miller sucks!”

  Quinn craned his head over his shoulder and lifted two fingers in a wave. “Thanks, buddy!” he shouted back, a smile on his face, and then let the door close behind us, helping me hobble my way to his truck across the parking lot.

  “Do you know him?”

  “Nope.”

  “What the hell?” I couldn’t believe the nerve of some people.

  Quinn pushed a bit of hair from his forehead. “I get that from time to time. I just smile and wave.”

  I frowned. “He said you sucked. How do you just ignore that?”

  Quinn laughed, and I appreciated the deep rumble, the way the sound rushed through me.

  “Everyone’s entitled to their opinions. Last year, I did suck.”

  I just stared at him, searching his face for any indication that his feelings were hurt or that he was pissed off. But he looked exactly the same as he had when those other fans had asked for pictures.

  I liked this guy.

  I really liked him.

  “You know, you aren’t at all who I was expecting,” I told him as he pulled out of the lot and headed toward my house.

  He rested his hand on my knee and asked, “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  I grinned and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Were those butterflies in my stomach again? All he did was touch me, and suddenly I felt like a teenage girl on her first real date. “Definitely a good thing.”

  “So, what exactly were you expecting?” The scent of his cologne wafted across the cab of the truck. He smelled so damn good, and if I hadn’t just finished eating, I would have drooled.

  “Someone not so…”

  His lips twitched. “Funny? Charming? Sexy?”

  I laughed. “No, I expected you to be that. You haven’t disappointed either. I just didn’t expect the Quinn Miller who couldn’t bother to show up to practices to be at my house thirty minutes early this morning just to drive me to a meeting. Or the guy who the media called, and I quote, ‘a diva’ to sit and sign autographs and take pictures with fans while he was on a date.”

  He pushed a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. “I’m sorry about that. I just hate telling them no.” He glanced over at me for a split second before focusing his attention back on the road. “When I was in high school, I ran into my idol at the time and asked the guy for an autograph. He laughed at me, told me to get lost, and walked away. All I’d wanted to do for as long as I can remember is play football. It was one of the only good things that I had in my life growing up. And after that, I swore that no matter where I ended up, whether it was the pros or just a college career, that I would never be rude to a fan. But then again, I’ve never been out on a date when approached by fans. I probably should have asked them for some privacy.”

  I shook my head quickly. “No! I would have been so embarrassed if you’d blown those guys off. Although I wouldn’t have been too upset if you’d told that one jerk to shove it.”

  He laughed. “So, different is a good thing then, huh?”

  I reached out and brushed my fingertips over the knuckles that were resting on my knee. “Very good.”

  His brows dipped low, and a mischievous grin crept over his mouth. “So, you must have been Googling me to have heard all about what a diva I am.”

  I waved a hand at him. “I didn’t have to Google you. I knew who you were the minute I saw you at your buddy’s Christmas party last year.”

  “You did, huh?” Those full lips that felt so good on mine had been locked in a perpetual smirk or grin the entire time we’d been at lunch, and I was sure that his cheeks had to hurt from the constant smiling. Mine did.

  Quinn was definitely not who I thought he was going to be.

  Charming, humble, chivalrous.

  He was about as far from a diva as I could imagine. So, why the hell had he earned a reputation of being a slacker on the field when it was obvious that he not only had a strong work ethic but loved the game? I mean, the man ate salad and drank water at lunch, for goodness sake. “I come from a football family. I grew up eating and breathing football. You’ve made quite a few headlines in your career. Of course, I knew who you were.”

  He captured my fingers in his and squeezed right before turning into my driveway. “So, you followed me because you like the sport. It didn’t have anything to do with my boyish good looks and bad boy reputation?”

  My head fell back as the laughter erupted from my throat. “You know, I was just telling Piper about how down to Earth you were, but now, now I think maybe I was wrong.”

  “I like it when you do that, you know?” His sapphire-blue eyes burned into mine, and the butterflies that had been fluttering around in my belly turned into full grown birds flapping away as his calloused thumb rubbed back and forth over my fingers.

  “What’s that?”

  He leaned across the console and dropped his voice. “When you throw your head back and laugh like that. It gives me a chance to think about all the places along your neck that my lips want to explore.”

  And just like that, the birds took flight, erupting from the depths of my hopelessly romantic soul.

  I really liked this guy.

  “I really like you too.” His deep voice echoed my thoughts, and I realized that I’d said it out loud.

  I clapped my free hand over my mouth, my cheeks heating. “Shit.”

  He didn’t give me a chance to be embarrassed for long because he pulled my hand from my mouth and replaced it with his lips, the kiss soft and light, a sigh melting out of me when his tongue licked at my lower lip.

  “I also really like kissing you.” His breath ghosted over my face. My lips, though they were sad that I wasn’t still kissing him, curved upward.

  “I really like that too.”

  He sat back into his seat. “As much as I want to do nothing except sit in this truck with you, making out all day, I’ve gotta get to the practice facility. I skipped this morning, but I need to put a few hours of work in. Wouldn’t want the new team thinking the rumors were right.”

  I frowned. “Am I going to see you again this week?”

  He brought my fingers to his lips and brushed a kiss across my knuckles. “Absolutely.”

  I could have spent the rest of the day scrubbing dirt
y toilets with a toothbrush and I would have still considered it one of the best days of my life. As much as I wanted that bid, nailing the presentation didn’t compare to the way it felt after spending a few hours getting to know Quinn. I couldn’t wait to see him again.

  7

  Quinn

  “Man, fuck those guys.” Aiden’s voice was sharp in my ear. “If they can’t act like grown-ass men, fuck ‘em.”

  I chuckled at my friend’s anger on my behalf and moved the phone to my other ear. “They’ll come around. You know how it is when a new guy who had a bad year gets added to the roster. You gotta make sure they’re there for the right reasons. I just gotta show them that I’m here to play ball.”

  “Bad year. Jesus,” Griff groaned. “Your year wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t great. If you’d just let people know what was going on, you wouldn’t have to prove yourself over and over.”

  Griff meant well, but he was wrong. “Just because I’m a professional athlete doesn’t mean my personal life is everyone’s business.”

  “Okay. Okay. Griff, drop it. Other than having to prove yourself to the new team, anything else going on? How’s Jamie?” Shane chimed in.

  I looked to the chair to see her perched on the edge. “Jamie’s fine. Pain in my ass, like always.”

  She glared at me before shouting, “Did you tell them about your new girlfriend?”

  I shot her a look and the middle finger and hoped that no one had heard her. But, of course, I was out of luck.

  “Did she just say you have a girlfriend?” Griff practically shouted.

  I shook my head. “No. She didn’t.”

  “Yes, I did!” Jamie shouted and grinned before pushing out of her chair and prancing over to where I was sitting on the edge of the couch. She bent at the waist and put her mouth right next to the speaker on my phone. “Aiden, it’s the chick from your Christmas party.”

  I pushed at her, and she laughed before shoving my shoulder and then practically running from the room. Right before her door slammed, I heard her yell, “You’re welcome!”