The last thing in the world I wanted to do was let him down, not after he’d put up with my tears the other night and held me until I stopped shaking, but being squished in a stadium with people everywhere, I wasn’t sure I was ready.
Thankfully, Seth had already thought of that and offered me as many tickets as it’d take to make me feel comfortable. I had a feeling that if I’d said I need a whole section to myself, he would’ve made it happen. It was who he was. I don’t think he actually knew any other way. Not that I’d want him to change a thing. I really liked who he was.
“This is insane,” I commented as we scanned our tickets and passed through the gates.
There were people everywhere. The music was pumping, there were jugglers and people walking on stilts. Kids were getting their faces painted, and the lines at the merchandise tents were insane.
“You want a scarf, don’t you?” Isaac teased as I eyeballed the family who looked like they were wearing the entire merchandise store. From the track pants to the t-shirts, baseball caps, scarves, and the flags they waved about.
“Maybe,” I replied, batting my eyelashes at him.
“Come on then.” Isaac threw his arm around my shoulders and started leading me through the crowd to join the queue.
While Isaac and Warner argued, I looked around. It was no wonder Seth wanted to be a part of this. It was intoxicating. The atmosphere was electric, and the whistle hadn’t even blown yet. Or the siren sounded. Or whatever happened in soccer. I had no idea. All I knew about the sport was you couldn’t touch it with your hands, and it was usually about as exciting as watching paint dry.
After I got my scarf and temporary tattoo, which Warner put on my cheek, we went and found our seats. They were damn good seats too. Close enough to the field that you could smell the grass but perhaps more important, from where I was sitting, I could see the players on the bench.
Fireworks, the beating of drums, and the appearance of a huge inflatable ball announced the players’ arrival. My heart raced and my palms sweat. It was strange. I thought I’d be more worried. I wasn’t. I was more worried about Seth. I was praying he got his chance to play, his hopes were up so high, I wasn’t sure how he’d cope spending the whole game watching on from the sidelines.
“You ready for this?” Warner asked, bumping his shoulder against mine.
“No.”
“What’ve you got to be nervous about? You’re not the one playing.”
He was right. I wasn’t the one out there, but I had a whole lot riding on it. Holding my breath, the whistle blew, and the game was underway.
I watched as Seth tried to look invested. Leaning forward. Bouncing to his feet when the ball got close to the nets. But when half-time arrived, Seth still hadn’t run out onto the field. He rose from his seat before turning to look at me, offering me a small wave before following his teammates down the tunnel and into the locker rooms.
“Dude, did you know soccer was so boring?” Warner asked Isaac.
I couldn’t hide my smirk. He wasn’t wrong. I had no idea what was going on, and the only thing keeping me interested was a certain player. And he was sitting on the bench.
“I know, if I wanted to watch a guy try and score for ninety minutes, I’d take you to the nearest bar,” Isaac threw back.
I snorted.
In public.
I snorted. Loudly.
It wasn’t so much what Isaac had said that had my sides hurting trying not to laugh, it was the look on Warner’s face that did me in.
The second half was almost as boring as the first. With the exception of the trip, a player being red-carded, and then the scuffle that broke out, nothing happened. No one scored. No one even looked like they were close to scoring. I was relieved when the whistle blew signalling the end of this torture until I looked over at Seth.
Poor guy looked like someone had kicked his puppy. He hadn’t made it out on the field and I knew how desperate he was to be out there. He was working his arse off trying to be the best and in his eyes, he was still failing. It was heartbreaking to see and I knew how disappointed he was going to be.
“You ready to get out of here?” Isaac asked, picking up our rubbish.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Looking back once more at Seth, he wasn’t looking anywhere but at his shoes. Poor guy. I was going to have to think of something to cheer him up.
Two hours later and I was annoyed at Seth.
I’d gone home with my brother and Warner, not letting my phone out of my sight waiting for Seth to call or message or something. But it remained stubbornly silent. After cooking dinner, I cleaned up the kitchen, had a shower, and went to bed. It was too late now. I didn’t want to talk to him. My pity had morphed into annoyance, and God help anyone who came near me right now.
Waking up to the alarm I didn’t remember setting wasn’t my ideal start to the week, but it was what it was. I was awake now, and I had no hope of getting back to sleep anytime soon. Climbing out of bed, I looked out the window. It was a miserable, windy, and overcast Monday – pretty much how I was feeling. Determined to shake off the Monday blues, I changed into my workout gear, borrowed Isaac’s car, and headed to the beach. Taking my frustrations out on my body seemed like as good of an idea as any.
Stepping onto the sand, my eyes swept over the waves involuntarily. I hated that I was looking for the lime green shorts, but they weren’t there. Disappointed, I slipped in my earbuds, pumped up the music, and took off down the beach.
An hour later, sweating and panting, my phone rang, and I dug it out of my bra.
“Hello?” I spluttered as I tried to suck in the deep breaths.
“Claire? Claire, are you okay?”
“F-fine…” I confirmed, knowing I sounded anything but. “Just out for a run.” I hastily added the explanation.
“Oh. Okay then. Look, Toby’s called in sick for his shift today, and I was wondering if you could cover…”
“I’m on this afternoon,” I reminded Isla.
“Yeah. Any chance you feel like doing a double?” Isla’s voice was full of hope, and I didn’t even have to consider my answer. Not only would this put more money in my very needy bank account, but Isla had been so good to me when I’d needed her, there was no way I could turn her down when she needed help.
“Sure. What time do you need me?”
“Ah…as soon as you could get here would be great.” I could hear something smash, then crashing, followed by some impressive swearing.
“Let me go home and shower, you don’t want me near your customers smelling like I do, then I’ll be there.”
“Thanks, Claire. You’re a lifesaver!”
“See you in a bit.”
Hanging up, I stuffed my phone back in my bra and took off running back to the car park. From the sounds of it, Isla needed the help, and I needed the distraction.
I’d never done a double before.
I was never doing one again.
Everything ached. My feet. My back. I had the world’s worst headache and I was starving. Like I could eat a horse hungry. I was on my second slice of leftover lasagne when my phone chirped.
Seth: Hi
Hi? Hi? Seriously. What the fuck was that? I’d waited twenty-four hours for a hi? Well, screw him. Now he could wait.
32
Seth
The last couple of days had been a shit show.
I’d had a bug up my arse after riding the pine and not even getting a run, then when I’d been packing my shit getting ready to move, some wanker had sideswiped my car. Then, when I thought things couldn’t get worse, the delivery of my new bed had been a disaster. I’d picked out my dream bed – a huge wooden California king bed, and when it arrived, there was a chunk missing out of the bedhead, and the mattress was the wrong size. Seriously. What sort of store sends a king size bed with a queen size mattress? Fucking morons.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Elise asked as I tossed the last of my crap in the back
of the car.
“Absolutely. Besides, if I need my washing done or someone to cook me dinner, I know where you are,” I teased, hugging her.
Living with Luca and Elise hadn’t all been bad. They’d looked after me and made me feel less alone and I’d be forever grateful, but now it was time to try standing on my own two feet.
“Uber Eats is probably a better option,” Elise suggested.
“I’ve already got the pizza place on speed dial.”
“You’re hopeless.”
“You love me.”
“Who loves you?” Luca asked, breezing through the door looking like the king entering his castle. I guess in a way he was.
“Someone’s gotta, right?”
“Here’s hoping.”
“Well then, I’m gonna take this stuff and get out of your hair so you two can…you know what, I don’t even want to know what you’re going to do.”
“Probably for the best,” Luca confirmed, reaching out and shaking my hand.
Half an hour later, I pulled into my parking spot at my new place, filled my arms with as much as I could carry, and waited for the lift. In my pocket, my phone rang, but there was no way I was even going to attempt to answer it. Whoever it was, I’d call them back.
After awkwardly stepping into the lift and smashing the button, I juggled everything before it toppled to the floor. My phone beeped again, this time with a message. Whoever it was, was being a persistent bitch today.
Finally arriving at my front door, I set everything down and pushed it open only to find all the lights already on and the doors open. I knew I’d been all over the place, but I was pretty sure I wasn’t this careless leaving the whole place unlocked. That was just straight out dumb.
Walking inside, leaving my shit where it was piled, I stepped into the kitchen and saw the most incredible blanket fort set up in the middle of my lounge room. Sheets were strung up, it was filled with cushions, and I could smell the scent of hot, buttery popcorn that made my mouth water.
“What the fuck?” I asked loudly, not spying the architect.
Behind me the toilet flushed, the tap ran, and then the door creaked open. Taking a step back, I plastered myself up against the wall and waited for whoever was making themselves comfortable in my home to grace me with their appearance.
“Oh shit! I forgot…”
Claire’s voice trailed off when she spotted me and almost jumped so high she bashed her head on the ceiling.
“Shit, Claire! What are you doing here? How are you here?”
I had so many questions. I wasn’t pissed in the slightest that she was here, more curious as to how and why.
“Bryce called the maintenance guys and told them to let me in,” she offered quickly.
Taking another look at the fort, I realised how much effort she’d put in and I couldn’t be mad. Since I’d fucked up on Sunday, too busy with my head up my own arse while I sulked to even check she was okay after the game, she’d finally started talking to me again, but we were still not quite back to where we were. Our conversations were short, stilted even, and awkward. It was bullshit, and it ended now.
Stepping towards her, I caged her in against my new stainless-steel fridge. It was pristine. Not even a fingerprint on the shiny surface. And that was about to change in the best possible way. Bending my knees, my hands found her arse as I lifted her off her feet and pressed her back against the fridge, her legs wrapping around my waist.
I could’ve kissed her.
She wanted me to kiss her.
Her pink, plump, pouty lips were right there in front of me, begging me to take them.
I dodged her attempt and went straight for her neck, peppering it with kisses and nips making her moan and writhe against me. Rubbing my weeping cock against her centre, Claire moaned, pressing down further. We rubbed up against each other rutting like animals. My fingers bit into her perfect peach-shaped arse.
“Seth…I need…”
“I know what you need,” I replied, dipping my head and sucking on the skin of her boob spilling out of her top.
“Harder,” she begged breathlessly as she dug her nails into my shoulders.
Biting on her nipple through the lace of her bra and the thin material of her shirt was enough to have her screaming my name. With her eyes rolling back in her head, somehow Claire managed to cling even tighter to me. I should’ve stopped then, but I couldn’t. I was too close. If I didn’t come soon my balls were going to explode. Feeling the warmth from her pussy as she flooded her panties, riding out the waves of her orgasm, my spine tingled, and I could feel the pressure building.
Claire must’ve known how close I was because she lifted her tired, satisfied eyes and locked them with mine. “I want to come all over your tits,” I whispered before nipping on her ear lobe. I don’t know if it was her mouth or the words that were coming from it, but I was hurtling at a million miles an hour towards the finish line and nothing was going to be able to stop me. One more thrust against the heat of her and I exploded in my pants not even a little bit embarrassed.
Standing still, with Claire sated and in my arms, our foreheads touching we gasped for breath. Guess we’d broken in the fridge. I wonder what was next.
When she wriggled, I let her slide down my body making sure she knew about the mess she was one hundred percent responsible for.
When her toes touched the ground, Claire reached for my hand. “Come on, big boy. Let’s get you cleaned up so I can get you dirty again.”
Who was I to argue with that?
After a shower that included the world’s best blow job and me finishing all over Claire’s beautiful boobs, we managed to get cleaned up just as the water started to run cold. With her wearing a pair of my boxers and a t-shirt, we were lying in her fort eating popcorn and Skittles.
“So, are you telling me you called my brother, and he helped you break in so you could do all this?”
“Not exactly.”
Claire looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Like she’d been busted. I was dying to know what went down, but the last thing I wanted her to do was to feel bad about it.
“I called Emma. She made Bryce do it, so you can’t be mad at him.”
Rolling her underneath me, I cupped her face in my hands. I wanted there to be no misunderstandings. “I’m not mad. Do I feel mad?” I asked, pressing my swelling cock against her thigh. How I was ready to go again I had no idea, Claire just seemed to bring it out in me.
“You feel…”
This woman was a witch. A bewildering temptress who had me completely mesmerised.
Snaking her hands down between us, she stroked me through my shorts. My hips started moving on their own. But I’d already blown my load in my pants once this afternoon, there was no way I was going to be making a habit of it.
As much as it pained me, as much as my dick was going to hate me for it, I grabbed her wrist halting her games. Without missing a beat, I leaned down and kissed the pout straight off her.
“Focus, Claire.”
“It’s so hard…” When she winked, I knew she wasn’t talking about the conversation.
“Claire!”
“Fine, spoilsport. I spoke to Emma; Emma spoke to Bryce. Bryce rang maintenance. Happy now?”
“Very. But I still have one question.”
“Yes?”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Yeah. Why’d you do all this for me?” I asked, genuinely perplexed. I definitely didn’t deserve all this.
“Honestly, because when I saw you sitting on the bench on Sunday…”
“Don’t remind me.” That still stung.
“When I saw you sitting there, you looked so sad I wanted to do something to cheer you up. But then you were a bit of a dick, not even bothering to call so I got pissed. Once I calmed down, I realised I was just being a drama queen, and you needed something good to happen to make you smile. So, I thought, what better way of celebrating your new place than
fucking in a blanket fort.”
“Gotta be honest, I’ve never fucked in a blanket fort before.” I smiled down at her as my heart swelled.
She’d done all of this just to cheer me up because I was acting like a big baby because I didn’t get to play football on the weekend. I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t deserve her, but I was sure as shit not giving her up any time soon. Or ever.
“Well then…let me be the one to pop your blanket fort cherry.”
33
Claire
“Claire! I need a favour!”
“What? Not even a hello?”
“Sorry. Morning, Claire. Hope you’re well. I missed you in my bed last night.”
“There. That’s better. Good morning, Seth. How are you?”
“Desperate for a favour?”
I was sitting outside on the back step sipping my coffee in the morning sun. I hated that I was awake already, but with the Neanderthals I lived with stomping around like a herd of elephants, there wasn’t such a thing as a sleep in, which sucked arse when I had a late shift and didn’t get in until after three this morning.
As much fun as it was to watch Seth squirm, something he was amazingly good at, he did sound serious. And slightly desperate. “How can I help you?”
“You know how today is Elise and Luca’s wedding?”
“Ah, yeah?”
“About that?”
My stomach lurched. This didn’t sound good.
“I’m at their place, and Elise needs a favour. Can I put her on?”
“Sure?” I replied nervously knowing whatever it was I was going to agree. It wasn’t like it was possible to say no. Not to a bride on her wedding day.
“Thanks. Here she is.”
“Okay.”
“Claire!” Elise screeched so loudly I think I went deaf in one ear. Juggling the phone, I swapped ears.
“Hey, Elise. Ready for the big day?”
“Help me!”
“Okay. How? What do you need?” I asked.
She sounded on the verge of a meltdown. I could only imagine the chaos going on around her.
Rookie (Playing The Field Book 2) Page 19