Free Agent-ARE-mobi

by Mari Carr

  “A dildo,” she replied, cutting him off mid-rant. “And a vibrator.”

  “Butt plug?” he asked.

  She snorted. “Dear God, no. I don’t even know what that is, but it sounds ominous.”

  Tucker’s interest was definitely piqued by that reply. “So you haven’t explored anal play?”

  She crinkled her nose. “No. And I’m perfectly fine keeping that island uncharted.”

  He didn’t press the point. Instead, he murmured, “we’ll see,” in such a way that told her the subject would be brought up again.

  “Tucker,” she warned.

  He pulled the cucumber out of her and tossed it to the floor. Then he dropped the towel that had done little to conceal the hard-on he’d been sporting since they’d entered the house. It was pointing due north.

  “Shit. I’m getting jealous of a damn vegetable.” He reached behind her and untied her hands. Lela had enjoyed the restraints, but there was something to be said for freedom as well.

  She reached for his cock, stroking it, loving the deep, guttural moans her touch produced. Tucker let her have her way for a full minute before tugging her hand away, standing and pulling her out of the chair.

  “Finished with the kitchen?” she asked as he dragged her to the stairs. She wasn’t resisting his attempts to get her to the bedroom, she just wasn’t moving fast enough. He was suddenly in a big hurry.

  “Fuck it,” he said, pushing her to her knees on one of the steps. Then he was behind her, thrusting his cock to the hilt in one hard, hot shove.

  Lela gasped, then she came. Just like that. “God. Oh my God.”

  Tucker didn’t stop moving. “Holy fuck. You have no idea how good it feels when you come on my cock.”

  Lela began to add her own backward thrusts, increasing the pressure. Her vision went black a split second before white-hot lights flashed, another climax crashing.

  Tucker shouted her name as he came, jet after hot jet of come filling her.

  Minutes passed, but neither of them bothered to move. If Lela had an ounce of strength left in her, she would have laughed at the tableau they presented. She was bent over doggy-style, halfway up the staircase, Tucker’s softening cock still tucked inside her as he knelt behind her.

  Both of them were struggling to control their breathing. She’d been less winded after running the local 8K race on Memorial Day.

  She was jerked from her sluggishness when Tucker’s hand landed on her ass. It was a familiar, affectionate slap that betrayed his own exhaustion. “My knees are killing me, but I can’t move.”

  She giggled at his confession. “Ditto.” She wiggled a bit, disappointed when his cock fell out. She missed him instantly. “Shower or nap?”

  He seemed to consider his options then said, “Both.”

  Tucker stood first, helping her rise. They moved upstairs slowly. “I had every intention of taking you in your bed. Couldn’t make it.”

  She smiled. “No one’s ever wanted me the way you do.”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, placing a quick kiss on her forehead. “Every guy in this backwoods town is an idiot then.”

  Lela went up on tiptoe to kiss his jaw. She loved his height, his size. She wasn’t a small woman—more average than anything—but she felt tiny with Tucker.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “For what?”

  “For helping me remember some things I’d forgotten.”

  He didn’t ask her to explain. Something in his face told her he understood what she meant.

  That thought was confirmed when he said, “You’re helping me remember too, L.B.”

  Chapter Eight

  Tucker released a long sigh as he approached the house. Lela had shown up at the ranch a couple hours earlier. He’d been too far out in the field to do more than wave. They’d spent the last two days splitting their time between sex, sleep, food and work.

  He hadn’t had a migraine since his first night in Lela’s bed, but the fear that the ticking time bomb in his head could go off at any minute never left him.

  He hadn’t said anything else to Lela about his injury and she hadn’t asked. They seemed to share a sense that they were clicking up the tracks on an amazing roller coaster, but neither of them was ready for the plummet back to Earth. Instead, they filled the hours with kisses and cuddles in front of the TV, and so much sex his cock was actually sore from overuse.

  She’d mentioned his father a few times, offering to call one of her nurse friends for an update on his recovery, but he’d turned her down. He didn’t want a single second of his time with Lela to be dampened by his dad. He’d said good riddance to the man after his mother’s death. Time hadn’t changed his desire to keep his old man out of his life.

  He climbed the stairs and stepped inside, following the female voices that told him she and Lorelie were in the kitchen. When he entered, he was surprised to find Coach with them as well.

  “Tucker,” Lela said, smiling brightly as he entered the room.

  “Saw you pull up earlier.”

  She pointed to a pile of chocolate chip cookies on a plate on the table. “We’re getting ready for the bake sale this weekend.”

  “They’ve put me in charge of packaging.” Coach feigned annoyance as he lifted a baggie, though Tucker suspected the man was enjoying himself more than he let on.

  “Six per bag, Dad.” Lorelie lifted one of the Ziplocs. “This one only has five.”

  Coach grinned. “I got hungry.”

  “Speaking of…” Tucker walked to the table and snatched a cookie before Lorelie could smack his hand. “The whole house smells good. I can’t believe you don’t have every man on the ranch in here, mooching for sweets.” Tucker popped the still-warm cookie in his mouth. “Oh damn. I’ll buy the whole lot. Right now.”

  Lorelie waved her spatula at him. “I’m holding you to that, Mr. NFL. Bring that fat checkbook of yours to the fire hall on Saturday. In addition to the bake sale, we’re holding a flea market, selling chicken dinners, and there will be games for the kids. It should be a fun day. Quinn Fire Station needs a new tanker. Ours is on its last legs. Broke down on the way to a brush fire in April.”

  Coach glanced at his watch, then stood. He was starting to move a bit faster, looking a bit more like his old self with each passing day. “I’m getting kind of tired, Lori. Think I’ll take a little nap.”

  She smirked, then snorted once her father was out of earshot. “Tired, my ass. He’s gotten hooked on Days of our Lives.”

  Lela laughed. “Really?”

  “Yep. He turns the channel every time I walk in, but I’ve heard that theme music pretty consistently for the last week. And his naptime always seems to start promptly at noon.

  Lela glanced toward the door Coach had just exited. “Wonder what’s been happening lately.”

  Lorelie rolled her eyes. “Dear God. Not you too.” She grabbed a box from the corner and began filling it with the baggies her father had packed with cookies. “So you’re definitely coming on Saturday, Tucker?”

  Tucker nodded enthusiastically. After years spent attending top-dollar, black tie affairs in swanky settings, he couldn’t understand why a day spent at a fire station yard party was something he was suddenly looking forward to. But the truth of it was, he couldn’t wait to go. Apparently there was a band playing after sundown and there would be dancing. It had been too damn long since he’d done the Texas two-step.

  “Wouldn’t miss it. So…are y’all just about done?” he asked, mentally wincing at the return of his southern accent. He’d worked hard to drive that telling twang out of his voice, but he’d noticed it coming back more and more as the days passed.

  Lela nodded. “Yep. What’s up?”

  “I was wondering if you wanted to go for a drive with me.”

  Lela’s face lit up. “Sure.”

  Lorelie walked to the sink with a dirty cookie sheet. “Is ‘drive’ code for ‘fucking’?”

  Lela
laughed and said, “Hope so,” at the same time Tucker said, “No.”

  “I’ll be back in a little while to grab my car, Lorelie.”

  Lorelie waved her away. “Take your time. Have fun. I’ll just be here, cleaning up the mess, horny and alone.”

  Tucker tossed Lela the keys when they hit the driveway.

  Her eyes widened. “Seriously? I can drive it?” Lela was as car-mad as he was and too easy to please. She viewed driving the rental with the same glee as a kid waking up on Christmas morning.

  “Yep. Just don’t wreck it.”

  She opened the passenger door. “I would never hurt such a sweet car.”

  The top was down, so as Lela pulled the car out onto the main highway, Tucker tried to relax and enjoy the fresh air. Lela had cranked up the radio and was singing Chicken Fried full blast. He couldn’t look away from her. She was so beautiful, full of life, fun. He could watch her all day and never get sick of the sight.

  An old Dixie Chicks song played next and Lela turned up the volume even more. There would be no conversation until they reached their destination.

  “Where to?” she asked at last, though she was seemingly content to just keep going until they reached the border.

  “Beyer’s Creek.”

  She gave him a sexy sideways glance that sent too much blood rushing to his cock. He should have picked somewhere else, somewhere public. Taking her to their old make-out place was going to distract him from his goal. And that couldn’t happen. He needed to come clean to Lela, to explain his reasons for returning to Quinn.

  His future was still uncertain. And because he’d been unable to resist his feelings for her, he’d dragged her right into the well of what-the-hell-do-I-do-now with him.

  He’d been trapped in limbo for months and guilt over putting Lela in the same boat had kept him up all night.

  Lela pulled the car into the same parking nook they’d created years ago when they’d driven here after football games or summer picnics. Hormones had ruled the day and he recalled their rush to get away from everyone, to come together, under the foliage of the live oaks.

  Shutting off the engine, she turned to face him. “Wanna take a walk?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.” They got out of the car and he took her hand as they traversed down the rocky path that led to the creek.

  “I haven’t been here since high school,” she admitted.

  Tucker was surprised. “Really? You always said it was your favorite place in Quinn.”

  She shrugged, trying for casual, but failing. “It was our spot.”

  Tucker realized he wasn’t the only one who’d been struggling to find a happy ending. “Why haven’t you ever gotten married?”

  She gave him a confused grin. “Where did that question come from?”

  “I’m curious. I mean, back in school your master life plan was college, marriage, kids.” He didn’t bother to add that the dream had also included him.

  “I haven’t found the right guy yet.”

  It was a short, abrupt answer that said his question had bugged her. She punctuated her response by turning away from him and sitting on a large rock near the water. She tugged off her sandals. “So I’ll ask you the same,” she said once she was barefoot. “According to the tabloids, you’re pretty high on the list of eligible bachelors. Where’s your wedding ring?”

  Tucker suddenly understood her aggravation. He didn’t like the question any more than she did, but he’d come here for honesty, to open the dialogue and say what needed to be said. “I don’t find it easy to trust the people around me. Once you achieve some level of fame and wealth, you start to question everyone’s motives.”

  “Sounds lonely.”

  Lela always got it.

  “The thing is, life has a way of fooling you, making you think you’re content. Then, just when you believe you’ve got your shit together, it pulls the rug out and you realize you’ve been living in a fool’s paradise and nothing is what you thought.”

  She tilted her head. “Very insightful. And completely cryptic. Care to explain?”

  Leave it to her to call him out for bullshit. “You live alone long enough and you start to think it’s normal, that it’s what you want. I’ve spent years strutting around, gloating about being a confirmed bachelor, like it was some conscious decision I’d made.”

  “It wasn’t?”

  He shook his head. “No. Apparently, you’re right. I’m lonely.”

  “Apparently?” she asked, amusement in her voice.

  “I didn’t realize it until I saw you again.”

  She bit her lower lip, but didn’t reply.

  “I sort of fell apart when my mom died, L.B. It took me a long time to come to grips with the fact she wasn’t there. And the worst part was when I left Quinn, I turned my back on all my friendships and pushed you away at the same time. So I did all the healing alone, on my own. I sort of forgot what it was like to have someone to talk to—who wasn’t a shrink—who cared about me.”

  “I wish I’d known, Tuck.”

  He cupped her cheek fondly. “It wouldn’t have mattered. I was in a dark place. I’m glad you weren’t there. I don’t think this…what’s going on right now…would be happening if you had been.”

  “But you needed someone and I just let you drive away.”

  “No, L.B. As bad as things were then, they’re worse today. I need you now.”

  She clasped his hand and pulled him to the rock. They sat on the large flat surface together. “I think the last time we sat on this rock was the day you told me you’d gotten a full ride to Texas A&M.”

  He smiled at the memory. “God. I don’t know how you could stand being around me senior year. Between that and winning the state championship, I walked around like I was ten feet tall and bulletproof.”

  “Oh yeah. You were a cocky asshole, no two ways about it.”

  He laughed at her jest.

  “But you were so happy. Ready to take on the world. And I felt lucky to be sitting beside you as you started your climb. Do you remember what we said?”

  Tucker thought back to that day, recalling all the promises they’d made, all the dreams they’d conjured. “I was going to go pro—traveling with the team during season and living in Quinn with you in the off months. You were going to get a job as a teacher and raise our kids. We were going to beat all the odds and live happily ever after.”

  “No. Not that part. Those words were said to give us some sense of control and security when we knew full well none of that would happen. There’s nothing scarier than an uncertain future.”

  Tucker winced, trying to turn his head in hopes that Lela wouldn’t see it. He wasn’t quick enough.

  “Tell me what’s going on, Tuck. All of it.”

  He swallowed heavily. “I told you about the headaches.”

  She nodded.

  “I’ve had quite a few concussions during my career. Enough that I’m skirting a line.” He ran his hand through his hair, trying to find the words, some way to explain it to her without falling apart. His chest was tight, his lungs seizing.

  “Just say it. Quick. Like ripping off a Band-Aid.”

  “I think this is the year my team has a real shot at the Super Bowl. That’s been my dream ever since I was old enough to hold a ball. We’ve come so close the past few seasons, but something always happened to knock us out. This year…God, this year, we’re going the distance. I can feel it in my gut.”

  “But,” she prodded, when he paused too long.

  “But if I go back and take another hard hit to the head, I’m facing permanent brain damage.”

  She reared back and though she tried to hide it, he heard her slight gasp. He waited for her response nervously.

  “So you have to choose? Have the doctors cleared you to play?”

  He nodded. “It’s my choice.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  He frowned. “I don’t know. I was hiding out at my beach house in Turks and
Caicos, trying to figure it out when Joel called about Coach. Before I could think about what I was doing, I was on a plane here. The last place I ever thought I’d step foot again.”

  Tucker turned away when he saw pain creep into her eyes. She loved Quinn and he hurt her every time he claimed to hate the place, to want to escape. He didn’t face her when he confessed, “I should never have stayed away so long.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  Her words surprised him. He glanced over to see her looking down at her lap, nervously twisting a thin silver ring on her pinky. “You don’t?”

  “The Quinn you grew up in wasn’t the same as mine. My childhood was pretty much idyllic. Yours was…”

  He filled in the blank for her. “Less than ideal.”

  “I know how much you loved your mother.”

  He swallowed heavily, trying to dislodge the lump forming there. “I miss her every single day. Football saved me, L.B. I built my life with that game as the foundation. Without it…”

  Lela lifted her head, forced Tucker to hold her gaze. “Without it, you rebuild.” Her words were strong. Sure. “Football is only a small part of you, Tucker. You’re so much more than just that game.”

  His mother used to say the same. She told him he had a talent and he should hone it, let it take him wherever he wanted to go. But she also reminded him that there was more to life than football.

  Love.

  There was love. And friendship. And home.

  “Do you remember what we said the last time we sat here?” Lela repeated her earlier question.

  “We swore that no matter where life took us, we’d always love each other, always care.”

  She smiled. “I didn’t break that promise.”

  He leaned forward, pressed his forehead against hers, needing to be close to her. “Neither did I, L.B.”

  They kissed; a quick, chaste touch of the lips.

  Tucker sighed. “I don’t know what the hell to do.”

  She pulled away from him, studying his face. “I can’t tell you what to choose, Tucker. Only you know what will make you happy.”

  “I love that game. So damn much. I’ve never given much thought to what happens after.”