by KB Winters
Chance stood from the desk and it squeaked in relief. It wasn’t a wonder of modern craftsmanship. Hell, it wasn’t even from IKEA. “So, what’s next?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, cocking my head at him.
He heaved his giant shoulders. “This. You and me.”
I smirked. “Chance Beauman is initiating a relationship conversation? Wow, alert the media!”
“God, please don’t,” he groaned, still playing along with a wide smile.
“I don’t know. Bitsberg’s bad boy extraordinaire talking about trading it all in for one woman might be headline worthy. Bet I could sell it.”
Chance’s eyes darkened as they focused on mine. “That’s only because they haven’t met you. Even the biggest dumbass on the planet would understand why I’m ditching the single life for a woman like you.”
My next teasing remark got lodged in my throat as it swelled with emotion. God, he was the king of leaving me speechless. Ninety percent of the time, he was all sarcasm and smartass and then the other ten percent he was a walking, breathing Hallmark card. It was insufferable. And yet, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
And it seemed that I wouldn’t have to.
“Dinner at your place tonight?” I asked.
Chance laughed, knowing it was code for take-out, a bottle of wine, and hot, kinky sex. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
He sank down into the chair across from me as I raised a pen to begin the paperwork. “Have you heard anything from Hayley?”
He shook his head, a dark shadow flickering over his expression. “Not yet. When did you send in that letter?”
“Tuesday.”
“Hmm.”
I smiled at him. “I’m sure you’ll hear soon. Aria’s still in the hospital for another two weeks at least.”
“I know. I just… I’m getting antsy, I guess.”
I nodded. “It will work out. They’d be crazy not to approve your application. You have Aria petitioning for you and everything.”
He chuckled, likely at the image of the firecracker girl pleading with her social worker to place her with him. Chance had debated for a week or so, trying to decide if it was a good idea to tell Aria of his idea of having her placed with him as her foster dad, but in the end, he couldn’t keep it a secret and told her. She immediately burst into tears, and by the time we left the room, there wasn’t one dry eye among the three of us.
I glanced up at a man approaching my open door. He was dressed in a delivery outfit and was holding a tablet in his hands. “Excuse me, but I have a large delivery. Can I get your signature?”
I pushed up from my desk, noting Chance’s too-innocent-looking expression as I hurried to meet the delivery man. “A large delivery?”
“Yes, ma’am. Where should I drop it off?”
I passed back the tablet after scrawling a loopy signature that looked nothing like my name. Actually, it looked nothing like letters in the English language. Sometimes I didn’t get along with technology. “Umm… in the entry is fine. Thank you.”
He wandered off, and I turned my attention back to Chance. I folded my arms and pursed my lips at him. “What did you do?”
He chuckled. “Nothing, pretty girl.”
I abandoned the paperwork at my desk and walked out to see what the delivery man was bringing in. After a few minutes, he pushed in through the front doors with a large rolling cart stacked with huge cardboard boxes. I whirled around to find Chance leaning against the doorframe of my office, still giving me a Cheshire grin.
The kids in the center were stirring, getting riled up at the arrival of packages. Normally, we received small boxes with the essentials: printer paper, pens, inks, school supplies, and the like. But every so often, a larger shipment would come in from a generous donor. Boxes or bags filled with sporting goods, toys, art supplies, or movies and books. It seemed that this shipment had the air of Christmastime as the kids all got up and started to gather around the cart of boxes.
“Be right back with the second load,” the man said to me, once the last box was stacked carefully on the floor.
I nodded at him, offering a smile, before grabbing the sharpest pair of scissors I could find. I cut open the first box and found three new basketballs buried under a pile of packing peanuts. Underneath the basketballs, there were soccer balls and collapsible goalposts. The next box had custom-made jerseys for all of the kids. They were a deep, crimson red, with the Harvest House logo on the front and the name of each child on the back.
As I unpacked the jerseys, the kids around me started leaping for theirs as I unrolled each one. When the last one had been doled out, I turned around and stared at Chance. He smiled and shrugged.
“Open the next one, Miss Lacey!”
“Yeah, yeah! Keep going!”
I laughed as I cut into the third box. This time, finding it filled with ballerina gear. Shoes, tutus, barres, and even little tiaras.
On and on it went. Each box was filled with toys and treasures for the kids, and the hype in the room grew to an almost palpable level by the time the delivery man set down the last of the boxes.
Chance eventually joined in on the fun, helping the kids tear into the boxes as though he were an overgrown—very overgrown—child under the Christmas tree.
When the last of it was unpacked, Missy arrived back from her lunch hour and stopped short of tripping on all the empty boxes. “What in the world—?”
“Apparently, Chance went on an online shopping spree.…” I teased, glancing over at him. “At least, I’m assuming this was your doing.”
He smiled. “I just thought the kids needed some new stuff. Saw a need, filled it. Not a big deal.”
Sure. It was totally normal to drop ten grand on kids’ stuff without breaking a sweat. Then again, for Chance, it probably wasn’t a big deal. He probably made ten grand by the time most people were just getting to their morning cup of joe.
Teary-eyed, I kissed him on the cheek. “It is a big deal. Thank you, Chance.”
Missy nodded her agreement, still looking a little shell-shocked as she surveyed the damage.
“You’re something else, you know that?” I said, stripping out of my t-shirt later that night. We were alone in his little cabin, the home I decided I liked even more than his gorgeous mansion in the hills overlooking the city.
Chance lounged like a cat in a patch of sun, sprawled across the bed, watching as I undressed. “I’ve been told.”
I laughed, shrugging out of my jeans. His eyebrows went up as I exposed my satin panties and I grinned at the hunger in his eyes. The difference in my confidence level was remarkable since Chance came into my life. With other relationships in the past, I would’ve ducked into the bathroom to change into my pajamas. With Chance, not only did I dare to strip down boldly in front of him, but most nights, as we snuggled together under the covers, I wasn’t wearing anything. I liked the feel of his skin on mine way too much to cover up before bed.
Not to mention that two-hundred-twenty pounds of solid man made things way too hot to sleep with much more than the sheet.
“What did I do this time?” he asked, propping himself up. I marveled at the perfectly cut segments of his abs as he contracted his muscles. He was stripped down too, only his black athletic shorts clinging to his sculpted body. Shorts that were too thin to conceal his growing excitement at watching me undress for him.
“All that stuff for the center,” I said, tossing my discarded jeans onto the upholstered bench at the foot of the king-sized bed. “The kids were flipping out all day.”
He chuckled and patted the bed beside him. “Come here, pretty girl. I need to hold on to you.”
“Looks like you need more than that,” I teased, dropping a pointed glance at his crotch.
He laughed and reached out; the quick move surprised me. In a tumble, he had me on the bed, flattened onto my back, and his body wrapped around me. I sucked in a ragged breath as his fingers traced down my body, sliding bet
ween my bared breasts, before traveling to my belly button. He made a lazy circle and then dropped lower, his lips tugging into a wicked smile. “I missed you today…” he growled, teasing the skin at the edge of my panties.
I smiled up at him, my hair fanned around my face. “I missed you too.”
It was a ridiculous sentiment. We’d only been apart for a handful of hours between the time he’d left Harvest House to go to his lawyer’s office and the time he picked me up to take me to the cabin. But still, it had felt like so much more time had passed.
“Are we turning into old saps?” I asked, grinning at Chance as his eyes slowly wandered down my body, as though he were trying to memorize the way my skin looked under the glow of the warm light from the fire raging in the wood fireplace.
He chuckled under his breath and brought his eyes back to mine. “I think we’re in danger of it, yes.”
I laughed and brushed my knuckles over his smooth chest. God, I loved the power and raw strength of his muscled body. He was sex on a stick—at my leisure and my pleasure. The feeling of his large body over mine was intoxicating, and I didn’t think I would ever tire of it.
“Lacey?”
“Hmm?”
Chance’s green eyes sparkled as they locked onto mine. “I know things are gonna change now that I won’t be at Harvest House every day. With you. But I meant what I said in your office. You’re not getting rid of me anytime soon.” He paused to trace a finger down the side of my face. When he reached my hairline, he wove his fingertips through the strands, twirling them around and releasing them. “There was something else I wanted to tell you.”
“What?” My voice was barely above a whisper, and my heart danced in my chest, already knowing what he was going to say, without actually hearing the words from his lips.
But, oh, how I wanted to hear the words.
Chance swallowed hard, his mouth a firm line, before he relaxed and smiled down at me. “Lacey, I’m so fucking in love with you. Crazy love. Like I’ve never felt before. You are the only woman I ever want to be with. I know life is gonna get fuckin’ crazy over the next few months, but I want to—no—I need to know you’ll be there by my side.”
The vulnerability and rawness of his confession broke me. Tears pricked at my eyes, and my entire body warmed with the love that had been brewing for so long inside of my own heart, just waiting for the right moment to let go. I was ready to surrender. To my own heart. To Chance. To love.
“I love you too, Chance. I know we can make this work. No matter what happens next.”
He dropped his mouth to mine, sealing the words with a deep and intense kiss that left me breathless. His hardness pressing into my softness, a perfect fit.
The fingers in my hair tightened their grip as the heat rose, each of us moving like we couldn’t get enough of each other. Chance groaned when I moved to strip away his shorts to wrap my fingers around his dick. My thumb teased the tip, and I was rewarded with a curse under his breath.
He wasted no time stripping my already wet panties down my legs, dropping them to the floor. His fingers slid between my pussy lips, sliding easily into the wetness he’d caused with his sweet words and hot kisses.
When he entered me, I released a moan of contentment and pleasure that went bone deep.
Chance wasn’t a typical Prince Charming, but he was my Prince Charming.
23
Lacey
Despite the warnings we’d given to each other, the ache of missing Chance threatened to overwhelm me some days. He had officially begun pre-season training with his team, and usually, between practice and press events and traveling for pre-season games, we would go nearly a week without seeing each other. Which, to most people, wasn’t long. But to me, it felt like forever.
The kids at Harvest House were feeling it too.
“Miss Lacey, when is Mr. Beaumonster coming back to see us?”
I chuckled at Gabriella knowing his name. Beaumonster. She was one of the younger girls but was an avid member of the Chance fan club—especially after he’d had the ballet gear delivered. “I think he’ll be here next week,” I answered, wishing I knew more than that to tell her. To tell all of them. “Today is the first official game for the Knights and he’s playing. So, if you and your family watch the game, you’ll probably see him on TV.”
They all grumbled at that, and I gave them a wistful smile.
I, on the other hand, would see him at the game. He’d arranged for me to sit near the fifty-yard line. Apparently, that meant they were good seats, at least, as far as I’d been told. I still wasn’t really sure how football worked. He’d also promised dinner afterward.
Now, I just had to make it through the day without losing my mind. Chance had a way of distracting me, even from miles away.
“Hey, hey, little ladies!”
The girls burst into a loud cheer as Auntie Tien came strutting through the door. She was decked out in workout clothes— what else? —with her long, highlighted hair pulled back in a high ponytail that swished behind her with each step. She was carrying two large bags and the mouth-watering scent of the food hit my nose a second later.
“I have enough food to feed a small army,” she said, dropping the bags onto the nearest table.
I laughed and came to join her. “Oh good, just what I need before trying to squeeze into my skinny jeans for tonight’s game.”
Tien smirked and opened the second bag, a puff of sugary sweetness wafting out. “So, bad time to tell you about the double chocolate brownies?”
”Ugh!”
She laughed and started unpacking the food for the girls who were eagerly gathered around to get a paper bowl and plastic spoon from her. They loved whenever Tien came by to visit, especially when she brought some of her mom’s killer treats.
When the girls were all happily noshing away, Tien served up the last of the food and offered me one of two forks. We sat together at a table, a few feet away from the girls, and split the last of it. I tried not to drool too much as the flavors exploded on my tongue. “This is a mouthgasm,” I whispered so the girls wouldn’t hear and stuffed another bite in my mouth.
“Right? Mom’s the best. So… catch me up on life,” she said before shoving a huge bite into her own mouth. Tien was tiny in stature but could eat like a lumberjack at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Which made her tiny waist all the more infuriating.
I swallowed another bite and shrugged. “Not much to report. Tonight’s opening night, so I’ll be there cheering him on from the stands for the first time.”
Tien rolled her eyes. “Come on, Lace! You’re dating one of the NFL’s hottest stars. How could there not be anything to report?”
I laughed softly. “I know this will shock you, but we actually keep a low profile. We don’t go to the hotspots downtown or get caught up in paparazzi frenzies. Most nights we crash out at one of our places, drinking wine, eating dinner, and” I paused and glanced around, surveying all the small pairs of ears in the vicinity, before adding, “well, you know.”
Tien flashed a devious smile. “Uh huh… no wonder you don’t leave the house. I bet he’s just—”
“Tien!”
“What? He’s a freakin’ linebacker. He’s huge. Does his dick match his—”
“—stop! The girls will hear you.”
She giggled, not even bothering to offer an embarrassed look. Tien was always like that. Very blasé about sex and all things that weren’t the best conversation topic around impressionable young ladies. Not that they didn’t hear that—and much worse—out on the street or in school. But still…
“I’m excited about the game, but honestly, I like our downtime better. He’s been exhausted with training and pre-season travel and press events. Naturally, every press outlet wanted to ask a million questions about his community service and then that whole paparazzi scandal a month or so ago. It was rough on him…” I trailed off, absently dragging my fork through the noodles in front of me.
“
What about you, then? How are you?”
I bobbed my chin up to meet Tien’s intent stare, flashing a wide smile. “I’m really, really happy.”
“Good.” Tien grinned and took another huge mouthful of lunch. “I was worried about you for a while there.”
“Why?”
“Because you were turning into one of those people who never do anything but work and sleep. It’s no kind of life.”
I sighed. “Probably not.”
Tien arched a brow. “Probably not? Lace, you’re way too young to be so consumed by your job, even one as rewarding and important as this,” she said, glancing around the center. “I’m happy Chance got through to you and helped you see there’s more to life. You can do good work and really make a difference, but still have your own life too, ya know.”
I nodded, unable to argue her point. I hadn’t been able to see it at the time, but she was right all along. I’d been steadily working myself to death, trying to fill some void inside of me with endless work, thinking that someday I’d have a fulfilled sense of accomplishment. I’d never considered that what was missing wasn’t something but rather someone. Only Chance had been able to bring that front and center for me.
Missy came out, likely following her nose out from her office like some kind of underground mole getting a scent of something above ground. “Hello, Tien. It’s nice to see you,” she greeted, coming to a stop by our table.
Tien gave her a quick smile. The two of them had never really gotten along. Tien was a wild child, independent and stubborn to a fault. Whereas Missy was conservative and buttoned down to a sometimes comedic level. It was oil and water.
“Lacey,” she started, pivoting toward me, “this just came for you.”
She extended a white envelope with my name on the front, scrawled in familiar handwriting. A grin spread across my face as I peeled it open. “What did he do now…” I murmured to myself.
Hey, pretty girl,
Go outside—take the girls with you.
C.
I arched a brow, not understanding the clue. “It says we’re supposed to go outside.”