by Violet Paige
“Kaitlyn and I need to talk about it.” It was Cole’s first response that wasn’t a question.
Aiden stood to leave. “Understandable. Give me a call soon.” He opened the door and turned to face us. “By the way, I dropped the lawsuit this morning. So, whatever you decide, I want you to know that. I’m not playing an angle.” He adjusted his sunglasses and walked out the door, closing it tightly behind him.
“Wait!” I jumped from my chair and chased after him, leaving Cole in the office.
Aiden turned in front of his convertible. “What’s up, girl?”
“Is this for real? You’re not trying to lure us into some kind of trap?”
He slid his sunglasses off his face and I could see the pain in his eyes, combined with something else. Regret.
“Kaitlyn, I told you why it was so important for me to tear down the Dunes, but I’ve decided that might not be the best thing for me. I know it’s not the best thing for you. It’s not a trap. I’m moving in a new direction.”
“I-I heard what Lisa said to you at the reception.” I hadn’t planned on confessing. “I’m sorry, Aiden.”
“What do you have to be sorry about?”
“I’m sorry all this happened to you. Your parents obviously had a complicated relationship and they let it interfere with you. It’s not fair.” My hands slipped from my hips.
“Sweetheart, I learned a long time ago that almost nothing in life is fair.” He put the shades back on his face. “Maybe this is my way of balancing some of that out.” He smiled and pulled open the car door.
“You think the three of us could go into business together? You and Cole actually working together?” It sort of seemed absurd, especially after the way the last two months had played out.
“I can do business with anyone.” He cranked the engine. “The rest is up to you and Cole. Besides, I’m the silent partner, remember? Think about it, then call me.” He threw the car in reverse and raced onto Gulf Boulevard.
I walked back into the office, not entirely sure I had more answers than before I chased after Aiden. The only sound was the humming of the air conditioner in the window. Lately, it had started this thing where it would sputter every five minutes then resume its normal rhythm of blowing cool air into the office. I was waiting for it to give out on me one of these days. It couldn’t last forever.
I pushed the door until it closed.
I looked at Cole, wanting him to speak. I wanted him to say something. Anything. He could curse, yell, throw the paperweight. Anything that told me he was processing what had happened with Aiden.
“What happened out there?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing really. I wanted Aiden to look me in the eye and tell me this isn’t some kind of scheme.”
“And did he?”
“I think so.” I leaned against the door.
“What do you want to do, darlin’?” His eyes were calm and steady. He drifted toward me.
“Me? The Dunes is yours. And Aiden is your—” I didn’t think uncle was the appropriate word right now even if it was the biological truth.
He walked toward me and took my hands in his. His fingers were warm and rough as he threaded them through mine. I thought I could feel his pulse.
“We are in this together now. Should I take the deal?” His crystal blue eyes darted back and forth. “Do you trust him enough to go into business with him?”
Everything was happening so fast. I knew the deal was a good one, if Aiden could be trusted. Although, in the last few days, I felt like the tide was turning with him. Mary Ellen was convinced he wasn’t a bad guy. She was ready to commit to a relationship with him one hundred percent. We couldn’t ignore he had dropped the lawsuit this morning. That was a huge olive branch. Something about his demeanor outside was different. He was softer and more relaxed. I liked this side of Aiden.
I took a deep breath. “I think you should do it.”
“All right.”
“That’s it?” I asked. Surely, there had to be more to this discussion. I knew Cole wasn’t a man of many words, but there was a lot to sort through. Such as our role at the Dunes, and those grad school plans we had just started discussing. Was he really going to answer all these questions with an ‘all right’?
I searched his eyes for doubts, but I didn’t see any. He was staring at me with the kind of certainty that rocked me to the core. For a moment, I couldn’t find my breath.
“I told you this the other night. As long as you are happy and you’re here, I’m happy. I can’t do any of it without you. I don’t want to. We are in this together. I love you, Kaitlyn.” My name rolled off his tongue and I threw my arms around his neck.
“Together.” I smiled before he kissed me. His lips moved across mine with sweet pressure, lingering as I breathed in. “I love you too, Cole.”
“If it’s too much, you tell me. You don’t have to do any of it. I’m not asking you to work with Aiden.”
“I know you aren’t, but I don’t know how I feel about letting someone else run the office. I kind of love it.” The thought of handing over all the books to someone else was nauseating. I didn’t know the first thing about running a condo association, but I could learn. I would learn.
He laughed. “I know what you mean. It’s a pain in the ass, but it’s home.”
“Exactly.”
He had said the words that I had been defining ever since I drove that truck over the Padre bridge. “Cole?” I looked into his piercing eyes.
“Yeah, baby.” He tugged me closer, his thumbs hooking through my belt loops.
“This is home. I want you to know I want our baby to grow up here. I want our family to live here.”
He lifted me around his waist, and I wrapped myself around him, letting my ankles lock against his lower back. His lips met mine and I kissed him soft and slowly, reveling in how we were meant to fit this way. This is what together meant. We had moved past summer, past the awkward adjustments, past injuries, past the jealousies, past the doubts, past the questions. All I knew as Cole’s kisses took me under with heat and passion was that all my tomorrows were going to be his tomorrows. We were building a life. A family.
Cole was home.
**Keep reading for another Violet Paige novel**
Dirty Play
1
Wes
I was a god. And not just any god. I had an arm that could throw a lightning bolt a hundred yards, with two seconds left on the game clock, and score. They should have called me Zeus. I could run faster than any damn lineman trying to knock the shit out of me. I could read the defense faster than the whistle blew. I could call plays and execute before the defense could say their own names. I was a fucking god out on that field, and everyone knew it. The coaches. My teammates. The fans.
Hell, I had known it since I joined the pee-wee league when I was six. That’s what kids do in Texas. Kids that have dads who want them to be competitive assholes before they can read. And that was me. Born to play football. Born to dominate. Born to win. Molded and coached into the best fucking quarterback to walk the planet.
And I did win. I won state playoffs in high school, I won our conference title in college, and I was on our way to taking our team to the Super Bowl. Nothing stopped Wes Blakefield. Nothing.
I could fuck any woman I wanted. I could gamble. I could party after a game. All of it. Because I won. The American Football Association wasn’t going to stop me. And neither was my team. I brought them millions. As long as I won, they would look the other way.
They didn’t give a shit about the women or the bets. As long as I put a W in the column every Sunday, they stayed off my back. I was a walking cash machine for those bastards.
Until everything came crashing down.
2 months earlier
“Blakefield, you want me to pick you up tonight?”
“Like a damn date? No thanks. I’ve got a driver.” I slapped my wide receiver on the back with my towel.
Practice had been light today. We ran some drills and I worked out a new route with the receivers. I stood in front of my locker, shoving my clothes in my bag, and picked up a water bottle.
“I guess you’re not planning on going home alone?” Stubbs grinned.
“Do I ever?”
The locker room was almost clear. Most guys had showered and were headed to the Dean. It was a tradition among the Wranglers that the rookies threw a party as a gift to their teammates. We didn’t like to call it an initiation, but we all knew there was hell to pay on the practice field if the party sucked. The name stuck after the first rookie, Larry Dean, threw one hell of a party. I didn’t know what was in store for the night, but I was hoping it involved a pair of big tits and a tight ass. The guys knew my type, and I expected them to deliver.
“See you there.” Stubbs waved as he exited the locker room.
I threw my bag over my shoulder and headed out after him. I didn’t expect to run into Coach in the corridor.
“Wes.”
“Hey, Coach.”
Coach Howell was in his mid fifties, but the poor bastard looked like he was pushing seventy. That’s what coaching in the AFA did to a man. It shaved years off his life.
“I heard tonight’s the Dean.”
I nodded.
“I need you to keep the boys in check. Keep things light.” There were dark circles under his eyes.
“Light?” No one on the coaching staff attended the Dean, and they never would, but it didn’t mean they didn’t know what went on there. Players talked. And God help the man whose wife or girlfriend found out about it.
“You’re the team captain. I need you to show some leadership. Restraint. Moderation.” He eyed me like a father telling his son taking a girl to first base was okay, but rounding second was out of the question on a first date.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Coach. I’ll keep an eye on the team. I’ll probably have a beer and leave. These things don’t last long anyway.”
“We don’t need bad press, Wes. We’re on the verge of the playoffs, and this party couldn’t be more ill-timed. If one of my players ends up in the headlines, it jeopardizes everything we’ve worked for all season. You get that?”
I could appease the man, or I could tell him to fuck off and stop worrying like a damn grandma.
“Got it, Coach. The boys will behave. Don’t worry.”
He smiled grimly. “All right. You know the AFA rules. You know what’s at stake. They’re looking for anything that could be a potential problem. They don’t want their playoff teams crippled with scandal. It’s bad business, Wes.”
I gripped my bag, trying to inch closer to my car. “Anything else, Coach?” I couldn’t give a fuck what the AFA cared about. I won games. I collected my paycheck. That was the extent of my relationship with the American Football Association.
He shook his head. “Nah. Have a good time.” He pulled his visor snugly across his forehead and walked toward the staff offices.
I snarled as he vanished around the corner. I wasn’t a damn babysitter, and I wasn’t about to tell a bunch of grown men what they could and couldn’t do at a party. This was our present from the rookies, and if it involved women, booze, and some competitive poker, I wasn’t going to stop it. I deserved it. I had thrown the party my rookie year, and now it was time to reap the rewards.
I started my Porsche, revving the engine a few times before peeling out of the parking lot.
This rookie squad had spared no expense. They had rented the penthouse of the Grand Rio, overlooking the Riverwalk. I barged through the doors, smiling at my teammates.
“Wes!” Stubbs jumped over the couch with a beer in his hand.
I cracked the lid and took a sip. “These fuckers did a pretty good job.” I observed the girls in lingerie handing out drinks.
“They’ve got a special surprise for you.” He waggled his eyebrows. “But I can’t say what.”
“Really?” I finished off the beer.
One of my linemen walked over. “Dude, this is epic.” There was a brunette wearing a sheer bra and panties wrapped around him.
“I can see that.” I eyed her tits, which were basically exposed. She batted her eyelashes at me.
“So where’s my gift?” If Bruno had this girl, I could only imagine what they had lined up for me.
Sam Hickson strolled over. He was by far the best tight end I had ever played with. And he had become the unnamed spokesman for this year’s rookie class. I liked the guy. He was solid on the field and didn’t let his personal shit interfere with the game.
He tossed me my second beer. “We’ve got a space waiting for you.”
My eyebrows rose. “You do?”
“Come on, man.” He led me through the girls and the impromptu dance floor that had just started.
Sam opened the French doors to the balcony, and I grinned when I saw what he had in store.
“You like it?” he asked.
I walked toward the table and sat in one of the velvet chairs. “What’s the buy in?”
“We thought fifty K would be a good start.”
I felt the surge of adrenaline shoot through me. I felt the chips roll through my fingers before I stacked them back in place.
“Who’s playing?” I asked.
“Me and a few of the other guys.” Sam sat next to me. Soon the table was full.
One of the guys, I didn’t even know his name, pulled out a box of Cubans and placed them on the table.”
“Nice.” I smiled, lighting one.
The doors opened, and a waitress appeared with a bottle of scotch and five glasses. She leaned in front of me, wafting her perfume in front of my nose, along with a good look at her nipples. She smiled at me while she poured my drink. I slapped her on the ass as she turned back for the suite.
I looked around the table. “You bastards have managed to not fuck up the DEAN. Good job.” I took a puff of the cigar and looked at the cards in my hand.
Sam tried to put on a poker face before we started. “And the night’s not even over.”
I laughed. “Yeah, it better not be.”
I loved poker. I loved money. I loved expensive scotch and cigars. But I also loved to fuck, and this night wasn’t going to end without me taking one of these girls to the master suite. I leaned back in my chair like a king. Yeah, this was turning out to be one hell of a night.
I didn’t check the time, but after I raked in another fifty thousand, I was ready for the second half of my gift. The girl who kept bringing me drinks eyed me like a lollipop she was ready to suck each time she came to the table.
“Well, fellas, you think you’re ready to call it?” I looked at the group.
They nodded. “Yeah, I don’t get a bonus until we win the next game so I’m out.”
“All right.” I pushed back from the table.
Sam stood up. “Why don’t you head to the master suite?”
I kicked back the scotch, and twisted the end of my cigar in the dish. “See you boys later.”
They laughed as I left the poker table. “Enjoy,” they called behind me.
I let myself into the suite, closing the door behind me.
Out of nowhere walked a redhead wearing a nurse’s uniform. I chuckled.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” she whispered, flattening her hands against my chest. She bit on her lower lip, dragging it slowly under her teeth.
“Is that so?” I looked down into her brown eyes, wide with lust. This girl was getting paid. I knew that, but she was also ready and willing to do anything I wanted. I could see it.
She nodded. “I want to take care of you. Any way you want.” Her eyes lit up wickedly.
I loosened the buckle on my jeans and let my pants slide to the floor. I sat on the bed as I freed my cock from my boxer briefs.
I didn’t have to say a word. She lowered herself to the floor, her tits bobbing through the flimsy nurse costume, and wrapped her lips around my dick.
> “That’s it, baby,” I encouraged her as she began a slow, rhythmic motion, her tongue swirling, her lips massaging up and down as I pushed deeper in her mouth. I wanted to come in her throat with her on her knees. I reached for her button, pulling the flimsy shirt off her shoulders. She had round breasts that weren’t natural. They were almost too big, but I watched them bounce up and down anyway as she sucked harder. One of her hands cupped my balls while the other pinched and twirled her nipple.
“That’s it.” I fucked her mouth harder until I could feel the tightening in my gut.
She groaned as I filled her with my release. She looked up at me, licking her lips.
“I can’t believe I just gave Wes Blakefield a blowjob.” She giggled.
I lay back on the bed. The scotch was making my head fuzzy, and the exhaustion of being sucked off like that was enough to knock me out. She was good.
“Want me to do it again?” she purred.
“No, you can go.”
“What?” She sounded alarmed.
“Yeah, we’re done.” I barely opened my eyes to look at her while she fastened the costume back together.
“But I thought you’d want to fuck.” Her disappointment was clear. Her hand slid over my cock, still wet from her mouth. It had a mind of its own as it started to grow hard again as she rubbed over the silky skin. “I was told I couldn’t leave until you were completely happy.”
I looked at her pouty lips and the lust in her eyes. This was my present, after all. Who was I to turn her down?
“Do you know what you’re getting into, sweetheart?” I looked at her sternly.
She nodded. “I know you’re into dirty stuff.”
“And who told you that?”
She shrugged. “It’s true, isn’t it? Shouldn’t matter as long as I like it too, right?”
The girl had a point. I thought I was too exhausted and maybe a little too satisfied, but she had my dick hard again, and I wasn’t going to be able to sleep like that.
“Get on the bed,” I ordered, pulling my T-shirt over my head.