by Mia Carson
His knee parted her legs, and as his tongue demanded entrance into her mouth, he thrust inside of her. Their sighs mingled together as he held himself against her, Danny relishing being so filled by Jack. Eight years had been way too long, but the added week in between had almost seemed longer than that. Every night she’d dreamt of him taking her again and being wrapped up in his arms, and now, finally, she was there.
There wasn’t a chance in hell she would leave.
Jack’s lips didn’t stray from hers as his hips moved against her, driving into her slow and deep with each thrust. She moaned against his mouth, her legs bending up to take as much of him as she could with each movement. Jack’s fingers digging into her thigh made her back arch, and the friction he created between them crossed her eyes. She could tell he held back, much like he had the other night, but Danny didn’t want him to do that. She would take all of Jack, every bit of who he was as she always had before. She nipped his lip and dug her nails deep into the hard muscles of his ass, and Jack grunted, his hips thrusting faster and even harder against her.
Before she came, Danny rolled them over and thrust herself on him. Jack’s hands clamped down on her hips as she rode him, their eyes focused only on each other. When she faltered, ecstasy sprouting between her legs, Jack held her steady and plunged up. She cried out, her back arching as he bucked up against her a final time, holding himself deep within her as he released. His warmth filled her, and Danny collapsed onto his chest, their sweaty bodies sticking to each other as he gasped for air.
“That… that was incredible,” he whispered into her hair, his fingers trailing lazily down her back.
Danny nodded. “Good thing Jenna’s a heavy sleeper.”
“Shit, I didn’t even think about that.” He sat up fast, but Danny laughed and told him to relax. “You’re sure she didn’t hear us?”
“That kid could sleep through the worst thunderstorm in the state and the fireworks right across the street. Trust me, she’s still asleep,” she said and rolled to the side. “I, however, am wide awake.”
Jack sat up with a raised brow. “I could use a shower.”
“A shower would be great,” she said, and with a laugh, bounded off the bed for the bathroom, Jack right behind her.
CHAPTER 9
Jack woke before Danny, letting her curl back up in the covers, a grin spreading across her face as she snuggled into the warm spot he left for her. He tucked her red curls behind her ears and kissed her forehead gently before throwing on jeans and a t-shirt and padding quietly to the kitchen.
His paper was left outside his door in the hall every morning, and when he passed by the living room to get it, he noticed the TV on, a very annoying, yellow sponge cackling about something on the screen. Jack frowned and stepped into the living room when a little voice from the depths of the couch made him jump.
“Your cereal selection isn’t great,” Jenna muttered as she scooped a spoonful of cheerios into her mouth and crunched on them. “Mom does that right, at least.”
“That right?” Jack said, smirking.
“Yep. Are we watching the game today?” she asked, bouncing on the couch in her excitement.
“Course we are, Sparky. Do you want something else for breakfast? I make a damn good omelet.”
Jenna’s eyes widened, and Jack mentally kicked himself. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell her you cursed in front of me… if you make me that omelet,” she said, returning his smirk.
Jack’s eyes narrowed on that look. A strange sensation tugged at his middle, but he ignored it and promised he’d make one after he fetched the paper. When he stepped back inside, Jenna had migrated to the counter barstools, still munching on the cheerios, and eyed him.
“Why wasn’t Mom in her room last night? Did you two have a sleepover again?”
“Uh, yeah,” Jack sputtered. “Yeah, we had a sleepover. Did you like your room?” He desperately needed to change the subject and prayed she would let him as he pulled eggs and other things from the fridge for the omelet.
“Yeah, that bed is amazing! I got lost in it.”
“It’s not always a bad thing to be a little lost sometimes,” he mused.
Jenna nodded and began chatting about her schooling and what she wanted to do when she was older. Jack grinned as the questions hit him nonstop, but instead of driving him crazy, he enjoyed every last one of them. Even when she asked about the tattoos on his arms, he told her what he could, leaving out the little detail that they were about Danny. It had been so long since Jack talked openly about himself to anyone, discussing things with Danny’s daughter was easy for him. She really was a mini-me of her mom.
“Mom wants to go back to school,” Jenna said after she’d fallen silent for a few minutes while eating her omelet.
Jack poured a cup of coffee and leaned on the counter with a frown. “Yeah? Why hasn’t she?”
“It’s my fault. She works too much because of me,” Jenna said sadly.
“Oh, kid, she does it because she loves you. She wants to make sure you’re taken care of.” Jack considered telling Danny he would gladly pay for her to go back to school, even if it was in New York like she’d dreamed of.
“I know,” Jenna said, showing more wisdom than any other kids he’d met her age. “I want her to be happy. Can you do that? She smiles more when she’s around you.”
“Really?” he mused.
“Yeah. I mean, she always laughed more watching you play, but she hasn’t stopped smiling since we got on the plane,” she said innocently.
Jack buried his face in his coffee mug. He’d had his doubts last night when Danny tried to hide in her room, but once he dragged her out of it and had her beneath him, everything fell into place. She belonged with him, no matter how many years they had missed with each other. If it took him the whole week to convince her of that—hell, even if it took him longer—he’d show her that by his side was the only place she belonged.
If that meant giving up his career to do it, he would. Unlike the guys he played with, he’d learned early on to save and stash away his earnings. He could live a wealthy man for the rest of his life and never work again if he wanted. Adding Danny and Jenna to that plan would barely make a dent. He’d finally be able to get away from the lifestyle everyone assumed he led. Since seeing Danny in New Orleans, the women he used to fall back on for easy lays had vanished from his mind. He was no longer desperate to fill a void in his heart.
An hour later, after asking Jenna what Danny liked to shop for, the woman finally made an appearance, stifling a yawn and ruffling her already messy hair. She wore her jeans and one of Jack’s shirts. He was thankful he stood behind the counter so she couldn’t see the sudden erection throbbing in his jeans from that simple sight.
“Morning, Sparky,” Jack said, trying not to picture taking her back to his bed. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please,” she said, her own fiery gaze rivaling his before it cleared as she spoke to her daughter. “How’d you sleep, kiddo?”
“Great,” Jenna said. “I had two breakfasts!”
“Course you did,” she said with a laugh. “How long have you been up?”
“A while,” she answered. “I watched some cartoons, and we made plans for today. I have to get ready!”
Danny watched her leave with a quirked brow before turning that same look on Jack. “Should I be worried about what you two planned together?”
“Nothing to worry about,” he assured her. “Well, at least not yet. Go get dressed so we can head out. The game starts at noon, and Jenna was quite adamant that we don’t miss any of it.”
“Course she was.” Danny sighed. She stepped around the counter and, to Jack’s surprise, stood up on her toes, wrapping her free hand around his neck to pull his mouth down to hers. “Last night was amazing, by the way. Might be up for a repeat later.”
Jack’s hands gripped her hips, grinding his against hers in a very firm promise that he’d be more than happy to oblige. He was sa
d to see her go, but he knew it would be worth it once they reached their destination. Jenna had told him Danny was still as interested in photography as she’d been before but hadn’t been able to do what she wanted to: follow through with her dreams—skipping college and unable to buy a good camera.
As Danny walked to her room, Jack’s hands curled into fists, anger at the man who got her pregnant and left her to raise a child by herself filling him. If he ever learned the man’s name, he’d teach him a lesson or two about abandoning a woman like Danny.
***
When Tuesday morning rolled around, Jack woke Danny up in a way she was quickly becoming accustomed to—with his lips caressing hers as he slowly, gently filled her until her nails dug into his back with an insatiable hunger. When they’d been younger, he’d woken her up like that on the nights they managed to spend together. Finding him buried inside her sent her libido into overdrive and before long, their breathing grew ragged, and he swallowed her moans of pleasure.
Her hands gripping the sheets, Danny’s back arched up against his chest as Jack pushed her over the edge with his slow and languid thrusts. His touch set her on fire, and Danny needed to be fully taken by this man, possessed in ways she never had been before. As if reading her mind, his touch grew more urgent and he pulled out.
Danny protested at the loss until he rolled her gently onto her stomach, his warm, hard body quickly covering hers again. His lips kissed her back along her spine to her neck as his hands massaged her hips and pulled her back against him. When he pressed against her slick folds, Danny shifted her hips for him, and his body pulled back so he could fill her. The angle rubbed her in all the right places, and Danny moaned as her hands dug into the pillow.
Jack’s thrusts increased as his hand snaked around and cupped her breasts, his fingers tugging and teasing her nipples as he took her. When her body tightened in anticipation of the orgasm, Jack pulled her up, staying buried within her, and held her tightly against his chest.
“Come with me, Danny,” he groaned in her ear.
All she could do was cry out in reply, biting her lip to stop herself from being too loud. Her body shook in his arms as Jack gave one final thrust into her. The room spun around them, and together, they fell to the bed, her still snuggly tucked into his arms.
“Maybe you don’t need to go to practice today,” she mused, pressing herself into the cradle of his hips.
“I almost missed yesterday,” he said, kissing her cheek and laughing. “Besides, today’s a good day for you to come watch. I checked with the coaches, and no press will be there. It’s safe, I promise.”
Danny and Jenna had planned on going with him yesterday, but Jack called ahead and found out how many reporters were already there. They decided that, for the time being, keeping their relationship as quiet as possible was better than exposing her or Jenna to that type of publicity.
“And it’ll give you a chance to test your new camera.”
Rolling over in his arms, Danny kissed him fiercely. “I still don’t know why you bought that for me.”
“Jenna said you’d been wanting a camera,” he said with a shrug even as his lips twitched in that damn smirk she loved. “You don’t like it?”
“It cost over three thousand dollars, Jack,” she muttered. “I’m still considering taking it back.”
His arms tightened around her. “Don’t. It was a gift, Danny. I’m more than happy to get it for you. I think I’m allowed to spoil you. Use it, enjoy it, and now you’ll have something when you go back to school.”
“When?” she asked, confused, a nervous laugh escaping her mouth. “What do you mean when?”
“We’ll talk about it later. Time to get ready for practice.” He kissed her before hopping out of bed and stretching, letting Danny see all his naked, muscled glory. He walked extra slowly to the bathroom until she groaned and forced her feet to the floor.
The camera in question sat on his dresser. She had been eyeing it for some time but knew she’d never be able to afford. Leave it to Jenna to remember the exact make and model and to tell Jack how much she longed for the damn thing.
Still naked, she went to the dresser and picked up her new baby, cradling it gently in her hands. The Nikon D810 DSLR, with an incredible lens, was a camera she knew, no matter how hard she tried, she’d never be able to save up for. And Jack purchased it without blinking an eye. Jenna cheered the whole time, hugging her mom and laughing about how she finally had someone to collaborate with against her mom. Danny was too shocked in the store to manage anything past a mutter of protest until Jack said to deal with it.
And now, he talked about her going back to school? She set the camera back down gently and dug around for some clean clothes to wear to Jack’s practice. When she was dressed, Jack was getting out of the shower, wearing only a towel resting on his hips. Her body wanted to tackle him to the floor, but with a shake of her head, she left, his chuckle following her out the door as she knocked on Jenna’s door.
“Hon? You awake yet?”
The door flew open so fast, Danny almost fell face first into the room. “Been up for hours! Are we going today? Do we get to meet them all?”
“Yes, we do,” she said, laughing at her daughter’s beaming face.
“Awesome! Where’s Jack? Is he ready yet? Come on, guys, I want to go,” she said, jumping up and down and tugging on Danny’s hand.
“Remember the rules for today?”
Jenna rolled her eyes, but nodded. “Yeah, Mom, I do.”
“Good, because if you drive me crazy or don’t let the guys do what they have to do, you’re going to be grounded for a year. Got it? I’m not kidding, Jenna—a full year,” she warned.
Jenna nodded and bounced up and down until Jack emerged from his room, duffle over his shoulder and keys in hand. He handed the small black bag in his other hand to Danny and kissed her forehead.
“Great, you kissed again. Can we go now?” she whined loudly.
“Jenna… mouth, young lady.” Danny scowled, putting the camera strap over her shoulder.
“It’s fine, I’d be excited, too,” Jack said with a smirk.
He led the way to the door, and when they were all out, he locked up and they rode the elevator down. Twenty minutes later in the practice dome, he showed them a place near the sidelines from which they could watch, and he hurried to the locker rooms to get his gear on.
An older man approached them and before he could even greet them, Jenna took his outstretched hand. “Coach Hayes!”
The white haired man with full beard and eyes that glimmered in amusement nodded, shaking Jenna’s hand. “You must be Jenna, and you are Danny.”
“Yes. Thanks for letting us be here,” Danny said, shaking his hand once Jenna finally let go. “She swore she’d behave herself.”
“No, please. Jack spoke very highly of you both to me and the other coaches yesterday. Once we get through the drills and all, Jenna is more than welcome to speak with the players, and you can take pictures, but I must ask that you wait ‘til then.”
Danny nodded. “Of course, not a problem. Where can we be out of the way?”
Coach Hayes walked them to the bleachers on the left side of the field, and Jenna and Danny settled in to watch. Jenna stood the whole time, cheering when the players ran out onto the field in their practice gear and jerseys. All of them turned to look, most laughing and waving at Jenna jumping up and down. A few patted Jack on the back before their coaches called them to order and the practice began.
Jenna watched intently the whole time, cheering and rooting them on as they ran through drills, watching Jack sprint down field to catch the passes thrown his way. Danny laughed with her daughter, clapping every time Jack did something great, and couldn’t stop watching his body move. She loved the way his muscles tensed and flexed in those tattooed arms, arms that had so recently held her against his rock hard body and made love to her in more ways than one.
Danny tried to clear the sudden lu
mp in her throat and wave the heat from her body, but she was flushed by the time practice officially ended. Jack hustled over to them, and when his eyes met Danny’s, he raised a brow, those lips of his twitching in his typical smirk.
“Hey, Sparky, ready to meet the boys?”
“Really?” she squealed.
Jack held out his hand, and Jenna rushed down the bleachers to take it. “Coach says you’re good to take some photos now, too.”
Danny got the camera out and followed Jack and Jenna to the practice field. Danny wasn’t sure how it would go, but the players knelt and gave her high fives as they passed around a football to autograph for her. Jenna jabbered nonstop, and a few of the players asked if she wanted to run a few simple plays, just throwing the ball around. Danny snapped picture after picture, loving how they turned out on the digital screen. Jenna’s smile was bigger than she’d ever seen it.
“Not so bad,” Jack said as he nudged her arm. “How’s the camera working out?”
“Fantastic. Really,” she said, her voice bubbling with excitement. “These are going to be great! I still can’t believe you did this for us.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Thanks, Jack. I don’t think I can ever repay you for what you’ve done.”
Several of the players stopped to stare, eyebrows waggling and grins spreading across their faces, and Jack wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. When his tongue slipped into her mouth, Danny’s knees buckled, but the strength in those strong arms held her up.
“Don’t think I didn’t see how turned on you were,” he whispered roughly in her ear.
Danny’s free hand pressed into his back. “Oh? And what are you going to do about it?”
His lips pressed against her ear, Jack whispered, quietly so no one passing them would hear. If she hadn’t been blushing already, she would’ve been now. Her lips parted on a sharp intake of breath while his hands slipped lower down her back.
“I’m going to make you scream my name,” he told her, “taking you as you straddle me, driving into you until you can’t take anymore, and just when you think you’re going to lose all control, I’m going to lay you out and caress every inch of your sweet body. When you’re begging me to finish, I’ll thrust up into you harder than anything you’ve ever felt. You’ll be dripping by the time I’m finished with you,” he promised. “How does that sound?”