by Mia Carson
Danny couldn’t find words. His lips pressed against the vein throbbing in her neck before moving up to capture her mouth one final time. When he pulled away, she fixed her hair quickly and fiddled with the camera, trying to ignore the hungry look in his eyes and the amused glances of the other players. Jenna, thankfully, was far across the field, throwing the football back and forth. Danny grinned as she watched her having fun… Until she realized which hand Jenna used to throw the ball.
Her left. She was right-handed, but she was using her left to throw it, and the way she held it… Danny’s eyes darted to Jack, and she caught the confusion in his eyes before he shook it away.
Jack was a righty but used his left to throw, and usually catch, the ball. And the way he gripped the ball was the same exact way Jenna gripped it. Danny was ready to tell him it was just because Jenna admired his playing so much, but Jack didn’t ask.
A few minutes later, they hustled to the locker rooms, and Jenna ran into Danny, showing her the autographed football.
“Mom! Look at it… Isn’t it great? I got to play with them all! And Saturday, we get to sit in front row seats!”
“Do we now?” Danny shot a look across the field at Jack, who winked at her. “Won’t that be exciting?” She took a few pictures of Jenna holding the football and hung out around the field until Jack was finished so they could leave.
If nothing else came out of this week, at least Jenna was getting quite a few once-in-a-lifetime experiences she would never forget. Even if she didn’t realize it was with her dad.
***
Jack dressed in the locker room after his shower, grinning at the guys talking about Jenna and Danny. His hands flexed every time someone mentioned how hot she was, but they all winked at him as they said it. They knew she was his girl, and no one was going to hit on her. They weren’t dumb enough to try.
“Did you show her how to throw the ball?” Nick asked, sitting down on the bench as he tied his shoes. “I’ve never seen anyone else throw it like that.”
Jack shrugged one shoulder without looking at his friend. He’d noticed it, too, which added to the questions he already had about Jenna. Danny had told him she was six, so the math didn’t work out… unless, of course, Danny lied about Jenna’s age. The thought had circled around his mind more than once since they’d arrived. He’d watched Jenna do certain things—that smirk on her face, the way she laughed, and now, the way she threw the football… It could be nothing. Or it could be exactly what the nagging voice in his head said it was.
“Hey, man, did you hear me?”
“What? Sorry, Nick,” Jack murmured.
“Are they coming to every practice this week?”
“Nope. Maybe one more, but I don’t think Coach would appreciate me being distracted,” he said with a smirk.
“Too bad,” Nick said with a leer that made Jack want to deck him. “I like staring at that Danny woman. She’s got a nice shape to her. No wonder you laid her all those years ago. Bet it’s been fun having her back in your bed, huh?”
Nick chuckled and left the locker room. Jack glared after him but didn’t say anything or run up behind him and punch him like he wanted to. Maybe one practice was enough. Having Danny or Jenna deal with Nick didn’t seem like a great idea any more.
Jack gathered his things and hurried from the locker room to take Danny and Jenna back to the penthouse. He’d promised the girl pancakes again for dinner, and he remembered how Danny’s eyes had lit up, too. He was not going to let some snide remarks from Nick ruin his night, especially after he made those promises to Danny of what he’d to do her later.
And he always carried through with his promises.
CHAPTER 10
It was nearly midnight when the credits from the movie rolled. Danny glanced over at Jenna, who was snoring in the overstuffed chair. She sighed and walked over to pick her up, but Jack told her he’d get her. Careful not to wake her, Jack bent and scooped her up. Jenna looked so small in his arms.
Danny followed them down the hall and leaned in the doorway. Her heart in her throat, she watched Jack tuck Jenna gently into the huge bed and kiss her forehead. The warmth in his eyes crushed and filled her all at once.
He stepped out into the hallway, but didn’t go towards his room, and Danny followed his heavy steps into the kitchen. “Want a whiskey?” he asked with his back to her. His shoulders tensed, and the bitter tone was back in his voice.
“Sure, thanks,” she said warily and watched him set two glasses on the counter before he turned to the cabinet. “Jack, I know that look.”
Whiskey poured, he set the bottle down. “What look?”
“The look that says something’s bothering you,” she stated.
He rolled the glass between his fingers, watching the liquor as Danny continued to stare at him. Not until after he took another long sip did he ask, so quietly she almost missed it, “Is Jenna my daughter?”
Danny choked on her whiskey, sputtering as she hurriedly set the glass down and hopped off the barstool. “What?”
“Is Jenna my daughter?” he repeated, shifting his intense gaze to hers.
“I told you,” she replied quickly. “I told you what happened. You don’t believe me?” Oh God, please just believe me!
Jack stepped around the counter, and Danny’s feet wouldn’t move. He stalked her, eyes flashing between confusion and anger until he reached out and rested his hands on her shoulders. In that moment, it took everything she had not to pull away.
He sucked in a deep shuddering breath, and she braced for whatever would come out of his mouth next. "Don’t lie to me, Danny,” he whispered. “After all these years, I deserve the truth.”
Hazel’s words echoed through her mind, but she pushed them quickly aside. “I told you the truth,” she said, forcing out each word, willing him to believe them. “I’m not lying, Jack.”
If he ever finds out, he’ll hate you.
Key word if, she argued with herself.
He didn’t say he believed her, and she had little chance to brace for his sudden kiss, hands cupping her cheeks as his tongue pressed against her lips. She opened them on a sigh, and his hands closed around her hips, lifting her and placing her on the counter. He pushed his body between her legs and tugged her shirt up until his lips found the slopes of her breasts. A moan escaped her lips, and she felt his stubble against her soft skin.
“Bedroom,” he growled, “we should get to the bedroom.”
“Right,” she agreed, but neither moved. “Jack… can’t… We can’t do this out here.”
He lifted his head and stared at Danny, his hands holding her hips as he lifted her from the counter. The warmth she experienced earlier burst into a firestorm that quickly consumed her. Everything he said he would do earlier was plain in his eyes and in his hands as he reached for her and crushed her body against his as his mouth claimed hers. It was pure need that drove them down the hall, her lips moving against his as he lifted her shirt up over her head and tossed it aside. When they passed through the doorway to his room, he closed the door gently, but when he reached for her again, slow and languid was nowhere in the dark depths of his face.
He turned Danny so her back pressed against his chest, shoving her hair aside to kiss her neck, sucking at the hollow of her shoulder while his hands gripped her hips. He ground against her, his erection hard behind her, and sighed.
“Tell me you want me,” he growled in her ear, and Danny sucked in a breath when one hand moved up and cupped her breast in her bra while the other moved to her jeans, undoing the button and zipper, but no further. “Danny, tell me.”
“Jack,” she gasped his name as he tugged at her nipple. “You… God, I want you. All of you.”
He chuckled darkly, and his hand moved beneath her panties to hold her in his palm. He groaned as his other hand hurried to free her of her bra. “You’re already so wet for me. Jesus, Danny.”
She could only moan when his hand returned to her breast, kne
ading it as his other pressed against her folds before those delicious fingers of his thrust up inside of her. When her jeans restricted his movement, he cursed and tried to tug them down, but Danny wasn’t going to let him have all the fun. She stepped away from him and turned so she faced him. His eyes were so dark with passion and heat, her hands trembled as she tugged down her jeans slowly, him watching every move as his body tensed. When she was naked, her hand moved between her legs.
“How long can you handle this?” she asked with a quirk of her brow.
He grunted, and his hands curled into fists at his sides. “Danny,” he whispered, her name rough on his tongue.
“What?” Her fingers moved against herself, and she sighed. The bed was close behind her so she moved to it, her hands caressing her sides and her breasts. She fell back onto the bed, and her hand returned. “You keep frowning like that, it might stick.”
Danny propped herself up on her elbows and spread her legs slowly. She barely touched her warmth with her fingers when Jack was across the room in two steps, shoving her hand aside, and his mouth was on her. She gasped when his tongue entered her with deep thrusts. His mouth covered her clit, sucking and teasing when his fingers moved up inside of her. It was incredible, and Danny’s hands found her breasts, which needed just as much attention as her lower half. Her body cried for him, and Jack’s tongue licked her folds before he nibbled her inner thigh. She was close, so close, but he didn’t let her find release.
“Jack,” she gasped.
But he chuckled, and she heard clothes hit the floor. When she lifted her head, he stood naked before her, his throbbing length drawing her gaze. His hand found hers, and he pulled her off the bed. An oversized chair sat in the corner, and when he lifted her, his erection hot between their bodies, Danny knew exactly what he planned. Her body shuddered with the anticipation of being taken by him.
He sat back on the chair, bringing Danny with him. She straddled his lap, and when she came down, she took every inch of him inside of her, hard and deep. Danny gasped as he held her hips and moved up inside of her. Her nails dug deep into his shoulders as her head rolled back. When his lips closed around her nipple, the room spun around them. With each suck of his mouth, he plunged deeper inside her.
And just as he promised, when her body was on the edge of control and he swelled within her clenched muscles, he pulled out and moved them to the bed. He laid her on her stomach, and his kisses and hands left fiery trails burning across her shoulders and neck and down her back until his fingers burrowed inside her.
Danny’s hips raised, wanting more of his touch. “Jack, this is not fair,” she gasped when he found her g-spot and pressed mercilessly against it.
She cried out, her hips bucking against him. She needed to be filled by all of him. With her nipples rubbing against the sheets, she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. He groaned behind her, whispering her name, and when she lost that last bit of control, his thumb pressed against her clit, sending her even farther over the edge.
Her body hadn’t stopped shaking from the orgasm when he gently flipped her over, spread her legs with his knee, and buried himself inside her again. Danny cried out, arching into his chest as he stretched her in such delicious ways.
“Danny,” he groaned, sliding out slowly before driving up again. “You always felt so damn right.”
“So did you,” she whispered as a moan quickly followed her words. “Still do.”
His hips pounded against hers, and he cursed as the smooth rhythm he maintained disappeared in his desperate need to possess her. Danny demanded to be possessed by him, the man she loved and would never stop loving. When she cried out again, her whole body shaking uncontrollably at the strength of the orgasm, Jack swelled inside of her, spilling into her as he thrust one final time.
When he rolled to the side a moment later, their breathing equally ragged, his hand found hers on the bed and brought her fingers to his lips.
“Just like I promised,” he whispered on a laugh.
Danny shifted to her side, a nagging voice in the back of her mind threatening to ruin the moment. He never said he believed you. She frowned until he kissed her again, chasing it away. “Always,” she replied. She ran her free hand down his chest, marveling at how it rose to her touch. “Shower time?”
“Not yet, Sparky,” he growled and pulled her onto his body. “I’m not even close to being finished with you yet.”
***
On Saturday morning, Jack wasn’t anxious about the game that day. He was at the stadium and made sure the car had been sent to pick up Danny and Jenna. Every night had been incredible, having Danny in his arms again and making love to her. As teenagers, it had been unforgettable, but now… Now, he couldn’t live without her.
Jack put his gear on while the rest of the guys joked and talked shit about the other team. Usually, he joined them, but today, his mind kept replaying the way he woke up, Danny tucked into his arms as she kissed his chest slowly with those soft lips of hers.
“Man, you ready for this? First playoff game. We’re going to nail it.”
Jack smirked at Nick’s enthusiasm. “Yeah? Don’t get ahead of yourself. We still have to get out there and see what they got.”
“What? We beat them all season long. We got this. Wanna make a bet on it?”
“Nah, not this time,” Jack said.
“Does this have anything to do with the two new women in your life?” Nick asked, and Jack caught the bitterness in his words. “Whatever, man. You’re missing out.”
Jack didn’t talk to him again as their Coach gave his typical pre-game speech and the team headed into the tunnel, ready to charge out onto the field. Jack’s ears reverberated with the pulsing music of the dome and the cheering of the fans. Home-field advantage. He jumped from foot to foot as the fans’ cheers pumped him up, and he was ready to get this game going.
The announcers called for their team, and they took off en masse down the tunnel and out onto the field. The dome erupted in a cacophony of cheers and screams, and Jack raised his helmet, grinning as his name was chanted around him with those of the other star players on the team. His eyes scanned the crowd, and he saw Jenna jumping up and down in the front row and Danny hollering beside her. To have them there made him swell with joy and pride.
Jack fell in with the others and waited for the game to start.
During the first quarter, with sweat dripping down his face and the crowd still cheering, Jack waited for the snap of the ball before he took off down the field. He dodged the defenders, slipping through their hands as he crossed the center of the field. The ball appeared high up in the air. He stretched his left arm out to snag it and caught it against his body. He barreled down the field to the sound of an uproar. The twenty-yard line, the ten. Jack dove into the end zone just as a defender attempted to tackle him.
“Touchdown! Jack Pearson has done it again! An amazing one-armed catch!”
Jack heard the announcers through his helmet as his teammates reached him and hoisted him to his feet with slaps to the back and head-butts against his helmet. He took the praise as he trotted off the field, removing his helmet. His eyes found Danny holding Jenna up as she cheered. He blew them both a kiss and a wink.
“Well, looks like our perpetual bachelor, Jack Pearson, might not be a bachelor after all,” the announcers said. Up on the large screen, the cameras turned to Danny and Jenna. When the little girl saw it, she grinned even wider and waved. Danny’s eyes widened, but the smile stayed on her face, her eyes shifting to find Jack’s.
He shrugged and mouthed an apology, but she blew him a kiss and the crowd erupted into louder screams. Jack wasn’t sure what made him do it, but he dropped his helmet by the bench and ran up to the side of the stands. He jumped up, pulling himself up by the railing.
“What are you doing?” Danny asked, setting Jenna down. “You’re going to hurt yourself!”
“I don’t give a damn,” he muttered and kissed her.
>
He wanted to climb up into the stands and wrap her up in his arms, but he had a game to get back to and Coach Hayes shouted for him. Jack leaned back with a smirk and dropped back down to the field. The dome erupted around him, chanting his name as cameras flashed. Jack absorbed it all. From now on, this was how it was going to be in his life, and he looked forward to every minute.
***
By the time they broke at the half, Jack had scored two more touchdowns and they were leading by one. The guys cheered as they reached the locker room, ready to listen to Coach Hayes lay out the plan for the last two quarters.
“Nice move with your woman,” Nick muttered to Jack as they waited.
“Yeah, spur of the moment,” he said, grinning.
“She and that little girl of hers looked good up on that big screen. She was even hotter than the other day.” Jack’s chest tightened, but he forced the smile to stay on his face. “You know, if she gets tired of you again, you think I could snatch her up? What’s it cost to buy back the love of your life and her kid these days? A few fancy dinners? That camera she had the other day was nice.”
“What the hell is your problem, Nick?” he yelled, slamming his helmet against his locker.
His friend shrugged as his eyes narrowed. “What? You don’t see what type of woman she is? She weaseled her way back into your life, man, and you only care because you get to have that ass every night—”
Jack snarled and decked Nick across the jaw. He landed another solid hit before Nick lunged forward, taking him out in the middle. The other guys tried to break it up, but Jack only saw red as fury filled him. He rolled them over and pounded his fist into Nick’s face, again and again. Hands finally yanked him free, and he landed one more solid kick to a man he thought his friend.