“The climate can change very easily,” I said.
Kina nodded. “I know. But no matter what, we’ll still have each other.”
That was true, and that was all I was prepared to say on the topic. I started tugging at Kina’s clothes, eager to get her out of them. I had another topic in mind, and it involved her and me naked in bed together.
Epilogue
Kina
One year later
The first game of the season was always deafening with fans inviting the teams back. The Florida Sharks were playing at home against the Colorado Stallions. I sat in a VIP box with Kyle, ready to watch the game.
This game was very nostalgic to me. Last year, when they played the Stallions, everything had gone up in the air, and it was there that our journey to being together had started. It wasn’t the same now, of course. We weren’t in Denver, and Jacob and I had been together for a year. But it was still a prolific game to me.
“The atmosphere is insane,” Kyle said next to me. I nodded, glancing at him. He looked good, neatly dressed in jeans and a collared shirt. He’d gotten a haircut earlier, and he was clean-shaven.
About two months after Jacob and I had started dating officially, Jacob had asked me to move in with him. We had come to an agreement that Kyle would stay in my apartment, looking after the place at a very low price, provided he tried to pick himself up. I had expected him to get a minimum wage job somewhere and help a bit with rent.
Instead, he’d outdone himself. He’d gone back to college and studied a management degree part-time while he worked as a busboy. As soon as he qualified, he applied for the management position where he’d been working for the time he’d been studying, and they’d hired him because they’d seen his dedication. Kyle ran the restaurant now while the owner traveled, and he was in the process of leasing my apartment over from me.
I couldn’t be happier. He’d really picked himself up, and he didn’t turn to alcohol or drugs at all now. He had a purpose. He had created a life for himself in the wake of his destruction, and I didn’t worry about him anymore.
I turned my attention back to the field where the teams were running out. Jacob was third from the front, and he looked good. He was in peak condition, and the team relied on him now for the wins. In the past year, he had become a true Shark, and he was loved and adored by fans and players alike.
Markus Spears had been traded to the New York Tigers , and we hadn’t heard from him again unless it was about game stats. Jacob’s past had been buried under his successes and our relationship. Sure, there would be days when it resurfaced again. Your past was never just in your past when you were famous. But, it didn’t haunt him anymore, and it didn’t affect his present. What more could a man ask for?
The game went well and by halftime, the score was forty-seven to fifteen. They were going to steamroll these Stallions right back to Denver.
Jacob walked onto the field before the halftime entertainment started and a spotlight zeroed in on him.
“What’s happening?” I asked Kyle.
He only shrugged at me, but he was smiling.
“Kina and Kyle Peterson, please come down to the field,” Jacob said, his voice booming over the loudspeakers.
“What is this?” I asked.
Kyle shrugged. “I don’t know, but I guess we better get going. The world is watching.”
I swallowed hard and followed Kyle through the corridors that eventually led us to the tunnel that opened onto the field. When Jacob saw me, he grinned. I thought being in front of all these people would be intimidating, but the lights were so bright, I hardly saw them. I could only hear their roar when we walked out onto the field.
“First,” Jacob said. “I want to award Kyle with this team jersey.”
He held up a team jersey with his name and number on it and the crowd went wild. Kyle clapped Jacob on the back and accepted the jersey, pulling it on. He turned around and pointed at the number and the crowd went wild.
“Why did you keep this secret from me?” I asked Jacob.
He grinned at me. “You’ll see, babe.”
He pressed the mic to his lips again and music started playing over the sound system. For a moment, I thought he was going to start singing, but then he dropped to one knee.
“Oh, my God,” I said, clapping my hands to my mouth. The crowds roared.
“Kina Peterson, love of my life,” Jacob said into the mic. “Will you marry me?” He held out a velvet box.
The whole world was watching. The stadium was full and cameras all over the world were trained on my face. This was the most elaborate proposal I had ever heard of. And I knew exactly what to say.
I grabbed the mic from Jacob. “Yes!”
The crowd exploded, and it was like thunder. Jacob took the ring out of the box and slid it onto my finger. The diamond was so big, it was almost overkill. Almost, but not quite. I was laughing and crying at the same time, and Jacob got to his feet to pull me against him. He spun me around, dipped me, and kissed me.
When he planted me back on my feet, I was giddy with happiness, dizzy with the dip. Kyle looked at me, grinning from ear to ear.
“You knew about this,” I said.
Kyle laughed and nodded. “And I’m more than happy to have gained a brother,” he said.
He gave Jacob a man hug, the two men clapping each other on the backs.
“My sweetheart, I have to get back to winning this game,” Jacob said, pulling me against him again. “But I will see you afterward, and we will seal the deal.”
He winked at me.
When we left the field, the crowd was still going mad. I made my way to our seats, feeling like I was walking on air.
Brian and Sadie, and Hanson and Lacey, came over to congratulate us. Liam was with them, babbling up a storm.
“I can tell you’re so happy,” Lacey said, as she hugged me.
“Yes!” I told her. “I never knew falling in love could be so great.”
“See?” she asked. “I told you so. You should listen to your best friend more often.”
“Yes, I really should,” I agreed.
The Sharks won. The score was ridiculous, they were so far ahead. They could have called the game halfway through; it was pointless for the Stallions to even try to catch up.
“I’m going home,” Kyle said. “I have work in the morning, and I’m tired.”
I nodded and hugged my brother.
“Congratulations, sis,” Kyle said. “I’m so happy for you. Jacob’s a great guy.”
I smiled and thanked him. Jacob really was the best guy.
I made my way down to the locker room where the boys were getting showered and dressed after their game. I waited outside. One by one, the men came out. They all congratulated me, hugging me, kissing me on the cheek. It felt like we were one big family.
When Jacob didn’t show, I knocked on the locker room door and opened it.
“There you are,” I said and stepped in. Jacob was the only one left. I reached for the door and locked it.
Jacob grinned at me, noticing what I’d did.
“I was looking for you,” I said.
I walked to him and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close for a deep kiss. He was freshly showered and smelled like soap and clean clothes. I felt his erection against my hip. I reached between our bodies and stroked him, rubbing my hand up and down his shaft.
Jacob made a growling noise at the back of his throat. And pulled my shirt up roughly, pulling down the cup of my bra and exposing my breast. He took my nipple into his mouth and sucked on it, grazing me lightly with his teeth. I gasped and tipped my head back.
While he sucked on me, his fingers pushed into my pants, and he started working them over my hips. He was getting me naked, and I liked it. Jacob had to step back to finish the job. My pants were on my knees, and I pulled his down in front, pulling out his dick.
I ran my hand up and down it a few times, jacking him off. He
groaned, his pupils dilated.
When he reached between my legs, we could both tell how wet I was. Lust overtook him, and Jacob guided me backward until my back hit the wall. I kicked off my shoes while he put on a condom.
My pants pulled off my leg as I lifted it and Jacob wrapped his hand around my thigh. He pinned me against the wall with his body, his cock against my pussy. I helped him to my entrance with my hand, and he pushed into me.
I cried out when he did.
Jacob didn’t start slow, easing me into it. Instead, he pounded into me right away. He fucked me hard, and it was quick and dirty. I loved it when it was like this. Later, he would take me home, and we would make love, but for now, he wanted to fuck me, and I wanted him to claim every inch of me.
I gasped and moaned as he fucked me. He looked me in the eye as he pounded into me, and my orgasm started to grow. I tried to keep it down, but it was hard not to moan and cry out as he penetrated me. The tiles in the locker room and showers didn’t help, either. The sounds of our sex echoed through the large space.
It didn’t matter now, though. If someone heard us, found us out, all that would prove was that we loved each other very much and celebrated our engagement in style. This wasn’t a scandal at all.
I stopped thinking when pleasure washed through my body. An orgasm followed, clenching all my muscles, and I cried out, grabbing Jacob’s shirt in my fists, holding onto him. Jacob orgasmed, too. He emptied himself inside me as I came undone against his body. We orgasmed together, and the connection we made every time we did this was more intense than ever. And it would only get more so.
When I finally calmed down and the orgasm subsided, Jacob pulled out with a grunt. He let my leg down, and I pulled up my pants, fixing what he’d messed up. He fixed his pants, too.
He kissed me, holding my chin with his thumb and his forefinger.
“Let’s go home, baby,” he said. “I want to finish what I started.”
I nodded. Jacob picked up his bag and held out his hand. I ducked under his arm and put my arm around his body. I unlocked the door with my free hand and together, arm in arm we headed out into the bright light that was our future.
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Please enjoy the following excerpt from another Sizzling Hot Reads recent release, Out of Line: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance
Chapter 1- Aaron
I hit the gas pedal and speed way too fast down the winding mountain roads that lead to Calton, GA. The one place I thought I’d left in my dust.
In thirty minutes, I’ll be home.
In thirty minutes, I’ll see the people I haven’t seen in almost two fucking years.
I’m not expecting a hero’s welcome by any means. Let’s just say when I left, it wasn’t just under a storm cloud, it was under a cyclone of shit. I don’t expect anyone to hold out their arms for me. I swore I wouldn’t be back.
I currently play football for UCLA, and by “currently play,” I mean I’m suspended and under investigation by the NCAA for using a banned steroid. Bullshit.
In high school, I committed to UCLA without telling anyone. It pissed more than a few people off— like the whole town— and then they accused me of abandoning them. How dare I play for the Bruins and not the Wildcats. They didn’t understand I needed to get as far away as possible from Georgia and my dysfunctional family, but mainly away from my dad.
Now I’m not playing for anyone. If I ever find that fucking doctor, I’ll kill him. Rip his goddamn arms off. Kayden, the team’s other quarterback, said the doc was a good guy and would help with my rotator cuff injury.
Even now there are days when the pain gets so bad, I can’t pull a t-shirt over my head.
One game pretty much fucked up my career and life. During the sixth game of the season there was a play where I felt my shoulder move out of joint, but like an idiot, I kept on playing. I figured it was nothing, just a twinge.
My season should have ended with that game, but I played two more games after that and played hard. Thought I owed it to my team. Owed it to my coach. Now I’m paying the price. Big time.
A quarterback with crippling shoulder pain can’t help his team win if he can’t throw a ball in an over-the-head motion.
That’s where the quack comes in and why I want to kill him. Instead of cortisone like I’d asked for, he shot me full of Norandrolone—a banned anabolic substance that helps increase muscle size, strength and power. It can also help an athlete train harder for longer, increase aggression and competitiveness, and, get this, help recovery from injuries.
Kayden got a shot the same day for his knee, but he got what he asked for— cortisone. When Coach Davis pulled a random drug test a week later, Kayden was clean, I wasn’t.
Coach Davis, who’s like a second dad to me and the only dad I’ve had for a while, is helping all he can and has kept my failed drug test out of the news and rumor mill— for now, but I know it’s only a matter of time— maybe days— before the shit hits the fan.
I’m lucky I wasn’t thrown out of school, but because I’ve never as much as put a toe out of line and because I helped UCLA get to the National Championships for the first time in fifty years, Coach Davis intervened on my behalf.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I speed up until the world is nothing but a green blur.
If I can’t play, I don’t know what I’ll do. My mom used to joke I was born reaching for a football. All my life, I’ve worked toward one goal and one goal only—playing for the pros. A quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, but sometimes I wonder if that’s more my dad’s dream than mine. I don’t know if he’s ever gotten over the Falcons not drafting him from UGA.
No one in my family and none of my friends, besides Kayden, know what’s going on, and I don’t want them to find out, because, one way or another, I’ll clear my name and if I have to, I’ll do it by myself. Just like I’ve done everything else since I left for UCLA.
I’ve even hired a private investigator, but so far, he’s come up with zilch.
I should’ve gone to a regular doctor. Someone who’d treated me before, but they all pushed for surgery. No fucking way. I’ve heard of surgeries that have done more harm than good. Ruined player’s lives and careers.
My arm is the only thing I have. Without that, I’m a washed-up clichéd jock.
When I left Calton, I left without a backward glance. I was the star of the Knights, our high school team, and everyone expected me to commit to Calton and play for the Wildcats. The college team my dad coaches—the great Jack Thompson. Not a fucking chance. I was done.
Done with being the coach’s son.
Done trying to make him happy.
Done trying to attain his unattainable standards.
In my junior year of high school, I committed to UCLA, and since then, I’ve been a Bruin.
My dad and I were never close, and when I chose the school I wanted to play for, it was like I’d taken a knife and severed our relationship.
From the minute I could throw a ball, he’s ridden my ass, but after mom died, he got worse. The reason? I was by her bedside when she passed, and it’s something he’ll never forgive me for.
Not my fault. Being there for the team was more important to him than being by his dying wife’s hospital bed.
After she died, he took his guilt out on me. Not physically but verbally. Told me I was useless. Told me I’d amount to nothing.
Well, look at me, now, Dad, I’m everything you said I would be. You were right all along. I can already see the self-satisfied, smug smile on his face if he found out.
“I knew it,” he’d say. “I knew you’d screw up.”
Could my dad help me out right now? Maybe. Maybe not. But it’s not something I’m willing to find out.
Another reason I’m coming home is out of curiosity. My dad’s marrying Sherry Hudson—Taylor’s mom.
Since Taylor is my sister Chelsea’s shadow and best friend, she’s been in my life since we were in elementary school.
And then one night two years ago...
My dick twitches thinking about Taylor’s sweet, tight pussy. One more person in Calton who hates me…probably.
Not that I blame her.
The last time I was home was two years ago for my sister’s graduation. Chelsea begged me to be there by playing the “but our mom is dead” card. We used to be close, not anymore, but I could never say no to my little sister.
We were all partying hard at Chelsea and Taylor’s joint graduation party. Mrs. Hudson hosted it at her beach house. We snuck liquor in when the old man wasn’t looking.
Taylor was all over me that night. I saw my chance and took it. What red-blooded man wouldn’t? Let’s just say she was more than willing and very vocal in her appreciation. That night was filled with tangled limbs, messy hair, desire, sweat, and sex. Lots of sex.
The day she graduated high school, I took her virginity and then left her sleeping by a fire at the beach. Jackass move, I know. I should have at least woken her before I walked away.
Throughout high school, she’d had a crush on me. Most girls did, but football and girlfriends weren’t a good mix, although football and fucking were.
I won’t lie, over the past two years, Taylor’s crossed my mind more than once. I might’ve even stalked her some on Facebook, but she has everything locked down, so for all I know she could have a boyfriend, but likely Taylor is still living in my sister’s shadow the way she’s done since they were eight. Now we’ll be step-siblings. How fucked up is that?
Before our respective parents say ‘I do’ I intend to hear Taylor scream my name one more time. Have her come on my cock the way she did that night on the beach.
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