Quarterback Blitz

by Frances Stockton

  The bedroom was beginning to get gray when he could move again. Dawn was close.

  Not willing to give up their intimacy, he led Anna to the bathroom for a shower.

  ———

  Kyran Black was an incredible lover. More than that, he was thoughtful, Anna realized while she stood in the kitchen watching him make scrambled eggs. He’d fried up some bacon and the whole room smelled of hickory smoke.

  After making love to her last night and waking her before first light, he’d taken her to his magnificent shower. There, he’d washed her hair, using his quarterback fingers to massage the shampoo into her scalp and lather her long tresses. He made it foreplay. One of the many shower heads was on a flexible cord and he’d used it to rinse her hair.

  He did the same with conditioner, making certain to comb it from roots to ends. When her hair was rinsed clean, he let her wash his hair. While she’d worked, he scrubbed her skin with his soap, carefully cleaning between her thighs with a warm wash cloth.

  Fortunately she wasn’t as sore that morning as she’d been yesterday, however she was definitely feeling the aftermath of the night. He was gentle, easy, unhurried. By the time they were both wrinkled, the sun was up.

  They dried with warmed towels. He’d surprised her by picking up a wash cloth he’d laid on the warmer, using the softness on her pussy to further reduce lingering tenderness.

  Anna got her overnight bag, brushed her teeth and put on some makeup. Kyran brushed his teeth and shaved at the second sink while she dried her hair. With his towel wrapped around his waist, she remembered seeing him in an ad he’d done for a disposable razor for men. The television commercial for the razor had been of him shaving, visible from the waist up, his chest bare. Behind him, a woman peeked around his arm, her hands on around his middle, like she owned him.

  Seville Davis had been the model. A cold shiver went down Anna’s spine thinking of it. His ex was gorgeous, extremely fit, with willow-thin angles that looked great on camera. Her abs beyond flat, they were ripped due to the workouts she must do on a daily basis. At the age of twenty-seven, Seville’s career might have tanked. But so far, she remained a cover girl.

  “Hey, Anna, you still with me?” he called out, breaking her thoughts.

  “Mhm, I am,” she said, not wanting to think of his ex-girlfriend.

  He wore boxers and jeans now. Anna wore the shirt and shorts she’d brought with her. “You up for D.C. or the Inner Harbor?” he asked.

  “Actually, I wouldn’t mind seeing a movie, at a theater. We have to go to the police station and it would save drive time.”

  “There’s always the movie we didn’t finish last night.”

  “And we’ll end up in bed again,” she supplied. “Not that I’m complaining, but I need a little break.”

  “Understand, I could use one too,” he replied. “All right, we’ll go to the movies. There’s a diner close to the theater complex. We could see a matinee, then go there afterward.”

  “That’s sounds nice,” she agreed. “I love diners, so much food for a fair price.”

  “Almost bought one when I was out of football for a while,” he shared.

  “Really, why?”

  “I like to cook.” Kyran was an excellent cook, working with the ease of someone who could be a chef. “And my mom worked as a short-order cook for years while my brothers and sister and I went to school. She ended up going to culinary arts college later on, became a chef.”

  “So cooking for a lot of people must come naturally to you,” she surmised.

  “Seems so,” he said, shrugging. “As a kid, I’d go with my mom and watch her work. She could make anything taste good, except liver. Never did get why folks wanted liver and onions.”

  “Ugh, okay, can’t say I’d want that either.”

  “When I was injured, there was no guarantee I’d make it back to the pros so I looked into investing in a diner near New Orleans. I’d wanted to offer Cajun and Creole cooking, along with American staples.”

  “Wow, you do know food, Kyran. Ever think about buying a restaurant when you retire?” Wondering if she offended him by speaking of retiring when he still had a season left in his contract, she bit her lip. Truth was, he could be offered a new contract elsewhere and could go.

  “Anna,” he said, bringing her eyes up to his face. He’d faced her, his smile certain. “You can ask about football. It’s what I do. I love the game, true. But I won’t always be able to play.”

  “I just know you have a season left here. What if you go play in another city after that?”

  Kyran set something aside and walked up to her. “There’s a good chance that I’ll stay with the Griffins as a coach or in management. Alex’s negotiating that. If I decide not to coach and sign with another team, we’ll talk about moving, assuming we’re still together.”

  “Do you think we won’t be?” She gulped, her throat tightening. More aware of her aches, she tried to think rationally.

  His hands came to her shoulders. “We are still new together. And you’re not quite ready to let go of the age difference.”

  “No, no, I’m good now,” she rushed.

  “What were you thinking about before?” he tested.

  “Nothing, daydreaming,” she said.

  “About, come on, be honest. Tell me.”

  “Seems so stupid,” she warned. “When I saw you shaving, I thought of that commercial with you and your ex.”

  “Seville’s history.”

  “But she looked so good with you, beautiful. The two of you dynamic in a way I can’t compare to. I’m…boring, average.” She left off older, though she had to ignore the minor aches in her joints and muscles.

  Gently, he cupped her chin. “You don’t ever have to compare yourself to her. Anna, I love you, not Seville. Let’s enjoy being together now and see what happens.”

  Had she heard him right?

  Heart pounding, tummy flipping wildly, she reached up to grab his wrists. “You…love me, already?”

  “Yeah, ‘course I do.” He drew her close, snuggling her against his hard body. “I’m not going anywhere, you get me?”

  “Okay, I got you.” Unable to stop smiling, Anna wanted to shout. Instead, she eased in close, whispering against his masculine lips, “I love you, Kyran Black.”

  Might be it was a little fast. Anna wouldn’t deny it. Her heart had known long before her head accepted it during the night. Common sense told her to slow down and enjoy the ride.

  “Good damn thing, woman,” he teased, tagging her butt with the flat of his hand. “‘Cause I’m starved and the bacon’s calling my name.”

  The kitchen did smell good. “I think it’s calling mine.”

  Anna kissed him quick, hugging him tight. He went back to whipping the eggs and tossed them into the iron skillet he’d used for the bacon. She made wheat toast, finding preserves in the fridge.

  They ate at the breakfast bar.

  Just when they finished, Kyran’s cell phone rang. Anna’s gut clenched. “Oh no.”

  Kyran picked it up, checked the ID. “It’s a friend of mine.”

  “Male or female?”

  “Male, college roommate,” he said.

  He accepted the call. “Phalen, ‘sup, man.” He listened for a second. “Yeah, she’s with me now. No way, bro, this one’s mine.”

  Anna waited, curious about the man on the other end. “You saw the Journal?”

  “Jeez,” she grumbled. Everyone saw it, even Kyran’s college roommate.

  “Nah, that reporter is a pain in my ass,” Kyran continued. “Alex’s having my lawyers send a cease and desist letter against any articles involving me without express permission from Griffins management and a restraining order keeping her and the press away from Anna. Trouble came up for her as a result of that Journal piece. I can handle everything else.”

  While Kyran explained the situation to his friend, Anna cleared the dishes. She heard bits and pieces of their conversation. Mainly,
Kyran murmured or agreed to whatever Phalen was saying.

  He surprised her with his next words. “Hey listen, the reason I emailed you yesterday? I need some PI work done. Some asshole parked in front of Anna’s house, took pictures. Cops are on it, but I want to know exactly who he is and who sent him to spy on her.”

  He listened again. “Yeah, already have someone investigating Brenda Jamison and her boyfriend, a guard at Griffins’ Nest Stadium. By the way, I attached a picture I’d snapped of that guy’s license plate. Can you run it?”

  Kyran listened again. A few minutes later, he ended the call.

  “What was all that about?” Anna asked.

  “Phalen became a PI after a stint in the military,” Kyran told her. “He worked part time for an ADA in Boston, did tattoo work to make ends meet.”

  “Interesting guy, eclectic,” she said. “He’s not a private investigator anymore?”

  “Still has a license, moved to Salem to open his own tat business.” Kyran pointed to the Celtic symbols on his biceps. “These are his work, wouldn’t trust a tat to anyone but Phalen, actually.”

  “I’d like to meet him sometime.”

  “After the season we can go up to New England,” he suggested. “You’ll like Phalen, but he’ll want to tattoo you.”

  Anna shivered. “I don’t think so.”

  “Can be addicting if you’re not careful,” Kyran admitted. “Fortunately for me, Phalen doesn’t overdo it. Anyway, he still has PI resources and instincts. Something about that guy at your house chafes my ass. Sure, the officer we talked to yesterday is investigating and will turn it over to the detective working with Alex. But I want answers faster.”

  “Kyran, you really think he was that dangerous?”

  “Not sure. I don’t want him near you or your place ever again.”

  “He didn’t hurt you, right? I mean, what if he charges you with something because you broke his camera?”

  “I’d love for him to charge me for it,” Kyran conspired. “If he does, he can’t get away with taking snapshots he’d probably intended for the ‘net.”

  “You don’t think…really?”

  “Something’s not right there. You were called eight times by some guy wanting you to be a phone sex operator for his club. Could have been the same guy who’d called you,” he said.

  “Oh shit,” Anna gasped. “I’d forgotten all about that.”

  “Hey now, I’m sorry. There are a lot of kettles being stirred here. I’d like to turn your phone records over when we go to the police station today.”

  Kyran got up and walked over to her, his arm going around her. “I’m not going to let more pictures of us come out. Brenda went quiet after that one shot. Alex and I talked to head of security at Griffins’ Nest Stadium. Stationary camera in the locker room aimed at the doorway shows a woman’s hand holding a cell phone. Flash snapped off twice, we don’t know about the second photo.”

  “So you don’t know if it was her,” Anna said.

  “No, it’s a guess.”

  “But she’d written the article.”

  “It’s her byline. The detective checked ownership of off-white minivans in the D.C., Virginia, Maryland area and found that Brenda Jamison owns the same make and model, right down to the color.”

  “Okay, good, then she’s done. She can’t hurt us if you send the lawyers in.”

  “That’s the plan. But she does have the right to write her sports articles, not sure I can infringe on that. She’ll need verifiable resources from here on out, corroboration from anyone on the team if she wants to write anything about the Griffins.”

  “You could have told me this last night,” she remarked sharply, an uneasy feeling curdling in her stomach like bad milk.

  “After that idiot took those photos, we’d agreed to put all this aside last night.” He tightened his hold. “I had every intention of telling you everything. Don’t be mad, okay?”

  “All right,” Anna said, remaining in his arms. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I even asked not to think about it all.”

  This was a good thing, she thought. Being here with him, safe, well fed and thoroughly satisfied. Kyran was telling her what he knew and she had to trust that he’d protect them from further trouble.

  “Hey, let’s take care of business with the cops and go to the movies,” he suggested. “We have a date and I aim to keep it.”

  “Yes, we do, hero,” she agreed, glad they talked, but something still didn’t feel right.

  It wasn’t Kyran she doubted. It was the Journal article and the repercussions. Part of her was worried about him. The other, about her job as the mascot, she still didn’t know what was going to happen with that.

  Kyran kissed her softly, reminding her that he was there and he’d look out for her. Everything else would turn out just fine.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “That movie was great,” Anna told Kyran, then sipped some iced tea. At the diner they awaited their food orders.

  Their day had turned out ten times better than the day before, even after having stopped at the police station. The man in the sedan had not been found, but they’d lodged a complaint and he would be investigated.

  Kyran had ordered an open-faced, hot roast beef sandwich and fries. Anna chose the hot turkey and gravy with all the trimmings.

  “Glad you liked it, love,” he said, taking the paper off his plastic straw. It was bendable. Like a kid, he flexed it a few times.

  “And we made it through the end without attacking each other,” she pointed out, grinning. They’d shared popcorn and a soda, held hands.

  When they went into the cinema, she’d expected Kyran to be recognized instantly. He’d purposefully chosen a time when the crowds were low, walked her inside and bought the tickets without much fuss. The ticket clerk recognized him but remained professional. The theater itself had about eight people in it. It had arena seating so it felt like the eight people were miles apart. A few more trickled in during the previews.

  But it had been a date, easy, fun.

  “Have to admit it’s been awhile since I felt up a girl in a dark theater,” he admitted.

  “Ha, maybe next time we could see if there’s a drive-in around,” she suggested. “Then we could do what we liked.”

  “Ms. Anna James, what would you like to do if there is?” Kyran plunked his straw into the thick chocolate shake he’d ordered.

  Anna sipped her drink, eyeing him. “If I told you that now, it won’t be a surprise when it happens.”

  They sat at a booth toward the back of the diner. It was crowded, yet no one paid a lick of attention to them.

  Feeling brave, she kicked off her sandal, shifting her foot to the opposite cushion and tucking it right up between his spread thighs. Kyran’s brow lifted, his eyes darting to the waitress bringing their orders.

  While she laid down plates heaping with turkey, roast beef, stuffing, vegetables and bowls of hot cinnamon apples, Anna let her toes play with Kyran’s warm inner thigh. He’d worn khaki shorts and a navy blue polo shirt. His hair was tied back in a ponytail.

  His green eyes on her, he thanked the waitress. As soon as the woman shuffled off with a promise to check on them in a bit, he put one hand on her ankle. Massaging her ankle and the bottom of her calf, he picked up his fork with his left hand.

  “Remember, bad girls get punished,” he whispered, pushing her foot up against his groin, inside the leg of his shorts.

  He was hard! “For what, teasing?” she asked.

  “I think you know what,” he said, shifting her foot for her. While his fingers massaged her arch, he moved her foot against his cock. It was curiously exciting to feel his satiny helmet brush the arch. Her toes curled as she slid her foot up and down his length.

  “Guess I’ll take my chances,” she replied, taking over the rubbing. His hand caressed to her ankle and stayed.

  Amazingly, she was able to eat, all while feeling him with her foot. Usually ticklish, she didn’t
flinch. It was a good thing too. She didn’t want to kick him.

  “Anna, you sure you want to go home tonight?” Kyran asked, hefting a huge forkful of beef and gravy into his mouth. Politely, he chewed with his mouth closed.

  “We talked about it, Kyran,” she said. “I’ve got to be at that meeting at eight a.m. It doesn’t seem possible for me to make it there from Silver Spring unless we woke up by six.”

  “Now see,” he began, having swallowed. “There’s this thing called an alarm clock.”

  “I’m well aware of that.” Still playing with his fantastic erection, she took a smaller bite. When she could, she spoke. “It’s still a long ride. There’s traffic to consider. And…”

  And she didn’t want to get dependant on him too soon. Instead of saying so, she tried to distract him with her foot.

  Kyran wasn’t deterred. “I’m not real happy with you staying home alone.”

  “Are you looking for an invitation to sleep over?”

  “Yeah, think about it. I’m already going to that board meeting. Might as well stay the night with you, right?”

  “That worries me. You can’t miss practice.”

  “No need to worry. I’ll talk to my coach.”

  “Oh god,” she groaned, a little embarrassed.

  “Easy now, he knows we’re dating. He’ll understand that I want to help. I won’t miss practice.”

  “You’ll be late and I don’t want you to get in trouble for that,” Anna corrected.

  “Not going to happen,” he said with such conviction she believed him. “Anna, let me be there for you tomorrow. I’ll make practice.”

  “So you’ll stay the night at my house?”

  “If it’s what you want. It’s just a matter of picking up some overnight stuff.”

  “Okay, stay,” she decided.

  “Look, there’s something you should know. I’ve got some travel coming up.”

  “An away preseason game,” she recalled.

  “In Phoenix, yeah.”

  “When do you leave for Arizona?”

  “Wednesday, with practice all day Thursday, game Friday evening,” he explained. “I should be back early Saturday morning.”