Encroachment (Coach's Shadow Trilogy #2)

by Monica DeSimone

  “Nothing,” comes from the door.

  Jerking upright and squeezing Dallas a little too hard, I screech, “Jackson! I thought you left.”

  “Never,” he mumbles as he walks into my room looking edible. “Had to go get my girl,” he says, nodding toward the door. Legs is sitting there waiting for permission to enter.

  “Oh my God, Jackson, I completely forgot about Legs.” Putting Dallas down, I crawl out of bed, completely forgetting that I’m naked, and call Legs over.

  Looking to her master, she waits for his command.

  Clearing his throat, Jackson says with quite a bit of discomfort in his voice, “Claire, you want to put some clothes on?”

  “Shit,” I say, rushing over to my master bathroom, and grab the robe that hangs on the back of the door. “Sorry.”

  “No, really. You want to walk around buck ass naked all day everyday I’m good with that. But you’d never leave this room.”

  Blushing from my toes all the way to my hairline, no words come. Crouching down to give Legs some loving, I notice that she is still looking lovingly at Jackson.

  “Do you have bacon in your pocket or something?” I ask.

  Chuckling, he just shakes his head and grabs my hand. Jackson looks me in the eyes and says, “Thank you for last night. It was the best of my entire life.”

  “I doubt that, but thank you. It was…” I look around for the right word and counter with, “Spiritual.”

  Getting right up into my personal space, Jackson says, “For both of us.” He kisses my cheek, squeezes my hand and walks to the door. “Come on, Legs, I’ve got a treat for you downstairs.”

  Thinking that he is talking to his dog, I turn to toward my closet and put some clothes on.

  His, “Claire. Let’s go,” has me jumping at the command, and my feet are moving before my mind even catches up. Both of the girls shoot out of the room and down the stairs before we even reach the top step.

  Jackson stops on the second step, halting my forward motion. “Just so you know, and don’t deny it because I know you, I would never leave you after what we shared.”

  I’m gob smacked and at a loss for words. Jackson is the only person that seems to be able to do that to me. Anyone else would garner a snarky comment from me. But this man in front of me, looking as though he could devour me all over again, yep, no words.

  Instead of speaking, I lean forward and kiss him. Thinking that it is going to be a quick, sweet peck, I start to move back but his strong, muscled arms surround me and pull me back in for more.

  “More, I can never get enough of you.” And I’m lost to all that is Jackson.

  A FULL BREAKFAST is not what I was expecting when I was escorted onto the back porch. But there it is, and from what I can tell it looks gourmet. “Crap, Jackson. I should be feeding you!”

  “Oh no, Legs, you deserve to be pampered. Which is what I plan on doing for the rest of our lives.”

  Pulling out my chair for me to take a seat, I blush. This kind of attention makes me nervous. I’m a behind the scenes kind of girl. As Jackson takes his seat my snarky comes out. “I must have been better in bed than I thought. What do you want, Jackson? I’ve already given you my body.”

  “You, Claire. All I want is you.” Sighing, he looks away and then back. Plopping his napkin over his empty plate he says, “Why do you do this? Push? I want you, Legs. That’s all I ever wanted. I was okay being your friend all those years ago, but things are different now. I know you want me. I can tell.”

  “Jackson…” I begin, but stumble over what I want to say. Because if I were honest with myself, it has always been Jackson for me too. But admitting it, voicing that weakness, isn’t something I am capable of doing.

  Placing my hand on the table and reaching toward him, I say, “Last night was the greatest, single moment of my life as a woman. But I don’t think I can give you what you need.”

  “Bullshit!”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me right, Legs. Bullshit. You are the most sexual being I have ever come across. And thank God for that because you just might be my demise.”

  “Jackson!”

  Throwing up his hands, he says, “Stop. Just stop the bullshit. Woman, you have so much love to give and are so full of desire that you don’t know what to do with it all.” He interrupts my objection. “Shut up, Claire. I’ve had my hands, mouth, and cock in you. I know a sexual creature when I feel one.” Shoving away from the table, he shakes his head and stands. “I have made no excuse to my desire toward you. But if you need to process and dissect what’s happening between us, you do that. I have practice.”

  With that said, he walks out. No kiss to gentle finger running down my face. Nothing. He just leaves.

  “What the hell,” I say as a ladybug lands on my forearm.

  Jackson

  “DO IT AGAIN!” I yell from where I stand on the practice field. Muldoon is fucking up and the rest of the secondary is following the bastard’s lead.

  As they line up to run the play again, I shake my head, knowing that there is going to be an off sides penalty called but let it play out.

  It’s been two days, two long ass days, since I was inside my girl, and I have yet to hear one word from her. Blowing my whistle, I decide to call it a day. “Y’all are wasting my time! Practice is over. Give me two miles and two hours in the weight room.”

  The groans and mumbles are fodder to my misery and only stoke my anger. Fuck this shit.

  Claire is on campus today and if she doesn’t come to me, I’m going to her. I’m done playing this patty cake shit with her.

  My name being called from behind stirs my anger more. Fucking Muldoon. Bastard is too fucking good looking, too young, and too cocky for his own good.

  Turning to face the fucker, I’m seething, and it’s written all over my face.

  Coming to a halt with his hands up in surrender, Ian comes toward me. “What the fuck do you want?” I snarl.

  “Jack. I need to talk to you. Can I stop by your office before I head out?”

  “Whatever.” I stomp away, not caring who sees my tantrum.

  I’m a man on mission and head straight for my woman. But she isn’t in her office, the weight room, or the cafeteria.

  Unable to find Claire has me on the verge of losing my fucking mind. After we spoke, and Claire told me about what Sasha is up to, I couldn’t help but shake the niggling feeling that Brad was behind all of my girl’s upheaval. So, when I went home to pick up Legs that morning, I reverted back to what I know. My computers. And there was nothing out of the ordinary. Other than Sash coming out of Jerry Reece’s office. But I know that the fucker is up to something. I just don’t know what. Which only pisses me off more.

  Doing my best to calm down isn’t working. I need Claire like the desert needs rain. And this hiding from me bullshit stops here and now. Making my way back to my office to shower and change, I run into Ben. With a nod in acknowledgement, I keep going.

  I storm into my office and slam the door, and scream internally. Enough is enough, Claire has to stop pushing me away. I’ve reached my breaking point here.

  A knock on my door has me cursing and swinging it open. “What?” I snarl as the door hits the wall.

  Not offended by my shitty welcoming in the least, Ben strolls past me and makes himself comfortable on the couch in my office. Praying for patience, because this man does not deserve my ire, I throw my head back and look up for said patience.

  “See, Jack, I’m not much of a talker. Never have been. I leave the chattering to the women in my life. And chattering they have been doing. I observe everything. Like to get the layout of the field so to say. And right now, you are third and long.” Readjusting himself, Ben plants both feet on the floor. Rolls his head like a boxer about to fight and continues, “Jack, I like you. I do. But my wife is up in arms. And that just doesn’t happen. Suzie is under the impression that you have hurt Claire, and as much as I abhor getting involved, I
feel the need to now.” Getting to his feet, Ben stands eye level with me. He is slightly slimmer and has the mind of a chess master and I know I’m in trouble if he has sought me out.

  “See, Suz worships Claire. She is what Suzie strives to be.” My look of shock has him correcting himself. “I don’t mean the single mom. I mean the devoted mother that sacrifices her own life for those she loves.” Shaking his head as though he can’t believe that he has found himself in this situation, Ben continues, “I told you that if you hurt Claire, you hurt our girls. That’s unacceptable. Everyone thinks it’s Zoey that is the heart of this motley crew, but they’re wrong. It’s Claire. She’s the pied piper and our girls follow blindly.”

  Ben sighs as he sits back down. “Let me put it in terms that you’d understand. She’s the momma ladybug and Zoey, Suz, and Sasha are her babies.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about, Ben?”

  “I know, Jack. I know what happened all those years ago to Claire. I know how you got caught up in the aftermath and how you got back here to the team. I also know that Mac made sure you finally got your shot. I know this, because I’m the one that made it happen”

  My face must look as shocked as I feel because Ben continues, “See, when Jami died, something within the old man woke up. He realized how much they fucked up Claire and Zoey and was determined to fix it.”

  I slam the open door shut, and yell, “What the fuck, Ben!”

  “You forget that I’ve been here for years and I’ve known Mac since college. I’m the keeper of the letters, Jack. I’m the one making his wrongs right.” Leaning forward onto his thighs, Ben shakes his head and pushes upward. “I didn’t ask for this. But he was my coach and I loved the man. I promised him that I’d make sure his girls were happy. Well Claire isn’t happy and you need to fix it.” Ben looks me in the eye. “This is my only warning, Jack.” With that said, Ben walks past me and out the door.

  I’ve just gotten out of the shower and have pulled my pants up when there is a knock on my office door. Not sure that I can handle another visit, I walk over and open the door.

  “COACH.”

  “Muldoon, I’m not in the mood for you right now.”

  Ignoring me, the fucker walks in and plops down on my couch, making himself comfortable.

  What. The. Fuck?

  “I need to talk to you, Coach, and it can’t wait.”

  Closing the door, I grab the shirt hanging on the back of it and tug it over my head. I walk over to my desk and lean my hip on the edge and look over at the star of my defense with annoyance written all over my face.

  Cluing in to my aggravation, he jumps right on in to what he is here for.

  “Look, Jack…” At his error, Ian clears his throat and continues, “Coach, I’m just gonna say this outright, okay?”

  “Get on with it, Ian.”

  “Okay, so you know my background. My family background and their businesses. Right?”

  I’m getting more and more irritated by the moment. “Christ, Muldoon, I would like to get home sometime tonight!”

  “Okay, yeah, fine. I’ve been helping the Old Man out here and there at the club, and well…”

  He’s fidgeting and talking himself into circles. My aggravation level is at fifteen. “Are you telling me, your coach, that you are working for the club?”

  “Yes, but not really. I’m just the muscle at the front door on my off nights.” He hurries to add.

  Surpassing irritation and aggravation, I shoot right in to the “are you fucking kidding me” stratosphere. Pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger, I stop his rambling. “You know you are jeopardizing your fucking career with this shit, right? Part of your contract is to keep your fucking name out of the papers. Your father’s club isn’t exactly legal.”

  Rising to his full height, Ian stands just short of my own six foot six, but the man is built and knows how to take care of himself. And if I was smarter, I should probably be worried about him, but I’m not. Despite who his father is, Ian Muldoon is a good man.

  Mumbling a fuck it, Ian looks me in the eye and believes he is dropping a bomb on me. One I’m sure he knows can never be fixed. “Sasha is dancing at Lace.”

  Plopping my ass back onto my desk and looking out toward a picture that I have hidden of my girls, I shake my head in defeat. Rubbing a hand over my heart, I think of Claire and how upset she is over Sasha dancing at Lace. A newbie to the area, like me, knows that you don’t blindly walk into the Irish Rebels MC and walk away unscathed. Even Ian can’t escape the world his father runs with an iron fist.

  “She’ll never recover from that lifestyle. She wasn’t raised to be one of you.”

  “I wasn’t raised to be one of us either. I’m an outsider and only allowed around because of my old man. You know this, Jack, you’ve eluded to it time and time again. I won’t let them ruin her. I promise you.”

  My day, which started off shitty, just went to hell without Persephone and her magic balls to get me out.

  Stripping in a regular club is not the same as stripping for a biker club. Looking at the determination in Muldoon’s eyes, I know Sasha will not come to any harm. My only concern is if my fifteen million dollar a year free safety will still be around when this is all over.

  Jackson

  TWO HOURS AND five stops later, I find myself at Claire’s house. I hear the girls in the backyard and make my way to the gate at the side of the house and let myself in. As I reach the back deck, Dallas and Legs run up to greet me just as I notice the back door is open.

  Telling the girls to sit, I make my way into the house. Surpassing the sunroom, I walk into the kitchen and find the loveliest thing I have ever seen.

  Claire is on all fours, ass in the air, hair in disarray, and she is mumbling to herself.

  “Christ, woman, if that isn’t the nicest view I have ever seen.”

  Startled, Claire whacks her head on the bottom of the kitchen table. “Fuck!” she screams. “What the hell, Jackson! You couldn’t announce yourself?”

  Just the sight of this woman has all of the past few days’ anxiety dissipating. “I absolutely love the at home Claire look. Baby, those yoga pant thingies you have on should be outlawed.”

  Shaking her head while crawling out from underneath the table, Claire shoots me a look that would have a lesser man crumbling. Me, not so much. Needing her more than I need to breathe, I walk over to her and help her to her feet. Dusting herself off, Claire says, “I’m filthy, Jackson. Have you lost your mind!”

  “Yes, when it comes to you, I believe I have.”

  Running a hand down her face with a calm tenderness she seems to bring out in me, I take a deep breath in and inhale the beauty that is solely Claire. Today she smells of lemon and her own musky scent. It’s intoxicating and my mouth starts to water. My desire is overwhelming.

  I know the feeling is mutual, because as I rest my hand on this amazing woman’s jaw, she leans in to my touch.

  “I’ve missed you so fucking much, Legs. Don’t think you understand the level of desperation I was at to get to you.” I huff out.

  “Jackson.” My name on her lips and in the manner in which it’s said has me rock hard.

  Leaning in, I place my lips upon Claire’s and everything ceases to exist. The kitchen, our dogs, Brad, Sasha, everything. The best part is that my girl melts into me, into the kiss.

  Moving my left hand up to her neck, I twist her around and shove her so that she is splayed face first onto the table. Her right hand shoots out in an attempt to catch herself. Running my right hand down her shoulder and to her wrist, I push it forward so that she is truly flat on the table. Breast to wood. Ass to cock.

  I grab Claire’s hair with my left hand and pick her head up, tilting it to face me. “This isn’t going to be gentle, Legs. I need you too fucking much. This is going to be raw, rough and hard. You ready for me, baby?”

  Claire pushing her ass into my cock and her eyes glazing over in ecstas
y has me pushing harder into her.

  An, “uhh,” escapes her throat and lets me know that my girl is just as turned on as I am.

  I release her hair and move my hands down her amazingly toned body, making my way to the top of her yoga pants.

  Bending, I place a kiss at her lower back and dig my fingers into her waistband. My mouth follows as I pull her pants down. Exposing the round globes of her ass, I give each cheek a kiss and nip of my teeth. Her harsh intake of breath has me stopping. “Baby, you okay?” I ask. I can smell the juices flowing from her pussy, and she smells delicious.

  Looking up her body, I see that her hands have found purchase on the edge of the table and are white from the pressure of her grip. “Claire?”

  “Don’t stop!” She pushes herself into my face.

  “I can’t be gentle. I need you too badly and I need to own you, Claire. Do you understand that? I need for this pussy”—I move my right hand down to encase her still covered, yet wet pussy—“to be fully mine.”

  “Please, Jack,” she pants.

  That is all the permission I need. Stepping back, I yank her yoga pants and panties fully off in a single pull. Ridding myself of my own pants, I grab my swollen cock in one hand and brace the other on Claire’s lower back and slam home. She is soaking wet, and the heat from being inside of my girl garners an animalistic yell that I don’t even recognize as my own. There is no grace or patience in my actions, and if I was wholly in my right mind, I would be ashamed of myself. But right here, in Claire’s kitchen, balls deep in my girl, I don’t care. And I proceed to pound deep and hard into her.

  The noises that Claire is making only encourages me further and I begin to thrust deeper into her like a man possessed. It isn’t until I hear her scream, “Jack,” and feel my cock being milked from the spasms of her orgasm, do I allow myself to come with a bellow that comes from deep in my soul. Knowing that my girl reached her end before I did is nirvana.