His smile quirked slightly. “For what?”
“Forgiving me.”
Now his smile disappeared. “I don’t need to forgive you, because you’ve done nothing wrong.” He stared at me. “Hey, no tears.” He wiped one away and licked it off the tip of his finger.
That was the moment I fell in love with Joel Stelson.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Joel tossed me his shirt, which reached my knees when I put it on. He said he needed to check out his room. I knew something was up when he opened the connecting door between rooms, from my side before walking out of my room door with his bag. He wore jeans and nothing else. There were no women in the hall or he wouldn’t have made it back to my room alive.
There was a rattling noise a few moments later and Joel stuck his head between our connecting rooms.
I couldn’t help laughing. “You’re sneaky.”
“You’re complaining?” he asked as he carried his bag back into my room. He stopped and stood facing me.
I pulled the shirt lower feeling self-conscious as he stared.
“I need some rest and I’ve had enough of the guys for one day. I hope you don’t mind room service.” He walked over, hooked his arm around me, and pulled me against his chest. “I can’t believe I’ll have you beside me all night. Let’s eat then hit the shower together.” He made it perfectly clear there was more involved in showering than being clean.
His arms wrapped around me took away my nervousness and fear of rejection. I tipped my head back and gave him a tentative smile. “Do you rugby players have rules against sex the night before a match?”
His hand came up. He dipped his finger just inside my mouth and smoothed my saliva across my lips. Electricity zinged straight between my thighs. “I have certain prematch rituals that must be adhered to. The first is a date the night before my match.” He rocked his hips into mine. “Our date will take place in the shower after we eat.”
I went to my tiptoes and pressed my wet lips to his.
“Order dinner,” he said gruffly.
“What do you want?” I asked against his lips.
“Two of whatever you’re having. I need to make a few calls from my room. I won’t be long.” He walked away and my confidence momentarily wavered.
He didn’t shut the connecting door and I could hear the drone of his voice as he talked rugby business. Leaving the door open helped. He wasn’t closing me off. I took my laptop from its case and checked my email. The first came from Skylar.
Cami,
Just how well do you know Ted? He’s always been nice to me, but I just got wind of a rumor floating around. He’s saying he got you this gig because you’re sleeping with him. He’s not exactly nice guy material like rugby players, but if I’m crossing the line here, tell me. He doesn’t have the power to get you this gig even if he thinks he does.
Skylar
That pissed me off. My eyes skimmed down to the next email and it was from Ted, the new guy on my jerk list.
Hi Cami,
I haven’t heard from you and still don’t have your number. Don’t make me get sneaky and hit up one of the ladies in HR who owes me a favor. You’re missed on the second floor. I know Colt, Ohio, doesn’t have a lot to offer, so give me a call. 555-6238
Ted
If someone in HR gave him my cell number I’d make a stink and see them fired. Taking a break and unclenching my fists, I tried to calm down before sending a reply. I sent a message to Skylar instead.
Skylar,
Ted emailed me too. He wants my phone number and I assure you I don’t sleep with men that I haven’t given my number to. Just how bad will it go over if I blow him off or do what I really want and tell him off?
Cami
I clicked send and went to the last email, which was from Miller.
Hearing good things about you. Keep up the great work.
M
I bet he was hearing good things about me. His contact had to be Van, whom I slept with. Then there was Ted, whom I hadn’t slept with, though he had no trouble lying about it. Damn.
Joel walked back into the room and walked behind me. His hands landed on my shoulders, gently massaging. “You don’t look happy.”
“I’m good. I just need to shoot an email to my boss.” His hands lifted and I turned. “Don’t stop.” I began typing as his fingers went back to work.
Will have the next article turned in Sunday.
C
Short, sweet, and more than I wanted to say.
A knock sounded at the door. I scrambled up and added shorts beneath the shirt I wore as Joel walked over and opened the door. I moved my laptop so the server could put the large tray down. Something funny occurred to me and I smiled as Joel gave the guy a tip and shut the door behind him.
“What has you smiling?” he asked as he came closer.
“I finally paid for a meal even if you got the tip. I knew eventually I’d win.” I began taking the dish covers off.
“You’re quite easy to please.”
“I’m just easy,” I answered as a joke, but quickly realized I spoke the truth. Joel was busy complementing his burger with catsup as he chuckled.
“My kind of woman,” he said with a wink.
Relief settled over me. We talked about the match as we ate and Joel gave me a little insight on the opposing team.
“The Timberwolves are pretty well matched with us. Their main kicker tops Quibly. We lost our last game to them because of goals. Quibly’s been putting extra time in and we’ve been watching tapes. I think we’ve found their weakness, but this will be a tough match.”
“You won’t be annihilating them this time?”
“Of course we will. It’s all about positive thinking and we will positively annihilate the Timberwolves.”
“This is another superstition of yours?” I teased.
He took my left hand and bit the tip of my finger. “Tradition.”
What would he do if I climbed across the table and attacked him?
He shook his head, reading my thoughts again. “Eat quickly.”
Oh my.
With rivulets of water running down Joel’s chest, he appeared larger in the shower. Not wasting time, he turned so the water hit his back and my back pressed to his chest. While holding my hips so I couldn’t press back against his cock, he kissed and licked water from my neck and shoulder. I grumbled and wiggled, but he took his time refusing my invitation.
He finally released my hips and clasped my hands, lifting them to the shower wall. His knee hooked beneath mine as he nudged my foot to the rim of the bathtub. I have no idea how much water we spilled. He’d left a condom behind the shower curtain and left me standing in that position while he put it on. I wanted to turn and watch, but stayed facing the wall. In this position, I felt vulnerable and excited all at once.
My hair was now soaking wet and he moved it off my shoulders. One arm went to my belly as he pulled me back so my ass extended toward him. He used his other hand to guide his cock until I fully sheathed his entire length. He stayed that way as he surrounded my breasts with his hands. He slowly withdrew his cock until just the tip remained. With the same slow glide, he slid back in. His teeth pressed into my bare shoulder.
“I’ve dreamed of you like this,” he said against my skin before biting down a little harder. “Your breasts fit my hands perfectly.”
I went to my toes when he pinched my nipples. He moved to my earlobe and sucked gently before closing his teeth on it and pulling. He’d done the same thing to my nipples earlier. This time, the sensations were coming from different points on my body and it was making me crazy.
“Shh,” he said when a shudder passed through me. “Let go. I’ve got you.”
He continued his slow, steady assault—the hot, hard, length of him never entirely leaving me. He pulled on my nipples and I bit back a groan. My hips bucked. I needed something to change—his thrusts to speed up. Oh, God, please.
He refused the p
leas of my shaking body. “Let go, Cami,” he whispered against my cheek. “I can fuck you like this for hours.”
The sound I made was halfway between a cry for mercy and a scream of frustration. He didn’t care, his rhythm stayed the same. I swear his cock expanded, because when I let the sensation take over, I could feel every inch of him rubbing along my inner walls.
With a loud sigh, my head fell forward in surrender.
“That’s it. Feel what you do to me.”
I opened my eyes. My breasts filled his large hands. His erotic words filled my ears. The waves of the orgasm washed over me. Not like earlier. This was a gentle tide rolling through my body. No explosions, just lava running down the side of a volcano burning a path inside of me. And then he bit down on the large tendon at the base of my neck and thrust his hips solidly against me. My body erupted.
Joel grabbed my hair, bending me forward. He pulled out before ramming his cock inside of me again, causing an uncomfortable pinch when he hit my womb, but I didn’t fucking care. My orgasm flared and my cry echoed off the walls. Joel gave a final powerful thrust and groaned against my back as he held me still and his cock convulsed inside me.
A few minutes later, Joel withdrew and turned me around. He stared into my eyes. His were an ocean of gray storm. I felt vulnerable until he gently kissed me, erasing my insecurities.
“You okay?” he asked against my lips.
I could only smile and tipping my head down, I burrowed my head into his chest. He held me for several minutes before he removed the condom and tossed it a few feet from the shower into the toilet. I’d never seen this part of what a man did after sex, but Joel showed no embarrassment. He grabbed the soap and lathered every inch of my body. My poor hair was a mess. He washed it with the horrible hotel shampoo. His fingers in my scalp felt too good to stop him. I had detangler in my bag that could be applied later. After rinsing off a section of skin, he kissed it, taking all the time in the world.
I refused to be frightened of the love pouring over me. I’d been here before… well, not like this. This was more. Joel had just made love to me twice. You could call it fucking, but it wasn’t. I’d never been consumed like this. The man was a walking conundrum. There was nothing shy about Joel’s sensual side.
I took the soap from his fingers when he finished washing me. Now, it was my turn to learn his body. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. I slowly trailed my slippery hands over each defined muscle group and Joel had so many. Sometimes I would use just the tip of my finger to trace the puzzle pieces that shaped him. He didn’t say a word, though his breathing grew unsteady and his cock came to life. I moved the shower nozzle and rinsed the soap from his skin. I went to my knees and wrapped one hand around his cock and the other beneath his balls.
His hands landed on my shoulders and his eyes burned into mine as I looked up. I licked just the tip of him feeling his balls tighten. I’d only done this twice before and it hadn’t been something I enjoyed. Now, I craved his scent, his taste, his everything. It was embarrassingly difficult for me to speak, but I wanted this to be perfect for him. “I’m not very good at this. Tell me what to do.”
The sizzling look he gave would have dropped me to my knees if I wasn’t already there. “Use your lips and tongue. Suck me.”
So that’s what I did. He was large, and though he fit inside my pussy, he made my jaw ache from his size. I couldn’t take him very far, but I used my tongue to twirl around the tip of his cock when I pulled back. I never completely released him from my mouth, copying what he had done to my body ten minutes before. He watched me, his eyes burning into mine. When his eyelids finally dropped, he grabbed my hair and held me still. His head went back and his cock pulsed within my mouth. He didn’t pull back, and when he came, I relished his taste. This, I had never done, but with Joel it was perfect.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Joel was a toasty presence at my back as his body spooned mine after we fell into bed. Even when he rolled over during the night his hand went to my thigh, connecting us, and I fell immediately back to sleep.
As I lay on my side, his scruffy chin running over my hip woke me. It felt good and I sighed at the scratchy prickles. He pushed me to my stomach then crawled between my thighs lifting my ass. I buried my face in my arms feeling vulnerable. Joel slid his fingers between my head and arm tilting my face so he looked into my eyes. “You’re beautiful.” He released me and guided his cock into my warm center. I squeezed my internal muscles and smiled when he sucked in a quick breath. “Do that again,” he groaned.
I did.
His fingers slid under my hip and he found my clit. “Again.”
God, it was torture and bliss all at once. I began tightening my muscles when he withdrew and loosening them when he pushed back in. I had no idea this kind of control existed. He liked it and the intensity had me quickly finding release. I slumped to the mattress and Joel turned me over and entered me again.
I wrapped my legs around his hips and placed my hands on his arms.
“Rub your tits,” he ground out through his teeth as his hands landed next to my breasts. His arms strained as he practically did a pushup on top of me.
I dreamily did as he demanded, softly massaging my achy flesh. I pinched my nipples like he did, sending a zing to where our bodies connected.
“Harder,” he insisted.
I pinched them again, lengthening my neck as I arched my head back. He scratched his chin along my chest, up to my neck, and across my jaw. It wasn’t gentle. I pinched my nipples even harder and another orgasm exploded at the same time he yelled out.
He collapsed at my side and pulled me in closer. “No more or my legs will wobble during the match.”
That made me laugh. Joel could do anything he wanted with my body and I wouldn’t object. I was sore; skin burned from his sexy chin scruff, and didn’t care. I could go endless rounds if it weren’t for his later match. We took a quick shower a short time later with no fooling around. His cock was hard, but he shook his head when I tried to touch him.
I immediately felt rejected until he pulled me in close and whispered, “I need some pent up frustration to play well today. Don’t take that away from me.”
I actually pouted. “If you can suffer so can I.” We laughed. He released me and we went back to washing ourselves.
After we were both dressed, I couldn’t see any sign of his erection. We went downstairs for breakfast. Once we entered the lobby, Joel wrapped his hand around my upper arm. In a proprietary way, he led me past his teammates who were sitting at assorted tables laughing and talking about today’s match.
“Good morning” and “Hey, Joel” came from the players. I received one or two hellos, but the guys weren’t meeting my eyes. Joel steered me to the food. I put a little fruit on my plate and made a cup of coffee with more sugar and cream than anything. Joel of course filled his plate until I thought half of it would teeter off.
He pulled out a chair at a table away from the other players. After sitting next to me, he placed bacon and potatoes on my plate when I finished my fruit. I was smiling at his insistence that I eat more when the chair beside me pulled away from the table. Van flipped it around and straddled it, plucking a piece of bacon from my plate.
Joel’s lip was no longer swollen. Van’s face was another story. One eye was mostly black and there was a distinct bruise on his jaw. Joel’s arm went around me at the same time Van spoke. “Morning, bro. Good morning, Cami.” No animosity came through in the words.
“Good morning,” I mumbled wanting to slink beneath the table.
“I owe you an apology, Cami,” he said loud enough so the entire team could hear. “You too, bro.”
Joel grunted. He knew his brother better than I did. Van acted sincere, but I didn’t trust him. It was also obvious that Joel wasn’t ready to forgive him. Van reached in front of me and stole a piece of bacon from Joel’s plate. I noticed Joel’s mouth twitch.
“Get your own d
amned food,” he demanded.
“Sure thing. Want another plate?” He picked up my and Joel’s empty ones.
“Yeah.”
Van stood and walked over to the buffet heaping mounds of food onto clean plates. Joel leaned closer and whispered, “You okay?”
I nodded and gave him a shaky grin. Van sat the food on our table, turned the chair around, and sat down beside me. Mike came over and took the vacant chair and they began discussing the coming match, which was six hours away. Soon, more players either scooted chairs to our table or stood over us adding their insight.
An hour later, we returned to our room. After brushing our teeth, we met the team back downstairs. The dining area was cleared and most of the players were back at tables with decks of cards between them. I heard change jingling and laughed when I discovered it was pennies. The guys played penny poker before away matches.
“Superstition?” I whispered to Joel as he emptied his pocket of pennies at a table with two players.
“Tradition,” he mumbled back. “I’m covering you, so have a seat. I plan to kick DJ and Elf’s asses,” he taunted the two guys.
Being here with Joel had me loosening up and enjoying cards. Of course, the fact that I took everyone’s money didn’t hurt. Joel’s eyebrows lifted when his stack became noticeably smaller.
“Here,” I said pushing half my winnings over. “I think we’re even.”
“She’s a card shark,” Elf said with a laugh.
“Are you?” Joel asked as his arm settled on my lower back. His fingers skillfully traveled under my shirt until they found bare skin.
“You didn’t ask if I played.” I tried to keep my voice from quivering. It wasn’t fair that he touched me like this in public.
“I thought it would be like rugby and you would need extensive training,” he replied silkily while continuing to rub my skin. Elf dealt the next hand.
I couldn’t concentrate and lost five cents along with all my sense. Joel bet heavily on his hand and won. Dammit, he was doing this on purpose. I covertly found his thigh under the table and reached a bit to the inside. His devilish fingers froze.
Kick (Completion Series) Page 14