by Jaci Burton
"And I can kiss you."
He put his lips on hers, and then he thrust into her. She felt a flash of heat and sensation unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Maybe it was being so connected to him, being filled by him, while he kissed her and touched her at the same time.
The way he looked at her, as if he was looking deep into her while he moved within her, made her feel that connection between them like never before. Maybe it was the rush of her emotions, her head and her heart adding to the feelings of her body. She had no idea, but this felt like a first.
She wrapped herself around the feeling and soaked it in, letting every wondrous sensation rain down over her as he moved within her.
She brushed her palm over his jaw, his beard sending tingles of pleasure straight to her sex.
She leaned back, bracing her palms on the sofa. He shifted, falling on top of her but balancing his weight.
She'd had her eyes closed, falling on that blissful cloud of sensation, reveling in every nuanced feeling.
Until Nathan said, "Mia, look at me."
She opened her eyes and Nathan locked gazes with her. The intensity of it doubled her emotional reaction. She wasn't sure if he felt what she felt, but it seemed as if there was something different about the way he looked at her.
Or maybe it was just her, projecting her own feelings.
He reached up and locked fingers with her, then put his lips on hers in a kiss that spoke more of love than of sex, that said more of emotion than of just fucking.
She knew it wasn't just her imagination.
She felt cocooned within his big body and the sofa, and once again wrapped her legs around him to pull him within her. He thrust, hard, using his body to grind against her until she splintered with her orgasm, crying out his name as she came.
He had a death grip on her hip as he shuddered with his own orgasm, which only served to deepen the intensity of her climax that rolled on and on, a timeless fall into blissful oblivion.
And throughout it all they remained locked on each other's gaze, a naked reveal of their emotions as they came. Nathan kissed her lips, her neck, and ran his hands over her body. She felt as if she were suspended on a cloud, so euphoric she never wanted to come down. And maybe he did feel the same way because he didn't move for a very long time, just shifted slightly so they nestled against each other.
She might have fallen asleep. She wasn't sure because she was in a groggy state when Nathan finally got up and left the sofa. He came back a few minutes later.
"Come on," he said. "Let's go upstairs."
He took her hands and pulled her up to stand. They got into bed together and, just as they had been on the sofa, he wrapped his arms around her, his chest against her back.
"Better now?" he asked.
She smiled. "Much better."
As she lay there with him, she wasn't shocked at all to realize that she was in love with him. This emotional connection she'd felt earlier, the passion she felt for him, the way he was always there for her to listen to her--that was all love.
But she didn't know how he felt and she didn't want to upset the balance in their relationship. She knew she had to talk to him about how she felt, to figure out where they stood.
But not tonight. Tonight had been perfect and they could talk another time.
You're a coward, Mia Cassidy.
She mentally shushed her inner voice and closed her eyes.
THIRTY-TWO
IT WAS GOING TO BE A GOOD GAME TODAY. NATHAN could feel it. He had the home field advantage, his parents had flown in for the game, and he felt more prepared than he ever had before.
He actually just felt really fucking awesome about life in general. He was stoked for the season to start, the team was healthy and he knew this was going to be a good year for the Sabers, and all that nervousness he felt before the preseason started was gone.
He was confident and he knew he could lead this team.
As he got dressed for the game, he thought about Mia. Something monumental changed between them the other night when they were together. At first he couldn't put his finger on what it was, if he had fed into Mia's mood or what. But it had been intense and emotional and he sure as hell never got emotional about sex.
Until then.
He finally had to come to the realization that he might be in love with Mia.
He considered that further as he finished getting dressed in the locker room, his thoughts drowning out all the chatter going on around him.
Or maybe there was no "might" about it. Because you either were or you weren't in love with a woman.
She frustrated him more times than not. She challenged him, for sure. The sex was amazing. He trusted her like he'd never trusted another woman before. She was his friend. She'd been his friend from the moment they'd met in college. She knew more about him than anyone ever had.
He couldn't imagine not having Mia in his life. In his bed. In his future.
Yeah, he was in love with her. No maybe about it.
He grinned.
"Thinking about the game today?" Jamal asked.
He pulled himself out of his thoughts and turned to face his teammate and friend.
His feelings were new, and he sure as hell wasn't going to talk about them with anyone else until he talked to Mia first. "Yeah. Ready to win this one."
Jamal bumped fists with him. "Hell, yeah."
By the time the team took the field, he'd tucked away thoughts of Mia, but he was happy to know she was at the stadium. As soon as the game was over, he intended to talk to her, so he could tell her how he felt. But for now, he was going to use that knowledge and this sudden feeling of euphoria to fuel the team to victory today.
Kansas City won the coin toss and they deferred, so Nathan and the Sabers had the ball first. After the kickoff, he went out there with his offense. Kansas City had a solid defense this season, so this wasn't going to be a cakewalk for them.
Nathan took the snap from center, rolled back, looked to his left to find no open receivers, so scrambled to his right and hit Randy La Salle, the wide receiver, on a post play for a twelve yard gain.
Great start. The next play was a run, and they gained six yards, giving them a short second down. They used a running play on second down and gained five yards for a first down.
So far, so good. They went for a pass on the next first down, but Kansas City blitzed around their offensive line and Nathan was in trouble. He scrambled and ended up having to throw the ball away.
That was a close call. In the huddle, he talked to his offensive linemen about keeping their heads up and watching for the blitz.
On second down, they ran the ball for three yards, which meant they had a long third down and Nathan would have to pass. Defense would know they were passing and would no doubt blitz again. He'd have to be fast on his feet and get the ball out of his hands in a hurry.
They got in formation, the ball was snapped and Nathan had his eye on his receivers, who were trying to get open. He finally found his tight end up the middle for nine yards and a first down.
He blew out a sigh of relief. Things were going their way, but this wasn't going to be easy.
After several plays, they finally made their way into the red zone on the nine yard line. Nathan dropped back and threw a pass to Jamal, who was wide open in the end zone.
Yes! Touchdown.
Nathan smiled and nodded. That had felt damn good. The entire offense worked hard for that one.
They moved over to the sidelines and Nathan congratulated Jamal for the touchdown, and his offensive line, who had toughed it out against a stellar defense.
He got a drink and talked with his quarterback coach about the series, then focused on watching the Sabers' defense play.
Kansas City's offense was just as good as their defense.
The Sabers' defense was better. They gave Kansas City a good push back on all their plays. They gained no ground and had to punt after two first down series.
<
br /> After that it was the offense's turn again.
Time to turn the heat up and get in the end zone again.
MIA SAT IN THE CLUBHOUSE WITH AMELIA AND WENDY, along with Mick and Tara Riley and several other players' wives, girlfriends and families.
She was stoked to be here, and excited because this game was kicking serious ass. They were deep into the third quarter and the Sabers were up twenty-four to ten. Both offense and defense looked solid today.
Nathan and Flynn were still playing and Mia was on the edge of her seat. Amelia sat on one side of her and Tara on the other. Defense had finished a solid series and Kansas City had just punted the ball, so there was a break in the action. She sat back and took a sip of her drink.
"Are you going to take Sundays off to come to the home games?" she asked Amelia.
Amelia nodded. "Yes. I'll probably go ahead and work when Flynn is on the road and give my assistant chef a chance to take those days off. That way we can swap."
"That's a great idea."
"I do like to be around when Flynn isn't on the road, so we've made the schedule flexible. And my cooks are awesome in that they don't mind working when I need to be off."
"It makes a world of difference to have good people working for you, doesn't it?"
"It does. How's work going for you, by the way?"
"Good days and some not so good days, which is pretty much what I expected when I decided to start up this business. But we've stayed pretty busy, so I'm happy about that."
"Great. I'm so glad to hear it's going well for you. I knew you'd make a success of it, Mia."
"Thanks, Amelia."
"What about you, Tara?" Amelia asked. "I know running an event planning business can't be easy. When Mick was still playing, you had to have events on the weekends."
Tara nodded. "We had several events on Sundays, so I missed a few games. Fortunately, I hired great staff, so on occasion I could shift events to some of my staff and go to a few home games. And Mick understood the nature of my business, so he certainly didn't expect me to be watching or attending every one of his games."
"Of course," Amelia said. "Same here. I do have to work some Sundays, and Flynn knows that. We're businesswomen and our jobs always come first."
"I'm sure you've set Nathan straight about that, haven't you, Mia?" Tara asked.
Mia blinked. "What?"
Tara gave her a knowing smile. "About you not being at his beck and call during game days."
She tried to play dumb. "Why would Nathan care whether I'm at the game or not?"
"Oh, honey, it's just us here. And surely you realize I know how you feel about my son."
A giant mental neon Uh-Oh sign flashed in her head. "Yes. We're friends."
"More than that, we think," Amelia said. "All of us have eyes, Mia."
Had they been that obvious? She thought they'd hid it well.
"Oh. Uh. I didn't know everyone knew."
Amelia shrugged. "I don't know about everyone. But the way you look at each other? To me it's obvious."
Wendy gave her a knowing smile. "We all know, honey."
Tara nodded. "Agreed. There's been a lot more than friendship going on for a while now. No need to hide it. And no need to be afraid I'm going to say anything to anyone."
"Neither will I," Amelia said. "That's between you and Nathan and it's no one's business. Until the two of you are ready to come out in public with your relationship, anyway."
Mia sighed. "Thanks. We've been dating and having a wonderful time with each other. But that's really as far as it's gone. We need to talk to each other about how we feel first. I mean, we know we're dating and in a relationship, but as far as talking about those deeper feelings . . ."
"Oh," Tara said. "So that part hasn't happened yet?"
Mia shook her head. "Not exactly."
"Sometimes it's hard to have that conversation," Wendy said. "When you know you have feelings for each other, but you don't know how to sit down and talk about them."
Mia nodded. "Yes. We haven't gotten there just yet."
Tara patted her hand. "Then we'll just mind our own business."
Mick came over and put his hand on Tara's shoulder. "What are we minding our own business about?"
Tara laughed. "Something that's none of your business."
"I see how it is," Mick said with a grin. "Must be a woman thing."
"Definitely."
Mick slid into the seat next to Tara. "Then let's watch some football."
Fortunately football resumed, which gave Mia a reprieve from talking about her relationship with Nathan. With Nathan's mother, of all people.
She'd had no idea they'd been so obvious about their feelings toward each other. She thought they'd hid the passionate part of their relationship well. Clearly, not so much. Maybe feelings couldn't be hidden.
And if how she felt had been so obvious to those around her, she wondered if Nathan was aware of them as well? She supposed it was time for that long overdue conversation after the game.
She wished she had brought her planner so she could organize her thoughts before she talked to Nathan.
Passion was one thing. Sure, the sex had been great, and maybe the amazing chemistry between them had been what Tara and Amelia had seen. That didn't necessarily mean Nathan felt the same way as she did. Fun and great sex was one thing. Love was something entirely different.
She rubbed her temple, feeling that stress headache bubble to the surface.
Go away. I don't want to deal with you now.
Why did relationships have to be so damn complicated? Her relationship with Nathan had been so much simpler when they'd been just friends.
But, oh, she'd have missed out on the sex.
"Did you see that catch?" Amelia asked as everyone jumped up and clapped.
She stood, too, and clapped, though she'd had no idea what just happened, because she'd been all wrapped up in her thoughts. She mentally shoved all thoughts of Nathan her boyfriend aside to concentrate only on Nathan the quarterback for now.
They watched the rest of the game unfold.
Nathan played well and so did Flynn. The starters were pulled after the third quarter, which meant Mia could relax a little. She got up and wandered around to chat with some of the players' wives and girlfriends, and noshed on some snacks.
"They look good," Wendy said. "Jamal's going to be happy about this game."
Mia nodded. "I think they're all going to be happy heading into the start of the season. The Sabers look strong."
"Which means we all need to celebrate after this game."
Mia grinned. "I'm game for that."
Tara came up to them. "I thought we might all want to meet up at our house after the game. It's close to the stadium, we can whip up some snacks and just chill. Sam's in St. Louis with his grandparents this time so I'd love to have some grown-up time."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Amelia said.
"I'd love to," Wendy said. "And I know Jamal would be thrilled."
"Mia?" Tara asked.
"Absolutely." Her conversation with Nathan could wait. There was no rush.
But she couldn't wait too much longer. She had a lot to tell him.
THIRTY-THREE
MAN, THAT HAD BEEN A GOOD GAME. THE TEAM HAD been firing on all cylinders today. Sure it was still preseason, but Nathan couldn't help but feel like it was a precursor for what was to come.
They still had one preseason game to go, and it was a road game, but he was beginning to sink into his role. And with every game he felt more and more ready to lead the team. He didn't want to be overconfident because that could be the kiss of death, so he knew he had to rein in his enthusiasm. But damn was he ever fired up after today's win.
He took his shower and did his interviews, then headed out of the media center to find his family there. He hugged his dad and his mom.
"What did you think?" he asked his dad.
"You look damn good out there. As goo
d as I ever did."
He knew that statement was just his dad trying to pump up his confidence, but still, it felt great to hear it.
"Thanks. I don't think I'm anywhere near as good as you were, but everything felt right today. Team was overall in good shape on both sides of the ball, don't you think?"
"If I'd been playing I'd have had no complaints, so you're right about that."
"We're all going to the house to eat and celebrate," his mom said after she hugged him.
"Sounds good." Nathan looked over at Mia. "Are you coming?"
"I wouldn't miss it. And you had a great game." She came over to him and hugged him.
When she went to pull away, he held her there with his arm around her. "I'm glad."
Reporters were filtering out through the hallways, and they stopped to get some sound bites from Nathan's dad.
"What did you think of Nathan's play today, Mick?"
His dad looked over at Nathan and smiled. "He looked like a pro quarterback today. He's at ease in the pocket. He hit all his targets. I'd say he knows what he's doing out there. I have every confidence he'll lead the Sabers as well as, or even better than, I ever did."
They took photos and that's when Mia realized Nathan still had his arm around her. She started to ease away but Nathan held firm to her.
"What's the status here, Nathan?" one of the reporters asked, referring to Mia. "Are you and Mia Cassidy dating?"
"Right now? We're hungry. We're all headed out to eat, so I know you won't mind excusing us."
But as they walked away, Mia heard Riley and Cassidy and a couple buzzed about by the reporters. She winced.
She should have tried harder to extricate herself from Nathan's embrace. Now, instead of reporting on Nathan's great performance in the game, all they were going to talk about was the two of them. She could already imagine the headlines tonight and tomorrow.
Dammit.
They all headed down the hall toward the parking lot. Nathan walked her to her car.
"See you at my parents' house?" he asked.
"Yes."
"I want to talk to you tonight." He looked around, then reached down to entwine his fingers with hers. Just his touch was a calming balm to her nerves.
"Yes, me, too."
He inhaled deeply. "I really want to kiss you right now."
"That would be such a bad idea." For so many reasons.
"Would it?"
"You saw the reporters in there, didn't you?"
"I did. So what?"