Intended for Bristol

by L. P. Dover

  “I feel the same way. I was about to call you when you beat me to it.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  Nodding, I clutched his hand and squeezed before pulling away. “I wanted to bring you these. I hope you don’t mind, but I thought you might like it.” I carefully took off the blanket and situated each framed drawing against the wall. When I stepped out of the way, his eyes widened. He bent down and picked one up, the smile on his face the one I was hoping to see. “What do you think?” I inquired nervously.

  He glanced at me and then back to his drawing. “I fucking love it. Where did you get the frames?”

  “I had them made for you. I thought they’d go perfectly with your drawings. Maybe you could hang them in one of your rooms,” I suggested.

  He shook his head and my heart sank, but then he looked at me and smiled. “They’re going out here. That way when everyone walks through the door they’ll see them.”

  “You don’t have to do that on my account, Jack.”

  Setting the picture down, he grabbed my face in his hands. “I’m not. I love that you did this for me.”

  “You have a talent and people should see it. The next step is to get those designs out and make history.”

  He lowered his lips to mine, just a gentle touch. “Why do you believe in me?”

  “Because,” I murmured, kissing him back, “I can see the passion in your eyes. Not many people have that look.”

  His gaze never wavered and I couldn’t help but shiver, especially when he pressed his body to mine. “It’s all because of you, Bristol. What you see is because of you.”

  My chest felt like it was going to explode and I sucked in a breath. He started to speak again, but I pressed a finger to his lips. “I was hoping you’d say something like that.” I didn’t want to think of my actions or what was going to happen afterward. What I wanted was the moment, and the belief that what was happening between us was real. Our connection was strong; I could feel it in my blood. I wanted to embrace it, to stop running away for fear that he was going to hurt me.

  I pressed my lips firmly to his and deepened the kiss. Jack groaned and went along with it, but then he pulled away, his eyes raw and heated. “What are you doing?”

  “I want this, Jack. I want you. Please,” I moaned, kissing him again. “Make love to me.”

  His fingers dug into my hips, pressing me against the hardness between his legs. “You don’t want me, Bristol. I’m not the kind of guy you need.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that,” I said, unbuttoning my shirt. He stared at my fingers as each button I undid exposed a new area of bare skin beneath. Jack closed his eyes and released a shaky breath. When he opened them, a wildness had taken over and I trembled.

  “Fuck,” he growled, ripping my shirt the rest of the way off. Whirling me around, he pushed me against the wall and kissed me hard. His hands reached around my back and my bra instantly fell to the floor. When his lips wrapped around a nipple, I thought I was going to explode right there. Everything inside me tightened and I cried out.

  His mouth trailed up my breasts to my neck, leaving chill bumps in their wake. “Where do you want to do this?” he murmured low. His teeth nipped the tender flesh behind my ear and I moaned.

  “Your room,” I pleaded.

  Lifting me in his arms, he carried me up the stairs and into a room that smelled exactly like him. The light was dim, but I could see that his domain was completely different from the downstairs. Parts of his walls were a dark blue, while the others were brown. It had a completely different feel than the downstairs with all the black. I was starting to believe I had him pegged all wrong.

  He laid me down on the bed and smiled. “Not what you were expecting?” he asked, his voice low and seductive.

  I shook my head. “No, but I love it. It suits you.”

  Standing up, he took off his shirt, pants, and underwear and then climbed back on the bed beside me, naked and so irresistibly hard I couldn’t wait to touch him. I wrapped my hand around his length, and he sucked in a breath when I gripped it tight. He fumbled with the button on my pants and slid a finger inside me, and then another. I was about to come when he stopped and placed his fingers in his mouth.

  “Fuck, you taste good. Are you sure this is what you want?”

  “Yes,” I murmured. “I’m ready.” I slid my pants down, taking my panties with them, and he pulled them the rest of the way off. He kissed his way up my thigh and spread me wide, his cock pressing into my opening.

  Leaning down, he kissed my breasts and pressed his weight against me. “Are you protected, or do I…”

  Before he could finish, I bit his lip and smiled. “We’re good—I’m on the pill.”

  He growled deep in his chest and pushed his way inside, inch by glorious inch. It hurt at first, but it was a delicious ache. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I thrust my hips against his, hoping to alleviate the ache inside my core. Jack’s mouth was everywhere, little nips here and there that absolutely drove me insane.

  “I’m so close,” I cried.

  His grip tightened. “So am I.”

  He grunted a few more times, his thrusts deep and hard. It took only a couple of seconds of that to drive me over the edge. Digging my nails in his back, I screamed out my release as he came inside me, his cock pulsating and sending tremors through every fiber of my being.

  Jack gazed down at me and brushed the dampened hair off my forehead. “How was that, love?”

  If my smile wasn’t answer enough, I didn’t know what was. “Incredible,” I gushed.

  He kissed me softly and gently entwined his tongue with mine. His cock was still inside me, but I could feel it hardening again. After he broke the kiss, he said, “Stay with me. I’m not ready to let you go.”

  I was hoping he never would.

  —

  “Rise and shine,” Jack whispered in my ear.

  His arms were so warm, I didn’t want to leave their confines. “What time is it?”

  “Six o’clock, love. I knew you didn’t have a change of clothes, so I figured you’d have to head home and get ready for work.”

  Groaning, I turned around in his arms and faced him. “I don’t want to go to work. I want to stay right here.”

  He pushed his length against my thigh. “Trust me, I want you to stay as well. But we’ll see each other tonight, right? Are you still cooking?”

  “Yep. I’ll call you when I get off work so you can head over.”

  His lips brushed against mine, but then his smile slowly faded. It was the same look he gave me last night when I first walked in. “Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”

  Releasing a sigh, I glanced around his room. “Your room is very laid back. Did you pick out the colors?”

  He nodded. “I guess you were expecting black?”

  “Kind of,” I laughed. “These colors make you feel comfortable. The room has more of a home-like feel to it. It doesn’t scream seduction like the rooms downstairs.”

  His expression turned serious. “That’s because it wasn’t meant to. No other female has been in this room or on my bed. You were the first.”

  My mouth dropped open. Was he serious? “How is that possible?”

  “Simple. I’ve never felt comfortable having just anyone in my private space…not until you.” I stared into his eyes, but he didn’t waver. Usually you could tell when someone was lying because the person’s attention would drift, but his gaze stood firm.

  “Have you not ever been in love?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No, but then again, I’m not sure I know what that feels like. Something tells me I’m getting close to it.”

  “I think I know what you mean.” I waited for him to say more, but we just lay there and gazed at each other as time kept ticking by. If I didn’t leave soon, I’d be late for work. “I should probably go,” I murmured sadly.

  I got out of bed and threw on my clothes, but Jack got out and followed me to the door, butt naked.
“Your neighbors might see you,” I said.

  He waved me off. “They’re too far away to see what goes on over here. You should see me when I get in my hot tub. Maybe next time you can join me,” he mentioned with a wink.

  “It’s a date then.”

  Taking my chin, he tilted it up so he could kiss me. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  Opening the door, I walked out and waved at him before getting in my car. Fortunately, he shut the door before anyone could see him. My phone beeped and I just realized I had left it in my car all night. There were six missed calls from my brother and a gazillion text messages.

  Hurrying down the road, I called him back, knowing he was going to be out of his mind with worry. He picked up the phone and I could hear the concern in his voice. “Thank fucking God it’s you. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. I’m on my way home to get ready for work.”

  “On your way home? Where have you been?”

  I cleared my throat. “Over at a friend’s house.”

  He let out a loud sigh. “Does this friend happen to be a guy?”

  I giggled. “Maybe. I think you’ll like him.”

  “When do I get to meet him?”

  “Hopefully soon. He has to go out of town this weekend to see his mother. She’s dying of cancer and doesn’t have long to live.”

  “Fuck, that sucks. I can’t imagine what that feels like.” I would probably go insane if I ever lost my mother. We weren’t as close as we used to be, but she was still my rock besides Ryan.

  “Me either. But I’m sorry I didn’t answer your calls. I had left my phone in the car. I promise it won’t happen again. I bet you were freaking out, huh?”

  He huffed. “Just a little. I wanted to remind you that I’ll be out of town this weekend for the game. Do you want to come with me?”

  “I wish I could, Ry, but I already have appointments set up. Maybe I can go to the next one?”

  “Sounds good, but if you try to back out, I’m dragging your ass there. Maybe it’ll keep me from killing this bastard on my team.”

  “Uh-oh. Do I even want to know?”

  “It’s a long story, but there’s a guy on the team that’s a real dirtbag. I was talking to one of our wide receivers, Evan Townsend, and he told me some fucked-up shit. I don’t even see why he’s friends with that guy after what he did to him.”

  “What did he do?” I asked.

  “He tried to steal his girl by making her think Evan was cheating on her. He had one of the cheerleaders sneak into Evan’s home and get into bed with him when he was drunk one night. She even planted a used condom in his trash to make him think it happened.”

  I hurried into my condo and turned on the lights. “Wow, that’s messed up. How did Evan’s girlfriend find out it was a setup?”

  “Evan’s best friend was there and stopped it all. I’m just waiting for this guy to do something fucked up to me. It’s a good thing I don’t have a girlfriend.”

  I scoffed. “Exactly. Damn, Ry, I didn’t realize it was this bad. It kills me to know you have to put up with that mess.”

  “It’s okay, Bris. I probably haven’t helped matters by hanging out with McCarthy. The other guys don’t seem to like him much either.”

  “Then I suggest you get away from him. You don’t want the others to think you’re like him.”

  “No, but it might be too late.”

  “It’s never too late. All you have to do is try.” We said our goodbyes.

  As soon as I reached my building, I raced inside to the elevators. There were people leaving already to head to work, and here I was with wrinkled clothes and my hair in a mess. It was embarrassing, especially with all the stares.

  I rushed into the shower. I hated that Ryan was having so many problems with the team. I was glad he was with me in North Carolina, but I didn’t want him miserable. Hopefully, he’d find his place on the team.

  I had thirty minutes to shower and get dressed before I needed to leave for work. And then, in just a few short hours I’d be with Jack again.

  Chapter 13

  Jaxon

  I was fucked. There had been plenty of chances to tell Bristol the truth, but I was too selfish to say anything. I didn’t want to give up what we had just yet. I needed time, but I was afraid there wasn’t going to be much of it. There was no doubt she’d eventually tell her brother about the new man in her life, and my name was most certainly going to come up.

  “Have you noticed anything different with Delaney?” Aaron asked, his voice low.

  I peered over at him and watched him take off his gear. McCarthy tried to talk to him, but Delaney didn’t pay him any attention. “Maybe he’s tired of Dickhead’s bullshit,” I said.

  He shrugged. “Could be, but I think he’s trying to find a way into our group. Might not be bad having him join us.”

  I scoffed. “If you only knew.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Before I could answer, Derek and Evan joined us. “You guys want to meet at the tavern tonight? It’s time for a celebration,” Derek exclaimed, holding his fist out to Aaron.

  Aaron fist-bumped him. “Hell yeah, I’ll be there. Congrats on the baby.”

  “Thanks, Grainger,” he said before turning to me. “What about you?”

  “I wish I could, D, but I have plans. Rain check?”

  He shook my hand, but studied me with narrowed eyes. “Sounds good, man.” He moved closer and lowered his voice. “Did you tell you-know-who the truth?”

  Clenching my teeth, I closed my eyes. “Not yet. I wanted to do it last night, but then things got a little…hard.”

  “Literally?” he asked.

  Huffing, I opened my eyes. “I’m going to tell her tonight. I shouldn’t have let it go so far, but I couldn’t stop myself. She’s so different from anyone I know.”

  Derek sighed. “You have no choice, Reed. She has to know the truth if you have any hopes of making it work with her.”

  “I know,” I grumbled, shoving my sweaty clothes into my bag.

  Time was slipping away, and I didn’t have long before she was expecting me for dinner. I wanted to see her smiling face and taste every inch of her as I made love to her. Making love was something I never did, but with Bristol, I couldn’t stop myself. She wasn’t just a simple hit-it-and-quit-it type of girl. She was the kind of woman you get a taste of and you can’t get enough. I was fucked, pure and simple. There was no way she’d ever trust me after all the lies.

  Derek patted my shoulder. “Good luck, brother. I’ll see you in the morning at the airport.”

  Nodding, I shook his hand and left. When I got out to my car, the rain had started to fall hard. The whole day it had been off and on, but now I could barely see the road as I drove to Bristol’s house. I hoped it wasn’t a sign of how fucked my night was going to go. My phone beeped and once I came to a stoplight, I glanced down at it.

  Bristol: Be safe. It’s raining hard out there.

  Just seeing those words made everything worse. I didn’t want to feel anything for her and I sure as hell couldn’t stand the way I hated myself right now. Why couldn’t I go back to being the inconsiderate dick who didn’t give a shit about anyone? I blamed it all on Derek and Hayden, especially Hayden for her incessant unwillingness to see me as the prick I was. Being around good people had an effect on me, and I was beginning to believe I was better off just being the ass everyone hated. I never had to worry about caring or feeling the way I did now, knowing I was about to lose the only girl I ever gave a shit about. The bad thing was that I barely knew Bristol, yet I wanted to know more about her, craved it even. I guess the old saying was true…we all wanted what we couldn’t have. Bristol was never in my reach to begin with. She was too good for me.

  Bristol’s condo wasn’t far from the training facility, so it didn’t take long to get there. The rain was still coming down hard, and overhead, thunder rumbled. The wind was so bad that it blew the rain into the par
king garage, soaking my clothes as I waited for the elevator. Once inside, I rode it up to the lobby since I couldn’t go any further. When I first moved to North Carolina, I spent many days walking around downtown Charlotte, learning all the different ways the buildings were connected. You could basically walk through every major high-rise building without having to venture outside.

  Once I was inside her building, I could see there was a security guard at the desk, which blocked the entrance to the elevators. I walked right up to him and pulled out my license. Before I could set it on the counter, he waved me by with a smile on his face. “I already know who you are, Mr. Reed. You can go on up.” I strolled by and pressed the button for the elevators. “Oh, and good game last weekend. Your field goals are always perfect,” he added.

  “Thanks,” I said with a smile. It was a good thing Bristol wasn’t with me or the truth would have been spilled. When I got to her floor, I found her number and knocked on her door. When she opened it, I couldn’t help but lose my breath. She was dressed in a skintight tank top and jeans, something I’d had yet to see her in. Every time I’d seen her she was wearing business attire, very modern and professional. The woman in front of me had me completely blown away.

  “You look beautiful,” I murmured low.

  Grinning wide, she grabbed my hand and pulled me inside, but not before wrapping her arms around my neck. Her lips closed over mine and I held her to me, not wanting to let her go. She tasted and smelled like strawberries, the scent of her making me groan.

  “I see you must’ve gotten into the dessert,” I said, nodding toward the bowl of strawberries and pound cake that was on the kitchen counter.

  Glancing around her condo, I could see her style everywhere; it was bright, just like her. Pictures of her family adorned the fireplace mantel, and the cream leather couch and chair were covered in various brown and burgundy pillows. There was also a tree in the corner, lit up with sparkling lights.

  Giggling, she let me go. “Only the strawberries. I had to test them out with the heavy cream I just whipped up. I haven’t made a pound cake in years, but I figured we’d be burning off the calories tonight anyway.” She winked and bounced back into the kitchen. “We’re also having spaghetti and salad.”