“Yeah? What? Shit, I will be there in a moment. Lucia, this is not over with yet, not by a long shot.”
I heard his footsteps recede down the hall and sighed in relief, glad that I was able to get him away from the door. I needed to figure all of this out first before I told anyone about the baby. Hell, I didn’t even believe it myself and needed someone official to tell me it was happening, not just take the word of some pee on a few plastic sticks.
But though it was scary as hell, even I had to admit, partially exciting, too. I was potentially going to be a mother, giving my father and Merry their first grandchild. So what if the father was not going to be involved? I could provide for this child, but I couldn’t stay here anymore. It had become abundantly clear that I needed to quit, start new like Cara had said, and move on to something where my skills and help would be appreciated and not belittled.
With the decision made I picked up my phone, scrolled to Cara’s number and texted her, asking if she could meet for lunch. I wanted to see this office space.
The next day Cara and the realtor followed not far behind me as I walked through the quirky rooms of the empty office. Cara was right, the location was fantastic. Set in a converted townhouse, it was a stone’s throw from the ocean but close enough to everything that we would ever need. Plus it had a small parking lot around back for clients.
On the ground floor, the actual working spaces, the offices, were very spacious but still had a good homely feel about them, perfect for therapy sessions. I could imagine my diplomas on the walls and a nice desk in the corner with the picture windows behind me. I knew I could work well in this environment. The whole building gave off a good tranquil vibe, even the apartment upstairs which Cara was eager to show me, was gorgeous.
“Well?” Cara asked as I turned to face them. “What do you think?”
“It’s perfect,” I said, the first real smile on my face in quite a number of days.
“So, what does that mean exactly?” Cara prodded, not quite happy with my elusive answer. “Are you going to come in with me? You know we’ll be great at it. It’s what we always talked about in college.”
“It’s a big step,” I said slowly. “My father is going to hit the roof when he hears I want to leave.” I had such high hopes for that job, but the writing was definitely on the wall. I couldn’t stay. If I did, I was going to have the life sucked out of me with no support from the coaching staff. Twiddling my thumbs was not my idea of trying to make a difference. I wanted to help people.
“Take your dad out of the picture for just a moment, Lucia,” Cara said, putting her hands on her hips. “What do you want to do? What would make you happy?”
I looked around the empty office and thought about it. What would make me happy? The list was short, barely a list at all—this was on it and so was one annoying quarterback. I smiled. “I want this. Let’s do it.”
“Yes!” Cara exclaimed, walking over to hug me. “We are so going to kick ass! I had all kinds of ideas for advertisements, too. Word will spread, Lucia, and they’ll flock to us.”
I grinned at her enthusiasm, hoping that I wouldn’t let her down, too. I also hoped that some of her excitement would rub off on me. Right now I was too preoccupied thinking about the baby growing inside me. My early morning appointment had confirmed that I was indeed up the duff. I hadn’t even told Cara, not yet knowing how I truly felt. She would be totally supportive, that I had no doubt about, but there was still something inside me, an instinct of sorts to just keep the information to myself a little while longer. Like I needed to fully digest what was happening to me. I guessed I had to let it sink in properly before I was ready to hear anyone else’s opinion on the matter.
I would have to come up with some way of breaking the news to Jacob soon, though. That I couldn’t chicken out on. But I did think telling Jacob was probably going to be a lot easier than telling my father. The moment my father found out that a player had defiled his precious daughter, World War Three would start.
“You okay, Luce?” Cara asked, picking up on my quietness. I should’ve been jumping up and down, ecstatic about this new venture, and in a way I was, I just had a hard time showing it right then.
“Yeah, don’t you worry about me, I’m fine. Just nervous, I guess. But we’re in this together, right?”
“Right!” She beamed at me, I loved seeing her happy.
Looking at my watch, I realized it was later than I’d thought. “I have to get to work—figure out how I’m going to quit and tell my father about all this,” I said, looking at Cara. “Just send me the paperwork, okay? And I’ll phone you later so we can start planning.”
“I’m so excited!” she announced, giving me another hug. “This is going to be epic!”
I nodded and walked out of the townhouse, biting my lip as I went. I sure hoped so. Something in my life had to go right.
23
Jacob
She had duped me. That sneaky little… I was impressed nonetheless. There was no one else that would have wanted me to come to the parking lot in such a hurry other than Lucia. After examining my car to ensure that nothing had happened to it, I’d gone over to the security office and found out after some prodding that the call had been anonymous. The security guy couldn’t remember what number or extension it had come in on, so there was no way to find out who’d actually called. But I was ninety-nine percent sure I knew who had done it. And the next time I saw her, I was determined to confront her for real this time. A door wouldn’t get in my way a second time.
A few days later I rounded the corner of the training building to see Lucia standing near the parking entrance by the gate. Her hands flew all about her, gesticulating wildly as she talked with someone in front of her.
God she was gorgeous, even hotter than I remembered, dressed in those prim white dress pants and a blue sleeveless shirt that showed off her toned arms. Despite my disappointment that she’d blabbed our business to her father, I still couldn’t shake the feeling of needing her. So she wanted to play games? Well I was about to ruin her conversation and have a little fun myself.
Walking toward her, my grin slipped as I recognized the man she was arguing with. A scumbag I knew all too well. My pace quickened.
“You are not welcome here,” Lucia was saying as I approached, her face red with anger. “I think you have done enough damage in his life, and he does not need someone like you harassing him.”
“I don’t know who you think you are, bitch,” Marshall replied, stepping closer to Lucia, a menacing look in his eye. I broke into a run; I’d seen that look too many times. I knew what came next. “But I don’t take too kindly to people telling me what to do, especially a woman.”
Before the worst could happen I was between them.
“I told you to leave me the hell alone,” I said and spotted the look of surprise on Lucia’s face. “Get out before I call security.”
My father edged closer to me. My words seemingly had no effect—but I knew that already. The only thing Marshall understood was violence. Lucia chose that moment to reinsert herself, angering him even further.
“Just leave! you’re not wanted here,” she said firmly. God, she had balls, and it made me love her even more.
But before I could stop him—too distracted admiring her strength—he pushed her away. She stumbled back, her heels giving way, and she fell over the curb, landing in the cut grass.
Immediately, I saw red and launched myself at him, knocking him to the ground hard, letting my fists do the talking. They planted themselves, blow after blow, into his leering face. His knee connected with my midsection, and the wind was momentarily knocked out of me, giving him the upper hand in the fight. I felt the sting of his punch as he connected with my cheek.
“You bastard,” he seethed, spit flying out of his mouth as I tried to block his punch. “You think you are the big man now? Huh? You’re not. You’ve never been nothing but a two-bit has-been and always will be.”
The long buried rage that I’d managed to keep under control throughout all the years of abuse, violence and name-calling finally erupted. It burst through the surface as if a pressure valve had been released, and I flipped him. My fists pummeled his head and face.
Flesh tore and bones crunched as my onslaught raged. I couldn’t make myself stop. “This is for all those times you said I wasn’t good enough! This is for every beating you gave me for dropping the ball, for losing a game! This is for the hell you put me through as a child, you worthless piece of shit!” I shouted, the words coming out alongside heavy breaths. “And this,” I said winding my arm back high, “is for daring to touch something that is mine!”
“Jacob! Stop it!” I felt the pull of someone on my shoulders and shrugged it off, wanting to kill the man under me. Another arm grabbed me, and I was dragged away from the bloodied man. My arms were pinned behind me, secured by faceless men I couldn’t see because my sights were set on my target a few yards away. Marshall scrambled away and I launched at him again, but it was no use. I was hauled back by men a lot stronger than me. Terrence’s worried face came into my view, trying to pull my focus to him. “Hey, dude, it’s me. You need to breathe. Calm down, okay?”
“I’m gonna kill him,” I forced out, spitting blood onto the pavement and struggling against the men holding me. “Let me go!”
“Dude, you ain’t going nowhere. Trey and Eddie won’t let that happen,” he said.
Behind me a voice added, “Too right I won’t. Keep still… don’t make me sit on you. You won’t like that one bit.” I recognized Trey’s deep baritone and did as he asked for fear he’d made good on his promise to squash me like a bug if I didn’t stop struggling.
Lucia hovered into view. “Please, Jacob,” she begged, “he’s not worth it.”
I drew in a painful breath, my eyes focusing on her gorgeous face. Just looking at her soothed me, but panic soon filtered through as I remembered Marshall pushing her to the ground. “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“I-I’m fine,” she said with a small smile. “I’m fine, and you will be, as well.”
“Guys, you can let go now, I’m okay. I promise I won’t do anything.”
After a moment, Terrence nodded to Trey and Eddie behind me, and their hands finally fell away, releasing me. I looked around. Half the team had spilled out of the locker room, all of them giving me wary looks. The press, along with their cameras—ready for an open practice day—were also there, still on the other side of the gate but close enough to have witnessed at least some of the fight.
“Maddox!” Coach barked as he came over. I was expecting to see anger evident on his face, but there was only concern. “Showers. Now. Go cool off!” I started to open my mouth, but he shook his head and looked at Lucia. “Get him the hell out of here, Lucia. This is going to be a shit-storm like no other.”
“Come on, Jacob,” she whispered, laying her hand on my arm. I looked down, seeing the reddened scratches from where she had fallen on her forearm, and I growled, wanting to start round two with the person who called himself my father. He had hurt her, and it was my fault.
She sensed my anger building, and for a second she squeezed my arm, forcing me to look into her eyes. “Please, let’s go. Don’t let him get the best of you, Jacob.”
I took in another breath and nodded. The rush of adrenaline was starting to fade away, only to be replaced with the small beginnings of pain from where he’d hit me. It was a familiar pain, one that I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was different to the hits I’d experienced on the field; these were full of malice and hatred. And it felt like they hit me harder, like they didn’t just wound me physically.
Lucia gave me a small smile, and together we walked into the locker room. She steered me toward the showers and entered the room, pushing the door closed behind her. “Come on,” she said as she locked the door and stepped forward. “Let’s get you cleaned up first.”
“I’m so damn sorry, Lucia, for everything,” I forced out as she reached for the hem of my jersey. She bit her lip, her fingers mere inches away from the skin on my hip. “Shh, let’s talk about it in a little while, okay?”
I surrendered to her, allowing her to pull the shirt over my head. “You are going to be so sore tomorrow,” she said absently, touching the middle of my abdomen with her gentle fingers. I grimaced as she touched the tender spot, feeling my own desire rise at her soft touch. God, I needed her so badly it hurt. I was in pain in more ways than one.
She stepped aside and turned on the water. The steady stream of the hot spray splashed on the tiles, and she looked back at me. I couldn’t stand the look of pity in her eyes and forced my shorts down over my hips, stepping angrily out of my shoes. I had done it again. I had allowed my personal business to interfere with my profession. I would be lucky to still have a spot on the team after all this went down! When was my life ever going to be damn normal?
Stepping under the water, I was fully aware of Lucia watching my every move, as if I might to lose it at any moment, but having her there kept me on a relative even keel. The hot water scalded my scrapes and the bruises that had begun to form, and I welcomed the dull, throbbing pain. I deserved to hurt after what I’d done. Embarrassing myself in front of her and practically the entire team. Not to mention the rest of the world, if the press had their way.
When her hands touched my back, I shivered. I felt dirty, worthless—I wasn’t the man for her. She was a therapist, successful and gorgeous, for Christ’s sake, and I was, well, I was a fucking screw-up. Always had been, always will be, just like the man had said. He’d said it all my life; it was a wonder I was only realizing it now. Her arms encircled my waist, and I held my breath, the steam of the water starting to fog up around us.
“It’s not your fault,” she said softly, kissing the middle of my back. “Everything will be okay, Jacob.”
I turned around quickly and pulled her against me, feeling her wet, naked body against mine. My cock jumped to attention. I hadn’t heard or noticed her getting undressed, but here she was, bare before me again. Wanting me. Perhaps I wasn’t so worthless after all.
“Can we save the therapy session for later?” I asked, bending my head. “I need something else.”
She nodded and I captured her lips with mine, taking no prisoners as I plundered her mouth with my tongue. Her hands gripped my back tightly as I cupped her bare ass and walked us both back to the half wall that separated the stalls, forcing her to sit on it. I tore myself from the kiss and rested my forehead against hers. Our breathing was harsh and echoed all around us. “You’re everything that’s good in my life, you know that?” I said, gripping her hips. “I need you like I need the air I breathe, and I am going to have you. Hard and without any regret. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes, I need you, too,” she panted, wrapping her long legs around my waist. She was taking a huge risk being in here, let alone being naked in here and wanting me to fuck her, but I wasn’t going to think about that now. I growled and pulled her to me, pushing into her wet entrance with one deep thrust. She gasped, and I held still, allowing her to adjust to my length before I started to move rapidly within her.
I hadn’t been bluffing. I took her like the world was ending and we had only seconds to live. Our bodies crashed together, each taking what we needed from each other without mercy.
Her fingernails raked my back, pleasurably digging into my skin. The tang of her natural scent rising from her sex made my head dizzy as I dipped my head lower, down to her breasts. She tasted sweet, better than I remembered. A vague hint of vanilla and salt coated my tongue as I licked and nibbled my way around the swollen nub. Her legs clamped around me harder, and she threw her head back. Seeing her exposed like that, her torso stretched out and her tits circling upon her chest, made me pound into her harder.
She let out a cry that mingled with the word yes, which only made me go faster.
As the first orgasm overcame her, her throaty m
oans bounced and clashed off the tiles of the room so that it almost sounded like there was a whole orgy going on in there. Thrusting faster, I took all of her weight, held onto the cheeks of her bum, swung her body away and then back towards me over and over again, my cock sliding roughly in and out of her delicious, tight cunt. All the frustration of the days and weeks without her melted away with every passing second that I was buried within her. But it would be over too soon.
As she bit her lip, the walls of her pussy clenching furiously around my shaft, a sign that she was on the brink of another orgasm, I slipped the tip of my finger slowly into her virgin ass. Her eyes grew wide, momentarily shocked, but then her mouth dropped open and out came a euphoric moan. The sound of her enjoying herself was the biggest turn on ever. I felt the hot rush of her juices coating the head of my cock, and I came hard and fast, shouting as I poured into her, unleashing everything I had.
24
Lucia
I’d just had sex in the team shower. That had to be a first for a lot of people, though I was sure many cheerleaders had seen the inside of the room. It had also been the first time anyone had ever done that to me, too. I blushed as I remembered, but God, did it feel good. I was experiencing a lot of firsts today, I thought.
Jacob was still gripping my hips tightly, as I too was still clinging to him, my arms around his neck. The intensity of his stare as we recovered in each other’s embrace was like nothing I’d experienced before. I wanted to tell him everything that I was feeling right then but was too scared to even form the words, too scared to break the perfect moment.
My legs started to ache, and I thought I would no doubt be feeling the burn of our workout for some days to come. But for some reason, I couldn’t find the bad in it. The look on Jacob’s face as he had stood under the shower had almost broken my heart, and before my conscience could kick in, I had stripped off my clothes (again—seriously, what was it about Jacob Maddox that made me want to get naked all the time?) and gone in to comfort him.
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