by Kim Karr
She reached for me, but as soon as she touched me, I jerked back and looked around. “Lucas, he thought it was funny. Stop worrying about it.”
It wasn’t that easy. “Seriously,” I sighed, “I need to pay more attention and shut my big mouth.”
“Or find something else to do with it,” she joked.
I turned my gaze back on her, and I saw the blaze in her eyes.
“Gillian,” I warned.
“What?” She batted her long lashes innocently.
I took another sip of water. “Stop looking at me that way.”
Her head tilted to the side. “What way is that, Lucas?”
Despite where we were, I took a step closer and whispered, “The one that screams you want to introduce me to your father, as your boyfriend.”
She narrowed her gaze at me. “That is so not one of my looks.”
The music started up again and the field was getting louder. “Are you sure?” I whispered.
She frowned at me. “Yes, I’m sure. In fact,” she bit out, “I’ve never introduced anyone to my father as my boyfriend. Therefore, I couldn’t possibly have a look like that. And not that it matters, but if I wanted to introduce you that way, he might be fine with it. I think he likes you.”
“Yeah, he picked me, to play for him, not with you, remember?”
Her gaze grew piercing. “I know that, smartass I meant he likes you as a person, not just a player.”
I shook my head. “What gave you that idea—the way he glared at me when I looked at you, or the way he all but told me to get lost in your presence? It was so obvious he didn’t want me anywhere near you.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Yes, Gillian, it was.”
She bit her lip. “Well, he laughed at you. That’s something.”
“Yeah, he laughed at me.”
“He never laughs at anyone but me.”
“Gillian,” I said, making sure she was looking at me, “this thing between us ends when you leave because it has to, for both of us, remember? And your father will never know. He can’t know.”
She was silent for a moment. “Yes, I remember what we discussed, but you don’t have to be such an asshole about it,” she scowled, irritation clear in her voice. And then she turned, and using her key, opened the door behind her. She walked inside the old locker room that was no longer used, leaving me right where I stood without so much as a goodbye.
Furious, I grabbed the door before it closed on my face, but didn’t go in, not right away, anyway. Instead I stood stunned in the doorway and tried to figure out what the hell had just happened.
Days ago she’d said she was onboard with our agreement. Now, I wasn’t so sure she was.
Then again, I wasn’t sure I was either.
END ZONE
Gillian
HE HAD A million dollar smile.
When that full on, teeth-flashing grin was directed at you, there was no way to stop your knees from buckling or your heart from pounding out of your chest. But he could also turn that charm off in the blink of an eye, and make your heart stop in an instant.
I hated the emotions he was evoking in me. I didn’t like the mood swings. I wasn’t like him. I didn’t know how to turn it on and turn it off just because—
Every thought I had vanished as soon as I opened the stall door in the women’s old locker room because Lucas was standing right across from me.
Waiting for me.
With his hands in his pockets, he was leaning one shoulder against the wall of the beat up purple lockers and his head was down.
The moment I stepped into his line of sight, his gaze lifted and found mine, and although I really hated that it did, heat spread through me like a wildfire in my veins. “Lucas,” I said, surprised.
How did he get in here?
His jaw bulged and anger glinted in his blue eyes. “What are you so fucking pissed about?”
I took three steps closer to him and stopped just before the battered wooden bench that separated us. This locker room facility wasn’t used anymore, except for storage, and I had been given the key in case I needed to replenish any of the merchandise that was stocked in here for fan day. “What am I so pissed about?”
Confusion wrinkled his brow. “Yeah, that’s what I asked.”
I surged forward and practically jumped over the bench to waggle my finger at him. “Because you’re callous and uncaring, Lucas Carrington.”
“What?” he bit out.
I pressed my finger into his chest. “You don’t think I don’t know what we agreed upon? Well, here’s a newsflash, buddy, I do! You don’t think I know you have a lot at stake? Well, again, guess what buddy, stop the presses, I do! But for you to stand out there and make me feel like some bimbo who’s trying to make herself your girlfriend, now that, that—I can’t even talk to you right now I’m so mad.”
One minute he looked completely startled by my vehemence, and then the next minute he was throwing his head back in laughter, which only served to piss me off even more.
I gaped at him. “This isn’t funny.”
With his shoulders still shaking, he said, “I know, but you’re so adorable when you’re pissed off.”
“What. The. Hell. Lucas?!”
Now he was the one gaping. “Shit, you look a lot like your father when you do that.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes. I considered laughing because I knew I probably did just do the Do-You-Not-Understand-English? thing my dad does all the time. I also considered bolting. Just leaving him here to contemplate his rude behavior all by himself.
But then his mouth was on mine in a deep punishing kiss, and it ignited the hunger I had for him that seemed to be incapable of ever being satisfied lately.
As our kiss intensified, I noticed it seemed to be different than any other. It was all consuming. Devouring. Passionate. Like he didn’t just want me, he needed me.
Oh my God. He was going to fuck me right now. Here!
“Gillian, I’m sorry,” he breathed, pausing his lips for only the short time it took to speak. “I wasn’t trying to be a dick. I would never intentionally hurt you. I just needed to make sure we were on the same page . . . for the both of us.”
Of course I knew this.
I knew him.
I did.
“I know,” I said, nipping at his lip and pressing my body against his. “It’s just really hard to hear, and I don’t want to talk about it anymore, okay?”
“Yeah.” It came out of his mouth as a breathless whisper, but I heard it.
The whole Romeo and Juliet, star-crossed lovers thing was unbearable, and I hated to think about this thing between us ending, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew it had to.
Lucas surged the two of us forward. I should have been worried we would get caught together, but I knew the door was locked, and I knew only a few people had the key. Not that any of that mattered because no one ever came in here.
Besides, he moved so fast that he had me down on the bench tugging down my panties before I had time to react. To tell him I was still mad at him. To tell him this wasn’t a good idea.
I was about to speak up, but then his mouth found my breast, and through the thin fabric of my top he tugged and sucked on my nipple with his lips. After that, I was completely lost to him. His mouth moved up my neck as he yanked his football pants down, freeing his raging erection.
Flutters rose deep in my belly at the sight. Oh God, he was so hard.
There was something savage in his features. He moved fast, spreading my legs wide and positioning himself at my entrance in mere seconds. I was unable to help him in any way because I was too busy holding onto the bench for stability. This was going to be over so quickly, but then all of a sudden he froze.
An uncontrollable shiver worked its way up my spine. “What?” I asked in alarm.
He stared down at me with grave intensity. “I don’t have anything,” he breathed.
A long silence fi
lled what was left of the space between us while I considered this. “I don’t care,” I finally breathed back, more than breathless. “I’m on the pill and I know you’re clean, I’ve seen your record.”
Those blue eyes glittered. “You’ve looked at my medical record?”
I gave him a no dah look. “Yes, of course.”
With a shake of his head, he said nothing more.
It wasn’t like it was a HIPAA violation; I was a trainer and had automatic access to the players’ medical records. I had to look, for his shoulder injury, but I didn’t want to explain that now. Later would be just fine.
The blunt head of his cock pressed against my opening. He pushed, forcing his way inside. As soon as I pushed back, he shuddered. His expression in that moment took my breath away. It was so very masculine and so filled with undeniable pleasure. And I was doing this to him. Me.
A soft moan rose in the air and I knew it was from me but I was helpless to silence myself.
“Touch yourself,” he said in a strained voice. “Use your fingers, Gillian. It will make it easier for me to take you all the way.”
I reached down, sliding my fingers over my clit. God, it felt so good.
“That’s it,” he growled. “You’re getting so wet. Fuck, so wet. Keep touching yourself. Don’t stop.”
He pressed halfway in and then thrust forward, forcing himself the rest of the way in. I nearly came off the bench and a cry lodged in my throat. I took my hand away then because I was going to come before he even got started.
This was down and dirty. A quick fuck in the locker room that we never should have been in. Things were getting out of control. We were getting out of control. Lucas fucked me so fast and hard that I was nearly gasping for air.
Each time he withdrew and thrust back into me, my body shook, and so did his. I wrapped one arm around his neck to keep me on the bench, but I knew he wouldn’t let me fall. His hands were everywhere, all over my body, keeping me right where I needed to be.
His mouth met mine in a heated clash that left me gasping for breath. Then he hoisted me up, and in one swift movement, he turned and pressed me against the lockers. “Wrap your legs around me,” he growled.
The fierce command had my belly clenching and butterflies took flight in my chest. As soon as I hooked my ankles at the small of his back, he plunged again, deeper, so much deeper. His hands held onto me as he pounded into me with so much strength and ferocity, my body felt like it had started to coil into a tight knot.
When he made a noise that was so erotically charged, he looked down at me. “I’m close, fuck, I’m so close.”
I’d gotten so caught up in my thoughts I wasn’t quite there yet, so I started circling the taut bundle of nerves between my legs again. This time faster, harder, and God, I was there. I was so there. “Oh God, oh God,” I chanted as I hurdled over the edge, exploding around his cock in an earth-shattering rush that had my ears roaring.
This was us. Who we were together. It was raw, fierce, explosive, and it would never be allowed to last.
Exertion showed on his face as he came inside me, his cum leaking from my pussy.
Marking me.
For a long moment he stood there with his eyes closed and his chest heaving from exertion. When he opened those baby blues, he looked down between us. “Jesus, Gillian, I don’t know what’s happening. I can’t control myself around you.”
Feeling the same way, I looked down too. My thighs were shaking and my entire body was still quaking from the force in which he’d taken me. “It’s not like it’s a hardship or anything,” I joked.
His grin broadened. “Good to know.”
Despite knowing I should, I didn’t want to move. I wanted to stay like this. Just him and me, but I knew I couldn’t. I got to my feet and when I did, his semen dripped down my legs. Unsteady, I gained my footing and then looked into his blue eyes once again.
With an amused grin, he tugged me to him for a kiss that left us both breathless. When he pulled back, he said, “I’ll go first. Wait a few minutes before you follow and let me get lost in the crowd.”
I reached up to kiss his jaw. “You’re good at this.”
“Not really,” he said, disentangling himself from me as he spoke.
Right then the door opened and closed. We were hidden behind a block of lockers, but still I jumped away from him, pushing my skirt down into place as I did. He grabbed my panties from the floor and yanked his pants up. Tucking my panties in his waistband, he motioned toward the stall. He was just about to lunge for it when the door opened and closed again. Whoever it was had left.
It was in that thirty seconds of terror that we both knew if we didn’t do a better job of watching ourselves, we were going to get caught.
In hindsight, maybe that was what we both wanted.
To out ourselves to the world.
EXTRA POINT
Lucas
AND THAT MADE fifty-three.
The final round of cuts had come. Four weeks into training camp, and our team was finally assembled. Walton had been cut on Fan Day, along with five other players. The rest were notified this morning.
Those of us in this room were the new Chicago Bears. No one would ever know just how worn out and tired we were because of the energy buzzing all around us.
Coach was telling us to quiet down, and once we had, he smiled. “Trace Wentworth, front and center,” he ordered.
It was the end of the day team meeting, and not a single player was considering this assembly one of the grind because after it was over, we were off—for the night. The entire night. A Friday night besides, and the guys were raring to go.
And so was I.
This would be only our second day off since arriving, and the clock couldn’t tick by fast enough for any of us.
“Who are you?” Coach screamed as Thor took the podium.
“Trace Wentworth.”
“No! Who are you?”
“Thor,” he bellowed into the microphone. The room exploded as testosterone blazed and adrenaline soared.
Let the hazing begin.
“Tell the team how you got the nick name, Thor.” Out of all people, Coach was adopting the standard rookie hazing.
I couldn’t fucking believe it.
And who knew there was a story behind Thor’s nickname. Here I thought people called him that because he looked like Chris Hemsworth with his chin length blonde hair. Maybe it was because he had a fetish for hammers, instead.
I couldn’t wait to hear this.
Here was the thing, he either told the story or he was going to get his body shaved, head to toe, or painted in red paint, or God knew what. I had to try to control my laughter because I didn’t want the tables to turn on me, although my moment would come, I was sure of that.
Up in the front, he dimmed the wattage of that pretty boy personality of his as he circled the question. The comments from the peanut gallery were flying, rude, crude, and sexist, but he continued to sidetrack the topic of how he got his name.
Finally, after way too many insults, he broke down. “Okay, here it is, you pussies. When I was in college, I got really plastered one night and told everyone that the Nine Realms really did exist, and then I insisted I could take a spaceship and go to Asgard.”
The team roared, throwing out words like warrior and Norse god in the most mocking way. The dude had a thing for Thor? Who knew? He was never going to live that down.
And as he strode away, all I could do was picture him in the movie wielding a hammer and donning a red cape. The image would be ingrained in my mind for the rest of eternity, I was certain.
One by one, players were called up.
Called out.
Teased.
Taunted.
I waited for my turn. What would they say? Nothing about Gillian, at least I knew that. Or I hoped I did.
But I knew I didn’t have to worry anymore when at exactly nine p.m., Coach glanced at the clock and then casually strode up to
take the podium.
Showing once again that he actually had a sense of humor, he did a little drum roll that had all of our eyes bugging out of our head. Then, finally, he gave us his trademark goodbye. “Now get the fuck out of here!”
Everyone stood and started to hustle, worried Coach might call us back, change his mind, order another practice, we practically ran.
Before the door opened though, Coach blew his whistle and we all froze. It was all a hoax. Shit. We weren’t going anywhere. “And girls,” he said, “I almost forgot to tell you—don’t come back until Sunday morning at nine.”
What?
Had I heard him right?
Wails of joy erupted and I knew I had.
Thirty-six hours off?
Thirty-six hours off!
Holy fucking shit.
“Going to the hotel?” Thor asked, his voice low as we exited the room.
I shook my head. “Nope. You?”
He nodded. “You know it.”
“Bringing your cape and battle armor?” I couldn’t resist.
“Fuck you.”
I grinned. “Come on man, I had to, and you know it.”
Getting right back on track, he asked, “Aren’t you going to see Gillian?”
I kept my mouth screwed tight until we got to our room, and then I told him just what I had planned.
“You did that?” he asked in shock. “I’m impressed.”
“No, not exactly,” I admitted.
“Gillian did it?”
I shook my head. “No. She doesn’t have a clue,” I told him, and then grabbed my phone to text her and let her know what was up.
I had to admit . . . what I had planned was fucking great!
TIME OUT
Lucas
MY CONTRACT WITH the Bears was now official.
As a first round drafted rookie, I received a four-year contract, with a fifth year option. My projected salary over those five years was somewhere around thirty million, including my signing bonus.
It was surreal.
Every time I thought about that much money, it blew my mind. I could still remember times when Nick and I didn’t even have thirty dollars.