by Liz Matis
“Hey, beautiful.”
She blushed like a pre-teen instead of a married woman of three months. But there was nothing innocent about the way Liam’s warm smile heated her insides. He gave her a quick kiss. Too quick for her liking.
Handing her a glass of red wine, he said, “Merlot. I figured you’d like a glass before dinner.”
“But—”
“Just because I have a problem doesn’t mean you should deny yourself. You need to unwind.”
He maneuvered her into the candlelit living room. Jazz played low in the background. In no time he had her reclining on the couch, shoes off, and her feet in his lap. She took a sip of the wine. Ahh.
He massaged her tired feet with hands worth millions on the field. She relaxed into the cushions, releasing the day’s worries from her mind and body. “I think my feet are going to have an orgasm.”
Liam laughed. “You can show me your undying gratitude later.”
“Oh, I will,” she said as he continued to rub her feet. She considered asking him to move his hands a little higher up her legs. Like all the way up, to work his talented fingers on her pussy.
“Hayden?”
“Hmmm…?”
“I—”
Her dreaded cell phone buzzed. She didn’t care if Middleton Nuts was on fire, she was not answering. Then Liam’s phone rang.
“It’s my agent,” he said.
Her cell continued to buzz. She peeked at the screen with one eye. “My assistant.”
“Might be important.”
While Liam left the room to take his call, with a sigh she answered her own phone. “What’s up, Judith?”
“I’m sorry to bother you at home, but…” Her assistant hesitated on the other end of the line.
“But what?”
“That reporter Ender called looking for a statement.”
“A statement about what?” All the tension Liam worked out of her body returned. What could possibly be wrong now? She’d been good. Very good. And very happy.
“Ender’s writing a story about your husband that claims your marriage isn’t legal. He’s calling it “The Saint Living in Sin.’ Ender says he has a source.”
“Who?”
“He’s not saying. Ender discovered your marriage documents haven’t been filed with the City Clerk’s Office. There’s no record of your marriage.”
“That’s ridiculous. Judge Mayer presided over the ceremony.” Hayden heard her voice rise with each word. She’d never had yelled at an employee before. “I’m so sorry. I’m not yelling at you.”
“I understand. I’d be upset too.”
Hayden was fuming. Was Liam receiving the same news from his agent? She instructed Judith to issue a “no comment” statement until they could figure out what was going on.
But when Liam walked back in to join her, he was whistling like he didn’t have a care in the world. Was he happy to learn they weren’t married? Or had his agent called about something else?
He hadn’t.
“How can you whistle at a time like this?” she demanded, pacing the living room.
“Hayden, it’s a technicality. The judge is a busy man.”
“No, my father had a hand in this.” Her panic rose with each step. “I tore up the pre-nup so he destroyed the marriage license. Harry must have seen him do it.” She stopped. “Harry said we would regret not helping him. This must be what he meant. How could he do this to me?”
“Harry must have spoke to Ender before he went into rehab.” Liam enfolded her in his arms. “People do crazy stuff when they’re addicts. Who am I to judge? I think Harry deserves a second chance too.”
“But what are we going to do?” she sniffed against his chest. They weren’t married. Liam would kick her out and be done with her and her screwed-up family.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” she screeched out.
“It’s just a piece of paper.” He held her chin and tilted it up so their gazes met. “In my heart we’re married.”
Did that mean he wanted to be married? Did it mean he loved her? Hope burned in her heart.
“I meant every word I said to you that day, Hayden. And I mean them more each day. I hope you do too.”
“I do. I love you Liam.” She stood on her tippy-toes and kissed him with all the love in her heart. She pulled away first. “But what about your reputation as a Christian, your vow of celibacy until you married? We’re living in sin.”
He stroked her cheek. “God knows what was in my heart that day.” He pressed her hand to his chest. “He knows what’s in it now. But I can see that you don’t.”
Liam guided her to the couch and sat her down. What’s happening? When he got down on one knee, her heart fluttered wildly, trying to escape the confines of her chest to hand itself over to him. My husband is about to propose!
“As I was about to say before we got interrupted—” He pulled a ring case from his pocket and opened it.
She didn’t look, not even a peek, because the light in his eyes already held the sparkle of a whole diamond mine.
“I love you, Hayden. Marry me. For real. Forever.”
“Yes, yes!” Unable to contain her happiness, she jumped up, nearly knocking the ring out of his hand.
Her hands shook as she slipped off her grand-mère’s ring and put it on her right hand. Liam replaced it with a princess-cut diamond sparkler. “It’s beautiful,” she said, her breath catching in her throat.
The number of carats didn’t match the ring bequeathed to her, but that didn’t matter. The man who stood before her, looking into her eyes was beyond any price. “When did you buy this?”
“A couple of days ago. Figured our three-month wedding anniversary was a good time to propose to you.”
“What are we going to do about the press? They’ll be brutal once Ender’s story breaks.”
“We’ll leak it to the press that your father didn’t want us to marry, that he pretended to relent by hosting the ceremony, fooling us into thinking it was the real deal. Our tale of star-crossed lovers will keep the tabloids busy right through the playoffs.”
“And here I thought you didn’t have a sneaky bone in your body.”
“Well, the Quarterback Sneak is my specialty.”
“No, it’s not.” She laughed. “I happen to know it’s going deep.”
Liam raised a brow. “Practice makes perfect.”
“Then let’s hit the field,” she said, leading him to their bed.
Epilogue
Hayden gazed at the azure blue of the ocean stretched out before her. The breeze billowed her silk robe around her legs. Peace filled her soul, love filled her heart, and her body was sated to the point of numbness.
“Admit it. You’re going crazy,” Liam said from the king-size bed.
“That was a sigh of contentment.”
“Liar.”
She turned to face him. “Okay, so it’s strange not having a camera in my face 24-7.”
“You may not be able to tweet from the island, but…” Liam picked up his phone from the nightstand and wiggled it in the air. “I could film you doing naughty things to me.”
Her eyes widened. “A sex tape? With everything I’ve done, I have never gone there.”
“You could make millions,” he teased.
“We have millions.” But how could she resist such a tempting offer? “We could release it when we’re like ninety. Shock the hell out of our great-grandchildren.”
“I have a feeling they won’t be so shocked.”
“Probably not.” Hayden giggled then turned serious. Untying the knot of her robe, she let the silky fabric skim over her to pool at her feet. Goosies pricked across her skin as she anticipated Liam’s rough hands gliding over her body.
“Ready for your close-up, Mrs. McQueen?” Liam pointed the phone at her.
She approached the bed, swaying her hips like a forties’ starlet. “I was born ready.”
But made just for you.
Thank you for taking the time to read The Quarterback Sneak.
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About the Author
Liz Matis is a mild mannered accountant by day and romance author by night. Married 29 years she believes in happily-ever-after!
Fun Fact: Liz read her first romance at the age of fifteen and soon after wrote her first romances starring her friends and their latest crushes!
Fun Fact 2: Liz kept an inspiration board for The Quarterback Sneak on Pinterest. Check it out here: www.pinterest.com/lizmatis/
Keep in Touch with Liz
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http://www.taoofliz.blogspot.com
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Read Samantha And Ryan’s story…
Playing For Keeps (“Fantasy” Football – Season 1) by Liz Matis
Winner of the NECRWA First Kiss Contest
Journalist Samantha Jameson always wanted to be one of the boys, but
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Ryan Terell is a playmaker on and off the field, but when Samantha uncovers his moves, he throws out the playbook. Just as he claims his sweetest victory, Samantha’s investigation into a steroid scandal involving his team forces him to call a time-out to their off the record trysts. But then a life threatening injury on the field will force them both to decide just how far they’ll go to win the game.
Read Hannah and Jake’s story…
Going For It (“Fantasy” Football – Season 2) by Liz Matis
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Hannah owns the runway, but that success came with a price and a secret that’s kept her from trusting a man until Jake crashes through her defenses.
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Read Angel and Billy’s story…
Huddle Up (“Fantasy” Football – Season 3) by Liz Matis
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Can a long ago summer love turn into an everlasting one?
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Love By Design by Liz Matis
Design Intervention starts the second season with its own surprise makeover. Interior designer Victoria Bryce must break in her temporary co-host, Aussie Russ Rowland.
Sparks fly on camera as they argue over paint colors and measurement mishaps leading to passions igniting behind the scenes. But when their pasts collide with the present will the foundation they built withstand the final reveal? An HGTV meets Sex and the City romp!
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Hollywood’s handsomest men surround celebrity agent Ava Gardner but none are as intriguing as larger-than-life Grady O’Flynn. The Navy SEAL is on an unsanctioned mission when they end up starring in their own romantic comedy.
Will they continue to sizzle when Grady has to report back to duty? In this sexy novelette by Liz Matis, two lovers have two weeks to find out.
Coming Soon:
Summer Dreaming – Summer 2015