by Violet Paige
I extended my left arm. “I didn’t punch him with my right. I know better than that.”
She smiled. “And he thought you were a Neanderthal.” She rubbed her fingers over my knuckles tenderly. “Let me get some ice from the bar. Hold on.”
I sat on the edge of the bed while she tended to my bruised knuckles. Really, it didn’t feel like much. I thought that was one of the side effects of the HGH. I felt almost indestructible. My entire body felt younger and stronger.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had an ex in D.C.?”
“You didn’t ask.” She removed the makeshift icepack from my hand. “But I thought about it.” When she looked at me, I saw the mist covering her eyes and the heaviness of tears brimming on her bottom lids. “Your dad was right.”
“My dad? What does he have to do with any of this?”
One tear slipped and it ripped at my chest. Why was she crying?
“I ran into your parents in the lobby today on the way back from shopping. He and I had a conversation. Not a good one.”
I growled. The man never could keep his opinions to himself. “What did he say to you?”
“He said I was a distraction. He said I’d ruin your game. He called me flavor of the week.” And with that, the rest of the tears fell down her soft cheeks. She crumpled against my chest and I wrapped my arms around her.
“Am I expendable to you?”
“What? No. No.”
The rage that had built from jealousy and my dad’s bullish words softened as she sobbed against my chest. I smoothed her hair and whispered in her ear. “My dad is an asshole. You know that.”
“But he’s right.” She gulped for air. “I should have told you about Ben before. Look what happened in the restaurant.” Her mascara was smudged and there were spots on my dress shirt, but I didn’t give a shit. “I wanted to tell you about him. I need to, but I was trying to wait for when the timing was better. Like maybe after the Super Bowl?”
I played with her hair, feeling the silkiness between my fingers. “You might as well tell me now.”
“Now?”
“Yeah. Let’s talk about the bastard.”
“We were in the same residency program. That’s how we met,” she explained. “And eventually we moved in together, but kind of like a roommate thing. And then roommates led to us being together. At least, I thought we were together until I came home and he was screwing someone else.”
“Shit,” I whispered.
“Yeah, shit.” She leaned her head on my shoulder. “It’s the reason I took the job at San Antonio Mission. I wanted to get out of D.C. Away from him. Away from the humiliation. I wanted to start over where there were no lies.”
I felt the knife twist in my gut. Things were coming together. Why she was so adamant about the honesty between us. Why she was willing to give herself to me in the beginning so freely, but needed to know I could be monogamous. Hell, I’d never been monogamous and agreed to it without thinking it through. But holding her like this, knowing what she had been through, I didn’t want another woman. I wanted this one.
But there was a lie between us. My hand. The one thing that had brought us together was the lie I couldn’t tell her.
“What if Ben presses charges? What if those pictures go viral? It’s my fault. You could be fined or suspended.” The sobbing started all over again.
She had a point, but I wasn’t thinking about those things when Ben approached our table. All I could think about was protecting Lennon. I’d protect her from anyone and anything. I’d use my money, influence, power, and body to keep her from getting hurt.
“Give me Ben’s number.”
She sniffed. “What?”
“Give me his number. I’m going to call him and get this taken care of.”
She walked over to her clutch and pulled out her phone. “Here.”
I hit send and waited for the fucker to pick up.
He answered quickly. “You can’t seriously date that monster, Lennon.”
“This is the monster,” I responded.
“You could have broken my jaw, asshole.”
“Yeah, and a lot more.” I had to tone it down. This wasn’t the way out of a scandal. “Look, I’m calling to apologize. And to see how I can assist with your recovery.”
“You mean pay me off?” Ben jeered.
“If that helps your jaw.”
My pockets were deep. Neither Lennon nor I wanted this story getting out. I’d pay whatever the bastard wanted.
“Maybe we should meet again,” he suggested.
“Be in my hotel lobby in fifteen minutes. I’ll text you the address.” I hung up and handed the phone back to Lennon.
“You’re going to see him again? Oh God, don’t break anything. He’s not worth it.”
I kissed her on the forehead. “I’m not going to punch him. But he deserves it for what he said. And for what he did to you.” I stroked the side of her cheek. “I’m not glad he cheated on you. He’s a fucking idiot. But I’m glad you walked away. Because now you’re mine. All mine.” I kissed her fiercely, loving the sounds that she made when my tongue slid against hers.
“Should I go with you?” she offered.
I shook my head. “No. I’ll handle it. Why don’t you break in that huge Jacuzzi tub? After today, you need to relax.”
“It was the worst day.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “I wanted to be here for you. To support you. But I’ve screwed it up. You’ve got the play off game tomorrow, Wes. And now you’re paying off my ex and worried about your dad and me and all of this stupid drama…”
I kneeled in front of her. “No offense, baby, but I’ve been training for this my whole life. One shitty night isn’t going to knock me off my game.” I tilted her chin toward me. “You didn’t screw up anything. I’ve got this handled.”
“Really?”
“Really.” I kissed her full lips, wishing I didn’t have to go downstairs right now. “I’ll be back soon.”
I stood, letting her fingers fall from mine. God, this woman had me. She had taken me when I wasn’t looking. Possessed me when I wasn’t watching. And it was fucking unbelievable.
22
Lennon
I stretched my arms across the empty king-sized bed and smiled. Yesterday had gone from hell to heaven. I sat up, bringing the sheet with me. It was play off day. Wes had left at the crack of dawn, but there was a tray of breakfast next to the bed and a silver service of steaming coffee.
I tiptoed out of bed and walked to the bathroom. My body was sore in the most glorious ways. The way he touched me, sucked me, and kissed me was seared into my skin. I could almost still feel his breath on my body.
I brushed my teeth, pulled on a fluffy hotel robe, and walked back to the bed to pour coffee into a china mug.
Things were only going to get more complicated from here. If Wes won today, there was another playoff game next week. That meant more awkward run-ins with Gloria and Bud. Wes knew about Ben now, and he had to catch on to my insecurities about other women. We hadn’t even touched how deeply that ran.
I hadn’t decided if the D.C. trip was a complete disaster or a total success. He had proven last night that he was here for me too. He was willing to defend me. To make sacrifices. To protect me at all costs. And damn, it felt good. Not to mention how he worshipped me in bed when he got back from paying off Ben.
He was tender and sweet. It was an entirely different type of sexiness. It made me feel like we were both on the verge of saying the L word. But instead, I moaned and shook in his arms and let him come deep inside me as he told me over and over that I was his. That I belonged only to him. I smiled. I liked the emotionally intense sex as much as the primal raw stuff we did back in San Antonio.
I nibbled on the end of a croissant and popped a strawberry in my mouth. I didn’t know how all of this had happened. How I had ended up as Wes’s girlfriend. Eating room service breakfast before his big game. But it had. And I was completely, blissfully
happy about it.
“Oh no, oh no.” Gloria clutched my hand as Wes was tackled. We were perched high in the Sharks’ stadium. My heart sank as I saw him lying on the ground.
It was the third quarter and we were down by a touchdown.
“Please let him be okay.” She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Get up, son,” Bud muttered behind us.
I’d never felt my heart beat this loudly or violently. One of the linemen reached down and pulled Wes up to standing. I finally let myself breathe again.
“Oh, he’s okay. He’s okay.” Gloria still hadn’t let go of the death grip she had on my hand.
I nodded at her, not feeling completely reassured. “It looks like he’s fine.”
From up here, there was no way to get to him if he needed me. As soon as he hit the ground, my mind listed off twenty possible medical outcomes for a hit like that. The first one was a concussion. But I looked on the jumbo screen and he was smiling, and no one from the training staff seemed to be running to examine him.
They snapped the ball, and Wes took a few steps back before slinging the ball into the end zone. Touchdown Wranglers! I jumped to my feet, clapping and screaming. God, how did he do that? He took a hit that would have knocked most men out for the rest of the game, and instead of sitting on the bench, he brought the team back into contention. The game was tied.
The last quarter was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life. The Sharks scored again. We kicked a field goal, and then managed to snag an interception. There were three minutes left on the clock and the ball was in Wes’s hands. It was up to him to score, or the Super Bowl dreams were over for this season.
I was clinging to Gloria as desperately as she was clinging to me. I could barely watch as the ball was snapped and Wes scanned the field.
The stadium was deafening, with Sharks fans screaming for their defense. I didn’t know how the team could hear the calls Wes screamed on the field, but they seemed to know what to do.
Sam Hickson ran into the corner of the end zone and Wes shuttled the ball into his hands. That was it. Game over. The Wranglers were only one game away from the Super Bowl.
Gloria squeezed me. “Oh, honey, that was a close one.”
“It was.” I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know football could get my adrenaline going like that. I didn’t know I felt like I had so much at stake in the game. But I was starting to understand. I was starting to discover the pull to the game. The need to be a part of something thrilling and unpredictable. I smiled to myself—it was everything like being with Wes.
“No use hanging around here.” Bud dropped his beer on the counter. “Sharks don’t want us waiting around. Better head back to the hotel.”
“I’ll see you two there.” I wanted to revel in this for a minute. I wanted to watch the on-field interviews and see the look on Wes’s face when the reporters asked him how winning felt.
“I’m so glad I have a game girl.” Gloria grinned. “Next one should be back in San Antonio.”
That was a relief. Traveling like this was stressful. I had to be back at the hospital early in the morning, which meant a late flight tonight. Keeping up with both of our careers wasn’t easy.
“Bye.” I waved at Wes’s parents and sat in the cushy leather chair. I wanted to soak it in. Feel what he felt. See what he saw. I sat, not caring how much time passed before I was ready to leave. Somehow being here felt every bit as important as watching him play.
The Wranglers’ plane had landed hours before mine. Wes was already in the apartment when I walked through the door. There was a bottle of champagne on the counter, two glasses, and a trail of candles leading to the bedroom.
“Wes?” I called in the apartment. The lights were dim and I had a funny flutter in my stomach.
“Bring those glasses in here, will you?”
I smiled and picked up the chilled flutes. He was lying on the bed, his head propped on his elbow.
“Congratulations.” I handed him one of the glasses. “That was a huge game.”
“Thanks, Doc.” He sat up to kiss me. “Thought we could celebrate.”
“I can’t drink much. I’ve got three surgeries tomorrow.” I took a sip. The bubbles slid down my throat.
“That’s not much fun.” He moved the hair off my shoulder and kissed behind my ear. “But we’ve got other ways of celebrating, don’t we?”
I nodded. I didn’t need champagne to get drunk. Just being near him made me lose my mind. He pulled the glass from my hand and put it next to the bed.
“Wes, about last night?”
“What about it?” He pulled the shirt over his head and I almost licked my lips. His chest was flawless. I loved every muscle on his body.
He began unbuttoning my shirt and shoved the sleeves off my shoulders. He kissed one, then the other. With a quick flick, he had my bra unclasped and on the floor.
“God, I love your tits.”
I groaned as he pulled me into his mouth. The thoughts flew out of my head as my chest arched forward to give him more. I couldn’t wait to have him inside me. I couldn’t wait to feel his powerful thrusts.
I hitched my skirt up around my hips as he shrugged off his jeans. He sat forward as I straddled him, with my knees on either side, and sank onto his hard shaft with a violent strike.
“Oh, God,” I moaned, rocking my hips into him as he held my lower back so I could grind harder and faster.
“Fuck, Lennon.” He gripped my hips, slamming me harder onto his cock. I clutched at him, sinking my nails into his shoulders. “I love when you fuck me this way,” he groaned.
Neither of us could last long like this. His sure and solid thrusts, with my hot and wet core clenching around him, were too intense for either of us to hold off. I clawed and screamed, bouncing harder as he filled me with his release. It seeped along my legs, and I rested my head against his shoulder, feeling the sweet sweat of sex drip between us.
“Welcome home, baby,” he growled.
He rolled onto his back, bringing me down to the bed with him. And we slept.
23
Wes
I packed my suitcase with the team logo embroidered on the side. This was it. The big dance. The prom. The Holy Fucking Grail. After last week’s win against the Kings, we were going to the Super Bowl.
There was an entire week of press preparation before the game. A few days of practice scheduled in and one media event after another with the team to show what a great group of guys the Wranglers were.
I looked at Lennon, who was stretched across the bed. Her bare ass was round and gorgeous. She kicked her heels toward her bottom, resting her chin on her folded arms.
“You sure you don’t want to come out early?” I asked. I hated leaving her here.
“I have work, remember? Surgeries. Patients who need me. A job.” Her eyebrows rose.
“But I need you.” I slapped her on the ass as I walked past the bed.
“I’m flying to San Diego as soon as my shift ends Friday night. You can have me then.” She grinned.
I pounced on top of her, tickling her ribs. “And what if that’s not soon enough?”
“Hey, hey. Stop.” She giggled, rolling onto her back.
I inhaled, seeing her gorgeous tits pointing in my direction. “You think I can go six days without these?” I kissed the tight nub on each breast.
“You told me yourself you can’t hang out during the day or night. You’re booked solid. And so am I. What do you want me to tell my patients? Sorry, Mr. Smith, I can’t do your shoulder surgery because I’m going to the Super Bowl. Oh, sorry, Tommy, but you’re going to have a deformed foot because my boyfriend needs me at the Super Bowl.”
I groaned. “I hear you. But I don’t really give a shit about those people.” I pinned her wrists over her head. “I want you with me.”
She gasped. “You have a car that’s going to be here in about fifteen minutes to pick you up. Don’t start what you can’t finish.”
I eyed her wickedly. “The Wranglers aren’t leaving San Antonio without me. And I’m not leaving without one more taste of you.”
My dick hardened at the sexy little sound that escaped her lips. Fuck, she was hot. I didn’t know being with the same woman over and over again could be this good. I didn’t know she could keep surprising me. I didn’t know that I could be more turned on now than I was the first time I fucked her.
“So, are you going to do what I tell you to do?” I bit her bottom lip.
She nodded.
I kissed her stomach and settled between her legs. This was my favorite slice of heaven. I licked up one side of her folds and down the other, bowing her off the bed.
She tried to press her knees together against my head, but I gripped under her ass and pulled her quickly to my tongue, plunging it to the deepest part of her core. She rocked into me, her hips wild with passion. Her hands were in my hair, then tugging on her breasts. As I pumped in and out of her with my tongue, I felt her rhythm turn desperate.
“Oh, Wes. Oh God.” She writhed and cried as I sucked hard on her clit. I lifted her ass higher in the air, twisting my tongue against her entrance. She was vibrating and pulsing. I knew I had taken her to the edge; just one nip at her clit and she would spill over the side. I tugged against it with my teeth and her orgasm exploded through her body.
“Wes, I-I—” She twisted and turned, grinding harder against my mouth. And then I heard the words. “Oh, God. I love you.”
24
Lennon
My body was fluttering with an incredible orgasm, but I looked down, horrified at what I had just said. I wasn’t supposed to tell him I loved him before he walked out the door for the Super Bowl. Shit. Double double shit.
He kissed the inside of my thigh and sat up.
“I-I—” I scampered to a seated position, trying to think of how to take it back. “It was a heat of the moment thing. God, it just came out.”