Traded

by Lorhainne Eckhart

“I don’t know. I enjoy being a cheerleader with the Cardinals. It’s more about getting out there, being part of the team. And I like working for Jennifer. She gets some interesting cases. Thought about going to law school, but I’m not sure if I want to take it on right now. It would be a big expense, a lot to swing with cheerleading.” She shrugged as if she was embarrassed.

  “That sounds great. If it’s what you want to do, you should go for it.”

  The waiter arrived with the wine. Jake tasted it, not that he knew much about wine tasting. One pretty much tasted the same as another to him. He nodded, and the waiter filled both their glasses.

  Chris lifted her glass. “Here’s to your new place.”

  He touched his glass to hers. “For which you now need to come shopping with me to pick out all the furniture I need.”

  She smiled brightly before clinking her glass to his. “Deal.”

  “So you mentioned that you’re not ready to jump into a relationship. What happened?”

  She took a rather large sip of wine, and he could tell she was considering what to say. “I just haven’t met the right guy, I guess. I need someone who understands me. You know the song, looking for a guy who’s looking for a girl like me. There’s a lot to it.”

  There was a lot to it. He noticed the glances she was getting from two of the men at the bar. He wanted to slide around beside her and put his arm over the back of the chair to let them know she was taken, but she wasn’t. She was his friend—a friend he was attracted to.

  They took their time eating and finished off the bottle of wine. Maybe that was why he was feeling bold. The sizzle of chemistry between them had to be scorching those around them.

  “I want you,” he said.

  She had reached for her purse, then slowly looked up at him, her eyes widening as if she’d just realized what he was saying. “Excuse me?” Her voice squeaked.

  He leaned forward, feeling the tightening in his groin. “You heard me. I want you in my bed tonight.”

  Chapter 10

  Did she really want this? That was the question sparking a war between her heart and her common sense—but her common sense had been drowned by a bottle of very smooth, very tasty wine that had gone right to her head, squashing all her inhibitions. This was not a side of her that she allowed out, so why now?

  She leaned into Jake. He had her hand in his, holding her to him. He was leading her, and she wanted to go wherever he was taking her.

  “Jake…” Her heart thudded, and he stepped around in front of her, pressing her arms above her head, against the glass. He kissed her hard and passionately, a deep kiss where she could taste all of him. His tongue brushed hers, and she breathed him in, his scent like a forbidden fruit her body craved. She realized she’d probably die if he pulled away. He pinned her against the back of the elevator. He was so strong and male around her, and he had her where he wanted her.

  The elevator dinged vaguely in the back of her mind, and Jake pulled away. She gasped and blinked, dazed as if she’d just been tossed around in a hurricane. All her emotions were jumbled, her nerves exposed and raw. She wanted Jake, the sexy football star, who was still holding her hand and pulling her out of the elevator and down the hall to his door. Her legs were trembling, and each step she wobbled unsteadily on her heels. If he hadn’t been holding on to her, she’d have fallen flat on her face.

  He glanced down at her. He was so tall that even in her pumps she had to look up, as his shoulders were level with her nose. When she did look up, it was into those amazing, secretive deep eyes, which she’d never seen in a man before. She wondered if he was the type of guy she’d spend a lifetime getting to know only to discover she’d just tapped the surface. He opened the door to his room, and she walked right in.

  She heard the door close behind her as she took in the king-size bed, all white with pillows and a plush, inviting duvet. Then she realized this probably wasn’t such a good idea. Run. She heard the word in her head, faint and said without any conviction, but she didn’t want to. She wanted Jake to touch her, to want her badly, as much as she wanted him. But this was just sex, as he put it.

  Maybe he knew she was reconsidering his offer, as he stepped up behind her, slid his arms around her waist, and pulled her against him, into him. It was quiet in the room, and she could hear his breath, her heartbeat, and nothing else.

  “I don’t know if this is wise,” she said. “It’s the wine, Jake. Maybe we need to take a minute.” She started to pull away and turn around, but he somehow maneuvered her back until her legs touched the bed and they folded beneath her. He was over her, all that hard muscle so inviting and ready for her to touch. She wanted to touch all of it, every part of him, and it was killing her not to be able to run her hands over his nakedness. She fisted her hands before sliding them over his biceps and magnificent sculpted arms, feeling his cotton shirt between them.

  “You don’t want this?” He leaned in and brushed his lips lightly on her chest, just above her breast, and she felt a spark of desire shoot through her. He kept kissing her slowly, teasing over her shoulder, her neck, then hovering just above her lips, waiting for her to say no. But her heart was hammering so hard that she was fast losing the battle to push him away. She didn’t want to think anymore. She just wanted to feel, to feel Jake all over her, inside her, to just be here with him now.

  “Yes?” he whispered above her, then slipped off her glasses and reached out to set them on the nightstand. The question…she knew he was waiting for her to say it. He brushed his lips over hers. She could taste him beyond the wine, and it was a taste she wanted to sample more of.

  “Yes, dammit.”

  He smiled above her, his lids heavy as he watched her with such desire and then kissed her, angling his head, sliding his lips over hers as he deepened the kiss. He moved on top of her, all that male hardness, and she could feel his desire pressing into her. He reached for the elastic in her hair and yanked it out before running his hands through her long hair.

  His hand slid down and over her breast, touching her through her blouse. Her nipples tightened, and she wanted to free herself from her clothing, to feel his skin next to hers. She hooked her fingers under his shirt, pulled it from the waistband of his jeans, and ran her hands up over the skin of his back, feeling the bunch and pull of his muscles.

  His hand was on her leg, pushing her skirt up higher, tracing the soft skin on the inside of her thigh, and he touched her through her underwear. Oh, good Lord, she wanted him as she allowed him to settle between her legs. His hands were so big, and he pulled her underwear down and slipped a finger inside her. She tried to spread her legs, but the damn skirt was still there. She was kissing him, and then he pulled away, taking his shirt off, and she reached around and unfastened her skirt, squirming out of it and then quickly unbuttoning her blouse and slipping it off as he kicked off his jeans and underwear. He was naked as she pulled her bra away, adding it to the pile of clothes on the floor.

  “My God, you’re beautiful.” He climbed back onto the bed, his knees slipping between her legs, and pulled her down onto her back, pressing her legs wide. “I want to taste all of you.” He leaned in, took her nipple into his mouth, and sucked, and she nearly came off the bed. She arched up as the pleasure shot through her.

  “Oh, Jake.” She ran her hands over him, between them, feeling him and his length. He was so big, larger than any man she’d been with before.

  “I don’t know how long I’ll last.”

  “Condom, please, in my purse.” She wondered for a moment if he’d think it was odd that she carried them, but instead of letting her up for her purse, he reached into his drawer and pulled out a packet. Obviously, he’d been prepared. She didn’t want to think too long or hard about that as he quickly covered himself before spreading her legs wider and looping them over his arms, pushing forward, exposing her as she’d never been before. Then he slid inside her.

  Chapter 11

  Never before in his life had he
felt such pleasure. He wasn’t thinking about love or a commitment or tying a woman to him. He was lost in the moment of complete ecstasy, just feeling. He pounded into Chris, her wide eyes urging him on. She was so damn flexible, and her breasts were a work of art.

  “Don’t stop, please, Jake,” she whispered as she slid her hands over his face, kissing him deeply as he moved faster inside her. He could feel her body tighten around him, and she whimpered into his mouth. The sound, the feel of her was enough to push him over the edge. He threw his head back and swore as he felt himself cross the finish line.

  He was positive he’d died and gone to heaven as he lay on top of Chris, pushing her into the mattress. Her legs were still wrapped around him, one knee hooked over his arm, and her hands gently caressed his back.

  “You alive still?” she asked.

  But he couldn’t speak, and he didn’t have the energy to move, so he grunted. That was all he could do. He could go at it all night without ever getting enough of this sweet, responsive woman he was still buried inside. He should pull out, clean up, and get rid of the condom. Then he wondered whether he’d have enough. He always made sure to have a package with him, something his first team coach had pounded into all of them. But he wanted a minute to just absorb this moment, not to think, not to hurt or feel the anguish of a woman who had ripped his heart out. He just wanted to stay forever feeling this bliss.

  “Jake, you’re heavy.” She patted his back, and he pulled away and out of her. He ripped off the condom and climbed off the bed to dump it in the trash. She was lying on top of the duvet, watching him, and he was speechless at how gorgeous she looked lying on his bed. Her long silky hair shimmered with a hint of red, a shade he’d never seen before. He stepped closer and back onto the bed above her, then lay beside her, slipping his arm under her head and pulling her closer so she could snuggle against him. He kissed the top of her head and just held her. The way she tightened in his arms, he could feel that she was thinking, and sometimes thinking was the worst thing a person could do—especially in moments like this. At least there was no awkward silence. He should say something to her, something like Stop thinking too much. Just be here with me now.

  “Jake, what is this?” She didn’t look at him, but he could feel her breath whisper across the skin on his chest. She licked her lips, and he could feel himself stirring again. “Jake?” She prodded him, sliding her hand over his chest, the question hanging in the silence between them.

  “I don’t know. Does it have to be anything? Can’t we just be here together? I want you, you want me. Can’t that be enough?”

  She breathed out a little hard, rough. “I suppose. I just don’t want to be confused that something is what it isn’t. I want all the cards on the table. I need to know. I need to be clear on your expectations. Is this just sex?”

  The question of the day, was this just sex? Yes and no. She wasn’t some stranger. He liked her. She was amazing. He liked being with her. He’d never done the friends with benefits thing, and he wondered whether that was what she wanted. Even though he didn’t know her well, he sensed that she just wasn’t that way. Some woman and men could pull it off, remain emotionally detached, but he couldn’t, and he was pretty sure she was the same.

  “Is that what you want it to be?” he asked. He had to, because for the first time in his life, he didn’t have a clue how to react. If he said the wrong thing, he could hurt her, and he realized he didn’t want to hurt Chris. She was important to him.

  He could tell she was disappointed, as he could feel her head turn away as she looked up at the ceiling.

  “I don’t want to confuse this for something it’s not, Jake. I get attached, I have feelings. I need you to be clear. Please be upfront with me right from the start. That’s all I ask.”

  Clear, how could he be clear when he had no idea what he wanted? He was in love with another woman, and yet here he was in bed with Chris. If that wasn’t screwed up, he didn’t know what was.

  “Yeah, um…” There was a light knock on the door.

  Chris lifted her head and started to sit up, glancing at the door. “You expecting someone?”

  “No. Didn’t order anything, either.” He was about to ignore it when whoever it was knocked again. Maybe it was the maid. Maybe they had forgotten to put towels in the room or something. “Just a minute. I better put the ‘Do not disturb’ sign out.” He climbed off the bed, and Chris slipped off right behind him and hurried into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Jake reached for his jeans and slid them on before striding to the door and opening it.

  In that moment, as he stared into those amazing brown eyes and the dark hair that was now longer and pinned back at the sides, he couldn’t for the life of him believe that Jill was standing in the hallway outside his door.

  “Jake, I’m so sorry!” She threw her arms around him and cried.

  He didn’t have to turn around when he heard the bathroom door open to know that Chris was standing there, watching.

  Chapter 12

  “I’ll be out of here in just a minute,” she muttered. It was all she could think to say in that dreadfully awkward moment when she stumbled out of the bathroom wearing one of the white terrycloth hotel robes. Her hair was a mess, and she could still feel the effects of having Jake inside her. Of course, their clothes were strewn all over the floor by the bed. It wasn’t a large room, so he couldn’t hide anything. She grabbed her clothes off the floor and raced back into the bathroom. She couldn’t get the image of Jake hugging another woman out of her head: her arms looped around his neck, pressed against the same body that had moments ago been pressed against her.

  It had to be the mysterious girlfriend who’d been jerking Jake around. Chris hated her. What the hell was the matter with Jake that he hadn’t shut the door in her face and told her to go away?

  “Chris.” There was a knock on the bathroom door. She couldn’t find her underwear, and she wasn’t about to go back out there to find them, so she pulled on her bra and shirt and slipped on her skirt before pulling the door open. Jake was still there, and so was the girl, wearing a pained look on her face as if she were the injured party. She wouldn’t look at Chris. She appeared embarrassed. Well, she should be. With her arms crossed, she turned her head, her gaze connecting with Chris’s, and there was nothing understanding or friendly there. Women could be vile, spiteful creatures when it came to their men, but this woman had pushed him away. Chris just hoped Jake would set her straight. Please stand up for me.

  Jake was rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. Awkward—she hated this. “Chris,” he said, reaching for her arm as she raced back, looking for her shoes. She grabbed her purse, which was also on the floor, and then her glasses from the bedside table. She lifted Jake’s shirt and found a shoe. The other woman bent over and picked up her other shoe by the garbage can.

  “You looking for this?” She held it out in her slender hand. Jake actually took it from the woman and gave her a look Chris couldn’t have made sense of for the life of her. Was he angry? He was something.

  Jake stepped closer, right in front of her, and put his hands on her shoulders. She couldn’t look at him, so she stared at his shoulders—his wide, magnificent, muscled shoulders. They were so strong, and he could hold her together if he wanted to, but she didn’t know where his head was in any of this. And she was humiliated. What was he thinking?

  She looked up, because his hands were still on her, but he didn’t say anything, so she patted his hand. She couldn’t spend one more minute here, because out of all the embarrassing things that had happened to her, this was the first time she had ever felt like the other woman, and it brought back all her past failures, how she just couldn’t seem to pull off a stable, normal relationship. It wasn’t sane, considering everything in this twisted situation, namely the mysterious girlfriend who’d dumped Jake and left. Now here she was, walking around with her arms crossed, taking in the hotel room, appearing stiff and awkward. She was b
ack in Chris’s line of sight, and if there was one thing Chris knew without a doubt, it was that the woman didn’t want her here.

  “Wait,” Jake said. She could hear the frustration in his voice and could tell that he was processing all of this. It was in his expression, a moral dilemma.

  “I’m going to go.” She stepped away, and this time he let his hands fall. He let her go, and she made it all the way to the door on shaky legs, feeling a slight tremble inside of her. Maybe it was shock, but as she pulled open the door, she was hit by a wave of sadness.

  “Chris, wait.” His hand was on the door, but she couldn’t turn around, couldn’t look up at him, because then he’d see the tears swimming in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

  “Yes?” she said, forcing her voice to remain calm. She held it together and then pressed her hand to her mouth when she felt a sob bubbling up. She pushed it back and prayed he wouldn’t touch her, because then she wouldn’t be able to hold it together. She just needed a minute to find the stairwell so she could slip away alone where no one could see her.

  “Just give me a minute here and then I’ll drive you home,” he said. She heard him rest his hand on the door.

  “No.” She cleared her throat roughly. What, did he expect her to wait in the hall, where someone could walk by and see her at her worst? “You stay here. I’m a big girl. I can find my own way home.”

  “Look, at least let me give you some money for a cab.” He was patting his pockets, and the shock of him tossing her money made her feel cheap and whorish. Didn’t he get that? Just hearing him say it was enough of an icy reality check for her to step away and lift her hand in the air to wave him off.

  “No, Jake, I don’t think so.”

  She walked straight to the elevator—forget the stairs—and jammed her finger on the button. The wait was the longest few seconds of her life, and she forced herself to stare straight ahead at the elevator doors, knowing that Jake was still there in his doorway, watching her. She wondered too whether he was relieved that she was leaving. Then the elevator dinged, and she stepped in, thankful no one was inside. She pressed the button for the doors to close, and then she sagged against the back of the elevator as it started to move.