by Lainey Davis
She answers and I watch her face drop in fear. “What are you doing here?” she hisses, pulling me inside and slamming the door. “Someone is going to recognize you, Ty. People use the bike path all the time.”
I pull her into my arms and just inhale her scent. I haven’t seen her in almost a week. Too long. “I just had to see you, Juniper.” And then I claim her mouth with mine. I feel her struggling with her doubts, and then give in to wanting me.
She sighs, says my name like a whispered prayer. "Ty." It doesn’t take long for me to strip her out of her work clothes, wrestle out of my jeans, and work our way over to the couch.
We don’t say a word, but she grabs the condom from my jeans on the floor, rips it open with her teeth, and rolls it onto my shaft. I pull her onto my lap and she straddles my waist with those long, thick thighs of hers. I can’t help but moan as she sinks home.
Juniper braces her hands on my chest and rides me like she’s taking out all her anger at the world. It’s fierce and it’s fast and intense. I don’t let her look away, keeping my eyes locked on hers while I knead her ass cheeks and drive up into her as she slams against me. "Yes, baby. Fuck me just like that." She finds the friction she needs and tilts her hips, bouncing up and down on my dick until her tits are shaking and I feel her clench around me. I let go right along with her.
This is what I want. I want to make love to this woman and just melt into her. I think back to the hotel and how good I felt after we finished, when I just got to hold her and talk with her about life. She's collapsed against me on my lap now, and I just want to sit here with her until we grow old and creaky.
Eventually, she rolls off my lap and lies on her back on the couch with her legs sprawled across me. “Why Tyrion?” she says.
“Huh?”
“Why Tyrion and not Tyler or something? For Ty?”
“Oh.” I get up to throw away the condom, and tell her, “My mom was really into reading Game of Thrones when she was pregnant with me. Then it became sort of a joke--I was the youngest, but I was always the biggest. I’d tell you I was the smartest, too, but we all know that’s Tim.” She laughs and I nestle in beside her, stroking her arm and just lavishing the chance to be close to her. I love that she's letting me in. “How come you’re not on the pill, Juniper?”
She doesn’t answer for a while, so long that I wonder if she fell asleep, but she finally explains that it just never felt like a good idea. “And in the end, Zack was cheating on me. Who knows what disease I might have caught if I’d been on the pill and stopped using condoms. I guess I’m nervous to trust anyone that much again.” The thought of him betraying her like that makes me draw my hands into fists. I want to tell her she’d never have to worry about that with me, that she can always trust me to keep her safe, but the words don’t seem to come to me. I realize some of the fan-girls I slept with might have had boyfriends or husbands. A wave of shame rolls over me at how I used to behave. Now that I've found someone, found Juniper, I realize what I was missing out on.
"I hate that that fucker abused your trust, Juniper," I breathe into her hair.
She turns her head to look up at me. “We can’t keep doing this or I’ll get fired.”
“Juniper,” I say, my voice serious, “I’m going to figure something out. I want to be with you, baby. For real with you.”
She looks away and eventually starts to put her clothes back on. "Hey," I say, tugging on her arm. "You've got to stop running away from me when things get real."
She lets out a "humph," but I keep going. "I'm serious, Juniper. You've been avoiding me for a week since we made love at the hotel. I fucking miss you. Let's work on this thing together."
"There's nothing, Ty. There's no way out of this. You should leave."
I pull her back onto the couch beside me, half dressed. I don't give a fuck what she is wearing. Or preferably not wearing. "I'm. Not. Leaving." I punctuate each word with a kiss on her neck and shoulder. I feel her melt into me and I know, for a little at least, that I got her to forget about work shit and just be with me.
We turn on the television and just hang out until I realize I’m half starved. “You got any food, JJ?”
She wrinkles her brow and shakes her head. “I might have some protein bars…”
“Nah. I need a full meal. We’ll have to order in.”
I can see her hesitate about this, but there’s nothing to be done. “I’m staying overnight, Junebug, so you’d better feed me something. I’ll hide in the bedroom and you can answer the door for the delivery guy, ok?”
Except that when the food arrives, Juniper is in the shower, so it’s me answering the door for a young kid in a Fury jersey. A fan. Of course. “Holy shit! Ty Stag!” the kid practically drops my food, which I grab from him before disaster strikes.
“In the flesh,” I say, looking over my shoulder to make sure Juniper doesn’t hear any of this. “I’ll sign anything you want and snap a pic with you if you promise to forget my friend’s address here. What do you say?”
The kid’s jaw drops, so I grab his phone and snap a selfie of us together. Then I sign a receipt for him, scribbling his name from his nametag while he just stands there mute. I stuff an extra twenty in his fist and usher him out the door just as Juniper comes out of the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her head.
“You didn’t answer the door, did you, Ty?” She looks worried.
“Never fear, babe. The kid had no idea who I was and I paid cash.”
Twenty-three
JUNIPER
In the morning, it’s hard to go to the office. I woke up in bed entwined with Ty, showered with him, ate breakfast with him, and told him how much I hated working on this Cleveland briefing. It felt like a fantasy of how life could be if I were in a real relationship instead of unethically fucking my famous client. Then I had to leave him, sneak out of my own house like a fugitive while this man I care about so much slinked away in a hoodie like some sort of cat burglar.
He called Donna at work to set up a meeting with me for official business, but that doesn’t brighten my day. I have to pretend like he’s just a regular client, like he wasn’t inside my body or listening to me bare my soul, talking about the loss of my dad and what that’s meant for my life.
At lunch, when we’re looking over his endorsement contracts, I notice that he’s supposed to pose with the captain of the local women’s hockey team for a promotional campaign. “We have a women’s hockey team in Pittsburgh?” I never heard of them.
Ty shrugs. “I mean, it’s not like they’re the pros, but yeah. I’ve met some of them. They’re nice.”
We go over all his paperwork, but I can't get the women's hockey team out of my mind.
After he leaves, I call the team contact, Alicia, who turns out to be the team captain, coach, and business manager. They’ve got no funding, no legal representation, and are beyond thrilled for this advertising opportunity because they’re going to put the funds toward their rink time. The whole team has day jobs, and everything they do is grass-roots, hard work, gritty. I explain to Alicia that I totally get it as a rower, and the experience gives me an idea.
For the rest of the week, I give only cursory attention to the Cavs meeting and dive into my new theory for how I can enjoy my work more while helping Tim expand the firm. Alice actually has to drag me from my office on Friday to get ready for the gala. I can tell she’s hiding something from me when she’s helping me with my makeup in the women’s room, but I don’t press her about it, because then I’d be tempted to spill my own secrets. I try to just enjoy spending time with a friend, a real friend, and probably the first one I’ve made outside of rowing in years.
"Ugh," I tell her, sliding my dress over my head where Alice has topped off my smoothed hair with a glittering pin. "This freaking meeting with Cleveland."
She nods. "I just found out about it, actually. I mean that it's Monday and I have to cook for it. I wish Tim had given me more of a heads up. I'll be doing the menu t
he entire weekend."
I whip my head around. "You didn't know? Gosh, Alice. I feel like a jerk. I should have told you they were coming Monday! Want me to help you?"
She shakes her head, smiles a small smile. "Juniper, you look perfect. Go have an amazing time, and make sure to text me and describe the food in detail when you get home."
"Do they serve actual food at these things? I thought it would just be tiny bites with sauce drizzled in a pattern." I laugh, but promise to tell her all the details about the menu.
I had told Ben I’d meet him in the lobby of our office building, and I burst out laughing when I see him emerge from his office in his tux. “Working late like me, I see!” Apparently everyone in this place burns the candle at both ends. Not tonight. I'm determined to cut loose and enjoy myself.
“Juniper, you look radiant,” he says, offering me an elbow. We share a cab over to the art museum. Along the way, Ben catches me up on Lisa's week, making me feel sheepish for not keeping in better touch, but he also tells me about the barista downstairs whom he’s head over heels in love with, but too shy to make a move.
“Well now I know why you’re always greeting me with a flat white,” I say, laughing and really enjoying his revelation. I feel myself relax fully, knowing I can just be myself and not worry that he’s going to make a move. We make a plan for him to slide her his number on Monday. The thought of his budding relationship takes my mind, of course, right back to work and my own personal tangle.
"Hey, Ben, I know we're supposed to relax tonight, but can I ask you something about work?"
"Sure. What's up?"
"Do you want this Cleveland thing to work out?"
He sighs. "Ah, I don't know, Juniper. I already feel like we're working pretty hard here. All of us! I mean, Tim's had you all over the country with the hockey team and I've had to step up with the NFL guys. Maybe Tim will hire new people if we land the Cavs?"
"Maybe." We pull up outside the building. Ben opens the door for me, lends me his elbow, and we joke about walking in on the red carpet. Of course, we aren't the celebrities the crowds are here to see.
Tonight is all about the Fury, and the press is here in force. Everyone is congratulating the team, the team staff. The atmosphere is so joyous.
I’m not sure why it didn’t occur to me that I’d be walking into a hockey celebration where Tyrion Stag was sure to be a focal point. It just wasn't something I was thinking about when he was over the other day, and I haven't talked to him in a few days. It's not like he called me to ask if I'd be here, either. But the moment Ben and I walk into the atrium I feel his gaze upon me, dark and furious as Ben places a hand on my waist to usher me toward the bar.
"I feel like an idiot," I tell Ben as we wait for a drink. "I didn't stop to think that I'd be seeing the players tonight."
He laughs. "Why do you think I was so eager to say yes when you invited me? I gave up a good night to stare at my coffee gal so I can brush shoulders with the Fury! I love these guys."
He orders us each a drink, telling me how he's taking the liberty to go full fan-geek tonight. One of the guys walks up to us then, and Ben starts tugging on my elbow. It's Hayden Murphy, one of the guys I had to bail out for public urination.
Murphy smiles and hugs me, casually. "Juniper! Glad you could join us!"
"Hayden. Glad you stayed out of trouble so I could be here." I punch his arm playfully. "This is my colleague Ben. He's a big fan." I mouth "huge" and Hayden laughs. The guys take a selfie and start to talk about the last game.
When Hayden excuses himself, Ben pulls me into an excited hug and shows me the pictures. He's so excited I can't help but smile and lean into his hug. "Just don't let Tim know you're so star struck for the clients, Ben!"
"Never, Juniper. I'm all game face at work. Game face and golf puns."
He starts to chatter about the other Fury players here and my mind wanders as I sip my mojito.
Suddenly I feel my phone start to vibrate in my clutch. Repeatedly. A peek inside reveals a string of texts from Ty.
What the duck r u doing here?
Who is that asshole w u?
Why is he touching u, Juniper?
My face flushes, and I quickly zip my bag as Ben looks at me, concerned. “Everything ok?”
“It’s fine. I just forgot to tell Ty that I was coming here to represent Stag Law.” I gesture across the room, where Ty is still smoldering amongst a group of his teammates. Ben smiles and waves, but I know Ty doesn’t know who he is. Why would he bother to remember some other random lawyer from his brother’s firm? I'm the only one who has been traveling with them, joking around on their flights, bailing them out when groups of them get a little rowdy at the strip clubs. Ty shoots a look at Ben that would melt ice, and I can't decide if I should go over and try to calm him down.
Ben and I make our way toward the executives we are supposed to be thanking and get busy with the small talk and sucking up portion of our evening. I finish complimenting the team owner on his decision to sign Ty before playoffs as my phone begins to vibrate again. I’m able to glance at the new text, which reads meet me in the stairwell.
Now, JJ.
I glance around, but don’t see Ty. “Would you excuse me,” I say to Ben and the gang of suits. “I have a client with an urgent need I have to address.” I walk away to the sound of them admiring my dedication as a lawyer and I hear Ben steering the conversation back to the playoff game where I intervened on Ty’s behalf.
When I enter the stairwell, it’s eerily silent. I see Ty standing down a level, staring at me. I’ve never seen him look like this before. I can feel his intense mix of emotions from ten feet above him. “Ty,” I start, but as I approach him he pulls me in to a rough kiss. I pull back my head. “Are you drunk?”
“Who is that guy, Juniper?” I can smell the whiskey on him, but can tell that while he’s been drinking, he’s not drunk. He’s angry and jealous.
“It’s Ben. From the firm, Ty. A colleague. He got me this job with your brother and--”
“You’re mine, Juniper. Don’t you know that?” His voice is barely above a whisper as he boxes me in with his arms against the wall. "I should be able to tell Murphy to keep his filthy hands off you, too, but I fucking can't." I feel the heat of his body as he presses against me, and I want him. I know I shouldn’t feel a thrill that I’ve stirred this emotion in him, that the thought of me here with another man has made him react this way. And yet I’ve never been more turned on in my life. I want so very badly to be his, in every way.
“I can’t be yours, Tyrion.” I fight back a tear. “I can’t.”
But then he’s kissing me again and I respond. I need him, and I kiss him with all my power, burying my fingers in his unruly mane, pulling his face into mine as he crushes my lips with his need. I gasp for breath when he breaks the kiss and stares into my eyes. “You’re mine,” he says again. I nod. He hisses, “I want you,” and I nod again.
"I need you, Ty," I say, and then I yelp. He spins me around so I’m facing the wall and I feel him inching up my gown. I drop my forehead against the cool concrete blocks in the stairwell as Ty slides down my panties.
He runs his fingers down each of my calves slowly as he pulls the panties off, then stands. I hear him pull down his zipper, and I gasp when I feel the smooth, bare tip of his cock nudging me open.
“Ty! Don't you have a condom?”
Twenty-four
TY
“I need you so much, Juniper.” I start kissing her neck, tucking that smooth, chestnut hair behind her ear. “I need you, now, with nothing between us.”
"Oh god, Ty. I trust you. I trust you. But you have to pull out." She looks over her shoulder at me and I nod. She tilts her hips back, opening herself a little more for me to slide in. I’ve never been with a woman like this before, bare. Just me and her. “Jesus Christ, this feels so good, Juniper.” Her pussy glides against my cock, the warm honey of her arousal coating us both as I slide in and out.
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“There’s nobody but you for me,” I tell her, pistoning into her body, not caring who comes into the stairwell at this moment. Nothing exists except the warm, moist heat of Juniper Jones swallowing me body and soul. “Who makes you come, baby?”
She doesn’t answer, just moans as I pick up the pace and reach around to massage that magical place that brings her over the edge. Desperate, she rocks her hips against my fingers. I pull back my hand. “Say it, Juniper. Who makes you come?”
“Christ, Ty. You do. Only you. Please.” And at that, I press a knuckle against her clit in the way I know drives her wild. I feel her pussy contracting against my cock inside her as she comes.
“You make me cum so hard, Juniper," I groan, slamming into her once, twice more before I pull out. I cum right on her back, hot jets spraying out of me, marking her as mine. I feel savage and raw, and I lean my head against her shoulder, both of us breathing heavy. I massage her shoulders and start to ease her gown back down, but I don’t wipe up the mess. I just kiss every inch of her I can reach. As I zip my fly, I think about her going back up to that party with my cum dripping out of her dress. The caveman in me rears up again and I remember the jealousy that brought me into this stairwell. “Juniper.”
She turns to look at me, but neither of us says anything. What is there to say after what we just did? It was hot and intimate and primal. I stoop down and pocket her panties, which draws a short laugh from her. She smooths out her hair and opens her mouth to say something when I hear the door to the stairwell open above me. Juniper gasps and we look up to see Matty standing on the landing.
I lean back against the wall and don’t say anything. Juniper walks up the stairs and past Matty, eyes wide, and goes back out to the party.
He starts to walk down the stairs after the door shuts and he stands next to me on the landing. “How long have you been fucking her, Stag?”
“It’s not like that, Matty.”
He holds a hand up to stop me. “Don’t pull that shit with me, Ty. How long?”