by Alexia Chase
“Gunner, I would love to be your girlfriend. That’s not a problem. The issue is you don’t date during the season.” I lick my lips. “If you want to wait until the season is over, I’m good with that. I know this year is important to you.” My stomach rolls. I’m okay with it. I must be okay with it. Shit. I’m not good with it.
To have a taste of heaven on earth with Gunner and then lose him will be devastating. I’ll wait, but there’s little likelihood he’d still want me months from now. Someone else will come along and catch his attention. It’s not like I’m the most fascinating woman in the world.
“This year is important, but not as important as you.” He wrinkles his nose. “Of course, I say that when I have to run. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late for the meeting. Coach won’t cut me any slack just because I’m the quarterback.”
His words fill me with joy. “Understood.” I grab his hand. “Let’s go. You get dressed, and I’ll clean up the room. I don’t want you to be late.”
“Dani, you’re perfect.” He places his arm around my shoulders and hugs me to his chest. “I’ve spent my entire life looking for someone who would support what the ‘real life’ of a football player is – not the glitz and glamour.”
“You’re lucky you found me then.” I push on the metal bar and depress the latch.
“Yes, I am.” He leans down and presses his lips over mine.
Damn, I’m falling ass over tits in love with him.
Chapter Twenty
Gunner
“Man, you’re loose today.” Tony jogs toward me with the football under his arm. “You’re usually keyed up the day before a game. What gives?”
I press my lips together and shake my head. “Nothing.” Loose lips sink ships around this place. If I breathe a word about mine and Dani’s relationship, I’ll never hear the end of it – especially from Tony. He’ll get a big fucking head and take all the credit. I’m not about to give him credit for Dani being in my life. That’s all me.
“Bullshit.” The lines around his eyes crinkle. “What did you do last night?”
“Went to my cousin’s wedding. Just a bunch of family.” I grab the ball out of the crook of his arm. “Run a slant pattern.”
“Humph.” He wrinkles his nose like he smells something nasty, and then takes off at a dead run down the field. When he reaches the twenty-yard line, he cuts to his left.
I launch the ball to the exact hashmark he’s going to be at when he lifts his right hand in the air. The sound of his glove and the ball colliding is audible even from thirty yards away.
Tony drags the ball into his chest, sprints down the field, and across the endzone. Once he breaks the plane, he spikes the ball and does a front flip in front of the goalpost.
“Boo. Hiss,” Jeremiah says as he jogs from the tunnel. “He’s such a showboat.”
“Absolutely.” I shake my head, and we wait for Tony to rejoin us.
“You guys want to come over tonight?” Tony tosses the football in my direction, and I catch it with one hand.
“Sure.” Jeremiah nods. “I’ve got nothing going on. Jenna cooking?”
“I can guarantee you I’m not, so we’ve got to hope she does. Or I can grab carryout.”
“Perfect.” Jeremiah slings his arm over my shoulders. “What time do you want me to pick you up?”
What should I say? I don’t want to appear like I’m being secretive. “I can’t.”
They both gawk at me. “Why?” Jeremiah asks.
“I’ve got something going on.” My face heats, and I fight the urge to groan. Why don’t I make it vaguer, which spells obvious to these two bloodhounds?
Jeremiah drops his arm to his side and tilts his chin out. “Are you getting laid?”
“No.” I roll my eyes. There’s still a slim chance I can get out of this alive.
Tony crosses his arms. “I don’t believe you. You never skip out on our before game dinner. Ever. Even when Veronica’s sick and you’re babysitting Joselyn. You bring her with you. You’re getting some. Somewhere. Who is she?”
“No one.” Fuck. I didn’t deny it.
“Oh, I think she’s someone,” Tony smirks. “I wonder what Dani was doing last night. Did she happen to go to a wedding?” He tips his head toward the tunnel. “Jeremiah, go inside and see if Dani’s in the gym. We’ll ask her.”
“I’m on it.” Jeremiah grins. “I can’t wait to hear what she has to say.”
“Assholes.” I glare at them. “Leave her alone.” When I tuck the ball under my arm, I’m slightly surprised it doesn’t explode as I envision Tony’s head in between my bicep and ribs.
“Was she any good?” Tony elbows me.
I stop and grab his upper arms. “Don’t talk about her. Ever.”
“Yes!” He clutches his stomach and laughs. “You’ve got it bad. I told you, he’d play hide the salami with her before the season was over. The way they watch each other is flammable.”
“Cocksucker,” I growl and release him. “Fine. I asked Dani to go to the wedding with me to keep my mom from setting me up with Tiana again.”
“Oh, fuck.” Jeremiah shudders. “That bitches’ brains are scrambled.”
“That, she is.” Tony rolls his shoulders and rubs the spot I grabbed. “Can’t believe your mom is still all over that.”
“Me either, but she’s obsessed with getting another grandchild.” Which might not be long. I should regret making love to Dani without protection, but I don’t. If she gets pregnant, I’d be good with it. She’d be a fantastic mother, and my family would be ecstatic. Hell, I’d be thrilled.
“Earth to Gunner.” Tony waves a hand in front of my face.
“Sorry, man. Just thinking.”
Tony snorts as we walk through the sidelines and toward the tunnel. “I see that. Must have been quite a night.”
“It was.” What the hell? I might as well not hide it. There’s no point in pretending it didn’t happen or lying to them. I’m mildly surprised a photo of us from the wedding hasn’t surfaced and been spread on social media.
“I take it you’re seeing her tonight.” Jeremiah opens the main building entrance.
I close my eyes for a second. The building is not as bright as the outside sun had been. Reopening my eyes, I watch as several of the players on the defensive line laugh and wave at us as they walk by.
Once they’re past us, I nod. “Yes.”
“Did you lock her down?” Tony hits me with his elbow in the ribs as we walk past a row of offices.
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“Are you exclusive?”
“I don’t plan on seeing anyone else.” Everything we said to each other spoke of exclusivity. Didn’t it? My lip curls as the vision of Dani with another man floats through my brain. I don’t want another man looking at her – let alone asking her on a date.
“Well, then, you’d better tell her she’s off the market before someone else asks her out.”
“Yeah.” Jeremiah nods. “I heard some of the guys talking about her the other day. You’re not the only dude on the team that’s noticed her.”
“Who?” I stop. All the muscles in my torso tense at once. Whoever it is has another thing coming. Dani’s mine.
Jeremiah shrugs. “Dillon. For one. He was talking to Clayton Maxwell. Dillon said he needed to talk to her about something private.”
My teeth grind together. “Assholes had better steer clear of her.”
“Then, you need to make it official. You need to tell her you’re not seeing anyone else.” Tony laughs and punches me in the upper arm. “That’s actually hilarious considering your dry spell.”
“Fucker.” I grab my arm and rub it. “You know better than to punch me in the throwing arm.”
“Dude.” Tony rolls his eyes. “If I really fucking punched you, you’d know it.”
“Fine.” I glance into Coach’s office as we walk by. As always, he’s inside with his head down, drawing on pieces of paper with four
televisions blaring different game tapes. The man is obsessed with the x’s and o’s of football.
“Ask her not to see anyone else,” Tony says.
I stomp off, leaving them behind. “I’m telling her.”
“Dumbass, you can’t tell someone they’re not allowed to see anyone else. You have to ask and get their permission,” Tony calls out. His voice echoes off the cement walls and several players, who are standing in front of the gym, turn and gape at us.
Way to announce it to the team, Jackass. “Fine. I’ll fucking ask, and if she even thinks about saying no, I’ll tell her – she’s mine.”
“Thank God. I thought he’d never get laid again.” Tony and Jeremiah laugh hysterically.
“Shut it.” I twist around to face the two stand-up comedians and flip them off. I wink and yank open the gym door. This situation needs to be dealt with.
Chapter Twenty-One
Dani
I sit on the edge of my desk with my feet swinging, and my hands pressed onto the wooden surface.
Ashley shuts the door, so our conversation can continue in private.
On the other side of the door, the drone of voices and gym equipment smacking drowns out the individual conversations.
She grins, and her eyes twinkle with delight. “The dress was a hit, wasn’t it?”
The heat spreads across my chest and up my neck until it overcomes my face and probably leaves me looking like a ten-year-old getting up to give her first public speech. “Yes, he loved the dress. Thank you.”
“Yes.” She steps forward and offers her hand in the air for a high five.
Crap. My gaze darts to the window. Is anyone paying attention to us? Dillon is across the room on the free weights. His eyes are glued to us. Does he like Ashley? Interesting. “I can’t high five you. Somebody’s going to think something’s up.”
Ashley rolls her eyes and leaves her hand in the air. “Don’t be an idiot. High fives and chest bumps are the currency of conversation in the gym.”
“Fine.” I smack her hand and then shake mine in the air. Damn it. Ashley does everything full force.
She leans in. “Tell me everything that happened.”
“I can’t tell you that.” I fan myself and swallow.
“Holy hell. It must be good if you can’t say the words. You gave me a blow-by-blow of your sex life with Tad.”
“Yeah, it was pathetic. There wasn’t anything to tell.”
She waggles her eyebrows and crosses her arms. “Then, I’ll list it off, and you nod or shake your head.”
“Fine,” I sigh in exasperation. There’s no way she’s going to relent until she has all the details. If I don’t tell her, she’s likely to head out to the field and corner Gunner.
“Oral?” She raises a finger.
“Yes,” I mumble and glower at the ceiling. God, I hope Gunner doesn’t get mad; Ashley knows about our relationship.
What if he doesn’t want anyone to know? That’s a little hard to believe when we were making out in front of five hundred people. Granted, that was ‘fake’ Gunner and Dani. This is ‘real’ Gunner and Dani.
“Both?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, this is getting good.” She flushes and fans her shirt out in an apparent attempt to cool down.
“Consummated?”
“Consummated? Of course.” My gaze moves from the ceiling to the window. Dillon’s still looking. What’s up with that?
“Missionary?”
I arch my eyebrows and scan through all the positions. Does the sofa count as missionary? “Maybe?”
“Maybe? Were you drunk?”
“No.” I glare at her. “We were on the sofa, and I was…” Dillon is still staring. God, I hope he can’t read lips. This is embarrassing. I spin a little so he can’t see my mouth moving. “I was on top, and then, he flipped me over, and he was on top.” I shrug. “I guess that’s missionary.”
“Doesn’t count. If you’re fucking like nymphos on the sofa, it’s not considered missionary.” She holds up another finger. “Is that all?”
“No. There was the bedroom and finally, the shower. Well, there was also the in car and the hotel gym.”
“Holy fuck. You whore. What’s going to be the encore?” She studies me with what can only be described as pride. Like she’s responsible for my descent into sexual abandon.
I worry my bottom lip and cover my mouth in case Dillon has perfected the art of lip-reading. “We talked about BDSM.”
“What the fuck?” Her mouth drops open, and her eyes are so wide – white shows all around her irises.
“Yeah.” I giggle. “I think he might tie me up tonight. By the way, I need you to steer clear of the house tonight. His sister and niece live with him, so he’s coming to our place.”
She lunges forward and smacks her palm over my forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Never better.” I grin until my cheeks hurt. I’ve never been this happy. Being with Gunner is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
She steps back and frowns. “Is this a thing?”
“I think so.” My body tightens, and I inhale. “I hope so. We talked about seeing each other again, and he said he likes me.” I shrug. “I mean, we’re not getting married or moving in together, but I think we’re a couple.”
“You need to make sure. You don’t want to get your heart broken by expecting more from him than he’s willing to give.”
“You’re right.” My heart sinks to my feet. If anyone gets hurt in this situation, it’s going to be me. I’m falling for him, and he might not be as interested.
He doesn’t even have sex during the football season. If that’s not a sign he’s put himself first, nothing else is. No. Don’t think like that. He said I’m more important than football.
Right. Why would you believe that? Stop it. Quit inventing problems. Shit. Ashley’s right. I’ve got more to risk. Maybe he’s only relieving stress or scratching an itch. “I’ll talk to him.”
She grabs my forearms. “I’m not trying to hurt your feelings or make you worried, but you’ve got such a big heart, and he’s an over-the-top kind of guy. I know you. You’re going to fall in love with him.”
My gaze drifts to the floor. I’m already in love with him. My stomach does a slow summersault, and my breath hitches.
“Shit,” she hisses and jerks back. “You’ve already fallen for him. He’d better not fuck you over, or I’ll put colon blow in his protein shakes.”
“God, you’re a bitch.” I laugh and bend over at the waist.
When someone knocks on the door, I can barely see through the tears in my eyes. Dillon. What does he want?
Ashley marches to the door and swings it open. “Yes?”
“Can I talk to you alone?” He glances at the two of us.
Which one of us does he want to talk to? I glance at Ashley and Dillon and cock an eyebrow. Her face is devoid of emotion, but her face is flush, and her chest heaves. What’s going on?
“Hey.” Gunner pushes his way through the door – past the two of them – and throws his arm over my shoulders.
“Hey, Gunner.” Ashley nods.
“Can you two give Dani and me a moment? We need to figure out our plans for tonight.”
“Sure thing, man. Go ahead.” Dillon cringes, and a slight blush settles over his face. He glances at Ashley and then back to us. “See you guys later.” He steps back with his gaze trained on Ashley.
Ashley ignores him as he heads to the elliptical machine and turns back to us. “Well, wasn’t that awkward.” She grins sheepishly and smacks my arm. “Dani’s quite the hot commodity it appears.”
She’s full of shit. I saw the flicker of awareness in her eyes when Dillon walked in. Whether he was here to talk to her or me, something’s going on between them. But for some reason, she doesn’t want anyone to know.
Gunner cracks his neck. “She’s hot as hell, but off the market. If she’ll agree to be exclusive.”
Ashley pulls up a chair and leans back. “Don’t mind me. I’m here for the show.” Crossing her legs, she grins up at us. “I wish I would have brought butter-less, salt-free popcorn.”
“Yuck.” I make a face at her. “That sounds bland and boring.”
“Not at all like your sex life.” Ashley taps her fingernails on the foam armrest.
“Go.” I give her a death glare.
“Fine.” She shoves out of the chair. “Now that I know you’re serious about Dani, I’ll be out tonight. Feel free to get your crazy freak on and take turns tying each other up.”
Gunner’s face turns beet red. “Shit.”
“Oops.” My hand flies to my mouth. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” Weakness fills my limbs. Will our ‘almost’ exclusive relationship be over before it begins? He’s probably not in to show and tell.
“No worries. I can’t say I’m thrilled our relationship is front and center with everyone, but I’m kind of a big deal.” He flexes his pecs.
Ashley snorts and smacks his chest. “You’re something else, but if you fuck her over, you’ll need to watch your back.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replies, but his eyes never leave mine.
Once the door snaps shut, I’m in his arms for anyone to see. “Exclusive?”
“Yes.” I nod slowly and grin. For once, I don’t care if I’m the center of attention.
“Good. I don’t see anyone else, and you don’t see anyone else. Including Dillon.” His jaw tightens.
“I think something’s going on between him and Ashley. I felt a weird vibe between them.” I wrap my arms around his neck. “Besides, I’ve only got room for one sexy hunk in my bed.”
“It had better stay that way.” He leans down and claims my mouth.
My toes curl in my tennis shoes, and goosebumps line my flesh. When his tongue slides along my lips, I spread my thighs and welcome his hard body against mine.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dani
I arrange the cartons of Chinese food on the coffee table. The scent of soy sauce and sesame oil wafts out of the containers and fills the space around us. “I hope you like Chow Mein and Sesame Chicken.”