Out Of Bounds (Brit Boys Sports Romance Book 3)

by J. H. Croix

Chapter 11

  Ethan

  I leaned my palms on the tiled wall of the shower and sighed. I’d somehow managed to keep myself from fucking Zoe right there on her desk, but bloody hell, it had taken every ounce of discipline I had. I’d meant it when I told her I didn’t intend for her first time to be on a desk, but I was bound and determined we would christen it. I didn’t remember much of anything she said after I asked her to fill me in on her message to Coach. I did remember the highlight, which was that the police were formally dropping the charges. After they’d had an opportunity to review all the security tapes, they decided either we were both charged, or no one was charged. Zoe had said something about how the fool who tried to get me charged could still try to sue, but my brain had been so fuzzed out I didn’t remember much else.

  I’d been torn because I didn’t want to leave her office. Jana saved me when she knocked and announced Zoe’s next client was arriving early. I’d practically run home, so I could take care of the raging hard-on I had. Now, I stood in the shower and wondered how the hell to stop obsessing about Zoe. I let the scalding water pound down on my shoulders until it started to cool.

  Toweling off, it occurred to me that all I’d managed to do was take the edge off of my out of control lust for Zoe. Hell, lust didn’t even capture it. I knew without a doubt, once with her wouldn’t exhaust my need. Not even close.

  I dressed quickly and headed to the stadium. I needed to burn off my restlessness. I mentally sidestepped my discomfort. I wasn’t used to thinking much about a woman the way I thought about Zoe. Oh, I loved women. I had no shame in how much I loved women. My sisters were forever on my case about how I needed to settle down, and they constantly teased about my reputation as a player. I didn’t know what to make of the fact that I couldn’t seem to even notice other women right now. On my walk to the stadium, I went out of my way to flirt with a woman who happened to be waiting at a cross street with me.

  It was an utter failure. Don’t get me wrong, she was gorgeous and she was interested. The failure was all on me. Beyond objectively noticing she was beautiful, I was entirely uninterested. Pure habit got me through teasing, but my heart wasn’t in it. Then, I had to back my way out of an offer to meet her for dinner. So much for smooth.

  I jogged down the stadium hallway to the locker room, changed into my workout clothes and set off for a grueling workout. I managed to exhaust myself, but Zoe was still lodged firmly in my brain.

  A few days later after practice, Liam slid onto the bench in front of my locker. “Hey mate. You up for dinner tonight?”

  I tossed my towel in the hamper in the corner and tugged a t-shirt over my head before glancing his way. “I’m always up for food. Who else is meeting us?”

  “Dunno. Figured maybe we could snag Alex and Tristan.”

  I sat down across from him. “Where’s Olivia?”

  Liam was all but physically attached to Olivia at the hip ever since he’d fallen for her. He used to run the circuit with me back in London. We’d hit up the pubs, have fun with women who were tagging along and carry on. Once we signed on with the Seattle Stars, he’d injured his knee and Olivia had been his surgeon. That was it. He was still one of my best mates, and I was damn happy for him, but it wasn’t quite the same.

  His piercing blue gaze met mine, and he ran a hand through his black hair with a sigh. “She’s out of town all week at a conference. I feel like a bloody idiot because I hate going home when she’s not there.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. He looked downright forlorn about the whole bit. ‘You have Bentley to keep you company, right?” I asked, referring to their dog, a sweet, little brown dog that often napped in Coach’s office during games.

  Liam rolled his eyes. “Yes. Mate, you’ll understand someday.”

  Zoe flashed through my mind. Truth was, she was almost always lingering along the edges of my thoughts.

  “Right then. Let’s go grab something. I’ll round up Tristan. Where are we meeting?”

  Relief washed over Liam’s face, and he stood up quickly. “Great. I’ll track down Alex. Let’s meet out front.”

  In short order, I was seated at a table with Liam, Alex and Tristan. We saw each other almost daily, but with Liam and Alex settling down, we rarely spent time together like this anymore.

  The evening ran its usual course except for one matter. Though it had been a good while since Liam had hitched up with Olivia and Alex with Harper, it only came to my notice tonight that I was the only one of us left who teased and joked about women. Usually. I didn’t feel inclined right now, and it was all because of Zoe. Tristan might not be hitched to anyone, but the man treated sex like a purely mechanical task. He had some woman he saw here and there, but there were no strings attached whatsoever. I could hardly imagine him settling down with anyone. Though I’d have said the same thing about Liam and Alex before for different reasons.

  After dinner, Tristan took off to meet the very woman he occasionally saw for what I’d guess was nothing but a good fuck. He never slept away from our flat. Me, I walked home alone in the drizzle. I’d grown to like Seattle, despite the frequency of rainy, gray weather. The streetlights glittered on the wet pavement. It had been a full four days since I’d seen Zoe, and I was mulling over how to see her again. It chafed at me that I wasn’t being myself with her. I wasn’t exactly a shy guy. Not I. If I wanted a woman, there were no games. I went at things quite directly. With Zoe, nothing seemed straightforward. I could always stop by her office again, but I wanted more than a make-out session in her office.

  Somewhere along the way, I looked ahead and could’ve sworn Zoe was walking a block ahead of me. It was dark and rainy, but the streetlights cast enough light for me to recognize her long-legged stride. She had a bold, confident walk. Though my mind had threads of doubt, my body tightened in recognition. My stride picked up until I was almost jogging. As I got closer, any mental doubts as to whether it was Zoe disappeared. I slowed to a walk just before catching up to her.

  “Hello Zoe,” I said, striding to match hers.

  She’d been walking with purpose and hadn’t even turned to look my way when I reached her. She jumped a little when I spoke, and I suddenly realized I’d unintentionally frightened her. It was late and dark, and she was walking alone.

  “Just me, luv,” I added when her eyes caught mine.

  Bloody hell. She was so hot. She hadn’t bothered with a raincoat. Her hair was damp, and a lock had come loose from the usually tidy knot atop her head. It fell against her cheek. Raindrops glittered on her lashes.

  “Oh, Ethan. What are you doing here?”

  “Walking home. What are you doing?”

  We stopped when we came to a cross street. She looked ahead and then back to me. “Walking home.”

  “Little late for you to be out, isn’t it?” I couldn’t resist a little teasing. It was all but impossible with her.

  Her lips tightened, and her eyes flashed before she let out a heavy sigh. “I was just leaving work. Don’t tell me you’ve been out to a bar? Your charges aren’t officially dropped yet until it’s cleared through court, so you need to behave.”

  This was perfect. She had that proper, uptight air that was like gas to a fire for me.

  “No bar, luv. Just dinner with my mates. What are you doing working so late?”

  Another sigh and another flash in her eyes.

  “I work this late a lot.”

  “I bet you do. Let me walk you home.” I hadn’t planned to say what I said, but the second I did, my entire body tightened.

  Traffic rolled past on the street and the drizzle fell softly around us. Zoe bit her lip and looked away. When she looked back to me, she gave a little shrug. “It’s not far, but I guess if you want to.”

  I don’t know what was passing through her mind, but uncertainty flickered in her eyes. I elected to ignore my own doubts and latched onto the chance she offered.

  “It’s late, it’s dark, and it’s raining. You shouldn�
��t be walking alone.” I hadn’t meant to sound bossy, but I did.

  Zoe arched a brow and straightened. I could see her spine go rigid. God, I fucking loved how easy it was to rile her.

  “I walk home alone all the time. You know? Your high-handed act is ridiculous.”

  At that moment, the light changed and the traffic rolled to a stop. She looked ahead and began walking swiftly. I lagged for a beat, but I caught up. Once we reached the other side of the street, I reached for her hand. Because she was walking so quickly, I sensed she intended to shake me off. Her hand was icy cold when I slipped mine around it.

  “Luv, you’re freezing,” I said just as she came to an abrupt stop.

  My momentum from almost jogging to catch up to her sent me right into her. She stumbled slightly, and I reflexively reached to steady her. I hadn’t planned it, but it was bloody perfect. She ended up flush against me. At which point I felt the fine shudder running through her. She was quite obviously cold.

  The last thing I wanted to do was step back, but I had manners. I stepped back just enough to shake my jacket off and lift it over her shoulders.

  “You don’t need to do that,” she protested, but she huddled into my jacket.

  “Oh but I do. You’re cold and wet.”

  She stood there, shivering and staring up at me. That loose lock of hair stuck to her cheek. I reached up and brushed it away, tucking it behind her ear. Her eyelashes glittered from the raindrops caught on them. In a flash, the air around us electrified.

  I shackled the urge to kiss her because she was shivering, but I didn’t intend to let this chance go. “Come, let’s get you home.” I slid my palm down her back as if I could somehow absorb her shivers and curled my hand around hers. “You were walking this way, so we’ll keep going. Tell me where to go.”

  Her hand was icy cold in mine, but she didn’t yank it away. “It’s just a few blocks away,” she said.

  I didn’t say aloud what I thought. She lived only minutes from the flat I shared with Tristan. We walked quietly through the rainy night. After another few blocks, she gave my hand a little tug and came to a stop.

  “Here.” She angled her head toward a small entryway to the side of a main entrance into a business.

  “I’ll walk you up,” I announced, figuring she’d try to shoo me away.

  She surprised me with a nod. “Your jacket’s wet now. I’ll throw it in the dryer for a few minutes before you go.”

  Obviously, that wasn’t a problem with me. As I followed her through the entrance and up a flight of stairs to a hallway with echoing hardwood floors, I considered that what I wanted right now was to not leave here tonight without having all of her. I, so well known as a happy-go-lucky flirt who usually wanted nothing more than a good time, got nervous. Not about me, not about my performance, but about what it meant that I wanted Zoe the way I did. I’d never have argued that virginity was a deal breaker, but it held a sense of portent to it. I didn’t usually go for anything of importance when it came to women and sex. In fact, I rarely slept—the sleeping kind of sleep—with any woman. Yet, I had it in my head I’d be waking up with Zoe after tonight and couldn’t quite wait to see her sleepy with her hair down.

  She wore tall boots that showcased her long legs. As usual, she also wore a fitted skirt—simple black and damp from the rain. For the first time, I considered the distance from her office to where I’d encountered her and realized she’d walked quite a way. It was no wonder she was chilled from the rain. Our footsteps echoed down the hallway. We passed several doors, and I gathered the upstairs of the business was flats. We reached the end of the hall when Zoe stopped and let go of my hand as she fumbled in her purse. As soon as she pulled her keys out, she dropped them.

  Out of reflex, I leaned over to pick them up and handed them to her. Just that little touch sent a jolt of electricity zipping through me. Her eyes locked to mine. For a second, I didn’t know what she meant to do. Then, she gave her head a little shake and turned to slide the key into the lock only to almost drop her keys again.

  I curled my hand over hers. “Easy,” I murmured.

  The key slid into the lock and turned. The door swung open with a whisper. Zoe stepped away from me and walked across the darkened room to flick on a lamp in the corner. I closed the door behind me and glanced around. Her flat had high ceilings and hardwood floors, creating a spacious feeling though the flat was on the small side. We entered into the living room, which had a bright blue rug in the middle of the floor with a loveseat and two chairs flanking it facing a television mounted on the wall. The room was sparsely furnished beyond that. To the other side was a wide arched entry leading into the kitchen behind a counter with stools pushed against it. A short hallway was to the back of the living room. I surmised her bedroom and bathroom were back there.

  Zoe returned to where I stood, resting a hand on the wall while she tugged off her boots. I didn’t bother to ask and toed my shoes off as she removed my jacket from her shoulders and gave it a shake. The denim was soaked through at the shoulders. It probably had been when I handed it to her, but I hadn’t noticed. She glanced to me. One look and my breath lodged in my throat for a beat. The tiny freckles dusted across her nose and cheeks stood out against her creamy complexion. With her hair damp from the rain, it was a deep, rich red. Her hazel eyes looked almost green in the muted light.

  I was the guy who almost always found it easy to be smooth. At the moment, I was scrambling inside not to tear her clothes off, scoop her up and find the closest place to sink inside of her.

  “I’ll put this in the dryer,” she said. “Okay?”

  I managed a wordless nod and watched as she walked across the room and down the short hallway. She disappeared through a door, returning a moment or so later with the distinct sound of a dryer tumbling in the background.

  She approached me, at which point I realized I was still standing by the door. Her eyes coasted over my face. I had no idea what she was thinking, but lust and longing were pouring through my veins and I was grasping about for what to do.

  “Um, do you want something to drink?” she asked.

  I shook my head, somehow latching onto enough of my usual cockiness to stop worrying. “I want you.”

  Her breath hitched and her cheeks went pink. I fucking loved it when she blushed. Bloody hell. This woman had me on my knees and she didn’t even know it.

  I decided then and there, I’d barrel ahead. If I didn’t, I sensed she’d start thinking about it too much. I remembered her receptionist’s teasing and guessed it meant she was letting her virginity get in the way of all kinds of fun. No matter how things played out with us, at least I could save her from letting that be a barrier anymore. A distant siren blared in my mind. Zoe wasn’t just any woman, and my response to her was nothing of the usual for me. I didn’t care to listen to the warning just now.

  I closed the distance between us in two strides and lifted my hand to untie her hair. It fell in wet locks, the pins holding it up pinging on the floor. I sifted my fingers through, letting it spill around her shoulders. She was quiet, but her breath was shallow, and I could see the flutter of her pulse in her neck. I stopped trying to rein myself in and simply did what I wanted. I dipped my head and dropped kisses along her collarbone and up along the downy soft skin of her neck. Her skin was cool, and she tasted like rain tinged with sweetness.

  “Ethan?”

  The question in her tone had me lifting my head. “Yes?”

  “I don’t know…” She paused and bit her lip, her cheeks flushing deeper.

  “Don’t know what?”

  She let out a heavy sigh and straightened her shoulders. “I don’t know why you want to do this. I’m not the kind of woman…”

  I gave my head a hard shake.

  She eyed me. “Why does that make you angry? I’m not an idiot. If you’re in the news, it’s usually with some woman hanging onto you. Most of my life is about work. It’s most of the reason I’m still a virgin.
It’s not because I’m uptight or anything. My career got in the way, and it’s a nuisance if you ask me. My point is I’m not naïve or stupid. I know I’m nothing like the women you usually date.”

  I supposed the good thing about getting annoyed was I forgot to be worried about what any of this meant. I slid my palm down her back to slide over the curve of her bottom and pull her against me. I was rock hard. She gasped.

  “That should be enough evidence for you,” I murmured. For a beat, I waited to see if she’d pull away. When she didn’t, I brought my lips right back to where they’d been on her neck—kissing, licking and nipping my way up to her mouth.

  Chapter 12

  Zoe

  Ethan threaded a hand in my hair and fit his mouth over mine. The world felt like it was spinning as I tumbled into his hot kiss. Let me tell you, Ethan Walsh knew how to kiss like it was nobody’s business. He alternated between devouring my mouth with deep sweeps of his tongue and drawing back to catch my lower lip in his teeth, swipes of his tongue across my lips, feathering kisses along my jawline and then finding his way back again. All in all, it’s a damn good thing he held me against him because otherwise I’d have melted at his feet.

  He drew back, his lips dusting along my neck to catch my earlobe between his teeth. Just that and hot shivers raced through me. My breath was choppy. I’d been chilled for the entire walk home and now the fire spreading through my veins in contrast made my skin prickle all over. It felt so good to be held against him—that alone was addictive. He moved with pure strength and ease, every touch smooth.

  His breath gusted across my skin as he made his way down into the V of my blouse. A rough shiver ran through me, and he lifted his head.

  “Still cold?” he asked, his eyes teasing and his mouth curling at one corner.

  I glared at him, which only brought me a low chuckle and another shiver of heat rippling through me. Ethan moved swiftly and lifted me into his arms, swinging me so my legs hung over one of his forearms. I wasn’t used to being carried. Being tall didn’t exactly lead men to want to sweep me off my feet, so to speak. He held me easily. In a flash, I discovered it was pure heaven to be held against his muscled chest.