by Violet Paige
“I can call in sick,” I volunteered. “I can be spontaneous too.”
“I’m not asking you to miss work.”
“I know you aren’t. But when am I going to see you again?”
He shook his head. “I’m on the road next weekend. I can’t do this again for a few weeks.”
My heart sank. It wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear. How was I going to handle weeks without him?
“Maybe I can go to one of your games,” I suggested.
He readjusted under me so he could see my face. “You want to meet me on the road?”
I nodded. I was positive. “Yes.”
“How are we going to keep this out of the press if you travel with me?”
I bit my lower lip, trying to sort through the logistics. “Ok. What if I fly out ahead of time to … where are you playing next?”
“San Francisco.”
I shook my head. That wouldn’t work.
“After that we play the Sharks in DC.”
“DC? That’s close. Ok. I can find one of my charities or something and go out on Saturday. And I can take in the game Sunday in a box. A dark box,” I added. “We’ll meet in a hotel after the game. We’ll at least have the night together.”
“You’re more conniving than I thought. I’m impressed. There’s more naughty girl in there still.” He grabbed my ass and pulled me on top of him.
I relaxed into him, relishing the firm muscles and security of his body.
“I can be really naughty,” I teased.
“You keep proving that.”
The pool table was starting to get uncomfortable. “Want to watch the late game?” I asked.
“You have the Wranglers on?”
I nodded. “I was trying to study up when you rang the doorbell,” I explained. “There is a TV in here, but I have more comfortable rooms in the house.” I laughed. “Want to see?”
We sat up.
“Yeah, but I’m hoping this place has as many bathrooms in it.”
“Oh, right. There’s one behind the pinball machine.” I pointed.
Luke hopped off the table and returned a few minutes later.
“This is naked football, right?” he asked before turning to lift me off the pool table.
I would never be able to play a game here without blushing to my toes. We had officially christened and tarnished that L W logo at the same time.
“What?” My feet dangled over his arm. I felt petite and tiny in his massive arms.
There were no clothes in this room. There was a trail leading here like bread crumbs in the forest.
“You don’t know about naked football? You’re missing out on such an education.”
“Really?” I twisted my lips together.
“Point me to the TV,” he directed.
“Back to the front door and then off to the other wing.”
He shook his head. “This is a fucking maze, you know that, right?”
“It’s a little spacious.”
“It’s big enough for five kids and then some.”
The smile dropped from his face. And we stared in each other’s eyes.
24
Luke
Fuck. Why did I say that? Why did I bring up kids?
And at the same time I couldn’t stop thinking about it. This woman was mine, and it was becoming more clear to me that I wanted her to be mine in every way. Maybe even with my baby inside her.
“Which way?” I asked, dodging her probing eyes.
“If you insist on carrying me like this it’s going to take a while.”
“Just tell me.”
I wasn’t going to let her go. I wanted to hold her to my chest. Carry her. Protect her. And the fact that I had taken her the way I wanted, claimed her body once again, made this feel right.
“Ok, out of this room and then left. Down the hall and right to the front door.”
I retraced our original path, stepping over pictures I had knocked to the floor.
Alexa’s house was fucking ridiculous. It sprawled in every direction. From the front it was deceiving. I couldn’t tell that beyond the front door was where the labyrinth started. And she was here alone. I guessed this was what number one songs bought you.
I heard the sounds of a referee’s whistle. The game was on in a nearby room.
It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago I was doing the same thing. I was on the field, looking for James to get open. I was arguing with refs. I was yelling at my line.
And now I was holding a sexy beautiful woman in my arms. I had flown hours to see her. To surprise her. To do the unexpected.
And yet we were living in the shadows. Keeping it a secret. Hiding each other from the world. I didn’t know how long I could keep it up. I’d always lived my life wide open.
I looked up to see Brian Ross get sacked. I chuckled. Never liked the guy.
“Something funny?”
I settled us on the couch. It felt a hell of a lot better than the pool table. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that that moment was going to go down as one of the hottest fucks of my life. My cock throbbed.
I couldn’t get enough of her.
“Just watching that play. I don’t know why they called it.”
“What should they have done?” she asked.
“Not get sacked first of all.” I scowled. “But Seattle is always going to run that defensive play when there are four receivers lined up.”
“How do you know that?”
“This is what I do. I study them. I watch the games. I read, believe it or not.” I winked at her. “And that QB should know it. If he’s got four receivers going long Seattle is going to rush him in the fastest blitz they have. They don’t have the coverage for those four guys, so it’s their only chance to shut down the play.”
“Makes sense to me.” Her eyes were on the game.
“I would have pegged you for a cheerleader in high school. I can see you wearing one of those cute little skirts.”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “Couldn’t really afford stuff like that.”
“What do you mean?” I reached my arm around her and she nuzzled against my chest as if that was where she belonged.
“I didn’t grow up with money. This is all new to me.”
“Well most people don’t grow up with this kind of money, but you seriously couldn’t afford a cheerleading uniform?”
“My parents didn’t have extra cash. I didn’t even try to do that kind of stuff.”
I tried to picture Alexa poor without her manager. No private plane. No designer boots. The two images didn’t fit. I couldn’t reconcile a penniless girl with the one in my arms who lived in a palace and had her own stylist.
“I bet your parents are proud of you now.”
She had probably bought them a place. Somewhere with lots of land. Expensive furniture and a pool. Linc and I made sure our parents were taken care of. Last year I bought my mom a new Lexus. She loved that damn car. My dad hated she had gone with cherry red.
“They aren’t around.” Her voice softened.
I was going where I never went. Asking questions. Digging deeper.
“What happened, Alexa?”
“It’s embarrassing. No one knows except Jake, and he doesn’t want the press to find out and dig up a bunch of dirt on the whole thing.”
“What is it?” I didn’t know how it was possible for people to keep many secrets anymore.
She exhaled slowly. “My dad went to jail for a long list of petty crimes. Check fraud. Tax evasion. He was just trying to find ways to pay bills.” Her expression was anguished. “He’s not a bad guy. He just did things because he was desperate. He never would have tried them if he had money. He wouldn’t. He was laid off from the plant and things spiraled.”
“And your mom?”
“She lost the house when my dad went to jail. Her car was repossessed. She was in worse shape than he was. She was an aid at the library. Do you have any idea how much sh
e made?”
I saw Alexa wipe at her cheeks with her palms.
“No.”
“Not enough to pay bills. It got worse. Much worse.” Her voice cracked. “She was alone.”
“What happened, Alexa?” I had to coax the story from her.
“With my dad in jail and no money she met someone online. And she left with him.”
I had stopped watching the game. I hit mute on the remote. “Where did your mom go?”
“To Mexico.” Alexa wiped at another tear. “But I don’t know if she made it. I don’t know if she’s there. All I know is that I can’t find her. And I’ve looked. I’ve hired investigators. I’ve spent money looking for her. Nothing has turned up. She’s a ghost. I think she’s dead.”
“Shit,” I whispered. That was fucked up. Fucked up for her. For her mom. For her dad. I didn’t know if I should hold her or get a detective on the phone myself. I wanted to do something.
“Yeah. See why it’s not something I talk about? It’s an embarrassment. My dad is in jail. My mom cheated on him. Ran away and she didn’t even bother to worry about her daughter. Not exactly the picture perfect story Jake wants out there for the country sweetheart I am.”
“What did you do? Where did you go when she left?” I didn’t give a shit about Jake right now. That asshole only had one priority and it wasn’t Alexa.
She sniffed once more, but I couldn’t tell if she was about to cry or if she had stopped herself. That was the end of the tears. “I moved to Nashville. I met Jake and the rest is history.”
“But she could be out there? You don’t know for sure.” There was a lot of uncertainty in Alexa’s past.
“I don’t think so. Wouldn’t she have come back by now? If you had a daughter who was worth a bajillion dollars, wouldn’t you show up?” she asked.
“Maybe she has too much pride. Maybe she doesn’t want to admit what she did was wrong.” I didn’t know her mom and I wasn’t taking the woman’s side. I didn’t know why people made shitty decisions. I’d made more than enough.
“I knew you were strong, but I didn’t know exactly how strong.” I wrapped my other arm around her. “You amaze me, Alexa.”
“Really? That entire story didn’t turn you off? You don’t think differently about me?”
“I do. I think you’re one hell of a woman. My woman.” I rolled her to face me. Her breasts draped over me, her nipples brushing my chest.
“I didn’t grow up like you and Linc. You don’t care?”
“No. Doesn’t matter what happened before the night I paid twenty-five thousand dollars to hear you sing.” I tried to make her smile.
“It’s such a dark secret,” she whispered.
“I know it is. But I’ll keep it.” I kissed her cheek, tasting the saltiness of her tears.
She rocked forward. “You promise, Luke?”
Her hips ground into my cock and it hardened into a thick rod. Holy fuck.
“I promise. I’ll never tell.”
I kissed her other cheek, my hand sliding over her ass and dipping between her legs, searching for her swollen clit.
She hissed as I eased one finger and then another inside her. She jerked up, sitting back on my fingers.
“Feel good?” I asked.
She closed her eyes. “Yes.”
“Fuck me like this a little. I want you to feel good. I always want to make you feel good.”
She clenched around me. Her walls tightening with measured strength, squeezing my fingers.
“Ohh,” she inched down, rubbing her heat over my cock.
She nodded as I pried and twisted her opening. God, I wanted in there. She glided down my body until my fingers were free and tilted her clit over my dick.
“Fuck, Alexa. Don’t do that.”
Her eyes fired. “Why not?” she asked wickedly.
“Because you know what I’ll do.”
She bounced forward in slow motion, dragging her nipples over my torso like twin peaks luring me to salvation or damnation—I couldn’t tell which.
My fingers dipped inside her again for a quick pump. I brought them to my lips, tasting the sweetness of her honey. I sucked on one and then the other.
Alexa wriggled until her belly grazed my shaft, reviving it with a new pulsing fever. She pushed up, licking her lips.
“You need to stop,” I warned. “The condoms are in the hallway with my bag. And that’s half a mile away in this house.”
“I don’t want them.”
“Then what do you want?”
She continued to bewitch me with the sway of her hips. The enticement of her tits.
“You’re powerful, Luke. And strong.” Her nails scraped over my abs, causing my stomach to flinch. It felt as if she were a fucking siren leading me to the edge of a cliff.
“Where are you going with this?” I was so hard I thought I might come now. She was tempting me with every inch of her body.
“Fuck me, Luke.”
“I want to, but I want things to be more under control with your birth control.” She was killing me. She didn’t know I had jerked off every night this week to the picture of coming deep inside her. Filling her with my cum.
She reached between her legs and her fingers landed on her clit. Her hair swept off her shoulders as her head reeled back.
“Stop it,” I commanded.
“No,” she groaned. “Fuck me.”
She strummed, whimpering with each stroke. I lost it. My dick only wanted one thing—to sink into her velvet walls. I tilted the base of my cock, until the head jutted toward her entrance.
“Oh God,” she moaned, sliding backward, sucking me in.
My arms wrapped around her, clutching her lower back. She rode with gentle thrusts, slanting her hips upward so I could hit her at the most intense angle.
I pulled her lips toward me, finding the warmth of her mouth and the silk of her tongue.
“Come on me, baby,” I urged. I wanted to feel it before I pulled out. I wanted her tightening on my dick. Squeezing me. Panting my name. Vibrating with pleasure.
I reached between us, clasping my fingers on her clit.
“Oh God,” she cried.
“Come for me,” I whispered in her ear. And I felt the wash of the orgasm consume her body. She rocked and spiraled, gasping for air.
Her eyes opened and I smiled. She might have seduced me into this, but I was still twice her size. I lifted her up and twisted her onto her back, sinking my shaft deep inside her. She arched her back, tilting for me. I pumped hard, enjoying the friction between us. Wanting more than this. Wanting to fill her belly.
“Oh shit, Alexa. Fuck.”
My spine tightened and I felt the clutch in my stomach.
I pumped again, before jerking out of her and covering her stomach with my golden seed. I reached forward, spreading it on her hard nipples.
“Oh, God.”
I grinned. “So fucking hot, baby. And so mine.”
“I am yours.” She leaned up to kiss me.
And it was still there. No matter how much sex we had. No matter how fucking deep things got between us. No matter how connected I felt to this girl. The question that had been plaguing me all week was there between us. It was tangible. It drew us together. When I looked in Alexa’s eyes was I looking into the eyes of the woman who was going to make me a father?
25
Alexa
My phone rang, but it was dark in my room. I hit the bedside table, knocking the lamp before I finally found it.
“Hello?” I croaked.
Luke snored next to me.
“Babe! It’s out.”
“What’s out?” It finally registered I was talking to Jake. I looked at my clock. It was only six.
“The CYA list. You’re up for female performer of the year, song of the year, video of the year, single of the year, and entertainer of the year. Babe, this is it. You are Nashville’s favorite girl.”
I rubbed my eyes and my feet touched the wa
rm rug next to my sleigh bed. I pulled the silk kimono robe from the chair and threaded my arms through it. I padded into the bathroom, closing the door behind me so I didn’t wake Luke.
“Wow.”
“Wow? I’m coming over. We need to celebrate.”
“What? Now? No.” I panicked.
“Of course now. This is everything we’ve worked for. You couldn’t ask for better recognition than this, babe. You could completely sweep the entire awards show. I think we could have Helena meet us too. I’ll order breakfast catered and we’ll start on your wardrobe along with booking all the radio interviews. We need votes. Every vote. I want a full sweep. Your wardrobe has to be impeccable for every appearance.”
My head spun. I hadn’t slept. Luke was in my bed. And Jake would kill me if he found out.
I coughed into the phone. My voice already had an edge of early-morning raspiness. I could play this off.
“Jake, I feel terrible. My throat is scratchy and I was up most of the night with a fever.” It was a fever, just not the kind that was a result of germs.
“Today? Right now? You’re sick?”
“Jake!” I faked a coughing fit.”
“Sorry. Sorry. Do you have a doctor’s appointment? I’ll get someone to take you.”
I looked at my reflection, letting the robe fall to the side. My nipples were swollen. My neck was red and there were definite thumbprints between my thighs. It all felt divine. The imprint of the man who had changed my life was all over my body.
“No. No.” I hacked again. “I’ve got hot tea and some lozenges. I just need rest. I think a day in bed and I’ll be back to normal tomorrow. And then we can celebrate.”
“What a day to have this happen.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, Lex. If you need something text me and I’ll have it delivered. Anything you need at all. Anything.”
“I will. Thanks.”
Jake was a complete germophobe. He wouldn’t come anywhere near my house until he knew it had been disinfected by a professional team.
“And congrats, babe. I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you.” It was one of those moments when I caught a glimpse of what we used to be. The days when Jake and I worked together for the same goal. When all we dreamed about was making it to the CYAs together. That seemed like another life. I didn’t recognize who we were anymore. All we did was fight and threaten each other. Our friendship was toxic.