“Whatever you want,” he grated. “I’ll give it to you.”
“Whatever I want?” I teased.
“Everything.” His face sobered. “Everything.”
“Nobody’s ever offered me everything.”
“I am. And I keep my promises—besides, someone said they wanted to sleep in my bed.”
“Well, I mean you have to be in it too . . .” I slid his trousers down over his hips, eye level with something so smooth and beautiful that I let out a girly sigh, one so unlike me that I was almost embarrassed. I eyed him as I lowered my mouth.
He gripped my wrists with his hands. “Yeah.” He swayed on his feet. “I’ll be in it. We just have to figure out Willow.”
“Let’s not talk about your sister in between tastes.” I swirled my tongue around him and then winked. “Like wine tasting, only better.”
“Except the cork is already threatening to go off.” He shook his head. “Later. I’ve been tortured by every fucking look you sent my way, every argument, every outfit, every practice, every morning since you first arrived at my door with cookies.”
“Ah, he’s an asshole when he’s happy too?”
“Apparently he’s an asshole no matter what.” He flipped me onto my back and kicked off his pants. “And now, now I get to make up for it by taking my time.”
“Oh.” A warm blush spread over my face. “That’s okay, you don’t have to—”
My dress was suddenly over my head, my backless bodice was on, but I was naked from the waist down and his mouth was feasting on me like a girl always imagines, with the same precision a striker eyes downfield, the same artful movement from left to right, a fake, kick deep.
“Aaaagghrmmmphhh!” I screamed into a pillow. “Matt!”
“Sorry, couldn’t decipher that, also I’m super busy right now . . .” He chuckled against my sensitive skin. “Hmmmm, wanted to taste you so bad, knew it would be like this . . . fucking knew it . . .”
I squeezed my thighs as he took me higher. I felt my body shamelessly move against him.
“That’s it, baby,” he encouraged, and then I wasn’t hearing anything but the sound of my own heart as I felt my release and nearly came off the mattress and disappeared into thin air.
“Get there.”
“I can’t—”
“You scored the winning goal at the championships two years ago, you were wearing your hair in a braid, and all I kept thinking when I looked at your tape was, ‘Damn, that woman is too beautiful for words,’ and now I know—now I know, you’re beautiful everywhere, inside, outside.” He licked, he sucked. “You’re perfect.”
I grabbed his head with one hand and let out a scream.
“All you needed . . .” He looked up at me, slowly crawled up my body like a panther ready to stake claim on its prey. “Was someone who cared.”
“No.” I cupped his face. “I just needed you.”
His eyes darted to my mouth.
I lunged for him, tasting myself on him, tasting us, and I forgot all about my past.
It was just us.
In his bedroom.
In his house.
I’d begged Matt for a future without even realizing it would never be complete without him in it.
I didn’t say I love you.
Not with my words.
But with every kiss, with every touch, I tried to tell him what was in my heart.
I pushed him onto his back and straddled him.
His eyes widened a fraction of an inch as I moved over him, taking him in, sinking down slowly as our eyes locked, breathing quickened.
So many tiny breaths.
So many small moans.
Growls.
Touches.
A million of them between us, all meaning the same thing, more and more.
He gripped me with one hand as I held his other above his head, riding him, loving him, feeling our thighs slide together in sync as sweat heated our bodies.
His teeth clenched. “Can’t hold back.”
“Never asked you to.” I lowered my head. The motion created a secret curtain between our mouths as they met gently, as we moved together.
It was just us in that moment.
Nobody else.
And then his eyes were wild as he moved with me. I took him deep as a pulsing sensation shot through us.
There.
Perfect.
Us.
“Matt?” My voice was hoarse, had I been yelling that much?
His hands were still on my ass. “Yeah?”
“I really, really like your bed.”
He slapped me on one ass cheek and let out an exhausted laugh. “Just don’t kick me out of it anytime soon, alright?”
“Just don’t bring your whistle into the bedroom, and I won’t have a reason to.”
“Valid point. I’m burning all whistles. Does that mean every time I don’t have a whistle we have sex? Because I could really get on board with that.”
I smacked his naked chest while he burst out laughing and pulled me to my side, kissing my neck from behind.
“You’re beautiful.”
Being called beautiful by Matt was the highest high, because Matt didn’t give out compliments, so when he said it, I believed it.
“I like your six-pack?” was my counter offer.
Which just got me more tickling of my side.
And then I sobered as he held me close. “Is it wrong to ask what happens next?”
“Life, Parker. Life happens next.”
“Yeah?”
He kissed my temple. “Yeah, but first sleep.”
I yawned. “And you’ll be here . . . in your bed.”
“I’m here.”
“Home,” came out of my mouth before I could stop the words.
“Home, Parker. Home.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
MATT
I couldn’t remember the last time I woke up with such a huge grin on my face. I turned on my side to see Parker still sleeping. Damn, she was beautiful. Her hair was a mess all over the pillow like she was trying to claim ownership with each strand.
And it made me that much more determined to keep her there.
She fit.
We fit.
I wasn’t sure how.
Or why.
And I didn’t know what the hell I was going to tell the press if they ever caught wind of our relationship, which just meant we needed to deal with this Erik business once and for all. He was threatening, stalking, and bordering on being a complete sociopath. And the last thing we needed was for her to feel powerless or afraid again. I was more concerned about her mental state than I was about her position on any team. In my mind I could do anything, create a miracle, get her to play anywhere; the issue was him, it had always been him. He was the root problem, and I needed to destroy him as soon as possible.
Starting with a phone call this morning to let the LA team know she wasn’t interested, especially after last night.
The Seattle Reign were almost all in. All she had to do was be her charming self, a.k.a. kick ass, have a killer tryout, and it would be a done deal.
I was giving her a rest day so she would be fresh for tryouts, but knowing Parker, she’d want to at least go for a run.
And it would be normal for her coach to go with her, right?
I quickly dressed and put on my running shoes then jogged into the kitchen to make breakfast.
“So . . .” Willow’s voice had me nearly tripping over my own feet. She was sitting at the breakfast bar with a newspaper in front of her face so I couldn’t read her expression. “I hope I’m not intruding.”
“Intruding?” Shit. “Nope. Not at all. Just headed out for a run in a few.”
She slammed the newspaper down. She was fresh faced and wearing a Seattle Sounders sweatshirt.
I pointed. “Is that Jagger’s?”
“I am NOT making that whore breakfast!” she screeched, turning her head to me.
I open
ed my mouth to respond then jerked back. “Fuck, is that a hickey?” I roared.
“I heard that slut’s screams twice last night! Twice! I almost had to get ear plugs.” She threw her hands in the air.
Wait a second. Whose pants were those?
“Those aren’t yours.” I grabbed a coffee mug and stared down her obviously too-big black Nike sweat pants.
“I can’t believe you!” She paced, completely ignoring me. “You just bring home the first skank you can find! Poor Parker had to listen to that all night long, and you know she likes you! What the hell is wrong with you, Matt!” She turned and reached for a magazine and rolled it up, which revealed another hickey on the other side of her neck.
“How long did that sick bastard suck on your neck! We aren’t vampires!” I hollered. “Where is he!” I tried getting past her. “Jagger! You sick motherfucker! I said one date! Not a feast!”
Parker chose that moment to make an appearance in nothing but one of my T-shirts. Jagger came out of the shared bathroom. They took one look at each other.
And fucking high-fived.
I groaned into my hands while Willow jumped into the air. “YOU WERE THE SKANK LAST NIGHT?”
“I wasn’t that loud!” Parker said defensively. “And it’s not like—”
“I get to be your maid of honor!” Willow announced, performing a little twirl.
“Aw, you guys are getting married?” Jagger winked and then sidestepped me. “Need some coffee, bro. Your sister’s an animal.”
A headache throbbed at the base of my skull. “Wait, Willow, why are you happy, you just found out I was with . . .” I felt my face pale and then felt guilt start to pulse through my body. “Will . . .”
“No.” She held up her hand. “And yes, I’m happy. Happy with Jagger.” I held my groan in. “And I’m happy for you.” She frowned. “Wait, aren’t you happy? I’ve only been trying to get you guys together since we accidentally”—she made air quotes—“moved in under weird circumstances.”
Jagger chomped down on an apple next to me. “She’s a manipulative, evil mastermind. Seen her shoe collection? Huge, it’s huge, not normal.” Another large bite. “I think they hold her secrets.”
I took a long, soothing breath and locked eyes with Parker, who burst out laughing so hard tears started streaming down her cheeks.
“Willow, what the hell?”
She grinned over at me. “I know you, I know what you need, and I’ve known for years that the one girl you need in your life just needed to be groomed by me. You know, a few short skirts, some makeup—”
Parker snorted.
“Or,” Willow said, grinning, “just bringing her around so you could see what I see, what everyone sees: the most amazing woman you’ve ever met.”
“Likewise,” Jagger grumbled, pulling Willow in for a kiss.
I stared.
At everyone.
Mouth ajar.
And then . . .
“Coffee?” Parker laughed, walking by me, grabbing my shirt with her fist, and dragging me along. I loved it. How the hell was my sister so smart? Huh, maybe she should be an agent. I shook my head in disbelief.
“Dessert,” I finally grumbled against her mouth, suddenly unable to keep my hands off her. I mean she was wearing my shirt, my shirt.
“Stop that!” Willow yelled. “Just because I wanted it to happen doesn’t mean I wanted to see it live and in person.”
We broke apart, smiling.
“Oh, and by the way, Jagger and I are dating.” She blew a kiss to Jagger.
“Surprise, asshole.” He finger-waved at me then flipped me off. I almost charged him and broke every finger off his hand, but her smile stopped me, Willow’s smile. The way she looked at him was the same way I looked at Parker, and I couldn’t fault my sister for wanting that, because I think deep down we’d both always wanted that, the feeling of coming home, of partnership. I took a sip of coffee and purposely ignored his taunt.
“What? No yelling anymore?” Jagger almost sounded disappointed.
“Nope.” I grinned wide, suddenly thrilled that someone else could corral her. “Because now you get to deal with the shoe problem. Good thing you’re worth a shit ton of money, you’re gonna need it.”
“He exaggerates.” Willow rolled her eyes.
“Shoes.” Jagger snorted. “How much can one pair of shoes cost?”
“Her last pair cost more than my first car in high school,” Parker said helpfully, causing Jagger to choke.
“Baby, I came from Russia. Grandma taught me to save, you know she survived the Cold War and all,” Jagger said.
“Cold War?” Parker mouthed while I hit him in the back of the head.
“Hurt her, and I hurt you,” I threatened.
“Then who takes care of Parker if she gets hurt?” Jagger fired back then held out his fist for her to bump. “Tell you what, I’m adopting you, and now if he tries to break your heart, I’ll break his leg, cool?”
Her eyes widened. I could see her swallow her emotions like she wasn’t used to people being on her side, and it killed me all over again that a woman like her had ever felt alone in this world when I was there all along, waiting to stand by her side.
“Cool.” She bumped his fist without even hesitating. “What?” She shrugged at me. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“So this is a fun morning.” I smiled over my cup of coffee, suddenly warm in my chest like my heart was happy, which was ridiculous. I’d always been happy.
Or at least I thought I was. Maybe I had been missing something.
Joy.
Parker grabbed a banana and tossed it to me. “Remind you of something?”
Jagger caught it midair and dropped it immediately.
Parker winked. “I was just trying to lighten the mood. Who wants to go for a run?”
Jagger bit into his apple again. “I’m in, just gotta grab some shoes. Matt, you’re a twelve, right?”
“Unbelievable,” I grumbled. The guy used my stuff like it was his, asshole.
“You have seventeen pairs of running shoes, you’ll survive.” Jagger slapped me on the back. “Oh and bro, do you have a toothbrush?”
I glared. He was like Willow but male. Awesome, this should be great come Christmas, how had I never put two and two together? They were both annoying on purpose and too smart and talented, meaning they got away with everything. And I let them because I loved them both. Huh, maybe they did make sense after all.
“Kidding, I brought my own because I knew it was going to be a slumber party.”
“Pain in my ass.” I leaned against the counter, and just like it was normal, Parker walked over to me and I gathered her in my arms and kissed her cheek. “Run?”
“Yeah, I feel sore.”
Willow snorted.
“In my legs, you dirty whore!” Parker responded without even looking at my sister, then lowered her voice. “And other places.”
I choked on my next sip of coffee as she leaned up on tiptoes and licked the outside of my ear, sending all my blood south, and then whispered, “Tonight I think you should tie me up—with the whistle cord.”
“Fuck.” I locked eyes with her. “You’re going to be a handful, aren’t you? Am I going to need aspirin every night?”
“Weekly massages will help.” She patted my back.
I rolled my eyes. “Dick massages, you mean?”
“Very funny.” She slapped my ass. “Go get dressed, I want you to stretch me later.”
“Funny, I thought I was the coach.”
“And agent.” She winked. “Don’t forget.”
She practically skipped out of the room, leaving me and Willow alone.
“So . . .” Willow licked her lips like she wasn’t sure if she should bring something up.
“Spit it out, Willow.”
“While I’m super excited you guys are together”—she cleared her throat and shifted on her feet a bit—“you do have a clause in your contra
ct about dating clients . . .” She shrugged. “I can look past it, but . . .”
“Shit.” I ran my free hand through my hair, frustrated that I hadn’t thought of it and irritated that it was even an issue. I’d been so worried about how dating her would look to others that I hadn’t even considered the legal ramifications. “I’ll figure something out, maybe I can give her to another one of the—”
Willow shook her head. “But she trusts you. Look, it’s not a big deal now, but once she inks a deal, which we know she will, she’s going to need to separate business and personal. Wow, I just sounded so ridiculously old, like you, that I may need to buy a pair of spectacles, but the cute ones you get at Barney’s that just make you look smarter.”
My smile was strained as all the possibilities weighed my shoulders down. “You are smart.”
“I know that,” she said without sarcasm. “But thank you anyway. Just focus on your run and I’ll go look through the contract. It’s going to be fine, okay?”
“Okay.” I kissed her forehead. “Promise me that you’re happy with Jagger? I mean he’s . . .”
“A total player, douche, and all-around pain in your ass, yeah, I get it, but he’s incredible to me. I really, really like him, so don’t mess this up just because you can’t stand the fact that he saw me naked and we played tag . . . with whipped cream and Skittles.”
I nodded. “Wow, and with that visual . . .”
“I was it.” She laughed and did a little dance.
“Never again. We’re never speaking of this again.” I shuddered and walked off, thoughts of my business relationship with Parker plaguing my mind.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
PARKER
“You know . . .” I grabbed a bottle of water while Willow typed away on her laptop. The run had done wonders for my nerves. Matt had disappeared into his office and Jagger followed. “You could have told me your evil plan.”
She grinned at the screen. “You guys would have fought it. I mean let’s be honest, you already tried to fight it. I figured if I let you in on my evil plan you guys would kill each other first.”
I shrugged. “You may have a point there.”
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