For the Win

by Sara Rider

  Having Tessa there helped Lainey rationalize that this wasn’t a date, but somewhere along the way, Tessa had “conveniently” met up with some friends and found an alternate ride home. At least Lainey had retained her self-control as far as the ice cream went, sampling only the smallest taste from Gabe’s cone. It had taken all her resolve not to lick the bit of vanilla dribble stuck to the stubble of his chin. Instead, she swiped it with her finger, eliciting a wicked grin from the man. Despite his undeniable sexiness, Gabe’s goofiness and laid-back charm always managed to disarm her.

  “That was some hat trick today,” Gabe said, rubbing his thumb over her hand. “Most people would think a feat like that worthy of a little celebratory ice cream of their own.”

  Lainey snorted. “Most people aren’t winners. Self-discipline is the only variable an athlete can control on the road to success.”

  “Are you saying I’m not a winner?” He hip-checked her lightly.

  She returned the gesture. “You tied your match last week against LA.”

  “Ouch. At least I succeeded in getting you to go on a date with me.” He licked his cone suggestively.

  “By using your sister to manipulate me.”

  “Guilty as charged.”

  “Besides, this isn’t a date. I don’t date during the season,” Lainey said, smiling in spite of herself. She had to admit she was having a great time. When they weren’t bickering, she and Gabe seemed to have fun together. He was funny, easygoing, and handsome. But those qualities were also what caused the lingering doubts about his intentions. No matter how charming he was, the fact remained that he’d always be her adversary as long as their practice space was in contention. Not to mention that he was the most unrelenting distraction she’d ever encountered. No matter how many times she’d tried to shake his image from her mind, his charming smile and rock-solid body popped right back up at the forefront.

  “It’s preseason.”

  “Close enough.”

  “I can’t imagine a lot of the men you’ve dated are okay with that arrangement.”

  Lainey shrugged. “It’s not a priority in my life.” She’d realized that quite clearly after last year’s World Cup. Patrick, an elementary school teacher her aunt had set her up with, had made that accusation many times in the five months they’d dated. He’d had a bullshit excuse for not being able to come to Norway to watch her play, and even as he told her with a straight face that he needed to spend his free time preparing for the fall semester’s lessons, she realized she didn’t care all that much that he wouldn’t be there to support her. She’d barely noticed when weeks had passed in the hospital afterward without a word from him. She’d forgotten about him so completely that it never even occurred to her to call him until well after she was back in the United States. At that point, she’d figured, why bother?

  “What is a priority? Oh, right. Winning.” He tossed the remnants of his cone in a nearby trash can. His voice turned serious. The pitying look on his face made her skin itch. “What happens if you don’t win the season?”

  “Losing isn’t an option.”

  “Just humor me. What happens if you never win the World Cup with Team USA again, or if the Falcons don’t make it to the AWSL finals? Will all the sacrifice be worth it?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. But I know I won’t be satisfied if I don’t try. After what happened in Norway, I owe it to myself to do my best.”

  He stopped walking and cupped her face with his free hand. “You didn’t just nearly lose your career. You almost died. Most people in your shoes would want to experience life to the fullest. Don’t you want that?”

  More than anything. But Lainey knew she could never have everything she wanted. Anything worth fighting for always required sacrifices. She wasn’t the type to live her life in the shadows of what-ifs and regret. Facing her injuries alone in another country hardened her. “I refuse to spend my life feeling sorry for myself. And I won’t give up on my dreams, either.”

  “Why can’t you have both?”

  Lainey bit her lip. She’d always had to choose. Between her family, who would have preferred she stayed on the farm, and moving away to follow her dreams. They weren’t unsupportive, just indifferent. With Patrick, there was no question her career would always come first, just as it was with Simon, her college boyfriend who wanted her to follow him to the East Coast, where he’d been accepted to grad school when she was still a junior. Moving meant giving up her spot on the U-Dub varsity women’s team. It was an easy choice, every single time, but a choice nonetheless. Just like she was soon going to have to choose between fanning the spark she felt with Gabe and pursuing her dreams. “It’s getting late. I should go home.”

  “If that’s what you want, I’ll take you home, but please don’t shut down on me now. Not when we’re finally getting along.” He gave her a grin that melted her heart, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say, and a heavy silence settled over them once again. No matter how she tried to explain it, she could never convey the passion and drive within her in words.

  Twenty minutes later, Gabe pulled up to the street in front of her apartment building and shut the motor off.

  “I haven’t had a date end before nine o’clock since I was a teenager,” he remarked, looking at his watch.

  “Considering this isn’t a date, I think your record is safe. But I did have a good time, so thank you.” She unbuckled her seat belt and reached for the door handle.

  “Well, if this isn’t a date, then there’s no harm in inviting me up for a nightcap. In fact, it’d be downright rude of you not to.”

  Lainey rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t argue with his logic. Besides, she needed the chance to explain to him why last weekend was a onetime thing and purge all thoughts of him from her mind once and for all, and that wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have in the middle of the street. His smile widened as she nodded. He bounded out of his car and followed her to her small, walk-up apartment.

  “You know, the technical rule is that sex doesn’t happen until the third date,” he said as she fumbled with her keys.

  “So I’ve heard,” she said dryly, not sure where he was going with that line. Her aloofness belied how just hearing Gabe say the word “sex” sent heat flooding to the apex of her thighs.

  As soon as they entered the apartment, Gabe hoisted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist, sealing his lips to hers. Betraying her better judgment, she thrust her hands into his hair and returned the kiss. He kicked the door shut behind him and spun her around until her back was pinned against the wall. The possessiveness of his grip made her heart race. His tongue slipped past her lips, hungrily searching for hers. She could taste the sweet traces of ice cream on his lips. She ground her hips against his pelvis until his erection was rock solid.

  “Technically, since this isn’t a date, we aren’t breaking any rules by having sex,” he said breathlessly.

  With a heavy weight in her chest, Lainey sighed and slumped against him, resting her head against his shoulder. “I can’t do this. Last weekend was fun, but it’s over now.”

  “Why? I like you. You like me. At least, some of the time you do,” he added with a grin. “And you can’t deny we have incredible chemistry.”

  She tightened her legs around his waist, telling herself this would be the last time she got so close to him. “That’s exactly why we can’t do this. We’re too intense together. I can’t afford any distractions.”

  “I don’t have to be a distraction,” he said, rocking his hips gently against hers. A blast of heat shot through her body. “We can be casual if you prefer.”

  Such simple, logical words, yet they felt like a knife to her gut. Lainey didn’t want to be another one of his random flings tossed aside as soon as he was bored with her. She wanted something real, something worth fighting for. And that couldn’t happen until after the season.
She straightened to face him. It was almost impossible to look into his enchanting sea-blue eyes and not get completely, utterly lost. She closed her eyes instead.

  “I can’t do moderation. I have no willpower when it comes to you. You overwhelm me.” Proving her point, Gabe was already running his hands under her shirt, just beneath the curve of her breasts, and she wasn’t stopping him.

  “Then think of me as an asset. Haven’t you noticed how much better everything has been for you and the Falcons since I came into your life?” he asked, nuzzling her neck.

  Her breath hitched as one of his hands found her breast, massaging it gently. He pulled the cup of her bra down and circled her nipple with his thumb. “I . . . I guess that’s true,” she managed to say before groaning. The small part of her brain that was still working while Gabe pulled her shirt over her head and unclasped her bra reminded her that he was right. The Falcons were winning, and respecting her as a captain more than ever.

  “And you wouldn’t want to risk having all that progress go to waste, would you?” he asked as she unbuttoned his shirt.

  “I suppose that wouldn’t be prudent,” she said, running her tongue along his neck. “But I need you to know something.”

  She pulled back and looked him in the eye.

  “You can tell me anything.”

  Lainey took a deep breath. “I can never be the kind of woman you want. Right now my career comes first. Maybe it always will. I train at least four hours a day. I plan out everything I eat the week before. The last thing I think about before I go to bed every night is scoring goals that would make Pelé and Maradona weep. I’m not willing to change that for anyone, and I would never ask you to give up your dreams, either, but I can’t live inside your orbit. I mean it. I can’t afford any distractions right now.”

  He brushed his thumb along her tender, kiss-swollen lip. “Silly, silly woman. How many times do I have to tell you that I’m attracted to you because of your dedication and success, not in spite of it? I would never undermine that.”

  “I want to believe you.”

  “I’m not like other guys you’ve dated. I understand better than anyone what it means to be a professional athlete. I know how much blood, sweat, and tears go into it.”

  “I—”

  “Three more weeks,” he blurted out before she had a chance to answer him. “Give me until the season starts to show you that I can make you happy and help you be a better player. Give me a chance to show you that you can have it all. If you’re right and this combustible chemistry between us doesn’t make you a happier, stronger player, we’ll go our separate ways. But if I’m right, then we’ll take it from there. What do you say, Lukas? Be my girlfriend for the best three weeks of your life?”

  It was so silly that she laughed. “Three weeks? Okay. I can do that.”

  Gabe hollered and pumped his fist in the air.

  “Wait!” She pulled her hands up to his face, tilting his head to look her directly in the eyes. “If we do this, you have to promise me that you won’t take it easy on me during the final rounds of the Battle of the Sexes. I want to win fair and square.”

  He slipped his hand beneath the front of her jeans and cupped her pussy, like he was confident she’d already be wet and ready for him. He was right. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Now tell me again how much I overwhelm you.” He tapped a finger lightly against her sensitive clit, causing her entire body to jerk.

  “You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever seen,” she said in a hushed voice.

  “More,” he growled, sliding the tip of his finger inside her, using his thumb to work her clit in slow circles. Lainey whimpered, heat rushing through her body.

  “I can’t stop thinking about your body. It drives me crazy.” She cried out as his finger sank deeper, massaging her into a state of delirious arousal.

  “More,” he repeated fiercely, slipping in another finger and pumping rapidly.

  “I . . . I had a poster of you in my room when I was in college. I would touch myself when I looked at it,” she said, completely consumed by the momentary euphoria.

  Gabe stilled. The predatory look in his eyes was so fierce that Lainey held her breath.

  “You should not have told me that,” he murmured. Lainey’s heart pounded so hard against her rib cage, she could feel the reverberations in her head. Silently, he carried her to her bedroom, where he stripped off the rest of her clothes with stark determination.

  “Show me,” he commanded. When she hesitated, he said it again, his voice thick with lust.

  With a mixture of panic and excitement, Lainey lowered herself onto the bed. Goose bumps prickled her skin, and her lungs felt like they were frozen as she struggled for breath, but the rest of her body was on fire. She didn’t even know how or where to begin, so she trailed her hand to her breast and caressed herself, stroking the side and plucking at her nipple. Gabe’s growl coaxed her on. She licked her lips and lowered her hand to the apex of her thighs, slicking her moisture over her clit. She was so wet, it shocked her to feel it with her own fingers. The heavy rise and fall of his chest emboldened her to continue. Knowing she was driving him crazy just by touching herself gave her an unparalleled rush.

  Gabe let his shirt drop to the floor, his predatory gaze never leaving her. He pulled condoms from his pocket and tossed them beside her onto the bed, then shucked the rest of his clothes. He circled his erection with his palm, working his shaft with unhurried strokes, swiveling over the head and back. With his other hand, he tugged his balls, fixated on Lainey’s reactions. She whimpered, feeling her climax rush upon her.

  “Come for me, baby,” he said, walking to the edge of the bed.

  Lainey shattered as waves of ecstasy rolled over her, and collapsed on the bed.

  “We’re not done yet.” With explosive speed, Gabe grabbed her ankles and slid her to her feet. He turned her around to face the mirrored closet doors and pulled a condom on. Standing behind her, he gripped her butt cheeks open and eased himself inside her while she rested her hands on the edge of the bed. She cried out, still reeling from her earlier orgasm as his cock filled her more deeply and fully from this angle than she could have ever imagined. “I make you wet, don’t I? So very hot and wet and tight.”

  She whimpered, not having recovered her voice yet.

  “And you make me hard. Do you feel how hard I am for you?” He gave a deep thrust. “You do that to me, Lainey. You bring me to my knees when you touch yourself.”

  “So hard,” she whispered.

  He gently tugged her hair back to force her to look in the mirror as he worked himself inside her. “You’re so beautiful when you orgasm. I want you to watch yourself when I make you come.”

  “Fuck me hard, Gabe. Show me how much you want me,” she said, watching their faces in the mirror while their bodies rocked together in a beautiful, rhythmic motion.

  Gabe roared and slammed into her, using all the speed and strength of his athletic body. One of his hands rested on her hip; the other roved to her breasts and clitoris, working her into a frenzy. Moans, whimpers, and screams escaped her mouth, and he sent her body into a state of bliss. He pounded into her for what felt like an eternity, never losing steam. Lainey matched his pace, slamming back onto him to deepen the intensity.

  “That’s it, baby,” he ordered, picking up the friction on her clit.

  “Yes, yes, yes,” Lainey screamed as the surreal pressure of her orgasm shot through her entire body once again. She kept her gaze in front of her, watching herself in the mirror. Her face was flushed, eyes wide, and mouth open, gasping for air.

  Though her limbless body wanted to fall back to the bed, she held on a few more minutes, letting Gabe ride her until he threw his head back and called her name.

  15

  Sure, the pressure can be tough, but no one becomes a pro soccer player if they’re afraid of a challenge.<
br />
  —Gabe Havelak, quoted in Behind the Surge: A Documentary of Seattle’s First Professional Soccer Team

  WHEN GABE WOKE, HIS first thought was that last night hadn’t gone as he’d expected. Not that he minded how things turned out, but he’d assumed they would talk about why she ran away without so much as a good-bye when he dropped her off last weekend. And maybe he’d apologize for sulking at her rejection and not calling afterward. Then again, he didn’t really want to admit he was sulking.

  But this was much, much better than he’d anticipated. He’d spent the night curled up next to an amazing woman after a mind-blowing round of sex, with the promise of three more weeks of ecstasy. It was probably going to bite him in the ass in the end—the time with her would never be enough. He just didn’t know how to convince Lainey that the chemistry between them couldn’t be denied any longer. But it stung to see the look of doubt on her face, and even though she was the one fighting their attraction, he noticed she’d looked unhappy when he suggested they keep it casual. There was no doubt there’d be consequences to his plan, but Gabe was more than happy to forgo thinking about consequences in favor of hot sex.

  In fact, he had some pretty great ideas about how to procrastinate a little more this morning, but he hesitated to wake Lainey, who was still sleeping next to him. He rolled onto his back and took in the decor of her apartment. It was surprisingly normal. Low-end Ikea furniture and a television, beneath which was a stack of meticulously labeled videos of her matches. As far as insights into her personality, there was a large color-coded calendar detailing her weekly workout plan and some posters of Pelé, Drogba, and Hamm. None of himself, he noticed, making a mental note to remedy that situation ASAP.

  Gabe reached behind his head to fluff his pillow and fully savor the serenity of this otherwise perfect moment. He felt something crinkle beneath his hand.

  What do we have here? Tucked inside the pillowcase was a crumpled piece of paper.

  Lainey grunted and rolled over. “What time is it?” she mumbled.