Keeping Score

by Violet Paige

  Hunter had changed it. Julie had changed it. The bastard who only looked out for himself was suddenly looking out for other people.

  The boy took the sack of ragged clothes, ran up the stairs, and started pulling open dresser drawers in one of the chests. Everything was stained or torn. It only took three drawers before the bag was empty. Julie was by my side.

  I scratched the back of my head. “What do you say we do some shopping today before I head to practice?”

  “Shopping?” Hunted looked more confused than I had seen him.

  “Yeah. Thought we could fill up that empty closet and dresser with some more clothes. Stuff you can pick out yourself. What do you think?”

  I turned when I heard the gasp from Julie.

  Did she really think I would let the poor kid walk out of my house dressed like that? I didn’t care what he wore, but I could feel his unease coming off of him in waves. The poor thing was terrified of someone making fun of him or being judged. I’d be damned if I didn’t do anything and everything in my power to make sure that didn’t happen.

  Ever again.

  She sprang tears more often than a cloud in the middle of April, but fuck if she wasn’t the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my whole fucking life even when tears flowed from her eyes, or hell maybe because of it. The wetness made her already brilliant eyes sparkle and shine like sapphires.

  I wanted to drown in them.

  And every single fucking time her bottom lip quivered it took every damn thing inside of me not to lean forward and capture it between my teeth. I wanted to kiss away all of her pain and then I wanted to bind her to my bed and make her ache in ways she never dreamed of before.

  Fuck.

  What was this chick doing to me?

  Thirty-Two

  Julie

  “Everyone, ready?” Hawked asked, entering the living room.

  I could tell Hunter felt out of place, and I wished there was something I could do to help him feel more at home. But the sad fact was that it was going to take all of us time to adjust. This was a huge change for everyone.

  I hadn’t processed what this meant for my relationship with Hunter. And I hadn’t even let myself realize what this meant for Hawk and me. We were in this thing together. Co-parenting? Dating? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

  “Yeah I’m starving how about you, Hunter?” I asked. Hawk and I decided to pick up some lunch while we were out shopping.

  “Kinda,” he answered, glancing down at the ground.

  “Come on,” Hawk prodded. “We’ll get some food and your choice of clothes. I’m driving.” He snatched the keys from the table near the front door.

  My heart felt as if it could literally cry right this moment. Every single time I doubted this man and his ability to care for this beautiful little boy he proved me wrong. I glanced back at Hunter and watched as hope lit his eyes. I wondered how long it has been since someone has taken him shopping.

  How long had it been since someone bought him a pair of shoes and didn’t just pass along someone else’s hand me downs?

  How long since he had underwear and socks that fit his body?

  Hunter and I followed Hawk to the elevator and down to the parking garage where his car was parked. I couldn’t stop thinking about all of the things that had happened in the past few weeks. How I had gone from not having any hope to having so much hope it was overwhelming. And yet, I was nervous.

  Hawk shuttled us both inside the cars.

  I was nervous that he wouldn’t get custody. Nervous this was only a dream. Nervous he’d break my heart. That this wasn’t the real man—it was only a temporary fix for the playboy I had met.

  “And ice cream? What about that?” he called to Hunter in the backseat.

  “I love ice cream.”

  Tears rained down my cheeks. I wiped at them furiously, not wanting the man in the driver’s seat to see the effect his simple gesture has had on me, but he noticed and in the act of a true gentleman he reached into his glove compartment and pulled out a hankie, passing it to me to wipe my eyes.

  “Thank you,” I said. We both knew I didn’t just mean for the handkerchief.

  “Of course.” He replied.

  After today my heart and my head were going to have to have a serious talk. Everything this man was and everything he did had me so twisted in knots I didn’t know if I was coming or going. One minute I wanted to kill him and skin him alive and the next I want to wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his chest.

  Hawk kept a baseball hat pressed around the frame of his face. It was comical if he thought that was some kind of disguise. The man was huge and anyone within five feet of him would immediately recognize him—especially women.

  It didn’t help that every five minutes there was a story about the Sharks on the news. The city was taking the playoffs bid to epic proportions. His fame and popularity was out of control.

  The mall was decorated with Christmas trees and hanging snowflakes in every corner. Hawk trudged forward to one of the shoe stores. I rolled my eyes when I saw it was all athletic shoes. I would have gone with shirts and pants first, but I wasn’t the one leading the shopping expedition.

  He pointed to a wall of shoes. “Pick any that you want. You can buy all of them if you want.” He grinned widely.

  I tugged on his arm, pulling him away from an awestruck Hunter.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I spoke softly. “Balance. He needs some balance. He can’t go from having nothing to having everything.”

  “I just want him to be happy. His life has sucked for so long.”

  “I know it has.” I wanted to reach up and wrap my arms around his neck and draw his lips to mine. I was melting on the spot. Did he have any idea how adorable he was being? “But you have to act like a parent, not an uncle. There’s a difference.”

  “Shit,” he muttered. “Ok. Got it.”

  He walked back over to Hunter. “Bud, listen. Pick your favorite five. That’s all we can get today.”

  Hawk looked at me for approval. I let a giggle slip. “Five?”

  He shrugged. I realized it was going to take a while for any of us to have balance.

  Hunter fell asleep on the way home from the mall. The day took its toll on him, and he couldn’t keep his eyes open any more. He looked peaceful and relaxed sleeping in the backseat. It was hard to imagine anyone not wanting to love him.

  “Thank you.” I broke the silence in the car. Hawk glanced over at me like I had grown two heads or something.

  “For what?” he asked, looking back to the road.

  “For taking a chance on him and looking past the outside.”

  I could tell he didn’t know what to say or how to respond to that comment so he changed the subject.

  “Yeah, so I have practice tonight. I don’t know when I’ll be home.”

  “What? But it’s his first night here. I mean his first official night,” I blurted out.

  “It’s the playoffs, baby. I don’t have a choice.”

  I crossed my arms. “So I’m just in charge of dinner and getting him to bed and all of that?”

  “I thought you liked all that shit.”

  I glared at him. “I do, but you’re the one who wanted to adopt him. Do you really know what that means?” I tried to keep my voice low in case the child woke up. I didn’t want to hear us argue about him.

  “I don’t know what any of it means.” His words shocked me at first, but I realized how honest he was being with me. “That’s why I need you.”

  I nodded. We had to be a team on this. We had to work together.

  “I’ve got tonight.”

  “Thank you.”

  He parked the car in his secure spot and walked to the back to carry Hunter inside. I watched as he carefully lifted him into his arms. Hawk looked strong and caring. I sighed. This man had completely turned my life upside down.

  Thirty-Three

  Kane

  By the tim
e I walked into the loft it was late. Practice had been light, but the meeting afterward gave me a damn headache. The coaches wanted to run through every possible play. Some we’d never discussed before. Tomorrow was going to be killer.

  The lights were dim except for the fireplace.

  Julie was nestled on the couch.

  “How did it go?” I asked.

  She muted the TV to face me. “I think ok. I wish you had been here.”

  “I know. It’s going to be like this until the Super Bowl.”

  She sighed. “He ate dinner,” she reported. “And took a bath. And he is sleeping in his new pajamas.”

  I sat next to her, dragging her into my arms. “And what about you? How were you handling this all by yourself?”

  She twisted those gorgeous lips together. “I think I did ok.”

  “I bet you did.” I squeezed her ass until she sighed with pleasure. “Let me take you to bed.”

  “I want that, but what if we wake him up? Or what if he wakes up and needs us and we don’t hear him?”

  My eyes traveled up the stairs. His door was open.

  “Here’s how this is going to go. We’re going to take care of that kid up there, but once the lights go down that’s when we take care of each other. Understand?”

  She nodded.

  “That’s the agreement. The rules stay the same.”

  “Ok,” she whispered.

  “Good. I have a plan for tonight—I think it might get a little loud.” I winked at her.

  “And are you going to fill me in on that?”

  I ran my thumb over her bottom lip, pressing it into her mouth. She sucked against it and I felt my cock harden.

  “Baby, you’re going to love what I have planned for you.”

  I saw her chest rise. “Tell me.”

  “What fun would that be?” I smirked. “Now go to my closet and take off your clothes.”

  “Your closet?”

  “Thought it might be a little more sound proof.”

  “Ohh.” She slowly stood from the couch, but I saw the way her lips twitched.

  It took everything in me not to pull her back into my arms, but I had a surprise for her. Something I couldn’t wait to try with her. Something that made my cock ache.

  I gave her a few minutes before I walked into the bedroom. I locked the door behind me. I couldn’t take any chances in case the kid did wake up.

  I pulled the T-shirt over my head and shirked the jeans from my legs before stepping into the closet. I could hear Julie’s quiet breath filling the space.

  My lips touched the side of her face, just below my left eye. I rested there for a second before lifting and repeating the gesture to the right side.

  She sighed and I tilted her chin upward, crashing my lips on hers. Her arms flew around my shoulders and I lowered her to the floor. Her body was soft and silky under mine as my hands explored every inch of her skin with hungry possession.

  “I like this surprise.” She breathed.

  “Oh, I haven’t even shown you what it is yet.”

  I sat back on my heels and reached around to the side wall where I had stashed the shopping bag from earlier today. When she and Hunter were busy looking at socks and belts I had taken a few minutes to duck into one of the novelty stores. The plastic rustled while I freed my purchase from the container.

  “What’s in there?” she whispered.

  I held the device in my hand and flipped the switch, turning it on. A low vibrating noise echoed between us as the vibrator lit with a subtle pink light. It glowed just enough to light the closet.

  Julie gasped.

  “Like it?” I asked, crawling toward her.

  “I’ve never. I d-don’t know.”

  “Want to try it?”

  I was hard thinking about it. If I could make her come over and over without one of these, I didn’t know what reaction I could get with one.

  She nodded shyly. “I’m a little nervous.”

  I touched the inside of her thigh with it and she jumped. “You’re going to have to relax more than that,” I instructed. “Turn around.”

  She positioned herself so that she was facing away from me. I reached in front of her dragging the vibrator against her leg. She was tense. I had to change that.

  “Relax, baby.” I spread her knees wide and touched the tip to her clit.

  “Oh, God.” She bounced forward.

  My arm circled her waist, holding her to my chest while I circled the vibrator around and around. Her hips jutted back and forth, coating it with her slick honey.

  “Do you like it?” I dared to push it against her entrance.

  “God, yes,” she moaned.

  “Do you want me to fuck you with this?” I groaned in her ear.

  “Yes,” she whimpered.

  I pushed it inside her as her hips ground into my hand. Her wrists circled my neck as she rode it fearlessly. Fuck. She was incredible.

  “Come on it,” I commanded. “Come for me. And then I’m going to fuck you myself.”

  “Hawk,” she moaned. “It’s so strong. I c-can’t.” And then she groaned as her body was wracked with the intensity of the orgasm.

  My thumb circled and flicked her clit before I threw the vibrator across the closet, lifted her up, and slammed her on my swollen dick.

  “Ahh,” I grunted, feeling her clench and squeeze me. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

  But she was wild. Relentless. I had unleashed something in her. She bounced and rode me harder than she ever had. I twisted her nipples as she screamed out in pleasure.

  My hands reached between her legs, spreading her wider as I sliced into her heated heaven.

  “Shit,” she hissed. “Fuck me harder. Please.”

  I lifted her in the air and placed her on her back. I slung her feet over my shoulders as I pumped into her one powerful thrust after another.

  “Never stop,” she whispered.

  I was going to fucking come faster than I wanted to. But she was fucking beautiful and sexy. Her body did something to me I didn’t know was possible. It took me into a spiral haze.

  I couldn’t go deep enough. Bury myself in her sweet swollen pussy far enough.

  I growled with pain and pleasure. “Fuck, Julie. Fuck.” My belly clenched in a spasm as the orgasm shot through me like a bullet.

  I filled her with my release, hilting my cock in her. I kissed and licked at her legs, while I emptied everything I had. She quivered under me, her orgasm unlatching seconds after mine. I watched in fascination as her hands massaged her nipples and she glowed from the pink light behind her as she reveled in her ecstasy.

  Thirty-Four

  Julie

  Hawk collapsed next to me on the closet floor. The vibrator hummed somewhere behind me, but I liked the low glow it cast. It someone made the space feel intimate and sensual. But wasn’t that how everything was between us now? I rolled toward him, resting my hand on his bare chest.

  “I liked that.” I smiled, kissing the hard plane of his bicep.

  “Fuck,” he whispered. “What was that?”

  I felt satisfied. I felt goddess-like. I felt like a girl in love.

  “Amazing,” I answered.

  “You like your present?”

  “Can we use it again tomorrow?” I giggled.

  “It was that good?” he asked.

  I moved to climb on top of his sculpted body. My nipples draped over his skin and I scooted backward, letting his cock rest between my folds. We both sighed with the new position.

  “I think you’ve opened my eyes to a world I didn’t know I would like.”

  “You’re not exactly shy,” he remarked.

  “Not with you.”

  I’d never been this daring. This free. This experimental. First I had let him tie me up with a scarf and now I’d let him fuck me with a vibrator. What else would I try? What else would he show me that I would like?

  He squeezed my ass, gripping it with his palm. “Don’t be. N
ever be shy with me, baby. I love fucking you. I love your fucking body. And I’ll do whatever it takes to show you.”

  I didn’t know if he could see my smile in the pink light of the closest, but it was there.

  “Should we go check on Hunter?” I suggested.

  Hawk’s chest rumbled with laughter. “You think this is what parents do? Fuck in hidden closets and then tuck in their kids?”

  I giggled. I’d never thought about it. I didn’t know what they did. How did my friends with kids balance marriage and children along with their careers? I thought about the tired faces I saw every morning in the teacher’s lounge. Moms who were up all night with a feverish baby. Moms who spent extra hours on homework. Moms who tried to squeeze in a girls’ night and stayed out too late because they were desperate for something of their own.

  But I’d never thought about those tired faces from this. From mind-blowing, can’t-get-enough-of-it sex. Because those women put time and energy into their relationships. Because they stayed up all night having one epic orgasm after another.

  “I guess so. I hope so.” I planted a kiss on his firm lips. I wanted that to be true. I wanted this to be our new reality.

  “Shh.” He silenced me, turning off the vibrator with a quick flick.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s quiet out there. Completely quiet.”

  “So?”

  “So, I don’t think we need to leave the closet for a long long time.”

  I wiggled back on the length of his cock. It was hard again. Wide and pulsing. The wetness dripped between us. The aftermath of our storm of passion.

  “Oh?” I answered innocently.

  The hum started up again and I felt the tingles shiver through me from what I knew was coming next. My body was on fire.

  “You’re not going to be shy are you?” he asked.

  I shook my head slowly. With Hawk I was anything but shy. I was the woman I’d always wanted to be.