Keeping Score

by Violet Paige

  “Hey, Daddy,” I greeted my father, standing and kissing him on the cheek.

  We both had Saturdays off. Hawk took Hunter with him to the stadium. I decided to call my dad and see if he wanted to meet for lunch.

  “Hey there, beautiful. You sure look happy today.”

  I couldn’t help but flashback to last night and the erotic session in Hawk’s arms. I wondered if that had anything to do with how beautiful I looked today.

  “Do I? Thanks,” I said, taking a seat and signaling to the waiter that we were ready to place our drink orders.

  Once our waiter had the order we had a chance to talk.

  “So, how are things going in the Hawkins household?” he asked.

  “Pretty good. I have to say I am surprised by how attentive Kane is to Hunter. They seem to be a good match.”

  “That’s great news. I was really hoping so. Kane is a good guy, he’s just had a rough past and can’t seem to let go of some that anger. I’m hoping you can help him with that.”

  “Me?” I squeaked, choking on my water.

  “You know what I mean. You’re great with these kind of kids.”

  “Kane is not a kid, dad. I wouldn’t even consider putting him in that category.”

  “I know that, but I think if someone had taken time with him when he was a child then he might not have the anger inside him he does now.” My father leaned back in the booth.

  “I don’t think he’s that angry. I think he’s misunderstood.” He wasn’t the same man I had met that night at the bar.

  The guy who had slugged the slimey biker was still buried under there somewhere, but that wasn’t the man I had spent my days and nights with lately. The man I gave myself to was someone who cared about a lost child. A man who opened his home and his heart to a kid who needed help. A man who brought me out of my shell. I smiled.

  “How serious is it between you two?” he asked.

  “Daddy!” I took another gulp of water.

  “Well, he has Hunter. You love Hunter. And I can see it between you two. It’s there.”

  I blushed. If my legally brilliant, but socially awkward father could see what Hawk and I shared I wondered how obvious it was to everyone else.

  “I do love Hunter. And we’re taking things day by day.”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt, baby girl.”

  I closed my eyes. “I know, Daddy. I know. I’ll do my best not to let that happen.”

  It was my biggest fear too, but I didn’t know how to do this any other way, but to be all in. How did I give Hawk half of myself? How did I pull back at this point? He invited me into his bed. And for a man who had never dated the same woman twice that was huge.

  “I’m talking about both of them.” He eyed me.

  I nodded. It was the biggest gamble of my life. Everything I had with Hunter was now tied up with Hawk.

  “You know what? It sounds scary. And it seems like everything is moving really quickly, but it doesn’t feel like it’s wrong. It’s like we were supposed to be a family all along.”

  “And you think Kane thinks that too? Has he asked you to marry him?”

  “What?”

  “Marriage. That thing people do. Your mother and I did it quite well.” I saw the sad smile run across his face.

  I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “We haven’t even talked about it.”

  “Do you need me to talk to him?”

  “What? Oh God, no. Absolutely not.” I was mortified. “I’m not going to have my father strong arm my boyfriend into a proposal.”

  He chuckled lightly. “Thought we could have a conversation man-to-man. Ask him what his intentions are.”

  “His intentions right now are to win the Super Bowl.” I stared at my dad. “He has a lot going on. Can you not meddle, please?”

  “Ouch.”

  “You know what I mean. Let us work this out. I’m happy. We’re happy. You don’t have to worry so much.”

  “I’m your father. I’m always going to worry.”

  I smiled. “I get that.”

  “So about the game tomorrow?”

  I straightened my shoulders. “Right. Meet me at the front gate and then we can go into the family box together.”

  It was Hawk’s idea to include my father for the playoff game tomorrow. I appreciated the gesture and I knew Daddy did too. We had gone from being the only two to now having a life that included Hunter and Hawk. I wanted my dad to see how all of this was going to work out.

  “Never thought I’d be sitting in the Sharks’ family box.”

  I looked at my father. “That makes two of us.

  Thirty-Five

  Kane

  I had a game day ritual. I liked controlling what I could about the day when I knew the rest relied on me to put out the fires around me. The playoffs took on a completely different level of attention. The Sharks counted on me. The fans. The league. It was a hell of a lot to have on my shoulders. So if it took a fucking ritual or a voodoo dance, I was going to do it.

  As I stretched my legs and opened my eyes, I knew that game day ritual was suddenly at risk. I was holding the most beautiful woman in the world. And she was naked.

  I kissed her neck and watched her stir.

  My hands roamed her body freely, waking her up gently. Tugging her nipples. Coasting over her navel. My fingers found their way between her folds, prying her apart so I could massage her clit. She wiggled her ass against my cock as I dipped my fingers inside her.

  Her firm bare ass ground against my growing erection again and again.

  I couldn’t tease her much longer. I needed to be buried inside of her.

  Leaning back, I angled myself so I could slide between her silken folds. She whimpered when I pulled away.

  Leaning forward, I placed my lips along the back of her shoulder blade as I pressed the tip of my cock at the entrance of her perfectly swollen pussy lips. She shoved against me impatiently taking more of me than I wanted to give her.

  I clenched my teeth. It wasn’t enough.

  I felt her breath starting to come in shorter, faster pulses as she arched against me trying to pull me into her. I moved my hips forward filling her with every inch of my hard cock.

  “Oh shit,” she moaned against the pillow. Her nails dug into my thigh as drew me in, clenching and clasping, harder and faster against her.

  I slammed into her. Fucking her as hard as I could, but it wasn’t good enough. I needed to be deeper. I reared back and flipped her up on her knees, head down against the mattress, arms pressed tight against the headboard and I positioned my cock where I wanted it.

  I looked at this beautiful woman. The roundness of her ass. The curves of her hips. Her hair falling down around her and her glistening slice of heaven, desperate for me. Quivering. Wet. Mine.

  “Oh, baby,” I whispered.

  “Yes.”

  I teased along her clit, up and down and then back to her opening, sliding in just enough to stretch her wider. Enough to make her moan.

  “Do you understand what I’m getting ready to do?” I asked.

  Her head bobbed on the pillow.

  “Say it. Say you understand,” I commanded.

  “I understand. Please fuck me, now.” She begged, her voice hoarse with need.

  I pulled out of her until the tip of my dick is the only thing left inside of her and then grabbing hold of her hips I forced every inch of my dick into her. The only sound in the room was the sound of flesh against flesh as I slammed into her over and over again.

  My balls slapped against her clit with each thrust, building her climax faster and faster until I knew she was on the verge of exploding. I didn’t want her to come yet. I wanted to make her work for it. I wanted to draw out the torturous play until she was so desperate with need that she couldn’t even beg anymore.

  She growled as I filled her and was the most fucking erotic sound I had ever heard in my life.

  I always wanted to make her growl.


  Always.

  It took her a second to get the rhythm down and then she was grinding against me as I flexed my hips, pounding into her. I felt my orgasm building just as she cried out.

  I had never witnessed a more beautiful sight than the one before this moment. If I had a camera I would capture a million photos and hang them across every surface of my home so that I could see her like this every second of every day. She was easily the most stunning creature ever created.

  “Good girl.” I said, smacking her on her firm ass.

  “Oh fuck me,” she whimpered as she jutted her ass up in the air for more.

  “I’m not going to be easy this time, baby. If I hurt you, tell me to stop.”

  “I like it. The pain I mean, I like the way it feels,” she explained through gasping breaths.

  My cock demanded to be buried. I had never heard something so fucking erotic before. I positioned myself at her entrance and slid into her in one full thrust, filling her completely. She leaned forward taking all of me and I waited for a second, even though I said I wasn’t going to be easy I didn’t ever want to hurt her.

  “More,” she cried out, twisting against the sheets.

  “You want more, baby?” I asked, my voice low and full of unleashed passion.

  “Yes.”

  “More?” I asked again as her body quivered around my cock.

  “Yes.”

  I’d never felt it before—the connection in sex. The intensity of pleasure that came from giving and taking. The primal rapture of fucking a woman I was desperate to protect and keep safe. A woman who had found her way inside my soul. I wanted to give her everything I had. More than my body. More than money.

  My thrusts became more urgent as the emotion surged through me. I wanted to give her more pleasure than this world offered.

  I reached forward and stroked her clit, twisting and pinching it until she shook from the orgasm that had finally broken free inside her.

  Together we tumbled down the mountain’s edge together. Neither caring what waited at the bottom. Wrapped tight in each other’s arms. Heavy breath lining each other’s ears we crashed spent.

  Complete.

  I pulled out from her and wrapped her in my arms.

  “Everything you do to me feels good,” she whispered.

  I grinned wickedly. I knew I had just found my new game-day ritual and I fucking loved her for it.

  Hunter sat at the bar at the kitchen island, shoveling waffles into his mouth and gulping orange juice.

  “Slow down, bud,” I teased. “There’s more. Plenty more.”

  His face turned crimson and I realized I had embarrassed him.

  “What I mean is, you can have as much breakfast as you want. Whatever you want. Ok?”

  The last thing I wanted to do was to shame him into not eating. I was trying to get more calories in him. He was stick thin.

  He brushed his bangs from his eyes and poured more syrup on his plate.

  “Where’s Julie?”

  “Still in the shower.” I took a sip of coffee, turning to look out of the small kitchen sink window.

  After this morning, I knew I was seriously fucked.

  What the ever loving fuck has happened to me?

  I think I had fallen into an alternate universe or some shit. Not that I minded, especially if I got to keep spending my time cuddled up with Julie, but damn.

  This was not Kane Hawkins. I didn’t do this family shit.

  What the fuck was wrong with me?

  This was not me. I wasn’t the kind of guy who was tied down. And now all these damn emotions were trying to bubble up inside of me making my head spin. I closed my eyes and all I could see was Julie with her long silky soft legs wrapped around me and the perfect come-grab-me curve of her hips, begging for me pull her back up against me and bury myself inside of her over and over again.

  I had a game I needed to think about. A kid who needed a dad. I shook my head. I was so far over the cliff I didn’t recognize myself. The crazies shit was that I liked it. I fucking loved it.

  “So, Julie’s going to take you to the game with her dad, Judge Bristow. You’ll be up in the box again.”

  I looked at my watch. I had to head to the stadium in twenty minutes.

  “Ok.” Hunter stared at his empty plate.

  I didn’t even ask. I piled another layer of waffles on the river of syrup he had made.

  He grinned.

  Julie appeared, wearing a Sharks jersey. Her tits bobbed from the deep V-cute. She looked fucking gorgeous. And I knew she was wearing that jersey for me. To make me proud. To cheer for my team. To support me on the field.

  Knowing she would be in that box today, did something to me. I didn’t know how to explain it.

  I set my coffee down and pulled her into my arms.

  I whispered in her ear. “You make me want to get lost right now, baby.”

  Her eyes darted to mine. “Me too.” She sighed.

  I knew we had an audience. I made a little space between us, but kept my hand on her hip. I could barely tear my body away from her. It was as if there was some kind of magnet on her that pulled me in every time I was near her. It was fucking insane.

  “I’ve got to get dressed.” The team dress code before games called for a suit. I hated wearing them, but as the QB I had the most press exposure.

  “I thought you could wear your new Sharks sweatshirt,” she spoke to Hunter. “And maybe the new jeans?”

  “Ok.”

  She looked at me. “I’ve got it covered here. We’ll see you after the game.”

  “Thanks.” I kissed her on the forehead and walked to my bedroom. Well, now it was our bedroom. I hadn’t just invited her into my bed, I had invited her into every part of my life.

  I pushed the door open when I heard her footsteps behind me.

  “I know you’ve got the game on your mind, but I wanted to ask you something.”

  “What’s going on?”

  She chewed on her bottom lip. “I was wondering what you thought about buying a Christmas tree.”

  My brow furrowed. “What?”

  She exhaled. “Christmas is a few weeks away and you don’t have any decorations here. I can bring some over from my place. But, have you thought about giving Hunter a real family Christmas? The tree, stockings, presents, cookies? All that stuff?”

  “Yeah, but I guess not enough. I’ve been preoccupied. I’ve got a game today, baby.”

  “I know. I know. And I can take care of the tree if you’ll just say it’s ok to put one up here.”

  Fuck. What kind of a hardass did she think I was? That I would deny a kid a tree? I wasn’t some kind of Grinch. I didn’t want Hunter to have the kind of thread-bare holidays I did. He deserved better.

  “We’ll go after the game. Together.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Really. The whole damn thing. Wreaths, that stupid green stuff.”

  “Garland?” She giggled.

  “Yeah, whatever the fuck it is. Ornaments. Lights. Anything you and Hunter want.”

  She threw her arms around my neck and squealed. “Oh my God, I can’t believe you said yes to all of this.”

  “Who doesn’t like Christmas?” I shrugged.

  “He’s going to be so excited.”

  My hand slid to her ass. “And what about you?”

  Her breath hitched. “Very excited.”

  “You’re killing me in this jersey. I want to do so many dirty things to you right now.”

  “You do?” Her eyes lit with desire.

  “Fuck, yes I do. But I’ve got to go.”

  I couldn’t be late. I had press. Coaches meetings and then I needed to meet with the team.

  She nodded. “We’ll have to celebrate after Hunter goes to bed.”

  My mouth landed on hers with a hungry kiss. She had no idea how we were going to celebrate. For the first time in my life I had everything I wanted. It was worth an epic, unforgettable celebration.
/>   Thirty-Six

  Julie

  This game was more nerve-wracking than the last one. My dad was on one side of me, Hunter on the other, and Pops paced behind us. He had the hardest time watching. Every time there was a play he looked up and then started grumbling.

  The Sharks were down by a touchdown with only six minutes in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t looking good.

  I had successfully downed two beers, which was two beers more than I ever drank. It still didn’t take the edge off. I was a complete wreck.

  Hunter was worried too. There was a look of fear on his face. I tried to reassure him.

  “Kane’s got this. Don’t worry.”

  But I didn’t know what I was talking about.

  “He has great receivers. Nothing to worry about,” my dad piped in.

  I tried to smile, but my stomach was in knots. I wasn’t sure I wasn’t going to throw up. What did I do if they lost? How did I help him through it? Was I built to handle this kind of pressure? I was supposed to be the support system, and I was barely keeping it together. Hunter needed me to stay calm and Hawk was going to need me to be his rock when this was over.

  “I can’t look,” I whispered.

  My dad wrapped an arm around my shoulder. Hawk had the ball. I took a peak through my fingers just as he threw a sharp spiral into the end zone.

  We jumped up and down in the box. “Yes!”

  The game was tied, but now the ball went back to the other team. If they scored on this drive, we might not have a chance to get the ball back in time.

  Hunter was wringing his hands and his feet shuffled back and forth under his recliner. Poor thing. I wished there was something more I could do. We were all on edge. This must be what football families went through every Sunday. Winning was fun . Losing was painful.

  I don’t know how it happened but the XX couldn’t make it past the third down. They had to punt on fourth down and the Sharks ended up with just over a minute on the clock and the ball on the forty-yard line.

  “Come on, Kane. Come on,” Hunter coaxed. His little face was scrunched up in concentration.