by Lane Hart
“I know Roxy appreciates your help and letting her stay with you. She loves the boat, and I hope I get an invite one of these days,” her dad says with a grin.
“She’s staying with you?” Chase turns to me and asks, making me cringe since I haven’t told him about that.
“Coach just wanted to keep her out of the press and make sure assholes stay away from her,” I explain to Chase, avoiding his dark eyes.
“And they leave her security in the care of a cripple?” he teases, gesturing to my knee brace.
“Only a few teammates know about my houseboat, so she’s safe there,” I say while heat warms my face, remembering all the ways I’ve been taking care of her the last few weeks. “Well, I better get back down to the field,” I tell them. “You guys have fun, and we’ll see you after the game.”
“See ya, Kohen, and thanks again for the plane tickets,” her dad says before I can make my escape.
“I’ll walk you down,” Chase tells me, following along.
“Don’t start –” I warn him after we leave the family suite.
“Did you, the man who swore he would never ever buy a woman anything again, give them plane tickets?” he asks as we walk past the concession stands and navigate through the crowd of people starting to fill the stadium.
“None of your business,” I tell him softly.
“You did! Why? Oh my God. Are you fucking her?” he whispers, making my feet come to a stop to face him.
“Keep your mouth shut,” I mutter under my breath.
“Have you lost your mind? What about the rules? Your play-it-safe playbook or whatever?” he asks.
“Roxy’s…different,” I say.
“You’re blind because you’re in love with her!” he exclaims.
“No, I’m not blind,” I quickly rebuff. “And I’ve only known Roxy a few weeks so I’m not –”
“I thought you didn’t trust her, but even though you’ve only known her a few weeks, you’re letting her live with you, buying her family plane tickets. What the fuck are you thinking?”
“It’s not like that, and I do trust her,” I say. “Mostly.”
“And what happens when you’re ready to play, and you have to take back your starting spot from her? She’s gonna be pissed, right?”
“No. Yes.” I tug down the collar of my gray Wildcats tee since thinking about Roxy on the bench while I play makes me feel like I’m being strangled. Will she be upset and kick me out of her bed? I don’t want to hurt her or lose her and what we have. It may be new, but it’s amazing, and I’m not just referring to the sex. Knowing she’s under the same roof with me is enough to make me so fucking happy.
“Look, yes, I wish we could both play,” I tell my brother. “But it’s not up to me. Coach will decide, and I’m fine with that. Hopefully, she will be too.”
“Yeah. Hopefully,” Chase mutters.
Between my brother’s doubts and having all the shit from my past resurfacing after seeing Lola, I just want to have this game over with so Roxy and I can climb under the sheets tonight and make the rest of the world disappear. When I’m with her, everything is perfect and makes sense. The doubts and worries fade with the slightest brush of her lips or touch of her fingertips on my skin.
Sure, I may not be able to trust her one hundred percent yet, but I’m getting there. She has her own hang-ups about us too, worried our teammates will find out we’re sleeping together and think she’s a slut. Not that she has to worry about me running my mouth. We absolutely cannot let anyone know we’re together now that I’ve signed the contract addendum, or I’ll be out of a job.
“Kohen! How’s rehab going?” Coach Griffin asks as the offensive line finishes warming up on the field.
“Great. Jon says there’s a fifty percent chance I’ll be ready next Sunday,” I tell him. With everything that’s been going on today I haven’t even had a chance to tell Roxy. Or maybe I just didn’t want to find the time to tell her she might be sitting on the bench as soon as next week since it’s the first game of the season where it matters if we win or lose.
“Wow, that’s sooner than we expected,” Coach replies. “I don’t want you to rush, but we sure could use you to start the season off right as soon as you feel up to it.”
“You’ll be the first to know if I’m ready,” I tell him.
“And if not, you’ll be the one to decide who we should put in, Roxanne or Warren.”
“I decide?” I repeat for clarification.
“Yeah, Robert’s orders,” he explains. “We want you in when you’re ready, but until then, Roxanne and Warren are aware that it’s your call. I’m gonna let Warren try a field goal tonight, but I already have my doubts that he can hack it.”
Hold on a minute.
“You’ve already told her --- I mean, Roxy and Warren that I’ll be making the call on who plays?” I ask with a nagging suspicion.
“Yeah,” he answers with a nod.
“When?”
“Huh?” he asks, his brows drawing together.
“When did you tell Roxy that?” I ask.
Coach takes his hat off and scratches his head. “Well, I remember Robert giving her a heads up the day she signed her contract.”
Motherfucker.
Has she been playing me so I would, in turn, play her?
Is this why Roxy hasn’t been able to keep her hands off of me? Not out of guilt or genuine attraction? Was she trying to seduce me to secure the starting spot? God, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to stop wondering if every single thing she does is a manipulation.
It sucks that I can’t trust her, but Roxy hasn’t exactly made it easy for me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Roxy
Tonight, Kohen was quiet on the sidelines, and I’m not sure what’s going on with him. Our team won, despite the field goal Warren missed. Coach Griffin wanted to try him out in a game before the season starts, and now we know that he’s not ready for punting or placekicking. I, on the other hand, not only punted well but made a fifty-yard field goal and two extra-point kicks.
At dinner, I got to meet Chase, Kohen’s cute younger brother. While he acted pleasant enough, for some reason, I got the feeling he was giving me the cold shoulder or evil eye most of the meal. Either way, we made it through dinner; then I took my dad and Pax to the airport while Kohen said goodbye to Chase. His brother insisted on driving the three hours or so back home instead of staying with us.
When I step onto the dark boat, illuminated only by the dock lamps, I notice Kohen is sitting on the deck, looking out into the still marina water like he’s deep in thought.
“Hey, you okay?” I ask as I approach.
“Hey,” he replies quietly. When he doesn’t say anything more, I take the seat next to him, ready to wait him out.
It’s so beautiful out here in the marina, away from most of civilization, the water calm and relaxing. Yet, there’s still a knot of worry in my belly, wondering what’s been going on with Kohen all day. Finally, he speaks.
“I might be ready to play Sunday.”
“That’s great, Kohen!” I tell him, scooting to the edge of my seat because I want to jump up and hug him, but I don’t since he’s putting off leave me alone vibes. “Why don’t you sound happy about that?” I ask.
“Because if I start, you won’t.”
“Yeah, so? You’re the better kicker. Don’t feel bad about that. Remember my Jeep and I are partially responsible for why you’ve missed the preseason games.”
“If I can’t play, who should start, you or Warren?” he asks, finally turning his head to look at me, his eyes darker, mostly melted chocolate without the caramel in the glow of the lamps.
“Is that a trick question?” I ask him, but he doesn’t respond or crack a smile, just silently looks at me, waiting for me to answer. “Okay, let’s see, I’ve made all but my first field goal in the preseason games and haven’t missed any extra points. Warren’s only had one try, but it was an easy,
thirty-yard field goal, about the same distance as the standard extra point, and he missed.”
I stop and wait for Kohen to agree or comment. He doesn’t.
“If you’re not sure, then we can have a kickoff next week in practice,” I offer seriously. “I’ll even break out the blindfold again because Dane was better than Warren.”
That finally gets a reaction out of Kohen. He smiles, and my entire body warms and relaxes at the sight. “That was pretty funny to watch,” he says.
“Yeah, it was hilarious when he was hauling bags of balls around the field as the Wildcat mascot too,” I mutter. “Guess I embarrassed him so badly he felt he had to threaten and assault me…”
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” Kohen says, reaching for my hand. When I accept, he pulls me to my feet and then down onto his lap, wrapping me in his arms. “I’m sorry,” he says again into my hair. “You’re right. You were so much better than Dane, and you’re a helluva lot better than Warren. You’ll start if I don’t.”
“Let’s not worry or think about any of that right now,” I tell him, winding my arms around his neck and placing a wet, open-mouthed kiss on his throat. “Tonight, I just want to think about you and me.”
“Deal,” Kohen agrees. He threads his fingers through my hair, bringing my mouth to his; and by the time our tongues meet, everything else around us has already disappeared. This kiss is different from all the others before it, and there have been a lot of kisses over the last few weeks. No, tonight, our kiss is not frantic and desperate. It’s slow and sweet, while still sensual with the promise of more to come. There’s no rush to get undressed, although Kohen does position my legs on either side of his waist so that I’m straddling him, my mound rubbing over his hard cock underneath his zipper with every slight movement. Only a few layers of clothing separate us.
The two of us kiss for what feels like hours, dry humping each other slowly, deliberately. Unlike most other times we’ve made out, Kohen’s not caressing my breasts or grabbing my ass. He’s just holding me to him, as tight as he can.
At some point, by mutual agreement with no words spoken, I stand up and slip off my shoes and clothes while Kohen pulls his shirt over his head and undoes his jeans, shoving them down without removing them. Once he’s ready, I climb back on his lap; and then we make love in the same, slow, easy motion of my hips with his, our mouths staying connected, sharing breaths while we share our bodies outside on his boat. It’s the most intimate I’ve ever been with anyone, and I never want it to end.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Kohen
I wake up Friday morning to find Roxy’s side of my bed empty. It still smells like her melon daiquiri shampoo, but I want the real thing, her, naked, so I can spoon against the warmth of her incredible backside.
A few weeks ago, if given a choice, I would have rather swam with sharks than slept in the same bed with a woman. Waking up with someone means you see them as more than a good time, a quick fuck. That shit is serious. Not a night has gone by that Roxy and I haven’t shared a bed, whether it’s hers or mine; it doesn’t seem to matter. There’s an unspoken rule that every night we have wild monkey sex before falling asleep together. Except for last night.
Last night on the deck was something entirely different. After I had realized what an idiot I was being for thinking she was using me to get the starting position when she’s just, in reality, the best for the job, I wanted to apologize for all the horrible, unfair shit I thought about her. More than that, I wanted inside of her heart and soul.
I’m falling in love with Roxy, and that scares the fuck out of me. It means letting down my walls, overcoming insecurities and trusting her completely. The last time I let someone in, they took advantage of my blind love and devotion. Lola used me as a stepping stone on the team to get what she really wanted, and I fell for it. She made me think I wasn’t good enough for her, and I hated how much that hurt. I never wanted to go down heartbreak road again, and maybe that makes me too cautious with Roxy. If I want her in my life, though, I need to man up and stop thinking she’s out to screw me over like Lola.
The smell of cinnamon and maple syrup pull me out of my thoughts. The scent of food burning is oddly absent. Rolling out of bed, I pull on a pair of boxer briefs and head to the kitchen to investigate.
“Morning!” Roxy says when she sees me. “I made French toast. Hungry?”
“Ah, yeah,” I answer, working the stiffness out of my knee as I move close enough to kiss her cheek, inspecting the two plates of food. “Huh. Not a speck of black on them.”
“Hush,” she says, turning around to face me with a smile and swatting my bare chest. “I only burn things in the oven, not on the stove.”
“Good to know,” I tease.
“It’s a beautiful morning. You wanna eat out on the deck?” she asks, reaching up to rake her fingernails suggestively down the center of my chest and stomach, coming unfortunately to a stop at the top of my waistband. Now that I know she’s thinking about what we did out there last night, I am too.
“After breakfast, I want dessert,” I tell her, grabbing her hips to pull her closer.
“Deal,” Roxy says, meeting my eyes with her heated ones. “We’ve got the whole day off, weekend too…”
“You’re still gonna get in a few good workouts,” I warn her.
“Coach Dildo gonna whip me into shape?” she teases.
“On the boat it’s the Captain you need to worry about,” I tell her, grabbing her hand and pressing it against the growing bulge protruding from my boxer briefs.
She squeezes me through the fabric, making my eyes nearly roll back in my head. “The Captain?” she asks, and I nod, unable to form words at the moment with all the blood rushing to her fist. “Feels like he could use some help with his…seamen.”
I chuckle at her ridiculous joke right up until my boxer briefs pool around my ankles, and Roxy goes down to her knees on the kitchen floor. Holding my cock, she opens her mouth and looks up at me before she starts greedily sucking.
And that is how one of the best weekends of my life started.
Roxy
Friday morning after Kohen and I have breakfast, he decides to take the boat out to sea. I’m not sure how far he drives; but when we come to a stop, only the Atlantic Ocean surrounds us. It’s like we’re alone on our own private island.
“I love this,” I tell Kohen while snuggling up against him where we’re stretched out on the round, white chaise lounge, pillows propped up behind our backs. Out on the deck, the sun is warming us from above while the calm waves below rock us gently. “I didn’t know something so peaceful existed.”
“Me either,” he says, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “And out here we don’t have to hide from anyone.”
Knowing we can’t be seen together like this out in public makes me sad. I wish we could enjoy this type of happiness everywhere, not just when we’re alone at night. But the risks are too great for my reputation and Kohen’s career, so we’ll just have to make it work. It’s a small sacrifice to have something so wonderful.
“Thanks to you, I’ve been thinking more about soccer recently,” Kohen says.
“Oh yeah?” I look up at his face to ask him. “Is that a good thing?”
“Over the last few years, everything’s been about football. I’ve forgotten how much I missed playing.”
“If you wanted, you could join a community team during the offseason, right?” I ask.
“It all depends on if I get a contract extension and, if so, whether or not the team will approve me to play another competitive sport. I mean, I know it would be a huge liability if I were to hurt my knee again or receive any other type of injury and couldn’t kick,” he explains, his desire to play his favorite sport again obvious.
“But it’s worth it to you?”
“Maybe,” he answers with a shrug. “The boat’s paid for, and I have some money in savings. I would just have to figure out how to afford the rest of my bills.”
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“I could help,” I offer. “I mean, if I’m still staying here, it’s only fair for me to pay for rent or at least the marina fees.”
“Yeah, that could be a short-term solution, if necessary,” he says, making it clear he wouldn’t be comfortable with me helping him financially, but I’m glad to hear that it sounds like he wants me to stick around.
“Do you want me to keep staying with you?” I ask for clarity. “Just because we’re together now, I don’t want you to think I have to live with you so soon.”
“No, I like having you here,” he says with a kiss to my cheek. “And it’s the easiest way for us to keep this a secret.”
“That’s true,” I admit. “And I like having someone to share my days and nights with.”
“Yeah,” he answers with a chuckle. “Even though it’s only been a few weeks, I’ve already forgotten what it was like to live alone. All I know is that it sucked.”
“Being with you is different from having roommates. Definitely better since I don’t have to listen to anyone having sex a few feet away from me,” I tell him with a smile.
“And how often were you the one having sex a few feet away from your roommate?” he asks gruffly, sounding jealous.
“Never,” I answer.
“Good.”
“I slept with guys in their dorms or apartments.”
“Fuck. I could’ve lived forever without that information,” Kohen grumbles.
“There were only four guys in college and the one asshole in high school,” I tell him honestly. “I’m guessing you had a quite a few more hookups than I did.”
“A few,” he answers with a grin. “But I already feel more for you than all of them combined.”
Hearing that makes my heart swell even more for this man. Kohen already owns my body that constantly craves his touch, and now I’m pretty sure he possesses the missing piece of my soul.
Chapter Thirty
Kohen