Love on the Highlight Reel (Connecticut Kings Book 2)

by Christina C Jones

  I have officially lost my mind.

  That was the only possible explanation for why I was sprawled naked across Jordan’s bed, not even twelve hours after I’d realized how stupid it was for me to spend so much time in his home.

  A shiver rushed through my body as his fingers brushed over my skin, and I reflexively angled myself in his direction. His hand ran up my side, then buried in my hair to turn my face toward his. “You’re hungry aren’t you?”

  I closed my eyes as his lips pressed to my forehead. “Yeah,” I nodded, then squealed as he moved his hand down to squeeze my ass, pulling me closer to him. “How did you know?”

  “That calm ass climax you just gave me. You always get quiet on me when you’re hungry. I’ve got you though.”

  He kissed me again – a little peck on the nose that made me want to wrap my arms around his neck and keep him close – then lumbered out of the bed. I just laid there, admiring the beauty of his sculpted, mahogany-toned body as he found his boxers and pulled them on.

  “Sushi okay with you?” he asked, running a hand over his thick hair. I nodded, and he grabbed his phone before heading into his kitchen to look for the menu that had come with our last order.

  As soon as he was gone, I flopped onto my back again, hating myself for how good this moment felt to me. Amazing sex, the way he knew me and my body, the fact that he already knew what I would want to eat…

  This was swinging into dangerous territory way too fast.

  “Twenty minutes,” he said, stepping back into the room after he’d placed our order. “Still can’t believe they put a Roll Play location here. That used to be our spot back at Blakewood.”

  I grinned. “Yep. I’m pretty sure we tried everything on their menu.”

  “And helped invent some new shit,” Jordan laughed. “We’ll have to actually go in and eat one day. Probably be a nice trip down memory lane.”

  A weight settled onto my chest, and I sat up, tucking myself under the covers. “Yeah… about that.”

  “What’s up?” Jordan looked up from his phone to meet my gaze, and I forced myself not to look away.

  “Umm… that’s probably not such a good idea, is it? For us to be seen together like that? You know, people would probably start talking. Especially if anybody has seen us going back and forth to each other’s place like we have been. That’s probably another thing we need to kind of… chill on.”

  Jordan’s eyes narrowed, and filled with an unease that made my throat ache. “So what are you saying, Cole?”

  I actually flinched. Who knew being called by your preferred name could feel so impersonal?

  “I… just that I don’t want to be put under the media microscope. We haven’t even defined anything yet, and I don’t want to have to deal with that kind of attention.”

  “Right. So, what should we do?” he asked, in a flat, unaffected tone. “Should we not see each other?”

  “No!” I said, raising my hands, hopefully pacifying the situation. “It’s not that. I’m saying that maybe we should be more careful. Start meeting somewhere neutral, like a really private hotel or something.”

  “So you want to hide?”

  I sighed. “Don’t think of it like that. It’s more like. I want to figure this out before the media starts trying to do it for us. And can you imagine what’s going to happen if the team finds out? I’m not ready to have a conversation about this with my father! Can you understand that?”

  “I don’t have a problem understanding that, but what I don’t want to happen is us doing this hotel shit as a way for you to keep your distance. That’s not a game I’m going to play with you.”

  “It’s not about a game, I swear!”

  Jordan stared at me for a long moment, then looked away as he let out a deep sigh.

  “Come here.”

  He watched me as I peeled the covers away, then eased out of his elevated king-sized bed. My bare toes sank into the plush carpet as I padded over to him, completely nude, but not at all uncomfortable. My shoulders dropped in relief when he wrapped his arms around my waist to pull me against him.

  “Your ass is spoiled,” he mumbled into my neck, then kissed me there. He pulled back to look me in the eyes. “We’ll do it your way… for now.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” he said, chuckling as I nuzzled my face against his chest. “You wanna grab a shower before the food gets here?”

  I nodded. “It’ll be the last one before you fly out with the team.”

  I bit my lip as soon as those words left my mouth, but Jordan’s mouth spread into a grin. “Oh, shit! You said that like you’re gonna miss me.”

  “Stop.”

  “Hell nah.” He cupped my face in his hands, tipping it up toward his. “Tell the truth. You gonna miss me?”

  I swallowed hard, trying my best to keep my expression neutral. I wanted, badly, to be able to deny it, but…

  “Yes.”

  What the hell was wrong with me, that it physically hurt just to be honest with him about my feelings? That one little word, a simple yes, ripped me in half. And if that wasn’t bad enough… the kiss he gave me after I said it seemed like it was putting me back together.

  I pushed myself up on my toes, trying to get closer. Jordan’s warm laughter vibrated against my mouth as I looped my arms around his neck and hooked a thigh around his waist, literally climbing him.

  We were both laughing by the time he pressed me against the cool, stone-tiled wall of his shower. I closed my eyes, basking in how right it felt to be with him like this, hot water streaming over us as he buried himself between my legs.

  This is how you end up falling in love.

  As we made love, that nagging thought worked its way into my mind, and wouldn’t leave me alone.

  Fourteen

  “Flash Jordan. I see you made time to come see a legend.”

  I chuckled at the greeting I received from the man who was, before me, the Kings’ last star wide receiver. “I don’t know about legend, but I guess you did aiight, all those years ago.”

  He grinned. “Whatever youngin’. Come on in.”

  I shook hands with Tariq Evans – former professional footballer, currently the man who handled all my money – then dropped into a seat across from his desk. Even though I couldn’t play in the game that would be happening later in the night, I’d flown up with the team anyway, just to make this meeting happen.

  “Come on out with it man,” he said as he sat down. “Your money is doing just fine, and I know you’re not just here to say hello. So what is it? Another overpriced luxury car on your mind?”

  I chuckled at the reference to the last time I’m met him in his actual office, well over a year ago, when he’d talked me out of buying a car I really couldn’t afford with the contract I was on. “Nah, not a car this time.”

  “The Kings finally ready to pay you some real money? You got your new contract worked out?”

  I shook my head. “Nah, not that yet either. But soon, I hope. I actually just need some advice.”

  Tariq sat back, hands clasped, with a thoughtful expression. “Okay. What can I do for you? Trouble with the team? Trouble with a woman?”

  “Bingo,” I said, scratching my chin. “That second one.”

  Tariq wasn’t too much older than me – just twelve years – but he seemed to have worked out a good trajectory for his life. We’d started as simply service provider and client, but over the last three years of working together, his advice had dipped beyond finances. He’d texted me after games to give me things I needed to work on, advised me on taking certain endorsement deals, scolded me on my dealings with the media, and even given me tips on my relationship with my father – since my father was more interested in putting me down than anything else.

  Long story short, I trusted Tariq enough to know that he wouldn’t lead me wrong, and he was the only person besides Trent I could talk to about this. My other homeboys would either give stupid advi
ce or run their mouths, and Trent needed to be focused on the game – not my drama. So, Tariq it was.

  “So who is she?” Tariq asked, in a tone that let me know he was already expecting something crazy.

  I pushed out a deep sigh, then tossed my head against the back of the chair. “Nicole Richardson.”

  Tariq narrowed his eyes. “Nicole Richardson, as in Eli Richardson’s daughter? As in, the daughter of the owner of the Kings? As in, your boss’ daughter?”

  “Yep. That’s her.”

  “Are you trying to get your ass kicked, dude?”

  I laughed. “What? Nah, it’s not like that man. It’s not a fling, nothing like that. It’s serious… or at least, I hope it could be.”

  “Oh, shit,” Tariq said, sitting up a little further. “You really like little Cole, huh?”

  “Well, I don’t think of her as little Cole, but yeah. I do.”

  He shrugged. “So what’s the problem? Is she anti-athlete?”

  “Not exactly. But we dated before, and then broke up, and now… I’m trying to pull it together again. I think we could really have something, but she’s… skittish about it.”

  Tariq nodded. “Yeah… you know I have some experience with that.”

  “I remember you telling me a little about that. That’s why I was hoping you would be able to tell me what I can do. If there’s something I can do.”

  Tariq laughed. “Man, if you have a situation like Kora and I on your hands… you’ve got your work cut out for you. We dated as kids – young twenties. Shit happened, we broke up, but stayed friends. Stayed great friends. Maybe too good, but that’s here nor there. I loved her. I’d always loved her, and the feeling was mutual. But instead of just being together, doing what made sense… we skirted around it. Dated other people. Drove them and ourselves nuts.”

  “But you’re together now. That’s your wife,” I mused. “So… what happened?”

  Tariq lifted his shoulders, and shook his head. “Man… I was just waiting to hear that it was possible. That was all I needed, was the possibility that she was down to give it another shot. Once I got through that wall she’d put up, and I saw that I had a chance, I just made the decision. Nothing was standing in my way. You know Steph, right?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. He just married Nubia Perry not too long ago, right?”

  “Right. He had to go the same route. Cole grew up under Eli. She’s a tough girl. Just like Nubia, just like Kora, but in a different way. I’m telling you man… if she’s showing you that she’s interested, that she’s willing to go there again, all you have to do is get her to face it head on. I’m not saying do some shit that’s gonna get you arrested, or scare her, but sometimes…. You have to just force the issue. You’ll either get smacked, or you’ll get your girl.”

  “I don’t know man,” I said, chuckling a little. “I mean, that sounds good, but I’m trying to keep in mind that she feels guilty about how we broke up. I don’t want her to feel like she owes me anything. Like being with me is… penance.”

  Tariq nodded. “I can understand that. But you have to understand that’s not your problem. That’s hers. All you’re doing is making it plain.”

  I was about to respond when the door to his office opened, and Tariq’s – fine ass – wife Kora walked in, holding a little girl who couldn’t have been more than a year old, with thick coily hair pulled into two puffs on top of her head.

  “Oh!” Kora said, stopping with her free hand on the door handle. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were with – Jordan?!”

  I grinned. “Hey beautiful,” I said as I stood, closing the short distance to give her and baby girl a hug.

  “Hey, chill with that shit,” Tariq warned behind me.

  I laughed. “I was talking to Serenity though.” I winked at Kora, then extended my hands as a request, which Kora granted, shifting Serenity from her arms to mine. “Hey pretty girl,” I said, smiling down at her. She looked just like her mother – same nose, same dark copper skin, and thick lashes framing big, inquisitive brown eyes. She grinned at me, showing me a couple of tiny white teeth. The sight set off an odd feeling in my chest.

  “You know she should have been mine, right?” I said to Kora, joking to deflect my thoughts away from whatever was happening in my head.

  “Jordan…” Tariq growled.

  Kora giggled, then looked past me at Tariq, who’d risen from his seat. “You’d better stop, before he bursts a blood vessel over there.”

  Tariq grunted. “Before I bust his damn head.”

  “Oh hush,” Kora purred, waving him off. “I must say though Jordan, you do look good with a little chocolate baby in your arms.”

  I damn near choked on my tongue. “That’s my cue, Serenity,” I said, and she wiggled in my arms as she cooed back in response. “I’ve gotta give you back.”

  Tariq and Kora both laughed, and Tariq was the one to take the baby from me. “I don’t know why he’s bugging,” he told her in a singsong voice. “When he has a baby with Cole, she’s gonna be a pretty little chocolate drop just like you.”

  Kora’s head snapped in my direction. “Cole? Eli Richardson’s daughter?!”

  “Damn, Tariq! It’s supposed to be on the low!”

  He shrugged. “My bad. Kora isn’t gonna tell anybody but Nubia.”

  “And maybe Blake,” Kora added. “And Chloe.”

  “Not Chloe!” I shook my head. “She’s my publicist.”

  Kora raised an eyebrow. “That’s even more reason for her to know. She keeps your business out of the streets as a profession.”

  “Still… please just don’t say anything to anybody. Nicki is already edgy about the whole thing, and I don’t want anything scaring her off.”

  “Oh no, what’s wrong?” Kora asked.

  “Cole is uncertain about the relationship, because they dated before and it didn’t work out, so Jordan is having to chase her,” Tariq blurted, before I could get a word out.

  Kora smiled at him. “Oh, we know all about that, don’t we?” She met my eyes, her expression serious. “You’re going to have to lay down the law. Cole is a strong –spirited woman. She needs that.”

  “I know,” I agreed. “That’s how I’ve always had to deal with her, I’m just not sure it’s the right approach for this.”

  “Oh it definitely is,” Kora giggled. “Trust me. Force the issue. She’ll either smack the shit out of you, or be yours forever.”

  “Ayyye!” Tariq stepped forward, hand raised to give his wife a high-five. “I told him the same thing,” he said as they slapped hands.

  Kora playfully rolled her eyes. “Oh, so now you know?”

  “Experience is the best teacher, baby.”

  I couldn’t help smiling as he looped the arm that wasn’t holding Serenity around his wife, tugging her against his body. The two of them together, with their child… it painted a nice ass picture.

  One that set off that crazy feeling in my chest again.

  “Advice received,” I said, then stepped forward to hug them again. I accepted the mandatory slobbery kiss from Serenity, then headed for the door.

  “Hey, does Dawn know you’re in town?” Kora asked, as I wrapped my hand around the door handle.

  I shook my head. “Nah, I didn’t call because I thought she was out on the west coast. Is she here?”

  “She is, and I know she’d want to see you before you leave.”

  “Aiight, I’ll make it happen.”

  I said my final goodbyes and then headed out, pulling my phone from my pocket as I stepped onto the elevator. I would get up with Dawn – Kora’s daughter – before I left town, but I had something else to handle first.

  “I can’t wait to get my mouth on you again. Should have kept my ass in Connecticut. – J. Johnson.”

  “I’m at work…don’t start.”

  “Oh, so you’re at your desk? Are you wearing a skirt today? – J. Johnson.”

  “Yes… why?”

  “Easy access
. I could kneel right there in that little space, pull your panties down… eat you while you try to keep your face calm. – J. Johnson.”

  “Are you sexting me while I’m at work?”

  “Don’t ask questions you already know the answers to. – J. Johnson.”

  “You know you want me to taste your pretty pussy in front of one of those big windows in your office, gorgeous. – J. Johnson.”

  “I’m about to block you from my phone.”

  “No you’re not. You’re about to put your hand in your panties and touch it for me. I know you’re wet. – J. Johnson.”

  “Take a picture. Show me. – J. Johnson.”

  “I… can’t right now.”

  “Yes you can. Pull up your skirt, put your hand in your panties. Dip your finger in my pretty, wet pussy, and take a picture of your honey dripping off. – J. Johnson.”

  “Cole, are you okay?”

  “What?!” I snapped, hurriedly shutting off the screen of my phone. “What are you talking about, Presley?”

  My battle worn assistant eyed me warily, then subtly shook her head. “You were panting. And your face is all flushed, like you’ve been running. I’m just making sure you aren’t having a heart attack or something.”

  I averted my gaze, embarrassed. “I’m fine. Just uh… need some water. Do you need something? Are the final preparations for the Royal Ball event going as planned?”

  “Yes,” Presley replied, perking up. Everything is handled. All that’s left are the things for the day of. Other than that, we’re golden.”

  I nodded. “Excellent. You’ve done a great job with this.”

  Get out of my office, girl.

  “Thank you Cole,” she gushed, with a huge grin. I kept a smile on my face too, not wanting to be mean, but… I needed her to get out.

  My phone lit up again, with another message, and I instinctively picked it up and turned it on. “Jesus!” I said out loud, as Jordan’s dick filled my screen in full color, full motion, and fully hard. Thank God I had the volume down. All I could do for a second was… stare. It was hypnotizing, watching his large hand pump over his beautifully veined skin. I clenched my thighs together, then remembered where I was and quickly turned the screen off, dropping the phone into my lap.