I shrug, and he chuckles. Then, he kneels behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.
I stare back at my work in progress.
I’m painting again, and I have the most beautiful man in the world wrapped around me.
Life is pretty freaking great at the moment.
“I’m happy for you, babe.” He presses a kiss to my neck. “And not to sound arrogant…but is that me you’re painting?”
“It’s us…having sex.” Biting my lip, I turn my eyes to his. “I guess I was inspired by last night.”
His smile is wide. “Can I have it when it’s finished?”
“The painting?”
He nods.
“Well, um…sure, if you really want it. But it might look like crap when it’s done. It’s been so long since I painted.”
He gives me a look. “Babe, we both know it won’t be crap. And, of course, I want it. It’s us. It represents our first time together. I want that fucker hanging in my bedroom.”
“Then, it’s yours.” I press a kiss to his nose. “When it’s finished, of course.”
“How long will it take you to finish it?”
I shrug. “Depends. Actually…what time is it?” I glance around, looking for a clock.
“Seven thirty,” he tells me.
“I need to get ready for work.”
“How about you don’t go in today?”
His hand slides lower to cup my pussy, and he groans. I’m not wearing any panties. Teeth sink into my neck.
“I have to go in.” I’m not giving my dad the satisfaction of me not showing up, especially after our fight. “And you have training.”
He slips a finger inside me, and I moan.
“I’ll skip it.”
He starts planting kisses up my neck. I tilt my head to give him better access.
“Your first game is in a week.”
“I’m in the best shape of my life.”
“If we both don’t go in, it’ll be obvious to my dad.”
He sighs, defeated.
I turn my face to his and softly kiss his lips. “Quickie?” I whisper against his mouth, and he grins.
Then, I’m spun around to face him. He whips off my nightshirt. A second later, his mouth is on mine, hot and hard. I meet his kiss with the same ferocity. We’re going at each other like we haven’t had sex in weeks, not hours.
I’ve never been as desperate for a man as I am with him. More so now that I’m fully aware of what he’s capable of in bed…
Five orgasms.
I’m never going to get over that.
I push my hands into the elastic of his boxers and shove them down his hips. His cock juts out to meet me. I wrap my hand around it, and he groans, sinking his teeth into my bottom lip.
I wrap my legs around his waist. Then, I drag the head of his cock up and down my center.
“You ready for me, baby?”
“Always.” My legs wrap around his waist.
Then, he sinks inside me.
We both moan with pleasure.
We’re joined as much as two people can be. Our mouths still fused together. His hips flush with mine, cock buried deep inside me. Our chests pressed together.
I blink open my eyes, and his are already on mine.
“I’ll get a condom in a second,” he says. “I just want to feel you.”
I run my hand around the nape of his neck, curling my fingers into the hair there. “It’s okay. I’m on the pill…and I’m clean.”
“I’m clean, too.”
My lips quirk into a smile. “So then, fuck me, quarterback.”
And he does.
He takes me right there, fucking me hard and fast on my painting stool, in front of the Ares and Ari work in progress.
It’s the second game of the season, and I’m here, supporting my man.
I didn’t go to the first game, as they were away at Dallas, playing the Cowboys. They lost that game. And I missed him when he was away. It was the first night we spent apart since getting together.
We either spend the night at my place or his. Mostly mine, as Missy is still home. But she goes back to Dartmouth in a few days. I’m going to miss her. We’ve become really good friends. But Ares told me that she comes home often, so it’ll be like she never left.
We’re all going out for dinner tomorrow night. I’m finally going to meet Zeus, Cam, and Lo. He’s heading back to Penn State in a few days, too.
I’m kind of nervous about meeting them.
But, tonight, there are no nerves because the Giants are playing the Detroit Lions at home, and they’re kicking ass, thanks to Ares throwing some great passes.
Missy and I are sitting in great seats. Ares gets two tickets to every home game. Usually, Zeus uses them to watch him play, as he lives over in Port Washington, which is only an hour’s drive away. Lo and Missy use them when they’re home.
But, tonight, it’s me and Missy here, supporting him.
I could have gone in the box with the wives. Not because of the fact that Ares and I are together; that’s still a secret, and that’s because I haven’t found the courage to tell my dad despite the pressure from Ares to tell him.
But my dad is the coach, and I work for the team, so I have access anywhere. But I didn’t want to sit up there. I wanted to be out here, among the action, close to Ares.
“He’s been playing great tonight,” Missy says to me.
“Yeah, he has.” I nod.
“It’s because he’s happy. Have I told you how glad I am that you and my brother are together?”
“Only about twenty times.” I chuckle.
She grins. “Well, it’s true. I’ve never seen him this happy before, and that makes me happy. And, also, it makes me love you even more than I already do.”
She loves me. That lights me up like the sky on the Fourth of July.
“Thanks, Missy. It means a lot. And you know that I…you know…too.” Expressing emotion isn’t one of my strengths.
She softly smiles at me. “I know.” She threads her arm through mine and gives me a squeeze. “You mean a lot to Ares. And me. You might be a Petrelli, but you’re a Kincaid now, too.”
I swallow down the golf ball in my throat and blink away the tears threatening my eyes.
“The game’s nearly over,” Missy says. “There’s only a minute left on the clock. Do you want to head down?”
“Sure.” I smile at her.
We leave our seats and walk down the steps, heading toward the belly of the stadium where the locker rooms are.
We pass security with a wave of my ID badge and walk toward the locker room to wait outside where we agreed to meet Ares.
He’ll probably have to do press, so he won’t be out right away, but I’m happy to hang around and wait with Missy.
There’s press milling around the hall, waiting to interview the players. My dad will be in the locker room. But he generally doesn’t come out to talk to the press, so he won’t see me leaving with Ares, which is a good thing.
But the press will see.
Yeah, but I’m with his sister, so they won’t think much of it.
I’ve just parked my ass against the wall when Missy says, “I’m just gonna go to the restroom. Back in a few. Okay?”
“Sure.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and start scrolling through Twitter, reading tweets about the game.
“You’re Arianna Petrelli, right?”
I lift my eyes from my phone to see a good-looking guy—mid-twenties, messy blond hair, a tattoo sleeve on one arm. The whole bad-boy vibe going on.
Would have totally been my type prior to Ares.
“Depends on who’s asking.”
“I’m Leo Parsons. I’m a writer for Athletic and Sports News.”
A journalist. Of course.
“Not to be rude…but how do you know who I am?”
He’s a sports journalist; of course he knows who you are.
“I recogn
ized you from your photo…in the news…after your crash.”
I tense instantly.
“I just wanted to say, it was shitty, the way some of the press went after you. You probably didn’t see it, but I wrote a piece—not about you per se, but your case and about alcohol addiction and how society views us.” He puts his hand in his pocket and pulls out a bronze chip. “Eighteen months sober,” he tells me.
I relax a little, knowing this guy is part of the same club as me.
“That’s amazing,” I tell him.
“Still fighting every day, but you know that, right?”
I nod.
“Anyway, I just wanted to come over and say hi, and if you get a chance to read my article…”
“Of course,” I say, smiling. “I’ll totally check it out.”
“Great.” He smiles and then leans in a little closer, lowering his voice a touch. “And I was wondering if…maybe one night you might want to grab a bite to eat.”
“Oh!” Shit. “I, um…I’m not dating right now. Still trying to get my life together, you know.”
“Right. Yeah, of course.” He straightens up and steps back. “Well, we could go out, just as friends.”
“Um…” I scratch my cheek. “Okay, yeah, sure.”
“Great.” He smiles. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a business card. “Here’s my card with my number and email.” He holds it out, so I take it from him. “So, yeah…hit me up, and we can go out for a burger or something.”
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”
My neck nearly snaps—it turns that quick—and I see Ares glowering down at Leo.
His eyes come to mine, and they are nearly black. He plucks the card from my hand and crushes it in his palm.
Shit. He’s mad.
“Kincaid.” Leo nods, clearly aware of who he is—which, of course, he would be because it’s his job to know. His eyes go between us, working quickly. “I didn’t mean to tread on anyone’s toes. I didn’t realize you two were an item.”
“What? No! We’re not an item! That’s just…crazy! We’re friends. Good friends. He’s just being overprotective.” Then, I punch Ares in the arm, like we’re best buddies, not lovers. Yep, I really did that. God, I’m a total dick. But I can’t seem to stop. “I’m actually really good friends with his sister, Missy, and here she is now. Missy!” I grab her arm and yank her toward me.
Missy is now looking at me, confused.
Leo is running a journalistic eye over me.
And Ares…I daren’t look at him. But I can feel his anger pulsating next to me, like it’s a living, breathing entity.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I don’t want to lie—I really don’t—but this guy is a journalist, and I can’t have him printing things about me and Ares. At least not until I’ve talked to my dad.
And I’m not ready yet. I just need time.
Because I know what my dad will say when he finds out Ares and I are together. I saw how he reacted to me taking a ride with him, for God’s sake.
I know where my dad’s priority lies, and it isn’t with me.
He will do what’s best for the team, and Ares not being with me is that.
I know exactly what he’ll say to Ares.
And I’m scared that Ares will listen…and finally see sense and realize that my dad is right.
That I’m not the person he should be with.
And then he’ll leave me.
The tension in Ares’s truck is killing me.
It’s so thick, you could cut the air with a knife and take a slice away with you.
Missy is quietly sitting in the back, tapping away on her phone. And Missy is never quiet.
Ares is a huge, raging hot flame next to me.
And me…I’m burning under the heat.
He’s angry. No, he’s furious.
Not that he’s said a word to confirm this. He hasn’t said a thing to me since we left the stadium, apart to bark at me that we were leaving, but honestly, that could have been directed at Missy.
And I’m going to take a not-so-wild shot in the dark here and say he’s pissed because of what I said to Leo.
And I get it. Of course I wasn’t going to tell Leo that Ares and I were together. But I didn’t have to act like a complete dick about it. I made it sound ludicrous—the notion of us being together. In a way, it is because what is a great guy like him doing with a loser like me?
But, from the angry fumes billowing from Ares, he’s taken it the totally wrong way, and I’m in for it.
I handled it badly, and I will apologize but not in front of Missy. Because it’s not fair on her to make her feel uncomfortable while Ares and I hash our shit out, not that, I can guess, she’s feeling at all comfortable now.
I notice that, instead of going into his building’s parking garage, he pulls up outside.
My confused eyes swing to him, but his eyes are fixed ahead. Jaw working angrily.
“I’ll be home later,” he grinds out to Missy.
She takes that as her cue and practically jumps out of the car. I actually envy her. I wish I could leave, too.
“See you tomorrow,” she says to me, giving me a look of sympathy.
“Bye.” I give her a small smile.
Then, she’s gone, jogging inside his building, and Ares is pulling the truck away from the curb.
“Where are we going?” I tentatively ask him.
I get no response, except for his hands tightening around the steering wheel, his jaw like steel.
“Ares…” I push.
“I can’t fucking talk to you right now,” he snaps.
Jesus.
He’s so mad. I’ve never seen him this angry before. I’ve seen him frustrated and pissed off but not top-level anger.
I honestly don’t know what to do or say.
So, like the little chicken I am, I say nothing and stay quiet, feeling like a convict heading toward her execution.
He turns down the street to my apartment, and that answers my question as to where he is taking me.
I half-expect him to pull over and tell me to get out before he drives off. But he doesn’t. He parks his truck up outside my building, turns off the engine, and climbs out without a word. So, I follow.
We walk to my apartment in complete silence.
I unlock my door, letting us both in.
Ares follows me into my living room.
I sit down on the arm of my sofa. He stays standing. Arms folded across his chest.
“I’m sorry I acted like a dick before. That guy, Leo…he’s press, and I didn’t—”
“Want anyone to find out. Namely, your dad. Yeah, I got that.”
Well, if he gets that, then why is he so mad?
“I shouldn’t have said the things I said—”
“No, you shouldn’t have.”
“I don’t know why I said them. I was rambling. But I am sorry.”
“Yeah, you said.”
He’s still staring at me with unblinking, burning blue eyes, frying me on the spot. Arms still folded across his chest. Jaw set.
“You’re still mad…” I edge out.
“No shit I’m mad. Actually, I’m fucking furious. I am sick of this, Ari.”
Panic lances across my chest. “Sick of what?”
“The secrets. The lying. You know how I feel about it, but I’ve been doing it for you. Now, I’m done. I said two weeks. It’s two weeks today. Time’s up. I’m not hiding us anymore.”
Shit, has it really been two weeks already?
“You said a few. Not two,” I counter.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” he yells, startling me. He drops his arms from his chest and drags a hand through his hair. “I just don’t fucking get it. What the hell are you so afraid of? What do you think your dad is going to do? You think he’ll, what? Come between us? That’s bullshit, and you know it. I went with it to make you happy, but this? This isn’t making me happy.”
He laughs hollowly. “Have you been listening to a fucking word I’ve said? I said, this isn’t making me happy—what happened at the arena. Talking to your dad every damn day and pretending like I’m not dating his daughter, that I’m crazy about her! Watching every damn thing I say in front of him in case I slip up. I’m not that fucking guy, Ari. I told you, I don’t like liars, and I refuse to be one for you anymore.”
“I just need more time…” I push to stand, my legs feeling wobbly.
“Time for what?” he yells, frustrated.
With you. I need more time with you…before you realize the mistake you’ve made by being with me and leave. And then I’ll be alone again.
I stare down at my hands, swallowing down those words, afraid to say them out loud.
“I just don’t fucking get it. I don’t get you! You know what? Why don’t you just fucking call me when you’ve figured your shit out? Because I’m done.”
Done.
My eyes flash up, my chest clenching in panic, just in time to see him walking out the door, slamming it behind him.
I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept all night.
I picked up the phone a dozen times to call Ares and chickened out. I don’t know how to explain to him what’s going on in my head. I don’t want to tell him because I don’t want to alert him to the one thing I’m afraid he’ll do—leave.
Which is stupid because he’s done that exact thing.
I didn’t want to tell my dad, for fear that Ares would leave me. And he’s left me anyway because I won’t tell my dad about us.
Confused? Me, too.
Some great frigging logic I have there.
But then I never claimed to be smart.
“I’m done.”
I don’t even know if we’re still together right now.
I’m trying not to panic.
He never said, We’re over. He said, “I’m done.”
But then, isn’t that basically the same thing?
Jesus. What a mess.
I can’t believe how badly I’ve screwed things up.
I thought getting clean meant I’d make smart decisions. Apparently, that’s not the case. I’m stupid whether I’m drunk or sober.
I had this great guy, who I didn’t want to lose, and I’ve lost him anyway.
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