Bossy Baller: A Hero Club Novel

by Melissa Belle

  “Good luck with your new family member,” she says to us.

  I don’t have the heart to tell her the truth—Hannah and I are just two people passing through each other’s lives for the next few days. And no way can I take in a kitten right now.

  “What should we name her?” Hannah asks me as soon as we’re back in the truck.

  “Nothing,” I say.

  “Nothing? That’s an awful name. You mean because she came from nothing, right? I don’t know. I think she might develop a complex being called Nothing forever.”

  “No, I meant nothing. Let’s not call her anything. We need to drop her at a no-kill shelter, Hannah. We can’t drive all the way to Chicago with her.”

  Hannah’s face falls.

  “A shelter knows more than we do about kittens,” I add weakly.

  “I grew up with a cat,” she says. “And she had kittens. She gave birth in my bed while I was sleeping.”

  “Seriously?”

  She nods.

  “Wow. That’s pretty amazing.”

  “It was.”

  And there she goes again—distracting me from making a practical decision.

  “We can take her with us,” I hear myself say. “Once we get to Chicago, we’ll find a good home for her.”

  I can anticipate what’s coming next. Sure enough, in three, two, one…

  “She has a good home already.” Hannah kisses her head. “I’ll keep her.”

  I jerk my head toward her. “Are you sure? That’s a lot of responsibility.”

  “Maverick.” Hannah’s blue eyes fix on me. “This kitten came into our lives for a reason. We were meant to meet. I’m not going to throw that gift away.”

  I swallow.

  “She came into our lives by chance,” I say firmly. “Not necessarily for any particular purpose.”

  “Chance means good fortune,” Hannah says. “And now that you say it, we were talking to your friend, Chance, when I spotted this kitty.” She breaks into a smile. “Let’s name her something that matches. Like Lucky.”

  “Chance wanted us to name the kitten Chance,” I mutter. “Lucky is much better.”

  Hannah laughs heartily. “So it’s settled then.”

  And that’s how Lucky became the second surprise companion on my road trip that was supposed to be me and only me.

  And while I pretend to be disgruntled, when I look over at Hannah cuddling with Lucky in the passenger seat, I can’t stop from grinning.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “Okay, we’re all set.” I step back from the tent.

  We’ve got Lucky’s litter box ready for her in the back of the truck, which is parked as close to our tent as possible for any quick bathroom trip in the middle of the night. Lucky’s safely in her carrier next to Hannah, who’s minding the fire as our dinner cooks.

  We picked up potatoes and burger patties at the store on the way into the campground, and after we got the food going on the grill, I set up the tent.

  “Lucky’s got a good appetite.” Hannah shows me the bowl the kitten has already licked clean. “Like the vet said, she seems really healthy.”

  “She’s lucky,” I say without meaning to throw a pun on the word.

  Hannah breaks into a smile. “She is, right?”

  I grin at her. “I must like picking up stowaways.”

  She smiles wider. “It’s good for your soul, Mav. Traveling all alone would have been boring.”

  I want to disagree with her, but as I watch her dish out our dinner and hand me a paper plate, I know she’s right. Spending this trip with a woman who does it for me in every way I can conceive of—it’s been far more enjoyable than if I’d made the trip by myself.

  The three of us eat together as darkness falls. We put Lucky, still in her carrier, into the tent and close up the flap. The cross windows of the tent give good ventilation, and in this high desert, there’s a night breeze that makes the temperature comfortable.

  Impulsively, I hold out my hand to Hannah. “Dance with me.”

  Her eyes widen. “We don’t have any music.”

  I reach for my phone and flip through my playlist. When I find a slow song, I press play.

  “Now we’ve got music.”

  She takes my hand and my other hand circles her waist. As the song, something about a lost love, plays, I pull Hannah closer until she rests her head against my shoulder.

  Emotion fills my throat. Something about this moment feels so…real. By her silence, I sense Hannah’s feeling the same way.

  Searching for a way to lighten the moment, I step back and spin her around. She laughs, and then I dip her.

  As I lean over her, she whispers my name.

  “What is it?” I say back.

  “You were quiet on the ride today.”

  I know she’s referring to the time after we made out in the back of the truck.

  “I’m sorry,” I say sincerely. “I’m not used to spending time with a woman after we…”

  “Hook up?” She fills in the blank.

  “Right.”

  Even though “hook up” feels too cheap for what Hannah and I did.

  “I understand.” She drops my hand and heads for the back of the truck. “Let’s set up the bedding inside the tent.”

  She crawls into the truck bed before I can stop her. When she hops down with a sleeping bag in her arms, she asks me, “Is there more than one of these?”

  Shit.

  “I didn’t even think of that,” I admit. “This is all Dylan’s. He’s going to get new stuff, so he left it for me. I can sleep out here in the truck if you’d rather.”

  “No. I want to sleep in the tent with you. I guess I just thought maybe…”

  “Maybe what?” I ask her.

  “You wanted space after today.”

  I look straight at her. “Hannah, I want whatever you want. But I don’t want to push you. I also can’t promise you anything after tonight. And that doesn’t feel fair to you.”

  “It is fair to me. I told you I need the same thing—casual.”

  I don’t really buy that, but I don’t say anything.

  Hannah tosses me the sleeping bag and twists her hands together. “So does that mean…”

  I wait for her to struggle through her thought.

  “I’m fine to share the sleeping bag,” she finally says, and I let out the breath I was holding.

  “We can open it up and then throw blankets over us.” I grab the blankets out of the truck.

  As I head for the tent, I surrender.

  Clearly, God wants Hannah and me to have sex.

  There could have been two sleeping bags, which would have at least helped to keep us separate.

  But one it is.

  And I’m done pretending I don’t want her when she’s literally all I’ve wanted all day.

  I make the bed in record time, make sure Lucky is okay in the corner, and invite Hannah inside.

  As soon as she appears on her knees in the doorway, I take her face in my hands and kiss the shit out of her.

  She falls forward onto me as she tries to get through the tent flap, and we roll onto the blankets until I end up on top of her. I reach over and zip the flap closed.

  The moon is bright tonight, and it shines through the clear top of the tent so I can see Hannah. Her lips are red from our kiss and her cheeks flushed.

  I slip my hand inside her tank top. As I drag my hand up her stomach and to her breasts, I discover something.

  “No bra?”

  “It’s built into the shirt.”

  “You’re killing me here, Hannah.” My thumbs brush her bare nipples, and she moans.

  I keep touching her until she’s squirming beneath me, and then I raise her top so I can see her.

  She’s even more beautiful than I fantasized about. Pale pink nipples against lily-white skin. I lift her top up and over her head and toss it to the side.

  I take off her sandals, and then drag down her shorts and panties
and deposit them with her tank top.

  Hannah is bare to me. Exposed.

  And I lose my breath looking at her.

  “You’re stunning,” I tell her.

  I take one pale nipple into my mouth and suck hard. She cries out my name, and I move to her other breast. Her hands claw at my shirt, and I help her pull it off of me.

  I take off my sneakers and remove my jeans and boxer briefs.

  “Holy crap.” Hanna’s gaze is stuck on my crotch. “You’re even bigger than I thought.”

  “And you’ll fit every inch of it,” I promise her. “But not until you’re more than ready.”

  That moment happens sooner than I thought.

  I put my mouth between her legs, and she comes within seconds.

  “You know I don’t ever come this fast,” she says to me as I brace myself over her. “Only with you.”

  My lips trace a path up her neck and over to her earlobe. “You’re not done coming tonight, trust me.”

  I grab a condom out of my wallet and slide it on.

  “We’ll take this super slow,” I say as I position myself at her entrance.

  I push forward until I’m just barely inside of her.

  “Christ.” I grit my teeth and rest my cheek against hers. “You feel…fuck, Hannah.”

  “Come all the way in,” she whispers. “I want to feel you, Mav.”

  I do as she asks, pushing slowly until I’m fully inside of her.

  And holy fuck. She’s so tight and feels so good that I can hardly stop from coming right away.

  My arms are shaking as they bracket either side of her.

  “Are you okay?” she asks me with hazy eyes.

  “So okay.” I kiss her. “I’m just…this feels different.”

  “I know.”

  I kiss her again, and it grows harder and more urgent. I start driving in and out of her—slowly at first and then faster and harder until she wraps her legs around my waist and I let go of the controls.

  We’re fucking hard, and I don’t know whose cries are louder. Thank God these tent sites are set far apart from one another.

  Hannah comes first with a loud moan, and she’s still pulsing around me when I follow her with my own release.

  I drop my head into her neck and work to get my breathing under control.

  “Am I hurting you?” I ask as I make sure to keep my weight off of her.

  “Not at all.” She runs her fingers through my hair. “That was…”

  “It was.”

  She doesn’t have to say how good that felt. In many ways, to even try would diminish just how fucking epic it was.

  And I already know we’re going to be doing that again.

  Chapter Thirty

  Hannah

  I watch Maverick sleep in the dawn light.

  He woke me up twice for more of what we did for the first time last night. More amazing—ridiculously amazing—sex. Once I was on top. The other time he took me from behind. Each time was better than the last. And I’m addicted. I want him again right now.

  I lean over and kiss his lips. When he doesn’t stir, I go a step further. Sliding down beneath the covers, I wrap my lips around his cock, which quickly hardens.

  “Hannah.” Maverick’s sleepy voice sounds rough, which turns me on even more.

  I keep sucking on him as I wrap one hand around his thick length.

  “Hannah. Fuck.” He sounds more awake now, and his hands gently grip my hair.

  I keep going until he gets out, “Coming…”

  I don’t pull off of him, and he mutters, “Hannah. I’m…fuck.” I stay on him as he releases into my mouth.

  “Come up here,” he growls as I look up from underneath the blanket.

  I crawl up his body, and he gives me a hard kiss.

  “Good morning,” I say into his lips.

  “Good morning.” He flips me onto my back and makes his way down my body, his lips trailing kisses along the way. “My turn.”

  An hour later, my body relaxed and sated, Maverick cooks us eggs and bacon. I feed Lucky her breakfast and bring her over to the litter box.

  And then, we take a drive through the Colorado National Monument. The desert landscape high on a plateau is amazing, and the red rocks and sheer-walled canyons that cut deep into sandstone are breathtakingly beautiful. I put little Lucky into the backpack, and Maverick agrees to carry her on his back.

  “We’ll do a light hike,” he says. “Devil’s Kitchen is only a mile long.”

  As we walk along the trail, I video Maverick with Lucky on his back. “You two look adorable together,” I say.

  He grumbles about it, but I catch the flash of brightness in his eyes. Maverick Court is a secret softie.

  I turn off the video and start snapping photo after photo instead.

  “Hannah…” he warns. “That’s enough for a lifetime.”

  I pat his arm. “You’ll be happy to have these when we part. It will remind you of the trip you took to start your football career.”

  He stops on the trail and takes my chin in his hand. “It will remind me of you, Hannah. This trip will always be one of the best times of my life.”

  I bite my lip. “Mine too, Maverick.”

  He doesn’t take his eyes off of me for a long moment, and for a second, I’m sure he’s going to say he wants to see me when our trip ends.

  Three heartbeats pass.

  He sucks in a breath, though, and says nothing except, “We’re almost back to the truck.”

  “Right.” I turn away from him, and we continue our hike.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Maverick

  Colton calls as we’re halfway to Denver.

  “Hey, Colt,” I say. “You’re on speakerphone. Hannah’s here, too.”

  “Hey, Hannah,” he says in a friendly tone.

  “Hi, Colton,” she says.

  “So, Mav, how would you like to be in the energy drink commercial with us?” he asks with no preamble.

  Hannah claps. “That’s so cool!”

  Colton’s chuckle comes through the speakers. “Is that a yes, Court?”

  After a few seconds, I finally get out, “I don’t understand. I thought you and Dylan were doing it together because you’re on the same team.”

  “It was going to be that. But we’re in Denver now—we just landed. And Dyl mentioned to his agent that you’ll be in town, so he suggested all three of us film it. Dylan’s sponsor thought it was a great idea—three college teammates who all made the pros. It will be great exposure before you even step on the field in Chicago. And all three of us actually drank this stuff our entire last season.”

  I hesitate. “I mean, that sounds awesome, but…”

  “You’ll get paid,” he says, reading my thoughts. “Dylan made sure it will be split equally.”

  Of course he did. The Wild cousins are the best guys I know.

  “You guys are awesome to include me,” I say. “Appreciate it, Wild.”

  He says the commercial will be filmed tomorrow morning.

  “We’ll be there this evening,” I say.

  “Let’s hang out tonight,” he says. “You too, Hannah. Looking forward to meeting you.”

  She says the same back to him, and I end the call.

  “Oh my gosh, this is so great, Maverick! Your first commercial!”

  I grin at her as she chatters on about what the set will be like and what they’ll make us do.

  “You’ll have to drink really sexy.” She pretends to sip something from a bottle. “Like this.”

  I reach over and lightly squeeze her thigh. “I won’t possibly be able to look as sexy as you do right now.”

  She smiles at me. “I doubt that. Women will be dying to meet you when they see this commercial.”

  The idea of that doesn’t turn me on the way it used to. Spending real time with Hannah feels far more appealing these days.

  In fact…

  I glance over at her. “How would you lik
e to take a mountain hike before we reach Denver?”

  Her lips part. “Do we have time before we meet your friends?”

  I’m not sure. But I don’t care about anything but being with Hannah right now.

  “We’ll make it short,” I say. “We need to stop for gas before Denver anyway. And we’ll be going right through Vail.”

  “Oh, I’d love to see Vail.”

  “So we will.”

  We find a trail in Vail with a wide enough path that we can walk side by side. The trees are incredible—from the aspens to the evergreens, and the mountain air is invigorating.

  The clerk at the information desk warns us not to go too far since we’re not used to the altitude. I take Lucky in her backpack again, and Hannah continues to snap far more pictures than I’ve ever seen anyone take.

  “Why do you take so many?” I finally ask her as we pause at an overlook.

  She doesn’t answer me right away. She keeps her gaze focused on the gorgeous mountain views across from us.

  “I don’t have many photos of my parents,” she says eventually, and I immediately feel like shit. “They weren’t big picture takers, and I wasn’t, either. I guess I’m trying to make up for that with you and Lucky.”

  “Hannah.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry for teasing you. That was thoughtless of me.”

  “You didn’t know,” she says. “I probably overdo it.”

  “Nope.” I hug her close to me. “I think you should take as many photos as you want. And I’ll stop being so grumpy in them from now on.”

  She huffs out a laugh. “Right. I don’t expect you to change your outlook on being photographed, Mav.”

  I will for you, I want to say.

  But I keep the words inside.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Hannah

  Maverick says he has a surprise for me in Denver.

  “A five-star hotel?” I spin around the suite. “This is too much money.”

  “Good thing we’re not paying for it then.” He kisses my head. “The sponsor hooked us up. Once he found out I’m in the commercial too, I got the same VIP treatment as Dylan and Colt. They’re a couple floors above us.”