“You’re Luca Conti,” he exclaimed loud enough that it couldn’t be missed.
“Yep, I am,” I replied. It wasn’t like I could deny it. “What’s your name?”
“J-J-Jarrod,” he stuttered, looking up at me with wide eyes.
“You’re really good. Keep going,” I encouraged, watching as the teenage referee got into position.
Spotting someone who looked vaguely like Elise at the other end of the field watching something in the opposite direction, I hurried that way. Her coffee was getting cold, and I wanted the brownie points. Ignoring the looks and hushed comments as I strode past, I rounded the corner and, thankfully, came face to face with the woman who was capable of driving me to the very edge of sanity before catapulting me off the end.
“What are you doing here?” Elise asked, her eyes wide as she looked everywhere but at me.
“I brought coffee,” I offered by way of explanation, holding the cup out in a peace offering.
“Life saver,” Elise exclaimed, accepting the cup and taking a sip. I swear her eyes rolled back in her head the moment the caffeine touched her tongue.
Stuffing my hand into my pocket, I looked at Elise over my lid. She looked freaking adorable. Like the girl I’d crushed on when I’d first spotted her. She wore black leggings that moulded to her every curve, curves I’d become intimately familiar with over the past few weeks, paired with bright pink runners. She had on her puffy black jacket, which was zipped to her chin, and a pink beanie on her head pulled down low over her ears. She could’ve been mistaken for Rudolph with her red nose and rosy cheeks.
“So, how’s it going?” I asked, trying to keep it casual.
“Going okay so far. I think.”
“I’m sure it’s all going great.”
“Other than bringing coffee, which I’m grateful for, why exactly are you here, Luca? I thought this would be the last place in the world you’d want to hang out,” she asked, seeming genuinely confused.
“Why would you think that?”
“Cos there are kids everywhere, and a lot of them are staring at you.”
“How do you know they’re not staring at you?” I challenged.
“Ah, yeah sure.”
“You never know. How are you feeling anyway?”
“Better than I was.”
“Good to hear. You know you should’ve called me. I would’ve come over and taken care of you. Or you could’ve crashed at my place,” I offered, choosing my words carefully, conscious of the little ears hovering around.
“I know. I just didn’t want to make you sick too. Besides, I didn’t want you to see me all snotty and gross.”
Unable to keep my hands to myself a moment longer, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and hugged her against me, almost a bit surprised when she let me. “That’s the part in the vows ‘in sickness and in health’,” I reminded her.
“Yeah, in wedding vows. We’re not married, remember?” she threw back, thinking she’d won this round. Silly girl.
“Not yet anyway.”
Well that shut her up didn’t it? I worried I’d pushed too far too fast. I mean, poor girl almost gave herself an aneurysm when she sent a text that she hadn’t meant to and here I was, throwing the marriage word around like it was nothing. It wasn’t nothing. It was far from it. It was everything.
When she burrowed her head against my shoulder, and I held her close I knew she wasn’t going to run. Not this time. Until this moment, I thought I was angry with her. Annoyed and frustrated even. I wasn’t. I was just an idiot in love and I’d missed her. I wasn’t pissed she’d gone MIA for a few days with a head cold, I was pissed I wasn’t the one there filling her hot water bottle and feeding her chicken soup.
“Miss McCoy?” a young voice called out, and like that, Elise snapped back into teacher mode. I don’t know who I liked more. Miss McCoy or Elise. Both turned me the fuck on like no one else had ever done. It was a bloody good thing I got two for the price of one. There was no way in this world I’d ever be able to choose.
“Yes, Kirsten?” she asked, squatting down to the girl’s eye level.
“Mr. Sullivan told me to come and find you. He needs you over at the soccer. Tim is hurt,” she gushed out all in one breath.
Without blinking, Elise moved away from me, bent down, sticking her peach-shaped butt up in the air, making me groan as she grabbed a black bag from the pile behind her and followed the girl across the oval. Like the pathetic lovesick puppy I was, I tagged along, finding myself hoping the kid was okay.
By the time we made it around the field and over to where the kid was sitting, it seemed we’d missed all the drama. Elise dropped to her knees beside the young boy and asked what happened and where it hurt. When he pointed to his knee, I saw a bit of skin missing and an impressive grass stain but nothing to call the ambulance over. I couldn’t see what all the drama was about, but then again, I wasn’t a kid.
“You okay, Tim?” she asked gently.
The kid looked up at her with wide, watery eyes. “Yeah.”
“Do you want me to call your mum and she can come pick you up?”
“No!” he answered quickly, bouncing back to his feet, his sore knee quickly forgotten.
“Do you think you can go back on?”
“Yep.” He turned to the other teacher, the one who was eye-fucking Elise like she was his meal. Arsehole. Didn’t he know she was spoken for? “Can I go back on, Mr. Sullivan? Please?”
I didn’t hear what his grumbled reply was, but next thing I knew, the kid was running towards the rest of the players lining up on what appeared to be the makeshift bench.
Elise stood up and scowled. Thank fuck it wasn’t aimed at me, because it was seriously scary.
“Was that it, Corey?”
“Was what it? Tim was hurt. He was crying and bleeding. I had other kids to manage.”
“I have no words,” Elise sighed, hefting the backpack over her shoulder.
When Corey’s arm fell around Elise’s shoulder, I saw red. I’d never wanted to rip anyone’s limbs off before. How dare he touch her? Taking a step forward, my movement caught Elise’s eye, and she shook her head subtly telling me she had it under control. I was giving her thirty seconds before I amputated his arm.
Reaching up, she grabbed hold of his hand and dropped it before stepping in front of me. As much as I wanted to reach out and wrap my arm around her, I held back. But time was ticking.
“Corey. We’re colleagues. We’re not friends. We’re not dating. We have to work together. That’s it. This guy here,” she turned slightly and reached for my hand, “this is Luca. He’s my boyfriend. He’s who I’m spending time with. He’s who I’m sharing dinner with. He’s who I’m sleeping with.” Her last comment may have come out no louder than a whisper, but it had my chest puffing up proudly. She was claiming me. Publicly. It was one thing for me to keep putting myself out there, but for Elise to be the one announcing it, I’d never felt better.
“Oh.”
“Look. We need to work together, and I’m more than happy to do that, but you’ve got to back off.”
His eyes flickered from Elise to me and back again. I watched as he retreated into his shell, conceding defeat. “Okay.”
“Okay. I need to get back over to the netball. Are you right here with the soccer? Lunch is in about twenty minutes I think,” Elise stated, taking charge of the situation. She was an enigma. For someone whose mind was likely to drive her crazy by the time she turned forty because it never turned off and gave her a break, the moment Miss McCoy appeared, she was cool, calm and collected.
“I’m going to hang out here for a few,” I offered.
Looking up at me, Elise looked confused but didn’t say anything. Enjoying seeing her off balance, I leaned down, kissed her cheek quickly and chastely. Later I wouldn’t be such a gentleman. “Trust me,” I whispered in her ear before turning and walking towards where the kids were waiting on the sideline, leaving her standing there s
hocked, and Corey looking like the complete chump he was.
Ignoring the drama, I sat down on the grass between the two teams and started chatting with the kids. Their biggest issue was what to get at the canteen for lunch – a meat pie or a hot dog. I wished I was young again. Skinned knees and meat pies was the extent of their worries.
Chapter Twenty-Four – Elise
I was exhausted. Everything ached from the soles of my feet to my very heavy eyelashes. I didn’t know if it was because I was still weak from the cold I’d had or if it had just been a bloody big day. Probably a combination of both. Flopping onto the lounge, I toed off my runners and leant back, letting my eyes fall closed.
Today had been a rollercoaster of epic proportions. When Corey had boarded the bus unexpectedly, my stomach had sunk. There was something about him that was really starting to creep me out, and it seemed to be getting worse. But when we’d pulled up at the playing fields, mayhem broke out and all concerns about Corey were forgotten as we’d tried to wrangle the kids.
Sending Corey in one direction with the soccer team, I’d taken the netballers and gone in the opposite direction, relieved to have a legitimate excuse to put some distance between us.
When Luca had turned up with coffee, looking beyond gorgeous, all I could think about was kissing him. It’d been too long. As he’d stood there staring at me while I sipped my drink, I’d taken in the man before me. He had been wearing a pair of low-slung grey sweatpants and dark navy sweater. His hair had been damp still from his shower, and his eyes hidden behind dark glasses. But it was the rough stubble covering his square jaw that’d had me rubbing my thighs together. And I wasn’t the only one. The parents on the other side of the court had been eye-fucking him unashamedly.
I’d felt like a complete bitch for hiding from him for the weekend, but I’d done it for all the right reasons. I just hadn’t stopped to think about how much my vanishing act would hurt him and how bad it would look. I wasn’t used to this. I wasn’t used to having someone to let know I was okay or ask for help. Of course, Jax was there, but he’d been around so long it’d become a habit. He just barged his way unapologetically into my life and told me how it was. Luca was different. He was something more. At least, I wanted him to be.
Speak of the devil, my phone vibrated in my hand.
Luca: You on your way yet???
Elise: Just walked through the door
Luca: Cool
With a groan, I rolled off the lounge and stumbled to my feet.
An hour later, I pulled into Luca’s driveway, careful not to block the expensive black Range Rover already parked there. Grabbing my bag, I trudged up the stairs, knocking on the door and wishing I’d put more of an effort in to making myself presentable. Not expecting Luca to have company, I’d pulled on a pair of grey yoga pants and a pink hoodie, forgoing the bra, something I was regretting right now.
“You’re here!” Luca exclaimed with a smile as he opened the door and pulled me inside. When he squeezed me, he squished my nose against his shoulder, almost suffocating me. Tapping his arm, I pulled away, gasping for breath.
“Need to breathe,” I reminded him, and he looked at me sheepishly.
“Shit, sorry.”
“Someone’s here,” I stated, listening to the voices echoing down the hallway.
Winding his arm around my shoulder, Luca shut the door and led me towards my favourite spot in his house. His huge, comfy couch. “Sienna and Hunter are here.”
“I can go…” I turned to leave. I didn’t want to get in his way if he was spending time with family.
“Get your arse in here, Elise!” Sienna yelled.
“Come on.”
Stepping into the lounge room, I wasn’t surprised to see the floor covered in toys and pillows and blankets, and God only knew what else.
“Uncle Luca. Come play.” Princess Phoebe appeared at his side and took his hand. He let her drag him to the floor.
Luca looked back at me apologetically. Watching him with Phoebe was enough to make my ovaries explode. After watching him this afternoon hanging out with the kids, kicking the ball, showing off his bag of tricks, it was enough to make a woman’s knees week. But when he slowed down and took the time to show them how he did that, that was the clincher. It was undeniable. Luca Conti was genuinely a good guy.
“Did you bring a bag?” Luca asked out of nowhere, catching me off guard.
“What?”
“Your bag? Where is it?”
“Here?” I replied, pointing to my handbag I’d dumped on the kitchen bench.
Rolling onto his side, he crooked his finger at Phoebe who crawled closer. Damn she was a cute kid. A moment later, she was on her feet, wobbling her way over to where I stood. I squatted to meet her eye level. Phoebe smiled at me, and I knew I was screwed. It didn’t matter what she asked, I knew I was as weak as Luca. I was about to give her whatever she wanted.
“I’ve got a secret.”
“What’s your secret?” I asked, slightly fascinated with what idea Luca had planted in her head.
“Where’s your toothbrush?”
Okay. That wasn’t what I was expecting.
“I have a secret too,” I replied before grabbing my bag and digging through it. When I pulled out my pink toothbrush, she snatched it out of my hand and raced across the lounge room, tripping on the rug and windmilling as she went flying, seemingly in slow motion, until Hunter and Luca both flew off the couch, faster than my eyes could keep up with. They both crashed into each other, but both managed to land under Phoebe in a tangle of limbs. She just giggled. Not even watery eyes.
“I’ve got Aunt Elise’s toothbrush, Uncle Luca.”
Phoebe had an uncanny way of silencing a room.
While I concentrated on not choking on my tongue, Hunter climbed off the floor and wrapped his arm around Sienna, who was snickering on the couch. Luca was the first to snap out of it and turn his attention back to Phoebe.
“Good work, Princess Phoebe. Can you go and put it in my bathroom next to mine?”
“Okay,” she replied in a voice so sweet I’m surprised I didn’t get a cavity. Silently she skipped away, proudly holding my toothbrush up like a trophy.
Dumbfounded, I looked at Luca, who had a mischievous and victorious grin plastered across his perfectly gorgeous face. “Right, now that’s sorted, get your arse over here and sit down.”
When I sat down on the edge of the couch, Luca hauled me back against him and settled me in his lap before pushing a stray piece of hair from my face. “How was the rest of your day?”
“Long. Exhausting. But the kids had fun,” I admitted, resting my head against Luca’s shoulder.
“And Corey?”
“Surprisingly, he kept his distance.”
“I would’ve too if you’d had cut my balls off with a spoon and handed them to me on a platter like you did to him,” Luca teased.
“Oh, come on. I wasn’t that harsh.”
“You were pretty harsh.”
“What’d we miss?” Sienna piped up.
Wriggling off Luca’s lap, I let him fill them in on the story. When Hunter mentioned he wished he’d have known and he would’ve made an appearance too, I didn’t hesitate in inviting him to come visit at the school any time.
“Hang on a second!” Luca said, holding my legs across his lap. “When I showed up at the school, you didn’t know who I was or what I did. But Hunter here, he gets the red carpet rolled out for him?”
“The way it should be,” Hunter added smugly.
“It’s not like that,” I began, trying to undo the sad look that crept across Luca’s face. “My kids like AFL. I like AFL… Soccer is…”
“Boring?” Hunter offered.
“Awesome?” Luca countered.
“For old men,” I finished.
My stomach growled loudly. I guess the coffee and muesli bar wasn’t enough.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yeah…”
“S
ure you did. You guys staying for dinner?” Luca asked, turning to his sister.
“Nah. We better get Phoebe home.” Sienna climbed to her feet and started to pick up the toys strewn around the room.
Twenty minutes and two tantrums later, Phoebe had crawled into her car seat, insisting she could do it herself. She couldn’t, but it seemed letting her try for five minutes was easier than arguing.
Dinner arrived, and I inhaled more than I should’ve. I knew I was hungry, but I didn’t know how hungry I was until I started eating. I was an embarrassing pig, and when a burp escaped, I wanted to run out the door. Luca wasn’t about to let that happen though. Picking up my feet, he pulled them into his lap and started massaging. With a low groan, I tilted my head back. I wasn’t sure life could get much better than this.
“Like that?”
I think my eyes rolled back in my head. “You have seriously talented hands, Luca Conti.”
“It’s not just my hands.”
“Now you’re just boasting.”
“Need me to prove it to you?” Luca taunted.
Like I could turn that offer down. Climbing into his lap, I straddled him, cupped his cheeks and kissed him. For a minute, Luca let me control the kiss, but when I pressed down against him, grinding my needy core against his hardening bulge, all bets were off. With a growl, he took over, winding his hand through my hair and changing the angle before plunging his tongue down my throat.
When he grabbed my boob through my hoodie, squeezing it harder than ever, he had me seeing stars and abandoning all sense of reason. Freeing my hands, I grabbed the hem of my shirt and dragged it up over my head, tossing it behind me. Luca didn’t waste a second. His hands wandered to my hips in the same moment he wrapped his lips around my nipple. When he started laving it with his tongue, I realised he’d proven his point. It wasn’t just his hands that were talented, his tongue was pretty damn magical too.
He worked me into a frenzy.
I was horny.
I was desperate.
If Luca didn’t finish this right fucking now, I was going to be forced to take care of it myself. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Overtime (Playing The Field Book 1) Page 15