"Are we having wine at this party or what?"
"Oh sorry." There was a time out on the field for a referee review. "What would you like?"
"Whatever you're drinking."
I stopped. Was I drinking? It was absurd not to. I'd already decided the chance of me being pregnant was only my runaway tendency to worry taking over. But there was that thought in the back of my head. What if I was? What if I was carrying Luke's baby and getting ready to douse it in wine?
"I'll find something," I offered.
I had filled Helena in on what happened with Luke-everything except the broken condom. It was the one piece of the story I had deliberately left out.
I looked through my liquor cabinet to see what I could concoct. I pulled out the cranberry juice, vodka, and spritzer. In one glass I added vodka. In the other I doused an extra splash of the spritzer. There. She'd never know I wasn't drinking.
I returned just as the game came back from commercial.
"Here you go." I handed her the tall Cosmo.
"Oh, yummy." She took a sip. "Delish."
"Good." I wiggled back onto my spot on the couch.
The Warriors won the dispute and Luke had the ball again. His eyes were narrowed in concentration.
I'd never felt such a rush before watching football. I think it made me miss him more.
There was a deep pang in my chest and an ache in my core. I curled into a ball. I was glad Helena was here, but I wanted Luke. I wished I could be there with him after the game.
"So, we haven't even talked about tomorrow."
"What do you mean?" I was trying to focus on the next play.
"The Country Year Awards are going to be announced and you aren't even batting an eyelash about them."
Someone crossed over the line and grabbed a fistful of Luke's jersey. I jerked to the edge of the couch. He had thrown the ball before the defender got to him. He was fine. Yelling enough curse words to fill a sailor's bible, but fine.
I turned to her. "I'm not hung up on that stuff. You know that."
"Yeah, but Jake is."
"Can we not talk about him?"
I didn't want my good mood to sour.
"Sorry."
"It's ok. He and I aren't on the best of terms right now and it's going to be a long time before he forgives me for spending an extra day in Austin. All he can talk about is how my image has taken a hit from being seen with Luke. I'm tired of hearing about it."
"And you can't tell him that?" Helena always wanted me to stand up to Jake, but she didn't know the full story.
"No." I lowered my eyes and voice together. "It's complicated with Jake."
"Oh look, they're going for it." Helena's eyes darted to the TV.
We both jumped from the couch when we saw Luke rear back and throw the ball to the other end of the field. That had to be at least forty yards, but I wasn't paying attention. All I saw was his form. His body. His touchdown.
Helena reached in the air for a high-five. I giggled.
My crush was bad. So so bad.
22
Luke
The locker room was always fucking loud, but after a win like tonight, we might as well have been in the middle of a mosh pit. I couldn't hear the guy next to me. We had crushed the them. We ran up the score, and I didn't give a shit.
I had proved a point tonight. The Warriors needed me-no matter what my image was. They could fuck off.
"Canton, going out for drinks with us?"
I eyed the rookie tight end. He had done his job. When it came to clutch time, James had been solid.
The locker room already smelled like a fucking brewery. I thought about grabbing a few beers with the guys, and then I thought about stumbling home alone. I'd walk into the ranch. Dark. Cold. Empty.
I could do what I usually did after a game. Find a piece of ass that wanted to fuck me. A girl who knew I wouldn't call her tomorrow. A girl who wanted to get her claws in me as long as I put my cock in her.
But I didn't want that.
"Maybe I'll see you out there."
I knew I wasn't going to a bar. I wasn't going to hook up. I wasn't taking a stranger home. There was only one person I wanted to spend tonight with.
"I'll text you," James offered.
I nodded. "Yeah."
I didn't care that my body was sore and bruised. I didn't care tomorrow was a rest day. It had been four days since I had seen Alexa and that was four days too long.
I grabbed my bag and walked out of the tunnel. I had press to do, but as soon as I was done I was headed to the airport.
It was dark by the time I pulled into the windy driveway. I looked around expecting to see a guard gate, but I had to remind myself this was Nashville. I was in the country. Not everyone had the kind of access I did to tracking down Alexa's address.
I hoped she at least had a security system. She needed to be careful. There were crazy fans out there. People who could show up here. I needed to talk to her about adding some level of security.
I climbed the wide steps, noticing the swing on the wraparound porch. I pushed the button for the doorbell. Small flames flickered in gaslight lamps on the porch. The place had the right amount of charm, but I could definitely tell a woman lived here. I'd never have a swing or copper lamps.
The door cracked slightly and then I heard a squeal before it opened wide.
"What are you doing here?"
I picked her up in my arms. "Surprise visit."
My mouth covered hers in hungry pursuit of her lips. I growled, sucking them and holding her close to my body. Her lips parted as my tongue twisted along hers with dominate strokes.
Her legs wrapped around my waist and I pressed her into the closest wall, grinding into her.
"Oh God, this is the best surprise," she whispered between kisses.
"I thought so." I dipped to the V at the base of her throat.
She was wearing cutoff shorts that rode up the curves of her ass. My fingers dug into her skin.
"I can't believe you're here. I just saw you on TV."
"You watched the game?"
She nodded. "All the way to the end," she moaned when my teeth took her earlobe with a rough nip. "And that turn over … ," she moaned.
"Keep talking football to me, baby."
"The touchdowns. I loved the touchdowns."
"Fuck, say touchdown again."
"Touchdown." Her voice was laced with raspy seduction.
Too fucking hot.
"I was happy you won."
"Me too."
I had to get her out of these clothes. I had to feel her. Taste her. Touch her. Fuck her senseless. My cock hardened. I wanted to be inside this girl more than I'd wanted anything.
"Do you want me to guess where your bed is?" I asked, squeezing her bottom urgently. "Or should I fuck you here?"
She sucked in for air. God, she was so dirty. So horny. So fucking perfect. She was thinking what I was. The bed was too many steps to walk. I turned and deposited her on a round table in the foyer, gripping the band of those tiny shorts.
I dragged them over her hips and off her thighs. Her hands wrapped around my neck, drawing me back to her lips.
"Fuck me here," she pleaded.
"Oh, I am, baby. I was only asking to be polite." I grinned wolfishly.
I slid her panties to the side enough to push my fingers inside her soaking entrance. I growled. Fuck.
She whimpered when I withdrew them and reached in my back pocket for a condom. I'd put one there as soon as I packed my bag at the ranch, anticipating this exact moment. I shed the jeans, and shoved my boxer briefs to my ankles. Alexa sighed at the sight of my cock bobbing along with my throbbing ache. I rolled the condom on. I hadn't forgotten what I promised her. One day I was doing this without one of these damn things.
I yanked the T-shirt over her head, smiling at her perky breasts. I licked each one while I nestled my cock between my legs and with a solid thrust I buried myself inside her.
Her heels dug into my ass as she screamed out. I planted my palms on the table, driving into her again. It was fucking nirvana being inside this girl. She was tight. She was wet. She was hotter than a roaring fire.
She looked sexier than fuck with the tatters of her panties clinging to her hips while my cock pulsed in and out of her.
"You're fucking gorgeous, baby." I cradled her face, sucking a kiss from her lips.
"Ohh, God. You don't know what you do to me, Luke."
I pushed deep inside her. "I think I do." I squeezed a nipple between my fingers and twisted slightly until she cried out. "It's what you do to me."
"Ahh, please. I want more."
My spine tingled and seized. I was ready to come. Ready to fuck her hard.
I picked her up, she wrapped her body around me. I kissed her, inhaled her, devoured her, roaming her halls. Stopping every few steps to slam into her the wall with my cock.
"Oh, fuck, Luke." Her hands splayed in convulsive quickness. I pumped a few times, knowing I was reaching my peak, before I peeled her off the wall and took a few more steps.