The Playbook (a Secret Baby Sports Romance) (7 page)

I
opened
the cupboard in the kitchen, whistling lightly as I found a box of candles that had been left behind by the owners. I had my house. Though the price had been steep, I knew the moment I walked into this place that I wanted it. And as long as I didn’t get a career-ending injury or traded again, I wasn’t going to regret the purchase, either. It had all the right elements, like the beautiful view of the waterway. It was spacious and was fitted with modern conveniences. The landscaping and amenities outside, which Lucia was currently checking out, were added bonuses.

Pulling the box down from the top shelf, I was glad to see that it also contained a lighter. Good. I couldn’t conjure fire out of my ass. I set the box on the counter and looked at my watch. The food delivery was going to arrive in a few minutes, and I planned to turn on the Jacob Maddox charm. Not quite knowing what she liked, I’d ordered a little bit from every cuisine I could think of. We would feast on the food, and if everything went to plan, I would end the night feasting on her.

What woman wouldn’t melt over a nice dinner by candlelight under the stars? It was the stuff of those sappy romance novels, and I was about to blow this bet out of the water. I would be a very happy camper, and I wagered she would be, as well. Either way, neither of us was getting a raw deal.

From my vantage point, I could see Lucia standing by the pool, her arms wrapped around her waist as she looked out over the waterway. Despite having an ulterior agenda, I was enjoying her company. She was a witty, beautiful woman who was both intriguing and able to carry herself professionally. To me, that was a fucking major turn on. Playing professional football tended to lend itself to the same groupie issues that musicians faced. Every night there were some women waiting around outside the locker room, parking lot, or outside a house looking for that one moment when we’d notice them and would change their lives forever. Or so they thought. Hell, most guys who weren’t married (and a few who were) gladly made those women’s dreams come true—if only for a night or two. It was the nature of the game, of our lives. But if we paid too much attention to one particular woman, then she started to get the wrong idea, hearing wedding bells and seeing dollar signs. If a woman was smart, she would attract a player in another way, like Lucia was able to do without even realizing it. That was when a man was truly sunk.

The doorbell rang, shaking me out of my reverie, and I walked down the hall to the front door, finding a young guy dressed in a waiter’s outfit on the step. His eyes widened as I opened the door, recognition dawning on his acne-covered face. “Oh my God, you’re Jacob Maddox.”

“I am,” I said as he handed me the receipt to sign with a shaking hand. “Did you bring everything I asked for?”

“I, uh, yeah,” he replied, handing over the picnic basket loaded down with goodies before pulling a bag off his shoulder and handing it to me, as well. “Here’s the food. Dude, are you really here to stay?”

“Yup,” I said and gave him a hefty tip in return, which he pocketed immediately.

“Is this your pad?” he asked, looking up at the house in wonder. “Dude, it’s sweet.”

“It is as of tonight,” I answered. “But don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” he replied, giving me a thumbs-up. “Hey, thanks for the tip. If you need anything at all, Mr. Maddox, just call and ask for Ted. That’s me. I will take care of it.”

“Hey, thanks, Ted,” I said, giving him a smile. I turned back into the house, knowing full well that after tonight I was going to have to keep the main gates closed. It would be too tempting for Ted not to tell a few friends where I lived. It was just the nature of the beast, being a familiar face. Unlike some athletes and movie stars, I knew that you had to stay relevant, and to do that, people need to know who you are. Privacy was an illusion in this business.

Walking through the hall and into the kitchen, I gathered my box of candles and walked outdoors, where the temperature had cooled off slightly since the sun had gone down. Lucia gave me a smile as she saw me. I set the basket, bulging bag, and the candles in the grass beside the pool. “What do you have there?” she asked, curiosity in her voice.

“Dinner by candlelight.” I smiled as I started placing the candles on the tiled edging next to the pool so I wouldn’t set the damn grass on fire.

She kneeled on the grass with a hesitant smile on her face. I reached into the bag and brought out the blanket I had asked for, followed by a bottle of chilled wine off the restaurant’s menu. Lucia moved back so I could spread out the blanket, lighting the candles one by one until we had a soft glow to add to the colored lights within the pool. “You really thought of everything, it seems.”

“Money talks,” I shrugged as I pulled out the carefully protected glasses from the basket, unwrapping them before pouring the wine and handing it to her. “Besides, I prefer the privacy of this type of dinner.”

Back on the blanket she kicked off her sandals, arranging her legs so her dress still modestly covered her. I didn’t plan on that being the case for too much longer. “I think it’s nice,” she finally said, making my chest swell. Hell, yeah, it was nice. It was going to win me a bet.

“Hope you’re hungry?” I asked, pulling out the plastic containers still warm from the restaurant. “I think I probably got too much. I ordered one of everything on and off the menu.”

She chuckled and took a swallow of her wine, looking at the small pile I was starting to make with the containers. “Jeez, you weren’t exaggerating. Were
you
hungry?”

“Always,” I admitted, setting them aside and pouring a glass of wine for myself before holding it up. “A toast, to new beginnings.”

She pursed her lips and clinked glasses with me, taking another long sip of the wine. “May I ask you a question?”

I nodded, curious, and she ran her finger around the rim of her glass, her movements drawing my attention in more than one way. Was she always so precise and gentle with her touch, or did she ever get grabby and demanding? I wanted to find out.

“What’s it like having to move where your job takes you? Don’t you miss your family?”

I drained my glass and reached for the bottle. “You mean what’s it like being traded?” I replied, skirting around the other half of her question.

“Well, I didn’t want to say it like that,” she laughed.

I chuckled, as well, leaning back on one elbow. “Honestly?”

“Of course. No point telling me if you’re not going to be honest.”

I nodded, mainly to myself. This was new territory for me. I knew we were just talking casually, but this went a little deeper.

“It sucks. One minute you are flying high, thinking you are doing a good job, and the next moment you are being handed your box of shit and told to get out.” Thank God I hadn’t been like a lot of poor saps who’d settled in permanently before their first year was up. Though of course secretly I’d dreamed of staying a very long time. “There was always talk amongst the coaches and the players that no one, unless you are fucking superman, should settle down until they were sure to the best of their ability and knowledge that they were going to stay longer than a few seasons. I had been lucky, I guess. My house was a rental, and when I got my walking papers, I managed to get another player to take over my lease agreement. Not everyone was that
lucky
though.”

“Ouch,” she said. “I hate that I asked.”

I shook my head, looking at my glass. “It’s fine, really. Stings, but it’s the nature of the game, you know?” I then looked up at her. “How long have you been around football?”

“All my life,” she responded quickly. “I, ah, I mean I’ve liked it all my life.”

“So how did you get into this job then?” I prodded, wanting to know a bit more about her. It was a weird feeling, because usually I really didn’t care to know anything about the woman I was going to fuck, but, well, Lucia was different.

She cleared her throat and glanced out over the water, a pensive look on her gorgeous face. “I just wanted to help people, you know? You guys are under a ton of stress and pressure, so I thought it would be good to have someone you could go to and unload anything you wanted to. Bit of a niche clientele, I admit.”

“Anything?” I asked innocently, causing her to swing her gaze back to me. “I would be careful with your words, Doc.”

She blushed in the candle light and took a healthy swallow of her wine. “You always bring out the worst in me.”

The worst, huh? She hadn’t seen anything yet. I took my chance and caressed the back of her free hand. “What about the restless heat that I bring out in you… the one you’re unable to cool?” I leaned forward, my mouth close to her ear. “I’m going to bring much more than that out of you… I’m going to make you scream and think you died and went to heaven.”

She made a choking sound in her throat, hastily setting her glass aside. “I, uh, I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Lucia, come back… I’ll behave,” I lied. “We can just eat, I’ll be good.” I watched as she stood up and walked quickly to the house, her purse banging against her hip from the force of her steps. Hell. I hadn’t meant for her to abandon me that early. Had I pushed her too far?

Running a hand through my hair, I swallowed the liquid in the glass, wishing I had something stronger, like a nice whiskey or bourbon. What if she didn’t come back? Then I would have to chase her…

I
closed
the door to the bathroom quickly, biting my lip as I popped the lock for good measure before sliding down the door onto the floor, the cool marble causing goosebumps to appear on my legs. No, no, I couldn’t deal with him! I was messing with someone way out of my league, but damn it felt good to have someone so into me. I was actually enjoying his company, and not just because he was making me feel all kinds of weird emotions for the first time in a long, long time. My insides were quivering with want and need, my pulse pounding in my ears as Jacob’s silky words ran through my mind over and over again.

He wanted me.

I could hear it in his voice, see it in his beautiful eyes. So why was I hiding in the bathroom? It was Jacob Maddox, for God’s sake, who had set up a candlelit dinner for me. Me. Not a model or some socialite, but Lucia, the therapist who was stepping out of her comfort zone. I was scared shitless, unsure of what to do or even what to say anymore.

Reaching into my purse, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I reached a familiar name, pressing the button to dial the number.

“Lucia?”

“Cara,” I said in relief, glad that she had picked up on the first ring. “I need some help.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” she said instantly, her voice littered with concern. “Who do I need to kill?”

I couldn’t help but smile as I heard her voice, loving my bestie, Cara. We had met in college, both taking the same classes with the same goal in mind. While I was focused on my career, Cara was the wild and crazy side of the friendship. But I loved her all the same. “No one. I just need some advice.”

“Okay,” she said. “Lay it on me.”

“So there’s this guy,” I started, blowing out a breath.

“Is he obscenely hot?” she interrupted before I could get anything else out. “I mean, like the complete package?”

I thought about Jacob, his handsome features and hot body honed from all of this training. “Y-yes, he is the complete package. A little full of himself but…”

“Then whatever you are contemplating, you should do it,
now,
Lucia. Live a little!”

“But it’s complicated,” I protested, crossing my ankles together as I stretched out my legs. “There are other parts to this that are totally not good.”

“Oh, come on, Lucia,” Cara said with a sigh. “Don’t try to talk yourself out of it. You always do this. When’s the absolute last time you got laid?”

I thought back to the last guy and sighed. It had been quite a while since someone had made me feel
that way
.

“I am going to take your silence for a hell of a long time,” Cara continued. “What’s going to be the end result of throwing caution to the wind except a wild, awesome night?”

“I don’t really know,” I said, biting my lip once more. I hadn’t really thought past the naughty innuendos that Jacob was throwing my way. He definitely wasn’t the commitment type of guy.

“So what’s holding you back?” she questioned. “What’s keeping you from going and grabbing the man by the cock?”

I thought about my job, my position I had worked so hard to get to over the last few years. The thought of that no longer being part of my life made me extremely nervous. But there was a part of me that was clawing for attention. The woman inside that I barely acknowledge day-dreamed and fantasized about nights like this. So why was I still hesitating? What was the likelihood that the worst would happen? Had I really allowed my job to swallow me whole, preventing me from experiencing
life
?

“Thanks, Cara,” I finally said, pushing myself off the floor.

“Anytime,” she said before clicking off. I replaced my phone in my purse and took one look in the mirror before leaving the bathroom, my jaw set and determined. As I walked outside, I found Jacob standing near the pool, his hands in his pockets. He turned at the sound of my footfalls, a sheepish look on his face. “Hey, listen, I didn’t mean to offend you. I was going to come see if you were okay but thought you needed some time—er, what are you doing?”

I reached up and grabbed the front of his shirt and saw the look of surprise cross his face as I leaned in. “Shut the hell up and kiss me, Jacob. Before I change my mind.”

His eyes went from astonishment, to shock, to full-on desire before his lips crushed mine, a growl coming from one of us, I couldn’t tell who. I wrenched his shirt into my grip as his tongue delved its way into my mouth. His hands were all over my back, seeking a button or a zipper to get my dress off.

“Take this off before I rip it to shreds,” he demanded.

Before I could talk myself out of it I pulled back out of his kiss and his embrace, and my eyes locked on his. I pulled my dress over my head, hearing his swift intake of breath as he feasted on the lace-edged bra and panty set I’d put on earlier—never really thinking it would ever progress to this so quickly, but a girl had to be prepared.

“Shit,” he breathed, already yanking on his shirt to pull it over his head. “You are fucking gorgeous, Lucia. I can’t promise I won’t tear those panties right off you, though.”

“You won’t have to.”

I gave him a saucy grin, my heart hammering against my chest as I threw my dress on the ground and reached behind my back for my bra clasp. The blush pink bra joined my dress on the ground, and I heard him growl as he saw my breasts fully exposed. An intense heat coiled itself from deep below my belly as his eyes roamed my skin. I hooked my thumbs into the elastic side of my panties and wiggled them down a tiny bit. Deviously, before I let him see me completely naked, I quickly walked past him and stepped into the pool with a pleasurable shiver as the warm water lapped up around my thighs. I sucked in a breath when the water lapped against my bare pussy, enjoying the sensation for a second before semi-diving into the water. Fully submerged, I kicked away from the edge of the pool and darted towards the center.

I heard splashes behind me when I came up for air and turned just in time to see a very naked Jacob beneath the surface of the rippling water, his strong legs kicking effortlessly to catch up to me.

His arms snaked around my body and pulled me against him roughly, his warm chest pressed against my bare back, his lips finding the sensitive skin right below my ear. “Where do you think you are going?” he growled, his hands exploring the round of my ass and squeezing gently. “You’re mine now.” A part of me wanted to prove him wrong, that I was nobody’s but my own, and was almost tempted to swim away. But the part of me that was so incredibly hot for him had other plans. Up on my tiptoes, I was able to stay afloat but hooked my arms around his neck for extra stability. “Really, you think so? Prove it,” I dared him.

His eyes flashed eagerly, and then it felt like he had a thousand pairs of hands caressing me all over. They came up to cup my breasts, fondling them as water splashed up between us. His touch was still gentle on my skin, and I moaned as he pinched my erect nipples, a pool of heat exploding between my legs that had nothing to do with the warm water. I could feel his erection pressed against my belly, and I wanted him inside me.

One of his hands drifted down to my stomach, caressing my skin there before delving lower. “Open,” he whispered. This was insane, I kept saying in my head—a mini mantra that was on repeat—but regardless my thighs parted for him, and I wrapped my legs loosely around his. “Good girl.” Stroking his way down, he slipped two thick fingers between my lips, eliciting a gasp from me as he pressed against the tight nub.

“How long has it been since you’ve been touched?” he asked, his finger swirling around my entrance. “Too long?”

I nodded, unable to speak, the pressure mounting. His lips found the lobe of my ear, suckling gently as I closed my eyes, concentrating on his hands on my body. This was what I wanted. I wanted him, and I wasn’t going to rest until I was sated. “I’m going to fuck you so much, it’ll make up for everything you’ve missed.” He plunged his digits into my waiting pussy, and I bit my lip as I let my head fall limply back into the water. I floated as he drove into me, deeper with every thrust of his fingers. I tried to hold on, to let it last longer, but my orgasm hit me like a brick wall, and I shuddered, whimpering as Jacob scooped me back up and held me against him.

“I’m not done with you yet,” he said finally after the last tremor subsided. “I want more. Do you want more, Lucia?”

That was a silly question I thought. “I-I want much more,” I breathed. He pressed a hard kiss against my neck and then released me, my legs wobbly as he grabbed my hand and led me over to the steps. Jacob sat on the edge of one, with his back against the rim of the pool. His erection protruded up from his well-formed body, nearly grazing the water’s surface. He was big, and I felt my knees weaken again. “Come here,” he said softly, his eyes coolly assessing my body, though the heated look in his eyes told me he wasn’t going to wait too long for me to make up my mind.

Taking a deep breath, I straddled him. His hands rested upon the ledge of my hips, his fingers elongating to knead my ass. With the swift tilt of his head, Jacob took a nipple into his mouth, and I had to brace myself against his body to keep my balance. He sucked and licked, and I could feel the thudding of my heartbeat become ever faster. I lowered myself slowly, relishing each bump and caress of the head of his cock against my hot center. But even I couldn’t stand to wait any longer. I took him inch by inch. Some of his cockiness had left his face, his own heart rate beneath my hand picking up a notch. I leaned down and brushed my lips over his. “What are you waiting for, Jacob? Fuck me,” I whispered, feeling bold and horny as hell.

“Your wish is my command,” he growled, his hands gripping my hips roughly. I lifted them and he groaned, his hips moving up to meet mine in a full thrust. For a moment we struggled to find the rhythm, but finally everything clicked, and I was riding his cock in perfect sync with his hard, relentless thrusts.

Neither of us censored ourselves, our groans were loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood. I felt like I was on fire, and he was the only person that could put me out. Our pace increased, the water lapping up frantically around us—our very own wave machine—as I slid up and down on his shaft. My insides quivered, and my toes curled from the multiple orgasms he was giving me. One after another, never stopping. He was a literal
fucking
machine.

Jacob’s grip on my hips grew tighter, his pace becoming more and more hurried, and his grunts deepened. He caught my stare and returned it, never looking away as he stiffened then let out a bellow-like groan. I cried out, too, as the most intense orgasm of the evening hit me. It caused me to lose all sense; the world went dark as I rode the wave.

Jacob’s arms flexed one more time, making sure he was deeper than ever before I collapsed against his wet chest, my breathing harsh to my own ears as reality battered at the door.
Oh fuck me, what had I done?

I had just had sex in a pool with a player. And not just any player, but Jacob Maddox, my father’s newly acquired asset. It went against everything I had ever set for myself. I was fucked, in more ways than one.

* * *

I
woke up with a start
, my eyes focusing lazily on my surroundings before I figured out where I was. The heavy arm over my body told me that no, last night’s events hadn’t been a very vivid dream or fantasy but were in actual fact very real.

I had slept with Jacob Maddox—fucking like bunnies—numerous times until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. It had been then that Jacob had tucked us both in the only piece of furniture in the house, and I had fallen into a dreamless sleep. Careful not to wake him, I looked over at my sleeping partner, a slight smile on my face. He looked harmless in his sleep but no less handsome, his mouth slightly parted as he slept on. He emitted an occasional soft snore as he dreamed.

In this light he looked more like the Jacob I had imagined him to be—the one that I was sure he tried to keep hidden beneath the surface. Instead of the cocky heartbreaker and playboy, here beside me was a gentle giant—the real Jacob. The one who was romantic as well as a devil in bed. Temptation flooded my body. All I wanted to do was let my head rest back upon the pillow and nestle my body up against his as we dozed the morning away. But that would be too easy. I sighed knowing that unfortunately,
we
couldn’t be. I couldn’t see him again.
I wouldn’t.
I was a professional, for God’s sake, and he was one of my clients! I had broken a sacred rule of my profession. I could only hope that events of last night would successfully get him out of my system. I would go back to not needing sex, not needing to be touched… fuck, who was I trying to kid?

With a sigh, I eased myself from under his arm and reluctantly climbed from the bed, finding my sundress under the pile of clothes strewn about the floor, glad that I’d had the foresight to pick up my clothes from outside when we’d darted into the house naked. My panties and bra were tangled up with his boxers in a pile on the cold marble floor.