Chapter Thirteen

Gwen

Carson’s alarm went off bright and early, and we both groaned our irritation with the chirping sound. “Damn thing,” Carson grumbled, slamming his hand on the night stand, searching for his cell phone. In the time it took for him to shut the thing off, I was awake enough to remember where I was and what had happened the night before. As I rolled over, I realized I was still completely naked, and my muscles were deliciously sore. Best damn workout I’d had in months, I thought, smiling to myself.

“What time is it?” I asked Carson, barely able to make out his face in the dim light. Unless he had some killer black out shades, the sun was just barely getting up for the day.

“Five thirty,” he replied, his voice scratchy and deeper than normal. Pure sex. He rolled over to face me and reached out to stroke the side of my face. “Sorry. I have practice.”

“Do you have to?” I asked, grinning over at him.

Carson cleared his throat. “Actually, I do. I can’t miss practice for anything.”

I scooted closer to him, seeking the warmth of his body. “Okay. I understand. I wouldn’t want to be blamed for jinxing the team. The whole city would turn against me—I’d have to run for my life.”

Carson chuckled and wrapped his arm around me. “I wouldn’t let them do that, but yeah, I have practice.”

I sucked in a breath as he pressed against me, our bare skin meeting again. “Do you shower before practice?” I asked, snaking a hand across his thigh to stroke his deliciously hard cock.

Carson sucked in a rough breath that turned to a groan halfway through. “Not usually, but something tells me I’m gonna need a cold one this morning.”

“How about we take a hot one? We’ll make it fast.”

“Damn, baby. You sure you’re real?”

I laughed and kissed him hard while I stroked him, waking up every other cell in his body—along with my own.

After an extra steamy shower fuck, we raced to get dressed so he wouldn’t be late, and Carson dropped me off at home and gave me one last, long kiss to hold onto until the following day when we’d reunite in New York. I waved as he drove off and then hurried up the walk. My parents were both awake when I got inside—still wearing the same clothes as the night before—I cringed. While I’d been away at college, I could do the walk of shame back to my dorm with minimal embarrassment, but living at home—it took on a whole new meaning. My cheeks were flaming red before I even reached the staircase.

“Morning, Gwen,” my dad chirped from his usual place at the kitchen island, paper in hand, coffee to the right.

“Morning, Dad,” I said, wincing slightly.

My mom eyed me from her place at the stove as she whipped up some eggs. “You want breakfast, honey?”

“Um, no thanks. I’ll grab something later. Vivi and I are meeting up for lunch a little later.”

“Okay, dear.”

I bolted up the stairs and pledged to myself that the first thing I was going to do when I got back from New York was to look for an apartment.

Once I’d showered, changed, and applied fresh makeup, I packed an overnight bag for the following night when I’d be in New York. Thinking about spending most of the weekend in New York City with Carson filled me with fresh butterflies. Especially knowing we’d get the chance to have a repeat performance of the mind-blowing night before.

When my bag was packed, I grabbed my purse, slipped on my boots, and jogged back downstairs. My parents were done with their breakfast and had moved to the living room where they were discussing some news article from the paper. What can I say, they led an exciting life. It was actually very sweet. They’d been married for thirty years and still spent as much time together as possible. My dad worked a lot of hours, which was why my mother threw herself into so many volunteer opportunities to keep busy. But when it was the summer or winter break, they were inseparable.

I joined them in the living room and plopped down on the loveseat adjacent to where they were sitting on the couch. I clasped my hands together in my lap and cleared my throat. “Okay, guys, let’s get the elephant out of the room. Yes, I spent the night with Carson. I’m not going to lie and say I was at Vivi’s or something. I was definitely with a man.”

My dad laid the newspaper aside but kept his reading glasses on as he glanced around the room, apparently unable to meet me in the eye. My mom offered a quiet smile. “We figured,” she said. “It’s your life, honey. Carson is a nice young man. As long as he treats you well, we support both of you and however you see fit to live your life.” She gave my dad a soft elbow and he grunted, and then nodded his agreement. My heart swelled, wondering how hard it was for my dad to accept that his little girl was all grown up.

“Thank you,” I said, my throat tight with emotion. “He bought me a plane ticket to go see him play in New York. I’ll be flying out tomorrow morning and home Monday night.”

My mom’s eyes went wide. “Wow!”

“First class!” I squealed, unable to bridle my excitement any longer. I had to tell someone.

“And you couldn’t get a seat for your old man?” my dad finally chimed in, taking off his reading glasses and meeting my eyes.

Relief rushed through me. He wasn’t mad about me spending the night with Carson. “I’ll see what I can do next time.”

My dad chuckled. “All right, but if that boy gets to the Super Bowl, I fully expect him to try and bribe my affection with fifty-yard line tickets.”

I laughed and hopped up from the couch. “Thanks guys. I’m going to meet Vivi but I’ll be home for dinner. Carson’s flying out with the team tonight.”

“All right, dear. Say hello to Vivi. We’ll see you tonight.”

****

“Oh, God, I remember when my parents found out I wasn’t a virgin anymore,” Vivi groaned, commiserating with me after I gave her the replay of my morning. “Granted, mine was a little more dramatic than yours.”

“Didn’t your mom walk in on you and your boyfriend? What was his name again? Richard? Robert?” I thought for a moment and then snapped my fingers. “No, it was Rick! Rick Preston. He was your booty-on-call booty call.”

Vivi laughed as she snacked on her fries. “They weren’t supposed to be home. How was I supposed to know they’d forget the camera and come back for it?”

The innocent expression on her face had me bursting to hold back my naturally too-loud laugh. The cafe we were in wasn’t fancy, but it wasn’t the type of place where I could let it rip and not garner a few strange, sideways glances. They had the best pasta salad in the city, so I put up with the borderline snobbery. “You could’ve at least had the common sense to get it on in your bedroom, not right there on the couch!”

“Right?” Vivi cackled. “Oh, to be young and dumb.”

“Newsflash Viv, we’re still young.”

“But not dumb anymore!” She grinned and plucked another fry from the large plate in front of her. Her smile faltered a little and my gut twisted. “I remember Vinnie telling me the same thing. He said that’s what the backseat of a car was for.”

“Like he would know!” I giggled.

Vivi sighed. “I miss him, Gwen.”

I placed a hand over hers on the table. “I know, we’re gonna get your brother out. I promise.”

She nodded and waved a hand through the air. “Sorry. It’s just…I know he didn’t do it.”

“I know, Viv. I know.”

My heart ached watching her try to regain her smile. She exhaled and smiled. “Okay, enough of this whining. Tell me more, where do you think this is going? I mean, it sounds pretty serious if he’s willing to drop a grand on a plane ticket. That’s not exactly a booty call perk. At least not that I know of, and believe me, I’ve had my fair share of those.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know where it’s headed. I mean, I just met him. And I do like him—a lot. He’s quiet and very gentlemanly, but he’s also smoldering hot and ridiculously sexy in bed.” My cheeks warmed at my own bold confession. “Honestly? I didn’t even think we would see each other after Christmas.”

“Why not?”

I sighed. “Well the dinner was all right. For the most part. Aunt Maggie had a little too much to drink and made a few…colorful comments.”

Vivi laughed. “God, I love that woman.”

“Don’t we all.” I laughed but rolled my eyes at the memory. “Anyway, she started asking about his family and he got kind of pissy and quiet. I asked him if he was okay, you know, sometimes people get weird on holidays, but he left almost as soon as the table was cleared even though I invited him to stay.”

“That’s weird.”

“I thought so. But he called the next day and we talked and then…well…last night happened.”

“Bow-chicka-wow-wow!”

I whipped around in my seat to make sure no one was staring at us. “Shhh!”

Vivi giggled. “Maybe he was gassy or something.”

“Oh. My. God.”

“What? That’s a real possibility! Everyone eats too much at holiday dinners. It’s a natural consequence.”

I stared at my friend like she was an alien from another planet. “I don’t think it was gas, Viv.”

“Well then, what do you think that was all about?” she asked, popping another fry into her mouth. “Bipolar?”

“No.” I shook my head, maybe a little too fervently. “I thought maybe he has some things in his past that are hard to talk about.”

“Hmm. Makes sense. All of us do. As long as he doesn’t regress and clam up again—or turn into a Jekyll/Hyde—I suppose you’re in the clear.”

I nodded as I dragged my fork through what was left of my pasta. “It’s just strange, to feel so out of control. Like within the span of a week my whole life changed. Before, all I could think about was the bar and waiting for my results—which, by the way I don’t have yet—and my new job and how everything was going to play out over the next year or two. Now, all I can think about is Carson. Me. Can you believe that? I never thought I’d be one of those prissy girls who lose their head over some guy, but look at me. That’s exactly what’s happening.”

Vivi smiled. “The control freak is losing her grip.”

I rolled my eyes. “No.”

“Hate to break it to ya, Gwen, but that’s what happens when you’re falling in love. You lose the ability to think clearly and get impulsive and crazy. Just enjoy the ride. It doesn’t last for too long.”

I laughed under my breath at her glowing assessment. “You’re such a romantic.”

She plucked the last fry from her plate. “Tell me about it.”

“Speaking of, what ever happened to that guy you were seeing? The hot one at the gym?”

Vivi sighed. “If we’re going to go there, I’m going to need another order of fries. And probably a chocolate milkshake.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Worse.”

I pulled a face. “Yikes.”

She bobbed her straw up and down in her glass of Sprite. “Yeah. He got a little snarky about Vinnie.”

“Why?”

“Did you order those fries yet? And make it a large chocolate shake.”

“Did you tell him about the whole situation?”

Vivi gave a twisted smile. “Oh yeah. That went well. He called him a convict and if the court said Vinnie was guilty, then he must be, and I should accept my brother is a loser and move on with my own life.”

“Wow!” I said, a little too loudly. “What did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything after that. I punched him in the throat and left. Never called him after that.”

“Damn. Good riddance.”

“Right? It’s for the best. Better to have found out now what a piece of shit he really is than to waste another six months. Besides, I don’t have a lot of time for dating, anyway. I was only able to see you today because the office is closed.”

I nodded sadly, wishing I had enough money to pay off the loans she’d taken to fight for her brother’s freedom. At the moment, I didn’t have enough to keep up with my own loans. I knew Vivi was too proud to take my money anyway. There was only one way to help her that she would accept—passing the bar and getting settled into my job at the public defender’s office. I couldn’t let anything—not even devastatingly handsome football players—keep me from the path that I’d started down nearly five years ago.