Sadie closed the door to her small office down the hallway from the media room where she held her class. Scrolling through the shots of Ty on the field, she smiled, satisfied with the crisp images. She scrolled to her messages. A missed call from Leonard, one from Barbi, and three from Carson. Chewing on her bottom lip, she weighed her options of what to do about him.
Her body was still recovering from the multiple orgasms. Aroused by the memory of Carson pumping inside her, she reached for the bottled water on her desk. She unscrewed the cap and took a long drink. Isolating him would only give him more of a reason to pursue her. She traced circles around the mouth of the plastic bottle.
With a two-day break from training camp starting tomorrow, maybe she’d take the time to meet Barbi somewhere—rent a room on the beach and enjoy the sunshine.
The door to her office opened, startling her.
Carson filled the doorway. “Kitty Kat.”
“People usually knock.”
“I’m not people,” he said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.
Unnerved by his intrusion, she pretended to scan through some of the papers on her desk.
“Stop,” he said.
She met his gaze. “Stop what?”
“Avoiding me.”
She folded her hands. “All right, Carson. You want the truth?”
“Always.”
“I made a mistake. We made a mistake.”
“Is that what you call it? Stretched out on the hood of my car, screaming my name? What about the encore? Quite the performance for a mistake.”
She groaned, picturing herself doggie style. “Hormones. Desperation. An overwhelming need to get laid.”
He rubbed his stubbled chin, a spark of mischievousness in his fathomless eyes. “I like the last excuse best.”
“You would.”
He shrugged. “Can you blame me, Sadie? What am I supposed to think after seven years? You show up in Mobile, looking like you do—throwing me those fuck-you looks—challenging me at every turn…”
“I could say the same about you!”
“Maybe…”
Honestly, she’d dressed to impress him every day. That little extra shake of her ass, the lingering stares from across the classroom, the ridiculous formality she insisted on between them, Mr. Savage this, Mr. Savage that. She couldn’t hide the smile.
Carson moved closer to her desk. “I know that look.”
“What look?”
“That smile.”
“A private thought, that’s all.”
“Nope. You have the shittiest poker face, Kitty Kat.”
Sadie’s mind was reeling. After all this time, she still couldn’t fool him. “Look, it’s been a long day, Carson. I’m hungry and exhausted.”
Inviting himself to take a seat in the guest chair, he leaned his elbows on the desk. “We connected, Sadie, on every level. I still make you laugh. Still make you hot. And definitely still drive you crazy. Are you going to keep denying it?”
He’d asked a similar question before. The only word to come to mind was no. Her heart twisted as she drank in his perfect features. He was threatening enough as a memory, but with the flesh and bone Carson sitting within arm’s reach, she couldn’t trust herself to do the right thing. Never could when it came to the two of them. They’d screwed their way across Alabama and back again as kids, on the beach, in his car, in his parents’ bedroom, at the school—anywhere with a flat surface.
She unintentionally eyeballed the desk, feeling her cheeks flush.
Carson shot up from his chair. “Sadie?”
Very slowly, her gaze met his hungry eyes.
With a sweep of his giant hand, he cleared the desk off and then reached for her. An avalanche of emotions and raw desire crushed her as she tore her blouse off, crawling on top of the desk.
“Fuck…” Carson shed his shirt. “Looks like we’re doomed to keep making mistakes together.”
She really didn’t care. All she wanted was his hot hands all over her body. On her breasts, ass, his fingers tangled in her hair. He took immediate control, tugging her over to his side of the desk, pushing her onto her back, and unbuttoning her jeans. She lifted her butt so he could ease the tight material down her hips. Growling with impatience, he paused to unzip her heeled boots, pulled them off her feet, and then tossed them across the room.
Sadie admired his physique, the ridiculous six pack and chiseled pectorals. His arms were thick with muscles and covered with tattoos. But one patch of ink caught her attention the most—on the left side of his chest, just above the heart. Scrolled in elegant lettering was Sadie. Her eyes went wide as she read her name out loud. She’d forgotten about that tat.
In a low voice he said, “Kept you close to my heart, Sadie.”
Carson slipped his tennis shoes and shorts off, and his boxers followed.
Under the bright overhead lights, she could see every bruise and scar on his warrior body. The brutality he suffered through every day just to stay on top of his game. The need to touch and kiss every mark made her heart burst. Then her gaze dropped to his stomach, following the blond happy trail to his erection. His cock was thick and long—as perfect as the rest of him.
“Like what you see?” he asked.
She more than liked it.
Carson leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Every time you look at me like that, I want to fuck you.”
As if on command, she spread her legs, inching closer to the edge of the desk—more than ready.
Carson grinned, then tugged her jeans off. “How long has it been since I’ve seen your beautiful body?”
Seven years and five days. She’d kept careful count. They’d been partially dressed the other night when they made love on his car, and it was too dark to see him. “Too long,” she managed to whisper.
“Too long,” he repeated, slipping his hand behind her back and unhooking her black bra.
As the last article of clothing from her body fell away, Carson sucked in a breath. “Stop denying us, okay?”
His hands covered her breasts, massaging gently at first, then squeezing them together as he lowered himself and circled her nipples with his tongue and fingers. They were made for each other. She knew it and needed to stop thinking about the past. Carson was right, he made her laugh, she loved talking to him about everything, and the awkwardness she’d expected to experience with him, well, it hadn’t happened at all. It felt so natural being with him.
On a deep groan, Carson’s hand drifted down her stomach, his fingertips feathering over her core. Tingling sensations shot up to her nipples. Sadie draped her arms over his shoulders, pulling him in for a kiss.
He tasted so good, felt incredible against her hot skin.
“One of these days,” he started, “we’re going to do this in a bed.”
She nodded.
“Come home with me tonight.”
She nodded again.
“Good girl. Now lift your arms above your head, Kitty Kat.”
She followed his directions, just like she used to.
Carson stretched her out underneath him, gripping her tiny wrists with one hand while he slid two fingers inside her, caressing her clit with the heel of his hand. She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent, riding his palm—letting the pleasure take hold. No one else could make her relax and let go, only Carson.
“Baby…”
She opened her eyes.
“You ready for me?”
She blinked several times, smiling up at him. “Yes.”
Carson captured her lips as his cock plunged inside her, filling and stretching her. Almost instantly, her orgasm started, the soft, slow pulse of pleasure that promised to bloom into a mind-melting explosion if he kept thrusting so deep and fast. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Sadie closed her eyes and remembered what making love with him felt like seven years ago when she still loved him—when their futures were hopelessly intertwined.
They’d been inseparable as teenagers. She opened her eyes and sighed, gazing up at him, finding that confident, boyish grin.
No doubt their bodies were making up for lost time—hearts desperate to recapture the past. And though that voice in the back of her head kept asking, if it didn’t work out before, why would it now? She realized she should trust herself, and Carson. He’d told her to trust her gut the other day. And as she looked up at him, recognizing the powerful emotions in his eyes, she wondered if either one of them had ever really stopped loving each other. Maybe love was the wrong word at the moment, but the feelings were overwhelming and real.
“Carson…I-I’m going to…”
He silenced her with a demanding kiss, his tongue tangling with hers, his grip growing tighter around her wrists. Carson muttered a curse as he rotated his hips, his last thrust setting them both off.
A few minutes later, Carson rested his head against her chest, still breathing hard. “You’re mine again, Sadie.”
“Yes,” she whispered. As long as you don’t hurt me again.