CHAPTER EIGHT
All in.
Ana woke with Jack wrapped around her like an anaconda. Testing his grasp, she discovered there wasn’t much give and wondered if he was playing possum or really asleep. She wiggled around a little and felt his breath tickle her neck just before he kissed her. “You’re awake.”
“Barely,” he replied as he tightened his hold. “I like waking up next to you; let’s do this every day.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves.”
“I want you to know that I’m going to properly win your heart and plan on wooing you until you can’t resist falling head over heels in love.”
“I didn’t know wooing was still a thing.”
“It is, and you better get yourself ready.”
Turning, so they were face to face, she cupped his face. “I’m ready, so go ahead and woo away.”
Laughing, he rolled on top of her and ran his finger over her mouth. “Let me say a proper good morning first.”
She let her legs fall open and enjoyed the small kisses he deposited along her neck as he shifted his hips and thrust himself slowly into her body, making her breath catch. “I’m definitely feeling wooed…keep going.” Lifting his head, he smiled down, and she caught the look of mischief in his eyes. “No, really, Jack, please, don’t stop.”
“Oh, you mean this?” He pulled out and then plunged in using the strength of his legs.
“Yes, exactly that.”
“Get ready then because your morning is about to get a whole lot better.”
“Counting on it,” she replied as he made their bodies and hearts one.
Enjoying the pleasant glow of sexual satisfaction and an empty mind, Ana heard Jack’s phone beep and then hers. “Tell the world to go away.”
“I will, but first let’s make sure our phones going off at the same time isn’t something important.” Rolling over, he grabbed his off the dresser.
Burying herself under the covers, she decided to ignore the world for a while longer and had almost drifted back to her happy place when Jack leaned over her and kissed her head.
“Honey, there are more pictures of us, and it looks like the rags have taken an interest in you.”
She pulled the sheet higher and groaned. “I’m staying here, then.”
“I’ll make coffee, and then we can figure out a game plan. We’re going to shut this thing down before it becomes a problem.”
Whipping the sheet off, she sat up and rubbed her face. “Ugggh, I hate this.”
“I know, and I’m going to do everything I can to make it go away as soon as possible.” He pushed himself out of bed and slid his boxers on. “This is not going to be a problem for us.”
Pushing her hair out of her face, she sighed. “I don’t think that’s possible.”
“We’ll probably not be on the news cycle for more than a day. Once the initial speculation is over, we’ll just be a boring couple and not worth anyone’s attention.”
“Are we a couple now?’
Laughing, he lifted the sheet off her body and pointed to the wet spot between her legs. “You never would’ve let me empty myself inside you if we weren’t.” He bent down and cupped her face. “You told me you were going to take me on and I expect you to keep your word.”
Huffing out a frustrated breath, she nodded. “I am taking you on, but I need a minute to process what that’s going to entail. I’ve never dated a celebrity, and have a feeling it’s not going to be easy.”
“I’m not a celebrity. I’m a man who’s lucky enough to pursue a passion that’s been burned inside me since I was twelve and, yes, I get paid an ungodly amount of money to do it, but that just makes me lucky. I’m Jack Ellis, the big, awkward man who’s fallen for you. Nothing else.”
“You are a whole lot more, but I get what you’re trying to say, and I’ll do my best not to freak out.”
“I’ll make some coffee, and then we’ll figure it out.”
“Okay.” Standing, she looked around the room. “I like your house by the way.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of a funky mishmash of a California ranch, Spanish colonial, and a bit of old Florida thrown in for good measure.”
“That’s actually a great description,” he replied as he took her hand. “We can eventually build on since I have a ton of space, but for now I think the size will work.”
Rolling her eyes, she slipped her hand away and walked toward the bathroom. “We’re dating, not moving in together.”
“Not for long,” he mumbled quietly.
“I heard that.”
“I meant you to,” he called out.
Closing the bathroom door, she leaned against it and wondered what in the heck she was in for. Whatever it was would likely change her in ways she couldn’t begin to predict.
An idea that was both exciting and unnerving.
***
Returning to the bedroom, Jack saw Ana in his robe, sitting on the chair in front of the window. Her hair was wet, and she was writing in a small notebook, and he hoped it wasn’t a list of reasons why they shouldn’t be together.
He put her coffee cup down on the small wooden table that separated the chairs and then sat down in the other chair. “Sweetie.” Watching her hand fly up in a stop signal, he swallowed his words, sat back, and watched her hand fly across the paper. God willing whatever she was writing didn’t have to do with the pictures that were on the TMZ Sports website.
“Got it!” she said as she flipped the notebook closed. Picking up the coffee cup, she took a sip and then nodded. “You make good coffee.”
“Is there anything you’d like to share?”
Turning, she gave him a quizzical look. “What?”
“What were you writing about?”
Smiling, she flipped her notebook open. “I had a breakthrough on an idea for some research. There’s a new drug that I just learned about, and I think it could be beneficial for people who are in the early stages of dementia. I was standing in your amazing shower, and it came to me, so I wanted to write down an outline before I lost it. I think you’ve shaken something loose in me because I’ve been puzzling over this for a couple of weeks.”
Taking her hand, he squeezed it. “You’ll have to tell me what I did, so I make sure to do it as often as I can.”
“I think it's just being together.” She took a sip of her coffee and crossed her legs. “My brain is always working and is very rarely quiet, but the time I’ve spent with you over the last couple of days has slowed me down. I can feel the quiet when our bodies are together, and for the first time in my life, it’s lasting for more than a few minutes.”
“So us being together is a good thing?”
“Absolutely. When we were sitting next to the pool last night, I felt it wash over me. You know that feeling you get when you’re underwater, and your body is weightless?”
“Yeah, it’s one of my favorites.”
“Mine too. I love the lack of sound, and the limited light that filters through the water because it’s makes me feel limitless and peaceful at the same time.”
“Being with me gives you that?”
“It sure does, and it’s kind of mind-blowing.”
Tilting his head, he gave her a smile and held out his hand. “Come here.” He watched her take his hand, and in one motion, he had her on his lap and wrapped in his arms. Gently, he let his finger run over her cheek, across her mouth, and instantly knew the truth of them.
One way or another, they were going to be together for the rest of their lives. He was holding the love of his life, and that was that. Her mouth dropped to his, and their future was sealed in the kiss she gave him. He had a lot of wooing and romancing to do before he could tell her about his plans for their future but was confident that when he was done, she was going to be as excited as he was about sharing their lives.
He moved her legs so she was entirely in his lap and took her hand. “I want you to hold the memory of that calm feeling because I’m about to tell you what’s on the websites.” He felt her try and move, but he held her close. “I’m not going to let you go yet.”
“It can’t be that bad, Jack. How many photos can there be?”
He pulled his phone out of his shorts and looked for the pictures that his agent had sent him. Silently, he handed it over and moved his hands to her back as she flipped through the photos and then read the short article that accompanied them.
When she finally glanced up, there was no smile in sight and he couldn’t blame her and would do his best to handle it. She handed him the phone back and then gave him a stare that might frighten lesser men. “Thoughts?”
“In the future, I’d like you to tell me if my hair is sticking up. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about the weird bump in my ponytail.” She slid her hand over her wet hair and frowned. “Why are these people so interested in us?”
“When I was paid out on my contract at the end of the last season, a lot of people got real curious about me because of the amount of money involved. Unfortunately, as my girlfriend, you’re going to be exposed to that curiosity.”
“It’s creepy, and I don’t care for it. By the way, I’m not your girlfriend.”
“By the way…you are and we already established that. I know there’s no way you would have slept with me if you were not planning on having a relationship. So you can tell yourself whatever you want, but we both know the truth.”
“Maybe I like to sleep around with a different man each night. You don’t know me that well.”
“If you’re going to lie, you should at least put some effort into it.”
“Jack Ellis, that’s rude. You could at least pretend to believe me.”
He struggled to stop smiling and couldn’t. “Ana, would you like to be my girlfriend and become the love of my life?”
She studied her nails, and then looked him up and down before answering. “Maybe. I’ll think about it.”
“Would you let me take you on a date and show you what a good boyfriend I can be?”
“Yes and then I’ll let you know.”
“Fair enough,” he replied before planting a solid kiss on her lips. “Since you’re into sleeping around, can we go back to bed and do some dirty things that I’ve been thinking about?”
“No, I want a date first.”
He slipped his hands inside her robe and let them roam around. “I like the picture of us outside the restaurant because your smile tells me everything that I need to know, no matter how hard I have to work. You like me, and before too long, you’re not only going to accept it but be damn happy.” He leaned forward, kissed her forehead, and ran his nose along hers. “Maybe I can get us a copy of it, and we can have matching pictures on our dressers.” Her hand glided across his cheek, and he felt his heart go boom…boom…boom, in response.
“You know, Jack, you look like a big, aggressive football player, but really you’re a big sweet man with a heart of gold.”
“I think that’s something you can keep to yourself.”
“Oh, I plan on it since I don’t need more girls going after you. I imagine you already have plenty throwing their panties in your direction.”
“Does that mean you’d like to keep me all to yourself?” He watched her face grow red, and her refusal to let her eyes meet his answered the question. Moving his hand around her waist, he brought her flush against his body. “I would like to go on record as saying that I want you all to myself.”
“Mr. Ellis, you better move that hand of yours because I have to go to work.”
“Are you sure about that?” He slowly let his hand roam around to the front and was about to cover her breast when she leaned back and out of his reach.
“Don’t be naughty.”
“But I have all of these ideas running around in my head, and I want to try them out.”
“You can come over after work tonight, and we can try one of your ideas, but I expect to be fed before I give in to your wild sexual demands.”
“How does Chinese sound?”
“Perfect. Now let me up, so I can go and impress my bosses.”
“I guess I better do the same. I hope I can still perform after you had your way with me.”
“Did I sap all of your super strength?”
“No, I probably have a little left in reserve, but not much.” He noticed that she let the date requirement fly out the window. Not that he wasn’t going to take her on a million amazing dates in the future.