Caught Off Guard

A SPORTS ROMANCE

*Amazon Top 200 Best-seller, 4.3 stars, 170 reviews!*

Winning is just what I do!

Playmaker.

Panty scorcher.

The shit.

All names that apply to me. Yeah, I’m cocky. It’s hard not be when you’re an NFL star and – let’s be real – look and play like me.

Everything in my life was running smooth until this fiery redhead wanders into the road, almost killing us both.

She had the nerve to call me a jack ass. But damn, she’s smoking hot when she’s mad.

I need to focus. I don’t have time to hang around and argue with her. I’m late. I hastily make my getaway, trying to get her off my mind. I’m finding this hard in more ways than one.

Then our paths cross again. She’s at my football game that I was late for because of her. Unfortunately, she’s not there to see me. She’s with one of my teammates, and he’s no friend of mine.

Chapter One

Sean

I’m infamous for knocking girls off their feet, but I’d never literally ran their asses over with my truck, the way I almost did with this one.

For the record, I did not mean to almost hit her with my truck. I wasn’t on a mission to kill her. She just flew right across the road! She wasn’t watching where she was going because she was chasing after this huge dog. If it weren’t for my quick reflexes, she’d have ended up like a squished bug on my windshield.

I rolled the windows down and put my head out as I glared at her.

“Watch where you’re going!” I yelled.

Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped, probably surprised that I would actually yell at her. Well, what did she expect? An apology?

Hell, no.

“Excuse me, asshole, but maybe you should learn how to drive!” she yelled back, stomping toward my truck. I raised one eyebrow and got out of my truck. What the hell is with this chick?

“You’re the one who doesn’t know how to cross the road!” I retorted.

“You’re the one who’s speeding!” she snapped back, and my brows furrowed.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, not knowing what she meant.

She stopped right in front of me and looked up at my face, her green eyes blazing with anger.

“Last time I checked, the sign said the speed limit was 30, not 130,” she hissed. I glanced at the speed limit and, sure enough, she was right. I was speeding. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t in the wrong, either.

Years of practice in keeping my face looking perpetually pissed off during games helped me keep my cool, but the lush quality of her voice as she spoke seeped into my ears and made the hairs on my arms stand up.

If I was less of a badass, I would’ve shaken from head to toe.

I put my head down so my lips brushed the shell of her ear, and I smirked when she stiffened.

“Well, last time I checked, you had to look to your left and right before crossing the road,” I whispered back, my breath caressing her neck and the side of her face. My smirk grew bigger as I watched her shiver from it.

“You almost hit a dog because of your speeding!” she cried.

“You said the operative word, lady. Almost. I ‘almost’ hit him. Which means I didn’t,” I said smugly. Her eyes widened comically, and she raised her arms wide.

“Oh, wow! ‘Operative,’ huh? Big word for a dumb jock,” she fired back.

“Not that it’s any of your business, lady, but I did well in college,” I responded, scowling. “Look, I’m sorry I almost ran you and your dog over, but this wouldn’t have happened if you crossed the damn road properly.”

“Excuse me?” she said, looking at me like I’d said something completely unbelievable.

She glared at me and then…

“Oh, fuck!” I yelled.

She had stomped on my toe with her foot! I felt the sharp, intense pain shooting from my pinky toe all the way to my neck, and I leaned onto my truck for support as I cradled my poor foot.

“Why the hell did you have to do that?” I screamed at her.

“Because you deserved it!” she yelled back.

“What the fuck, lady?!” I growled under my breath. “No way am I sticking around here.” I’d had enough of this crazy fest for one day. I got back into my truck and slammed my foot to the pedal and sped off, not bothering to turn around as I heard her call out. I was already late enough for the pre-game warmup as it was, and I was not about to risk any other part of my limbs for her to injure. What the fuck had she wanted me to do?!

It was too bad, though. She was kind of hot in a tomboy sort of way. Her hair was tied back in a messy braid, but the sun hit her locks in a way that made her pretty little red head shine. Her cute mouth was in a constant scowl.

I saw my phone light up from the corner of my eye, and I cursed. It was probably my coach calling again, wanting to know where the hell I was. I had asked Evan to cover for me, but I guess he finally got fed up with me as well and decided not to be a bro today. Bastard.

Granted, I understood why he was mad. We did party kind of hard last night, and I vaguely remembered him warning me that I should not push my luck and see if I could score a threesome with those two girls I saw eyeing me at the bar. But after being friends for so many years, he should’ve realized that words like that only sounded like a dare to me.

It only took sixteen minutes to get them to take me back to their apartment, and we had fun all night long. I woke up this morning and damn it, seeing both women on either side of me naked made me so hard I had to have them again for a repeat performance.

That was an hour and a half ago. I was so focused on making all of us come that by the time we finished, I moved like my ass was on fire, paranoid that I’d be late for warm up. I finished showering and hightailed it out of there in record time. I could’ve made it on time… if it hadn’t been for Miss Batshit Crazy and her dog.

My phone lit up again and I sighed, picking it up. I winced, bracing myself for some yelling before putting the phone to my ear.

“Hello?” I said hesitantly.

“Where the hell are you, boy?!” Coach Finnegan screamed from the other end. I yanked my phone away from my ear as I quickly racked my brain for a good enough reason to placate him.

“I’m sorry, Coach. The traffic was te–”

He cut me off. “Traffic? Don’t give me that bullshit, West! John already told me about your night out at the bar, and so help me, boy, if you come to this field nursing a hangover, I will have you running wind sprints till you barf out your insides! Get your ass over here now!” he yelled before ending the call.

I flipped my phone back to the passenger seat, annoyed because if it weren’t for that little issue with the woman earlier, I’d probably be at the football field by now. The day would’ve been perfect if she hadn’t crossed the road and ruined it.

“If I ever see that girl again, it will be too soon,” I grumbled to myself.

Chapter Two

Charlie

To: Parker

Your wide receiver = TOTAL DOUCHEBAG

I’ll be late for your game, have to do something important ASAP.

Will make it up to you. Sorry.

I hit SEND and shoved my phone back into my bag. I knew Parker was going to be disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to watch him play the whole game, but I had to take care of this big fella first and take him back to the vet.

I placed my hand on his neck and he whimpered slightly, leaning into my touch as he gazed at me with big, golden eyes.

“I told you not to run off. Now look what happened,” I said softly.

My initial plan was to pick the dog up and pile him into that speeding truck, but when I looked up it was already gone, speeding away from his responsibility toward almost killing me and this dog.

I petted his stomach and back once more, getting him relaxed enough before I carefully placed both of my hands underneath his body and picked him up, my breath coming out in huge puffs as I struggled to carry him and walk back to the vet.

I had watched football so many times now, especially Parker’s team, and I knew each player’s face and position. It pained me to admit it now, but Sean West was one of my favorites. He was an extremely skilled player, and he came across as cocky most of the time, but I had justified it by telling myself that he had a right to be cocky since he had the skills to prove it. But I had never thought he’d be such an asshole in real life.

Parker had complained to me once or twice about Sean West, but I always thought he was exaggerating, especially since Parker and Sean had a sort of rivalry going on between them. What had happened today confirmed that Parker was right, though. He really was a jerk of epic proportions.

I felt so ashamed now, too, because I couldn’t believe that my biggest football crush ever wasn’t as beautiful inside as he was hot as hell on the outside. His dark brown hair, turquoise eyes, luscious lips, and tanned complexion served as a mask for the ugly personality underneath.

The dog whimpered again and I cooed at him, trying to make him feel better.

“We’re almost there, big guy, just hang on,” I told him.

***

“Well, there really was nothing to worry about, Charlie. He’s just a little dehydrated. A little rest and some food will fix him right up in no time,” the veterinarian explained.

I sighed in relief and scratched the dog’s head, grinning as I watched his tail wag happily.

“I’m glad he’s okay,” I said.

“Care to tell me what happened when he escaped from here?” she asked, and I shook my head.

“It’s a long story. One that I’m not too keen on remembering. What matters is he’s going to be okay now,” I replied. “So, when is his owner picking him up?”

The vet shook her head, her eyes drooping sadly. “Unfortunately, he has no owner. Diana brought him here because she saw him rummaging through the trash for food, and she feared he might have worms.”

“Well, then what are we supposed to do?” I asked worriedly.

The vet clinic had a policy to turn over all dogs that owners didn’t come to pick after a set period of time over to the pound, and I knew what happened to most of them that didn’t get adopted.

“He’s not going to survive there,” I whispered, and the vet nodded.

Black labs like this dog ate a lot, and as much as I’d like to adopt him, I didn’t have the space or the money to take care of him. But I couldn’t leave him here.

“Hey, what’s that limo doing outside the clinic?” the vet asked.

I tilted my head, not knowing what she was talking about and turned around. Sure enough, there was a black limousine right outside the clinic. I stood on my toes to peer down at the license plate, and I felt my stomach plummet as I recognized it.

I didn’t think they’d find me so soon.

“Who do you think it is?” the vet asked.

“It’s my father,” I grumbled. Her eyes widened but before she could ask me anything else, I walked out the door and glared at the car, waiting for my father to come out and give his latest spiel in getting me to come with him.

I wasn’t surprised when it was the driver who got out and bowed.

“Miss Charlotte,” he greeted me.

“Where is he?” I asked.

“He is in an important meeting and ordered me to take you to the estate as soon as possible,” he answered.

“And I said not in a million years am I going there. What makes him think this day is gonna be different?” I asked in annoyance.

It was too late to ask me to be with him now after all my mother and I had gone through before she died. My father had seduced my mom while she was working as a maid in his parents’ household, and when his parents found out, they kicked her out. My mother had to work three jobs just to support herself when she found out she was pregnant with me. I could still remember my mother’s crying face when she begged my father’s family to take me in because she was dying and she didn’t want me to be alone. But all they did was laugh and cast her out, and my mom died a miserable death.

My good-for-nothing father did nothing but watch it all happen.

It wasn’t fair to be treated that way when the only crime my mother committed was to fall in love with a man who was way out of her league. My father had whisked her off with flowery words and promises, and by the time she finally knew the truth – that he was about to marry someone else – it was too late and she was already pregnant with me.

My mother had worked hard to support both of us, and when she died and I didn’t know what to do but go and ask them for help, they did the same thing they did to us all those years ago. They threw me out.

And now, for some reason, they wanted me to be with them like nothing ever happened? Fat chance.

I was about to walk back inside the clinic when the driver said solemnly, “He suffered from a heart attack a few days ago.”

That stopped me in my tracks.

“Miss Charlotte, the doctors think that the stress of running the company is finally getting to him. They suggested–”

I cut him off, glaring at him. “Oh, that he wants me to take his place? To be the solution to his problem?” I cried. Where was he when I was suffering? And now that they had a problem, they wanted me to just accept the responsibility as if nothing had ever happened?

“Please, Miss Charlotte. At least come to the estate first and hear it all from Mr. Jameson himself,” the driver said, bowing to me once more.

I sighed heavily, unsure what to do. I still hated them for what they did, but at the same time I wanted to know what my father had to say and why he was so adamant that I see him. I glanced back toward the shop and, as if he knew I was looking at him, the black lab wagged his tail excitedly.

A lightbulb flashed in my head.

“Fine. Take me to him.” The driver’s eyes lit up, and he bowed gratefully again. “But,” I added, holding my forefinger up in front of me, “I have one condition.”

Chapter Three

Sean

“Where have you been?” Evan scowled at me as I entered the pre-game huddle. The others grumbled as well, and I raised my hands up in surrender.

“Hey, I would’ve been here earlier if it weren’t for some crazy chick with a dog, so give it a rest, man,” I said.

“I don’t need you. Chester is doing just fine,” Parker said, giving me the stink eye through his facemask. I rolled my eyes. Parker Nolan was the captain and quarterback, and we both had a mutual understanding of hating each other’s guts since… I honestly couldn’t remember how long it had been. Since we met, I guess.

“Oh, sure. The kid is a rookie.. I’m sure he’ll do a bang-up job,” I said sarcastically. “No offense,” I added, glancing at Chester.

“None taken,” he immediately said. I nodded my head back toward the bench, and he jogged back without complaint. I turned back toward the team once more.

“Calm your tits, Nolan. The coach sent me here because he knows you need me. I was a little late. So what? Not a big deal. It’s not like the game has already started.”

He glared at me without comment. Yeah, my antics were probably getting old, and I felt a little bad about it. But we both knew that he needed me.

Soon, the game started, and it wasn’t long before the crowd started cheering my name. I did what I said and got every single pass Parker sent sailing toward me. I scored the final touchdown of the night, and the screams from the spectators nearly had me going deaf.

Another win under my belt. Another team conquered by yours truly.

“You’re praising yourself again, aren’t you?” Evan’s voice came from behind, along with a slap to the back of my head. I frowned and followed him to the locker rooms.

Evan Hall was probably the only one I’d let hit me upside the head, because we’d grown up together and been together for as long as I could remember. His mom used to run the orphanage I grew up in called “Our Place,” and they became the family I never had. Our personalities couldn’t have been more different, though.

I was the badass, and he was the good guy; I liked the thrill of the chase, while he liked to take his time. He was patient, whereas I was hot-headed. But it was probably why we got along so well together; we balanced each other out. And it was probably why I ended up pushing for a football career, while he took the quieter route and served as the team’s athletic trainer, a job I had recommended the coach give to him not just because he was my bro, but because he was damn good at it.

“A little self-praise is a good thing,” I reasoned, massaging my head.

“‘A little?” he repeated, and he chuckled when I gave him the finger.

“Next time you want to show off, do it on your own time and not during a game,” Parker called, sending me a quick glare before opening his locker on the other side of the room. Evan and I looked at each other, and I shrugged. Parker could bark all he wanted, but if I hadn’t been there, they would’ve lost the game and we both knew it.

“He’s got a point, Sean. This is the third time you’ve been late for pregame. One more strike and Coach might kick you off the team,” Evan said.

I waved off his worries. “He’s not going to do that. I’m the best–”

“You are, but that doesn’t mean you’re not replaceable, Sean,” Evan interrupted, and I frowned at him.

“What do you mean?” I said.

“It means it doesn’t matter how good you are, West. If your attitude sucks, then we have no problems kicking you to the curb,” Parker said, coming toward us, his phone in his hand. “Where the hell have you been today that made you come late?” he demanded.

“Jesus, Parker. What are you, my nanny? I was driving over here when a crazy lady jumped in front of my truck, and I almost killed her. That’s the reason I’m late,” I replied.

“You what?” Evan cried in shock, but I ignored him.

“And you didn’t do anything else to her?” Parker asked menacingly.

“What the fuck, Nolan? No, I did not do anything to her except tell her it was her fault I almost hit her. I high-tailed it out of there before she did something else,” I told him.

“Bro,” Evan said, shaking his head in disappointment.

Parker shook his head in the same manner and walked off, typing away at his phone.

“What?” I asked.

Evan sighed.

“Just… never mind, Sean,” he said, giving up on explaining it.

“Oh, hey, when was that brand party we need to go to?” I asked him.

“You mean that swanky gathering we’re required to attend because we’re endorsing their clothing line? In two weeks, why?” Evan replied.

“Do we really have to go? I hate wearing suits,” I said, scowling at the prospect of needing to buy a tie.

Evan chuckled. “You hate wearing anything. But to answer your question, yes, we must. We’re getting paid to make appearances,” he replied, and then it was my turn to sigh.

“You know, sometimes I wish I wasn’t such a celebrity,” I grumbled.

Evan and I looked at each other in dead silence before exploding with laughter.

Who was I kidding? As much as I hated wearing a suit, I loved what I was, and I’d go to any appearances or parties I was required to attend.

But they better be serving some good food.

Chapter Four

Charlie

“Any minute now, baby. We’re going to be in your new home,” I said, scratching my new dog’s neck, making him yip in delight.

I’d told the driver that I’d come with him if he agreed to let me keep the dog. He was surprised and had to call my father about it, but it didn’t take him long to get the go ahead. I had told the vet the good news, and she gave him one of the spare collars she had in her office.

So now I had a new black lab that I hadn’t figured out what to name yet, and I sort of sold myself and my dignity to my father so I could give this dog a proper home.

I realized how stupid that was, but what’s done is done. At least I had company.

“Miss Charlotte, we are here,” the driver said, coming to a stop in front of a huge mansion, complete with a gravel pathway and big mahogany double doors at the main entrance. The driver opened my door and the dog and I got out, still in awe of our surroundings.

“I don’t remember this place being this big before,” I marveled. Granted, it’d been years since I was here, and I was a little girl back then. I fixed my grip on my dog’s leash and looked back at the driver. “So, where is he?” I asked.

“Right this way, Miss,” he said, extending his hand out toward the double doors, waiting for me to walk ahead of him. I tightened my hold on my dog’s leash, took a deep breath, and went in.

The first thing I thought of when the doors opened was that the house looked larger from the inside, something I knew to be impossible. There was a big, sparkling chandelier hanging over the foyer and two grand staircases. My gaze followed the steps all the way up until I reached the center, where a tall man with graying hair peered down and two women stood on either side of him.

This man was my father, and instantly I felt a flash of anger coursing through me as I remembered everything that happened in my life – and in my mother’s life – all because of him.

“Charlotte,” he called softly, and I turned my eyes down to stare at the floor. “I’m glad you finally decided to accept my offer,” he said.

“I only took it because this big guy doesn’t have anywhere else to go,” I said, holding the leash up so he could see.

“Daddy, why are you letting a dog in here?” one of the women beside him asked. My ears perked up when she called my father “Daddy,” and I immediately realized that she was my half-sister, which meant the older woman on the other side of my father must be…

“Charlotte, I’d like to introduce you to–”

I raised my hand up and stopped him from saying another word. I didn’t like how we were set up. I was standing at the bottom of the stairs while all three of them addressed me from above, not bothering to come down and greet me properly. It was a statement, I realized. This was their subtle way of telling me where my place was, and it was beneath them.

Well, I figured I should give them a statement of my own.

I pulled my dog’s leash lightly and climbed up the stairs, my lips barely able to contain the smirk that crossed my lips as I watched the older woman’s face turn ghastly pale. I guess she really did mean something with the whole staying on top of the stairs thing.

I stopped right in front of them and turned to look at my father, smiling politely.

“You were saying?” I asked him.

“Oh. Charlotte, allow me to introduce to you my wife, Wilhelmina.” He waved his hand toward the older woman and she lifted her hand slightly – a poor attempt at a wave. She raised one eyebrow as she assessed me from head to toe, and I could tell she didn’t think highly of me. I was just wearing a t-shirt and tattered jeans, after all, very different from the fine dresses she and her daughter were sporting. “And this is your sister, Ariana.” He pointed toward the younger woman.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said, smiling politely at both of them.

“I’m sure it is,” Ariana replied, and I knew then that my half-sister and I would not be getting along anytime soon.

She was beautiful. Her long curly brown hair was tied in a high ponytail, her tanned skin was flawless and radiant, and she had big brown eyes that looked sleepy yet vibrant at the same time. She was quite petite as well, barely reaching my chin with the top of her head, and I guessed she was about five feet tall. However, the way she stood was ramrod straight, making her look regal and so much taller than she was.

I tried not to let the growing feeling of insecurity show in my face as I looked at her, even though it was hard. She was so beautiful and looked like she really belonged here, surrounded by luxury, unlike me, who stuck out like a sore thumb. I looked plain compared to her – my flat red hair and green eyes would never compare to the almost exotic allure of her features. Her mom pretty much looked the same. She was an older version of Ariana but with hair that barely reached the tip of her chin.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father pull his phone out and answer a call. He spoke quietly for a while and when he hung up, I knew he was about to ask me something else.

“I’m so sorry, but I have to take care of this matter for the company. Ariana, may I please ask you to give your sister a tour?” he asked her.

“Of course, Daddy. Leave her to me!” she said, grinning so hard I thought she’d break her teeth.

“I’ll go and help you with the documents, darling,” Wilhelmina said, following after him.

As soon as they disappeared to one of the rooms, Ariana turned to look at me, her eyes blazing and taking me aback.

“Let’s make one thing clear, Charlotte,” she sneered. “I don’t like you. I don’t even understand why my father would ask for you when I’m here.”

“What did I ever do to you that’s making you hate me so much?” I asked, my brows furrowing in confusion.

“You exist. That’s what you did!” she cried. “I’m sure you can find your own way around the mansion, so hop to it!” She flipped her hair and walked away from me, leaving me alone with my dog.

I still didn’t understand what was going on, and my father had left before he was able to explain anything. I contemplated whether to just explore on my own or look for my father’s office and ask him what I was doing here when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and smiled as I saw a text from Parker. I checked the time and immediately felt guilty because I had promised him I’d watch his game today.

From: Parker

I’m glad you’ve finally realized it. I told you he was a douche.

I’ll be out in a few minutes. Can you wait for me outside? We’ll get a bite to eat before I take you home.

I bit my lip, feeling guiltier after reading his reply and quickly texted him back about what happened and that I would make it up to him next time.

“Charlotte? Why are you still standing there?” I looked up to see my father coming toward me, his brows furrowed in concern. “Didn’t Ariana show you to your room?”

“Uh, no. She mentioned she was busy with something, and I didn’t want to disturb her so I told her I could take care of myself,” I quickly fibbed. We may not have started on the best of terms, but I didn’t want Ariana to get into trouble because of this. “Besides, I was just about to look for your office. You never told me why your driver had to drag me over here, remember?”

“Ah, I apologize. The call I received earlier is related to why I called you here actually. It’s about our company and, in particular, the C&A – our fashion line. News of my… my ailment,” he said the last part with distaste and I figured he might be feeling sore because of what happened to him. “Anyway, news has spread and already people are talking about who I’m going to be appointing as the next head of C&A.”

“And you brought me here because of that?” I asked.

“Yes. Also, I think it’s about time I introduced my first born to the world, don’t you agree?” he asked, and my eyes widened.

“What do you mean introduce me? How?” I asked.

“We’ll be holding a party in two weeks to announce the changes for our brand as well as some other projects we have planned. But the main event would be to finally reveal your existence to everyone,” he explained.

“But if your reason is because you want everyone to know you’re stepping down as chairman of C&A, then why do you have to involve me? I’m sure Ariana would be the better choice in this matter,” I said.

“Ariana is the obvious choice, that’s true. But I’m afraid she’s entirely confident that she’ll get the position no matter what, and therefore I don’t see her working as hard as she should. Introducing you would force her out of her comfort zone.”

“So, you’re introducing me because you want Ariana to have an opponent for her dream job. Is that right?” I shook my head, mad at myself for not expecting this.

My father sighed heavily before putting both of his hands on top of my shoulders, making me look up at him. “There are plenty more reasons why I’m doing this, and some of them I know you’d never believe, given how I never gave you and your mother the time of day, but I promise to explain everything when the time is right. Just trust me for now.”

“All right, I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?” I grumbled.

“Which reminds me, starting tomorrow, you’ll be starting your training. Good luck,” he said, giving me a brief smile before entering his office again, shutting the door in my face before I had a chance to ask him what he meant.

Training? What training?

Chapter Five

Sean

“So, whatever happened to that chick you almost ran over, Sean?” Evan asked as he spotted me. I grunted a little as I lifted the barbell over my head. Honestly, I didn’t need a spotter to bench press 250 for only two reps. But ever the worrywart, Evan insisted he spot me so nothing dangerous would happen. Like, I don’t know, I lost my grip and the bar fell on my neck and suffocated me or something.

“I don’t know. Why ask me?” I said, slowly putting my arms down.

“Dude, you almost ran her over,” he stressed.

“Yeah, and?” I asked, not following where he was going with this.

“Are you serious? It’s your responsibility to check if she’s all right,” Evan pointed out.

“Well, I’m pretty sure she and that dog are doing just fine. Besides, how am I supposed to check on them?” I asked.

“Didn’t you get her phone number or something?”

“No!” I said, a little too quickly. If that chick and I had met somewhere else, under entirely different circumstances, I would’ve totally asked her for her digits. But unfortunately, I was so preoccupied by my smarting foot and need for escape that it completely slipped my mind.

I finished my set and placed the weights back before sitting up. I grabbed my towel from the side and proceeded to wipe the sweat on my brow with it. I could feel Evan staring at me, but I ignored him, pretending that I didn’t notice it.

“Not cool, bro,” Evan finally said, and I grimaced as I turned to look at him.

He didn’t need to tell me I’d messed up on that one. I should’ve given that girl my number, or at least told her my name so she could look me up and tell me if she needed something because of that almost accident. Which reminded me…

“You dumb jock…”

Her voice had echoed in my brain a couple of times that day. I’m sure I didn’t give her any outward indication that I was a football player, which meant…

“She knows me,” I muttered, my eyes wide, surprising myself at how I hadn’t realized it sooner.

“What?” Evan asked, raising one eyebrow.

“She knows me,” I repeated, smirking as I swept my hair up with my fingers and feeling a surge of confidence rising inside me. “She called me ‘a dumb jock’ that day, and I never told her who I was. I guess I’m more famous than I thought, huh?”

Evan blinked a couple of times as he stared at me before bursting into laughter. I frowned at him as I waited for him to finish laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, annoyed.

“It’s funny because of course there’s a huge possibility that she knows you, and yet you seem so utterly surprised about it!” he pointed out. “I mean, come on, Sean. After being part of the Giants for a couple of years now, plus all those endorsements you’re doing? Your face is practically mainstream on television. It’s not exactly a stretch to think she knows who you are.”

The massive ego boost that I’d felt earlier burst.

“And you know the best part? You’re actually happy she thinks you’re dumb!” Evan chortled.

I scowled and looked away, ignoring Evan as he continued to laugh at me. I never thought I was the type to get easily bruised by words, but he didn’t have to laugh so hard about it. I didn’t think I’d be so happy a girl knew who I was right off the bat, and that thought was unsettling. She was affecting me more than I thought, and it wasn’t good, not when there was a remote possibility of me ever seeing her again. I should nip this in the bud before it got worse.

Desperate for a change of subject, and you know, to get Evan to shut his trap, I asked him about the one thing I’d been meaning to talk about.

“How’s the orphanage going?” I asked him, and just like that, Evan’s face lost all its humor.

He sighed. “It’s not doing so well. The building’s old, and it’ll cost more to repair it than to tear it down or renovate it. But we can’t do that unless we find a place to relocate the children. Other than that, there are a whole mess of problems.”

Ever since his mother, Aunt Judith, got sick with breast cancer, all their money went to paying for chemotherapy and hospital bills. The money to keep the maintenance of the orphanage was used up as a result, and the place started to decay. The roof started leaking, pipes rusted and burst, floor panels started to creak and break off. I told him I would pay for everything since I knew he was still working on paying for his student loans, but he was having none of it. The idiot said his pride as a man was at stake and told me that he was going to take care of it himself.

I told him that Aunt Judith was like the mother I never knew and that I had to help, if only to show them how much I appreciated them taking me in. They were the only family I’d ever known, so it was natural I felt the need to help. This convinced Evan to let me help, but only a little, as he said that it was still his main responsibility.

“Shall I hire a real estate agent to look for a temporary place for the kids? I don’t want to risk them getting hurt when the place is so rundown,” I suggested.

Evan shook his head and he heaved another sigh. “I’ve actually started getting offers to sell the place. One wanted to tear it down and put an apartment complex on it. Another wanted to use it for a parking lot. The money’s pretty good and I was thinking–”

“No,” I said, not letting him finish.

“Why not? The orphanage isn’t doing so well, and the money I could get from selling the place could go a long way,” Evan said.

“That orphanage was my home – me and all the kids who wound up there. It’s where I met you and your mom. It’s your second home, too. And you’re willing to sell it off to the highest bidder who’s going to turn that home into a fucking parking lot? We’ve already got thousands of parking lots here in New York!” I cried out.

“Okay, okay. I’m not going to sell it. Money’s going to be tight, but I’m not selling Our Place,” Evan said, raising his hands up in surrender.

“I already told you that if you need money, ask me! I’m practically a walking bank account! Hell, I’ll put a five percent interest rate if it makes you happy, I don’t fucking care,” I said, trying to convince him of my point.

He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment before nodding. “Okay, I’ll think about it. Thanks, man,” he said, giving me a soft smile.

I shuddered violently. “It’s cool, man. Now enough of this emotional drama, sitcom bullshit before I grow a fucking vagina. And quit smiling at me like that. I don’t do guys.” I scowled.

Evan scoffed at me. “And here I thought you could keep a serious conversation for once,” he said, shaking his head.

“Come on, man. You know being serious gives me hives,” I joked. We chuckled and headed for the showers.

Chapter Six

Charlie

Waking up in the manor was an entirely new experience for me.

For one thing, I’ve never had my alarm go off and my eyes open to three maids hovering over my bed, one of them carrying my breakfast. My dog, who still remained nameless, barged into my room and jumped over the bed to wash my face with its slobbery kisses, so I excused myself first to the bathroom. By the time I got back out, the maids were still there, the dog had disappeared, and my bed was all made up. They had served a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a pot of coffee on the small table by the window, and my stomach automatically started to growl. I didn’t know why the maids were still standing there, and I didn’t know what else to do, so I smiled.

“Um, thanks for bringing me breakfast,” I said lamely.

“We have your schedule for today. We’d also like to ask if you need assistance in dressing,” one of the maids said.

I looked at her in confusion. “Schedule? I have a schedule?” I asked dumbly. And why would I need help dressing? How old did they think I was – five?

“Yes,” the second maid said, opening a very large and intimidating-looking book. “You have manners and etiquette training at from eight to ten, then posture and dance lessons from ten to noon. You’ll have lunch afterward, of course.”

“Of course,” I repeated, my mind reeling as I thought about how hectic my day was going to be.

“You’ll continue your training after lunch until two, and lastly, you’ll be learning about fashion and the Jameson brand from two until five.” The maid closed the book with a flourish and then snapped her head up to look at me expectantly, like she hadn’t just told me the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.

“Wow,” was the only thing my brain could command my mouth to say. I felt seriously overwhelmed by what she said, and I didn’t understand why I had to learn all of that. The fashion thing? Sure, because I had very limited knowledge about fashion besides a T-shirt and jeans. But manners and etiquette? I was sure that there were celebrities out there who behaved worse than I do. Why do I have to be different?

“Are these lessons really necessary?” I asked, looking at all three of them for confirmation. They all nodded at me vigorously, and I sighed. I walked over to the table and plopped myself down to the seat, picking up a scone and taking a large bite out of it, making the maids gasp loudly. I gave them my ‘What-the-fuck-is-your-problem?’ face, and they quickly bowed their heads. “Well, they can’t be that bad, right? And it’s only for today, so I say bring it!” I told them, trying to psych myself up.

The three of them looked at each other and my stomach flopped.

I didn’t have a good feeling about this.

***

I didn’t think I was going to last a day at this rate.

I barely had any time left to take a shower and fix myself up after breakfast, and I ended up putting my shoes on while I was making my way to the study, which I must say, was not an easy feat. I had to stop a couple of times to ask one of the maids where to go because I got lost, and by the time I got there, I was fifteen minutes late. The pinched look on my instructor’s face said that she completely disapproved.

I was too busy trying to catch my breath to give a shit what she thought. Pardon my French.

“Obviously, we’re going to have to work on your timing,” she said snidely, and I glared at her through the curtains of my hair.

What a bitch.

She didn’t cut corners, either. She immediately went behind me and pulled on my shoulders, making me yelp in pain.

“I do not work with hunchbacks,” she tutted. She walked around me once more, looking at me from head to toe. She stopped in front of me and immediately placed her hand on her forehead and massaged it with her fingers, her eyes closing as she sighed. “It seems I have my work cut out for me,” she said.

“Excuse me?” I said, hating this woman more and more with every word that came out of her big, fat mouth.

“No, you are not excused. Only the most dignified and regal-looking women in this industry are given a free pass for being fashionably late. And, my dear, I must say, you are just late, and not at all fashionable,” she said with a huff.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I was informed you were going to teach me about manners and etiquette, not fashion,” I retorted.

“You’re quite right, and judging by your response, you are lacking both. There is much to be done, my dear. Follow me,” she ordered.

The first thing she did was to teach me all about the different forks and spoons, when they were supposed to be used, and what each one was for. I didn’t understand all the fuss about cutlery when a spoon and fork were basically innovative in themselves. I mean, you use one, you can use it for all, right? But no… not for these snotty people.

“They all look the same, just in different sizes!” I said, looking at the silverware like they were going to jump up any second and hijack my body or something.

“They are all different! They all have a specific place and use, so pay attention! This one is the salad spoon… this one is the coffee spoon… the one next to it is the tea spoon—”

“What? Coffee and tea have different spoons?!” I asked. I’ve heard of a tea spoon, but a separate one for coffee? Really?

“But of course,” she answered simply, turning her nose up at me.

“This is ridiculous!” I exclaimed.

“Only for the uncultured, which we will be able to rectify before your introduction, I assure you,” she said.

“But the party is in two weeks,” I said. “How are you going to get me ready for it in two weeks? I’ll never be able to remember all of these forks in time, much less remember when to use them!”

“Oh, haven’t you heard? We’ll only be doing the brand launch party in two weeks. The one where you’ll be introduced has been rescheduled to the end of this month,” she said.

I continued to stare at her with my mouth open in disbelief, and she turned her nose up at me again.

“I will be the first to admit that I am an exceptional trainer, but even I can’t perform miracles,” she said before clapping her hands together and carrying on with her explanation.

After forcing all that information about silverware that I never thought I needed to know, she then told me the differences between a three-course meal, a five-course meal, and god forbid that it existed, a seven-course meal, and when I should use all those forks and spoons on the table.

I thought the nightmare would end there, but she immediately slammed my back to the chair and tied me up, so my back was leaning on the panel and I couldn’t move.

“Look, I don’t know what they told you, lady. But I only have twenty dollars in my coin purse, and not much else,” I said, half-joking.

“Oh, please. I did not tie you up to harm you,” she said.

“Then why the hell did you tie me up with a scarf?” I asked.

“It’s merely a training tool. Eventually, you will be able to sit, eat, and drink properly without it. Manners matter.” As soon as she finished speaking, the doors opened and servers came in carrying trays of food. The smell made my mouth water, and as soon as the guy put the food down, I made my move. The stupid scarves kept me away from it though, and I struggled to reach for everything.

I asked if could push my chair forward, but my instructor ignored me and ate her own plate of food in that dainty, prim, and proper way she wanted me to. I was about to tell her where she could shove that fork of hers when the doors opened again and Ariana walked in. She smiled widely as she greeted my instructor with a slight hug and those fake cheek air kisses I hate girls doing.

“Mildred, it’s been a while. How is the training?” she asked, giving me a haughty look as she said ‘training,’ and I glared at her.

My instructor rolled her eyes and shook her head like she was disappointed. “It’s not going well at all, I’m afraid. I thought she’d make a lot of progress by now, but it’s going too slow. I would think she’d be easy to train, since you’re her sister, but unfortunately, it isn’t so. I wish she were more like you, though. You were very easy to teach.”

Ariana flipped her hair back and laughed. “Well, of course! What more could you expect from the daughter of a maid?”

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists to stop myself from taking the bait. If I reacted to her jab this early in the game, then I’d prove that she was right and I didn’t belong here at all. I had to control myself.

“Maybe she needs a demonstration?” Ariana asked, and without waiting for an answer, she snapped her fingers toward one of the servers waiting by the wall and he quickly set up her place on the table. She took the napkin and placed it gently on her lap, gave me a quick smile, and began eating.

She ate like royalty – grace and elegance with every lift of her fork, just like I expected someone born into this world of luxury. It was painful for me to admit, but she was leagues away from me in that department. I already knew that I had a lot of catching up to do to be at the level she was or to even be at the level they expected me to be before the party, but it was different when I had to see with my own eyes just how large the gap was.

They talked to each other as Ariana continued to eat, the conversation more like another demonstration than anything else, and I’d had enough. I cleared my throat, making both of them look at me.

“May I take a break? I really need to go to the bathroom,” I fibbed.

Ariana scoffed and the instructor pursed her lips but stood up from her seat to untie me. I rolled my shoulders to get rid of the stiffness and walked out of the room, not bothering to look at them as I passed by. I didn’t need to see that condescending smirk on my half-sister’s face to make me feel even worse about myself. I turned, then leaned against the wall so they wouldn’t see me, and I waited for them to speak, to say anything about me now that they thought I wasn’t there to hear them. I only needed to wait a couple of minutes before one of them spoke.

“I wonder how long it’ll be before she breaks from the pressure,” my instructor asked

“She won’t last a day,” Ariana replied, and I bristled with anger.

I really wanted to go back to that room and express my rage, as my brain was already thinking up a zillion ways of inflicting pain and agony, but I held myself back.

I’d show her. I kicked myself off the wall and stomped off. I was going to be the classiest girl – nay, woman – this world had ever seen! I’d even give Kate Middleton a run for her money.

She wanted a battle? Well then, she better have her weapons ready, because I was going to give her a war.

Chapter Seven

Sean

I really hated wearing a tie. Actually, I hated going to swanky affairs like this one.

“Remind me again why we’re doing this?” I asked, grumbling about this stupid tie I was supposed to wear. Why can’t I fucking tie it right?!

“Dude, it’s all part of your endorsement contract. Just bear with it, man. They are paying you a million dollars just to wear their shit,” Evan said from the other room. I shook my head at how impossibly thin my apartment walls seem to be if he heard me ask without yelling. Should I get a new apartment?

“Any idea which one it is?” I asked, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I thought I looked fine without my tie. I was gonna ditch it.

Then again, I look fine in anything, even without my clothes. Hell, probably even more so.

Evan opened the door and walked in, fixing the angles of his bowtie. He looked swell, too.

“You are hopeless. You don’t even know where you’re going?” Evan asked, raising his eyebrow at me.

“Why don’t you just shut up about that and tell me?” I snapped back.

He sighed. “It’s the Jameson Company. They’re holding a launch party for their new line of fashion for both men and women. I’m pretty sure that what you’re wearing is theirs,” he replied, completely deadpan and robotic.

“You know, why don’t you just apply as my personal assistant? You’re already doing such a bang-up job,” I remarked.

“I’m just your temporary leash-holder, Sean. And no, I don’t want to be your PA. Not for all the money in the world.”

“And why are you going with me? Did they pay you to wear their shit, too?” I asked, ignoring his jab.

“No, but your handler did. He couldn’t come with you because you told him not to, but he said he needed someone trustworthy to keep you in line. Otherwise, you’ll just leave the party early with two or three women at your hip and cause another scandal,” Evan answered.

“That was one time,” I grouched, jutting my lip out.

Evan raised both of his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Okay, no. But I can be a good boy if I want to,” I said, trying to sound convincing, but the look on his face told me that I had failed miserably.

Evan rolled his eyes and handed me a black eye mask.

“What is this for?”

“To cover your eyes, genius. It’s a masked ball. You can’t go in without one,” Evan said, raising his other hand and showing me an identical on. I scoffed and put on the mask before checking myself out in the mirror again.

“Damn, I make this look good,” I said.

Evan chuckled. “Come on, already. We’re going to be late,” he said, walking out of my room as I followed.

“There better be some chicks there,” I said. Maybe that model I hooked up with last time would be there. She was really hot – in and out of the sack. I licked my lips as I imagined taking her perfect, round ass over my kitchen counter again.

Then I remembered that I couldn’t take her out anymore because I’d had my lawyer file a restraining order on her because she turned crazy on me and wouldn’t leave my apartment, crying and acting like we were together and were going to get married soon. She even started stalking me when I finally kicked her out of my place. Yeah. Fuck that.

“Oh, hey, maybe that Ariana chick will finally want some of this, huh? She’s smoking hot,” I said, vaguely remembering the heiress. She was petite for my taste, but I would still tap that.

“Dibs,” Evan immediately said, and I scowled as I remembered that he had the biggest hard-on for her. He had seen her in one of the interviews on TV, and when he realized that I had signed a contract with the company her father owned, he begged me to introduce them, like I had some sort of power to do that.

“Fine. She’s kind of a shrimp anyway. I like my women shopping from the ladies’ department, not the kids’ section,” I jabbed, and I chuckled as he glared at me.

I wanted to bring my truck, but the hosts of the party liked to show off and had every guest come via the limousine they sent over, and we were no exception. I got in first, and Evan whistled as he marveled at the inside of the vehicle. I shook my head as he started fiddling with the switches like a child who had just discovered a new toy. I settled into my seat and closed my eyes. This probably going to take a while, so I might as well get some shut eye.

After all, the after party might last all night long.

***

Charlie

My eyes almost popped out of their sockets as Sarah, one of the maids, pulled the ribbons of my corset tight once more. She’d been pulling at it for what seemed like forever, but was actually twenty minutes ago.

I never knew gowns could be this fatal.

“Breathe in!” she cried, as I started gasping for breath.

“Sarah, if I breathe in anymore, I’m going to suck myself into my lungs,” I croaked, holding onto the dresser for support.

She immediately let up, and I breathed in sweet oxygen like I had been starved for months. It took me a few minutes before I mustered up the ability to speak again.

“Isn’t there another dress that’s, you know, not hazardous to my health?” I asked in desperation.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, er,” she reddened as I glared at her, “um, Charlie, I mean, but this is the only dress that was sent over. Did you put in your request to the tailors?” she asked, and I stared at her in confusion.

“I can do that?” I asked her, and she nodded.

“Yes. Miss Ariana puts in her requests for gatherings like this all the time. Did she not tell you?”

Of course, she didn’t tell me. Why I am not surprised?

I got up and took a deep breath before looking at Sarah with a smile.

“Shall we try this again?” I asked, making Sarah smile and nod her head.

***

Prepping me for this party took about three hours. My hair was curled and sent cascading down my back, and my makeup was light and simple. I didn’t really get the point of doing my makeup though, because I was told I’d be wearing an eye mask anyway, but whatever.

My gown was part of the new fashion line that the Jameson Company would be launching that night, and if I had to describe it, I’d say it looked both vintage and modern. The color was a deep shade of violet at the top of the corset, but the colors started webbing and frosting into a lighter shade until the skirt was a gentle lavender, the tail of it trailing just a couple of inches on the ground. The beadwork on my gown looked like frosting, and the ribbons lacing up my corset added a certain femininity and flair that even made looking at the back amazing.

It amazed me even more that in the few days that I’d started learning about fashion, I could already think up such particularities of my gown. Before I’d come here, the only thing I cared about that was remotely related to fashion was when I was forced to buy clothes and I haggled with the price. And now, I was thinking of the beadwork, trail, and color – details that I usually overlooked because I couldn’t afford them.

I was surprised that the changes happening in my life hadn’t given me whiplash yet.

Sarah gave me one last cursory inspection and nodded, handing me my mask. My mouth opened in awe as I looked at the intricate design. It matched my gown perfectly, and I knew a lot of time and effort had gone into crafting it. I put it over my eyes, and Sarah helped me tie the ribbons around my head as I lifted the upper part of my hair away so she could hide the ribbon under it.

“You look beautiful, Charlie,” Sarah whispered, making me blush. “The car is waiting for you downstairs.”

“Okay, thanks. Is my father ready yet?” I asked.

Sarah’s brows furrowed. “Mr. Jameson, Madam Wilhelmina, and Miss Ariana left for the party an hour ago. They said you would be going to the party alone, as to not draw suspicion before you are formally introduced to the public.”

My stomach dropped. “So, they’re going to make me face those people all by myself?” I cried in disbelief. Were they serious? It had only been a few weeks!

I refused to let myself be overwhelmed by the pressure. This was just another hurdle I had to get through, and if I talked myself out of it this early in the game, then I was only proving Ariana was right in saying I didn’t belong here. I could not – absolutely could not – let her beat me.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror one more time, and the image of a girl I barely knew stared back at me. I steeled myself.

I was no longer Charlie Harris. This girl in front of me was Charlotte Jameson, and she could pull this off.

I was more than ready.

Chapter Eight

Sean

The space between my thumb and forefinger. That was how close I was to falling asleep on my feet.

This party was boring as fuck. Boring and pretentious. When we arrived, there were cameras and reporters waiting outside, held back by metal bars and a few big guys in black suits. Apparently, only a select few were allowed in. This was not unusual, though. What was unusual was how each guest stopped by the double doors where two men wearing wigs and tights stood by, and they had to tell these guys who they were so they could announce them to the people inside.

What in the actual fuck?

“What the hell is this charade for? This isn’t a Jane Austen movie,” I whispered to Evan, who shrugged.

“I didn’t know you knew who Jane Austen was,” he said, but before I could return that jab, he quickly added, “but I guess this is all part of the party theme?”

I rolled my eyes. When it was our turn, I told the guy some seriously messed up combinations of cuss words and dared him to say it. The dude looked like a fish, not knowing what to do, so Evan quickly apologized and pushed me inside.

That’s where my fun ended. There were too many snooty brown-nosers here and not enough women to distract me. Well, not enough women good enough to keep me entertained, anyway.

Granted, most of the girls were hot, but I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me. I took a couple of them to the dance floor and it was going fine, but the minute they opened their mouth… sigh. I don’t know. I guess they didn’t have enough… substance?

My eyes traveled toward the side, and I smiled as I spotted Evan talking with the girl of his dreams by the chocolate fountain. She had her hand tucked under her chin as she balanced it on her other arm, but the way I caught her looking at him from top to bottom told me she liked what she was seeing.

Personally, she came across as a bit of a bitch to me the few times we’d talked to each other. She was as arrogant as she was beautiful, and what she lacked in height, her self-confidence more than made up for. She was way too full of herself and convinced she was better than everyone else, but I was hoping she didn’t give my bro the same treatment. Dude was the nicest guy in the world, and he didn’t deserve that shit from anyone.

But while I was happy my best friend was getting some game, I, however, was not. I was seriously considering ditching this joint and haunting some other place.

I saw the double doors open from the corner of my eye and waited for that ridiculous announcement about who it was, but I was surprised that, for the first time, they didn’t say anything at all. Curious as to who this person was, I raised my eyebrow as I waited, and then my jaw… Just. Dropped.

The girl with flaming red hair falling down her back wore a gorgeous purple dress. She picked up her skirt a little as she walked, and her head turned slightly from side to side as she looked at everything and everyone around her. And everyone was staring at her, too. Some with wonder, some with envy, but not with the same slack-jawed expression as mine.

She was so… beautiful.

No. Hot. She was hot. That’s what I meant. I don’t say beautiful. Beautiful led to all sorts of dangerous feelings I’d rather not have.

She was on a whole other level compared to the rest of the women there, and I needed to turn my game up a notch if I ever wanted to get under that big ass skirt.

I adjusted my suit and walked over to her with my usual swagger, my mouth already set up with the casual smirk all the ladies seemed to want, and tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned around, and her gorgeous emerald eyes stopped me in my tracks.

Why are those eyes so familiar?

***

Charlie

You know that feeling when the world suddenly stops turning? You can’t hear anything, but you feel every pair of eyes in the room staring at you?

That’s what I was feeling.

I had told the greeters who I was, but they must’ve been informed ahead of time because they didn’t say anything as they opened the doors for me. I looked around, but I couldn’t see my father anywhere. Even if I did manage to find him, I didn’t think he’d let me hang around with him for the rest of the party.

I was searching for the refreshments table when I felt someone tap on my shoulder. I turned around and Holy Jesus, this guy was huge. He was probably around 6’5” or so, but he wore a suit well. He was probably the only person there not wearing a tie, keeping the first two buttons of his shirt open and showing a sliver of skin. I gulped as I looked up to his face, and his mask did nothing to dampen the mischievous light from his ice-blue eyes, or hide the fact that he was so brutally handsome.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before,” he said softly, the velvety undertones of his voice making me a little heady and my heart skip a beat. I cleared my throat to answer him.

“I don’t really make a habit of going to parties,” I coolly replied, and his mouth formed a lopsided smirk that made him ten times more attractive.

“Yeah. Parties like this aren’t really my scene,” he agreed, and I could tell that he meant it. Judging from his size and strength, I’d think he wasn’t much for swanky soirees such as this one. Which begged the question…

“Then what are you doing here?” I asked.

“I’m an endorser. It’s written in my contract that I have to make appearances,” he answered truthfully. “Are you under contract, too?”

I bit the inside of my lip. “Something like that,” I answered vaguely.

He narrowed his eyes but didn’t ask me to elaborate, and I gave him a point for that one. The music started playing, and I saw people breaking off into pairs to dance.

Mr. Mysterious cleared his throat and raised his hand toward me. “Care to dance?”

“I’m not much of a dancer,” I admitted, recalling how my dancing lessons these past few weeks crashed and burned.

“That’s not a problem. I’m pretty good at dancing,” he said confidently.

I raised my eyebrows, incredulous. I highly doubted that.

“You know, if you don’t want to dance here, we could go and hang out somewhere else, and I could guarantee it’ll be extremely fun,” he said.

I winced and opened my mouth to reject him when he cut me off. “There are three guys currently making their way toward you to probably ask you the same thing, and I’m sorry, but I don’t want to stop talking with you just yet.” He took my hand, not bothering to wait for my answer, and proceeded to pull me to the dance floor.

He wrapped his arm around my waist firmly while he held my hand with the other, and I placed my other hand on his arm, unable to turn my head away as he stared straight into my eyes. I tightened my grip on his arm involuntarily, and he pulled me closer to him.

He took a step back and then we were dancing, gliding, and swaying to the beat of the song. I had been afraid of the possibility of making a fool out of myself by stepping on his feet or missing a step, but it never happened. I was going to look down at my feet to make sure that I really wasn’t messing up, but a gentle squeeze on my waist kept me from doing it.

“Trust me,” he whispered, and I realized that I did trust him to lead me.

“Okay,” I said, and he smiled.

“I promise I’ll take your mind off everything, just for a little while,” he said, his voice low and sexy, making me raise an eyebrow at him.

“Oh, really?” I said, going under his arm as he twirled me away from him. I was smiling at him now, curious whether he could really pull off what he was promising to do. He had the same teasing smirk on his face now, and something was tickling the back of my mind. I recognized that smirk from somewhere else, but I couldn’t remember.

“Oh, is that a challenge?” he asked, as he pulled me back in his arms before sending me out for another spin.

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

His eyes twinkled, and he pulled me back to his arms sharply, making my back hit his chest with a jolt.

“If I succeed, I want a reward,” he said, holding me in place.

“What do you want?” I couldn’t help but ask him, and I caught my breath as I felt his arms wrap around me tightly and we slowly bent our knees. He bent low, his lips brushing on the shell of my ear.

“Your name,” he whispered.

His right hand squeezed my waist again as his left spread and he ran his fingers up my stomach slowly, inching dangerously closer and closer to my breasts as we rose.

“I don’t give my name out to random strangers,” I said, trying to stall him. “If you force me to say it, I might just run away.”

He chuckled and turned me back around to face him, pulling me closer to him so that I was pressed up against his chest, waves of heat rolling off him, into my body, and going down between my thighs. I gasped at the heat of his stare, unable to look away from him.

“You can run all you want. I love the chase,” he whispered hotly, and I shivered.

“I feel like I’ve met you before,” he said, his eyes clouding up and his breath caressing the side of my face.

I tilted my head as I stared at him in confusion. To be honest, I felt the same way about him, and I had been wondering where or when I’d seen him before.

“What makes you say that?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Just do,” he answered.

I smiled. “Maybe I’ve just got that kind of face,”

“Or maybe you feel the same and you’re being this way on purpose. It’s okay, though.” he said. The song was reaching its end, and I realized that he was about to win the challenge. His eyes snapped somewhere behind before looking at me again. “I don’t mind introducing myself first.”

I heard a voice in the background saying it was time to take the masks off, and I felt his hand caress my cheek, forcing me to look up at him.

His hand felt warm as we stared at each other, and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, making me blush. He raised his hand up and wrenched his mask away from his head, and my eyes widened as I looked at the face of Sean West, the man who’d almost killed me a couple of weeks ago. The man I’d been seriously crushing on since I saw him play for the first time. The man who’d been making my heart beat so hard and fast for the last couple of minutes while he held me in his arms.

***

Sean

I didn’t know why I felt nervous as I raised my hand and placed it on her mask, but I was comforted by the fact that it wasn’t just me who felt this way, judging from the way she was slightly shaking as I held her.

I felt a weight press on my toe, and I looked down to see that she had stepped on me a second before the song finally ended. I looked at her in disbelief, and she smiled in triumph.

“Game over,” she whispered, and then it clicked. Before she could protest, I pushed her mask up and over her head so I could finally see her face, and my eyes widened.

“You’re her,” I whispered. She was the girl I almost ran over that day. Everything finally clicked when she stepped on me, making me remember how she’d stomped on my foot in anger the first time we met. “Who are you?” I asked, but she shook her head.

“I won,” she reminded.

“I don’t care,” I replied, desperation creeping into my voice. “Tell me.”

“May I cut in?” a voice said, and I turned my head toward the interloper, annoyed. My eyebrows rose in surprise as I realized it was Parker, holding his hand out and asking her to dance. I didn’t know why he was there, but I didn’t like it.

“No, you may not,” I answered, my hand snaking around her waist and pulling her against me.

“Excuse me, but who’s on my dance card is none of your business,” she said, pulling away from me and taking Parker’s hand. They started to walk away from me before I grabbed her hand.

“A name. Please. Give me that, and I won’t bother you again tonight,” I said.

“Don’t–” Parker started.

“Charlie,” she said, and then she was pulled away from me again. I watched her go this time, and I clenched my fists as Parker pulled her close. There was something heavy weighing on my chest suddenly, but I chalked it up to heartburn. It was probably from all the steaks I ate earlier.

“Charlie, huh?” I muttered under my breath. I had to admit, I didn’t peg her as the type to wear such fancy dresses the first time we met. And her name didn’t match how she looked at all, but I didn’t peg her as a liar, either.

She didn’t turn my way again, but that didn’t matter. Now that I had her in my sights, I wasn’t about to forget her anytime soon. The little time we’d talked hadn’t told me she was interested, but she hadn’t exactly said she wasn’t interested, either. And even if she wasn’t, I’d find a way to change her mind soon enough.

Chapter Nine

Sean

The flashing lights from all the cameras were making it hard for me to see, so I turned my head away and settled deeper into my seat, distracting myself with thoughts of Charlie.

The team was being interviewed about the coming draft, asking if Coach had an eye on anyone in particular to join the roster next year. I didn’t understand why we had to be there since most of the questions were directed toward Coach, but an order was an order.

It was Parker’s turn to answer a question, and I couldn’t stop myself from glaring at him. He’d been too close to Charlie the other night for my liking, and I was surprised by how they never left each other’s side even after their dance ended. I had considered asking whether he knew her personally already, but I hated the guy, so I didn’t.

I saw Coach Finnegan look at me, and I realized that one of the reporters had asked me a question. I smiled and asked her to repeat it.

“You played really well in the last game, and many are hoping that you will perform just as well, if not better, against the Bengals. Do you have any strategies cooked up for this Sunday or will you be treating it like any other game?” she asked.

I scoffed at how ridiculous her question was. “Come on, Ma’am. I’m sure you already figured out by the last game that I am the player keeping this team afloat,” I said, and I felt most of my teammates tense up. I plowed on, ignoring the change in the atmosphere. “In fact, I’m pretty sure that I’m the best player here! So, if you’re asking me what kind of strategy we need to win over the Bengals, that’s easy. Keep giving me the ball. My touchdowns alone are enough to take us all the way to the top.”

The reporter smiled and said thanks, and I leaned back in my seat again, trying to relax. None of my teammates looked at me. Well, screw them. If they were getting pissed off because I told the truth, they should support me and play harder. I closed my eyes, not caring what the reporters thought, and fell asleep.

***

I was benched. Fucking benched!

What the hell was Coach thinking, benching me? The Bengals were leading, and the team wasn’t pulling their weight. They fucking needed me over there!

“Coach, let me in,” I said, and he ignored me. “Coach, come on. They’re getting creamed out there!” I yelled at him.

“You need to learn how to work with the team, West. You can’t win if you play alone. There is no ‘I’ in team,” he said.

“Okay, I get that. I totally understand, Coach. I’m sorry. Now will you send me out?” I asked.

He shook his head. “You have to learn your lesson, West. Besides, even if I did send you out, no one is willing to play with you. And I don’t blame them for thinking that.” He nodded toward the bench, and I stomped back and planted my ass on it, still seething. I probably looked ridiculous – the self-proclaimed best player of the New York Giants warming up the bench. The cameras were probably loving it.

Okay, I admit I’d fucked up earlier when I said those things, but did they really have to go this far? I resigned myself to my fate and closed my eyes, waiting for the game to end.

Damn it, I hoped Charlie wasn’t watching me because I highly doubt she’d find this impressive.

***

Charlie

I wasn’t sure if Parker was mad at me or not, but we didn’t part on good terms after the party. He’d gotten really mad that I’d told Sean my real name, and I didn’t understand why.

“I told you to stay away from him, didn’t I?” Parker hissed at me, holding me so tight against him that it almost hurt.

“I didn’t know it was Sean until he took the mask off. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with getting to know him, right?” I said.

“You seem to have changed your tune after only one dance with him,” he grumbled.

“It’s not just the dance,” I immediately snapped, and we stopped dancing. We just stood there staring at each other until he dropped his hands from my waist and I stepped back.

“Do you still like him?” he asked, and I looked away. It was all the answer he needed, and he sighed. “You have other things to think about than that asshole. Just concentrate on that.”

We didn’t talk about anything else after that, though I didn’t leave his side for the rest of the party.

I stopped looking for my father after a while, and I only managed to spot Ariana talking to some guy in the corner. The guy was cute and smiling a lot, and he looked like he was really interested in her. I felt happy that she was getting along well with someone. I was starting to think that maybe there was hope for us to have a better relationship when, suddenly, her face changed and she ditched the guy in the middle of their conversation. The poor guy looked so confused and hurt. I felt so sorry for him and angry that Ariana could treat someone like that.

My resentment toward Ariana only intensified after the party, because she made it a point to join in on my training sessions and then brag about it during dinner time. Her mother would get this proud little smirk on her face and then ask me in that overly sweet voice of hers, “What about you, Charlotte? Did you learn anything today?” The bitch.

I did notice something, though. Although Ariana excelled in nearly every class I had, she never came to show herself off during my business classes or anything even remotely academic. At first, I figured she just thought she didn’t need to bother showing off in that aspect, but then I realized that whenever Father would pose a question that was related to the business, Ariana would mysteriously clam up, and Wilhelmina would answer.

Tonight’s dinner was no different, and Father posed another question. “Do you have any suggestions on increasing the PR for the new brand?”

I immediately turned toward Ariana, who kept her head down and played with her food. An evil idea popped into my head, and I decided to turn the tables on her for a change.

“Yeah, Ariana. I mean, you’ve been at this longer than I have, so I bet you have something good,” I said innocently.

She glared at me before looking at Father nervously. “Oh, um, yes, well,” she stuttered, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

Father kept looking at her expectantly, while she looked toward her mother a few times, begging for help.

Wilhelmina immediately took the hint, rushing to answer my father’s question. “I think hosting another party would be a splendid idea, considering the amount of success we had from the masquerade. Don’t you think so, dear?”

“Hosting another party costs money. It would only serve to double our expenses, and no profit would come out of it,” I said, surprising everybody with my outburst. I was surprised by what I just said, too, to be honest.

My father got over his initial shock fast and turned toward me. “All right. What do you have in mind, then?” he asked, and I could feel Ariana start to glare a hole in my head.

I kept silent for a moment as I considered my answer. “We had famous celebrities at the last party wearing the designs, so why don’t we hold a semi-fashion show wearing those pieces, and then auction them off to the highest bidder? We wouldn’t be wasting any money reproducing clothes this way, and we can use the fact that their favorite celebrities wore the clothes to generate public interest. We could also tell them that those are limited edition pieces and hold off reproducing the designs until after a couple of months when the line officially hits the stores.”

The three people in the room all had varying reactions. Wilhelmina looked like something unsavory got stuck in her throat, Ariana was crushing the napkin with her hand as she leered at me, and my father had his hand tucked under his chin, contemplative. My hands felt clammy and sweaty as I waited for my father to say something, afraid that maybe I put my foot in my mouth in this one.

Finally, he raised his head. “I think your idea has merit. I shall have my secretary submit the plan to the accounting office and see if we can have it approved at the next meeting.”

I was surprised. Did he really just say he approved of my idea?

“Daddy, you’re kidding, right? Surely, you’re not seriously considering her idea?” Ariana asked.

My father looked calmly at her. “Why not? It’s not like you had any other suggestions,” he said softly, and Ariana looked like she had just been slapped.

We finished the dinner in absolute silence. I hastily made my exit from the room as soon as I could, but I felt someone grab my arm and pull me to the side. I turned to see Ariana, red-faced and breathing heavily in anger.

“What was that stunt you pulled back there? Are you trying to mess with me, huh? Do you think you’re so much better than me?” she snarled.

I scoffed in disbelief and wrenched my arm away from her grasp. “Excuse me, Ariana, but between us, you’re the one who’s competing with me, not the other way around. Besides, why are you so infuriated? Is it because you realized that I’m actually better than you at something?”

Her jaw clenched as I spoke, and I knew I’d finally hit a nerve.

“Listen, Ariana. I’m not competing with you, so if you don’t mind, can you stop trying to prove that you’re better? You’re only showing me just how pathetic you are,” I said.

I turned and walked away from her, feeling both exhausted yet grimly satisfied that I’d finally told her off. Despite that, I still felt slightly disappointed because what I had done would surely drive another wedge between us, but what was done was done.

I just had to wait and see what would happen.

Chapter Ten

Charlie

Something strange just happened. I think my sister was abducted by aliens and replaced with this malfunctioning carbon copy. That’s the only explanation as to why her treatment and attitude toward me had just done a complete one-eighty.

“You want me to do what with you?” I asked, still in disbelief that she’d approached me first and without her arsenal of insults at the ready.

“I’d like to invite you to come with me and my friends. We’re going shopping,” she said.

I blinked rapidly, still not taking her word for it. “What’s the catch?” I asked suspiciously.

“I’m hurt, Charlie. Can’t I ask my older sister for a girl’s night out? Come on, it’ll be fun!” she said, smiling brightly.

I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to see her game, but in the end I shrugged and accepted her invitation. Maybe she was being like this because she finally realized that we shouldn’t be treating each other as adversaries. I thought that this could be a good time for us to bond and get to know each other.

She introduced me to her friends and told me that we were going to shop for dresses to wear to my introduction party. Though I wasn’t really excited about the plan, I went along with it. I mean, I didn’t have anything to wear, so it would be nice to get some input from Ariana and her friends.

We arrived at a small boutique that was exclusively for members, and we were the only ones inside that day because, apparently, you had to make an appointment first. They had a quaint little room where you could sit, eat cake, and drink wine. There was also a round, circular stand where you stood so they could take measurements and stuff. Ariana’s friends went to sit on the couches, and I was about to follow suit when Ariana stopped me.

“Actually, my mother already chose a few dresses for both of us, so why don’t you try them on for size?” Ariana suggested.

“Hmm, I don’t mind, but are you sure you don’t want to go first?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “I’m all right. It’s not a big deal for me. Besides, a couple of those gowns needed to be refitted for you, and I’m sure it’s going to take a while. Now go, shoo!” she said, pushing me toward the fitting rooms.

The attendant showed me the half-made gowns that I had to choose from. I smiled and took one of them, humming. The attendant left me to change, and I looked around, not finding her anywhere. I decided to go back to the room so I could show Ariana the gown when I heard her and her friends laughing. I suddenly felt apprehensive and strained my ears to listen to their conversation.

“Now, now, Ari. Your goody two-shoes act is getting old. You’re really not planning on getting along with that girl, are you?” one of her friends asked.

“Of course, not!” Ariana declared, and I felt a sharp sting in my heart at her reply. “I’ve been the princess in our family for so long. I’m not about to share my title with some commoner,” she said haughtily, making her friends laugh.

“Too true. I mean, did you see how muddy her shoes were?” one of them said.

“And what is up with the tomboy get-up? Please… she looks like a delivery boy,” said the other.

“She can try all she wants to fit into our family, but a maid’s daughter will always be a maid’s daughter,” Ariana said darkly. “Someone like her will never fit in with people like us. She should go back to the outside world, where she belongs.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t continue to listen to all the hurtful things she thought about me. I didn’t want to go back there. I just wanted out. I wanted to leave, so I turned around and ran out of there.

***

Sean

I still couldn’t get over what had happened last night. I never got to play, and when the game was over, none of my teammates wanted to talk to me. Parker was the only one who even remotely acknowledged my existence, but the only thing he did was look at me like he wanted to give me a gruesome death. Even Evan was awkward when I approached him.

“Don’t tell me you’re pissed off at me, too,” I said, and he scratched the back of his head, unable to look me in the eye.

“Well, I’m not part of the team, so I can’t exactly get mad. But you were out of line with what you said during the interview,” he replied.

“I don’t believe this! I was just telling the truth!”

“Sure, you’re scoring all the touchdowns. But all of that wouldn’t have been possible if Parker hadn’t thrown it your way perfectly, or if Daniels and Joe didn’t watch your back and block every player chasing after you,” Evan explained.

I didn’t have a comeback for that, and he sighed and patted me on the shoulder.

“You’re not alone in this, Sean. You’re on a team. It’s about time you played alongside them.”

I had been thinking about what he’d said since then, and I couldn’t take the silence of my apartment, so I went out for a drive. I didn’t have anywhere I wanted to go, but driving with no destination usually calmed me down.

I turned a corner, and my brows furrowed as I spotted something weird on the sidewalk.

A girl wearing a poufy-as-fuck gown walked miserably down the sidewalk. I got curious, so I drove closer and slowed my truck down. My eyebrows shot way up as I realized who it was. I rolled my windows down and called out.

“Hey, Charlie!”

She looked up at me, so startled and cute that I couldn’t help but grin. She blinked twice and tilted her head, looking confused.

“Sean?” she asked, like she couldn’t believe it was actually me in front of her. I chuckled at her reaction.

“Who else? What are you doing dressed up like that?” I asked.

Her eyes widened and she looked down, almost like she didn’t realize what she was wearing, and I immediately felt bothered. What could have happened to her to make her forget something like that?

“Get in,” I couldn’t help myself from saying. I could hear my inner monologue going, ‘Oh really, genius? And then what? Where exactly are you gonna go?’ and I gritted my teeth.

I’ll take her anywhere she wants, as long as she feels better afterward.

“Why would I do that?” she asked, looking at me apprehensively. Jesus, what did she think I was, a serial killer?

“Look, I can’t help it, all right? You’re walking down an empty street, wearing a big ass gown, looking like you’re about to cry. You can’t expect me to leave you alone after that, can you?” I asked her.

She clenched her jaw and picked up her skirt to continue walking. I gritted my teeth and stepped on the gas, keeping pace with her.

“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself,” she said.

I shook my head. “No can do, babe. I’m a fucking gentleman. I can’t abandon a beautiful woman walking all alone and looking like she’s about to cry,” I said.

She crinkled her nose as she looked at me with a ridiculous expression, like she was half-annoyed and half-skeptical. “I told you, I’m fine. What? You’re going to trail after me like this the whole way?”

“If that’s what it takes,” I admitted, and she laughed in disbelief. I peeked at the sky and noticed that the clouds were getting heavy and gray. Knowing she wasn’t going to budge like this, I tried a different approach. “Look, Charlie. It looks like it’s gonna rain. Your dress looks like it’s expensive. You don’t want to damage that, do you?”

Her face paled as she thought about what I said.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing and continued, “I highly doubt you’ll be able to just stick that in the washing machine if it gets caked with mud. Are you sure you don’t want to get inside?”

She bit her lip and gave up, trudging toward the passenger side of my truck and getting inside.

“Now, was that so hard?” I asked.

“Shut up and drive,” she snapped. I chuckled but did as I was told.

We spent a few minutes in silence, and I sneaked glances at her from time to time, catching her staring off into space. Something was really bothering her, and I couldn’t resist.

“Charlie, what happened to you?” I asked softly. She didn’t say anything as she turned her head and stared at me. I was starting to think that she wasn’t going to tell me anything when she finally spoke.

“Have you ever worked so hard to fit in somewhere? And when you were starting to think that everything was going well, you realize that it isn’t?”

I didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, she didn’t wait for me to answer and continued.

“I’ve been trying to belong in a world I wasn’t allowed to be in until recently. At first, I was just repaying the favor asked of me, but over time I think I missed being a part of a family so much since my mother died that I was willing to change everything about myself so they’d take me in.” She sighed and looked down at her hands as she fiddled with a stray thread from her skirt.

“That’s bullshit,” I said, and she looked at me in surprise. “You shouldn’t try to change yourself just so other people approve of you, especially if it’s family. Families stick together no matter what, even if you’re the worst human being on the planet. That’s just how it works!”

I looked at her for a moment before focusing on the road again. She was looking at me like I was a whole other person, and for the life of me, I felt myself blushing. What the fuck am I, a little girl? I shook my head and continued my tirade.

“If they can’t love you for who you really are, then you shouldn’t stick around with them. It’s their loss if they can’t see how great you are,” I said.

There were a few minutes of silence between us again, and then I heard her snort. I looked at her in disbelief, and her shoulders shook as she covered her mouth with her hands, trying to control herself from laughing out loud.

I raised an eyebrow at her. “What the fuck is so funny?” I asked, annoyed.

I can’t believe the first time I ever dish out advice to a girl, she fucking laughs at me. What the hell? That was some grade-A shit I gave out, not a punch line!

“Jesus, see if I tell you anything again,” I grumbled.

“No, no. I’m sorry,” she said, but saying that while wiping a tear from her eye as she continued to laugh didn’t sound like a sincere apology. “It’s just that…” she said, trailing off.

“Just what?” I grunted.

“I just didn’t expect those words to come from you,” she admitted.

“Hey, I may be a jock, but I’ve got a well-oiled brain, you know,” I cried, and she smiled wider.

“I know, I’m sorry again for laughing.” Her smile shrunk into a little grin as she stared off into nothing. “But thank you. What you said made a lot of sense.”

I scoffed once more. “Of course, I do,” I said confidently.

She shook her head at me. “Arrogant, are we? Tsk-tsk,” she tutted. “No wonder your teammates hate you.”

I winced. “You… you saw that?”

“Of course, I did. I’ve been following the Giants ever since Parker got drafted,” she revealed, and my heart sank. She’s watching because of Parker?

“You like Parker?” I asked. I trapped myself with that question, like I intentionally sliced myself in half. A part of me wanted to know if she liked him that way and if I had a chance or not. And then there was a part of me that didn’t want to know – the part that wanted to believe that I had a chance, regardless.

She nodded, and I closed my eyes as I felt my chest start to ache. “We’ve known each other since we were kids, so, of course, I like him. He’s the greatest friend I’ve ever had.”

My eyes snapped open at her answer, and the pain in my chest suddenly vanished, replaced with the lightest feeling I’ve ever experienced. I was so… relieved. Parker was in the friend zone. Thank you, God.

“But back to the topic, you should really work on taking your ego down a notch, Sean,” she said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked at her, completely baffled, and she sighed. “You’re never going to get along with your team if you don’t change how you treat them. Not everything is about you.”

I chuckled as I considered the things she said, and she looked offended.

“I just find it funny how we both ended up giving each other advice, and the advice we gave is the opposite of the other,” I said, and she tilted her head as she thought about it as well. “I’m telling you not to change, and you’re telling me I have to. Isn’t it hilarious?” I asked, and she giggled, the sound playing on repeat in my ears.

“Yeah. I guess it takes another person to act as your reflection to realize what you should’ve been doing all along, huh?” she said.

We smiled at each other before quickly looking away in embarrassment. The sun was starting to set, and I coughed to cover up the sound of my stomach grumbling.

“So, Charlie. Can you give me your address now so I can take you home? Because I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this is the third time we’ve passed this street, and I really don’t want to circle this block again,” I joked, and she laughed.

“Fine. I’ll show you where to go,” she said, and I smiled.

I realized this was the third time we’d spoken to each other, but the first where we’d had a normal conversation. Actually, it was the first time I’d ever talked to a girl just for the sake of talking to her.

Chapter Eleven

Charlie

Sean took me all the way to the mansion, and I never expected to feel so close to someone that quickly. The whole ride had zero awkwardness, and Sean was so carefree and so easy to talk to that it wasn’t hard at all to be myself.

I got the feeling that he was trying to distract me from my problem, and for that I was grateful, because I knew he was going through something as well, and yet here he was, trying to cheer me up.

It made me feel warm inside, and I hoped that my heart wasn’t beating as loud as I thought it was, lest he hear it. I felt that my long-time crush for him was growing into something much deeper and more meaningful now that I was finally getting to know him personally.

I’d lied to him about only watching football because of Parker. Sure, it may have started that way, but ever since I saw him play, I’d been following both of their careers like a hawk.

Parker was the reason I started, but it was Sean who became my reason to stay.

We reached the gate, and I felt disappointed that this little bubble that we’d put ourselves into was nearing its end. He stopped the car but didn’t do anything else, and a bit of hope burst inside me that maybe he didn’t want this moment to end either. But alas…

I sighed and smiled sadly at him, and he stared at me.

“Thanks for this,” I said, waving my hand around.

He nodded, unbuckled his seat belt, and got out of the truck. I watched him jog to the other side and open the door for me. He held out his hand, and I smiled and took it, taking a step out of his truck.

My clumsy personality decided to make its appearance as I stepped on the ground wrong, resulting in the stiletto of my shoe snapping off and me losing my balance. I closed my eyes as I waited for my face to make its impact on the ground, but instead his two strong hands grabbed me by my arms and stopped my descent. I placed my hands on his chest to support me as he held me upright, removing his hands from my arms and placing them on my hips.

I raised my head so I could thank him properly, and I was shocked that we were so close to each other. His hold on me tightened as we continued to stare into each other’s eyes, and slowly, he lowered his face, his lips getting closer and closer to mine. I closed my eyes, feeling my heart beat loudly, and I clung tighter to his shirt, rising on the tips of my toes.

I yelped as I was yanked backward and out of Sean’s arms. I spun around and hit someone’s chest, and my eyes widened as I stared at Parker’s grim face.

“Parker, what?” I stuttered.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, his eyes glaring at Sean suspiciously. I turned to look at Sean, who had one eyebrow raised as he stared back at Parker.

“Parker, calm down. Sean just took me home,” I answered, pushing against him lightly. He tightened his arm around me for a moment before letting me go, not taking his eyes off Sean.

I looked back and forth between them, waiting for them to end this testosterone-filled, pseudo-staring contest to prove which one was the alpha male before sighing at the ridiculousness. I shook my head.

“Look, if you want to see who blinks first, be my guest, but I am going inside. My feet hurt like hell. Later, guys,” I said, turning away from them and giving them a wave of my hand without looking back.

***

Sean

I seriously did not get this guy and his need for ruining the best moments in my life. He’s butted in so many times, I was starting to think he’d turned it into either a hobby or an art form.

He was probably enjoying cutting me off, too. The bastard.

“I told you, didn’t I?” he snarled. “Stay away from her.”

“She’s not your property, Parker. She can hang out with whomever she wants. Your panties are only in a twist because she wants to hang out with me,” I said, and he took a step toward me. I did the same until a bright light shined in our direction, and I shielded my eyes to stop it from blinding me.

I strained my eyes to see where the light was coming from and could make out a car. It turned off its headlights and a man in a crisp business suit got out, his eyes the exact same shade of green as Charlie’s.

I didn’t need to be a genius to know who this guy was. It was Charlie’s dad. He looked at me first before turning his gaze to Parker, who straightened himself to his full height. Seriously? The guy saw me first before turning to you. Any attempt at making yourself look better is futile, since he’s already seen the better-looking man.

“Parker, right?” Charlie’s dad asked, and he nodded.

“Yes, sir,” he replied. Charlie’s dad nodded and turned back to look at me, and I puffed my chest a little in response. “And who are you? A friend of Charlotte’s as well?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Yes, sir. My name is Sean. I just took her home,” I answered.

“From your date?” he asked once more, and I could detect a hint of edge in his voice when he said that. I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep myself from smiling. I didn’t mind him thinking that at all, but Charlie’s dad didn’t look like he’d be too pleased to know that when he didn’t even know who I was.

I shook my head. “No, sir. I saw her walking while I drove by, so I offered her a ride. I didn’t want her to get rained on,” I explained, and the tension in his face disappeared as he nodded.

“Well, since both of you are already here, would you like to come inside? You can stay for dinner,” he offered. I was about to accept when Parker intervened.

“No, sir. We wouldn’t want to intrude,” Parker said.

“It’s fine. I’d also like to get to know my daughter’s friends better. I insist,” Charlie’s dad said before walking toward the house. Parker and I looked at each other before following suit, and I whistled low as I looked at how fancy their home was.

We followed Charlie’s dad – who told us to call him Nicholas – to the dining room, and after the food was served, Nicholas immediately started interrogating us. He wanted to know everything – like how we first met Charlie (a fact that I had to work my brain into keeping as vague as possible, because I couldn’t exactly tell him I almost killed his daughter with my truck), what we did for a living (professional football players), and funny enough, what our intentions were toward his daughter. I felt like Parker and I were in a job interview, to be honest, and only one of us was going to pass through to the next stage of winning Charlie’s heart.

I made sure to let Nicholas know how good I was in my chosen career, how I had won the MVP award, and everything else I could think of to impress him. Parker didn’t say much, but when he did, he was all, “I owe it all to the team’s efforts,” or something like that.

When we finished eating and it was time for us to go, Nicholas walked us out. I waited with bated breath for him to say anything else, like a clue if he approved of me going out with his daughter or something like that, when he suddenly stopped walking. Parker and I stopped and snuck a glance at each other before waiting for Nicholas to speak.

“I forgot to tell you two about the party we will be having next week. We will be formally introducing Charlotte as part of the Jameson clan, and seeing as you are the closest friends my daughter has, I’d be very happy if you came,” he invited, and I smiled widely.

“Of course. I’d be happy to, sir,” I replied, and he nodded at me, smiling slightly. He turned to Parker next, who nodded.

“I wouldn’t miss it, sir. Thank you,” Parker said.

“That’s good, then. Since you will be going, Parker, might I ask you one more favor?” he said, and Parker nodded, looking confused.

“Would you be Charlotte’s escort?”

Chapter Twelve

Charlie

I was holding on to my dog’s leash as he hurried down the stairs, excited for his walk when I spotted my father talking to Sean and Parker outside. He clapped Parker’s shoulder and smiled at Sean before making his way back to the house.

I opened the door for him, and he looked surprised for a second before giving me a kind smile.

“Yes, Charlotte, what is it?” he asked. I still wasn’t used to him calling me by my real name.

“Uh, what were you doing talking with Parker and Sean?” I asked.

“Is it wrong for a father to want to get to know his daughter’s suitors?” he asked innocently, and I couldn’t help but laugh at him.

“Oh, yeah? I’m surprised you didn’t bring a shotgun to your conversation,” I humored him.

“Sadly, I don’t have any firearms in the house. Do you think I should invest in one?” he asked me, his face totally serious.

“Okay, joke’s over, Dad,” I said, and my eyes widened as I realized what I’d just called him. He was equally surprised, and then he smiled brightly. I scratched the back of my head, feeling embarrassed.

“I asked your friend Parker to be your escort for next week,” he said, and I looked at him weirdly.

“Do I need to have an escort?” I asked.

“Not really, but I like him for you. He’s a lot humbler than your other friend,” he said, and I slapped my hand to my forehead. Sean had probably put his foot in his mouth and started bragging about himself again.

I opened the door and saw Sean still standing outside, Parker nowhere to be found. I said goodbye to my father and ran out with my dog, chasing after Sean.

“Hey, Sean!” I called, and he turned his head toward me, his eyes widening in surprise. “What are you doing?” I asked, and he shrugged.

“Nothing. I was just about to leave. What about you?” I raised the leash in answer, and he looked down and smiled at the dog who happily rubbed its face in Sean’s legs. “Remember him?”

“How could I forget?” Sean replied, crouching down and giving my dog some love. I laughed at how silly they looked and sat down on the ground beside them.

“I heard my dad talked to you and Parker earlier. How did that go?” I asked him.

Sean faltered a little, but quickly resumed rubbing my dog’s ears. “It was all right,” he said softly. I raised my eyebrows at him, and he sighed. “I mean, I thought it went well until your dad asked Parker to be your date to the party instead of me,” he admitted.

“Dad said he only chose Parker because he was humbler than you,” I told him, and Sean closed his eyes, like he was expecting that answer. “Maybe this is the time for you to consider dialing down that ego meter? I mean, I know that underneath all that bravado you’re a really great guy. And that person does not need you to brag about himself.”

“I guess I’ll try,” he mumbled. “What’s his name?” he asked, scratching my dog’s belly now.

I wrinkled my nose in response. “Nothing yet. I’m having a hard time thinking of a name for him. Got any ideas? I’m open to suggestions.”

“Hmm,” he said, getting back on his feet as he pondered my question. “What about Dash? After all, he’s a big, speedy monster who escaped becoming a decoration for my fender,” Sean joked, and I giggled and nodded.

“Dash, huh? Do you like that name, sweetie?” I asked, looking down at the Labrador, and he wagged his tail happily, making Sean and I both smile in delight. “Well, he seems to like that,” I said, and Sean nodded.

He looked at his watch and sighed. “I gotta go, Charlie. I’m sorry.”

I shook my head. “Nothing to be sorry for. Just go before I change my mind,” I said, getting back up as well. He bent his head down and kissed my cheek before whispering goodnight. I watched him walk back to his car and drive off before pulling on my newly-christened dog, Dash, for a walk.

I touched my cheek where Sean kissed me, and I felt myself blush because of it. I was acting like a giddy little school girl, with my heart beating fast and loud and my face red as a tomato, but I couldn’t help myself. Sean was going to give me a heart attack, I just knew it.

***

A week had passed and it was finally the night where I was to be formally introduced as Charlotte Jameson, the eldest daughter of Nicholas Jameson and an heiress of the Jameson Company.

I had done the best I could the past few weeks, training and learning all the ins and outs of running the business. Despite still having that nagging feeling that I was nowhere near ready for this, I comforted myself in the fact that I had given it my all.

Ariana and I had not spoken with each other since I left her and her friends at the shop after I heard her say all those things about me, but I didn’t care anymore. Keeping what Sean told me in mind, I wasn’t going to try and make her like me anymore. If she wanted to be petty and rude to me, then fine, but I would not stoop to her level.

I looked at my reflection once more, amazed at how my maids could turn me into a princess yet again. My hair was in a braided up-do tucked into a bun. I was wearing a red A-line gown that kept my shoulders bare and white lace gloves that reached my elbows. As a final touch, I picked up the golden locket Dad had given me to wear, telling me that he had it made especially for me. To be honest, I was equal parts happy and surprised he was making an effort to reach out to me, or even get to know me at least. It made me realize that maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on him and give him a chance to get to know me.

I pushed the secret button on the locket, and my eyes teared up as it opened, and I saw a picture of him and my late mother on either side of it. It warmed my heart to know that even after all this time, and even when he was married to someone else, my father still had a special place in his heart reserved for my mom.

“Ms. Charlie?” Sarah’s voice dragged me out of my reverie and I smiled at her. “It’s time. The car is waiting.”

I nodded and finished putting the necklace on, placing the locket at the center of my chest, right where my heart was.

Once again, my dad and his family went ahead of me, only this time, Dad promised that he’d meet me there. Parker would also be waiting for me.

I wondered if Sean would be there, and I bit the inside of my lip to quell my excitement. We’d been talking more and more since that day, but whenever I asked him about the party, he’d clam up and talk about something else. I wish he’d tell me if he was coming or not.

My heart started beating fast just from thinking about him. I doubted it would stop being this way for a long while. My longtime crush on Sean West had evolved into something more, that much I was certain. And I made a promise to myself that if I saw him at the party, I was finally going to tell him how I felt about him.

Do I have a seventy-five percent chance? Absolutely. I have a seventy-five percent chance of getting rejected. But love was when you were willing to accept that you might get hurt in the process, right? So, I would take this as only the beginning of my pain and misery.

Oh, God. It sounded so bad when I put it that way.

What I did know was that I wanted Sean to know how I feel. I’d deal with whatever came from his reaction later. At least for now, I was comforted by the thought that if my heart did get broken, I had someone to fall back on and cry to, and that was my father.

***

Sean

I was nervous. I think I’d done something terribly wrong, but it was too late to take it back now.

When I drove out of Charlie’s place that night, I passed by her sister, Ariana, who was out walking with her friends. She saw me get out, and then the day after that, I received a call I didn’t expect to get.

My cellphone rang for the third time and I swore out loud, removing my hand from my pants. I took my phone out of my stand and answered, not bothering to check who it was.

“What?” I yelled.

“My goodness. Is that how football players say ‘hello’?” a feminine voice asked from the other end of the line.

My bravado disappeared and was replaced with confusion as I had no clue who the hell this chick was.

“Who is this?” I asked, feeling a little apprehensive about the call now. I hoped this wasn’t one of those women I slept with and wanted to trap me into marrying them or some shit like that. I’ve got my lawyer on speed dial for such cases, and I really don’t like pulling the paternity test card on these women.

“This is Ariana Jameson. I’m sure you’ve heard of me,” she said confidently, and my eyebrows shot way up from the high level of confidence this girl had. She could probably give me a run for my money.

Deciding to mess with her a little, I feigned ignorance. “Ariana? I know the singer, but a Jameson? Hmm… doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Well, I suppose that’s understandable, since I doubt you engage yourself in more sophisticated interests,” she responded, and I shook my head. This girl was way in over her head, and I really had no clue what Evan saw in her.

“Now that you’ve gotten around to insulting me, is there any point in this phone call? Or can I hang up now?” I asked.

“I’d like to make a proposition to you,” she said, and I tensed up, wondering where she was going with this. “My father has mentioned that he has asked Charlotte’s friend to be her escort, and I would like to ask you to come as mine.”

“Excuse me? And why would I do that?” I asked.

“To make her jealous, of course. Don’t you think this is the perfect opportunity to know how she really feels for you?”

I shook my head as I recalled how I stupidly agreed to Ariana’s master plan to get Charlie to notice me by making her jealous. I thought it was a brilliant idea. But then, after thinking it over some more, I realized that there were a lot more cons to this than it was worth. First was that Charlie might not become jealous of us at all, and then my heart would be crushed. Second was that I felt like I’d broken the golden rule for bros, and Evan was going to kick my ass once he found out that I went with Ariana even when he’d called dibs on her.

Ugh… I was pathetic.

I’d picked her up from their house earlier, and a part of me was glad that I didn’t see Charlie there. I wouldn’t have known what to do if she had caught me picking her sister up, so we left as soon as Ariana came down.

When we arrived at the party, her parents came to greet us, and they told me that Charlie was still on her way, so I immediately left Ariana’s side to look for some food. I didn’t want to be with her any longer than I had to.

Half an hour later, the floor was filled with people dancing and having fun. I left our table and walked toward the exit to get some fresh air when I heard the emcee’s voice through the speakers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we will now be introducing you to the reason we are all gathered here today. Someone very dear to our hosts was once lost. But now, she has finally emerged and accepted her place in the family. Let us all welcome the newest addition to the Jameson clan, Ms. Charlotte Harris-Jameson!” The emcee raised her hand toward the stairs, and my heart thudded loudly in my chest as I slowly turned around and looked up.

She was so beautiful.

She smiled nervously as she came down the stairs, her hands holding her skirt up so it didn’t cause her to trip. Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks were flushed. Then she turned those green eyes of hers in my direction and smiled at me.

My heart stopped. I slowly raised my hand toward her as she got closer and closer, my ears ringing with every beat of my heart. She extended her hand, I reached for her…

…and someone else’s hand wrapped around her fingers.

I turned my head and watched as Parker pulled Charlie close, leaving me hanging. The spotlight shined on them, effectively leaving me and my heart in the shadows.

Chapter Thirteen

Charlie

If Parker hadn’t reached out and taken my hand, I wouldn’t have woken up from my fantasy and remembered that he was my date, not Sean. I turned my head to smile apologetically at Sean, but his face went taut and shadowy like he was a whole other person.

Parker walked with me to the stage where I gave a simple speech about being grateful to everyone who came, a brief introduction about myself, and finally, that I would be helping my family with the business. My Dad, Wilhelmina, and Ariana came up beside me for some pictures, and then the party resumed as the staff fixed the stage to get ready for the auction.

I saw Parker coming toward me, and I smiled.

“Hey, stranger,” I whispered, and he gave me a crooked smile.

“Hey, yourself,” he replied. He dropped his smile and looked at me with a serious expression. “Charlie, I need to–”

“There you are, Charlie!” I winced at my sister’s voice, turning to face her. My eyes widened in surprise as I saw her wrap her arm around Sean’s. I furrowed my brows at him, but he refused to look at me. Ariana pushed her chest closer to his arm, and I felt a surge of anger and jealousy toward her. “I hope you don’t mind if I steal him away. I mean, after all, you got the quarterback,” she said, sounding way too innocent and suspicious.

Parker took my hand, and I saw Sean’s face darken, looking at our joined hands. I moved to pull my hand away, but Parker wouldn’t let go, and then Sean shocked me by wrapping his arm around Ariana’s shoulders, pulling her closer to him but never taking his eyes from me.

“This party is boring. We’re gonna split,” Sean said.

“Oh, don’t worry. I got that covered,” Ariana replied before pulling out an electronic card from her purse. My heart sank as I realized what that meant.

“Sean, no,” I gasped, and for a moment, his face turned sorrowful before switching back to a dull stare.

He turned around and pulled Ariana alongside him, and I couldn’t watch them walk away anymore, so I did the only thing I could think of as the tears fell from my face.

I ran away.

***

Sean

Man, I’m racking up my sins tonight, huh?

The look on Charlie’s face, seeing her completely crushed as she saw that key card…

Even if my objective for agreeing to go with Ariana’s plan was met, and I now know that Charlie cares about me a lot, I don’t think it was worth it anymore. Hell, I never thought it was worth it, but my stupid self didn’t listen.

Ariana tapped the key card on the lock and it opened automatically. She gave me a suggestive smirk before opening the door and walking directly toward the bed. I followed her inside and stopped by the edge of the mattress, her feet grazing my thigh. She bit her lip as she raised her foot higher until it brushed against my crotch.

“Well? Aren’t you going to join me?” she asked, her voice low and sultry as her eyes fluttered.

I lowered my body over hers, keeping my head mere centimeters away from hers, and opened my mouth.

“No.”

The shocked look on her face was priceless. I got back up and hurried out of there, ignoring Ariana as she called me back. She was not the woman I wanted to be with; no other girl would do. And I’d just realized that now.

I was so hung up over this one girl that I never understood what I was really feeling for her. As much as I knew it made me sound like a girl to say it, I’d realized that I was in love with Charlie Jameson. And I needed to tell her before someone else managed to steal her away from me.

I made my way back to the party, running like I’ve never ran before. I asked around whether they’d seen her or not, and someone told me that he saw her running toward the veranda. I thanked him and ran over there, thinking about what I was going to say once I got there, thinking of the best way to tell her that…

…I stopped in my tracks. My heart shattered as I witnessed the scene before me.

I was too late.

***

Charlie

I couldn’t stop swiping at my eyes as the tears continued to fall. I also couldn’t believe that I let myself fall for someone as cruel-hearted as Sean West.

I felt a hand rub my back comfortingly, and I continued to sob, knowing that it was my best friend.

“Charlie…” Parker trailed off, but I could hear his pity in that single word.

“I know,” I said. “You don’t have to say, ‘I told you so.’ I’m the idiot who didn’t take your word for it and ended up falling in love with a guy who’s incapable of the feeling.”

He shook his head lightly. “It’s his loss, Charlie. You shouldn’t cry over him. Guys like him don’t deserve it.” He held me by my shoulders and turned me to face him. “You need a guy who can love you the way you deserve. A guy who listens to you. Charlie, please let me be that guy.”

I looked at him, confused. “I don’t understand.”

“Let me show you then,” he said, before taking me by the chin and giving me a soft kiss.

I could feel his lips were soft and tasted like wine. I could tell his kiss was gentle and innocent. I felt… absolutely nothing.

He probably realized it, too, because he pulled away as soon as the kiss began, and then I heard a twig snapping. I turned toward the sound and saw Sean standing there, looking at us, a shocked look on his face.

“Sean, I–” I tried to call him, but he hung his head down and walked away.

Chapter Fourteen

Sean

I hadn’t spoken to Charlie in a while, but that didn’t stop me from thinking about her when I was awake or dreaming about her once I closed my eyes.

I’d been working on my attitude a little, not because I thought it would help me with Charlie – I knew it was too late for that – but because she had a point. I was a cocky son of a bitch, and if I was on the receiving end of my own spiels, I’d have socked me in the face, too.

I apologized to all my teammates and told them I was trying to tone my confidence down, and they all looked at me like I was from another planet at first. But gradually they saw that I was serious and accepted me back into the group.

Parker wasn’t at practice the day after the party, but when he came back, I still couldn’t bring myself to talk to him or congratulate him for getting the girl. I said I was trying to become a good person, not a saint.

“Okay, dude. Enough already. When will you get back to normal?” Evan asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. The humble Sean is great, too, but you don’t sleep, you barely eat. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

I shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Bullshit,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. “How’s everything with Charlie?” he asked.

I froze at the mention of her name and he smirked, hitting the target.

“Nothing is going on with Charlie,” I said. He looked at me and waited until I finally cracked and sighed. “I saw Parker kiss her at the party. It’s over. He won. He got the girl.”

“See, I don’t believe that. If Parker and Charlie are together, then why does Parker look like shit, the same way you do?” Evan asked, and I looked at him in confusion. “Actually, he looks worse than you. Don’t you think he’d be fucking ecstatic if you were right?”

He had a point there.

“Look, man, you and Charlie probably got off to a rocky start, but she’s brought out the best of you, and now that you’re turning into an even better version of yourself, it is the perfect time to man up and tell her you love her!” he exclaimed.

“I never said I loved her,” I said, and he glared at me.

“Lie to me one more time, and I swear to God, I will clock you,” he said menacingly and I chuckled. “So, what the fuck are you waiting for? Call her!”

***

Charlie

I knocked on my dad’s study, still feeling a little awkward despite our growing closeness with one another. The door opened and although he looked surprised to see me, he waved me in, and I stood in front of his desk.

“What’s the matter, Charlotte?” he asked. I still couldn’t get him to call me ‘Charlie’ no matter how many times I tried.

“I just want to say two things,” I started, and he sat on his chair and waited patiently for me to continue. “I want to stop with the training lessons. Obviously, no matter how hard I try to be different, I’ll always have that ‘peasant’ vibe that Ariana’s always going on about. I can’t change me, and I refuse to try anymore. Ariana can have the title for being little Ms. Perfect. I don’t care. If I’m going to be a part of this family, then I’d like you to accept me for me, one hundred percent.”

“I never wanted you to change, Charlotte,” he said. “I just wanted to give you another kind of skillset so you can know how to deal with people you will commonly be in contact with, living in a world like ours.”

“So, all that training wasn’t to change me, but to upgrade me?” I asked, and he shook his head, chuckling.

“That is exactly the brand of humor and sensibility that I loved about your mother. It really is uncanny how much you two are alike,” he said, and I was surprised because this was the first time he had ever brought her up. “Charlotte, what I want you to understand is that I will never pressure you into doing anything you wouldn’t want to do. I only want to start becoming a father to the daughter who had it long overdue.”

I got teary-eyed from his explanation, so I looked up, trying not to cry.

“What was the other thing you wanted me to know?” he asked.

“Huh? Oh, I just… I just wanted to tell you I love you, that’s all,” I admitted, and my dad smiled.

After talking with my dad, I left his study to look for my next target. Fortunately, I saw her come out of the next room and glare at me before walking away.

“Ariana, wait!” I cried, catching up to her.

“What do you want?” she grumbled.

“I want us to stop competing with each other. I don’t even remember how this started, or why it even began, but I want it to be over,” I told her.

“If you didn’t want this to happen, then you shouldn’t have accepted Dad’s offer for you to live here! He already cares about you more than me, why should you get to live in my world, too?!” she cried out, and I blinked.

“He doesn’t. What are you talking about?” I asked.

“I know that Dad loved your mother more than he does mine. I went to his office once, and I found a picture of her on his desk, right next to a picture of me. At first, I was okay with it, because at least I knew my dad loved me as much as her, but when I opened one of his desk drawers and I found not just one, but probably hundreds of pictures of you from different ages inside, I knew that he cared about you more than he does me.”

“That’s not true, Ariana. I’m sure there’s a valid explanation for all of that, but that’s something you have to discuss with Dad, and not take your frustrations out on me. I never did anything wrong to you, and I’m sorry you feel that way. But I am telling you, the only thing I want from this family is to be accepted, and that’s what I’m asking from you now,” I said, my eyes begging for her to understand.

She was quiet for a few moments before she clenched her fists and nodded. “Fine. I’m sorry for how badly I treated you. I should’ve discussed things with you civilly, and made my sentiments known to our father instead of getting mad at you, and I apologize,” she said formally while looking anywhere but at me.

I nodded, smiling a little at how awkward she was.

“And I’m sorry about asking Sean out. He left me before we did anything, so don’t worry about it,” she said, before strutting off toward Dad’s office.

I stood there thinking about what Ariana said about Sean leaving her at her hotel room. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but maybe…

I fished my phone out of my pocket and called the only person who could set it straight.

“Sean? It’s Charlie. We need to talk.

***

Sean

We need to talk.

Those are the four most hateful words in the English language, in my opinion. They’re always the opening line to a bad breakup, a death, or just about any bad news you can tell a person. It made me wonder what Charlie was going to tell me that would prompt her to use those four words.

I couldn’t fucking wait to be disappointed.

We agreed to meet up at the coffee shop near my place, the main reason being that if she was going to wreck my heart, it would only be a short crawl back to my apartment.

She was already waiting for me when I got there, her hair tied up in a nice little bun as she sipped on her cup. She saw me enter the shop and waved me over, like she thought I didn’t see her or something. I walked over and sat down across from her before picking up the little menu.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked, not bothering to beat around the bush. I’d rather she rip off the Band-Aid with one go than pick it off slowly.

“Two things,” she said, raising two fingers at me. “First, why did you go with Ariana?”

“She needed a date, and I said yes. Nothing more,” I told her.

“But you went to her hotel afterward. Why would you do that?”

I raised my eyebrows at her. “What do you think?”

Hurt flashed into her eyes, and I felt guilt creeping up my chest. I couldn’t help but be cruel to her right now, knowing she was going to hurt me anyway. I put the menu down and stood up. “Look, it’s been fun. But if we don’t have anything else to talk about–”

“Ariana told me nothing happened between you two,” she blurted out, and I fell back to my seat, scowling. “Why did you stop it?”

“You really want to rub it in my face? Fine. I like you. I fucking like you a lot. I couldn’t do it with your sister because I knew that would hurt you. So, I stopped it. Happy? Now, since you’ve already gotten what you came for, you should probably run off to your precious quarterback and hump him sideways till Monday while I go beat the shit out of myself back in my apartment for letting you fucking trample all over me,” I said before stomping my way out of there.

“Parker and I aren’t together,” she cried, and I froze. Of all the things she could tell me, I was not expecting her to say that. I turned to face her in disbelief, and she continued. “That kiss you saw the other night. It was nothing. Well, it meant something to him, of course, but I’ve set him straight. Parker and I aren’t dating,” she explained.

I coughed a bit and tried to play it cool.

“And you’re telling me this because…?” I asked, swallowing.

“Because I fucking like you, too, you idiot,” she said.

It was all the answer I needed. I crossed the space between us and pulled her toward my body, engulfing her lips in a kiss I’d been dying to give her.

Chapter Fifteen

Sean

Instead of crawling back to my apartment alone, I ran back home, dragging Charlie with me. The sweet taste of her lips made my blood run hot, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

As soon as we entered my place, Charlie pulled my head toward hers and gave me a deep kiss, sending my senses into overdrive. I wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her close to me, her body hugging mine in all the right places as I placed my other hand under her chin and angled her head as I gave her what she wanted.

We slowly made our progress to my bedroom, our hands traveling over each other’s bodies and touching through our clothes. She caught the buttons of my shirt and started to remove them, and my hands slowly went down to her hip and found the hem of her shirt. I pulled my mouth away from hers as I pushed her shirt up and over her head, making her raise her arms up to help me. Her black-laced bra covering her supple breasts was sexy as hell, and my hands ached to grab her. She surprised the hell out of me by taking my hands with hers and putting them on top of her breasts.

“Don’t stop and keep touching me,” she ordered, and my pants felt tighter as my dick grew hard from her command.

“Yes, ma’am,” I growled, and I squeezed her breasts through her bra, making her moan. That sultry sound she made shot straight to my dick, and I wanted to hear it more. I pushed my fingers underneath her bra, feeling her skin and tweaking her nipples. Her legs almost gave out. She caught her balance and was able to undo the last button of my shirt.

We continued to pull each other’s clothes off as I navigated her to my bedroom, and when she was near my bed, I pushed her back so she fell on top of it. I quickly crawled on top of her and started kissing her neck, licking a trail from her shoulder blades to the side of her jaw and to the spot behind her ear, making her gasp.

I tensed up as her fingers brushed against my right side, tracing the words I had tattooed there.

“What do these words mean?” she whispered.

“To strive and persevere,” I whispered back.

I didn’t want to explain the reason I had them on me, even though her eyes told me she was dying to know. I distracted her instead by cupping her between her legs and rubbing my fingers at the center where I knew her clit would be. She cried out, placing her hands on my arms and raising her hips, pressing my hand closer.

I bit my lip and unbuttoned her jeans so she could slide them down her hips. I pulled them off all the way, and I groaned at the sight of her black-laced panties.

“Were you expecting this to happen?” I asked her, my voice sounding raspy as I was slowly overcome with the need to take her.

She fluttered her eyelashes and bit her lip as she drew circles on her stomach with the tip of her forefinger, going lower and lower until it was brushing against the top of her panties.

“I was hoping for it,” she admitted, her voice low and seductive, and I growled once more. I stood up on the edge of the bed and took my jeans off, smirking as I saw her eyes widen while she stared at my cock.

I crawled over her once again, licking my lips as she hurriedly unhooked her bra and threw it across the room. I pushed her back down on the mattress as I kissed her, forcing my tongue inside her mouth and sliding it on top of hers. She kissed back, and our tongues battled for dominance as our hands continued to explore every inch of each other’s skin, my fingertips tingling from how smooth and supple hers was.

I give her one last kiss on her lips before moving downward to explore her body more thoroughly with my mouth, my tongue tracing the valley between her breasts before sucking on her nipples hard, forcing her to arch her back from the pleasure. I bit the nub softly before soothing it with my tongue, swirling it around the areola while I caressed the other with my hand. I switched my mouth’s attention to her other breast, and my ears started ringing from those sexy noises she was making again. I swear I could feel my cock getting harder than ever, begging to get inside her sweet body and give her the ride of her life.

I couldn’t handle it anymore. I needed to be inside that wet heat, like yesterday.

I crawled over her body so I could reach my bedside drawer. I took out one of the packets and tore it off with my teeth. I was about to suit up when she took it from me. I opened my mouth to ask what she was going to do with it when she grabbed my cock suddenly and I hissed. She put the condom on me and then lowered herself back to the mattress.

She kept surprising me with the sudden bouts of control, but I’d be damned if I didn’t like it.

I put myself over her and positioned my dick right outside of her entrance, slapping her hand away as she tried to grab my dick again so she could push it inside her, and I chuckled as she glared at me for it.

“Stop teasing and fuck me already,” she demanded, and I growled and pounced on her, thrusting into her with one quick stroke, making us both shake in pleasure.

I plunged my dick inside of her slowly, loving the feeling of her walls clenching tighter and tighter around me like a well-fit glove. She rolled her hips, and I buried myself deeper in response before increasing my pace.

She held onto me for dear life as I pounded into her, her nails digging into my back as she struggled for purchase. Her hips rose to meet mine thrust for thrust, and I growled as I felt her start undulating around my cock.

Her moans grew louder and louder with every move, and I could tell she was getting close. I dropped my hand toward her clit and started rubbing ferociously, making her cry out. She held onto me tightly as she let go, her mouth searching for mine, and when she finally found it, she bit on my lip so hard it started drawing blood. The sting from her bite only made me wild with need, and I abandoned my pace, bucking into her wildly as I chased after that very same high she was coming down from. I could feel her start to undulate again and then finally, we came together.

I collapsed on top of her, totally spent from that hot, wild ride I had been dreaming about for so long. Her warm body felt comfortable underneath mine, and I was tempted to just stay like this, but I knew that Charlie wouldn’t be able to breathe. I moved off her and to one side of the bed. She turned and immediately curled herself to my side, and I wrapped my arm around her.

My eyelids wouldn’t stay up, and the last thing I felt before I fell asleep was Charlie’s lips brushing against my cheek.

The next day, I had looked forward to waking up with Charlie still in my bed, ready and willing for another round, but when I reached for her and came up with nothing, I opened my eyes and saw that she wasn’t there anymore. Immediately, my heart sank. This was the first time a woman had screwed and left me. I hadn’t realized how much it hurt until now.

I got up from my bed and walked around my apartment to look for her, or at least anything to prove to myself that what happened was real and not just a fantasy. All I found, however, was a white paper pinned under my phone on the desk.

She told me she had to go early and that she wished me good luck today. I frowned because I didn’t know what she was wishing me good luck for. I couldn’t remember anything—

I suddenly realized what she meant, and I looked at the clock frantically. Holy shit, I’m gonna be late for pregame again! Why didn’t she fucking wake me up?!

***

Charlie

I giggled to myself as I imagined how Sean must be running around in his apartment to get ready. I didn’t want to wake him up because I didn’t want him to think I was overstepping his boundaries or anything.

I did leave him a note, though. You know, just in case he woke up looking for me, which I highly doubted.

I took a cab to the stadium, and I whistled low at the large turnout. I checked the field to see if Parker was already there, but he wasn’t, so I called him. He picked up immediately.

“Wait for me at the concession stand. I’ll meet you there,” he instructed, not even bothering to say hello first.

I was a bit miffed, but I met him anyway. I waited by the hotdog stand and saw him walking toward me in his full gear, his helmet pinned to his side under his armpit.

“Where did you sleep last night? I called your place so I could pick you up for the game, but Ariana told me you didn’t come home. So, where were you?” he asked.

I blushed as I remembered everything that happened last night in Sean’s apartment. Parker scowled at me, and I coughed, trying to think of a way to answer him. I couldn’t think of any.

The feeling of guilt for wanting to lie to my best friend ate me up from inside. I bit my lip and sighed, resolving to tell him the truth.

“I was with Sean last night. We met up for coffee in the afternoon,” I admitted.

“Must be some killer coffee you guys had yesterday if it rendered you unable to come home,” Parker said, sarcasm dripping from his every word.

It was my turn to scowl at him, pissed off that he was acting like this.

“I don’t see why it matters to you, anyway. You are not my boyfriend, Parker. So, stop acting like it,” I snapped.

Hurt and anger blazed in his eyes but I was undaunted.

“I already told you what I feel for you, Parker. I love you as this guy who’s always been there for me. You’ve got a shoulder I can actually cry on, and I will always be grateful for all of the care and love you’ve shown me these past years,” I told him, clenching my fists and willing myself to deal the final blow, because only then would he finally accept it. “But, Parker, I can’t see you as anything more than my best friend.”

“And West? What about him? Can you see him as anything else?” he asked me.

“I had sex with Sean last night. That’s why I didn’t come home early,” I responded.

Parker took a sharp intake of breath as he stared at me like I was a different person. “Why would you do that? I told you to stay away!”

I shook my head. “I couldn’t do that. I’ve been in love with him for so long that I can’t seem to think properly when he’s around. I’ve watched him from the stands in every game. When I met him because he almost ran me and my dog over, I was secretly happy. That’s how fucked up my heart is.”

I could tell that what I was saying was really hurting Parker a lot, and it hurt me that I was hurting him. He was my best friend, after all. If only he hadn’t started thinking of me in a different light.

I stood closer to him and placed both of my hands on his cheeks, looking at him with all the sorrow and regret that I was feeling for him.

“I’m so sorry, Parker. You know I never meant to hurt you. If I could choose…” I trailed off, not wanting to give him false hope. The truth was that even if I had the choice, I wouldn’t choose to love Parker instead. He would always be the best friend in my life, even if Sean wasn’t involved. Lying to him would only hurt him more. “You’ll always be my best friend,” I said instead.

He winced like he was physically hurt by what I told him, and even though I regretted having to hurt him like that, it had to be done. He turned around and walked away, shaking his head, but not once did he turn back to look at me again. I sighed and walked back to the stands, hoping that Parker moved on fast and we could go back to how we used to be.

There was someone out there for Parker, I was sure of it. But it just wasn’t me.

Chapter Sixteen

Sean

“Just in time, West!”

“Yeah, you barely made it, but good job, Sean,” Johnny said, patting me on the back.

I grinned and went to my locker, slightly embarrassed at the attention they were giving me, but was grateful all the same. They had started being like this as soon as I stopped being a huge douchebag, and it was a welcome change from all that hostility.

I was putting on my uniform when I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned my head to the side and was met with a fist hitting me in my right eye. The side of my head slammed on the cold metal door, and I skidded down the wooden bench a little. I looked up and saw Parker, his face red and his teeth bared as he looked down at me. He picked me up by the shirt and threw me against the wall, glaring at me like he wanted me to drop dead on the spot.

“I fucking hate you!” he hissed, his grip tightening on my shirt as he tried to bury me against the wall.

“I get that. But mind explaining why?” I rasped, taking one of his hands off my shirt. He clocked me again, and I slid down to the floor, my eyes seeing little stars from the impact. Then he released me, and I glared at him.

“What the hell is your problem?” I asked.

“You had sex with her,” he spat, and I knew then immediately who he was talking about. I should’ve expected him to have a serious problem with the idea of Charlie and I having sex for the first time or even just dating. He’d had a hard on for her for I don’t know how long, so it probably hit him hard when his arch-nemesis came in and swept her off her feet just like that.

“You fucking piece of shit! I told you to fucking stay away!” he bellowed, the others holding him back as he tried to walk toward me.

“I tried, Nolan! I tried. But damn it, Charlie makes it so easy to…” The word ‘love’ was on the tip of my tongue, but I hesitated in using it.

Do I love Charlie? Is that what I’ve been feeling all this time? The reason why I’ve been through so much heartache, pain, and happiness whenever I was around her?

I shook my head, filing that idea for later and instead kept going with my previous thought. “You should know how fucking irresistible she is. Can you honestly tell me that you could stay away from her?”

“You’re no good for her. You and I both know she deserves someone a hell of a lot better than you,” Parker said, and I shrugged because he had a point. She did deserve someone better. Hell if I’d let her go to someone else, though.

I tried a different tactic instead. “What do you want me to do, Parker? How can I prove to you that I’m serious about Charlie?”

Parker scoffed and pulled his arms away from our teammates’ hold. “Don’t ask me, Sean. Just do it,” he said, and I nodded.

The others asked if I was okay, and I told them not to worry about it, though I caught Evan looking at me once or twice like he wanted to check me for injuries or something. I just shook my head at him and finished putting on my gear before walking out with the rest of the team.

***

Charlie

I stood up and cheered with the rest of the Giants’ fans as the team burst through the tunnel, making their big entrance. I spotted Parker immediately, leading the pack, while Sean and a couple of others brought up the rear.

I knew Parker was feeling particularly revved up after our conversation earlier, but it came as a surprise for me to see that Sean looked almost relaxed and subdued, compared to how he usually was during gameday. The sight of his teammates walking beside him and interacting with him openly did bring a smile to my face, though. I was happy he was finally getting along well with the team and hoped that whatever he was doing now would stick.

Soon enough, the game started, and the Giants got plundered by the Bengals in the first half. I was grimacing the whole time as Parker led the team to one reckless play after another, and I knew that if he continued acting this way, they might lose the game. He must’ve thought the same thing, because when the second half started, it became the Giants’ time to shine. Parker’s passes and throws hit their mark, which was usually Sean, and the latter ran like he was on fire. The other team had a hard time catching him once he caught the ball, and the score was starting to go in our favor.

The butterflies in my stomach intensified as I saw how Parker and Sean complemented each other so well on the field. It amazed me that they hated each other so much in real life but they worked extremely well with each other. Go figure.

I saw the coach giving a signal toward Parker before calling him back, so I shifted my attention toward Sean, who had gathered some of the players in a mini huddle. Parker came back and joined in, and whatever they were planning, Parker looked like he didn’t like it, but he agreed to do it anyway. Sean slapped his hand on Parker’s shoulder hard, and Parker scowled and pushed him off, but I saw the little smirk he did afterward. Sean was probably starting to grow on him.

The second half started, and the Giants had the ball. Parker called it and walked back, evading a tackle from the other team while he looked far off to the side. Sean was already sprinting toward the end zone, and Parker threw the ball as far as he could. Sean looked up and caught the ball in his arms and continued to run toward the goal line.

The crowd was going nuts, and I found myself standing involuntarily as I bit my lip and watched Sean run the field while the time ran out, the seconds ticking by and adding to the tension.

My eyes widened as I saw four players from the left chasing after Sean. Another one from the right was coming toward him as well. Realizing it was a pincer attack, I couldn’t help but shout.

“Sean, watch out!” I cried, making the rest of the spectators nearby look at me in surprise.

Sean jumped and flipped over the guy on the right and then he landed in the end zone as the time ran out. They piled on top of him, one after another until the referee finally decided to blow the whistle and see if Sean was all right.

They all get off him, and I waited for Sean to stand up, but there was just one problem.

He wasn’t moving.

***

Sean

You know how you expect your whole life to flash before your eyes before you die?

Well, that didn’t happen.

Instead, I was alive through the whole magical experience of having five guys jump and pile on top of me one after another until I felt like I was within an inch of death.

I’m not kidding. Having five two-hundred-pound men above you feels like you’re being crushed to the ground by a bulldozer.

When they got off me, I could finally breathe again. I didn’t want to get up yet, and really, my body had a mind of its own and decided to just screw it and rest up.

I saw the referee stand over me, saying some shit I couldn’t decipher. Damn, I really must be more banged up than I thought, because now that I wanted to get up, I couldn’t. My head was hurting like crazy, and I was afraid that if I tried to get up, I’d end up vomiting all over the place, and that’s just not cool.

My ears finally start working, and I vaguely understood the ref asking if I was all right, so I told him how I was in the most absolute, badass way possible.

“I think I’m dying,” I said, sounding gruff.

Yep. Badass.

Parker and Evan pushed their faces into my line of vision next, looking pale and worried.

“You okay, man?” Parker asked, and I wrinkled my brows at him.

“Who are you, and what have you done with our quarterback?” I whispered.

Evan sighed in relief. “Yep, he’s fine. I think he’s got a really bad concussion, but he’s fine,” he said.

Parker offered his hand and I grabbed it, pulling myself up with a wince. My vision immediately started to spin and I had to grab onto something – probably Parker’s shirt – to keep from falling over. Evan went to my other side and placed my arm over his shoulders while Parker did the same, and together they hauled my ass out of there, all while I kept my mouth closed to prevent any barfing action from happening while they carried me back to the sidelines.

Once I was there, the guys released me, and I saw a flash of red first before I felt a little body tackle me, arms wrapping around my neck tight and the smell of strawberries invading my senses. I held onto her hips to keep her from falling and buried my nose in her neck, inhaling her fruity goodness that was clearing up my head and making me feel less like I wanted to chuck my lunch all over the place.

“You scared me half to death, you idiot,” she cried softly, and I caressed the top of her head, trying to make her feel better.

“Funny how I’m the one who got injured but I’m the one comforting you,” I teased, and she hit my chest with her fist softly.

I looked up and saw Parker standing a few feet away, his eyes downcast but wearing a sad smile on his face. He nodded at me, and I mouthed my thanks before pulling away from Charlie. She looked up at me teary-eyed and confused, and I placed my palms on either side of her face, trying my best to concentrate on her as the world kept spinning behind her.

“Charlie, I need to ask you something before I throw up,” I told her seriously, and she blinked.

“What?” she asked, and I took a deep breath.

“I don’t just fucking like you, Charlie,” I said, and her eyes widened. “I fucking love you. I love how you smell. I love how you tackle me like a linebacker when you barely reach my shoulders. I even fucking love it when you call me out on my shit and beat me up, even though I could totally throw you across the field if I wanted.”

The grin on her face began to grow, and even though it was risky as hell, I went down on one knee and looked up at her beautiful face. I could hear people start cheering and yelling in the background.

“I am so unbelievably in love with you that I am willing to let Parker bash my face in a hundred – no, a million times – over for the chance to ask you for a fucking date. So, please, Charlie. End my misery. I’m begging you… be my girlfriend?” I asked.

The world legit stopped in those few seconds that Charlie was silent. I felt the sweat on my brow start to drop, and I hoped like hell that I had not just made a fool out of myself.

Charlie smiled and took my face in her hands and gave me the best, most mind-blowing kiss in the history of the planet, and after a few minutes, she abruptly pulled away.

“If you didn’t understand what I meant by that kiss, it means yes, you adorable jock,” she said, and then she pulled me back in so I could kiss her again.

Best way to stop barfing. EVER.

Epilogue

Sean

Two months later…

It had already been two months since Charlie and I got together, but honestly, it still felt like it just started yesterday. Being the boyfriend of a fashion conglomerate has some huge perks, I shit you not.

The fact that she treats me like her personal driver aside, she hands me freebies from the parties and meetings she’s required to attend now that she’s become a big shot in her father’s company.

Ever since Charlie and Ariana joined forces, the Jameson Company has been booming, what with Charlie at the business helm and Ariana finding her creative niche and designing dresses like crazy. They were doing so well that they sent Nicholas and his wife to the Bahamas for some well-earned vacation.

Evan still hasn’t scored Ariana’s number, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. The moment Charlie became my girlfriend, he started begging her for Ariana’s number like crazy. Charlie was still in the process of patching things up with her sister back then, so she couldn’t give him what he wanted, but she did give him the best piece of advice she could ever give him if he wanted to have a chance with the wicked sister in the Jameson family.

The only person who deviated from the plan was Parker, who, after accepting that Charlie and I were together, was never the same again.

He abandoned his dependable, charming (Charlie’s words, not mine) persona and shifted into a brooding, silent, and surly asshole. In short, he turned into me, pre-Charlie, only he was the less hot version.

According to Charlie, he frequented bars to try and drink away his misery, snapping at anyone – even women – who attempted to talk to him mid-drink. Well, at least he wasn’t getting himself into more trouble than that.

I parked the car in front of the main entrance and got out before heading straight for the receptionist. I was about to ask if Charlie was still in a meeting when my girl came out of one of the elevators and smiled brightly at me. I smiled back and kissed her hello before grabbing her suitcase for her and walking her back to my car.

“No practice today?” she asked.

“I wanted to surprise you,” I told her, and she shook her head, grinning at me.

“You didn’t have to do that. I mean, I know how tired you are,” she said, and I shrugged.

“I want to. Besides, it’s been a while since we had some time together,” I pointed out, and she bit her lip. It was true, though. Between her meetings and my games and practices, we barely had enough time to catch up with each other every day, but somehow, we made do.

I took her to a fancy dinner and then to the theater to see that movie we’d both been wanting to see but were too busy to go and watch. After that, we just walked around the mall for a little bit, and then I told her that that was all I had planned. She bit her lip and stared up at the ceiling as she thought about what else we could do. A few minutes later, she looked up and gave me a coy grin.

“Take me home, Sean. I want to show you something I know you’ll like back in my bedroom,” she said, and my dick twitched with excitement.

“Yes, ma’am.”

***

Charlie

I had never felt as sexy and desirable as when I was with Sean. The man unleashed the femme fatale inside of me who wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted, and she wanted to make love with her boyfriend right then.

I had only ever slept with one guy before Sean, and he didn’t make me as insatiable for sex as Sean did. I didn’t just crave the pleasure it gave me, but the feeling that I was completely fulfilled and loved.

Sean put the pedal to the metal, and we arrived back at the mansion in record time. We ran inside and up the stairs in haste, sidestepping away from Sarah at the last minute so we didn’t hit her. I opened the door to my room, and as soon as we got inside and locked it, Sean immediately held me in his arms and kissed me hungrily. He nibbled on my lip, and I moaned as his hands traveled from my stomach and pushed my shirt up over my breasts.

I let him pull it off me and then I helped him out of his, my fingers shaking as I unbuttoned his polo shirt. I leaned down and brushed my lips over his chest, peppering it with kisses before he pulled away from me.

It was his turn to explore my body with his mouth as it glided across my cheeks, down to my jawline, where he bared his teeth and nipped lightly. He went lower, and I felt a sharp pain in my neck as he buried his teeth into it, giving me a hickey that I would no doubt have a hard time covering up tomorrow, but right now I didn’t care. It felt so good.

He paid attention to my breasts next, circling one nipple with his tongue before sucking it into his mouth, then giving my other breast the same treatment. My skin felt like it was on fire. Sweat started to gather in my brow, and I felt dirty and sticky from Sean’s touch and kisses, but I reveled in the feeling, and I was so willing and ready to beg for more.

He guided me to my bed, and I quickly remembered what I had been wanting to do, so I grabbed his hand and pulled him instead. I pushed him back to the bed and he looked at me in confusion but relented as I crawled over him and unbuttoned his fly.

“I want to try something,” I murmured, and his eyes darkened with lust and need as he lifted his hips so I could take his jeans off. I gasped a little as I realized he had gone commando today, his huge cock proudly jutting out at attention, a dribble of pre-cum already on the tip. I licked my lips and held him at the base, making him hiss sharply. I put the tip of his dick into my mouth and swirled my tongue around the head, and I spied Sean rolling his eyes heavenward in ecstasy. Feeling a burst of confidence at seeing how I was making him feel, I pushed him up in my mouth much farther until I could feel him at the back of my throat and sucked hard.

He was a goner. He gradually lost all sanity and just started raising his hips to push himself deeper inside.

He didn’t want to come in my mouth, so he pulled away and I pouted at him.

“You’ll get plenty of chances to finish me that way, but right now, I want to be inside of you when I explode,” he said resolutely. “Turn around,” he ordered, and I quickly took the rest of my clothes off and did as I was told.

I immediately felt the warmth of his skin brushing against mine, and I instinctively curled up to him. His hands caressed my butt before going up and cupping my breasts.

“I want to take you from behind,” he growled softly, and I moaned in anticipation, rubbing my ass against his hard cock.

He slapped my ass before I felt his cock brushing against my entrance. He pushed inside of me with one long stroke, and we both quivered with need.

He grazed his teeth on the shell of my ear as he pounded into me, his tongue coming out to taste my neck, and I convulsed in pleasurable agony.

My arms gave out, and I dropped my head to the mattress. I saw his hand near my face, and I grabbed it and bit hard onto his thumb as he continued to pound into me relentlessly, gaining momentum until the headboards started to shake and the bed started to squeak, threatening to collapse from the power of Sean’s thrusts.

My body stiffened and the blood in my veins started to sing, and I arched my back as I came again, squeezing around his cock and making him groan.

He moved inside of me a couple more times before he let go, pouring his seed inside of me, spurting it along my wa

lls so strongly that it stimulated me into another orgasm. He pulled out quickly, and I winced at the sudden, empty feeling he left behind. He fell to his side and pulled me with him, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me on the forehead first before putting his head down to give me a gentle kiss on the lips.

It was moments like this when my heart soared as the contrast between our passionate lovemaking faded into such gentle and affectionate touches afterward. I sighed, fully content.

“What is it?” he asked, his voice laced with drowsiness, and I smiled, feeling the same pull of exhaustion.

“Nothing. I was just thinking that I’m really happy you almost ran me over that day or we never would’ve happened,” I answered.

His chest rumbled as he chuckled quietly. “I’ll remind you about that the next time you yell at me while I’m driving,” he teased and kissed me one more time, murmuring words of love before I finally fell asleep in my love’s arms.