Fucking Lacey had been everything I’d imagined it would be and more. She was a wildcat in bed. After I’d taken her to the bedroom, she had gotten on top of me and ridden me like there was no tomorrow, orgasming another time before I had even come close to reaching my peak. She had given herself over to the act with reckless abandon, completely comfortable in her own skin and at ease with her sexuality.

It wasn’t often that I was with women who were as confident about themselves as Lacey was. When we’d finished, when I’d finally released inside of her after we had switched positions a few more times, she had lain in the moonlight that fell through the open window, satiated. She looked at me through hooded eyes, and I’d thought I had died and gone to heaven.

And her body. It was better than I could have imagined. Milky skin that stretched evenly across her toned physique, which she was obviously taking care of. And judging by how well she kept up with me, she was fit, too.

This was the kind of woman an athlete like me deserved. I had treats every now and then, but Lacey had been a three-course meal, and I woke up the next morning, satisfied.

I got dressed, feeling like a man, and headed to the training facility. Brian was already in the gym when I arrived.

“Do you sleep here?” I asked. “You’re always eating up that treadmill when I get here.”

“It’s a stress release,” Brian said, breathing hard in between words. “Not all of us can fuck women to relax.”

I shrugged. It was relaxing. “You could if you wanted to.”

Brian didn’t answer. His feet slamming into the treadmill was the only sound between us for a while, while I stretched out my muscles to warm them up.

I couldn’t get her off my mind. I kept flashing on Lacey’s face and her body. I didn’t usually think twice about the women I’d slept with. Once we were done, that was it.

Lacey was different, though. Not just in bed, but intellectually and emotionally. I wanted to see her again. Of course, I didn’t have much of a choice in that. She was my PR Manager, and we would still be working together for a while. That made me happier than it should have. The thought of seeing her again was just as satisfying as the sex had been.

When I was done stretching, I hopped onto the leg machine and started my sets. It wouldn’t be long now until I would be back on the field, and I wanted to be ready.

Brian finally switched off the treadmill and stepped off, breathing hard.

“Why are you in such a good mood?” he asked.

I looked at him, pumping my legs to my chest and down again.

“Who can’t be happy about leg day, right?”

Brian chuckled. “You got some, didn’t you?”

I shrugged.

“You’re an animal,” he said. “Who was it? Or can’t you remember her name again?”

I didn’t answer him. A part of me didn’t want him to know that I’d slept with Lacey, now that it had gone that far. Maybe it was because I cared about her enough to want to see her again. Maybe it was because I didn’t know what I was feeling about it, yet.

Maybe I didn’t want him to think she was just another piece of ass. As much as I didn’t understand it, that was how I felt. I had no idea what I felt, but I didn’t feel that she was disposable.

“Fine, if you don’t want to give me the dirty details, I’ll talk football.”

I shook my head. “Bite me, Brian,” I said.

He laughed. “Seriously, though. We need you back on the team. We’re barely pulling through.”

I nodded. “It was a close one, but you still won.”

“I think it wasn’t because of the injury. On the other team. Otherwise, we would have had our asses handed to us.”

I nodded. I hadn’t watched the game. I had been too busy fucking Lacey, so I’d only caught the highlights, but I knew what he was talking about. The injury had been bad, and it had knocked their team morale down a little.

“Well, it’s only one more game, and then I’m back in the lineup,” I said. “It will be over in no time at all, and then we can kick some ass again, you and me.”

Brian nodded. “And with your new image, who knows how much support we’ll have now.”

I stopped pushing weights and blinked at Brian. He grinned at me.

“You’re a real dick,” I said.

“I just want to give the children so much money to say I’m sorry I’m sleeping around so much,” Brian said in a mocking voice. I grabbed my water bottle and threw it in his direction. He laughed, ducking away.

“Hey, it was a pansy move, in my opinion, but the press ate that shit up. Did you see the article?”

I shook my head. I had stopped reading the news about me a long time ago. It was only ever bad.

“You should. They’re painting you as a hero.”

Lacey had said they liked heroes, not winners. With her, I had won, though. If the rest of them wanted to see me as a hero, cool. But with Lacey, I’d scored.

“Have you heard from Coach yet?” Brian asked.

I shook my head. “I didn’t think I would.”

“At some point, he’s going to bring up this stunt. That woman you’re working with is good, even if she doesn’t put out.”

I chuckled. I didn’t mention that putting out was exactly what she’d done.

“I think she’s good for you,” Brian said.

I couldn’t argue with that. Brian and I had different opinions about a lot of things. There was a reason I was the ass and the irresponsible guy on the team. But this was something I would agree with him on. Lacey was good for me. I wasn’t sure how good yet. That remained to be seen. But I was excited to find out.

When we were done, I walked to the locker room and grabbed my bag. A few of the team members were present, and they all looked at me. I half-expected a snide comment or a rude gesture. They hadn’t been very friendly toward me lately, but they just stared.

“What?” I asked.

They turned back to whatever they were doing. I shook my head and walked to the showers. I was a part of the team, but I always felt a little left out, especially now that I’d been suspended for a while. We were loyal to each other on the field, but off it, it wasn’t the same thing.

When I was done showering, I grabbed my bags and headed to my car. I pulled out my phone and dialed Lacey’s number.

“How are you feeling today, sweetheart?” I asked.

“Please, call me Lacey,” she said tightly. Right, she was in the office.

“Lacey,” I said. I preferred nicknames. Baby, sexy, beautiful, sweetheart. But if she wanted to play it this way, okay.

“I need you to come with me to Jackson Memorial on Friday,” she said. “They want you to come to the children’s wing and spend some time with the kids, hand out some signatures, that kind of thing. After your big donation, they want to do something to thank you.”

“This Friday?” I asked

“Yes, it would be good if you do this before you go back to the game.”

I shrugged. “I guess I can make it. I only had gym on the agenda. I’m making sure I’m staying in shape.”

“Good,” she said. “If we can go just after lunch time, that will be great.” She ignored the comment about my body. I was fishing for a compliment, but she was all business today, uptight and stiff. It made me want to do something to help her relax, something that had to do with my dick.

My body throbbed in response to the thoughts of seeing her naked and doing things to her body.

“It won’t interfere with your training schedule?” she asked.

“I thought you told me to jump, and I had to ask how high,” I said.

“That’s not how it works between us, and this isn’t the same thing as Saturday night. Our work can’t interfere with your career, but it can, and should, take over your social life. For now, at least.

“Right,” I said. “Well, speaking of how thing work between us. Have you thought about yesterday? Because I’m thinking about yesterday all the time.”

“I’m in the office,” she said.

“That’s okay. I can imagine a few ways to put that desk of yours to good use.”

She sighed, sounding irritated

“Don’t, Hanson. I have to go. I have a lot to do today.”

“Don’t go yet,” I said. “Why are you so uptight about this? You don’t want to talk about it?”

“Not in the office, no. And the last time I tried to talk about it, it didn’t go exactly as planned.”

I smiled. It had gone exactly as I had planned. When Lacey had invited me to lunch, sounding so serious about the talk she wanted to have, I had known exactly what she’d wanted to say. The truth was, I hadn’t wanted her to say it. I had just wanted her.

When she’d started talking to me, her body had told me everything her mouth wasn’t telling me. I’d kissed her because she’d wanted more. Because I’d wanted more.

God, every time I thought about her, I wanted more, all over again.

“So, do you want to come over, and we can talk about it later?” I asked.

“I’m not your booty call,” she said almost in a whisper.

I smiled. I liked the sound of it, but it wasn’t exactly how I saw her. No, a booty call was someone who made it easy to fuck them. Lacey was increasingly difficult and very unpredictable. She was the furthest thing from a booty call.

“I’m not going to be able to see you until Friday, at the hospital,” she said.

“Oh, come on. You can’t make a small space for me, not even after work?”

I imagined her shaking her head, her lips pursed together, and her face serious. I could get her to relax and get the serious mask to slip. I knew what those lips looked like, rounded in a silent scream when she orgasmed. I knew what they tasted like, too.

“I’m sorry, Hanson,” she said. “I’ll see you on Friday. Double check your schedule, and let me know if the afternoon suits you. If it gets in the way of your training, I will see what I can do to move it with the hospital.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “The afternoon works for me. If I don’t manage to fit in my training, I can always think of another way you and I can get in some exercise.”

The line went dead. She’d hung up on me. I chuckled and pocketed my phone.

Holy shit, her stubborn attitude and her hard-to-get ways got me hot under the collar. When she was like this, it just made me want her more. The more she pushed against me, the more I wanted her. And then things happened like the dining room table being repurposed and the limousine becoming somewhere I would consider having sex.

We hadn’t done it there. It had been nothing more than a kiss. But I could arrange for that to change.

I wanted her anywhere I could have her.

Friday, we would go to the hospital, and I would play hero again. And then, afterward, I would take her to my place and show her my super powers. I was eager to be inside of her again. My body throbbed in anticipation. Man, it was going to be a long week.