Reiner didn’t know how he was going to make it to the weekend. He wanted to hear the sound of Jada’s voice. When she’d called yesterday to confirm she had received his invitation, he had just about tripped in the locker room and given himself a concussion. Luckily, no one had been around to see him act a fool as he’d answered his phone. Just the sound of her voice coming through his cell phone had made his stomach clench in anticipation of taking her away.
He had a surprise for her. He would be flying her to his home town of Waco, Texas. He had planned a weekend getaway to take her to his family’s ranch. He wanted to be able to share where he’d come from so that they could get to know each other.
He glanced down at his phone. One of his favorite action movies was on cable, and he couldn’t get into it.
Jada filled his mind.
He toyed with calling her and finally gave in. It wasn’t too late, and he hoped that he wouldn’t be waking her. He swiped the screen on his phone and hit her number.
“Hello?” her soft voice came on the line, causing him to close his eyes.
The huskiness made his cock twitch.
“Hey, Jada,” he greeted her. He laid back across his oversized couch. It had to be one of his favorite pieces of furniture in the entire house. It was large enough to accommodate his frame.
“Reiner. I was just thinking of you.”
He held back a groan with the thought of how she could have been thinking about him.
“Really? Same here. How was your day?” he asked, wanting to know about her. The sound of her laughter filled his ear. “What’s so funny?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure my day is no way as exciting as a NFL quarterback. I own a beauty salon, and there is always lots of drama.”
“Wow. You own it? It must keep you busy,” he murmured. “How long has it been open?”
“Well, the Dalton Design Team opened three years ago, and it’s grown so much since.”
He listened as she continued to talk about her salon. He could tell from the passion in her voice that it was something that she lived and breathed. He loved that she had taken control of her destiny and took the leap to open her own salon. From the sound of it, she was ambitious and headstrong. He knew that it couldn’t be easy to run a thriving salon and have it do well.
“So, how did you become The General?” She giggled. “You know I know nothing much of football. How did you get that nickname if you play football? You’re not in the service— or were you?”
He smiled at her football innocence. He couldn’t even remember the last instance he’d spent time on the phone with a female. It took him back to his youth when he’d spent hours on the phone with his latest girlfriends.
“My teammates gave me the name. As the quarterback, I’m to be the leader of the team. Once we are on the field, it is me who decides what direction our offense will go. They look to me as a leader.”
“Sounds fitting. Now tell me about Reiner. Tell me who you really are. Not the football star. I want to know who the man is buried beneath the celebrity status,” she said softly.
He closed his eyes and truly had to think. Without football, who was he?
“Away from the limelight, who are you?” she asked.
She really wanted to know the real him? Then their weekend trip would show her, more than he would ever be able to explain.
He began to talk about growing up in Texas. Without football, he would be a true country boy. His parents owned a ranch outside of Waco where they raised cattle. He spoke of his brother, Andre, and sister, Catrin, or Caty as she liked to be called.
“Without football, I guess I would have gone on to become a Texas ranch owner.” He sighed. It wasn’t a bad thing. Once football was over, he had options. His college degree had been in telecommunication, and he could easily move over to a being sportscaster on any of the popular sports channels. Some of the channels had already begun to reach out to him to let him know that whenever he should be ready to retire, they would be willing to create sports shows around him.
He’d be able to combine the two things he loved most. Football and ranching after retirement.
He just needed to find that special someone to share his future with.
They talked to each other for hours. She spoke of her family and growing up with her brother. The movie on his television had long gone off. Pretty soon, the soft sounds of Jada’s breathing reached his ears. Here they were, both grown adults with careers, and staying on the telephone past midnight.
“Jada,” he murmured her name, listening to her soft snores. His chest tightened with the image of her sleeping. He ached to be there with her. To pull her against his chest and hold her snuggly to him while she dozed off to sleep. “Sleep tight, Jada.”
He smiled and disconnected the call. He stood from the couch and reached for the remote. He turned off the television and let loose a deep yawn as he headed toward his bedroom. He had an early morning workout tomorrow and he knew he would be pay for staying up late.
Jada was worth it.
Training camp was coming up soon that he’d have to prepare for, but for now, he had a surprise trip to plan for Jada.
Jada put the finishing touches on the overnight bag she’d packed. She looked around her bedroom and didn’t see anything else that she would need to take. She zipped her bag shut and blew out a deep breath. Reiner had told her he would be picking her up early. Even though it was Saturday, she never was able to sleep in. This was one of the busiest days at the salon, and she couldn’t believe that she was playing hooky away from her baby.
Trissa had promised that she would be able to handle one Saturday without her there, and Jada had no choice but to trust her friend.
Jada scurried over to her floor-length mirror one last time to do an outfit check. She wore an off-the-shoulder white shirt that highlighted her ample bosom, skin-tight jeans, and her favorite heels. She kept her clothes simple and accented them with bangles on her wrists. She ran her fingers through her thick, dark curls, ensuring that she looked perfect.
Every day, her and Reiner spoke on the phone till the wee hours of the morning. She still couldn’t believe that he’d called her the next day after she’d fallen asleep on the phone. The sounds of his baritone voice sent a shiver through her spine every single time he called. It was no wonder she fell asleep. It wasn’t that he was a boring conversationalist—no, not that at all. His voice was smooth and deep, and it just lulled her to sleep.
She turned and grabbed her bag and headed to the living room. She dropped her bag off by the front door and strode to the kitchen. She eyed her coffee maker and wasn’t sure she would have enough time to make a good cup of joe. She glanced at the clock on the wall, and her doorbell sounded.
“He wasn’t kidding. Eight in the morning sharp.” She chuckled. Her feet carried her to the front door with her heart racing. She stood on tiptoe so that she could look through the peephole. Her core clenched at the sight of Reiner’s profile while he stared off down her street.
She paused with her hand on the handle before she pulled the door open.
“Hi,” she greeted him. A soft smile spread across her lips when her eyes met his smoky gray ones. She took him in, and her breath caught in her chest at the dark scruff that graced his jawline. Her fingers ached to run along his jaw to feel how rough it was. She wondered how it would feel brushing up against her thighs, and her eyes widened.
“Morning,” he drawled, returning her stare. His eyes darkened as if he were able to read her thoughts. “Can I come in, or are you ready to go now?”
She blinked and laughed at her rudeness. “Please, come in.”
She unlocked the screen door and held it open for him. She stepped back, allowing him to enter her home. The sheer size of him seemed to make her little alcove shrink. She closed the door, taking in the dark SUV that was parked in her driveway. She leaned against the door while he looked around her small home, before he turned his eyes to her.
He took a step toward her, pressing his chest to hers. His fingers tipped her chin up to him as he lowered his lips to hers. Unable to resist, she leaned toward him to meet him in a kiss that was open and hot.
His tongue swept into her mouth, tasting her. Her shyness faded away at the feel of his hands gripping her hips and pulling her flush to him. She met his tongue with hers with every thrust.
Her fingers had a mind of their own. They trailed up to the nape of his neck and threaded their way into his thick hair. She released a moan when he tilted his head, deepening the kiss. Her back slammed against the door as his body remained pressed closer to hers. He eased back and stared down at her while they both tried to get their breathing under control.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for a full week,” he murmured, running a finger along her swollen bottom lip.
“What? Tell me good morning,” she joked, a smile spreading across her face.
He chuckled, leaning forward to place a small kiss on her lips again. He lingered for a second before he pulled back.
She groaned internally. How the hell was she to spend a full twenty-four hours with this man? The way her body exploded the second he touched her let her know the sex would be just as deadly. But once he found out about her virginity, would he even want her? A man like him had surely been with a shit ton of women.
She wasn’t that stupid.
She’d watched some of those reality shows that flaunted the women who dated or married professional athletes. She was nothing like any of those women. She wasn’t tall and certainly wasn’t thin.
“Well, consider this your official good morning greeting from me.” He stepped away from her with a wide grin.
His gaze dropped down to her chest, and she knew that he would see her painfully erect nipples pushing through. Her breasts were traitors. His quick intake of breath caused her core to clench. His eyes came back up to hers. She nervously pushed her hair off to one shoulder.
“Well, good morning to you, too, Mr. Strickland,” she whispered, meeting his eyes.
“We need to go. I see you have a bag here. Does this mean we are turning this into an overnight trip?” His eyebrow arched with his question, a pleased look on his face while he waited for her to answer.
She nodded, watching his smile widen. She bit her lip as he grabbed her bag from the floor. She ran over to the couch and snatched up her cell and purse before returning to him. She pushed down the thoughts in the back of her mind that this was rushed. At this point, she didn’t care. She was tired of being responsible. If she had one chance to toss responsibility aside, it would be now.
“I promise to be a complete gentleman,” he assured her and opened the door.
She released a sigh, walking through the doorway. She locked up her house and turned to him as he waited on the stairs. She took in his rugged good looks, perfect muscular body, and her breath caught in her chest.
She wasn’t sure she wanted him to be a gentleman.