Chapter 12
If Seth had to look at his playbook for one more second, he was going to go out of his mind. He tossed the tablet onto the bed beside him and shoved to his feet. He needed to get out of his bedroom. It wasn’t doing him any good to sit there staring at a screen. No more information was soaking into his brain.
As he stalked out of his room and to the kitchen, his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket to see a text from his teammate Marcus James.
Marcus: Coupla us goin to Bubble if you wanna come.
He’d never been to Bubble, a swanky club downtown that Marcus was a financial backer of. He knew Marcus went every few weeks, but Seth hadn’t joined him, since Friday was typically the night he spent with Maddie. But tonight she was sleeping over at Emilia’s. So he was home alone with his tablet and his big, empty house.
“There’s a Seinfeld marathon on, if you’re looking for irreverent comedy.”
Not alone. Seth looked over to the couch where Carrie was sprawled out, watching TV. He’d thought she was going out with her friend Amy, but apparently not.
In his hand, his phone buzzed again.
Marcus: Baxter and his girl, Trask has a date, and Kendall. Be there bout 8. You in?
Going out would be good for him. A group of players would inevitably draw the attention of women. Maybe he could meet someone to take his mind off Carrie. He wasn’t a fan of one-night stands, but making out with someone might help. He had to do something. Having Carrie so close and not having her was driving him batshit. The other night when she’d told him about her textbook idea, he’d barely been able to keep himself from hauling her into his arms and kissing the hell out of her.
Seth: I could be talked into it.
“There’s leftover chicken in the fridge,” Carrie said, sitting up to peek over the back of the couch. Her hair was tousled around her face, making her look like she’d just rolled out of bed.
Heat flashed through him. Hell, she could probably stop showering for a week and he’d still find her sexy; he was that into her. Picking up a random woman in a bar wouldn’t help.
“Thanks.” So he didn’t have to keep looking at her, he turned to the refrigerator and pulled out the container she’d put the leftovers in. Even though he often ate at the players’ cafeteria after practice, she always made enough for him and left it with a sticky note on how best to reheat it.
He loved that about her.
He stood by the microwave as the meat and a side of rice heated, then took the plate to join her in the living room. He should sit at the table. He should text Marcus back and say he’d join the guys. He should absolutely not sit at the other end of the couch and watch reruns with Carrie.
But he did.
She moved her feet as he sat, scooting back and sitting halfway up. She had on a fitted T-shirt with superheroes on it, as she did most days, and a throw blanket over her legs.
She totally didn’t look like the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. She looked like a woman he could hang out with on a Friday night, keeping his hands to himself and remaining professional and friendly.
Yep. He definitely could do that.
“You ready for your game on Sunday?” she asked when the show went to commercial.
Seth finished chewing. “More or less. Can’t seem to cram any more plays in there right now. There’s always time tomorrow, when I’m fresh.”
“I never realized how much non-athletic stuff goes into football.”
He glanced over at her. “What do you mean?”
“It’s not just running drills and lifting weights. All the time you spend reading your playbook and watching game tape is what I mean by non-athletic. You’re not working out, being physical.”
He liked that she was learning more about football. Liked that his job interested her enough to bother. “There’s a lot to know. Strategy. You can’t just run at a guy and hit him. You gotta know which guy to hit, or tackle, or block. And it changes every week. Hell, every play. And you have to know how that guy plays, so you know the right way to tackle him.”
Her attention stayed on him as the commercial ended. He liked that. Too much.
“Is it super different when you change teams?”
He chewed his last bite of chicken as he considered her question. “Sorta. I mean, some of it is the same no matter where you are. Fundamentals. But every coach, every coordinator, has a different style. So coming here has been a bigger change than, say, when we got a new defensive coordinator in Houston.”
“You just…I don’t know.” She poked him with her foot.
Before he could stop himself, he grabbed it and set it on his lap. Dangerous. Probably inappropriate. But he couldn’t help himself. He needed to touch her.
What he really needed was to hold her. Kiss her. Strip her naked and slide inside her. But he’d settle for having her foot rest against his thigh.
Totally professional and friendly.
He shifted a little, angling toward her and putting his arm along the back of the couch. “I just what?”
Her other foot poked out from the blanket and slid toward him. She didn’t seem aware of it when she started sliding her toes back and forth along the side of his thigh. He looked down, watching her subtle caress. Willing himself not to get hard and ruin whatever was unfolding between them.
Yep. Professional and friendly.
“I knew athletes worked hard. I just thought it was all hard physical work. I never realized how much hard mental work there is too.”
She needed to stop saying “hard.”
Because he couldn’t take the torture any longer, he grabbed her roaming foot and pulled it onto his lap next to the first.
“But you’re just here for one year, right? I think that’s what Jason told me.”
Her brother. A good reminder of the other reason Seth had to stop himself from crawling across the couch and stretching his body out on top of hers. No matter how much the idea turned him on.
“My agent is already working on an extension. Get me another year.” He tried not to think about that. That was for Mike to worry about until he had something solid to bring to Seth. Fortunately, he was continuing to have one of his best seasons, giving Mike leverage.
Her face softened as she considered him. “Would you go to another team if he doesn’t?”
He exhaled heavily. “I don’t want to uproot Maddie again. This move has been hard on her. She wasn’t always so…” He didn’t even have a word to describe how his daughter had changed in the past few months. “Moody.”
“Part of that is her age. She’ll outgrow it.”
Without realizing, Seth had dropped a hand to Carrie’s ankle and begun slowly sliding his palm over the top of her foot. Now he looked down and watched as he touched her. It felt good to be near her, even if his skin did hum with a desire to grab her.
Professional and friendly.
“Yeah, but another move won’t help.”
“What, then? Would you retire?”
He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. He was old and beat-up by NFL standards. He’d already outlasted the average career span of a linebacker. But he didn’t feel done.
Besides, what the hell would he do with himself if he didn’t play football? He had no other marketable skills.
When he met her gaze, there was the usual heat that seemed inevitable between them. But along with it, he saw understanding. Caring. No woman had ever looked at him like that, and he wanted to reach for it, grab it, and hold it close to his heart. Not thinking about what he was doing, he moved her feet off his lap and sat forward.
The buzz of his phone stopped whatever he’d been about to do. Which would inevitably have been something dumb, like kissing her. He scrubbed a hand over his face and pulled his phone from his pocket.
Marcus: Your name’s on the VIP list if you decide to join us.
“Let’s go out.” Before he could talk himself out of it, Seth stood. He grabbed Carrie’s hand and pulled her up too. She ended up too close to him, her body a breath away from touching his.
He took a step back but didn’t let go of her hand.
“Couple guys are going out to Bubbles. Asked me to meet up.”
Confusion crossed her face. “OK. That should be fun.”
He pulled out his best playful smile. “It should. Go change. Come with me.” It was a bad idea. He should go out without her, leave her to her Seinfeld marathon. Even if he didn’t meet a woman, he’d put some distance between Carrie and him. Cool the lust that blazed inside him. It was making him feel a little reckless. Which was probably why he wanted her to come too.
He couldn’t be sure, but it looked like panic flashed over her features.
“No, I…I don’t have anything I could wear to Bubbles.”
“That green corset you have would work.”
He didn’t mean to say it out loud, but the surprise on her face was worth it. She looked almost scandalized.
He couldn’t help grinning. “Come on. You’ll look amazing.” Hell, she looked amazing now.
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and Seth had to swallow a moan. Did women do that on purpose, to drive men out of their minds?
“Yeah, OK. Give me ten minutes.” She took a few steps back, gaze locked on his.
His heart pounded hard enough he could feel his pulse in his jaw.
She blinked hard, breaking the connection. “Be right back.”
As soon as she disappeared, Seth headed for his room to change as well. He pulled out his phone to text Marcus.
Seth: Leaving soon. Carrie’s coming too.
He’d changed from his sweatpants to dark jeans when he got a reply.
Marcus: The nanny? Nice. The night’s looking up.
Seth shoved down his irrational irritation as he rolled up the cuffs of his blue button-down shirt, cursing himself for inviting Carrie.
He was in for a hell of a torturous night.
The music in the club pulsed loud enough Seth could feel the beat in his teeth. It made him think of his dad’s saying about how it made you glad to have a good dentist.
He missed his parents. Until moving to Milwaukee, he’d never gone more than two weeks without seeing them. Now he hadn’t seen them in three months. But Thanksgiving was coming, and luck had the Dragons playing his old team on Thanksgiving Day. Coach had given him permission to stay an extra day in Houston so he could have a holiday meal with his family, and he was flying back Friday morning.
A waitress showed up with their drinks. Seth stood to settle the tab with the woman, since he’d offered to get the first round. He was only having one drink since he had to drive, and he wasn’t about to let one of the other guys pay for it.
He handed the waitress enough cash to cover the eight drinks plus a generous tip, then took his gin and tonic and Carrie’s white wine from the low table. Handing her the glass, he sank back into the cushions.
Damn, did she look hot. She’d worn a sparkly sweater over her corset, but the press of bodies made it warm enough she’d taken it off and draped it over the back of the couch they were on. Her jeans were tight in all the right places, so he could see how perfectly round her ass was. It made him think about digging his fingers into that perfectly round ass as she slid up and down his cock. Which did not help his resolve to think of her as only an employee and friend.
“A toast, guys. To kicking some St. Louis ass on Sunday.” Marcus raised his pint glass and held it over the center of the table. The rest of them held up their drinks, and a series of clinks and murmured agreement followed.
“Is St. Louis good?” Baxter’s girlfriend, Celia, asked.
Seth nearly spit out his drink. But he didn’t feel too bad about almost laughing at her since Baxter was laughing the hardest of any of them.
“I might be a little off, but I think the Stallions have won the division seventy-three times in the last decade. Give or take,” Carrie teased.
Something that felt oddly like pride niggled at Seth’s chest. He liked that Carrie immediately felt comfortable enough with his teammates and their girlfriends to joke around.
“They ain’t winning it this year. That title is ours. Hell, the Lombardi Trophy gonna be ours.” Marcus flashed his lady-killer grin at Carrie. Seth liked that a lot less.
Celia rolled her eyes. “I know so little about football. I know I embarrass Matt.”
Baxter kissed her temple. “Never. Not embarrassing at all for a professional quarterback to have to explain what a field goal is to his girlfriend.”
Jeremy Trask, the team’s kicker, slapped a hand to his chest. “You wound me, Celia. I take that one personally.”
She made a sorry-not-sorry face at him.
“I promise, I don’t know much more,” Carrie said. “My brother played with Seth in college and has worked for the Dragons for almost a decade. I absorbed a few things growing up, but I remembered next to nothing until I took Maddie to a few games.”
“Who’s your brother?” Marcus asked.
“Jason Heron. He’s a talent scout. I’d imagine you guys don’t work with him too much.” Carrie shrugged. “I don’t know. Do you?”
“We know who he is,” Kendall Allen said. “I went to Texas A&M. Played these clowns in college.” He kept his expression stern as he jerked his chin at Seth.
Seth grinned, knowing Kenny was joking around. College rivalries dissolved once players were teammates with former enemies. And Kenny was a hell of a player. Seth was glad to be on the same side of the ball as him.
The group spent the next hour drinking and chatting. Carrie and Celia discovered a mutual interest in some kind of brain research and talked about that while Seth spent more of the time discussing defensive strategies for Sunday with Kenny.
They’d just shifted to which quarterbacks they thought were the easiest targets to sack when a beautiful black woman came over and sat down next to Kenny. She crossed her long legs and Seth couldn’t help staring, even though she was clearly interested in Kenny. Seth was still human, and the woman had fantastic legs.
Speaking to Kenny, she said, “You play for the Dragons, right?”
Kenny grinned lazily and said, “We do.”
She leaned close to him. “My friend didn’t believe me, said y’all would be at home resting. But I knew you looked familiar.” She held out her hand. “Gwennie Morton.”
Kenny took her hand, but instead of shaking it, he bent to kiss it. “Kenny Allen. The rest of these jokers don’t matter.” Still holding her hand, he stood. “Would you care to dance with me, Ms. Morton?”
When she rose, she was nearly as tall as Kenny. His official stats had him at six foot five.
After they headed for the dance floor, Carrie broke off her conversation to ask, “Does that happen a lot?”
Seth paused before answering. Might as well be honest. “All the time. Not just here.”
She frowned. “Women hit on you everywhere you go?”
There had been the woman at the gas station on Tuesday. The grocery store was rapidly becoming a minefield; Carrie did most of the grocery shopping, but he still stopped in to pick up a few things on his own. More than one mom at school had made it clear she was interested in him. He’d taken Maddie out for dinner a few weeks ago and two different women came over to talk to him. The waitress had written her phone number and “Call me, let’s get a drink” on the bill.
His anonymity in Milwaukee hadn’t lasted long.
“Not everywhere.” No one had asked him out when he took Maddie to the comic shop. And it only happened the one time when getting gas.
Carrie’s frown deepened. In the dim, blue-tinted lighting, it somehow made her freckles more prominent. He had an urge to kiss every one of them.
“Sometimes I wish I had that kind of confidence. I get shy enough with regular guys, let alone famous athletes.”
“Technically, didn’t you hit on me at the grocery store first? I seem to recall you giving me your number in the feminine hygiene aisle.” It was corny, but he winked at her.
She put her hand on his chest and leaned back, mock indignation on her face. “Who bought whose groceries? Pretty sure you made the first move. Besides, I didn’t know you were famous.”
He grinned, and she grinned back.
God, he loved her smile. It made him equal parts happy and horny.
“Seth, come here a sec.” Trask stood at the bottom of the three steps leading up to the VIP Lounge. “Couple ladies from Texas out here, one of ’em wants to meet you.”
Seth chanced a glance at Carrie and was more pleased than he should have been at the tight expression on her face. He didn’t want to meet a woman from Texas. He wanted to dance with Carrie.
But he always tried to make time for fans. He could sign an autograph. Carrie would be fine for a few minutes. She was hitting it off with Matt’s girlfriend.
He gave her a wry half smile. “Be right back.”
Her answering smile didn’t make her eyes shine, the way they had a minute ago when they were flirting.
He most definitely should not be flirting with his nanny.
Seth pushed to his feet and followed Trask out of the lounge and through the press of bodies in the club. Maybe he’d have instant chemistry with one of these women, and one look at her would make him forget all about stripping Carrie naked and kissing every inch of her skin, then sliding inside her and giving them both ecstasy.
Fucking hell. Sure, with thoughts like that every seven seconds, he’d totally fall for some other woman. It seemed about as likely as Houston having six feet of snow for Christmas.
Sure enough, Seth did not have an instant attraction to either of the fans Trask introduced him to, Gina and Brianna. They were nice enough, and it turned out Brianna had gone to the high school that was the rival of Seth’s, though a few years before him. Both women were married, so not looking for a hookup, which was a relief. They were simply fans of both the Texans and the Dragons who were outgoing enough to approach Trask when they saw him at the bar.
Knowing Carrie was fine on her own, and that Gina and Brianna weren’t interested in him as anything but a star athlete, Seth was content to chat for a few minutes. He grabbed coasters from the bartender and both guys signed one for each woman. Seth and Brianna compared favorite restaurants in Austin.
They hung out for ten or fifteen minutes, then Seth excused himself to hit the restroom before heading back to the lounge. As often happened, he got snagged twice more by Dragons fans. One guy who was clearly drunk insisted on telling Seth exactly what the Dragons were doing wrong in their running game and how they could fix it. Seth had to assure the guy four times that he would pass on the information to Jaron Edmonds, the starting running back, and the coaches. Only after Seth pretended to text Jaron while the guy watched did he let Seth go back to his friends.
Back in the lounge, Marcus had moved into Seth’s spot on the couch. The tight end had his body angled toward Carrie, his arm stretched along the back of the couch behind her.
But it was her wide smile and shining eyes as she listened to Marcus that really felt like a punch in the gut to Seth. She was flirting with his teammate, a man he knew she found attractive. And Marcus had asked about her more than once since meeting her at the practice facility.
Something an awful lot like jealousy burned in Seth’s chest. It was an unfamiliar sensation; he didn’t know what to do with it. His relationships were always casual, even if they agreed to be exclusive. He didn’t get jealous. But seeing Carrie and Marcus flirting had Seth wanting to grab her and kiss her, to mark her as his.
Except she wasn’t.
Maybe he needed to find a new nanny. His plan to simply get over his attraction to Carrie clearly wasn’t working.
Trying not to show how grumpy he suddenly felt, Seth dropped onto the chair across from Carrie and Marcus. “Hey.”
“Back so soon?” Carrie’s expression was hard to read as she glanced over at Seth. Was he flattering himself, or was her voice sharper than usual?
He shrugged one shoulder. “They weren’t looking for a hookup. Just fans who wanted autographs.”
Marcus raised an eyebrow. “Trask has to get you to talk to two women, and neither wants to get wit’ you?”
“Both married.”
Marcus cut his gaze to Carrie, then back to Seth. Christ, were they that transparent? When Seth did the same back to Marcus, glancing at Carrie, then back to the tight end, Marcus’s smile turned into a grin. His gaze seemed to be challenging Seth.
“Dance with me.” Seth rounded the table to Carrie, took her hand, and tugged until she rose to her feet.
Where had those words come from? He didn’t even particularly like dancing. But from their position in the VIP lounge, they could see the dance floor. Something about all those bodies pressed together, moving in a rhythmic mass, made him feel like he had to take Carrie and join them. Had to hold her against him and torture them both as they rubbed against each other.
And he wanted her the hell away from Marcus. Which was asinine. But he didn’t want her hooking up with one of his teammates.
Maybe he should take her home so they could have desperate, needy sex and get it out of their systems. Maybe they wouldn’t even make it to his bedroom; he could shove her jeans down and fuck her against the front door. Or toss her on the couch, throw her legs over his shoulders, and eat her delicious pussy until she came on his face.
Shit. He had to stop these fantasies. It would be embarrassing as hell to blow his load in his pants in front of his teammates. But he was so turned on, it wouldn’t take much more than the brush of Carrie’s hand over the front of his pants.
Still, maybe he was onto something. Maybe it was time they stopped fighting their attraction. Because it sure as hell wasn’t going away.
Carrie tugged her hand away from him. “I don’t really dance.” Her gaze darted to Marcus, then back to Seth. “I have the rhythm of a cactus.”
He took a breath to calm his irrational jealousy over her talking with Marcus. “I bet we can find a rhythm.”
Shit. That was way more sexual than he’d intended.
Marcus snorted; Seth shot him a glare over Carrie’s shoulder.
Her cheeks pinked. She dragged her lower lip between her teeth.
Seth swallowed a groan. He wanted to bite that lip.
Maybe they should skip dancing and go home.
But dammit, he liked being out with her. And it wasn’t like anything had changed. They still shouldn’t sleep together. Even if he was willing to risk it, he had no indication she’d changed her mind. They could still dance, though.
He ran his hand down her back and leaned down to speak softly in her ear. “Bring Ivy. I bet she’s got moves.”
Now her expression turned skeptical. “Her moves run more toward poison than hip gyration. But I guess we’ll see what she’s got.”
Seth had no doubt that even if they were the two worst dancers in the place, he’d still get turned on by her. More than he already was.
He was screwed.
He laced their fingers together—a possessive show that felt better than it should—as he led her out of the lounge and to the floor. The crowd was dense and he used his large body to make a path. People tended to move for someone his size. She followed close behind him, hooking two fingers of her free hand into his belt loop.
Something about that felt intimate in a nonsexual way. To his surprise, he liked it.
He liked even more when he turned to pull her into his arms and she slid against him willingly, her curves pressing against him exactly like they were made to fit him. He let the pounding beat of the music guide him as he began to move.
Before long, Carrie’s body moved in perfect synchronization with his. He no longer needed the music; his movement triggered her countermove, which had him moving, going in an endless circle.
He couldn’t tell when one song ended and the next began but it didn’t matter. He bent his mouth to her ear to be heard over the music and said, “I’m not sure what you were talking about, darlin’, because your dancing feels perfect to me.”
Her eyes smiled as much as her lips as she looked up at him. “You make it easy.”
He pulled her tight against him. “Whereas you make it hard. Very, very hard.” Fuck. He should not have done that.
Except the spark in her eyes as she stared up at him said she didn’t mind. And the way she moved her body against him said she might even like it. He felt like he couldn’t breathe from how near she was and how much he wanted her.
Gripping her waist, he turned her so her back was to him. Maybe he’d have a little more control this way. He stepped back just enough to let a breath of air move between them.
Except instantly he missed the touch of her body against his. Apparently so did she, as she backed into him, her back sliding against his chest, her feet slipping between his.
Ah, fuck it. He pulled her even tighter against him and was rewarded with her ass rubbing against him. His hand slid from her hip to around her waist, holding her in place.
Carrie turned her head to look at him, her hair brushing his chin and catching on his beard. Tangled up in him; that’s where he wanted her.
He’d reached his limit. Again gripping her hip with one hand to spin her, he thrust his other hand into her hair and kissed her. Hot, hard, hungry, his lips claimed hers. He didn’t have to ask permission—her lips parted for him and his tongue slicked into her mouth. The contact seared him.
Jesus, he wanted her. Wanted every bit of her, and he was done fighting it. Nothing else he’d tried made his hunger for her go away. Maybe it would complicate things. Maybe it would ruin their working relationship. But in that moment, he didn’t care.
She tasted like wine and desire, and Seth never wanted to stop kissing her. Her arms wound around his chest, palms flat on his back, holding him as tightly as he held her. Her body molded against him, and he could feel every curve of her. He wanted to explore all of them, with his hands, with his lips, with his tongue, and finally with his naked skin sliding against hers.
When his hands started to slide down over her ass, he stopped himself and reluctantly drew his mouth from hers. But his hand remained in her hair, his forehead pressed to hers, as he slowly opened his eyes.
Hers were still closed, and in the dim, pulsing light of the club, he could see her red, swollen lips. A fresh wave of desire rolled through him. He’d done that. He’d put that debauched look on her face.
He needed her. Now.
He looked deep into her eyes. “I think we need to go. Very, very soon.” She couldn’t mistake his intent, not with his throbbing cock pressed against her and his fingers digging into her hips to hold her against him. If they didn’t get out of there soon, there was a very real chance he was going to take her to a dark corner and fuck her against a wall.
“I think you’re right.” Her hand covered his on her hip, fingers sliding between his, entwining them.
Goddamn, there was too much sexual imagery in his head. “How about now?” He trailed a kiss down the slope of her neck. He couldn’t stop tasting her.
“I think—” She broke off on a moan when he nipped at her collarbone.
He pressed his lips to the side of her neck and breathed in deeply, taking a moment to gather his scattered brain before they hurried back to the VIP lounge, gathered their things, and said hasty goodbyes.
He managed to get Carrie outside before he lost his latest battle with self-control. As soon as he handed his keys to the valet, she fell into his arms, tilting her head up in a silent request he couldn’t resist.
Her mouth was somehow more delicious this time as he sucked hard on her tongue. She let out a squeak that had him pulling back with a smile.
“You like that?” His whiskers were probably scratching up her face, his lips brushing hers as he spoke.
“Yes.” Her word was barely more than a breath, and he got a thrill that he turned her on that much. It was only fair, since he wasn’t sure he could safely drive home in his state of arousal.
When his car arrived, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, then helped her in. They didn’t talk as he drove toward his house. She took long, slow breaths, as if she were trying to control herself.
Finally they reached his house and pulled into the garage. He turned to face her, and forced himself to ask the question nagging him the whole drive.
“Are you positive you want to do this?”
Yes. Hell yes. She wanted him to take her inside and strip her naked and screw her brains out. She wanted him to magically change things so she wasn’t his nanny and he wasn’t her boss.
But what she wanted and what she should do were two very different things.
She couldn’t look at him as she said, “I can’t afford to fuck up this job.”
With those eight words, all the false calm she’d managed to build up on the drive home shattered. The desire came back, the lightheaded hunger, the driving need.
Without a word, Seth got out and came around to her side of the car. His movements were stiff as he offered a hand to help her out. She accepted it, because she had to touch him. He made her feel so good. Amazing. Beyond amazing.
She needed to know how good it could be between them. If it fucked up her job, they’d deal with that later. She would throw caution to the wind, consequences be damned, tomorrow was another day, and all those clichés. She wanted him too much to give up this one night.
She didn’t let go of his hand as they walked to the door. When he started to pull away, she tightened her hold until he relaxed.
She shoved open the door and stepped inside. Once they were in the living room, she faced him and grabbed his shirt, pulling him to her. “I can’t afford to fuck up this job,” she said again, “so we’ll have to figure out how to do this without fucking it up. But I need you,” she said. Then her lips met his and she kissed him with all the hunger she felt, the desire she’d been trying to hide for too long. Her arms went around his neck and her tongue slid along his lips until he opened to her.
He groaned and hauled her against him, kissing her with as much fervor as she kissed him. Abruptly, he pulled away. “You’re sure?”
“Positive.” It wasn’t smart, but his kisses were like a drug, her own personal blend. She couldn’t say no.
He lifted her, guiding her legs around his waist. His mouth found hers as he started toward his bedroom.
She ran her hands over his shoulders, then one hand went to his ponytail. Too aroused to be gentle, she tugged at the band until it slid free. Once his hair was loose, she ran her fingers through it.
As he walked, Seth held her with one hand squeezing her ass, sending sharp pleasure up her spine. His other hand slid up her back, caressing the bare skin above the top of her corset. She felt like she was on fire, in the best way. As if he were the oxygen feeding her.
He tweaked open the hooks along the back of her corset, then the garment loosened and her breasts seemed to overflow from the cups. Amazing. She was sleeping with the only man alive who knew how to unhook a corset.
“Impressive skills,” she murmured against his lips.
Grinning, he pulled back. Slowly he bent over to lay her on his bed. “Darlin’, I got all kinds of impressive skills,” he said, laying his Texas accent on thick.
With one hand, he gripped the back of his shirt and yanked it over his head. Tossing the shirt on the floor, he reached over to turn on the bedside lamp.
The dim light cast shadows over him, highlighting each individual muscle of his sculpted torso. His flat pecs with a dusting of hair, his sculpted six-pack, and that sexy line at the bottom of his obliques, along his upper hip.
Her mouth watered as her eyes traced that line. She wanted to taste him.
“Hey, eyes up here. What am I, a piece of meat?”
She couldn’t help laughing, not at his dumb joke but because she loved how easy it was between them. Had she ever laughed during sex? Maybe a few nervous titters her first time, back in twelfth grade. But never real humor that she felt deep inside.
When she looked up to meet his eyes, they shone with humor and lust. In contrast to his words, his hands went to work on his belt, then his pants. A few more smooth, efficient movements and he was naked.
She probably would have drooled at the sight if she weren’t swallowing repeatedly.
Not wasting any time, he grabbed her ankle and pulled off her black heel. He paused, turning the shoe to the side. “I like these.” Then he tossed the shoe over his shoulder, plucked off the other one, and did the same.
She laughed. “Yeah, I can see they’re very special to you.”
He pressed a kiss to the inside of her ankle, then started his way up her leg. “I like them.” He nipped at the apple of her calf through her jeans. “But I like this more.”
He had her jeans around her ankles in seconds and without warning, he slid a finger under her panties. “I like this even more.” He circled her wet opening, sending electric sensation shooting out from her core. Her hips raised, seeking his touch.
“Do you know how hot it is to know how much you want me?” His mouth found its way to her knee, then started along the inside of her thigh.
Probably about as hot as every time he’d pressed his erection against her while they were dancing. “Yes,” she breathed.
“I don’t think I have the patience to undress you.” Without further warning, he covered her with his mouth. Even through her now-drenched underwear, the sensation was intense. She arched into him, needing more. It was crazy that she could be this close to orgasm already, but the dancing had turned her on as much as any other foreplay, and the weeks of pent-up desire had only fed the need for release.
“I knew you would taste amazing.” Seth’s hot breath burned her thighs, but it wasn’t direct enough. If he wouldn’t take care of things, she’d do it herself.
She lifted her hips, rolling slightly away so she didn’t hit him in the jaw, and slid her panties down her legs. A few kicks of her feet and they, along with her jeans, hit the floor.
Then she shoved her fingers into his hair and pulled him back into position. “Come on, Iron Man. Stop screwing around. Make me come.” Who was she? She’d never talked to a lover like that. But he set something free inside her.
Maybe that was why she couldn’t get over her attraction to him.
With a grin, he touched his tongue to her and licked her from back to front. His eyes stayed on hers the entire time as the intensity inside her built. To say nothing of the intensity in the air, wrapping around them, holding them together in his bed, and shutting everything else out.
He gave her clit a gentle kiss. “With pleasure, Ivy.”
He sucked her. Hard.
The sensation burst through her, white-hot and delicious. When he did it again, she flew so high, she could almost feel the orgasm, just beyond her fingertips. It was too soon, yet she needed it now.
Her fingers dug into his scalp and she pulled him tighter to her. He licked her again, followed by another two hard sucks. He repeated the pattern until she was so close she could taste it.
“Please,” she sobbed. She didn’t know if it was tears or sweat running down her cheeks and into her ears. All she knew was the pleasure Seth’s mouth brought her and the need it created inside her.
“Please what?” he asked between sucks.
She was too busy moaning to answer right away. But when he licked her yet again, she dug up the strength to say, “Please make me come.” She fisted her hands, twisting his hair and tugging hard enough to show she wasn’t messing around.
She felt his chuckle against her pelvic bone an instant before two thick fingers slid inside her. He immediately curled one and massaged her in a way that made her see stars.
He withdrew his fingers, then plunged them back in, all while circling her clit with his tongue and sucking hard. In an instant, she was lifting to him, shifting to find just the right angle so she could—
“Yes! Oh God, Seth, yes.” She pulled his hair and yanked his face tight to her and shamelessly ground against his mouth as the orgasm poured over her, sharp and intense and so, so beautiful. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t see, she couldn’t hear anything but the pleasure rushing through her and somewhere, far away, Seth’s voice encouraging her and telling her how sexy she was.
Then everything released. The pleasure, the tension, her stress, her worries, her skeleton, her muscles—everything went limp. She flopped onto the mattress, vaguely aware of Seth’s gentle kisses on each hip.
He tugged at her corset and it disappeared over his shoulder. Once she was naked, his mouth returned to her skin, pressing firm, openmouthed kisses in a line up the center of her body. He ran one hand in a long stroke from her knee, over her hip and up to her waist, then back down again.
Carrie was just getting her mind back, at least a small piece of it, when Seth reached the valley between her breasts. His beard tickling the delicate skin, he sucked one nipple into his mouth.
She cried out, arching into the sharp pleasure. Already her mind was slipping away again as the pulse between her legs returned. He was a master at playing her body; he knew exactly how to touch her to bring maximum pleasure. It was almost unreal how quickly he could make her want him again so desperately.
By the time he moved to her other breast, she was squirming and writhing against him, gasps and moans spilling from her mouth. She rocked against him, seeking friction and some measure of relief. But what she really wanted was the solid erection pressed against her thigh.
She needed it now.
Using his hair, she tugged Seth’s head up. Her nipple popped out of his mouth, sending another jolt of pleasure from her breast to her clit and pulling another cry from her throat.
Seth grinned down at her. “I think I could spend an entire day exploring your body and finding new ways to make you squirm.”
Carrie’s chest burst with heat, a decidedly non-sexual sensation that spread to mingle with all the sexual ones flowing through her. “I would be OK with that,” she managed. “But right now, I need—”
He cut her off with a kiss that instantly turned desperate. Their mouths fused and their tongues explored. She liked the way she tasted on his lips and how his mustache was damp as it rubbed against her.
He shifted his large body on top of hers, spreading her thighs wide. Without thinking, her legs wrapped around to the backs of his, her feet tracing up and down the tense muscles there.
His thick cock stroked between her legs, sliding through her wetness, teasing her clit until she thought she might go crazy if he didn’t get inside her.
Abruptly, Seth ripped his mouth from hers and pushed up on his hands. “Fuck, Carrie. You are so damn hot tonight.” His hand came up and skimmed over her hair, down the side of her face to her shoulder, finally resting on her upper arm. His flame-blue eyes searched her face for a long moment, so intense she forgot to breathe. She met his gaze, and the hunger and passion and other unidentifiable elements there made that heat in her chest swell until it felt like she might burst.
When she couldn’t take it a second longer, she slid her palm up his neck, over his beard and rested on his cheek. “Please. I can’t wait.”
But before she could give him a chance to find a condom, she leaned up for a kiss. Because damn, his mouth drove her crazy. He dove into her, his lips against hers sending zips of pleasure all through her. Her hands explored, sliding down his back and over his hips until she could grab his fantastic butt. She squeezed and he moaned. A second squeezed caused him to flex into her, which again slid his cock between her wet folds. His root caught her clit and she cried out as he moaned deep.
“Jesus, you’re killin’ me.” He pulled her lower lip between his teeth, nipping gently. His hand cupped her breast, thumb flicking back and forth over her nipple.
Which was killing her. She bucked her hips, a reflex she couldn’t have stopped even if she wanted to. And it caused more friction and sliding and moaning and pleasure and already she was getting dangerously close to the edge.
“Now. Please, now,” she breathed, unable to make her voice more forceful. “I need you.”
Seth lifted his head and looked down at her, body stilled for a moment. His gaze searched her face, lingering on her lips, until it came back to hers. He smoothed her hair off her face. “You are so beautiful.”
She was imagining the reverence in his voice. She had to be. This was just sex. She didn’t doubt he found her attractive. But it was lust that made him sound like he meant anything more than he found her beautiful because she was naked and begging him to have sex with her.
She didn’t know how to respond. Thankfully, he gave her a quick, firm kiss, then twisted his upper body away from her to get a condom from his nightstand. She watched as he rolled it down his length. He was already dripping, the head a deep purple. He wasn’t going to last long, but she didn’t need long either.
Talk about beautiful. She’d never been with a man who was in shape the way he was, and as much as she didn’t want to admit she could be that shallow, it did hold major appeal. She wanted to run her tongue over every dip and ridge of muscle, explore him for a hidden spot where he was still soft, where she could sink her teeth into him.
Intertwining their fingers, Seth held her hands beside her head as he lowered himself onto her. Her legs automatically came around his waist, like they’d done this a dozen times before. Like their bodies already knew each other.
He shifted his hips until he nudged her entrance, then slipped inside her. Just a little. Not enough to even come close to filling her need. With her feet on his ass, she pulled him in farther. They both groaned, and his hands tightened on hers.
“You feel so damn good.”
She clenched her muscles, squeezing him tighter.
His jaw went slack, his eyes rolled shut and his neck sagged. “Oh, fuck, that feels good.”
Carrie could only grunt in response.
Slowly, he pulled back, then thrust in deeper. Before she could even process the sensations, he did it again, pushing in to the hilt. They were joined as deeply as two people could be.
She couldn’t have explained why, but she was overcome with a frantic need to touch him. She yanked her hands free and held his face between her palms. “Seth.”
He rocked against her. “Good?”
She smoothed her thumb over his lower lip. “So good.”
His mouth twitched, like he was going to smile, but he never quite got there. He just kept watching her with an intense expression she couldn’t decipher. Like this was more than sex.
Except it wasn’t. It couldn’t be. It was the secrecy they would have to maintain, the thrill of the forbidden, that made it seem like more than it was. She had to remember that or she risked being swept away, mistaking one emotion for another.
He moved in a series of shallow thrusts. Each move caught her clit and she automatically tightened on him.
His face came down to hers as he rolled his hips back, nearly withdrawing from her. “I hope you’re close, because this ain’t gonna last long.”
“Fuck me already.”
With a chuckle, he obliged. He slammed into her and the crash of his hips against hers sent sharp pleasure spearing through her. Within a few strokes, all humor was gone as they pounded together and jerked apart, their passion raw and primal and the hottest damn sex she’d ever had.
His teeth scraped her throat, his whiskers burning her skin. She pressed her mouth to his shoulder to muffle her screams.
When the orgasm gripped her, throwing her high and wild into the most perfect ecstasy she’d ever experienced, her own teeth sank into the firm muscle and smooth skin.
“Fuck, baby. Oh Jesus, fuck.” With a final heave, Seth joined her in the ultimate pleasure, his body jerking and shaking in her arms as hers tightened around him. They each drew out the other’s orgasm for what felt like eternity. Minutes ticked by as they lay together, limp and exhausted and thoroughly satisfied.
Finally Seth heaved himself off her and, after pressing a gentle kiss to her temple, headed into the bathroom. She pulled back his quilt and slipped under it before she had a chance to get chilled.
He returned a minute later, slid into bed next to her, and pulled her close. She snuggled against him, reveling in the warmth of his skin.
She pressed a kiss to his chest, just above his nipple. “This is nice.” She wasn’t going to think about how close to real intimacy they were walking. She would enjoy the moment while it lasted.
He murmured his agreement and kissed her hair. “Since you’re meeting Mads—” He cleared his throat. “I mean Maddie. Not Mads. Since you’re meeting Maddie at her swim meet and she’s getting a ride there, you don’t have to go back to your room right away.”
A thrill rippled through Carrie. She shouldn’t want it, but the idea of spending the night with him had major appeal. Did he like morning sex as much as she did? Would he wake her in the middle of the night and take her, sweet and lazy, in the darkness?
Or maybe she could wake him with long, slow licks of his cock until he came alive in her mouth.
“Do you want me to sleep in your bed?”
His muscles tensed under her hand. There was her answer. She’d pushed too far. He considered actual sleeping together outside the boundaries of their new arrangement. He just wanted her to stick around for a second go.
He shifted onto his side and propped himself on his elbow. “Are you sure?”
Carrie lifted her gaze to meet his. Something in it encouraged her. “I thought it might be nice…sex is never a bad way to start the day. But I totally understand if that’s more than—”
He cut her off with a kiss. It was warm and sweet, without the usual seductive fire that sparked between them. Drawing back only enough to speak, he said, “I can’t imagine a better start to the day than sliding inside you before I’m fully awake. But are you sure this is what you want? Is this more than tonight?”
Heart pounding so hard her ears felt like they were vibrating, she said, “I’m not ready for it to be over.”
“I’m not either.” The corner of his mouth twitched, like he might smile. But his face fell back into a neutral expression. His hand slid around the back of her neck and he kissed her. They spent long minutes exploring each other’s mouths, in no hurry to take things further if they had all night. Carrie rolled toward him and ran her hands over his chest and shoulders as his tongue slid along hers.
Eventually they drew apart and settled together under the blankets. “Tired?” Seth asked.
She should be. It had to be well past midnight. The lazy, lethargic effects of her orgasms lingered, making her not want to move. But she wasn’t sleepy.
“Yes. But not enough to sleep.”
He kissed her again, hot enough to kindle a flame in her belly, but still not enough to have her craving him. So they made out some more.
After, they chatted about things of little import. Somewhere around two o’clock, he got up to get a glass of water. Carrie openly ogled him as he crossed the room. He seemed entirely comfortable walking around his house naked.
Given the powerful spread of his shoulders, the defined muscles of his back, and his tight, perfect, holy-shit-amazing ass, he should be comfortable. The only thing marring the perfection was a large bruise, fading from purple to brown and green, on his right hip. She cringed in sympathy.
Her mind drifted, imagining ways she might ease some of his pain, until he returned. He was impressive from the front too, even without the mouth-watering erection she was desperate to get inside her again. Hopefully she could inspire a revival soon. After waiting so long to get him naked, two orgasms weren’t nearly enough. She was greedy.
Something in her expression must have given away her thoughts. His mouth curled into a grin as he took her hand and allowed her to pull him down. He slid his arm around her and tugged her into his side; she went willingly.
“You cold?” he asked.
She had been a moment ago, but as big and muscular as he was, snuggling the man was like snuggling a space heater. “I’m good. Are you?”
“I’m never cold.”
She chuckled. “Wait until you have to endure a Wisconsin winter, Texas boy. You’ll discover cold.”
“I did play a December game in Chicago my rookie season. Thought my balls were going to climb up inside my body, it was so damn cold.” He brushed a kiss over her temple. “Guess you’ll have to keep me extra warm this winter.”
She let herself get excited at the prospect of snuggling under flannel sheets and quilts with him, undressing each other under the covers and having sex in a warm, cozy cocoon.
Sex cocoon. OK, that was a little gross.
Also, as much as she didn’t want to, they probably needed to discuss a few things if this was going to be a regular occurrence, lasting into winter.
“About that…”
Tension rippled through his body. Which was actually a bit distracting, what with all those muscles tightening against her and growing more defined before her eyes. But it wasn’t the right moment to appreciate his physique.
“I didn’t mean…I’m not…” Shit. She was so bad at talking about sex stuff face-to-face. It was why she rarely did casual sex.
“Obviously you’re seeing this as more than a one-time thing. I want that too.” She gave him a smile she hoped was encouraging. “That is what you want, right?”
He released his tension as his blue eyes intensified. “Let’s see, do I want a repeat of the best sex I’ve ever had? Let me think about— Yes. I definitely do.”
Best? “Best sex? You’ve ever had?” He had to be flattering her. There were women far more experienced than she was who made a habit of hooking up with athletes. He’d told her he’d slept with more than one of them early in his career, before he changed his focus to football and Maddie.
He smoothed his thumb over her eyebrow. “Don’t look so shocked. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. Something about us just works.”
She swallowed hard, gathering her resolve. She couldn’t get swept up in sexy words. He was talking about them working physically.
“OK, so this works for both of us. And we’d both like to keep doing it.”
“Agreed.” His voice came out thick. He cleared his throat before adding, “Anything else?”
“I’d appreciate if as long as we’re sleeping together, you weren’t with anyone else.” She felt the blush move up her chest and neck until her cheeks burned. It was a perfectly reasonable request; she had no reason to be embarrassed.
“Darlin’, you are more than enough to satisfy me.”
His eyes were so hot on her, she couldn’t stop herself from grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him down to her. She pressed her mouth to his, running her tongue over his lower lip. He made an appreciative sound and slid his arm around her back.
One kiss bled into the next, a leisurely exploration of lips and tongues. For the moment, Carrie was content to learn the landscape of his mouth, what made him groan, what made him suck in his breath, and what made him clutch her back and tighten his arm around her.
When they drew apart, both were breathing hard. Seth’s renewing erection lay against her thigh. She ran her hand down his side and over his hip. She intended to take him in hand and stroke him back to fullness, but he suddenly arched his back and hissed through his teeth.
Her eyes flew to his face to find his features tightened in pain. She snatched back her hand. “Sorry!”
He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. “It’s OK. You just hit a particularly bad spot. Must have done something else at practice today.”
After another deep breath, he opened his eyes and his face relaxed.
She cupped her hand over an older bruise on his ribs that she hadn’t noticed before. “Does this one hurt?”
Circling her wrist, he lifted her hand away and looked where it had been. “Nah. That’s an old one.”
“You say that like you expect to be covered in bruises.”
He gave her an odd look she couldn’t read, then shrugged the shoulder he wasn’t leaning on. “Occupational hazard.”
“Really?” She probably sounded hopelessly naive, but it was such a foreign idea to her. She was a wimp about pain.
“I get paid to hit three-hundred-pound men as hard as I can, so I can get around them to take their quarterback’s head off. They get paid to stop me at all costs. Yeah, I get a few bruises.”
“That’s so…violent.”
“That’s football.” He frowned, a deep crease forming between his brows. “You really don’t know football, do you?”
“I’ve been watching with Maddie. I guess I thought since you have all those pads on…” Of course the pads didn’t do as much as she assumed. She understood forces and mass and all the other science that went into two huge bodies colliding the way he’d described.
She’d cringed every time she saw him get hit, but most of the time the cameras focused on the other team’s quarterback or wherever he threw the ball. She hadn’t actually gotten to watch much of Seth’s play, except for the home games she’d taken Maddie to. But it wasn’t always easy to see him. “Did it hurt? When you got these bruises?”
He scrubbed his hand over his beard. “To be honest, during the season I’m never not in pain.”
Carrie winced in sympathy. Why would he do that to himself?
“But I’m so used to it, most of the time I don’t even notice, unless I stop to think about it. So sure, the impact hurts. But then it…assimilates, I guess. And it doesn’t register anymore. Plus, during the game, there’s so much adrenaline, you don’t feel any but the most brutal hits.”
She couldn’t imagine, even a little. If she got a hangnail, it was in the back of her mind no matter what she was doing. Tension headache? Forget it, she was useless. And when she broke her ankle in high school, she’d driven her parents and Amy nuts with her complaining.
At least she could admit she was a wimp.
“You never stop hurting? Ever?”
“Not during the season.” He pressed his lips to her shoulder, moving over her skin with wet, openmouthed kisses that made her shiver.
“I do have”—he grazed his teeth along her collarbone—“a tendency”—his tongue drew a path to the hollow beneath her chin—“not to notice it so much”—wrapping her in his arms, he rolled to his back and settled her on top of him—“when I’ve got”—his lips found hers, tracing her lower lip with his tongue—“my mouth on you.”
He sealed his mouth to hers and kissed her breathless. Her body came alive for him, her breasts lying heavy against his chest, nipples aching for attention.
His big hands gripped her hips, guiding her movement as she rocked against him. His erection slid between her legs where she was hot and wet and ready for him.
“You feel so good,” he murmured into her mouth.
Their sex was more desperate this time, and they quickly found a frantic rhythm. For every time Carrie lifted her hips, then slammed back down, he pulled back, then lifted his hips to meet her. The result was a white-hot, breathtaking frenzy, two bodies desperately racing for completion.
When he came, his fingers dug into her ass, hard enough she knew she would have marks tomorrow. It could have hurt if she didn’t love the possessive nature of it.
Enjoying pain. Huh. Maybe she did get it. The adrenaline of sports wasn’t the same as the endorphin flood of orgasm, but ultimately, both she and Seth were enduring, almost enjoying, discomfort in order to experience something they enjoyed.
Panting, she collapsed on his heaving chest. As his breathing slowed, he idly stroked her hair along her back. The rhythmic touch nearly soothed her to sleep. How nice would it be to drift off curled against the warmth of his body, wrapped in his arms, every night?
Except she didn’t get to do that with Seth, for so many reasons. He wasn’t her boyfriend; this was just sex. She would have to remind herself of that every chance she got.
Otherwise, it would be far too easy to forget.
The sun warmed Carrie as she sipped her coffee on Seth’s back patio. She tried not to indulge in fantasies, like Mother Nature blessing the night of hot sex with an unseasonably warm morning after, but the silly idea did make Carrie smile. As if the previous night needed a reward. Multiple orgasms were their own reward.
“There you are.” Seth’s voice drifted over, followed by the sound of the back door shutting.
Carrie leaned her head back and watched him approach upside down.
He bent over and kissed her, a soft, lingering brush of his lips against hers. He tasted like mouthwash and smelled like soap; his ponytail was still damp.
She, on the other hand, was still in the flannel pants and sweatshirt she’d put on when they got out of bed. Too bad they couldn’t spend the whole morning together, making out, having sex, and boycotting clothes.
“I gotta go.” He stood and moved to her side.
“Stupid job,” she mumbled. “What kind of terrible employer would make someone work on a gorgeous Saturday like this?”
“You’re a riot.” He had practice and meetings in preparation for tomorrow’s game. Which meant Carrie would be meeting Maddie at her swim meet. Maddie had convinced Emilia to join the team with her, so her parents had taken the girls to the early morning warm-up, saving Carrie from having to leave before sunrise.
She did need to get moving, though, if she was going to get there before Maddie’s first race.
Beside her, Seth’s posture stiffened. He cleared his throat.
Uh-oh.
“Look, uh, it’s probably best if we keep this…thing with us”—Seth waved his hand between the two of them—“between us.”
Carrie didn’t know if she was relieved he hadn’t changed his mind about continuing whatever it was between them or offended that he wanted to keep it a secret. She settled for being glad he looked ridiculously uncomfortable.
He scrubbed his hand over his beard. His gaze landed on her face, and his expression softened. “Not because I want to hide you. I promise.”
Like his expression, something in her chest softened. A softness she liked a little too much. Which was dangerous.
Seth stepped closer, cupping her cheek and stroking her skin with his thumb.
Dangerous, but delicious.
“I just think it’s best if Maddie doesn’t know. This move has been hard on her, and I don’t want to unsettle her more. Is that OK?”
She didn’t love it, but it wasn’t like they could make out in front of Maddie anyway. “Yeah, I get it.”
One side of his mouth turned up in a half smile that made her insides feel gooey.
“Thanks. She’s gotten attached to women I’ve dated before, and takes it really hard when things end. I know this is different, but…”
Carrie stood, only a breath of space between them. “I get it. You’re a dad. Maddie comes first.” She went up on tiptoe to press a kiss to his lips.
He slid his arm around her waist and drew her closer. “Thank you for understanding.” His whiskers tickled her lips.
As he sank in for a deeper goodbye kiss, Carrie let herself stop thinking and simply enjoy the taste and feel of him.