Twenty-two

ROWAN

The hot summer days and hotter summer nights with my man flew by.

Camp Step-Up was winding down even as Vikings training camp started in two days.

The more I worked with Astrid, the more she impressed me. I wished I had the budget to offer her a paid position scheduling practice and workout times at the campus training center, because we needed someone who could multitask.

Jensen returned home every night exhausted. I’d never overstepped my bounds and told him to train less or not push himself so hard, but I was sorely tempted after he’d nearly fallen asleep at the dinner table.

In addition to the physical demands of being a professional athlete, with the impending opening of the new stadium, it seemed the team PR machine had hit the overdrive stage. All of the players were in demand for interviews and appearances at community events. The only good thing about the accelerated promotion schedule was that no one questioned why the players and the cheerleaders were together so often. Jensen and I didn’t avoid each other, but we also weren’t making out in the locker room or walking hand in hand to events. I wasn’t sure how things would change once we’d passed the preseason; I just knew things would change.

Whether that would be a good change for us . . . only time would tell.

I still hadn’t heard from Martin about when he and Verily planned to return. Part of the deal with us subleasing from them? I was supposed to be looking at houses to buy. But besides occasionally browsing online, I’d pretty much blown off the house search. Did I have visions of moving into Jensen’s apartment after Martin returned? I wasn’t ready to answer that honestly. Since Calder was starting at a charter school, the school district we lived in was irrelevant.

The main issue for me was that I’d been an apartment dweller since I’d lived in the dorms my first year of college. It sounded weird to a lot of people—my folks included—but I liked living in an apartment complex. I’d heard the “throwing your money away on rent” argument more times than I could count. But the thought of being responsible for even more things in my life—yard work, shoveling snow, home repairs and maintenance—sent me into panic mode. I hadn’t mentioned my aversion to becoming a homeowner to anyone except Martin. That was how I’d ended up subleasing his place: because he understood. He’d told me unless he moved out of the Cities completely, he planned to live at Snow Village indefinitely.

Since starting the child-care co-op, I felt we were part of a community. I liked that Calder had friends and a pool and safe playground. I liked the location. I’d be content living there.

Thanks to Jensen, we now knew everyone in the complex and there was a certain bond among athletes and former athletes in Snow Village. The turnover among renters was very low; the list to get vetted for consideration to rent a place there was years long, according to everyone I’d talked to. So the open apartments on the first floor bugged me.

Needing a break from the never-ending paperwork as a new semester loomed, I’d ducked out of my office to grab a soda for my caffeine fix. In the vending area I showed immense willpower by not adding a package of M&Ms and calling it lunch. Carrying my Diet Mountain Dew across the mats, I stopped when I saw Bree talking with a big guy in a ball cap—a very familiar big guy.

What was Jensen doing here?

I started toward them.

Immediately Jensen homed in on me and his lips kicked into a half smile that meant he was thinking dirty thoughts.

He didn’t wait for me to come to him; he half jogged toward me.

Bree yelled, “Wait. You can’t just—”

“It’s all right. I was expecting him. We’ll be in my office.” I motioned with my head for him to follow me down the short hallway.

My office was on the small side, but I loved the coziness of it. And it seemed particularly cozy with a six-foot-five, two-hundred-fifty-pound football player crowding me against the door the instant we were alone.

Jensen was all over me. Wrapping his hands around my face and kissing me with a hunger that stole my breath.

He didn’t stop kissing me until he was damn good and ready. By that time, my thoughts were fuzzy, my skin sizzled and my body had gone wet and achy with need.

Jensen buried his face in my neck and muttered “Fuck” on a soft sigh.

I slipped my hands under his shirt because I could. It still made me giddy that I had unfettered access to this amazing body, belonging to this amazing man.

He shuddered as I touched him. My fingertips tracing the grooves of his rock hard abdomen. My palms following the sides of his torso up and over his rib cage to the thick slabs of muscle that defined his chest. I swept my thumbs over his nipples and nudged his face with my shoulder so I could kiss the underside of his jaw.

“God. I needed this.”

“What?”

“You.” He groaned and pressed into me with more intent. “Is this a sturdy door?”

I tweaked his nipple before pushing on his chest. “It’ll rattle like a freight train with as hard as you thrust. I don’t need my students standing outside the door wondering what the hell is going on in here.”

Jensen blew a raspberry against my throat and I squealed. “Dream killer.” He stepped back. “No problem. I can adapt. I’ll just bend you over the desk.”

Framing his gorgeous face in my hands, I hated seeing the dark circles of worry and exhaustion beneath his usual sparkling eyes. “You okay? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but it’s rare that you just drop by.”

“I miss you.” He closed his eyes. “That sounds stupid because I see you every day. But it’s been hit-and-miss the past few days—”

“And you really want to hit this”—I thrust my pelvis into his—“doncha, big guy?”

“Am I that transparent?” He laughed softly. “But yeah. I want to lose myself in you for a little while, Ro.” He rested his forehead to mine. “Can you play hooky for a couple of hours?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be at practice?”

“I’m playing hooky too.”

If Jensen had blown off practice to spend time with me, then there was more going on than him missing me. Calder wouldn’t be done with camp for three hours, so we could have uninterrupted time alone. “Your place or mine?”

“Mine.”

“I’ll meet you there in fifteen.”

After another toe-curling kiss, Jensen picked up his hat and took off.

Technically I could come and go as I pleased, especially this time of year when there were minimal students in the training center. So I changed the hands on the clock on my door, indicating I’d be back after three.

•   •   •

We didn’t make it into his bedroom for the first round.

I suspected Jensen had been pacing in his apartment while he waited for me. The instant I opened the door, he was on me. Kissing me as he stripped me. Impatiently tearing off his clothes when he’d gotten me naked. Dropping to his knees and using his mouth and his hands to send me soaring. Then bending me over the back of his couch and giving in to his need to take me hard and fast with a passion that rocked me to the core.

And after he’d found his release, he carried me into his bedroom, where he started all over again.

The room stayed dark, only a slight glow from the hallway through the crack in the door.

As much as I loved Jensen the impatient, intense lover, this tender, thorough side of him loving on me did me in. His hands gentled as they caressed every inch of my skin. His kisses were soft and sweet as he teased the hot spots that drove me crazy like the small of my back and the crease of my knee. His reverence with every sweeping caress . . . I didn’t deserve it even when I was thrilled to have it.

His stunning masculine form deserved its own worship. So I mapped the dips and valleys of his musculature, but I also paid particular attention to gently stroking my fingertips across the wide expanse of his shoulders, down the middle of his back and lower to his firm ass. After the brutal training and physical impact he inflicted on his body every day, he deserved a soft touch from someone who understood that tactile pleasures of the flesh were just as important as that hard-driving rise to release.

We lost ourselves in the cocoon of darkness. Reveling in the luxury of indulging in this ultimate intimacy without the urgency. There wasn’t a choreographed need to take turns tasting, touching, teasing. We wound each other up and then let go.

Afterward, Jensen kept me wrapped in his embrace, my back to his chest, our legs tangled, our bodies at rest, even when I knew his mind was back to racing a million miles an hour.

“Jens?”

“Yeah, baby?”

The only time he called me baby was when we were alone like this. “You owe me—”

“Hey, you wanted to blow me, sweetheart, I would’ve been fine—”

“Not that, dumbass. You ripped my yoga pants in the living room. Dude, that’s the second pair in two weeks.”

“Oh. Well, sorry, not sorry.”

I elbowed him.

He laughed. “I’ll buy you four new pairs. Two to replace the ones I ruined and two pairs that I can ruin at will, okay?”

“Okay.”

“It’s pretty obvious how much I missed you if I’m ripping your clothes off.”

“Or you don’t know your own strength.”

“Or you’re my weakness, baby.”

I melted.

He nuzzled the back of my head. “I’ve never had this. I know you haven’t either. That’s why I love that it’s this way between us.”

“Were you worried it wouldn’t be?”

He hesitated and I felt my stomach tighten. “I didn’t know it could be like this, so my worries were more along the lines of . . . would this be a priority?”

For you went unsaid. Don’t take offense. He’s being open and honest and that’s what you asked of him.

Jensen turned me to face him. “That’s why I came to you today. I’ve not made you—or this—a priority the past week. I’m sorry.”

“Four orgasms is a hell of an apology, Lund.”

“I love you, Ro. I don’t want to screw this up. I’m looking forward to training camp, but I don’t want to be away from you and Calder.”

I looped my arms around his neck. “I know. I love you too. I’ll miss sneaking away for sexy times in the middle of the afternoon. It feels so naughty.”

He grinned. “This is the best afternoon workout I’ve had all week.”

“As much as I’d love to see if you can’t get the day’s orgasm tally into double digits for me, I do have to go back to work.”

“I don’t. I told Coach I was sick.” He fake-coughed twice. “Want me to call in for you? Tell them that it’s highly contagious and you need to be in bed the rest of the day.”

“It’s already going to be on the news that The Rocket missed afternoon practice due to illness. You don’t need speculation that you were playing hooky for some nookie on top of that.”

“True.” He rolled to his back with me plastered to his front. “Next go? You can be on top and do all of the work.”

“Deal.” I smooched his mouth. “Now I have to grab a pair of pants that aren’t ripped before I head back to work.”

Jensen followed me into the living room. He didn’t bother putting his shirt back on, just his athletic shorts. I wasn’t surprised when he followed me into my apartment too.

After changing my ripped yoga pants for a pair of khaki capris, I ducked into the bathroom to tame my sexed-up hair and check for love bites. My man loved seeing his marks on my skin. I checked. Dammit. I’d have to change my shirt too.

“What are your plans for the afternoon?” I asked Jens after I returned to the living room.

“I’ve gotta study plays, but I might do that by the pool.” He snorted. “But that’s guaranteed to bring Bob out.”

It seemed every time we were out in the complex, Bob needed to talk to Jensen about something. I couldn’t imagine what they’d have in common. “Has he said anything about why there are three empty units on the first floor?” It occurred to me that could be my housing solution. I could see if Bob would rent one of the units to me. That way I’d have my own space, close to Jensen and Martin, but not dependent on either of them, and Bob wouldn’t have to comb through the waiting list for new, reliable renters. Would I have to argue my position that cheerleading was a sport, and therefore I qualified as an athlete?

Jensen’s eyes narrowed on me. “Did you put on a different shirt?”

“Yes. I needed something to cover up the hickey.”

“I didn’t give you a hickey.”

“Uh, yeah you did. Two of them.”

“Let me see.”

“No, I have to go.”

“Let. Me. See.” Then he grabbed me by the hips and lifted me over the back of the couch.

“Jensen!”

He laughed as I squirmed and tried to get away.

Then I heard the sound of fabric tearing as he tried to pin my shoulders down.

We both froze.

He said, “Shit.”

“What?”

“Looks like I owe you a shirt too.”

I glanced down. The shoulder seam of my blouse was ripped so far down my bra strap showed. “Dammit! You cannot keep ruining all my clothes, Lund.”

He turned me so I sat on his lap—I assumed so he could apologize face-to-face. Instead, a wicked smile curled his lips.

“Might as well have some fun with this since it’s not fixable.” Then he grabbed hold of each side and yanked them apart. Buttons flew, fabric ripped like paper. Before I protested, Jensen’s mouth slammed down on mine.

Now I’d really be late getting back to work.

I matched his hunger kiss for kiss. I even held my arms back as he wrenched my shirt off me and sent it sailing over the back of the couch.

I craved this greedy-lover side of him, the desperate man who couldn’t wait to get his hands on me—even when he’d just had them all over me less than twenty minutes ago.

The greediest part of him was getting hard and ready for more. I snickered to myself that Jensen’s stamina was unparalleled both in the bedroom and on the football field.

One quick twist and my bra was undone and sliding down my arms.

Jensen’s rough-skinned hands covered my breasts, squeezing the soft flesh. He broke the kiss to growl, “Jesus, I love your tits,” and latched onto one to prove it.

I arched back, gasping at the hot lash of his tongue on my nipple. Groaning when he opened his mouth over it fully and began to suck.

Work, torn clothing . . . not on my mind when Jensen’s hair tickled my belly as he feasted on my breasts.

That’s probably why neither of us heard the key in the lock.

But we definitely heard, “Cheezus! Sis, are you . . . topless?”

“Martin?”

“Put some clothes on!”

“Omigod! What are you doing here?”

“It’s my apartment. And tell that dude to leave—”

“It’s not that dude, it’s Jensen,” Jensen said sharply. “And it’s not your apartment when she’s subletting it from you.”

“Dude, are you seriously lecturing me when you’re naked with my sister?”

“We’re not naked,” he said. “Even if we were, how is it any of your business?”

I’d reached down and grabbed my bra. Better than nothing. I moved off Jensen’s lap and stood to face my brother. “What are you—”

Martin used his forearm to block his eyes. “Seriously, Rowan, go put on a shirt!”

“Oh, knock it off. This covers more than my swimsuit top.”

“Where is Calder? You’d better not be screwing around on the couch while he’s taking a nap and he can just walk out and see this—”

“Hold on. Don’t you ever question Rowan’s parental judgment when it comes to her son,” Jensen said hotly, vaulting the couch to get at my brother. “Calder isn’t here. He’s at camp.”

“So the two of you can play grab-ass? Not cool.” Martin glared at Jensen. “I let her move in here because she doesn’t date athletes. I never thought you’d take advantage of her for a quick hookup—”

“Martin, shut up! Maybe he’s my hookup, did you consider that?”

Silence.

“Jens, is that true?” Martin asked.

Jensen ran his hand through his hair. “No, Martin. It’s not true. I’m in love with your sister. She knows that.” He shot me a dark look. “Why are you trying to pass me off as a hookup?”

“I don’t like him judging me, okay?” I said to Jensen. “Like I’m not woman enough to make a move on a hot guy because I want to bang the hell out of him.”

The smart-ass Jensen smirked because of our history. Maybe I hadn’t been confident enough to proposition him at first, but after embracing the sexual side of myself, I’d been making up for it—not something I needed to share with my brother.

Then Jensen crossed his arms over his chest, squaring off against Martin. “We gonna have a problem with this? You plan on taking a swing at me like you did Axl?”

“Different sitch, man.” He shoved his hands in the front pockets of his cargo pants.

“What are you doing here? A warning you were on your way would’ve been nice.”

“Three and a half months is too long to be gone, man. Verily and I had to hit Sweden to see her family. Made me miss my family, so I jetted home after a couple of days. She’s staying there another month at least.”

“Look, it didn’t even cross my mind with everything that’s been going on to find another place to live. I thought I had time.”

Martin’s jaw dropped. “What have you been doin’, Ro? You’ve had all summer!”

“I like it here. As a matter of fact, I decided to talk to Bob about renting one of the empty units on the first floor.”

“No,” Jensen said. “Those units are spoken for.”

“How would you know that?” I pinned him with a look. “This isn’t an attempt—”

“We’ll talk about it later. The most pressing issue is, where is Martin staying? There’s no room here for all three of you.”

“I’ll crash with you, Lund.”

I burst out laughing. “He’d kill you, bro. Jens is a neat freak, and you are a slob.”

“Guess that answers the question of whether you’re moving in with him long-term,” Martin retorted.

“You haven’t lived with me for years,” I reminded him. “I had to clean this place after we moved in, so I know—”

Jensen made the time-out sign when Martin and I continued to bicker. “Enough. I’ve got a sister, so I know that an argument can go on for hours. Martin, it makes the most sense that you crash at my place. But you absolutely cannot smoke in my apartment. Gotta have that promise.”

“No problem, man. I cut way back when I was in Europe anyway.”

Jensen and I exchanged a quick look; later we’d discuss what “cut way back” meant in Martin-speak.

“Oh no, heck no. You two are doin’ the ‘we’re a couple and we have our own secret communication looks’ and that is not cool. It feels like I stepped into the X-Men world where the time line is totally screwed up.”

“That’s not even the best way we communicate.”

I was too far away to smack Jensen for that comment. The timer went off on my watch and I was officially late getting back to work. “I have to go.” I snatched up my ruined blouse on the way past to my bedroom.

Jensen cornered me. “Truth time, Coach. Are you really all right?”

“I wish there had been a better way for Martin to find out we’re involved instead of seeing me bouncing on you half-naked.”

“It could’ve been worse.” He kissed me with sweet possession. Then he eased off. “Talia is bringing Calder home?”

“Yes, but they’ve been going straight to swimming lessons. Calder will be pumped to see his uncle, but that’ll have to wait.”

“Got it.”

“I may have to work late to make up for—”

He placed his mouth on mine again. “I know. I’ll take care of him. Don’t worry.”

And I wouldn’t.

I’d never felt so confident in two little words when it came to my son.

•   •   •

JENSEN

Within ten minutes of Rowan’s departure, Martin and I were at my place playing GTA.

“You look spooked, Martin.”

“I am. It’s just . . . weird. This doesn’t even look like your apartment anymore, Jens. Calder’s LEGOs are on the kitchen table. You’ve got throw pillows on this couch. And a candle on the end table.” He pointed at the wall. “What is that?”

“It’s a puzzle Calder and I put together and had framed.”

“No, dude, what is the image supposed to be?”

“Dogs doing ballet. Hey, it’s cute. It’ll go perfectly with the dogs-baking-cupcakes puzzle we’re currently working on.”

He snickered. “I see my nephew has worked his magic on you.”

“Yeah. He’s a great kid.”

“So you and Rowan . . .” He shook his head. “Never saw that one coming.”

“It’s not a casual thing with us.”

“I picked up on that. And lucky for you that you’re not dicking her around or else I might do something crazy like this.” He blew up a Corvette on the screen and gave me an evil, non-Martin smile.

“Understood.” I got sucked into the game for a bit before I said, “Why didn’t you tell me about her? Or Calder?”

He shrugged. “They never came over here.”

“That’s the only reason?”

“Nope. The biggest reasons are yours, brosky.”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning . . . Ro violated all three of your rules.”

“I told you about those rules?”

“Uh, Rocket, you told everyone about those rules.”

Great.

“Fireball ain’t your friend.”

I hit pause on the game. “I need to talk to you about something serious.”

“Yep, you can marry my sister.” He nudged me with his shoulder. “Then we’ll really be broskys.”

“I don’t need your permission to marry her. And the situation I’m in . . . sort of has to do with that.”

Martin tossed the controller aside. “This gonna cheese me off?”

“Probably.”

“Up front between us, true? I can take anything except you telling me you secretly don’t like the little dude.”

“No worries there. I freakin’ love the kid.”

“Good. Then what’s what?”

“Remember last year when I had to postpone moving in and there was a bunch of red tape? Well, I had to buy in.”

Martin frowned. “Little foggy about that.”

“I had to buy in. As in . . . I had to buy the entire complex if I wanted to live here.”

“Get out.”

“True story.”

“You find my secret stash, bro? Because that’d mean you’ve been lying to me for over a year.”

“How is that lying?”

He shook his finger at me. “Lie by omission. Same thing.”

“Wrong. If you’d said, ‘Jens, you own this joint now?’ and I lied and said no . . . that’d be different than you not asking.” Or not knowing. For the first time since I’d bought this place, lock, stock and barrel, I felt guilty for keeping it a secret.

“Who all knows you’re a Lund Land Lord?”

Martin cracked me up. I’d missed this guy. “My family. Bob. Sue in the business office.”

“None of the residents know you’re the resident evil who won’t fork over the cash to fix up crap around here?”

I laughed. “No. But I have applied for permits for updates. It’s a more complicated process than I imagined.”

“Sorta sucks that I’ve been paying you rent and didn’t know it.” His eyes gleamed. “Hey, if my rent money paid for part of that Corvette, I should at least get to drive it sometimes.”

“Nice try, buddy. But we’ve gotten off track. You gave Rowan grief today for not looking for a house. I haven’t exactly encouraged her to look since we’ve been together.”

“Because you’re gonna build her a huge mansion?”

“If that’s what she wants. But knowing her, if she really wanted to own a house, she would’ve already bought one.”

“Too true.”

“My tentative plan is to gut the three empty apartments on the main floor, plus the one where the lease is up next month, into a single-family residence. We’d end up with four bedrooms, a huge kitchen, a sweet master suite, a living room and a family room plus a private patio on the south end.”

“So you’d live downstairs? You and Ro and little dude?”

“That’s what I’m hoping for.” But if Rowan decided she’d rather find a house, I’d be good with that too. The most important thing to me was us living together as a family. “Here’s where you come in.”

“Lay it on me.”

“While I’m at training camp, I need you to convince her that you miss your old apartment and she and Calder should move in here.”

“Why?”

“Because this couch won’t fit over there. And my bed is bigger.”

“TMI, Jens. She’s my sister.”

I poked him a little. “Is it TMI if I say the reason I’m so fond of this couch is because the first time your sister and I—”

“Stop talking, Lund. Seriously. First thing, what I saw . . . I can’t ever unsee. And now I’m gonna be looking way too closely at this couch before I sit down.”

“You’re welcome. Glad you’re back, Martin.”

“That means you’re ready to play?”

I laughed. “Yep.”

“I ain’t going easy on you because we’re really brothers now.”

Martin and Rowan both had that same sweet streak—and I appreciated it even more now. “I’d expect nothing less.”