Blindsided: A Sports Romance (12 page)

Then he’s pushing me back and pinning me to the tiled wall of the walk-in shower.

“Damn, this is one sweet view,” he mutters, stepping back to roam my body with his eyes.

I blink back at him as water cascades down my body. He’s looking pretty fine himself. His rock-hard body glistens with water. I can’t tear my eyes away from his cock. Every time I look at it, my body spasms. I want him. Now.

I step forward and stand on tiptoes, so my clit brushes against his shaft. It’s enough to send me slackjawed. Jake grins at the sight and reaches between my legs.

“Shit, you’re soaking.”

“I
am
standing in the shower,” I wisecrack.

He growls. “You know what I meant.” As if to prove his point, his fingers travel deeper between my folds, exploring my entrance.

I gasp and pull him closer to me, backing up against the wall of the shower. Every morning since I moved here, I’ve imagined what it would be like to shower with him. I can’t believe we’re actually here.

He stops and pulls away. I look up to see what’s wrong.

He clears his throat. “Uh, Rose.” His eyes widen.

I don’t realize what he’s talking about for a moment and then it dawns on me. “I’ve got some here,” I mutter.

I want to run, but I take my time walking across the bathroom floor because there’s no way I want to wind up in the ER naked with my legs wrapped around my neck. I open the top drawer and pull out the foil package I stashed there earlier.

Jake wolf whistles. “Nice view. Now get back here. You’re killing me.”

I turn back to him and tear open the packet. He leans his head back against the tiles as I ease the latex over his length. It’s not like I’ve had a hell of a lot of practice lately.

“Good thing you had some. I didn’t realize we’d…”

I put my fingers over his lips. He nips at them, pretending like he’s going to bite me.

I wrap my fingers around his shaft. I still can’t believe the size of him. If I wasn’t delirious with need I’d be backing away slowly. The thing is huge.

“Stop staring, Rose.”

Ripples of pleasure rush through me as he lifts me up and pins me against the wall. I’m trapped. Unable to move. I guide the tip of him to my entrance and suck in a breath as he enters me. Even then I feel all filled up.

He grabs a handful of my hair and pulls my head back. I cry out. He kisses my neck as he inches into me with unbearable slowness. I try to push against him but he won’t let me.

“Not this time, sugar. It’s better if we take this slow.”

But—”

He grabs my bottom lip between his teeth and bites down gently. My body shudders with the same impact as if I’d been hit by a freight train. My core clenches but this time it’s like a domino effect. With him inside me, there’s no relief. Every spasm makes the pleasure more intense until I’m sobbing with the need for release.

Jake strokes my soaking wet hair out of my eyes. “Okay?”

I nod deliriously. “Yeah. So good.”

He kisses me. I taste the salt of sweat on his lips even though the water is still running full blast. I grip him to me, digging my nails into his muscular back.

“It drives me crazy when you squeeze around me like that,” he growls, thrusting deep inside me.

“I can’t help it,” I gasp, before I cry out.

It’s like we’re made for each other, me and him. He rubs my clit with the same rhythm as he thrusts into me, sending pleasure through me from all directions. Soon, it feels like I’ve lost control of my body. I’m a sobbing, shaking mess. The harder I clench around him, the harder he thrusts, sending my body even crazier. I’m hyper-sensitive now. Each touch is almost unbearably pleasurable.

I’m not the only one who’s out of control. Jake fucks me with abandon. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t know where we were. It’s just me and him. I cry out as it takes me by surprise and I can’t see straight anymore. I bite his shoulder as the waves come crashing over me and my surroundings fade out.

It doesn’t matter that the water’s gone cold. I’m barely aware of it. My body clenches around him and I struggle to stay on my feet. Jake comes with a fearsome roar and we sink to the floor into an exhausted heap.

I sit slouched against the pillows. I’m spent. Exhausted. She’s wrung every ounce of energy out of my body. It’s a different kind of exhaustion to what I feel after a game. I’m sated now. I could close my eyes and never open them again and it wouldn’t really matter. I blink. It’s been a long time since a woman made me feel that satisfied.

She’s sleeping; snoring lightly on the other side of her bed. Not that we confined ourselves to bedrooms. After calling her mother breathlessly to confirm that Sam had gone there after school, she’d turned to me with that look in her eyes. Then she’d dragged me to the bathroom. The garden.

I grin. The woman is insatiable. And I can’t get enough of her either.

If only I didn’t have the issue of Darla hanging over me.

I sigh, cursing myself for bringing her into this when everything about this day has been perfect.

Rose stirs. I reach over and stroke her hair away from her face. Everything about this woman is perfect. She’s real. She says what’s on her mind. I know what she’s thinking because she can never keep her thoughts from her face. She moans in her sleep and my cock stirs into life. I wonder if she’s dreaming of me.

I hope so.

My phone buzzes on the nightstand. I reach over and grab it, wondering who’s disturbing me. I had the good sense to turn the sound off right before we went to sleep. Less distracting that way. I glance at the screen.

And my heart sinks.

It’s decision time, Jake. Your call. Don’t think I won’t go to the papers. They’ll love this.

The worst thing? I know she’s right. They’d pay her a fortune to get a story like that. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. I glance at Rose. They’re like night and day, her and Darla.

I shake my head. I’ve refused to play her game all this time. But now things have changed. There’s more at stake. Maybe if I just pay her she’ll go away and let me and Rose live in peace.

But how can I do that? I almost lost Rose once because I didn’t tell her the truth. I’m not going to do that again.

I’m about to wake her to tell her but I stop. No. My hand dangles uselessly in the air just inches from her shoulder. I can’t ruin this moment. Not now. I’ll tell her later.

Her eyes flicker open. She blinks a couple of times and then grins sleepily. “Have you been groping me in my sleep?”

“No,” I say, pretending I’m offended. I roll over so that our faces are inches apart. “I wouldn’t do that, sleeping beauty.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you?”

I poke my tongue out. “Maybe. If I wasn’t utterly exhausted from earlier. You’re a wildcat, woman.”

She blushes. “I am not. You bring out the wild in me.”

“Me? How could I?” I make my pokerface, pretending I’m innocent as they come.

She giggles and I can’t resist tickling her, making her laugh even more. And me.

No, I know I need to tell her. But not now. Not like this.

“Morning wife-to-be,” I sing after I’ve put my head around the door and checked Sam has left for school.

Rose rolls her eyes. “I made you pancakes. I might have to change my mind, though, if you keep coming out with bullshit like that.”

“Noooo,” I laugh. “I want my pancakes.” I come up behind her and grab her around the waist. “I’m not letting you go until you give me what I want.”

She spins around, surprisingly strong for someone so small. “What is it you want? I don’t think it’s pancakes.”

I snort and pin her arms to her sides. “You’re right. You got me.”

She wriggles in my grip.

It’s been like this these past two weeks. Days spent craving her. Stolen moments in the evenings when Sam is in bed, careful not to let him hear us giggling in the kitchen like schoolkids.

I sigh with contentment. It’s easy to forget that my life isn’t a trainwreck waiting to happen. I’ve managed to hold Darla off by telling her I’ll get her the money. But I don’t know how long I can keep that lie going. I don’t have the money to give her. And I can’t get my hands on it without telling Coach the truth. And it’s obvious why that’s not an option.

“What are you doing today?”

She grins shyly. “I’m taking a test at the community college.”

“Shit, Rose. You should have said—I didn’t realize that was today. You want me to give you a ride there?”

She shakes her head. “Nope, I’ll take a taxi.” The smile fades from her face.

“What?” I ask, worried.

She shakes her head. “Nothing. It’s… I like this, Jake,” she whispers, stroking my face. “I’m glad they came to me and suggested I pretend to be your wife.”

“Because they gave you millions of dollars?”

She grins. “No, dummy. Because of you.”

No, I want to say. No. Not now. Not yet. Not before I’ve made all of my problems go away. But I don’t. I just smile and stroke her face.

She groans. “I wish I could stay here like this. But I can’t: I’ve got to go. I don’t want to be late. It’s been years since I’ve taken a test.”

I lean against the counter and watch her perfect ass shimmy out of the room.

***

My phone breaks the silence, bursting into the Imperial March. I shudder at the sound and let it go to voicemail. Seconds later, I hear a shorter version of the tune. A text. I glance at it.

It’s been weeks. What the hell Jake?

I sigh and tap out a message.

Be patient. Lot of money. Don’t have it in my account.

I try to focus on stirring my eggs but I can’t. I know it’s not enough to get her off my back, but I can’t think of anything that will.

My phone buzzes again a moment later.

You take me for a fool?

I roll my eyes.

No. This takes time. I’ll get your money.

I stare at the screen, waiting for the response. All I need is time. It buzzes again.

Don’t fuck with me, Jake.

I resist the urge to type back that I learned that lesson the hard way.

I’m not. Wait. You’ll get your money.

One week.

I throw the phone on the counter. I know now what I need to do.

“What’s that smell?” I ask, dropping my purse on the floor.

I caught it as soon as I walked up the driveway.

“Mexican chicken.” Jake turns to look at me and I freeze. There’s something about him. He hasn’t said anything but I can sense his agitation.

“Jake?” I say, walking to the stove. “Everything okay? You seem off.”

I expect him to roll his eyes and tell me I’m talking crazy talk. He doesn’t. He looks into my eyes with a solemnness I’ve never seen in him before.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

***

I shake my head. I’m still reeling. Jake stares at me in silence. He hasn’t said anything for several minutes, not since he told me the crazy story that he insists is true.

“I…”

“I’m sorry, Rose.”

I shake my head. None of this seems real. “Don’t. It’s… It happened before I met you.”

He shrugs. “So? I should have told you.”

I turn and face him, staring into his beautiful eyes. It’s weird to see them look so serious. He’s usually smiling. Good humored.

“It’s not that. I just don’t understand. How could the team have put this plan into play when…?” Then the truth swims into my view. “They don’t know, do they?”

He clicks his tongue. “Nope. You’re the first person I’ve told.”

I don’t know what to say. This makes no sense. I’m about to press him further when I think back to my conversation with Marcus and Luca. No matter how hard I tried to explain, they fixated on the fact that I’d sneaked to Jake’s room. And I couldn’t explain the secrecy myself—at least not in a way that didn’t make me sound shady.

Gray areas.

I’m starting to realize that life is full of them.

“I think you should tell them,” I say slowly. “Especially if she’s trying to blackmail you.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know how to. This has been going on for months. Coach Fox will kick me off the team if he finds out I never said anything.”

“Oh come on, Jake. He’ll be mad, but I’m sure he’ll be able to help you fix this. What else can you do? If she goes to the newspapers and the team finds out from them then you’re screwed.”

He grits his teeth.

“Rose, this isn’t… we’re talking a lot of money here. They’ve already paid you millions. You think Coach is gonna shell out another couple million?”

I don’t say anything. How can I? I don’t know how it’s going to go. “Look, Jake. You can’t keep this quiet forever.”

“Yeah, I know.”

I turn away. I don’t know what to think of all this. I feel like it’s hit me from left field. I don’t know what it means for us; for our future.

“What are you thinking, Rose? You look…”

“Surprised?” I nod. “I am. I wasn’t expecting this.”

He looks as sad as I feel. “I’ll tell them everything in the morning.”

***

We ate our meal last night in near silence. It wasn’t that I was mad at him; more that his revelation knocked the energy out of me and I couldn’t even think of anything to say. In some ways, it felt like the last supper. I don’t know why.

Because I’m going to stand by him. I know that. I had already decided it in the minutes after he told me the truth.

I know we’ll pull through. Really I’m more worried about telling Sam the news. I know I’m getting ahead of myself here, but how do I explain to my son that my fake relationship has just become real? It’s a complicated situation even without having to explain it to an eight-year-old boy.

Though there is one person who’ll understand. In fact, Van has been keeping her fingers crossed that I’d fall hopelessly in love with Jake. I grin and go look for my phone.

Jake was gone by the time I got up this morning. He didn’t stay in my room—he never does unless Sam is sleeping over at a friend’s or at my mother’s. But that means I’ve been mulling this over for several hours and I’m about to burst. I need to get my feelings off my chest.

Just as I go to pick the phone up off the couch, it trills loudly. I jump, used to the morning silence that fills the house.

“Hello?” I say cautiously. I don’t know where we’re at with the publicity plan, so Jackson has warned me to be careful not to accidentally reveal anything before it’s time.

“Rose.”

I recognize the gruff voice immediately. My heart rate skyrockets. I haven’t spoken to him since the day I moved in here and I don’t have reason to speak to him. Jackson handles all the press stuff and, as far as I’m aware, we’re not ready to go public yet.

“Kenny. Hi.”

He grunts. And then I know. Jake has told him. “There’s been a change of plan, Rose.”

“Oh?” I try not to panic but it’s impossible. I didn’t see this coming. I take a deep breath and tell myself it’s fine. I want to tell him it’s okay; that Jake has already told me but I don’t say anything in case he’s calling about something else. I don’t want to be the one who reveals Jake’s secret. That has to come from Jake.

“Yes. Manny will be in touch to explain the finer details. But we’ll need you to move out of the house.”

I freeze. “What?”

“We’ll need to you to move.”

“What? When?” I look around. I’ve given up our apartment because it seemed crazy to pay rent on a place I wasn’t living in. Now, I wished I’d kept it for the extra security—it might take us months to find someplace suitable.

“Today.”

I gasp. That’s not what I expected to hear. “What? Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?”

“I don’t joke.”

“But.” I clasp the phone tightly and sit bolt upright. “This isn’t funny. I’ve got a child. You can’t just throw us out like this.”

He sighs as if I’m trying his patience. “No one’s saying you’ll be homeless. I’ll have my assistant find a short term let for you. Like I said, Manny Blackmore will be in touch to explain the details and your legal obligations. I just wanted to call you as a courtesy so you have time to pack your things. We’re sending a truck this afternoon.”

His words swim around my head. I can’t even begin to react. My legal obligations—that sounds dark and ominous. And then his claim that he’s calling me as a courtesy? I shake my head. This is crazy.

“I need to speak to Jake. We can’t just—”

“Rose. The deal has changed. You won’t be contacting Jake Thorne again. Read your contract. We’re invoking the exceptional circumstances termination clause.”

I don’t even know where I put my copy of the contract.

He must have sensed my confusion. “It’s the bit at the end that outlines our right to cancel.”

Tears prick my eyes. I don’t know which part upsets me most—let’s face it; everything he’s saying is pretty shitty. “You can’t cancel. I held up my side of the deal. I moved in here.”

“Relax, Rose. You’ve done nothing wrong. I’ll have someone scan you a copy. As part of the deal, you keep your million and an additional payment of five hundred thousand. In return, you guarantee your silence. You won’t speak to the papers and you’ll agree not to contact Jake again.”

I pinch my arm. The only explanation I can think of is this is a weird dream. I try to remember the night before. I must have eaten too much cheese and this is the payback for that. I blink a couple of times. But I’m still sitting in the living room in my bathrobe.

“Rose. Are you still there?”

“Yeah,” I mutter. “I’m here. I don’t… What…”

He sighs. “I’ve got a meeting. I need to go. Before I do, I need you to tell me you understand what’s at stake here.”

I shake my head. I don’t remember seeing that part of the contract. But then again—and I’m ashamed to admit this—I skimmed over it and didn’t have the sense to speak to an attorney or even ask Van to take a look at it.

“Rose? You realize we’ll come after you for the one point five mill if you speak to the press? Or even if you contact Jake again. Tell me you understand.”

“I understand,” I say hollowly.

“Good.” Kenny sounds satisfied. “The moving van will be there at three, I’m told. Best be ready before then. It’ll take you directly to your new apartment. Manny will work out the details with you.”

And then he dials off. He hangs up before I can tell him that I can’t possibly break off contact with Jake. That I don’t need a moving truck because Sam and I have maybe three cases between the two of us.

I pick up the phone to call Jake but stop myself. I don’t want to risk it. Kenny was very clear.

I lie back on the couch and stare at the phone, thinking. I’m still staring at it when it buzzes a short time later. I already know who it is before I answer.

***

Manny Blackmore may not be my favorite person, but he’s got that in common with the entire Grizzlies management now. I’ve just ended the longest phone call of my life. And I’ve got no doubts about my situation now.

While we spoke, Manny emailed me a copy of the contract I signed and told me to scroll through to the second last page. It was all there, just like Kenny said. The team reserved the right to amend the agreement at any time. If they did so, I’d be released immediately and receive a reduced payment. In return, I’d need to cut ties to all other parties to the agreement. I was fine with cutting ties with the team. With Jake? Not so much. But I didn’t see any other choice.

Manny reminded me of that at least four times, in his soft, even-toned voice. If I so much as sent Jake a text message and the team found out, they’d sue me for breach of contract. He told me not to assume they wouldn’t bother coming after me—they’d do it to send a message if nothing else.

I breathe deeply to try and stop the tears from coming. Our conversation was so calm and reasonable that the full extent of it only hits me now. I don’t give a damn about this big house or anything in it. Jake is a different story. The thought of leaving him makes me want to run upstairs and cry in the bathtub. But I have no other choice but to do what the team asks.

I want to kick myself for insisting that he tell the team. If we’d waited until the newspapers found out about our not-so-fake relationship, then Kenny wouldn’t have been able to just sweep me out of Jake’s life. I shouldn’t have pushed him. And the worst part? I can’t even call to tell him that.