Playing with Fire - A Sports Romance (18 page)

I chuckle and kiss his lips. “You haven’t seen me the past week without you. I’ve got a complex now. Every time I see brown hair, my heart tries to jump out of my chest.”

“I love you, doll.” Corey runs the tip of his nose along the length of mine before kissing my forehead. “God, I love you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Corey

I
feel like such a failure
.

“How are you so strong? How can you not be falling apart right now?”

Frankie’s response kills me.
“You haven’t seen me the past week without you. I’ve got a complex now. Every time I see brown hair, my heart tries to jump out of my chest.”

Before I met Frankie, I was happy. Or at least I thought I was. I had money. I had fame. I was killing it on the field. I was able to give my family things they’d never dreamed of before. I had a girl under me whenever I wanted, to fuck as I saw fit. There was nothing I needed that wasn’t already given to me, that I couldn’t buy or bed.

That night at Riverside ruined me and gave me everything. Love was never on my radar. Frankie ripped apart everything that mattered to me. She restacked it, reshaped it, until she was all that mattered to me. And it was all before we made it to her room.

This woman, this strong, determined woman, is all mine. I’ve put her in danger because of my past. The idea of her being hurt, of losing her, is too much. She’s all I’ll ever need, and without her, I don’t know if I could continue living.

Yet, she’s the strong one. She’s the one comforting me. Where did I fail so much in my life that I can’t protect the woman I love?

There’s hell to pay at the restaurant. Management isn’t happy Lee and Mitch bowled over their patrons to chase after some woman who, as far as they know, did nothing but stand in a doorway. But Frankie takes charge as only Frankie can. It pains me when she walks off into the back room with Lee, Mitch, and the manager. When she comes back fifteen minutes later, the whole restaurant is calmer. She ushers our group out the door. Out on the sidewalk, Matt stops her.

“What about our bill?” he asks.

“It’s been taken care of,” Frankie tells him.

“What do you mean it’s been taken care of?” Ellen jumps in. “That had to be at least three hundred dollars in food and drink for our bill alone. Did they comp us?”

Frankie smiles. “It’s been taken care of.” She drops it there. But I know her. I know that smile even if the others don’t. Management was pissed. Frankie took care of it. She probably threw in a handsome tip to smooth things over. It’s what she does. She doesn’t use her wealth to get what she wants, but she will use it to keep her name out of things, to smooth things over, to keep the peace. It’s one of the many things she picked up from Marco.

There’s rounds of hugs as our friends wish us good night and good luck. I flirt with the girls, because that’s what I always do, and it seems to help them tonight. I can see the anxiety in their faces lessen as I tease them - like any other night. As Frankie is saying goodbye to Vivian, Vinny comes to my side.

“Remember what I said,” he says as he shakes my hand.

“Of course. I'll make it happen, no matter what.”

“It would mean the world to her.” Vinny looks over at Frankie and smiles. “Take care of my cousin.”

“I will. I promise.” I only hope it’s a promise I can keep.

Frankie and I slip into the back seat of the black Suburban she rented for our stay in Atlanta. With the tinted windows and dark interior, it almost feels like we’re alone in the world. I don't care about Mitch and Lee in the front seat. I want to hold my girl. I need to feel her next to me, to know she’s safe.

“I'm sorry we didn't stop her.” I look up and catch Lee’s eyes looking at us in the rear view. “She must have been watching from afar.”

“She's smarter than she looks,” Frankie says. “She knew to wait until you were in the restroom before she approached.”

“It’d still be nice if we had caught her.”

There’s silence for a while as Lee drives. The city slides by, lights flashing like strobes as we pass. I look up to give Frankie a kiss and see a small smile on her lips.

“What is it?” I ask.

She shakes her head, her smile widening. “Where's a fucking light pole when you need it?”

The laughter starts small. First a chuckle from Mitch. Then a wider smile from Frankie, followed by her angel’s laugh. Each gets louder, and soon Lee’s booming bass joins in. And though I don't know what it is that has them laughing - what does a light pole have to do with anything? - I can't help but laugh, too.

C
orey

K
eeping
secrets from Frankie is not an easy thing to do. Mostly because she's the smartest woman I know, and she can see through me like I'm glass. There are only a couple secrets I've ever kept. The first is I still have the little twisty-tie ring I made for her. It's in my locker back home, hidden in the pocket of my old gym shorts. I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. Not after she kissed me and told me, “Someday.”

The second is the secret Vinny asked me to keep. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done, keeping this secret. Every time Frankie goes down on me, she has me singing like a bird. But this is a surprise that’s not just for her, and I have to keep it.

I almost slip up our last night in D.C. After our near-encounter with Madison back in Atlanta, Frankie decided it would be safer for us to stay in for the foreseeable future. She’s worried we’re inviting danger into our friends’ lives with our presence. So until Madison is caught - or finds her light pole - we aren't going out with friends. Mitch and Lee dine on room service with us each night, then leave to go to their own rooms.

Tonight I feel like singing. I’ve got my girl wrapped in my arms, her back pressed against my front. It’s sweet torture, holding her like this, our naked bodies pressed together in the bathtub of our hotel room. The muted grey tile walls reflect the light of a dozen candles that are lit around the space. Frankie turns over and straddles me. The warm water sloshes against the edge of the deep tub, stirring up the scent of roses from the bath.

“Tell me what you're thinking,” she says. Her hazel eyes shine with mischief and her breasts beg to be kissed. I have to bite my tongue to stop the secret from spilling out. I run my hands up her silky thighs and around to cradle her ass, then pull her closer. She grinds her sex against my bare flesh, and my solid cock grows harder.

“I'm thinking of how good it feels to have your lips wrapped around me,” I tell her.

She gives me a wicked, crooked grin as she grinds down hard once again. And then she's gone. Her sudden movement has me reeling, aching for her. Before I can object, she plunges her head under the water and, “Oh, dear God!” Her lips, her teeth, her tongue. The warmth of the bath, the warmth of her mouth, the sudden immense pleasure of my dick being swallowed. My hips jerk and I grasp Frankie's shoulders, but she doesn't come up for air.

I want to explode, but before I can, she pops up out of the water. I don't even let her wipe her eyes before I pull her to me and kiss her hard.

“Those aren't the lips I was talking about, doll,” I pant when I release her.

“Are you complaining?” she asks.

“Never.”

As fast as she moved down on me, I flip her over and slide beneath the surface. I'm too tall to do this comfortably, but Frankie understands this without being told. She raises her hips and spreads her legs wide as I plunge my tongue deep between her swollen lips. I can't hold my breath as long as her. When I come up for air, with my fingers replacing my tongue, she’s moaning so loud I worry the neighbors will hear.

“Corey!” Frankie gasps and pulls my face to hers. “Fuck me, baby.”

“No, doll.” I slip my tongue into her greedy little mouth and she tastes herself, swirling her hungry tongue against mine. Her hands grab at my ass and she raises her hips to wrap her legs around my waist.

“Make love to me,” she begs.

I don't wait for another invitation. I position my tip at her heat, teasing her clit, strumming her as I slide up and down between her folds. When her moans become whimpers, I push in, nice and slow. It’s agonizing not to fuck her hard. But Frankie deserves so much more than a good fuck. I want to make love to her. I want to enjoy the sweet ecstasy on her face as I fill her. I want to feel her pulsing around me each time I slide inside. I want to give her everything, because she is everything to me.

It’s only when I can't hold back any longer that I increase my speed. With the water sloshing over the edge of the tub and Frankie bracing herself against the porcelain sides, I time it so our orgasms are seconds apart. God, I love to watch this. It’s even better this time than most. Our eyes are locked on each other's and I feel more connected to this woman than I ever could have hoped to be with anyone else. She is mine.

In bed, after we mopped up the bath water from the floor, Frankie clings to me.

“I'm not sure if I'm ready to go back,” she says. “I'm not sure what there is to go back to.”

“We’ve got Mitch’s place until we find something new.”

“Yes, but until she’s caught, can we go anywhere else? It’s bad enough we’ve pulled them away from their lives for the past two weeks. I can't imagine living with them much longer.”

“I know, me neither.” It’s mid-June and the regular season doesn’t end until the beginning of October. There’s a lot of traveling in there. With Madison’s appearance in Atlanta, there’s no way I’m comfortable asking the guys not to come with when we leave town. But I've overheard Mitch on the phone with his boss when he didn't know I was there. It sounds like there will be trouble if he doesn't get back to Riverside soon.

“I can talk to them tomorrow on the plane,” Frankie says. “See what they think. I don't want to cause problems for them, but I don't want to go unprotected.”

I nod but don't say anything. Because I've asked them to do exactly that. Pulling off Vinny's surprise will be hard enough without Lee and Mitch hanging around. It could cause an already delicate situation to fall to pieces, and I want this to go as smooth as possible.

The team leaves early in the morning. Because I've asked for Mitch and Lee’s help, they’ve booked their tickets for even earlier. The plan is for Lee to take Frankie back to their house while Mitch grabs Frankie's Porsche from the Savory’s parking garage and picks me up at the stadium. It’s risky bringing the Porsche by the safe house, and this time Madison's not the problem. Lee’s neighbors are not people you want to flash money around in front of.

I've been given one minute. Lee has Frankie ready as I pull up out front. Mitch has the passenger door open the second I stop, and Lee is ushering Frankie out the front of the house. She looks surprised to see the Porsche but accepts the situation without question.

That is, until we’re safely out of the neighborhood.

“Mind telling me what we're doing?” she asks as we pull out on the highway.

I signal and take the next exit without a word. When I pull to the side of the road, I turn to her and smile. “I have a surprise for you, doll.”

“Like a Milwaukee kind of surprise?”

Oh, that wicked smile. My cock twitches when I think about her climbing on top of me in the passenger seat. I pull part of her surprise out from beneath my leg and hold it up for her to see.

“Not quite, but there is a blindfold involved.”

“Mmm.” Frankie leans towards me. “That sounds like fun.”

I give her a kiss before tying the black strip of cloth around her eyes. “If I knew you’d like it so much, I would have brought it up sooner.” With the blindfold secured, I kiss her again. Frankie grabs my head and deepens the kiss, and I forget what it is I'm doing.

“Are you going to tie me up?” she asks when we part. Her breathy voice makes her sound like she’s begging for it, and it takes all I have in me not to turn around and find a hotel room for the rest of the day. I throw the Porsche in gear and peel away from the side of the road.

“Maybe later. For now, I have a different kind of surprise. No peeking.”

“Can I guess?”

“You can try. But you won't get it.”

Frankie pouts, and I want to reach over and suck her bottom lip into my mouth. I force myself not to look at her so I won't be distracted and wreck the Porsche.

“Is it in the city?”

“Nope.”

“Are we going to eat?”

“I hope so.”

She's quiet for so long, I think she's given up. Then, “Have I been there before?”

“Yes.”

Frankie takes my hand and we drive in silence. The Porsche drives like a dream. Just like the one in Milwaukee. Just like the one in New York. As much as it pains me to say it, I think I need to get rid of my ‘Vette. I've always been partial to red, but Frankie's silver car is growing on me.

The neighborhood we’re going to is a gated community. It's the only reason Lee let me take Frankie without him or Mitch tagging along. The security guard recognizes the Porsche and has the gate open before we get there. Vinny called ahead so Frankie wouldn't get tipped off with a stop at the gate. I drive straight on through, slowing only slightly as I try to recall the directions Vinny emailed me the night before.

Each property has perfectly manicured lawns that stretch in front of us like we’re driving through the middle of a golf course. Long, winding drives lead to massive homes set far back on the fields of bright green grass. Flowers and trees are pruned to perfection, as if each petal and leaf is worth its weight in gold. The whole place reeks of money, the same way Mitch’s neighborhood smells of poverty.

Finally, we’re here. The house is not a house. It’s a fucking mansion. Two stone columns flank the large double doors. A massive picture window is surrounded by a stone façade. The way the afternoon sun hits the glass makes it sparkle like gold. I pull the Porsche up the long circle drive and come to a stop in front of the wide stone staircase.

Frankie squeezes my hand. “Are we there yet?”

I let out a nervous laugh. “We're here, doll.” I give her a kiss, which she deepens until I'm left dizzy from lack of oxygen. When she pulls back, I run the tip of my nose against the length of hers. “I love you, Frankie.”

She rewards me with a beautiful smile. “I love you, Corey.”

“Take off your blindfold.”

It takes a moment for her eyes to adjust. When they do, Frankie gapes at me. “What the hell?”

F
rankie

C
orey smiles at me
, and though I love his smile, I can’t keep from getting mad.

“Do you have a death wish?” I ask. “Why the hell would you bring us here?” I look out the window and see the house where I spent my teenage years. Of all the places Corey could have brought me, this is the last I would have expected.

“Humor me, doll.” Corey gets out and walks around to my side of the car. He has to take my hand and drag me out because my body has stopped functioning.

“Marco’s going to kill you,” I tell him when I find my voice.

“It’s going to be fine.” He smiles at me, but I can see fear in his eyes, like he’s not certain. And he shouldn’t be. Because he’s brought us into the lion’s den.

Marco’s housekeeper, Rose, is standing at the front door as we approach. The woman was always present when I lived here, but I mean about as much to her as the bathroom toilet in one of the unused guest rooms. And the feeling is mutual. She ushers us in without a word, then wanders off to some other part of the house. Corey looks at me with one eyebrow raised as he scratches his cheek. I don’t want to get into it with him, so I grab his hand and tug.

“You ready to meet your maker?” I pull Corey along behind me as I step through the large entryway. My heels click on the travertine floor and echo around the room as if we were in an empty museum. We wind through the living room, past the massive table in the dining room, and towards the kitchen. Marco’s laughter booms when we walk through the door, but that’s gone the instant he sees us.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Marco is all bulldog, and he starts to push through the group of people gathered between us when a sudden squeal interrupts him.

“Corey!” Jen Lucas pops her head up, then rushes forward and jumps into Corey’s arms. “What are you doing here? Oh my God! I didn’t think you’d come!”

“Wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Corey says as he hugs his sister. Her feet hang down by his shins and as he sways back and forth, her legs swing like she’s a little kid.

Marco’s made it halfway across the kitchen to us, and he’s staring at Corey and Jen through narrowed eyes. “You know him?” he asks in a gruff voice.

“Marco, this is my brother, Corey Lucas.” Jen is beaming up at her brother as he eyes my uncle.

“This is your brother?” Marco’s eyes narrow even further, but Jen doesn’t notice.

“Show him, Corey.” Jen grabs the sleeve to Corey’s t-shirt and starts pulling it up, exposing the tattoo on his arm. She beams up at Marco as she tugs Corey’s shoulder towards her for a better view. “This is Tiger.”

Marco pulls his head back like he’s been slapped as he sees the tiger inked on Corey’s skin. “You’re Jen’s brother?”

“Yes,” Corey says.

“And Frankie’s…”

“One and the same.”

Jen wraps her arm around Corey’s waist and tugs him farther into the kitchen. She reminds me of the little kids in the park when I was doing yoga, dragging their moms across the grass to the ice cream cart. They brush past Marco and stop in front of the island, near Vinny and Vivian. I catch the firm handshake and brotherly hug Corey gives Vinny before he peeks back over his shoulder at me. I swear there’s bird feathers hanging out of Vinny’s mouth with the conniving smile on his face.

“He’s her brother?” Marco asks as he steps up close. His eyes haven’t left the Lucas siblings. I’ve never seen him so thrown off before.

“Jen and Corey Lucas,” I offer as my response.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what? When?” I glare at my uncle and keep my voice low. “From the minute you saw Corey in my hospital room, you’ve done nothing but try to yell at me and keep me away from him. What does it matter anyway?”

“He’s Jen’s brother.” Marco shakes his head. I’m fed up with his strange behavior. I stalk past him to Corey’s side.

Corey pulls me into his arms and kisses my forehead. I melt into his embrace. We’re not dead. Marco’s not yelling. I don’t understand it, but with Corey’s arms around me, at the moment I don’t care.

Marco joins our little group again but is quiet for some time. We listen to Vivian finish talking about her most recent trip to Paris, then Vinny and Jen start in on a hilarious story about the drunk she sat next to on the plane ride home from Barbados. I can almost forget my uncle’s strange behavior, but he keeps eyeing Jen, Corey, and me as if we’re exotic animals he’s not sure how to handle.