Winning Streak (13 page)

He had just enough presence of mind to hold some of his weight off her until he could roll on his side, pulling her with. While they caught their breaths, he brushed a wild strand of hair behind her ear then traced down her arm to her fingers and lifted them to his lips. “I don't have words for that.”

She narrowed her eyes playfully. “Ninety percent of the things you say, I can't tell if they're compliments or digs.”

“Sometimes both, but this time, 100 percent compliment.”

“Oh. Well, good. We concur then.” The relief in her big, dark eyes touched him. When had a woman been concerned about whether or not
he'd
had a good time? Never that he could remember. In fact, he'd always been so focused on ensuring their good time, he hadn't considered until now that his partner might have the same insecurity. If they had, none had ever been brave enough to admit it.

“We concur.” He leaned back just enough to admire her body and took his time. They'd been in such a hurry, he'd missed the full tour, and a closer inspection only firmed his opinion. Beautiful. Every inch of her. His gaze stopped on a small tattoo hiding on the inside of her hip. An intricate, filigree heart, green at the top and fading into blue and purple at the bottom. He traced the curling lines with a fingertip.

“It's the only one I have. My family doesn't know and would lose it if they did. They're not fans of body modification of any kind except pierced ears, and even then, it's one hole per ear and only the women. So if you could not mention it to my brother, that'd be great.”

He grinned. “Out of everything tonight, you're most worried about Reese finding out about the tattoo.”

“He might actually be cool with it, but he'd definitely care how you found out.”

“Noted.” It seemed like a natural segue into them going public, but he held back. No sense marring the best sex of his life with a heavy conversation that could crack the delicate foundation they were building. Soon, though. This night had only sealed the deal. She was important to him. Their relationship had so much potential it scared him, but the only thing scarier was
not
going for it. If there had ever been a time to go all in, this was it. He'd have to lay everything on the line. But not tonight.

Saralynn studied him the same way he'd taken her in, and her pleased expression said she didn't find him lacking either. “Do you have any tattoos?”

“No. There were some near misses in college, but even drunk, nothing appealed to me enough to have it on my body forever.”

“I can appreciate that. I've seen some bad choices. Beer logos, superheroes, cartoons, and never because they had any personal meaning.”

“Does yours?”

She touched it almost reflexively, unconsciously. “My grandmother on my mom's side passed when I was five. I don't have a lot of memories of her, just cooking and holidays, and the way she seemed like a kid even at eighty-seven. She had a silver locket my grandpa gave her when they were dating, and she wore it always, even after he died. She left it to me because I loved it. My sisters were jealous, but I wore it every day. I'd wanted a tattoo for a long time, and when I finally turned eighteen, I knew what to get.”

He kissed her temple. “I've never seen you wear a locket.”

“That's because I gave it to Shiloh under the condition that she had to share it with Sophie. I still have it here. And here.” She lifted her hand from the tattoo to her heart.

There was a lot of depth to this woman who cast herself as shallow. He kissed her softly. “I'm sure your grandma would be proud of who you've become.”

“I'm trying.”

He kissed her again, and she returned it gently at first, but as it lingered, it grew hotter and more insistent. Though he'd been sure the first time had drained him completely, here he was rising to the challenge. After a quick change in protection, he let her take control.

Saralynn laid him back and explored his body with her lips and fingertips at an excruciating pace. When she finally straddled him, he had to ball his fists in the sheets to hold back. The pleasure was intense, and he was enthralled as she planted her palms on his chest and found an exquisite rhythm. He joined in and rocked against her, and when she tossed her head back and gasped, he lost himself all over again.

It was worth every second they'd waited.

Monday, March 17th

Green was always big around the office since it was one of the Sinners' colors, but on St. Patrick's Day, people went all out. Madden had chosen one of the team's themed holiday shirts with Sinbad the mascot in the middle of a four-leaf clover on the front. He wore it with grass-colored Chuck Taylor sneakers, a hunter green sports jacket, and his usual dark jeans. The rest of the staff looked a little more formal, but that wasn't new. Encouraging, flirty texts from Saralynn had him in a good mood, and he was feeling especially lucky.

He swung into her office and eased the door closed. The bouquet of two dozen white roses sat on her desk. She looked up from her phone call with a grin and held up one finger.

“That's right. A foam finger for the first thousand people in the door tonight and Sinners shamrock shakes at every concession stand. Thanks for checking with me, Pete.” She hung up and rounded the desk to kiss him quickly.

He held it for an extra second then nodded to the flowers. “Someone must like you.”

“I guess so. No name, but the note said he had a great time with me this weekend. I had a great time with him, too. What is with this getup?” She looked him up and down, but her gaze landed on his green and white striped top hat with clovers around the brim.

“Just getting in the spirit. I'm gonna be on the ground floor at tonight's game, so I wanted to be festive.”

“Festive. That's definitely one word for it.” Her mouth contorted as she appeared to wrestle with a smile, but she lost. It wasn't even like he could poke fun back at her because she looked hot as ever in a fitted black suit with a silky green shirt that dipped almost too low under the jacket. She took a step forward and hooked a finger into his breast pocket, pulling him down for another kiss. Without a thought, he closed his arms around her waist and soaked in the sweetness of her small frame against his body.

After a minute, she stepped away, and her gaze darted to the door then back to him. She was right. Someone could walk in at any time, but that only made it hotter. He reined it in and tried to turn off all the switches she'd flicked on with his libido. She sat on the edge of her desk, crossed her legs, and nudged his knee with the toe of her green satin pump. “You are goofy and incredibly sweet.”

“And you are gorgeous and incredibly perceptive.”

She flashed those perfect, white teeth and shook her head.

He slid into one of the chairs facing her desk and, folding his hands across his stomach, thought better of it, and laid his arms on the rests. His heartbeat picked up, and his throat went dry. They had to have this conversation. He couldn't put it off forever. She might even agree.

Saralynn frowned playfully. “What's up with the serious face?”

He took a slow breath. “We've been dating for a while, and our plan was to wait until we knew where it was going before we told anyone. This isn't a passing thing, not for me anyway. I really like you, and I think we have something special. I want to come clean with your brother and my sister. I want to be able to be seen with you in public and not worry about who's going to find out.”

Throughout the small speech, Saralynn deflated like a balloon, shrinking in on herself until her head dropped and she stared at her shoes. She didn't say anything for a solid minute, but it felt like ten. It didn't help his nerves. Finally, she lifted her head but focused on a spot across the room. “It's not a passing thing for me either. But we still can't say we know where this is going for sure, and telling them … it could be complicated. We don't know how they'll take it. Can't we just see how things go a little bit longer?”

It hurt to hear even though he'd been expecting it. “We can't hide it from them forever. I don't like keeping secrets from Jacey. I did it for too long, and look where it got me. Now she doesn't believe me even when I'm telling the truth. I want to change that. I have to. And I'm
happy.
I want to be able to share that with the important people in our lives.”

She met his gaze, but the pity in hers didn't make him feel better. “I'm sorry. I'm happy, too, but that's why I want to wait. If we tell them, things could get bad.
Really
bad. I'm not exactly Jacey's favorite person after I went behind her back with that press release. I can't imagine she wants us dating, and I'd like her in my corner. This is the first time in my life where I feel like I've found people who appreciate me for who I am. I don't want to lose that.”

Part of him understood. After everything she'd been through up to this point, that kind of acceptance would mean a lot. He'd just hoped he meant as much. “I know my sister. She wouldn't lay down that kind of ultimatum. Circumstances were different when Allie and Reese were dating. They were doctor and patient. We're just co-workers.”

“I know. But—”

“If you know, then what's holding you back? You don't think what we have rates high enough to tell our families?”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. The rock in his gut grew heavier with every silent second. She set a hand on his knee tentatively, like she wasn't sure he wanted it there. If this wasn't a breakup, it felt a hell of a lot like one. “Madden, this past month has been amazing, and I want to keep seeing you. I'm just not ready to go public yet.”

“When do you think you will be?”

“After we walk down the aisle? That's not an invitation to propose.” She pointed at him, and some lightness had crept into her expression and tone, but it didn't change his mood. She frowned. “I'm sorry. I don't know. I just want to wait until I'm sure that … ”

The relationship was worth it? He was worth it? When she still didn't finish the sentence after a minute, he stood. “Let me know when you figure it out.”

“Madden … ” She followed him to the door, but he kept walking and didn't look back. If he did, he'd cave and give in to whatever she wanted, and he wouldn't fall into old patterns. No more ignoring the signs when a woman wasn't as invested as he was. Why did doing the right thing have to be so damn hard?

• • •

What are you waiting for?
Madden had left twenty minutes ago, and she was still asking herself the same stupid question. He'd looked so disappointed. Just when she thought her days of breaking hearts were behind her. Only this time, it broke her heart, too. God, this hurt. Maybe she'd had the right idea, living life on the surface and never letting anyone get close. If a relationship wasn't real, neither was the pain of losing it.

If she was going to give up the best guy she'd ever had for her job, then she might as well do that job. She wiped the corners of her eyes then took a deep breath and opened her inbox.
Shit
. The bachelor auction was this weekend. She'd booked everything months ago then filed it in the back of her mind to make room for the team's day-to-day promotions. Only a few things were left to finalize, but that wasn't the problem. Madden would be there looking
GQ
perfect. And now that she'd turned down going public, what if he brought a date?

The door to her office swung open, and her brother stepped in. Oh yay. This day just kept getting better.

Reese raised his brows at the flowers on her desk. “Whoa, nice. These from radio guy?”

“Yes.” Guilt poked her in the chest, but she wasn't about to come clean now.

“You must be pretty serious about this guy. I can't remember the last time you dated someone for more than a month. Have you
ever
dated someone that long?”

“Reese. Did you come in here just to give me a hard time? Because I love you, and you deserve to know that my shit tolerance is pretty low today.”

His protective look came out in full effect, creased forehead and concerned eyes with the corners of his mouth dipping down. “What's wrong? Do I need to hurt somebody?”

She squeezed out a shaky smile. “No. But I'm glad that offer's always on the table. It's … the bachelor auction. Snuck up on me, and I have some last-minute things to get done.”

“You'll get 'em done. You always do. Will I finally get to meet radio guy?”

“Oh no, he can't make it.”

“Sare. The man sent you two dozen white roses. For St. Patrick's Day. Strikes me as the kind of guy who would make the time. I know you're worried about him meeting me, but I promise I'll be cool. I promise I'll
try
to be cool. Allie will be there. She'll keep me from doing anything over the top.”

“I swear. He honestly just—”

“This one seems different. I think you really like him, and if you do, I want to meet him. No hidden motives, no intentions speeches. You're important to me, and I want to get to know who's important to you. My wife informs me I've been replaced as your favorite sibling—not that I can blame you—but you're still
my
favorite.”

Ouch. If she believed in signs, this one would meet big, flashy, neon Vegas standards, and it would say
Tell Him Now!
But something held her back. If she told him, she'd have to tell Jacey, and she still wasn't ready to do that. She knew her brother, though. Relationship meddling was a Reese family Olympic sport. It wasn't like she'd stayed out of his and Allie's business when they needed the push to go on their first date. He wasn't going to let this go.

“Okay. I'll bring him.”

He unleashed the dopey, big brother smile that made him her true and forever favorite and strode over to hug her with rib-crushing intensity from behind her chair.