Lexington and 42nd (The Off Field Series #1) (38 page)

“Stop staring and put your damn ring on.” She wiggled her hips which did nothing to slow my growing hard on.

I did as she said, sliding the metal onto my finger, remembering as I did it the first time I put it on, the day we won the Super Bowl. Until I met Emma I would have said nothing could feel as good as holding up that trophy, but that was before she glided into my life and flipped the whole damn thing on its head. The day we finally got our shit together—a moment that had been witnessed by no less than my whole team thanks to her stubborn refusal to go somewhere private—sat side-by-side with winning the Super Bowl as the best day of my life. And that night had been even better. My eyes slid back down to her boobs.
Fuck
that was a good night.

Even on crutches with my knee feeling like it was on fire, my body exhausted from the endless pain numbing workouts I’d put it through to forget the pain of
her
, we only stopped to come up for air as the sun was rising. It was like it took my mind that long to catch up to what my body already knew, that she was right there in my bed, finally in my arms. I hadn’t wanted to sleep for fear of waking up and finding out the whole thing had been a dream. Lying in the crook of my arm, she had looked up at me, eyes not much more than tiny slits as she fought off sleep and she’d said, “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I’m scared as all hell. I’m so happy but…” Her words had trailed off and I’d had to push her for more.

“What if Hayes still fires me?” Her eyes had grown large as she spoke the words, the panic rising as she let all her worries back in. “He would already know, wouldn’t he? Everyone must know now. It was so…
public
.”

I’d wanted to tease her, tell her she ought to listen to me every once in a while and should have agreed to speak in private that morning, but I valued my balls too much for that. “Baby, relax. It’s all okay, it’s sorted.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve spoken to him all ready.”

Her eyes had grown even wider. “When?”

“Right after you left my apartment the other night.”

“You did?”

Flipping us so she was under me, I had pulled her bottom lip into my mouth. “Mhhmmm. Told him he wouldn’t have a quarterback if he even thought about firing you.”

I had been reeling when Emma walked out of my apartment. Furious with Hayes, furious with her for not coming to me in the first place and furious at myself for having been clueless to it the whole time. My knuckles were white with the force of restraining myself at the counter top as I watched her get in the elevator, desperate to chase after her but knowing I needed to sort through the clusterfuck going on in my head first. I had wanted to shake her as she told me everything, not just because the whole thing could have been avoided, but because she never once referenced herself, how
she
felt about me during her babbling monologue. I wanted—no I
needed
—her to stop worrying about the outside world for once and just focus on herself.

That night, after blasting Hayes through the phone, seething about what he’d done for a few hours, then seething about Emma for a few more, I’d finally acknowledged my own misgivings in the whole situation, realizing how stupid I’d been to play along with her casual, keep-it-quiet approach. Seeing how jumpy she was about the whole thing, I had followed her lead, played by her rules, and ultimately lost her…for a painful few weeks at least.

Even knowing what I did now, how much worse her position had been than I’d ever imagined, I still knew that wasn’t the only reason she’d stayed away. She had to know on some level that if she’d told me from the get-go what was happening, I would have been able to fix it. It was like a calm had settled over me when I finally realized the real problem, that as scared as she was of what Hayes might do to her, she was more scared of trusting me. The revelation had started as a slow burn in my chest, twisting my gut in a way that nothing else over the past month had. Trust was the foundation of any successful NFL team because if you didn’t have that, nothing else mattered. But I’d never needed so much trust from someone off the field before. Emma was the first person I’d wanted everything from. I wanted her heart, her body and her mind. I wanted to own every laugh, every thought, every movement she made.

Fairly or not, she’d judged me before she really knew me—chose to see the stereotype of me instead of the real me—and the fuck up with Bobbie and then Mark had only solidified things for her. The morning after she’d come to my apartment, even with only two hours sleep, I woke completely refreshed, feeling as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. That afternoon, right after practice I was going to get my girl back.

“You know you’ll have to go
Roo hunting
with my dad before there’s any talk of rings.” Emma grinned, wiggling her hips again to pull me from my daydream.

“So you keep saying.” My voice was thick as I tightened my hands to stop her hips. “You know I’m not sure I believe you though.”

Her eyes blazed with amusement. “Guess you’ll just have to get there and find out.”

We were flying out today. A four-week vacation in Australia during my break before we both came back for another season of NFL madness. Once people at the club had realized we were the real deal, Emma had quickly been offered the opportunity to stay on, without it interrupting the rest of the exchange program. I knew some of it had to do with keeping me happy, but also that they were more than pleased to keep her. She was good at her job…even if she had slept with the quarterback. I was still figuring out the best time to introduce that particular joke into my repertoire.

“You excited, baby?”

She nodded vigorously. “You?”

Four weeks away from the frantic pace of New York with nothing but Emma to distract me? Hell yes. We were spending the first two weeks in Sydney and I couldn’t wait to get to know where she lived, meet her friends and figure out this
Aussie Rules
football code she spoke so highly of. The last two weeks would be spent at her parent’s property. You know, the one with all the snakes and spiders and shit? And then there was this
Kangaroo hunting
business that she kept going on about. I was pretty sure she was messing with me but still…I shuddered at the thought.

As if reading my mind she said, “Don’t be nervous, Quarterback. I’ll protect you.”

“You gonna keep bringing that up for the rest of our lives?”

She cocked her head, squinting down at me. “More than likely.”

“You might want to rethink that.” My fingers trailed up her sides, poised to tickle but she went all sex-ninja on me, sliding purposefully along the length of me.

“Mmmfp. Baby you don’t play fair.” Grunting, I bucked my hips toward her, drinking in the way it made her boobs bounce. “Put me in.”

Lifting her hips she leaned down to my mouth, kissing me once. “No.”

“Wh—? Hey, where you going?” I watched as she bounced off the bed and waltzed into the bathroom in all her naked glory.

“To shower. We’re going to be late.”

“Bullshit, we’ve got ages.”

She poked her head around the door. “Yeah, and you take ages.”

“Never heard you complain about it before.” I waited for a response but all I got was the shower going on. What the hell?

“Bambi, come back here!”

Nothing.

“Don’t leave me like this. You want my dick to fall off before we cross the equator?”

Still nothing.

I rolled off the mattress and headed for the bathroom to find her standing—still butt naked—in front of the mirror inspecting some non-existent blemish on her face. Her eyes darted to mine, and then down to where said dick stood at attention.

She turned to lean against the sink. “We don’t have time,” she smiled, “besides, I thought you got your fill last night.”

I walked over to her, slipping my arms around her waist. “Yeah but that was hours ago and you’ve just sat on my dick—topless—for the past ten minutes. And we
always
have time.”

She pressed her palms against my chest. “I don’t know if
always
counts when we’re running late for an international flight. You think they’re going to hold the plane for you or something?”

“They won’t need to, we’ll get there on time.”

“How can you say that, it’s peak hour outside!”

I latched onto her thighs, pulling her up onto the countertop. “You trust me?”

Her eyes softened. “Of course, always.”

I kissed her, gently coaxing her lips apart. Nothing, not even hearing that she loved me made me feel better than knowing I had her trust. “Good.” I hitched her off the counter top. “Now trust me when I tell you there’s plenty of time to go back to bed and not miss our flight. All right?”

She rolled her eyes but was grinning. “All right Quarterback, I suppose you can have your way this time.”

Little did she know, I was planning on having my way with her for the rest of my life.

Thank you for reading
Lexington and 42
^nd
. I hope you enjoyed it! Turn the page to read about book two in the Off Field series.

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Olivia Callahan is a woman on a mission. Determined to make her mark in the male dominated world of sports journalism, when she lands a career defining opportunity she knows it’s make or break time. Olivia’s boss has given her the green light to produce her very own documentary, and she’s not going to let anything get in the way of perfection.

After a few setbacks in college, Nate Sullivan is finally on his way to the big leagues as the newest member of the New York Warriors. Determined to put his somewhat colorful past behind him, Nate’s all about the straight and narrow as he sets out to prove he’s worthy of the first-round draft pick that’s caused so much debate from fans and media.

The last thing Nate wants is to re-hash the stories that have everyone questioning his worth. But when his new club directs him to set the record straight, he has no choice but to cooperate with the feisty, determined reporter who shows up at his door. Olivia is thrilled that Nate Sullivan is her man. His colorful background is just the thing to take her story from memorable to award winning.

What neither of them expected is their attraction to one another, yet try as they might, determination gives way to temptation eventually. As Nate battles to protect his image and Olivia fights to produce the story of her career, they must decide what they’re willing to give up in order to gain each other.

To my family and friends who have encouraged and supported me as I’ve tiptoed through this wild minefield, thank you. Your excitement and belief in this project has truly given me the courage to publish
Lexington and 42nd
, instead of letting it sit unseen for the rest of time.

Thank you Jena O’Connor from Practical Proofing, for guiding me through the editing process and making
Lexington and 42nd
so much stronger. From the moment I received your sample edit, I knew you were what this book needed. I’m so glad I was able to grow your knowledge of Aussie slang in return!

Andrew and Rebecca from Design for Writers – thank you for the cover and formatting, and for your commitment to getting it just right. I love it.

To my husband, who has lived and breathed this book with me every step of the way, thank you. You are my world and I love you.

And finally, to anyone who has read this story, thank you! I do hope you enjoyed it.