Chapter 26
Wednesday evening, Marlie’s team were neck and neck with the Lava Bears. The stands were packed, as the first game in the season was always a big deal. Last year, the Lava Bears had been undefeated, and they had a few star players who showed potential, as freshmen, to go far into collegiate ball.
Potential, height, and a hard work ethic guaranteed a golden ticket. Marlie envied truly tall women. Though she stood a solid five foot eleven, that just didn’t cut it with taller, skilled athletes hitting the boards.
Melly, her point guard, had been doing a stellar job setting up plays. With only a few more minutes on the clock, they needed to wind down the time, keep control of the ball, and set up for a nice three-pointer. Which meant getting the ball to Celeste.
Except the other team had been covering Celeste hard, expecting that play. Marlie had anticipated that, so she grabbed her clipboard, called a time-out, and went over the play they’d been practicing.
“Go, Melly,” Simon yelled from the crowd, stirring laughter and cheers.
Marlie had seen him with Jenna and Jared, Jenna and Melly’s father, along with a tall guy in a ballcap doing his best to blend in. Damon sat with the others, cheering but keeping a relatively low profile. As well as a six-and-a-half-foot tall guy could.
She still didn’t know how she felt about him being in the stands, watching.
“Coach?” Melly frowned. “We good?”
Marlie nodded. “You know what to do?” The girls agreed. “Psych ‘em out. You got this.”
Melly grinned. “First win of the season coming up.” She tightened her ponytail then followed the others onto the court.
Adrenaline buzzing, Marlie watched the play, feeling the familiar excitement that went with competition. She’d always been keen to win, and tonight’s game was no exception.
So that when the ball finally hit Celeste, who’d used a screen to get open, she knew they’d win. Celeste pump faked, dribbled to the side, then shot.
She sank the ball just as the buzzer hit, and the team won by two points.
Everyone in the stands, on their side, cheered. The home team didn’t look happy, but hey, the better team had won.
After everyone shook hands and rallied for a brief post-game chat, Marlie sent them off with their parents. Not until she’d accounted for every girl getting a ride did she look back at the stands and found them empty.
Outside in the hall, she saw Damon leaning against the wall, a Portland Ice Raptors hat obscuring his features. For once, he wasn’t mobbed by fans.
He spotted her and straightened. “Yo, Coach, nice game.”
“Thanks.” Warmed that he’d come to watch, she felt oddly awkward as well. A high school JV game in no way compared to professional hockey.
“Awesome tactics. I loved how you guys double-teamed their ball handler. Shut her down but good.” He nodded, enthused. “Your power forwards are really aggressive. I hadn’t realized how fierce the game would be.”
“Because it’s a girls’ game?”
“Because half of them aren’t even old enough to drive.” He snorted. “Don’t even try acting like I hate women. I love women. Especially hard-core types with freckles.”
She sniffed. “That’s better.”
He laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Tonight, we celebrate!”
“What did you have in mind?”
For the past two days, he’d been an excellent guest. Marlie had lived alone for years, her last roommate back when she’d turned twenty-two. She hadn’t expected to feel so comfortable with a big-ass man in the house. Her brothers didn’t count, as they rarely stayed over.
But Damon had surprised her by being neat, taking care of the kittens and meals—like he’d promised.
And he slept with her each night, giving her the best sex of her life.
Always making sure she saw pleasure before he did, he continued to give of himself, making her fall for the big doofus way too easily.
She had to stay on her guard to keep him on his toes, so she continually thanked him but remained a little distant. Being with him felt too easy. He didn’t cause chaos and didn’t cling, spending a fair bit of time with his parents or working out.
Still, it had only been two days. He’d screw up before long. She knew it. Counted on it, in fact. Anything to make the guy less than perfect.
“What did I have in mind?” he asked, repeating her. “I figure you ate dinner. Some dessert? A drink maybe? I know you have work in the morning. And we both need to get rest because I’m running the gauntlet at your parents’ for dinner tomorrow night.”
She groaned. “Ugh. I’ve been trying to forget.”
“Wow. It’s like I can feel the love you have for your family. So strong, that ugh.”
She laughed and walked with him into the frigid evening. He’d parked near her vehicle. “How about we head home and share hot cocoa and kittens?”
“That sounds perfect.” He kissed her again before watching her get into her car. “I’m going to stop and grab something at the store. Need anything?”
“Nah. Meet you at home.”
He nodded.
Home. A place that was coming to feel like a real paradise, complete with all the things Marlie loved…and Damon.
He arrived twenty minutes after she did, bearing a bag of treats. She really needed to start exercising more. The way he fed her, not making meals so much as buying them, threatened her waistline. She always gave herself some slack at the holidays, but Damon was hell on her figure.
Not that he ever complained.
Staring at her breasts, unfettered by a bra under her thick sleepshirt that reached her knees, he grinned. “Ah, dessert for me. And I got dessert for you.”
“Why do I feel like you’re fattening me up for slaughter?”
He scoffed. “You turning me on with more killer talk?” He nodded to the paused movie of Santa Slayzz on television. They’d taken to bad horror movies for fun. Her selection of the evening involved a homicidal Santa. His had been killer elves the night before.
“What did you bring me?” She left the kittens playing on the couch and joined him at the kitchen counter.
Damon set down his bag and took her face in his hands.
“Damon?”
He stared into her eyes, lingering on her freckles, and smiled, joy making his icy eyes melt in warmth. “Being with you is the best part of my day. Christmas has come early for me.”
“Aw. So cute. Baby, you don’t need to flatter me. I’m a sure bet.”
He didn’t laugh at her joke. Instead, he drew her close for a kiss. Deep and slow, the kiss made her heart race. But it was the look in his eyes when he pulled back that shocked her to silence. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Damon was looking at her like he loved her.
He sighed and hugged her.
She hugged him back.
Then he swore and pulled away.
“Damon?”
“Larry’s got sharp claws for such a little guy,” he growled and plucked a kitten from his pant leg.
She laughed. “Yeah? Bird keeps stealing my hair ties. I’ve lost three just this morning.”
Larry Bird, her all-time favorite basketball player. What better names to give to two darling white kittens with eyes she prayed would turn green? White and green—the Boston Celtics colors.
“I still say you should have named them Sinclair and McDavid.”
“While I do know you, I don’t know McDavid.”
“Even though he plays for the Oilers, I like him. Hell of a center. And then you have me, goalie to the stars.”
“You think pretty highly of yourself, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “If I don’t believe in me, no one else will. Besides, I’m amazing. Proof.” He pointed at her. “The hottest chick in town lets me ball her.”
“Oh you with all the love words.”
He smirked. “You want to hear more?”
“Maybe later. I want to watch Santa punish the people on his naughty list while I drink hot cocoa and snack on…?”
“Cupcakes from Sparkles, that bakery you like. They sell them at the corner store.”
“How do you know I like Sparkles?” She didn’t recall telling him about her favorite sweet shop.
“I hear things.” He winked.
Once again, her heart melted. The big guy kept doing nice things for her, and she was already sleeping with him. He had no reason to act so over-the-top nice. She frowned.
He looked guarded. “What?”
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Um, because I can? What the hell? A guy should always be nice to the woman he likes.” He said that with an odd emphasis. “Even bad boys treat their women like queens.”
“And you’re Mr. Bad Ass, aren’t you?” She wasn’t so sure about that. He tried to act tough, but then she’d catch him holding the doors for people, smiling at little kids, being so gentle with kittens.
“You want me to prove it?” he growled, pinned her to the wall, and kissed the breath out of her.
She sagged when he stopped, noticing the arousal he could never hide with her.
Breathing hard as well, he warned, “After the movie, your ass is mine.”
Marlie bit back a grin. Promises, promises.