18. Blindside
Blindside
H aley and his sister came back in the house as he was pouring a rare second beer, about to settle in with Pops to watch the rest of the game.
Walking arm in arm, eyes a little red, they looked to have duked something out and come out the other side friends.
Whatever the argument had been about, they were clearly better because of it.
He poured half of the beer into another glass and held it out for Haley. Without a word, she smiled softly and accepted the glass. He extended his hand and she joined him. Walking up the narrow stairs, he led her to his bedroom.
Not that it was even half as messy as it had been as a kid, but he’d tidied when he knew she was coming over. And vacuumed. And put on clean sheets. Just in case she decided to stay over.
She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Smiling, she leaned against the door and surveyed the room.
Looking at the small space, he tried to imagine it with her eyes.
A simple navy blue and gray quilt was tucked neatly over the full-sized bed that was centered on the main wall.
A massive poster of an empty football field under the lights at night took up most of the wall over the oak headboard, a matching desk in the opposite corner, with a small faux-leather club chair in front of the sliding closet doors.
Without a word, Haley grabbed his beer and set both of their drinks on the stack of books on the desk.
Stepping closer, she looked up at him with a familiar, yet quiet heat.
Her hands trailed down his abdomen until she reached the hem of his shirt.
With a light touch, she traced the line of his hip, of each muscle he’d hard-earned from hours at practice, and then hooked her hands on the waist of his jeans.
Immobile as she continued her exploration, he held still as she unlatched his top button and slid the zipper down.
Grazing her hands back up, she slid his shirt out of her way.
He tugged the shirt over his head and tossed it aside.
Her fingers tormenting him with her delicate touch, she lowered his jeans, his raging erection springing free.
She ran the back of her fingers tenderly along his shaft, then shocked the hell out of him, gripping him tight and tugged. Lost in sensation, he was utterly hers. Her jaw was set, her concentration fierce, she was taking what she wanted.
Before he knew what she was about, she dropped to her knees and her hot mouth was over his cock. Gliding, sucking, she was on a damn rampage, and he was wholeheartedly on board.
Nearing the tipping point, he groaned and pulled away; still without a word, she rose to her feet and locked eyes with him. Those sapphire blues were on fire.
Yanking her top over her head, she tossed it aside.
“Hang on,” he whispered.
In his bedroom in her bra and the ridiculously sexy skirt that clung to her hips, she was like nothing he’d ever seen. Daring. Lithe. Training his hands over her sternum, he leaned down and pressed his mouth to her breasts, tracing his tongue along the edge of her bra.
She slipped her hands to the front of her bra and unhooked the brilliant front-closure contraption, her spectacular breasts suddenly free of the thing. Breath catching in his chest with pure appreciation, he took her breast in his mouth, sucking and pulling until she gasped, then suckled harder.
She leaned into him, her breath coming quicker. Shifting, he slid her skirt over her hips, surprised by the fucking perfect sight that greeted him. “No panties?” he asked.
She bit her lower lip as she grinned. “I wanted to see your face when you noticed. Better than I’d hoped.”
Lowering to his knees, he pressed his lips to her core. “You utterly, completely astonish me.” Licking, tasting, he nearly came as she leaned into him, biting her cheek to silence her sweet moans as he laved.
Rising to his feet, he carried her to the bed. He pulled a condom from the bedside drawer, the last of the box, and rolled it on.
Before sliding inside her, he paused at the precipice. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she gripped his waist, pulling him closer. Running his hand along her side, her abdomen, he savored.
“Now,” she whispered.
Meeting her gaze, he locked on, unable to pull away. That heaviness she’d worn since after dinner had only intensified as they’d pleasured each other. Refusing to look away, loving that she held his gaze, he slipped inside her.
Connected, her eyes never leaving his, he kept his movement slow, feeling everything as she tightened around him, then released as he thrust again. Faster, intense, she moved with him.
Her eyes fluttered shut as she squeezed him, her breath coming fast, her soft whimpers tipping him over the edge. As he neared his climax, he whispered, “Haley?”
Still in the grips of sensation, her eyes flashed open and met his. Refusing to release each other, they finished together, rhythmically, powerfully.
As he rolled to his back, she came with him, resting her head on his shoulder.
Neither moved for hours, until the cool of the night brought a chill to the room, and he pulled the blankets over them.
Glued to his side, she slept wrapped around him…
and he couldn’t have let go if the house burned down around them.
T hunder boomed over the house as morning closed in around them. Haley breathed in one last taste of Finn. Zoe was right; they were crossing lines they hadn’t intended. Last night, they’d broken all the rebound rules.
Sitting up, Haley quietly slipped on her clothes and tiptoed down the stairs. She made it all the way to the door before she ran into anyone.
Scott was waiting at the entry, leaned up against the doorway to the kitchen like Finn had. He held out a spare cup of coffee, as if he’d been waiting for her. Nodding to the kitchen, he beckoned her in.
“I really ought to get home,” she futilely argued.
“Five minutes. Finn doesn’t wake early, but you’d know that better than me these days.”
At Scott’s instruction, she sat on one of the bar stools while he pulled up the one next to her. Accepting the impending lecture, meddling, or whatever it may turn out to be, she took a testing sip of her coffee.
“When Finn was a baby, we were so terrified. Brenda was only eighteen at the time, a senior in high school.” He stared blankly across the kitchen.
Haley couldn’t help but listen. “Quite the scandal, as I played for ASU at the time. We lived in an apartment off campus when Finn came along, getting by on her wages as a server while I worked the kitchen between homework and games. But she never let me quit. Gave up everything for me.”
Burning in her gut nagged at her, knowing this wasn’t going to make things any easier. That she would regret it if she didn’t stay to hear it.
“When Finn was thirteen, she came to me one day and said, ‘Scott? There’s this adorable town up in Washington. And a perfect little building with a lot for sale downtown.’ Not having a clue what she was getting at, I said, ‘And?’ That’s when I realized how much she’d given up for me.
At the time, I was coaching Finn’s team, working at the local butcher’s smoking meats and cheeses.
Brenda, she stomped her foot and took both of my cheeks in her hands and said, ‘I love you. You’re a great father and a hard worker.
But it’s my turn. We’re opening our own a restaurant’. ”
Smiling, Haley realized the conversation wasn’t going quite where she had expected.
“So, we made an offer and uprooted the family.
Finn was pissed, not wanting to leave his friends, his team.
But Brenda was right. It was her turn. We took out a hefty loan from the bank and bought the property.
Poured our hearts and souls into creating a unique menu, building a restaurant that would stand the test of time.
“When she went through that last PET scan, and it was clear the cancer had beat an unbeatable woman, I was devastated. Not Brenda. She grabbed my cheeks again and claimed, ‘It’s not my turn anymore. I would have liked more time, but sometimes life’s stupid that way.
Let’s bring the kids home. It’s their turn now. ’ She knew they were floundering.”
“She must have been an amazing woman.” Haley thought of the family photos that lined the stairwell, the smiles and love between them.
“She was. Will always be with me.” He drained the last of his coffee, staring into the bottom of the cup. “Know what did it for me?”
“What?”
“I can’t say we had planned anything. We’d been having fun, two stupid kids that figured we were just fooling around. Well, we all know how that story ends.” He toasted his coffee. “But we stuck together. She wouldn’t marry me right off, told me she didn’t want a pity proposal.”
“What made her change her mind?”
“That day in the delivery room. Holding Finn in our arms. I brought her the biggest bunch of flowers I could afford and said I’d put up with her hemming and hawing for nine damn months.
That she was the strongest woman I’d ever met.
That no one else set me on fire like she did.
And that baby was so perfect. That it didn’t matter what tomorrow brought, as long as she was with me. ”
“Did she say yes?”
He chuckled, “She stared at Finn for a minute, his fierce scowl that she said looked just like mine. Said this wasn’t her plan.
About the time I was starting to panic, thinking she was about to dump me, she said things don’t work out the way you think they will, but sometimes life drops something better in your lap. ”
“You have an amazing family. I’m truly envious.”
Scott hopped off his stool and brought over the coffee pot, topping them both off. “Finn probably told you I like to meddle.”
She grinned, taking another sip. “He implied as much.”
“Well, consider this a proud father standing up for his son. He’s an incredible player, and I don’t want him to miss out on anything life has to offer.
Whatever he decides, he needs to know it was his choice, not mine or anyone else’s.
That he didn’t get stuck with the burden of taking on what Brenda and I created. ”
“I get the feeling he easily follows the path of least resistance.”
Scott winked over his mug. “You got that right. If that ex of his hadn’t ended things, it might have taken him a few years to figure out she wasn’t the one.”
Uh-oh. Not another ambush. “I should get going.”
“I know. I figure Zoe already gave you the run-down last night, but I wanted to make sure you knew why. Finn has come alive the last few months, more so since you came around. He’s happy, more than I’ve seen in years.
But it’s up to him to fight for what he wants.
I know you’re not ready, like Finn wasn’t ready not too long ago.
But… don’t let him off the hook yet. I suspect it’ll do you both some good. ”
She drained the last of her coffee and rose from the stool, placing the empty mug in the sink.
Did they want her to let Finn go so he could decide on his own, or tie him down for a lifelong relationship?
More confused than ever, Haley promised to route back with him in a week or two with the ideas for his man cave.
That erosive pit in her gut followed her home. Hung around as she took an efficiently short shower. Didn’t let up when she looked in the fridge but couldn’t find anything worth eating.
Stomping her foot, she hopped in the car and drove to Sutherland’s Hardware and bought a few gallons of paint. No better time than the present to tackle the upstairs rooms.