Chapter 33 – Jordie
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Making plans
Jordie
Phoenix dots kisses along my shoulder as he stands behind me and dries my body with a warm towel.
After he’d screwed me into the hardest orgasm of my life, he went into pampering mode, washing and conditioning my hair with gentle fingers.
I’ve learned this is his love language… taking care of other people.
It’s not something I’ve ever liked, but when Phoenix treats me like a treasure, I don’t mind a bit. He makes me feel special.
“I think my butt is dry,” I say wryly, and I feel his lips curve into a smile against my shoulder. He continues kneading my rear with the towel.
“Can never be too sure. I wouldn’t want my goddess to get ass chafing because I neglected her.” He nuzzles my ear. “Was I too rough with you, baby?”
Turning my face, I kiss his jaw. “It wasn’t too rough. Eleven out of ten. No notes.”
We’re standing on his bathmat, which is toasty beneath my feet, thanks to Phoenix’s floor warmer.
Who the hell even thought of such a thing?
I reach for the small box holding heated towels and pull one out before returning the favor and rubbing the droplets of water from his muscular body.
It’s an enjoyable task, and he seems to like it too because his cock twitches to life beneath my touch.
“Here, you can wear this,” he says, reaching for a navy-blue terrycloth robe hanging on a hook. I slip my arms inside and inhale his scent on the plush fabric.
“When you drunk called me, you said something about sleeping with a robe. What was that about?”
He pauses while tying the sash around my waist and looks up at me with wary eyes. He’s silent, his lips tightening before finally seeming to make a decision.
“Come with me.” Phoenix takes my hand and pulls me into his closet where he slides some clothes aside to reveal a white bathrobe.
My fingers dust over the logo. It’s from the hotel we stayed at in Philly. Realization dawns, and I turn my wide eyes toward him, hissing, “Did you steal this?”
He chuckles. “No, I bought it. The hotel sells them if you request it.” His teeth sink into his bottom lip, and his voice drops. “They tried to give me a new one in a package, but I insisted on buying the one you wore that night. Our first night together.”
My knees weaken. “Why?”
Phoenix cups my face with both hands. “Because that night was special for me too. I wanted to keep something from our time together.”
Emotion heats my cheeks. “I kept the rose you used on my body,” I admit. “I gave a few petals to my sister, and she had one of her library friends press them into a bookmark for me.”
His smile tells me he likes that. “So your sister knows about us?”
I shake my head. “No, I just told her it was from the hotel, so I snagged one to celebrate the day I signed with Kam as my new agent.” Slipping off his robe, I pull the hotel one off the hangar and put it on while Phoenix dons the one I just removed.
His eyes slide up and down my body before resting on my face. “You’re as beautiful as you were that night.” Holding my face, he kisses me, and the air becomes electric around us as our tongues tangle in a smooth, slow dance, much like the waltz from that night.
When the kiss ends, Phoenix wraps me in his arms, and I rest my cheek against his shoulder. He rubs his nose against the top of my damp head. “We need to talk about how this is going to work going forward. We’re both in the public eye. Do we want to tell people we’re together?”
Standing here in the cocoon of his embrace, I don’t even want to think about anyone else. “I like the way we are now. It’s like our own little bubble.” I look up to gauge his reaction. “Is it okay if we wait for a while?”
His eyes are soft and understanding. “Of course. I know your family may be concerned about our age gap.”
I snort. “My brothers will definitely be concerned.” Returning my head to his chest, I clarify, “Well, not Xander. His sexual tastes vary, so he would never judge. But Reno and Bubba are probably going to flip their lids.”
“Reno’s your brother-in-law, right?”
Nodding, I nestle closer. “Yes. He was an only child, so he’s taken on the role of big brother to the max. I adore the big goon though.” I crane my neck up to look at him. “What about Reecie?”
“Things are about a million times more complicated with a kid.” Phoenix smiles and kisses my nose. “The good thing is she already adores you.”
“Liking me because I play football and liking me dating her dad are two different things. How have you handled that with women in the past?”
He releases me and laces his fingers between mine as he leads me from the closet and through the bedroom with both of us clad in our robes.
As we descend the stairs, he says, “She doesn’t just like you because you play football, Jordie. She likes you because you’re kind and patient with her.” We enter the kitchen, and he rummages around in the fridge. “And I’ve never introduced Reece to any other women.”
“What are you looking for, and what do you mean you’ve never introduced Reece to another woman? She’s almost five.”
“I’m looking for food because I’m starving. All I’ve had to eat since lunch was a bag of pretzels on the plane. And just what I said. I haven’t really dated much.”
“How much is not much?” I ask because I’m curious as hell.
“Since my daughter was born, I’ve been on exactly two dates.”
I blink in shock as he begins pulling things from the refrigerator. “Two dates? That’s it?”
“I’ve been busy with raising a kiddo. And with my burgeoning dance career.
” He flashes a cheeky grin over his shoulder.
“I need to get to know someone well before introducing them to Reece. I don’t want women coming in and out of her life.
Both dates pretty much went nowhere, so they never met her. ”
He turns and begins preparing veggies on a cutting board.
“Why didn’t the dates go anywhere?” I ask.
“One told me she hates children. That was right after I mentioned I had a daughter so that one didn’t even make it to dessert.
The other, Jewel, was pretty nice, but she had the most annoying voice.
I took her home with a kiss on the cheek and a polite goodbye.
She called a few times afterward, and I finally fibbed and told her I’d recently reconnected with an old flame to get her off my back.
” His lips twist in a chagrined smile. “I hated to lie, but I thought it was kinder than telling her she sounds like a screech owl.”
I laugh. “Yeah, probably a good call.”
Phoenix grabs a pot from the rack over the butcher block, and I take over cutting vegetables while he starts cooking rice.
“I had a couple hookups I found on dating apps, but no one that held my interest for more than a night. And certainly no one I’d ever want in my home and around my daughter.
” His blue eyes meet mine in a pointed stare. “Until now.”
I pause my chopping so I don’t lose a finger. What he just said leaves me stunned, not to mention the fact that he’s barely dated in five years. He seems like such an innately sexual being.
When he goes back to his task, I process for a minute. “So do you want me to not come around for a while? I want to do what’s best for Reece.”
He puts a lid on the pot and strolls over to where I am, taking the knife from my hand and setting it down before cupping my face.
“Actually, I think the opposite would be better. I’d like you to come over more often.
Maybe for dinner sometime? That will get her accustomed to seeing us together.
” He grabs my ass with both hands and hauls me close to his body.
“Of course, we can’t do things like this in front of her. ”
Then he kisses me breathless.
Over a middle-of-the-night meal of veggie stir fry, we formulate a plan to ease Reece into the idea of us.
I’ll come over to their house twice a week to discuss “business,” and Phoenix will invite me to stay for dinner.
We’ll keep everything completely platonic, and hopefully by the time we get ready to announce that we’re involved, Reece won’t be shocked.
When we’re done eating and have the bowls in the dishwasher, we go back upstairs. “I got the mockup for your latest commercial,” Phoenix says. “Do you want to see?”
“I’d love to,” I say excitedly.
The first commercial was the one where I ripped off the dress to reveal my uniform beneath, and it debuted at the beginning of the WNFL football season.
The second is set to air soon, just in time for the holidays, and it’s the one with Kennedy and me.
We had so much fun filming it, and Phoenix showed us the edited version last week.
As part of this joint campaign, we each got to choose a signature lipstick and eyeshadow color and come up with a name for them.
I chose a pretty gold for the eyeshadow and named it “Goddess.” My lipstick is a muted red color that I call “Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream,” which cracked Phoenix up. And later that night, he’d turned me into his own personal ice cream cone.
My final commercial will run at the NFL Super Bowl in February, but Phoenix has been tight-lipped about it. Guess I’m about to get a sneak peek.
We settle on the bed, him leaning against the headboard and me reclining against him between his spread thighs. He holds an iPad in front of me and starts the video.
Music with a heavy drumbeat plays, and I see my face. Well, not my entire face. I’m wearing my football helmet, and the camera is zoomed in on my left eye, which is closed. The top of my facemask is barely visible, and in the muted lighting, my eyeshadow looks breathtaking.
Words slide in from the left of the screen.
Just Strength.
With my onscreen eye still closed, more text appears, this time from the right of the screen.
Just Grit.
I hold my breath, mesmerized. Everything is so dramatic as the music increases in intensity. Then it stops suddenly, and my eyelid opens. My aqua-colored iris seems to glow as the final words appear from the bottom.
Just Jordie.
We’re both silent for a long moment, and then we exhale at the same time.
“Wow,” I breathe.
“Yeah,” Phoenix replies, sounding as stunned as me. “I came up with this idea, but it’s even better than I expected.”
He presses play, and we watch it again. It’s just as compelling the second time around. And the third.
Phoenix finally sets the tablet aside and turns me over so I’m facing him. “Are you happy with it?”
“More than happy,” I tell him, crossing my hands on his chest and resting my chin there. “You really are a marketing genius.”
His knuckles drift down my cheek. “Hiring you for this campaign was the best decision I’ve ever made.” He hauls me up his body until my lips hover over his. “Professionally and personally.”
Flicking off the lamp, he proceeds to get quite personal with me until the sun comes up.
And I fall just a little bit harder for Phoenix Hale.