Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
STEELE
“Not gonna lie,” Sydney says, dragging her gaze up and down my frame as we walk through the almost-empty parking lot. “The cape is kind of sexy. Some may even say that it’s super sexy.”
I lift a dubious brow. “I can’t tell if you’re making fun of me, or if you’re just jealous that I can probably fly now.” I extend a fist above my head dramatically, reaching back with the other hand to fluff the satiny material.
She giggles, the sound making my heart beat faster in my chest. “Maybe a little bit of both. Did you have fun?”
“I did,” I reply with a smile. It’s well past visiting hours, but after we were done making capes and watching the rest of our movie, I wanted to stop in and spend some time with the kids who weren’t able to join us in the playroom.
There were five of them, all with various reasons for being confined to their beds.
I can imagine they feel pretty left out when the hospital puts on these events, so I made sure to bring as much of the party as I could to them.
I probably shouldn’t play favorites, but Eloise, the six-year-old who’s recovering from her third spinal surgery in as many years, definitely stole my heart.
Her blonde hair and spicy little attitude reminded me a lot of Sydney, and I just couldn’t get enough of her vivid storytelling.
She told me about the time her brother—he’s eight and wants to be a professional football player when he grows up—chipped a tooth after running into the wall of their garage on purpose while testing out a new helmet.
She said there were gobs and gobs of blood all over, and that he cried for thirty-seven minutes on the way to the dentist. She made us laugh until our sides hurt, with her father watching from a chair in the corner as we egged her on.
When she asked if I’d stay with her until she fell asleep, I couldn’t say no, which is why it was pitch black by the time we stepped outside.
We reach the driver’s side door of Sydney’s car, and she turns to me, her blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight. She’s fucking gorgeous. I still can’t believe I get to be close to her as much as I do.
“Well, you’re off the hook for the evening,” she says. “I’m sure you’re exhausted after all that.”
I shake my head. “I’m not. Actually, I was hoping you’d want to hang out. I don’t have anywhere to be until nine in the morning, so maybe we could take a drive. See what kind of trouble we can get into.”
She pulls her lips to one side in contemplation before a mischievous grin spreads across her face. “Trouble is my middle name. I know just the place. Get in.”
“This is not what I meant when I said I wanted to get into trouble, Sydney,” I whisper-yell as she crawls under the chain-link fence behind the Renegades practice facility. “Do you want me to get kicked off the team?”
“Relax,” she replies, waving her hand dismissively. “Nobody’s going to know we were here. And even if they find out, I doubt they’ll kick you off the team. Aren’t you like, kinda good or something?”
I slap my palm against my forehead, rolling my eyes sarcastically. “Right. How dumb of me to think I’m above the law because I can run with a football. Do you hear yourself? Also, doesn’t this place have security cameras?”
She shrugs. “That didn’t stop Maddox from coming in with Livvy. I guess he just likes her more than you like me.”
Fucking brat.
She tilts her head, the sweetest little smirk on her lips as I begrudgingly drop to the ground and shimmy through the tiny hole.
She’s small, so she made it to the other side with ease, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to look like I got attacked by a shark with all the sharp metal that catches on my clothes as I move.
Thankfully, I manage to get inside unscathed, save for some dirt and a few small snags in my hoodie.
“Such a good boy,” she coos as I stand, an air of playfulness in her tone, but she obviously forgot who she’s dealing with.
Because in an instant, I’m gripping her by the hips, spinning her so she’s facing the fence, and shoving her into it.
A heavy gasp rushes from her lungs when I press my front to her back, bending at the knees just enough so my cock runs up the length of her ass.
I drop my mouth to the shell of her ear, speaking quietly. “That smart mouth is making my palm itch, Mistress. I think you need a reminder that I’m not one of your subby little boyfriends. You can’t manipulate me to get what you want.”
“Mmmm,” she hums, looking over her shoulder at me. “Yet here you are, on this side of the fence.”
Goddamn, her sass makes me hard.
“I’m just adding up your offenses, baby,” I drawl. “You’ll pay for them sooner or later. And you’ll love every fucking minute of it.”
Rearing my hand back, I crack it against her ass cheek without warning.
It’s not hard—just a small taste of what she’ll get when I finally have her at my mercy.
I’ve fantasized about it a hundred times, hoping that one day, she’ll give her submission willingly.
I’ll wait forever if I have to, but eventually, I plan to have this hot little vixen face down, ass up for the taking.
I don’t miss the moan that she tries like hell to stifle as I spank her, kneading the swell of her cheek through her leggings because I just can’t help myself.
I hook a finger under her chin, kissing her passionately and loving the way we can go from playful to rough to soft in a matter of seconds.
I haven’t experienced this type of dynamic with anyone in the past, but I’m into it.
Instead of having every move planned out well before it happens, I never know what I’m going to get with Sydney.
Will she be defiant? Will she demand that I submit?
Will she melt like the sweet puddle of a girl who’s currently whimpering against my tongue? I can only venture to guess.
Not that it really matters, anyway, since I’m a fool for every part of her.
“Are you trying to get out of committing a felony with me, Mr. Harlow? Because this is very distracting,” she mumbles the words against my lips, causing a quiet chuckle to roll up my chest.
“Why?” I reply. “Is it working? If not, can I change your mind by offering to eat you out in the car, instead?”
She pulls her lips to one side in contemplation, and for a moment, I think she may actually say yes. But of course, she’s fucking with me, a mischievous smirk lifting one corner of her mouth as she slides out of my reach.
“Come on, Steele,” she whines. “I promise, we won’t get caught.
Oddly enough, my dad didn’t learn his lesson the first time.
There are no cameras in the tunnel, and the entire right side of the field is too poorly lit to see anything at night.
None of the outdoor surveillance captures sound, so even if they see our grainy silhouettes, they’ll never know it was us. ”
I shouldn’t say yes. I’ve already been kicked off a team once for breaking the rules, although technically, I didn’t do anything wrong.
But this time, I’m right here, entering team property through a hole in the fence after hours, which I’m sure is illegal.
But she’s so fucking adorable that I think I’d walk straight into a wood chipper if she asked me to.
I huff a resigned sigh, pointing a stern finger in her direction. “If we get busted, it’s your ass, Mistress. Literally.”
She bites her lip, her brows bouncing up and down suggestively. “You’d have to catch me first.”
Before I even get a chance to register her words, she takes off, the rubber soles of her shoes kicking up gravel as she heads toward the back end of the tunnel.
Seconds later, I’m throwing caution to the wind, running after her with complete disregard for any type of consequences.
She laughs loudly as I eat up the distance between us, catching up by the time she reaches the tunnel’s back door.
“Why is none of this locked?” I whisper as we duck inside, my voice echoing off the concrete walls.
She shrugs, easing the thick metal shut, so it doesn’t slam.
“It is, from the front. The building itself is completely secure, but I don’t think anyone even knows about the hole in the fence.
My sister made it herself, and I doubt my dad bothered to ask how she and Maddox got in here, since their practice sessions made him better.
She and I came here randomly one night after leaving Club Tilt, and sometimes I sneak in when I want to escape the world for a bit.
I may know jack shit about football, but I still feel at home here.
Plus, knowing that I can just exist without anyone watching is definitely a bonus. ”
A smile, nodding my head in understanding as we leisurely walk to the other end, our arms brushing against one another with each step.
“I get that. Privacy is something I took for granted before I was drafted. The way stories can be spun to fit a narrative makes me even more scared to trust anyone.” She looks up at me, a soft, understanding smile playing at her plump lips.
We reach the end of the tunnel, and I follow as she walks along the field’s sideline, climbs up a set of metal stairs, and plops down on the hard, aluminum bleachers.
Just like she said, this end of the facility is shrouded in darkness, not a single surveillance camera pointed in our direction.
I look around, satisfied with how out-of-view the spot really is, before sitting down and pulling her into my lap.
“Hey!” she squeals, pushing at my shoulder. But I just hold her tighter, leaning against the row behind us as she gives up and curls into me. I haphazardly graze my fingertips along the exposed skin above her waistband, my eyes surveying the length of the field while crickets chirp in the distance.
“See,” she says with a soft sigh. “Just us and the moon.”
I hum. “It’s pretty nice. I’m just glad we made it inside without any blaring sirens or spotlights.”