17. Sienna
17
SIENNA
“ W e couldn’t have picked a more perfect day.” The sun was shining brilliantly, and the air was unseasonably warm. That, paired with the fact that it was a Saturday morning, meant the sidewalks were full of pedestrians.
I had to navigate around them while walking a couple of blocks from where I’d parked. Up ahead, I made out a flurry of activity in front of the recreation center, telling me the photographers had already arrived. As far as I knew, the athletes would be there shortly. At least, nobody had sent any messages to the contrary.
“Have fun out there,” Jules told me over the phone. “Don’t forget to find out if any of those guys are single.”
“I’ve already promised my cousins. Besides, you don’t want to date an athlete,” I pointed out, stopping at a red light. “So many of them have a girl in every city. I mean, we’ve been cleaning up their messes for long enough, haven’t we?”
“That’s true,” she agreed with a sigh. “Anyway, if you happen to spend any time today with whoever you’re sleeping with, thank him for me.”
The light turned green, but my feet didn’t move. Only when somebody bumped into me from behind did I step off the curb. “What are you talking about?” I asked with a high-pitched laugh.
She didn’t know.
She couldn’t know.
Snorting, she said, “You still think you can fool me. Like I haven’t noticed the difference in you this past week.”
“Girl, you need a vacation. You’re starting to imagine things.” It wasn’t easy to pretend, but I wasn’t about to admit the truth. I’d have to let her think I had a sexy little secret that didn’t also involve a complete ethics dilemma. Sleeping with my client, completely aware now of who he was. Before, there was an excuse. I didn’t know my mystery man wasn’t such a mystery after all.
“Whatever you say. Can’t wait to see the photos.” We ended the call there, and I released a sigh of relief. Was I being that obvious? Was I normally a shrew or something? Okay, so maybe all the ridiculously hot, amazing sex I’d had with Noah that week had left me with a spring in my step. That was ironic, considering the lack of sleep all that sex had led to, but I wasn’t about to complain.
Note to self—stop being so upbeat and happy. I had to laugh at myself as I lifted a hand to wave to one of the photographers who spotted me as I approached. Time to get down to work.
That attitude lasted all of three seconds, approximately the amount of time it took for Noah to emerge from inside the squat cinderblock building. I couldn’t have been more shocked if he showed up wearing lingerie. “Look at you!” I called out. “The early bird gets the worm, I guess. ”
It was not easy pretending there wasn’t anything more between us, especially when he looked surprisingly adorable in jeans, a ball cap, and an old-school Yankees jersey. The word adorable was not one I ever would have associated with Noah in years past, but things had changed.
I had changed.
He held his arms out to the sides. “Figured I should be in costume.” When no one else was looking, he gave me a private, narrow-eyed look. “I barely had time to get home from your place and take a shower. How are you holding up?”
How was I holding up?
My ass was still throbbing slightly from the spanking he gave me last night, a pleasant sensation that reminded me of the fun we had. “This is my second iced latte,” I whispered, holding up my plastic cup. There wasn’t enough caffeine in existence to make up for the lack of sleep, but I was trying.
At the arrival of a long, sleek bus, we snapped out of our personal chatter. I took the lead, greeting the athletes as they exited the bus, pausing for photos before heading into the building where the kids were waiting. The program’s director was inside with them, and I could hear the kids’ squeals of excitement before we ever stepped into the lobby and headed for the gymnasium.
I had to make a point to stay away from Noah and hang around on the fringes with parents and family members who’d come out to observe the activities. Otherwise, it would have been too easy to reach out and touch his hand, to touch him in passing.
How had everything changed so quickly? It had only been weeks since I would have sooner eaten broken glass than spend a Saturday with my arch nemesis .
Now, I had to remind myself not to stare at him while he interacted with some of the kids who saw his jersey and assumed he was a baseball player. I covered my mouth with my hand and pretended to cough over a laugh when one of the kids handed him a baseball and asked him to sign it.
But he handled it well, explaining who he was and that he was just as excited to meet these famous players as the kids were. He even sat cross-legged with them on the floor, listening to the program director as he explained how the day would progress. After that, it was time to head outside. If the weather had been bad, we would’ve stayed inside, and I thanked my lucky stars we wouldn’t be closed in with a bunch of screaming, excited kids all day.
I liked kids a lot, but put a few dozen of them in an enclosed space where their sneakers could squeak nonstop while they shrieked for hours—no, thank you.
Besides, I had other work to do. There was no reason for me to participate in any of the activities, and I had expected to clear out my email inbox and review a few status reports from my team while the kids learned how to swing a bat and throw a football.
What I didn’t factor in was how intriguing Noah’s interactions with the kids would be. I’d imagined he would hang back and offer a few tight smiles to the photographers to make everything look legit. I didn’t think he would actually participate, playing catch with a few of the kids, even helping to wrangle them when they got a little too rambunctious. Was this who he’d been all along, and I was only now noticing? I had let go of my preconceived notions, giving him plenty of space to surprise the hell out of me.
Or he could simply have gone out of his way to impress me. It didn’t matter, did it? The outcome was the same, either way. There were a lot of happy kids and plenty of photos we could plaster all over the internet.
He would make a good dad someday.
Whoa, hold up .
I was almost disappointed in myself for letting that thought leak through. The man tossed a ball back and forth with a few kids, and suddenly, I was imagining him with kids of his own. I was too smart to fool myself like that, wasn’t I? Didn’t I know better?
It didn’t matter. Not when the sound of his lighthearted laughter was music to my ears. I had never seen him this way or known he had it in him to be so sweet and patient. He even noticed when one of the kid’s shoes came untied and tied it for him before he could trip and hurt himself.
Be still my quivering ovaries.
By the time lunch rolled around, I hadn’t gotten a bit of work done, and I didn’t care. I was actually enjoying myself, laughing and applauding, chatting with a few of the parents who’d been able to come out with the kids. While I did, I glanced over toward where Noah was receiving instruction from a quarterback on how to throw the perfect spiral. Our eyes met, and he grinned, and oh, my heart.
I was in a lot of trouble.
It would never work. I knew that. We were having fun, that was all. It would be hopelessly cliché for us to try to make it anything else, especially when everyone in our lives would have strong, loud opinions about us being together—a relationship with my brother’s best friend.
This wasn’t a sitcom.
Though at the same time, Rose and Colton were happy, weren’t they? So happy they almost set my teeth on edge, living in a blissful little bubble. Maybe it was possible.
But this was Noah, and he didn’t do relationships. He would get bored of me. I would be the world’s biggest idiot if I walked into this with eyes wide open, knowing him the way I did, not expecting to end up with a bruised heart.
Even so, it was a fun morning. And once the kids settled down with their lunches, I approached him while looking as serious as I could. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” I asked, nodding in acknowledgment of the guys he was chatting with. “You can talk about buying a team later,” I added, winking. He rolled his eyes with a good-natured groan before following me out of the gym where the food had been set up. I led him to the front lobby before ducking into a little alcove where opposite doors marked the restrooms.
“What’s up?” he murmured a second before I took his hand and pulled him into the empty girls’ room with me.
“This.” Standing on my tiptoes, I took him by the back of the neck and pulled him down until our mouths met. I’d been craving his kiss for hours, I realized, and I indulged in the taste of him, his smell, and the soft growl that rumbled in his throat before his arms encircled my waist so he could pull me tight against him. There was something to be said for having a sexy little secret, and by the time his dick pressed urgently against my hip, I was hot and wet.
“What are you doing?” He laughed softly as I crouched in front of him while gazing up into his eyes, working his belt and dipping a hand inside his fly to withdraw his gorgeous, erect dick.
I didn’t say a word. What was the point of speaking when the act of wrapping my lips around his shaft said all I needed anyway? He closed his eyes, his head falling back against the tiled wall.
Before long, I was slurping on him, my head bobbing, cheeks hollowing out. We didn’t have much time, and this was risky enough as it was. That only added to the thrill, my heart racing, wetness pooling in my panties while his breathing went faster, sharper, one hand against the back of my head.
He fisted my hair beneath his fingers and started to thrust into my mouth, but I was in control, not him. He wasn’t calling the shots this time.
I sucked even harder, moaning around the base of his cock as my tongue ran along the ridge. His grip tightened in my hair, and his breath caught when a rush of warmth filled my mouth, followed by a raspy hiss. I swallowed greedily, taking every drop. By the time he started to soften in my mouth, his legs were shaking. “Holy shit,” he whispered, laughing softly, and his breathlessness left me grinning smugly as I stood. “What did I do to deserve that?”
I wouldn’t have told him in a million years how ridiculously hot it was watching him out there. How much it made me want him more than I ever had. Instead, I settled for a coy smile before rinsing my mouth at the sink. “Let’s say that’s a reward for playing along today.”
I glanced up at the mirror in time to see his smile. “It’s not so bad,” he admitted. “I’m kind of enjoying it.” An understatement, but I wouldn’t challenge him on it. If he knew how clear it was that he was having a good time, it might have spoiled everything.
“We’d better get back out there before we’re missed.” As it was, I heard a couple of the little boys excitedly talking as they entered the men’s room across from where we stood. Lunch would be wrapping up soon. I pulled the door open a crack and peered out to make sure the coast was clear. There were a handful of offices across from the restrooms, but the lights were off behind the windows looking out over the lobby. We were safe .
“Let’s go.” Taking his hand, I pulled him along behind me, only letting go once we were out in the hall again.
“Remind me to return the favor later,” he told me in a soft voice before we parted ways.
As if I wouldn’t.
As if he would need to be reminded.