Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
IAN
Watching her sleep next to me never gets old, and I breathe a contented sigh. It has been crazy good. But the secrecy needs to end and soon. No more hiding our relationship. I will claim her as my woman in public.
My game is back on top, and my relationship with Coach couldn’t be better.
When we went to the shelter to help last Tuesday, he called me “son” while squeezing my shoulder, pride and acceptance written all over his face. It felt like a milestone. Regardless of what I said, it feels good to have his approval.
I have been showing her vacation homes, wanting to buy one for us to use to escape the buzz of the city and enjoy our togetherness without dodging unwanted attention and hiding from prying eyes.
She chose a beach house not far away from here, and I called my real estate agent and bought it.
I brush my nose against her cheek and her face lights up in a radiant smile. What I feel for her owns me: heart, body, and mind. I wouldn’t want it any other way. She has been more than my best friend and a lover. She’s my partner, my anchor.
When I lose a game, she tries to cheer me up while also giving me a bit of space.
She takes me for who I am, loves me for who I am—a flawed man who’s trying his best, an imperfect man who tries to be perfect for her.
Not as the athlete, not as the star quarterback, but as a man—her man.
Everything I have ever wished for and more lies next to me in our bed.
I whisper above her lips, “I have a surprise for you.”
I love surprising her. I love seeing her eyes widen, that sound of pure bliss slipping out of her luscious mouth. She rubs the sleep from her eyes.
Pulling herself up, she sees the bags at the foot of the bed. “Where did those come from? Where are we going? There’s only a few days left of your bye week.”
I grin. “You’ll see.”
It’s a quick drive up the coast. Regardless of where I finish my career, Southern California is where I will retire someday. Her father, her friends, and her business are here.
She claps her hands excitedly and rushes in and out of the bathroom. Squealing, she leaves chaos behind as she gets ready.
After a quick breakfast, we get in the car.
I park the car in front of the beach house, saying, “I bought it.”
She whips her head to me, blinking. “Really?”
“You loved this one the most.”
“Oh, Ian.” My name falls from her lips in rivulets of love, making my heart soar.
She climbs out of the SUV, taking in the white and glass villa perched on a small hill.
I unlock the door, and her feet pad softly on the polished floor toward the ocean that stretches behind the glass wall.
She places her palms on the glass, completely entranced by the view, while I am completely ensnared by her.
Lilly grabs my hand, and we pass the open kitchen with an oversized island in the middle. It’s painted in pale blues and grays.
Upstairs, three bedrooms and three bathrooms round out the space.
“What do you think about it in person?”
“I love it,” she says, jumping into my arms and peppering my face with a hundred kisses.
We spend the day lounging by the pool, walking on the beach, and strolling through the small coastal city.
Even the press has stopped inquiring about our relationship. It’s not that we don’t go out. We have weekly dates, but I can’t wait to hold her hand, kiss her whenever I want.
The time goes by too fast. But we lead busy lives. Her company has grown exponentially, and I have games to play and win.
Super Bowl, here I come. But not even the prospect of winning another championship compares to being with her. It’s another type of fulfillment, one that runs deeper somehow.
I return from practice one Saturday in mid-December to Lilly decorating the Christmas tree. Fuck, I missed her.
Every second she’s not next to me is one I can’t get back.
She wears my jersey and long socks, and that’s a sexy image.
The sweet smell of home-baked cookies lingers in the air.
Dipping my head, I take her face between my hands, inhaling her sweet smell.
“How was practice?”
My arm aches a bit. She notices and caresses it.
“I’m used to it.”
She drags me down to the floor with her, and after she massages my sore muscles, we decorate the tree together. It lights up in sparkly gold, red, and green.
“They should be here any second,” she says, barely containing her excitement.
I have a home game on Monday night, so it’s a good time for my sister and best friend to visit. We haven’t seen them in a while, and right on cue, the intercom rings.
Lilly darts to the door. When she opens it, the girls hug and start chatting right away.
Levi and I clap our backs as we embrace. We both wear a contented look, eyeing our women who are moving to the sofa.
Levi and I go into the kitchen, and I offer him a drink.
“So, when are you going to propose?” he asks.
I scratch my neck.
“You can ask her after you win, like I planned,” he offers.
“No, man.” I thought about it, but that will always be his proposal idea.
My chest still constricts when I think that he’s not playing anymore. I am just happy he is doing something he loves just as much.
Like he can read my mind, he says, “I’m good, man. Do I miss playing? I do, but I live vicariously through you.”
I chuckle. “No pressure at all.”
He sips from his glass of water and gazes at my sister with so much love. “Amelie has always been the endgame, man. I just wish…”
“Hey, you went through a traumatic event.”
He nods and clears his throat. “So we’re going to both be married by next year.”
“Jealous I was quicker?”
“Fuck you very much,” he grumbles. “And Lilly hasn’t said yes.”
“Har har. She will.”
We plan to help our women prepare the food, but they throw us out of the kitchen. So, we move to the living room to catch up.
When they call us for dinner, a deep sense of belonging fills every crevice in me.
“To family,” I say, lifting my glass.
“To the unexpected,” Lilly says, beaming at me.
My sister winks at me. “To just more than friends.”
“Thanks, sis,” I mumble playfully and add, “To the forbidden.”
She rolls her eyes at me while Levi chuckles, “Nothing tastes sweeter.”
Belly laughter and heartfelt chatter intermingle—the recipe for a great night.
At the end of the night, we accompany them to the door so they can return to their hotel.
“See you at the game,” Levi says, and my sister smiles fondly at me.
It’s humbling to have people who believe in me this much.
I close the door behind them with a smile on my face, filled with gratitude.
Turning, I almost trip over my feet.
Lilly rests on the sofa, wearing red, sexy as fuck lingerie. She looks like a present ready to be unwrapped.
My fingers itch with impatience to get my hands on her. “I must have been a really good boy if Santa came earlier this year.”
She trails a dainty finger down the valley of her chest, sending me a flirty look. “You have been. So come get your present.”
I don’t need to be told twice.
Hunger drives me and desire courses through my veins, heating my insides as I rush to her.
I push her on her back, lifting her legs over my shoulder, eager to indulge in my favorite treat.
I slip her thong to the side, but don’t undress her. This is foreplay, and she will remain dressed until I carry her to bed.
Lapping at her slit, I push my tongue in and out of her delicious pussy that has my cock weeping—desperate to feel her wrapped around it.
Sucking on her clit, she throws her head back, biting her lip.
Pleasuring this woman makes me insatiable. Nothing tastes sweeter than her juices. Like I am starved, I dive into her pussy—she’s my buffet and I am greedy to indulge after being famished for so long.
Lapping and nibbling, I eat her out until she comes on a stuttered breath.
Those pleasure filled sounds echo around me with the sweetest notes of surrender. I doubt I will ever tire of hearing them again and again.
I lick her juices off my lips, dragging my chin against her thighs and up to her belly.
When I reach her chest, I pull her tits out, sucking on her pebbled nipples, not leaving one inch of her untouched, unlicked, or unkissed.
Ravenous, that’s what I am when it comes to her.
Then I move up to her mouth. She’s still dazed, coming down from her high.
In one swift move, I drag her up to her knees.
In front of her, I tower over her frame. She eyes me with eyes glazed over with lust that pushes me over the edge. I tug at my shirt, and she licks her lips, her palm pressed on the bulge behind my jeans.
“Unzip me and then take my cock out.” My voice sounds strained, just like I feel.
“And then what?” she rasps.
I grip her chin. “You’re going to take my cock in that pretty little mouth of yours until you choke and slobber all over it.”
A shiver rocks her, and she tears at my zipper, pushing down my boxers and jeans in one go.
She licks every ridge of my torso, nibbling on the skin.
“Stop teasing me.” I can’t barely control myself as it is.
She smiles against my happy trail as she goes south, loving to drive me wild.
With my cock in her face, she sticks her tongue out, licking the bead of pre-cum. Her mouth closes around the head, her tongue lapping at my slit, and she moans. That sound of her enjoying what she does to me almost knocks me down.
I fist my hand in her hair, tugging her head back. “You know what happens with bad girls that keep teasing?”
She pops my cock out, looking at me with innocent doe eyes. “What?”
“They get fucked. Hard.”
It takes everything in me not to come because I still have a gift to unwrap.
My muscles constrict, the release simmering at the back of my marrow. With inhuman force, I pull out. Stumbling back, I watch her puffy lips and flushed face.
Her dilated pupils and rapid respiration kick me into action. I scoop her up, carrying her to our bedroom, and place her on the bed.
My fingers shake, and sheer need blinds me as I try to prolong this moment.
Savoring undressing her, the bra falls to the floor, and I bend to suck on her pretty nipples. She moans, arching her back, wanting more—my greedy girl.
I will give her everything—all the pleasure, all the orgasms, all the love.
I move between her legs, watching my world opening for me. In my universe, nothing but her exists and the need to love her.
Her chest pants with a labored breath. “Who’s teasing whom now?”
“Patience is a virtue, flower girl.”
“And something we both are lacking,” she adds, pulling a chuckle out of me.
I peel her thong off, gliding my palms over her smooth legs and digging my fingers into her waist.
“Have you any idea how beautiful you are?” I rasp.
“I have an idea because you look at me as if I am everything you see,” she moans, eyes glistening.
“Facts. What you do to me,” I say, voice thick with emotions.
I guide my cock to her entrance. With one hard push, I bottom out, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment at the exquisite pleasure.
I am at home only when I am with her, in her. It’s not enough just having her close, I need to feel her from the inside out.