Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Ada didn’t know what had come over her.
When those men had approached them, their intentions clear, she had been ready to leave, to walk away from the table and go home, not wanting to draw Manchester Central into the underworld her father had led their family into.
She was glad she hadn’t left, though, for that would only have allowed them to win, even though she was mortified that they would say something here, in front of Jonny and the rest of the team.
When Jonny rose to his feet, she’d prepared to stop him—to insist this wasn’t his concern, that she didn’t need him risking trouble for her sake. Yet the quiet strength in his voice, the certainty in his stance, the protectiveness in his voice, stirred something deep within her.
She hadn’t been sure what she had meant to do when she had led him outside. All she had known was that she had restless energy simmering inside her, energy she had to do something with, or it might burst out of her.
He had been standing there in front of her, looking prepared to take her lashing, and for what? For being the one person to stand up for her, when half of her life, her father had hidden from those coming after them, too worried about himself and his own reputation?
She couldn’t have said what had driven her to do it, but all she had known was that this energy pouring through her was fueling her to be close to him, to show him what it meant to her that he had been there for her.
Not only had she kissed him, but she had kissed him hard. With purpose.
This was nothing accidental. Not for show, not for an excuse, nor to hide from anyone.
She kissed him simply because she wanted to.
He drove her crazy, yet he was the only man to make her feel anything, to excite her for the first time in a long time.
At first, he just stood there, still, as though he was uncertain how to respond. But after a beat, just long enough that she nearly pulled away, he came to life.
He wrapped his fingers into her hair, his nails just barely scratching her head as he tilted it back, kissing her hard.
He groaned into her mouth as he coaxed her lips apart, stroking her tongue.
She couldn’t help but return the action, her hands wrapped in his jacket as she leaned into him, arching her back so she could be closer.
His scent, of spice and salt and football, filled her, the hot slide of his tongue setting her entire body on fire.
He kissed her with the same confidence he had shown those men, as if he knew exactly what he wanted, as if he were the one who had initiated the kiss, and she was just holding on.
Had he always smelled this good?
How many women had he kissed to make him so good at it?
And why did she actually love the way he was gripping her hair, ruining it, when she should be telling him to leave her alone?
David had kissed Ada a couple of times, but they were chaste kisses, ones in the garden after a dance or a dinner. She hadn’t felt a thing and had always wondered if something was wrong with her when she compared it to the way her friends described kisses with their husbands.
Now she understood. Their descriptions had nothing on how she currently felt, being kissed by Jonny.
She should pull away, but she couldn’t stop, and she never wanted to. Shivers ran down her spine, and then he sucked her tongue, and she almost lost sensation in her legs, but he was there to hold her up, against him.
She reached her hand up to his hair, tugging on the thick strands, and he let out another low groan as he pulled her even closer to him, so that she could feel every hard line of his body.
She heard a moan that she realized must have come from her, and she nipped at his bottom lip and felt him shudder against her.
She loved how it felt to be in his arms, the way his hard bicep against her back made her feel safe, strong, protected, like he would always be there to catch her, no matter what happened.
She wasn’t sure how long the kiss would have lasted had the door not opened behind them, bumping into Jonny and sending them both a step backward. Ada nearly fell over, but of course, he was there, catching her, not letting her go.
She had a feeling that if she were his, he never would.
She stared up at him, eyes wide, breathless, as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.
She wasn’t sure there was any sense to be made of it. They were just two people, going off the heat of impulse for one another.
“Leave you to it,” came Milton’s low, steady voice behind them as he returned to the tavern, the door shutting behind him.
“Jonny,” Ada said, blinking. “What was that?”
“You tell me,” he said, shrugging as though it had meant nothing to him. “You started it.”
His eyes flashed, though, and Ada knew that, as much as he was trying to play it off, he had felt something.
“I’ve got to go,” he said. “You can’t stay out here alone.”
“I—I know,” she said, letting him hold the door open for her. He watched her return to her seat, and then he was gone, disappearing into the night.
She’d like to say she had won that round, but she decided that she’d have to give that one to him. For he had only left her sitting there in shock, wondering what the hell had just happened.
“Jonny, you have to come with us.”
“Absolutely not.”
“But everyone will be there! Harcourt’s invited the entire team.”
“So?”
“So, this is a big deal. He’s a viscount, Jon! We can’t deny his invitation.”
Jonny turned to Tommy in exasperation as they walked off the practice field. “So, because he’s a viscount, I should drop everything to attend this fancy party? You realize we’re going to be a laughingstock.”
“We will not. Everyone loves Manchester Central, and we are practically Harcourt’s team.”
Because the man was on the club committee and sponsored everything they did.
Jonny sighed. “Is it mandatory?’
“No, but you know how Rhys is—”
“You’re going, Tate!” Rhys called from across the room, where they were changing.
“How does he do that?” Tommy asked, wrinkling his nose. “He didn’t even turn around. We’re all the way across the room.”
“I can still hear you,” Rhys called out, and Tommy just shook his head in disbelief before returning to changing.
“I know why you don’t want to go, Jonny, and it’s understandable,” Colin said.
“Because I don’t give a fig about a title?”
“Because you know David Carter will be there, as will Ada, and you don’t want to witness them together.”
Jonny snorted. “That has nothing to do with anything.”
It had everything to do with everything.
Jonny still couldn’t get over their kiss. He had gone home and thought about it all night.
Well, he had done more than just thought about it, if he was being honest, but then, Ada had been the woman he pictured when he pleasured himself for a long time now — at least since the night she had shot Blackwood.
In fact, he hadn’t been with another woman since then.
It was like every time he tried to approach someone different, her image filled his mind, and to be with another would feel like a betrayal.
It was inconceivable.
And yet, so it was.
“Just put in an appearance,” Rhys said, walking over to them, although he had softened somewhat in understanding.
“You don’t have to stay long. Just enough to show that we appreciate the invitation and would like to bridge that gap, demonstrating that we belong there as much as anyone.
If we say no, we might never get this opportunity again. ”
Jonny shrugged. “I don’t care.”
“But others do,” Rhys said simply. “You are part of a team, Jonny, and this comes with it, whether you like it or not.”
Jonny sighed, running a hand over the stubble on his chin.
“Fine,” he bit out. “I will come. Briefly. But once it’s known that I’m there, I’m out.”
“Like you were last night?” Tommy asked with a grin and a twinkle in his eye, as though he knew exactly what had happened.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You went outside with Ada, then the two of you returned and she appeared rather… flushed. Next thing I knew, you were gone. So, what happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Jon—”
“I said, nothing. Drop it, Tommy.”
Tommy looked hurt, almost like a lost little puppy.
Jonny felt a twinge of guilt, but he wasn’t going to talk about this with his teammates.
He had never spoken to them of anything in his personal life before, and he wasn’t about to start now, when it would only raise their hopes for something that would never happen.
Colin placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, providing him with the comfort that Jonny never could, reminding Jonny that he was still the outsider here.
These men had known one another for years, had formed a bond not only with their shared histories but with the family ties they now held with their wives.
“When you’re ready, Jonny, you come talk to us, all right? We’ve a fair bit of experience now and are happy to help you out.”
“I don’t need—”
He stopped at the challenge in Rhys’s raised eyebrow.
“Fine. If the time comes, I’ll be sure to let you know."
“On that note,” Tommy said, shaking off the melancholy that had descended upon him for all of one minute, “what are you going to wear to this party, Jonny?”
At that, they all started laughing, the tension easing.
But Tommy had a point — Jonny had nothing to wear. This wasn’t his type of event.
“I’ve a few things that might fit,” Colin said, looking down at Jonny. “With a bit of hemming. Come over after practice.”
Jonny sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. This was not going to go well. Not at all.
And so he found himself, a week later, standing in the drawing room of Lord Harcourt’s home, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he wondered how much he could drink to feel comfortable without losing his wits. He wasn’t sure one could be independent of the other.
Rhys walked over and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
“Aren’t you glad you came?”
Jonny snorted then took a sip of his drink, yet his eyes couldn’t seem to stray from the door.
“She’ll be here soon,” Rhys said with a knowing smile that Jonny wanted to wipe off his face. “I don’t think her parents are the type to miss something like this.”
“Don’t know who you’re talking about.”
Rhys let out a long, rare laugh at that, turning away as Emmaline approached his side.
Just then, the door to the drawing room opened again, and Jonny’s breath caught in his throat.
Her parents walked through first, her father tall, moustached, her mother of a distinctly more feminine build and features. Then came Ada.
She took his breath away.
He wondered how she didn’t draw every eye in the room.
The royal blue silk of her gown clung to her curves – the smooth line of her hips, the perfect swell of her breasts.
The neckline was low, and Jonny wished he could see beneath the delicate lace that covered what would have been exposed skin, up to her neck.
The gas lamps on the wall brought out the gold in her burnished hair, the delicate curls around her face softening her expression, while a touch of color on her cheeks and lips accentuated her natural beauty.
Her gaze wandered around the room as she entered, her shoulders back confidently, her hands folded in front of her.
She was probably looking for Carter, wondering if he was here to entertain her, Jonny thought with a grimace, just as her eyes landed on him.
Landed and held.
And he knew he would never have it within him to look away first.
He had wanted to call her his woman for some time now, but the truth was, he was hers.
Whether she wanted him or not.