Chapter 20 Chelsea
Chelsea
I LOOK AROUND furtively before rapping on the door of Luca’s hotel room.
One more soft rap on the door and Luca appears, shirtless and barefoot. Wearing nothing but gray sweatpants and an expression of dread. He knows about tonight’s meeting. All the players do. And by the look on his face, he thinks I’m here to deliver the worst possible news.
“So you’re allowed to come to my door, but I’m not allowed to come to yours?” he says weakly. He’s using humor as a crutch—as a coping mechanism—while he’s actually in the throes of deep anxiety. I do that, too, sometimes.
“Can I come in?” I whisper, looking around nervously at the empty, quiet hallway.
With a nod, he wordlessly steps back and widens his door, and I step into the small hotel room. It’s the same as mine, basically: There’s a queen bed covered in beige, a small desk and dresser, and a window overlooking a parking lot below.
“They didn’t cut you,” I blurt, the second the door closes behind me. “They want to see you in Sunday’s game.”
Luca clutches his heart, staggers backward, and exhales loudly. But after processing the heart-stopping news for a beat, he lurches forward and wraps me in a celebratory bear hug that physically takes my breath away.
“We did it, baby!” Luca bellows. “Fuck yeah! Coach Chelsea for the win!”
Suddenly, the delectable, musky scent of Luca’s aftershave overtakes my nose and fills my lungs.
That combined with the warmth of his bare, muscular torso pressed against me sends my eyes practically rolling back into my head.
If it weren’t for the second half of what I came to say to Luca tonight, I’m sure I’d lose all self-control in this moment.
Breathing hard, I force myself to step out of his delicious embrace and get on with the rest of it. “They cut Calhoun, though.”
“Shit. No.”
“Hopefully, he’ll get picked up somewhere.”
“He will. I’m sure of it.”
I take a deep breath, girding myself to deliver the news that’s been gnawing at my stomach lining since it happened. “Also, Bellamy closed a deal with Moriarty tonight, Luca. He’s coming to practice in the morning.”
Luca’s frown regarding his buddy Calhoun being let go becomes sharper.
As a crease forms in his forehead, he runs a big hand through his dark mop of hair.
But in a flash, he pulls himself together enough to say, “We always knew he’d come back.
It just means we have to work that much harder, which we will.
” He places a hand on his unbelievable bare abs, looking fiercely determined and delectable.
“We’ve got this, Chelsea. You and me. Together, we’re unstoppable. ”
My stomach twists. “You’ve got this, Luca,” I correct softly. “You don’t need me anymore.”
“Are you insane? Of course, I do! You’re my secret weapon baby. As long as I’ve got you, I can do anything.”
Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck! “Luca, they’ve assigned me to Moriarty. I can’t work with you anymore. The order came from the top.” To my shock, tears spring into my eyes as those last words tumble out.
Luca looks like I’ve just delivered a death blow. A terminal diagnosis. He slowly sits on the edge of the bed and hangs his head. “Starting when?”
“Effective immediately. I’m working with Jacob tomorrow morning during our usual time slot.”
He winces like I’ve slapped him across the face. “Can I work with you at the end of the day, then? Or maybe late at night? I’ll take any time slot you’ve got for me.”
The tears in my eyes haven’t fallen yet.
But they’re blurring my vision. “No, that’s not possible.
I’m sorry, Luca. All I want is to keep working with you.
I hope you know that.” A tear falls, and I wipe at it.
I hardly ever cry. It’s just not my thing.
So, this traitorous water streaming down my face isn’t only a surprise to me; it’s a confession.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he coos softly, and with so much tenderness, my heart pangs like it’s splintering. “You should be celebrating. This is a huge promotion for you.”
“No.” I blink, and the water in my eyes squirts down my cheeks.
“Chelsea, they’re pulling you off a scrub and putting you with their biggest superstar. That’s a huge vote of confidence, baby. I’m thrilled for you.”
With a sad little smile, he gets up and gently wipes at my wet cheek with his thumb, and my entire body thrums with the urge to throw my arms around him.
“Put Moriarty on your résumé and you’ll get a great job with another team in record speed,” he whispers.
“Maybe even this season, instead of waiting for next like you originally planned.” He looks absolutely devastated, but he manages a tight smile as he cups my face in both warm, large palms. “Celebrate this win, and don’t give me a second thought, okay?
You’ve given me the fishing rod and taught me how to use it, so I’ll get out there and catch some big-ass fish for both of us. ”
“But I want to keep working with you,” I choke out through tears.
He shakes his head and drops one of his hands.
With the other one, he smooths my hair. “Look out for yourself. I’ll be just fine.
” He wipes at another tear with his thumb.
“If you do as well with Moriarty as you did with me, Bellamy will have to hear you out on what you could do for his department. I know you said he doesn’t buy into all your spreadsheets and stuff, but maybe after you kick ass with Moriarty, you’ll be able to convince him. ”
Suddenly, I feel like I’d be lying to Luca if I didn’t disclose my secret deal with Bellamy in this moment.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” I tell Luca the story of the deal Bellamy offered me without leaving anything out, and Luca looks deeply distressed.
“This doesn’t change anything,” I choke out.
“I admit I want that job in operations, but that doesn’t negate the fact that I genuinely believe in you.
I’ve never lied to you about that, Luca. Not once.”
His face softens. “I know that, Chelsea. If I look upset right now, it’s not at you.
It’s at Bellamy for hitching your dreams to mine, when he knows full well you don’t have any control about how things pan out for me.
” He wipes at another tear. “You’re a terrible liar, remember?
I know you believe in me. And thank God for that, because it’s been the ultimate fuel for me. ”
I crack a wan, sad smile. “Even more so than fun?”
Luca returns my bittersweet grin. “Baby, anything having to do with you is always the best kind of fun.” His brown eyes drift to my lips and linger. His bare chest expands sharply. And when I don’t lean back—when, in fact, I move in a bit—Luca bends down and crushes his lips to mine.
I should pull away from his kiss, but I don’t.
In fact, the second Luca’s mouth collides with mine, I instantly let him know I’m as voraciously hungry for this forbidden fruit as he is.
In a flash, we’re both going at it with swirling tongues and devouring lips, while every nerve ending in my body zips and zaps with the torrential release of weeks—no, years—of pent-up lust.
Before this moment, I couldn’t recall what it felt like to kiss this hunky Cornhusker.
All I knew was eighteen-year-old, inexperienced Chelsea was extremely impressed.
But now, the twenty-five-year-old, not-a-virgin-anymore version of me feels equally blown away.
Even more so, since I’ve now been sloppily kissed by more than my fair share of frogs.
Still energetically kissing me, Luca slides his hand into my hair and grips the side of my head like he’s claiming me, and every nerve ending in my body screams at me to climb this tall redwood tree and swing from its highest branches with lusty abandon.
I left that hotel room in Indiana through sheer force of will, but I’m not leaving this one without finding out if Luca Maguire fucks as well as he kisses.
Not breaking contact with Luca’s hungry lips and tongue, I grab his neck, leap up, and wrap my thighs around him, and he reflexively catches me by my ass and leads us to the bed.
When he sits, I straddle his lap breathlessly, and he cradles my back with his large forearms and deepens our kiss, yet again.
I grind myself on top of him, reveling in the sensation of his hard bulge pressing against me just right, and in response, Luca groans and slides both big hands down to my ass cheeks, where he squeezes in a way that makes it clear he’s being flooded with feral lust, the same as I am.
Since he’s shirtless, I think it’s only fair that I should be, too. How rude, otherwise. My breathing ragged, I break away from Luca’s hungry, desperate mouth to rip off my shirt, revealing my no-frills, flesh-colored bra underneath.
“Oh my God,” Luca blurts excitedly, and from his tone and facial expression, you’d think I was adorned in peekaboo French lingerie.
He places his palms in perfect alignment with my breasts and holds them there with a question on his face.
When I nod enthusiastically, giving him the green light to seize the day—and my tits—he lays both palms on me with a moan of delirious excitement and proceeds to caress and grope me while his delicious lips resume their masterful work.
“I’ve waited so long,” he murmurs into our kiss, and in reply, I let out a loud groan that shocks me with its intensity.
Luca breathlessly unlatches the hook at my back, but just as my bra falls forward, a sharp knock at the door makes both of us jump like we’ve been zapped by a Taser.
“Maguire!” a male voice yells out. “It’s Coach Martinez. I’ve got some news I want to deliver face-to-face to you, son.”
“Fuck,” Luca and I both whisper at the same time. It’s past curfew, so there’s no way for Luca to pretend he’s not here. But it’s also early enough for Raul to reasonably assume Luca hasn’t yet gone to sleep.
“Coming!” Luca calls out as I scramble off him and lurch toward the nearby bathroom with my bra hanging off one shoulder and my eyes bugging out of my head.
Before I get to my destination, I remember my shirt—the one I carelessly tossed onto the floor in the throes of lust. Gasping, I motion frantically to the incriminating item of clothing, and Luca quickly stuffs it underneath a pillow.
As I slip into the bathroom and close the door behind me, I glimpse Luca hiding his bulge with his iPad, and the next thing I know, I hear Raul’s voice in the room.
“You’re not getting cut in the morning,” Raul says flatly in opening. “Let’s get that out of the way first.”
“Awesome. Thanks for letting me know.”
“That’s the good news. The bad news is Moriarty’s coming back tomorrow.”
“He got a new deal?”
“Yep. With him being out so long, he’s going to be getting a whole lot of reps in practices and scrimmages that otherwise might have gone to you.”
“That’s okay. I’ll give him a run for his money. I always knew he’d be coming back.”
“Stay hungry, Luca. That’s what I came to tell you. Don’t let Moriarty freak you out or set you back. You’re still in the hunt, son. You just have to work that much harder.”
“I will. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Unfortunately, you’re not going to be working with Chelsea anymore. Coach Parker assigned her to Moriarty.”
My heart stops at the mention of my name.
“But now that we’ve lost a few guys on our squad,” Raul continues, “I’ll have more time to give you, personally, so I’ll fill that void, okay? I’m not leaving you hanging out to dry, Luca. I’m genuinely rooting for you.”
“I appreciate that, Coach. Who’d we lose on the squad?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow, after they do. Luca, to be clear, I can’t do much for you if you don’t give me a thousand percent at all times. Especially at this upcoming preseason game.”
“I will, Coach. How you do anything is how you do everything.”
Oh, my heart.
“That’s right. Good man. Now, get some good sleep. You’ve got an important practice tomorrow.”
“Yes, Coach.”
A few more muffled words are exchanged, followed by the sounds of the door to the room opening and closing.
“He’s gone,” Luca reports. “You can come out now.”
Trembling, I emerge from the bathroom. Luca’s massive boner from earlier is gone, his iPad is now sitting on the bed, and the earlier, frenetic energy in the room has disappeared, now replaced by the stark realization of how close we came to getting caught.
What was I thinking? If Raul hadn’t shown up to throw cold water on my horny ass, I’d be riding Luca like a cowgirl and shouting “Yeehaw!” right this very minute.
My gaze averted from Luca’s, I quietly shuffle to the bed, pull my shirt out from behind the pillow, and start putting it on.
“No, don’t do that,” Luca says. “Chelsea, no.”
“I never should have kissed you.”
“I kissed you.”
“Okay, and then I hurtled myself at you like a missile and ripped my shirt off like it was on fire.”
Luca smiles. “That felt like my birthday, Christmas, Easter, and the Fourth of July, all rolled into one.”
“I need to go.”
“No, you don’t.” He’s following me to the door like a puppy. A very big, athletic, and insanely hot puppy. “There’s no need to get spooked. Nothing’s changed.”
“Yes, it has, because I’m thinking clearly again.
” I turn to face him at the door. “I was momentarily willing to break all the rules for some fleeting pleasure, but I’ve got my head on straight again.
You need to focus every ounce of your energy on having the game of your life on Sunday, and I need to get out of your way and let you do that.
” I take a deep breath. “Watch some film or study your playbook for an hour after I leave and then get some good sleep.”
“Don’t worry about me. Now that I know your hopes and dreams are riding on mine, there’s no way in hell I’ll let either of us down.”
The earnest expression on his face makes my heart ache. “Get yourself into an ice bath right after tomorrow’s scrimmage, okay? Knowing you, you’re going to work harder than ever when you see Moriarty suited up, and your muscles will need extra help to recover.”
He smirks. “I wish I could get into an ice bath right now.”
I try to return his smile, but it’s an impossible task. “Good night, Luca.”
“Kick ass coaching Moriarty tomorrow.”
I sink my fingernails into my palms to remind my horny ass this is the right call, and then I fling open Luca’s door and force myself to march away from the hottest, sweetest, best kisser alive without looking back—the same way I did seven long years ago.