First Down (First and Ten #1) (18 page)

Twisting completely around, she slung her legs over his hips, and took his big hands in hers. “I don’t believe them, but I can’t say that it doesn’t bother me.” His face scrunched up, and he shook his head in frustration. Leaning forward, she kissed his chest and let her head rest there. “What are you worried about, Jack?”

His fingers moved on top of her hands, and it took him a long moment to respond. “I don’t want you to change your mind about me, because of what my life sometimes entails.” He moved his hand and let his fingers trace the contours of her face. No one would ever be more beautiful to him than this woman. The desire to wrap her up and keep her bound to him for the rest of their lives almost swamped him. Could someone please give him an iron-clad guarantee that she would always be at his side? The question was irrational, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. “Tell me how I can fix this.”

“I don’t think it’s for you to fix. As long as you always tell me the truth, then we can figure it out.” She leaned her face into his hand and closed her eyes. She hated this nonsense, but not enough to let him go. Slowly opening her eyes, she straightened up and thought about what she wanted to say. “I looked her up last night on the internet. She’s very shiny and blond. How long did you date her?”

“I went on one group date and one regular date, and that’s it. We didn’t have anything in common. She just wanted to say that she slept with a football player.” He ran his hand down his face and let his shoulders relax. “Sweetie, I’m not really into bright, shiny things. I feel like shiny covers something that you wouldn’t find interesting otherwise. Women like that are one thunderstorm away from dull. Once everything gets washed off, nothing interesting would be left. You, on the other hand, would just end up looking prettier. I’d love to see you caught in the rain, because the idea of seeing you all wet and sexy is mind-blowing.” He felt her hand against his chest and noticed that she had covered his heart. That was her gut instinct, to protect his heart. He covered her hand with his and locked eyes with her.

“For your information, I look like a wet dog when I’m caught in the rain.” She felt his chest rumble as laughter spilled out of him. “No really, it’s not attractive.”

Pulling her into his lap, he let his mouth fall to her shoulder, and dragged his lips across her skin. It was as though a drug had entered his system, because he felt lightheaded and flooded with sensations. Her body relaxed as he slid his lips up her neck. Placing small kisses along her neck, he made his way to the spot behind her ear. It had proven to be a magic spot before, and he was interested to find out if it was still true. A shudder ran through her body as he pressed his mouth against her. Definitely still worked. Lifting his mouth, he whispered into his ear, “I’ll take you any way that I can get you. Wet or dry doesn’t matter to me.” He kissed her cheek, her nose, her eyes, and finally her mouth. Once he captured her lips, he didn’t let go, because he needed to remind her about the truth of them. Whatever the outside world was saying couldn’t touch what they had between them. The two of them in this room sitting on the warm, morning sheets was all that mattered. Running his tongue along her lips until she opened to him, he took it for the welcome it was and mated his mouth against her. His hands moved to her face and he held her gently. He felt himself fall into her grace, her kindness and his desire. It roared down his spine and left him breathless.

Lifting her mouth from his, she peered through desire-laden eyes at the man who was stealing her heart. Moving her finger to trace his lips, she let out a shaky breath. “How can you make an ordinary kiss feel like it’s magic? My heart is racing, and I feel lightheaded.” She leaned forward, let her lips fall against his, and was instantly under his spell. She felt his hand slip under her t-shirt and move up her body. He let her lips go momentarily as he took her shirt over her head. She watched his enormous hand glide up the center of her body and was mesmerized by the effect he had on her. Her stomach muscles tensed, and she let out a little laugh. “I’m ticklish.”

Tipping her back across the bed, he bent over and gave her a devilish grin. “Sweetie, you never should have told me that. Now, I’m going to have some real fun.” He leaned back on his legs and quickly removed her panties. Tilting forward, he let his mouth fall to her hipbone and rained small sweet kisses across her skin. “Now, lie back and let me find all the spots that are ticklish.” He felt her hand slide into his hair as he kissed his way across her stomach. He felt her start to wiggle and figured he was getting close. He looked up and smiled into her eyes. “Now behave, or I’m really going to torture you.” He was greeted with the sound of her laugher as she flopped down against the bed. “That’s better.”

“Just remember that you might not enjoy the payback, Jack.”

“If it involves our two naked bodies and your mouth somewhere on mine, then I’m willing to live with the consequences.” He dragged his tongue along her stomach and moved up her body until he captured a breast in his mouth. He moved his lips against her nipple and felt it harden against his tongue. She tasted like the most perfect vanilla ice cream in the world. Sweet and rich with a hint of darkness underneath. “It’s going to have to be more than once today, because it’s been too long.”

Her head fell to the side, and she kissed his hand.

He let his fingers slip into her folds and discovered she was as ready as he was. Her legs fell open in invitation, so he tilted his hips and waited for her to give him the signal. She smiled into his eyes as the word, “Please,” fell from her lips. He pushed his hips forward in one strong thrust and was fully inside paradise. He’d never been inside a woman bareback before, and he hoped that he could hold on long enough to make sure he satisfied her. He felt her hand skate to his shoulder as he started to move with long, slow strokes. The pleasure of being enveloped in her tightness blew all of his brain cells as he turned into an animal, operating on instinct and his driving need for release. He lifted her leg over his arm and felt her hips tilt up as he sank deeper inside her body.

He stroked her again and felt her body tense against his.

Her release was hanging there on the cliff, and she needed him to move. “More, Jack.” His response was heavy deep thrusts that let her body fall sweetly into oblivion. She knew she shouted something as she flew apart, but she wasn’t sure what. Her release allowed him to let go, and she was the recipient of all of Jack’s passion and strength as he moved in and out of her body. Her name fell from his lips as he poured himself into her body.

Every cliché happened to him as he came inside of her body. It fed some animal instinct that he wasn’t aware he had. He was marking her as his as his seed filled her body. He wanted to do it over and over again for the rest of his life. He wanted to make sure that she would always be his. He collapsed on top of her, rested for a moment, and then quickly rolled off. Pulling her into his arms, he buried his face in her neck and felt her hair all around him. Somehow, she was giving him the benefit of the doubt, and he wanted to do everything to make sure that he was worthy of her trust. Her small hand traced his chest, and a smile spread across his face. His eyes closed, and he felt himself relax against her touch.

When he was finally able to crack an eye open, he lifted his head, peered into her face, and realized that she’d fallen asleep. He rolled over, kissed her, and pulled up the blankets. He threw his leg over hers and closed his eyes.

********

They stood against the counters, facing one another, and drank their coffee. “I told you that I had some new ideas.” Jack smirked.

Ana tried to hide a smile behind her coffee cup as she returned his gaze. Her face was starting to heat at the memory of what happened in the shower. She watched Jack set his cup on the counter and take a step toward her.

He took her cup and put it next to his. Pulling her against his body, he hugged her tightly.

Sighing, she laid her head against his chest. When had she become a woman who sighed when in the arms of her boyfriend?  She was in deep with this man, and she had a feeling that there was no reversing course.

“See how well we fit together. We are two pieces of a puzzle that lock together perfectly. Did you know that my game yesterday was one of my best? I haven’t put up stats like that in a long time. My coach told me last week that my focus and performance have been off the charts, and he wondered what I had changed. I showed him a picture of us on my phone, and he told me that you were a pretty good-looking reason for change.”

“Ella told me that you are already having an amazing season. I can’t believe our dating is having that much effect on your performance.”

“Sweetie, that touchdown I made yesterday was all because of you. There’s nothing that you’re going to say that’s going to change my mind.”

Pulling away, she stared into his eyes and saw how sincere he was. It was crazy to think that he believed it. As the thought circled her brain, she realized that he’d had an effect on her life as well. After the first time they were intimate, she’d had a major breakthrough on an idea for her research. The more time she spent around him, the more her brain quieted and the more she was able to focus. Putting her hand on his neck, she pulled him toward her. “Give me a kiss, Jack Ellis, because I’ve decided that you’re having a pretty positive effect on me as well.” His lips moved to hers, and soon, she was lost in his magic.

Both of their phones started buzzing, which signaled that they were both receiving texts at the same time. Somewhere in Ana’s desire-fogged mind, she knew it was going to be bad. Releasing his lips, she gave him a small smile. “I have a feeling that reality is calling. I don’t really feel like answering, but I guess we’d better.”

Keeping his arm around her, he grabbed her phone and handed it to her, and then picked up his own. They both started reading the incoming texts and the accompanying links to the websites that were featuring the latest installment in the crazy that the woman was stirring up. Jack was glad that he’d held on to Ana, because he had a feeling that he was going to need to keep her as close as he could as this thing played out. He had to be able to remind her about the truth of them. “Everything that is out there is untrue, and I expect it to be revealed by the end of the week. I have faith in my attorney, and I instructed him to go after this woman with everything we have.”

“Well, let’s hope that’s true. Maybe she’s doing this for her fifteen minutes of fame. Clearly, she knows that Immaculate Conception doesn’t really happen, so it’s just a matter of finding out what her motivation is.”

He kissed her head and let out a deep breath. “I’m lucky that you’re so smart.”

“That’s true.” She laughed. “I should get going. I have to write the protocol for the study that you’ve so generously funded. I’m almost done, and I promised it to the committee by the end of the week.”

“I have the day off, so can I drive you to work?”

Patting his massive chest, she shook her head. “No, honey. Go and enjoy your day and relax. I saw the hits that you took yesterday, and you should rest.”

“Okay. But let me take you to dinner tonight.”

“I don’t think that I’m ready to try that quite yet. The last trip to the ER is still fresh in my memory. Why don’t we order takeout and relax at home? You can pick a movie for us to watch.”

“All right. But I want you to know that I’m going to take you out on a real date, woo you, and win your heart. We don’t need to hide away at home to have a good time.”

“I don’t know, Jack. I have a pretty good time with you when we’re hiding away at home. This morning, for example, was some pretty powerful wooing. I’d say you’re doing all right in that department.”

“So this is just about you getting at me. That’s all you’re interested in?”

She put their cups in the sink and patted his arm as she walked out of the kitchen. “Don’t say that like it’s a bad thing.” She kept walking and started laughing to herself. She thought it was pretty funny.

He caught up in less than two strides, picked her up, and swung her around. “I know you saw the television coverage yesterday after the game, and I’m sure that my speech is burned in your brain. So you can play it fast and cool, but we both know where this is going to end up.” He kissed her soundly and let her down. He noticed that she gave him a hard stare, and he didn’t think he was going to like the next thing that came out of her mouth. In fact, the hands on her hips pretty much guaranteed it.

“And…where is it that we are going to end up, Jack?”

He pasted one of his most charming smiles on his face before replying. “We are going to end up married.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is. So get ready, because here I come.” He leaned down and kissed her lips loudly. “Quit dawdling. You have a study to get approved and lives to change. Let’s not stand here and squabble over insignificant details.” He watched her face go through a couple of contortions before she let out a big laugh.

“Yeah…marriage. Such a minor detail.”

“See, I knew you would come to my way of thinking.” He watched her shake her head and mutter to herself. Since she wasn’t saying it loud enough for him to hear, then it was just her complaining about him being pushy. That was fine, because he would push until they were walking down the aisle together. He grabbed his travel bag and opened the door for her, and they were greeted with the sound of cameras going off. Parked a couple of houses down were a pack of paparazzi.

Jack quickly moved Ana in front of him and turned his back on the pack of wolves. All they were getting was a picture of his back. “Let me get you in the car, and then I’ll take you to work. I’ll call my brother and get a security detail.”

She tried to peek around his massive frame, but he moved before she could. “Why do they care about me?” She stepped into him and leaned her head against his chest.
Was this going to be too much for her?
Lifting her head, she ran her hand down her hair. She didn’t want to have any more pictures out there with bad hair. “Jack, look at my hair. Is anything sticking up?”