“You want a napkin or something?” Leigh’s voice interrupts my perusal of him.
“Pardon?” I say, blinking.
“Drool much? I get that he’s probably like the sexiest player in the whole league but you don’t have to be so obvious about it,” she snorts.
“I wasn’t staring,” I argue.
“I can’t blame you. I mean, look at those big hands. Makes me wish I was that ball.”
“Shut up, Leigh.”
“Jealous?”
“No, I’m not.”
“So you wouldn’t mind if I slipped him my number?” she laughs clearly trying to goad me.
I have no control over the glare that I send her way but it only makes her laugh harder. “I’m kidding, Caramel. Obviously the famous every-woman’s-wet-dream Shane Mitchell only has puppy dog eyes for you. And he invited you here today so you’re not just another booty call.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” I answer flatly.
“So you did sleep with him!” she shrieks, slapping my arm and I cringe at the slip. “You slut! You weren’t even going to tell me?”
The truth is that I didn’t plan on telling Leigh because I don’t plan on it happening again. One time was one time to many. At least that’s what I’m reminding myself as I stand on the sidelines watching him in all of his sweaty glory.
“Good for you, girl. You needed to get some,” she nods more to herself than to me.
“Leigh?” I say sweetly.
“Hmm?”
“Can you shut up please?”
“Honestly, Caramel?” she says as she looks at me and bats her long, rust-colored eyelashes. “I don’t think I can.”
The whistle blows again and the Head Coach signals that they are finished so the guys start herding toward the locker room. Leigh drags me over so that we are practically blocking the entrance and I’m about to tell her that I’m going to wait out in front of the stadium when Shane appears.
“Looks like you managed to stay dry this time,” he teases as his eyes roam over my body and linger on my breasts.
“Yeah, you should’ve mentioned that they don’t serve beer at practice because I wouldn’t have come,” I snort.
“Shane Mitchell is always guaranteed to make you come, babe,” he says on a wink and I groan at the innuendo.
“How do you actually manage to pick up women with lines like that?”
“Ask me that again the next time I’m buried inside you,” he retorts and I watch as Leigh’s eyes widen into saucers.
“Shane!” I hiss.
“As much as I love foreplay I think that’s my cue to leave,” Leigh says, clearing her throat.
“Don’t go!” I plead at the same time Shane says, “bye.” Leigh winks at me and then turns her attention to Marco who has just come in from the field. She gives him her most sultry smile and he smirks back but takes the bait and heads over.
“Catch you later, Caramel,” she breathes, walking over to meet him.
“Caramel?” Shane asks but I don’t look at him. Instead I watch my friend as she flirts with the young striker.
“She called you Caramel,” Shane tries again and I turn my attention back to him.
“Oh,” I blush. “It’s her nickname for me because of the color of my hair. It’s weird I know but I just can’t bring myself to make a decision between brown and blond,” I explain.
“Don’t,” he says vehemently. “Don’t ever change it. It’s beautiful. Honestly between your hair and those crazy ice blue eyes of yours I don’t think I ever stood a chance. I could barely concentrate when I saw you standing on the sidelines. You threw me right off my game.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” I answer with a roll of my eyes.
He falls silent and it is then that I notice we are the only people left on the field. He is still shirtless, though not as sweaty as before, and even though we are standing a foot apart I can feel the electricity that’s zinging between us. There is an undercurrent of sexual tension so strong that I fear I might short circuit just from the proximity alone. I promised myself that the first time with Shane would be the last but when I’m this close to him it’s like my brain doesn’t seem to want to function.
“Well, thanks for inviting me,” I say awkwardly and he scowls.
“You’re not leaving yet.”
“I’m not?” I say and he opens his mouth to speak but a high-pitched squeal followed by a fit of giggling beats him to it.
“Mitchell!” A gruff voice with a thick Irish accent speaks and I glance over to see his Coach storming at us with a girl in tow. He has her by the upper arm and he’s moving so quickly that she keeps tripping over her sky high heels. I study the Coach who looks to be in his early fifties with closely cropped white hair and a lean compact body. He is really fit for a man his age and from the looks of him he probably played soccer himself.
“Coach O’Brien?” Shane says questioningly as his eyes dart to the girl. She has long blond hair, a tiny waist and a massive set of fake boobs and from the way Shane is looking at her it’s obvious that he knows her.
“I found this one hiding out in my office. She says she’s waiting for you. Do you know her?” the coach asks and the girl releases another giggle as her eyes travel shamelessly across Shane’s bare chest.
“Yeah, I know her,” Shane mutters and my stomach lurches. So this is the type of girl he is normally into. Interesting. I guess he’s living up to his reputation after all and while the realization that I was right all along should make me happy the reality is that it just makes me feel ill. I can’t fully explain it but as I watch her standing there in her short skirt and come-fuck-me shoes I have the overwhelming urge to both cry and pull out chunks of her hair.
“What are you doing here, Mindy?” Shane says, sending her an accusing glare.
“I wanted to see you,” she whines. “We had such a good time last time!”
“It wasn’t that good,” he snorts and the look of devastation on her face almost makes me feel bad for her. Almost.
“I told you I didn’t want to see you again.”
“I didn’t think you were serious!” she argues and he cuts her off.
“As a heart attack. Now do you want to leave on your own of do you want to be escorted out?” he says in a dangerously low voice that I notice makes her bottom lip quiver.
“Fuck you Shane Mitchell!” she shouts, yanking her arm away from Coach O’Brien and turning on her heel.
We all watch her go then the coach turns back to Shane and scrubs his hands up and down his face before speaking.
“What did I tell you about bringing dates to practice?” he says sternly as his eyes flick over to me. He clearly thinks I am another one of Shane’s soccer sluts and it makes me inwardly cringe.
“I didn’t bring her coach; I don’t even know how she got in past security. Hell, the last time I saw her was months ago.”
Coach O’Brien gives me an assessing look before responding. “See that it doesn’t happen again.” He leaves us and disappears back into the building and I briefly close my eyes and sigh.
“Does that happen to you a lot?” I ask.
“Get out of your head, babe. Don’t read too much into what just happened.”
“I knew you were a player,” I murmur and his answer is to step forward and clutch my waist.
“Right now all I can think about is playing with you,” he whispers in a voice that makes my nipples stiffen. As he trails his fingertips down my arm I try to hold my breath to stifle my cry but when he drags his tongue up my neck I let it out.
“I have to go,” I manage to say as I try to extract myself from his grip but he grunts and pulls me tighter, crushing my breasts against his hard chest.
“See what you do to me?” he groans as he rocks into me, letting me feel his erection. His breathing is uneven as his tongue traces my ear and when he sinks his teeth into my lobe I whimper.
“Shane,” I moan his name and the next thing I know I’m being led through the locker room to the showers at the back. Once we are inside he bolts the door and backs me up against the bank of lockers.
“Why is no one back here?” I say, heaving in an excited breath. My heart is still hammering full speed in my chest.
“I asked the guys to give me some privacy,” he answers as his hands slide my sundress up over my hips.
“Why?”
“So I could do this,” he says with a smirk before dropping to his knees. His fingers push aside my panties and within seconds his mouth is on me. I gasp and dig my fingernails into his shoulders.
“This is not happening!” I stammer, jolting when his tongue slides between my folds.
“I think it is,” he speaks into my thigh before bringing his hand up and sliding two fingers all the way inside. I buck against his hand and he releases a guttural noise.
“You feel so good, babe, so tight,” he breathes and I close my eyes and moan. It’s all too much - the cold metal biting into my back contrasted with the heat of his mouth on me. When his teeth find my clit and gently tug the pressure is too much to handle and I explode. I yell out his name as my body convulses and he continues to circle is tongue as he grips my hips in place.
When the last of the aftershocks have ripped through my body he leans back and looks up at me. A sly grin appears on his face as he licks his lips and gets to his feet. I look around, realizing where I am and I quickly tug down my dress. Now that the earth-shattering orgasm has passed my heart has leapt into my throat and I’m ready to bolt. Almost as if he senses my panic Shane steps forward and brushes a strand of hair from my face.
“Don’t freak out,” he says against my ear. “We are alone back here and no one saw us - though they might have heard you,” he chuckles and I give him a gentle shove. He doesn’t even budge and instead drop his lips to mine and gives me a deep, wet kiss letting me taste myself on his lips. I twist away and look up into his eyes.
“But what about you?” I say, feeling strangely a little shy.
“That was for me, babe. Though I won’t lie - I can’t wait to be deep inside you again.”
“Shane!” I say as I blush and avert my eyes.
“God damn you are cute, woman. How is it that you can be so sexy and yet so adorable at the same time?” he says as he plants a kiss on my temple.
“Enough,” I respond with an eye roll. “You already bedded me, remember?”
He just looks at me like I’m crazy and shakes his head. “Go on a date with me?” he asks giving me big puppy dog eyes and even though I’m confused about what just happened I agree. Because as much as I keep telling myself that this is a bad idea when I think about not seeing him again a ball of tightness starts forming in my chest. Though I hate to admit it he’s managed somehow to get under my skin and I highly doubt there’s any coming back from that.
I shouldn’t be as nervous as I am but I’ve already changed my outfit twice. Shane told me casual and I started out with skinny jeans and a boyfriend blazer but it’s a quarter to seven and the sun is still blazing so I switched to cut offs with a wide brown belt and a loose fitting white tank, paired with light brown gladiator sandals. My hair is wavy and down around my shoulders and I kept my make-up to lip gloss and mascara only. When I hear him knock I grab my small brown shoulder bag and go to meet him at the door. I don’t invite him in but instead I slip out and lock the door behind me. He’s wearing khaki shorts and a light blue polo with flip flops. His hair is styled into that bed-head messy perfection and his face still looks a little flushed - probably from running all afternoon in this heat.
“You look good,” I say and his face splits into a grin.
“Nah, you do. But you already know that,” he says as he takes my hand and this time I don’t resist him.
“So where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” he answers cryptically.
“You’re good at those.”
“I am,” he answers not giving away anything as he opens the truck door for me and hoists me up. It’s a short ride over to south Austin and I bounce up and down in my seat when we pull up to one of my favorite micro-breweries. Shane looks a little surprised as I rush to undo my belt.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this worked up. I’m not sure if I should be happy I chose well or offended that you get more excited about beer than me,” he says but I barely catch the last part as I scramble out of the car.
I’ve been meaning to check out this particular brewery because their line of Belgian blend craft beers but they always seem to run out before I can get my hands on any. There’s a light on inside but I notice that there are no cars in the parking lot which is a bit strange. Shane links his fingers through mine and leads us into the taproom. Inside are long cafeteria style picnic tables that flank a long back bar with rows upon rows of taps. There’s music playing and someone is standing behind the bar but no one else is inside.
“Is it closed?” I ask, confused as he tugs me forward.
“For us it is.”
I whip my head around to face him and balk. “You rented the taproom for us?”
“I thought a private tour would be better. That way I can stare at you but no one else can.”
“You are insane,” I scoff and he laughs.
The man behind the bar introduces himself as the Brew Master and proceeds to tell us about a new old-world style blend with strong southern influences. He gives us a taste then pours a flight of some medal winning beers before taking us on a tour of the brewery. He shows us the huge copper brew kettles used for boiling the liquid and explains how the fermentation process works. He explains the hops and the special blend of herbs they use for seasoning and I am totally in my element and grinning from ear to ear like an idiot.
“Beer is the third most popular beverage in the world after water and tea,” the Brew Master explains as he leads us past all the stainless steel equipment. “It has been brewed for thousands of years and was a food staple in the middle ages when clean water was difficult to find.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman get this pumped up about beer,” Shane says, shaking his head.
“Believe me when I say that my ass wishes I didn’t love it so much,” I sigh and he steps behind me and pulls me against him. I can feel his dick pulsing at my back and he leans over to whisper in my ear.
“You are exactly how a woman should look: round hips, firm ass, tiny waist, smooth stomach and soft breasts. If beer is all it takes then ladies the world over should drink up.” His tongue darts out to trace the length of my lobe and my sex clenches in response.