Forward Pass Page 16
He tipped up her chin and brushed his lips over hers, then lifted his head a millimeter. “Go to your bedroom, take off your clothes and put on a robe. Don’t come out until I tell you to.”
“Wow. Aren’t you the bossy one all of a sudden.”
“I promise it will be worth it.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Is that a directive? Do you order all your women around?”
He smiled against her mouth. “Right now you’re all my women and ordering you around has great appeal to it. Now scoot. I’ll meet you outside in a few.”
“Am I allowed to shower first?” She managed a little grin. “I got a little sweaty playing football.”
He chuckled, glad she saw the humor in what happened. “Absolutely. As a matter of fact, take a long shower. Now go on.” He swatted her ass.
She squealed and made a face at him but headed for her room.
He hustled as much as possible to set things up. First he took the cover off the spa and turned on the jets. Then placed one bottle of champagne where the caterers would be sure to see it and could place it in the cooler they were bringing. Back in the kitchen, he stored the other bottle in the back of the fridge along with the cheese platter. Checking the time, he hurried out to the back deck where the people he’d called were now waiting for him.
“You know what to do?”
The man nodded. “Leave it to us.”
“Okay, Just hustle, will you, please? I don’t know how long I can stall her.” He handed over his credit card, waited while the guy swiped it on his portable reader, then added a big tip.
The man smiled. “Thanks. Appreciate it.”
“No, I appreciate this.”
He shoved his wallet back in his pocket and pulled the long, thick cushions from the loungers, arranging them by the hot tub for later.
The woman smiled at him. “Your girlfriend is very, very lucky.”
“Thanks. I hope she agrees.”
He imagined the results and smiled. Who said he didn’t know how to set up a romantic scene?
Inside the house, he found the controls for the stereo, punched the button for outside speakers only, and turned the dial until he found the music he wanted. He was on his way to his bedroom when his cell rang.
“What?” he answered impatiently, unbuttoning his shirt.
“Oh, Joe? Sorry. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
Lisa. Damn it. He hoped nothing happened with Gina to derail his plans for the night.
“No, no.” He toed off his shoes and socks. “What’s up?”
“Just wanted to let you know Gina got one of those jobs she interviewed for. She starts tomorrow. Maybe you could give her a call? Encourage her a little?”
Damn, damn, damn. With an effort he tamped down his irritation.
“Lisa, if I’m going to cut this off, I don’t think talking to her would be such a great idea.”
“I told her and she understands,” Lisa assured him. “I think she’d just appreciate this one last word of support from you.”
He swallowed a sigh. With Shay in his life now—at least he hoped she was—he was glad he’d made the decision to break all ties with this situation. Maybe Shay would understand, but he didn’t want to take that chance. Not when everything was still so new and fragile.
“How about I call her now?” He took a quick glance at his watch. Crap. “I’ve only got a few minutes, though.”
“If you’re busy—”
“I’ll just have to make it quick.”
“Thanks, Joe. You’re the best.”
He disconnected the call and pressed speed dial for Gina’s cell. He was happy to hear the excitement in her voice, sense the positive attitude, although he wished Lisa had picked a better time for the call. He said all the right words, praised her for the new job.
“Listen, Gina,” he began.
“It’s okay, Joe.” Her voice was soft but steady. “Lisa told me and I understand. You’ve taken care of me far longer than you needed to. Longer than anyone else in my life except Lisa. I appreciate every single thing you’ve done for me and now it’s time for me to stand on my own two feet. I’ll be fine. I’ll make you proud of me.”
“Just be proud of yourself.”
Despite what she said, a tiny feeling of unease still niggled at him. Deliberately he shoved it away and tossed his phone on the bed. He was sure he broke speed records ripping off his clothes and tossing them to a chair. The shower was still running in the bathroom he shared with Shay. That gave him a few more minutes to get his shit together. The towels were in the hall linen closet. He wrapped one around his waist and carried two others out to the deck.
He was just in time to see the two workers getting ready to leave. They’d done a great job. Everything was exactly as he’d ordered.
He hurried back into the house and knocked on Shay’s door.
“Can I come out of prison?” she asked.
“Absolutely.”
She opened the door. “I’m ready.”
“Close your eyes.”
She stared at him. “What? Why? What’s going on?”
“Shay, just this once will you please not ask questions? Just close your eyes.”
“Okay.” She frowned. “But just this once.”
“And cover them with your hand.”
He took her other hand and guided her through the house and out onto the deck. When they were standing in the middle of it, he stopped.
“Okay. Now you can look.”
If he wished for anything, it was that he’d remembered to bring out his cell so he could snap a picture of the look on her face.
The place he’d called had outdone themselves. The picnic table had been shoved to the side and in its place was a small round table covered with a lace-trimmed tablecloth. A bouquet of wildflowers sat in a crystal vase in the center of the table and at each place was a china plate with a protective cover over it. Ice water had been poured into the goblets and the champagne was chilling in the cooler they’d brought. Two flutes were waiting on the table. Strewn across the cushions on the floor was an abundance of rose petals. Soft music drifted on the air.
“Ohmigod!” She stared, wide-eyed, at the display he’d set up. “Wow. Are these your carefully concealed packages? No, wait. There’s more here than you picked up. Where did all this come from?”
He laughed. “From the romance fairies.”
“No, really. How did you do all this?”
“My secret.” He took her hand and pulled her toward him. “Good surprise? Like it?”
“Like it?” She blinked, as if she expected it to disappear. “What’s not to like?”
“We don’t have a pool,” he pointed out, “so I hope the hot tub works as well. I thought you deserved a little pampering.” He winked at her. “I wanted to spoil you a little. After all, you are more than a wide receiver.”
Her jaw dropped, and she closed her mouth forcibly, staring. “You paid attention to the movie.”
“I did.” He tried to read the expression on her face. “Does it work?”
“Work? Are you kidding?” She lifted one of the silver domes from a plate. “Cold entrees. You thought of everything.”
Joe couldn’t hide his grin. “I didn’t want to have to worry about hot dishes. Shrimp remoulade on one and spiced cold chicken on the other. I took a chance so I hope they’re okay.”
“You couldn’t have picked better. And we don’t have to worry about warm food getting cold.”
“And flowers.” She turned in a circle. “And rose petals everywhere. Oh, God, Joe.”
Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. He tucked a finger beneath her chin, lifted her face, and licked her tears away. “Happy tears, I hope.”
“Overwhelming tears.”
“How about some champagne?”
“I think that would be great.” She looked at the label when he lifted it from the cooler. “Holy crap. This stuff you bought costs as much as my car payment.”
The soft curve of her lips in a smile eased the tension in his body.
“No. No, you got it absolutely right. Flowers, rose petals. Catered dinner. Music. You didn’t miss a trick.” She took one of the flutes from him. “When I said last night no one has ever done anything like this for me before, I wasn’t hinting. I hope you know that.”
“I do. That’s part of what made me want to do this. The fact you’d never ask for this. You deserve this and more.” He touched his glass to hers. “To us, Shay. And I mean this toast in every sense of the word.”
“To us.” She whispered the words, almost as if afraid to say them out loud.
Joe swallowed some champagne and studied Shay, his heart kicking over with emotion. Her face was scrubbed free of makeup, and her natural beauty astounded him. She had pulled her hair up into a ponytail and it glinted gold in the fading sunlight. But it was the rest of her that stole his breath. She was wearing a thin shortie robe that left little to the imagination. The fabric fell softly against her breasts, nipples poking hard into it, and the hem barely reached the top of her thighs. As she walked, the material shifted back and forth, teasing him with what lay hidden behind it.
But when he looked into her eyes, the uncertainty had faded, replaced now by an intense mixture of heat and emotion he’d seen there yesterday. The deep connection you either had with someone or you didn’t. The invisible but unbreakable thread binding two people together. The kind linking them since she’d given him the incredible and intensely personal orgasm on the deck.
He set his glass down and took hers, putting it next to his, then held out his arms to her.
“Come here to me.”
She tilted her head, a question in her eyes. “What’s this about?”
He released her hair from the ponytail, combing his fingers through it as it tumbled to her shoulders. “There. Much better.” He let the strands sift through his fingers again. “So soft. I like it loose like this.”
“I put it up to keep it from getting wet in the tub.”
He cupped her chin. “I promise to keep you occupied enough you won’t notice if it gets wet. Or care.” He nodded his head at the speakers. “Remember how they danced in that movie? I think this one’s for us.”
He pulled her close to him, making soothing circles on her back with his hand, the tips of her breasts hard against his chest. He knew she sure as hell could feel the boner poking straight out through the towel. Probably the only thing keeping it in place.
Oh, yeah. She could feel it. She pressed herself more tightly against him and shifted her hips slightly in a sliding move.
He chuckled. “Tease.”
The stiffness eased from her body, leaving her boneless against him. Her soft little snicker echoed through him.
“You’re the one who wanted to dance,” she reminded him.
He laughed and did another little twirl. When Faith Hill’s Breathe kicked in, he asked, “Remember this song?”
“Mm-hmm. Sure do. I love it.”
“Me, too. It describes exactly how I feel.” He tightened his hold on her for a moment. “Like the song says, I can feel you breathe, Shay. Almost as if you’re a part of me. The other night…” He let out a breath and began again. “The other night was very special to me. You have to admit what happened between us was more than just friendship.” When she didn’t answer, he stopped dancing. “Well?”
“Okay, yes. More than friendship.”
He began moving them to the music again. “A lot more. I keep telling you I’m not the person you used to think I was. Okay,” he corrected himself. “Maybe that’s what I was before, when I was younger and stupid. Life changes, though, and we change with it. When I came to San Antonio this time I never expected to see you. More than that, I never expected to fall in love with you.”
She tensed in his arms and stumbled slightly before he smoothly eased her back into the dance. “There’s the love word again,” she murmured.
“Sure is.” He did a fancy swirl and turn, thankful that he’d tied a tight knot in his towel. “Every minute I spend with you, I fall more in love with you. Love. I’m not afraid to say the word. If you’d drop the wall you keep around yourself, the one you keep trying to hide behind, you might admit you feel the same way. At least I hope you do.”
“Isn’t this a little too fast?”
He dipped and swirled again, then pulled her tight against his body. “Life moves along very fast. You have to grab onto it while you can and hang on with both hands. Good stuff doesn’t come along that often.”
“I don’t—”
He kissed her gently to stop her words. “Tonight is about showing you how special you are to me. Making you feel exceptional. Unique.” He dropped his voice. “Treasured.” Her breathing quickened, and he could actually see the flutter of her pulse at the hollow of her throat. “About pleasing you sexually. Would you like that? Hmm?”
A long sigh whispered from her throat. “Yes. I-I would.” She coasted her tongue over her lower lip, making his dick want to beg and plead. “Is—Is that what you usually do with your women?”
“Not even a little bit.” He touched his lips to her forehead. “I keep telling you, you’re special. This night is about proving it to you.”
She tilted her head back and the corner of her mouth kicked up in a tiny grin. “So far you’re doing a good job. I’m totally floored. Who knew a hot jock paid attention to a chick flick?”
“Ex-hot jock,” he corrected.
“Well.” She looked up at him with an impish grin. “Ex-jock but still hot.”
“Yeah? Good to know you think that.” They weren’t moving now, just sort of shuffling their feet in place, bodies swaying to the beat of the music. There was hardly a whisper of air between them. “Here’s a little secret for you. I’ve never been with a woman who even comes close to making me feel the way I do with you. Wanting the things I want with you.”
“Is that right?”
There was still a faint note of skepticism in her voice. He planned to do his damndest to eliminate every trace of it.
“I’m ashamed to admit I probably didn’t care enough about any of them,” he went on. “Not like this. But that’s good, because I’ve saved it for you.” He lifted their joined hands and rubbed his thumb over her damp lower lip. “I want it all with you, Shay Beckham. Everything. But I only want it with you. And you can take that to the bank any day of the week.”
When the song ended, he gave her a quick hug before moving away. He took her champagne flute, filled it, and placed it with his on the wide ledge of the tub. Then he hugged her back against him. Tilting her head up to give him better access, he brushed his lips gently over hers, licking the soft flesh with the tip of his tongue before gently probing inside.
She opened for him easily, her mouth a hot well of desire, and he drank from it greedily. Deepening the kiss even more, he spread one hand against a hip and drew her against his body. The thin robe was no barrier. She might as well have been wearing nothing. He could feel every curve and dip and swell as he coasted his hand over the globes of her ass and up the length of her spine until he pressed his fingers against the nape of her neck.
She moaned, a low yet greedy sound and pushed herself against him. Her breasts, soft and round, imprinted themselves on his chest, her nipples stiff and granite-hard. Through the layers of the towel and her robe, he could feel the heat of her pussy burning against his body.
Slow down, he told himself. You have all night.
His unexpected problem was just touching her challenged his famous restraint. With great reluctance, he broke the kiss and set her scant inches away from him.
“I think by now the hot tub should be just about right.” He pulled one end of the sash on her robe, letting the fabric fall
open. At the sight of her nearly nude body, he sucked in a breath, hard. Every time he saw her like this, she took his breath away all over again. “Let’s get you into the water, shall we?”
He slid the robe from her shoulders and dropped it to a chair, then held her hand as she climbed down into the tub. He couldn’t tear his eyes from the play of muscles in her thighs, the movement of her breasts, the dark blond curls covering her sweet, sweet pussy.
“You, too,” she teased. “Looks like someone needs to get rid of his towel.”
No doubt. His cock was so rigid it poked the terrycloth nearly straight ahead. His balls were sending him messages of urgent need but again, he was determined not to rush this if he could help it. It didn’t help to realize the air of vulnerability he’d sensed wrapped around Shay earlier seemed to have disappeared. Fire flashed in her eyes now, and hunger. Need. Yes, those things he wanted her to feel.
Dropping his towel to the floor, he stepped down into the hot tub, quick to notice Shay’s gaze fastened on his very prominent hard-on. She took his hand as she slipped into the tub, submerging herself up to her neck.
He moved a little closer to her. “Do you know you have the most beautiful nipples in the world?”
Her laugh was slightly hysterical. “Is your opinion the result of an extensive survey?”
He shook his head. “Even if I’d never seen anyone else’s, I’d know none could come close to yours. Warm and firm and such a nice rosy color.” He reached out and gave one a gentle pinch. “I want to suck them until you beg for mercy. Until every touch with my fingers or my mouth sends a message straight to your delicious cunt.”
She shivered in reaction.
“Or maybe,” he went on, “I’ll start by playing with your clit until you beg me to let you come.”
A faint blush stained her cheeks and her breathing quickened. Did she like it when he talked dirty to her? Said these things to her? Would she like the other things he had in mind? God, he hadn’t been this uncertain since high school.
“Do you know you’re an incredibly sexy woman?”
Her eyes widened. “You think so? I always thought you looked at me like a tomboy.”
“Sweetheart, that was a lot of years ago when I was a horny teenager and you were a…a…”