Page 47 of The Player

My respect for him grows tenfold as the words leave his mouth. Maybe he has grown up since the last time he was here. Aaron pulls me into his lap, and I straddle his thighs. “I’m too…”

He pops my right hip and growls. “I better not hear that you are too fat to be in my lap from those decadent lips.”

I laugh and bite my lip. “Or what?”

Aaron pulls my lip out from between my teeth and kisses me. “I guess a true spanking is in order.”

“No!” I whine, wrapping my arms around him. Looking into his baby blue eyes, my walls come crumbling down. I should make him grovel. To beg me to forgive. I will. Just not right now. No, I want to try something.

Kissing his cheek, I make my way down his jawline. “If you continue to do physical therapy and promise to go to a psychologist to help with the mental aspect, I will think about forgiving you.”

He tenses under me, and I know I’m asking for a miracle. This is a challenge though, and if Aaron still has that competitive streak in him, he won’t back down. If he truly wants to get better, he has to do the work. The only way to do that is to not give up.

“Are you blackmailing me?”

“What? I would…” Aaron pushes his hips into me, and I lose my train of thought. His lips trail along the pounding heart rate in my neck. As he sucks on my ear, I whimper and squirm on him.

“Will you be my physical therapist?”

My mouth pops open. “Are you agreeing to get the help you need, A-bear?” I run my hands through his hair and force him to look at me.

“Yes, Sugar Plum,” he murmurs. My heart bursts with joy, and the last piece of my walls deteriorates.

“I’m proud of you, Aaron.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“Julie?” My voice sounds desperate and vulnerable. I can see the last piece of her wall tumbling down, and I kiss her. The need to have her lips on mine overwhelms me. The salty taste of her tears floors me.

Before either of us can talk, her phone rings and we jerk from the intrusion. Julie fumbles to get the phone, and I laugh.

“Hello?” Her voice cracks and she swallows, trying to clear her throat. I pull her into my arms with her back against my chest.

“Hey, I’m sorry for bothering you, but you need to turn on the news.” Kaylee’s voice comes over the speaker, sounding distressed.

A frown forms on my face as Julie steps out of my embrace and turns on the tiny television set that’s on the counter.

“In other news, retired NFL player Aaron Johannsen is settling in back home to be the new varsity football coach at Summerfield High. The real question begging to be asked is…where is his long-term girlfriend, Miranda Manyard? And who is this new girl?”

Julie’s picture flashes on the screen in the clinic. “Oh, no,” she whispers.

“It seems like Johannsen has downgraded his life in more ways than one.” I flip off the television and take Julie in my arms again.

“Don’t worry about what they say,” Kaylee’s voice penetrates the silence.

“Kaylee, I’m going to take care of Julie. Don’t worry. Thanks for letting us know.” I take the phone and hang up. After setting it on the counter, I look at Julie.

“Aaron.” She shakes as I rub my hands down her arms.

“Ignore it. None of that shit the news reporter was spitting was true. Miranda and I broke it off over two years ago. Yes, she would make public appearances now and then with me when I didn’t want to go to a function alone. But we were never together. Nor would we ever be together. She’s a lesbian and I wasn’t attracted to her. I know that’s hard to believe because you can fuck someone even if you have no attraction to them, but Ju-Ju, we were just friends.”

“I know. That’s not what I’m worried about.” Her hands fidget in front of her as I run my hands down her back.

“What’s making you so upset, Sugar Plum?” I kiss her forehead, and she melts into me, letting me have her heat. I don’t think I want to ever know what it’s like to not have her near me.

“It’s Lennox. He idolizes you, and I want you to be a part of his life.” She pauses, and I get an uneasy feeling about what she’s going to say. “What if he thinks you didn’t want him? I know I should have told you, but I didn’t know it was you that night. And…”

I place a finger on her lips to silence her. “Enough, love. Like I said, I’m trying to change my thinking about things, and I want to be with you. So, everyone else can fuck off. Well, except Lennox. He’s going to get the surprise of a lifetime when we tell him I’m his dad.” The pride bounces through me, knowing Lennox is mine. I almost tell her let’s make another one, but she smiles up at me. Gracing me with a laugh as I stand here holding her, feeling good about the way things are turning out

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