Page 17 of Scoring Position

He takes a shaky breath, looking up at me for just a moment before averting his eyes back down. “There was this girl. I went to school with her, and she was super popular. She dated the captain of the football team for a few years, but they broke up that night. She said it was because she realized how unmotivated he was. She told me all these things about how amazing I was and how she was proud that I’d been drafted and was going to do such big things. I was completely inexperienced when it came to even talking to girls, so I ate it up. She seemed so genuine.

“One thing led to another, and we ended up in her bed. I was nervous, but I had watched enough porn to know what went where. I was fumbling like the virgin I was, but I did my best not to let on because I was honestly embarrassed and didn’t want her to know I’d never done it before. But when the time came, I blew my load in seconds. It was mortifying.”

“That’s normal for the first time,” I reassure him, and he nods.

“Yeah, I know,” he continues. “Anyway, she said it wasn’t a big deal and kissed me goodbye, so I stupidly thought maybe we were going to try to date each other. When she showed up on my doorstep two days later with a recording of our entire experience, I went into panic mode. She said I was the worst lay she’d ever had, and that she was going to send the video to the whole school. She purposely had her head turned away from where the camera was hidden, so even though it was in herroom, nobody could technically prove it was her. But there was no mistaking my face.”

He swallows, keeping his eyes lowered to my lap. “She told me she’d delete it if I paid her, but I didn’t have any money. Just because I had been drafted didn’t mean anything. I wasn’t given a contract or signing bonus right away, so I was backed into a corner. I had no choice but to ask my grandmother for help.

“She was so angry with me—telling me how irresponsible I was and how I had ruined my life after she tried so hard to teach me. I was safe. I used a condom and did everything I could to protect myself from getting her pregnant or getting an STI, but I never expected that I would be recorded without my permission and blackmailed for it.”

This poor guy. He was so careful, yet his privacy and trust were still obliterated. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard that was for him.

“Did you tell the police?” I ask. “What she did to you is so illegal.”

He shakes his head. “We talked to a lawyer, and while he encouraged me to press charges, he also said that if it went to court, the whole thing would be public record. Media would find out, and the team might’ve seen me as more trouble than I was worth with all the bad PR it could’ve brought. So, I decided not to report it. We sent her a cease and desist letter, which apparently scared her because she came to me and said she had deleted it and that it would never see the light of day if I promised not to go public with what she did. I had a lot to lose, but so did she with all the laws she broke, so we let it go. The lawyer made her sign a non-disclosure agreement as another line of defense, and that was that.”

I squeeze his hand again, wishing there was more I could do to comfort him. This only happened three years ago, so I’m sure he still deals with the emotional aftermath from time to time.“I’m sorry that happened to you, Ace. And I’m sorry your first time was tainted by everything that went down after.”

“It was myonly time,” he says quietly. At first, I don’t think I heard him right. I mean, there’s no way this gorgeous, funny, hotter-than-sin man who touches and flirts so confidently could have virtually no sexual experience.

Right?

Thankfully, he continues because there’s not a chance I’d ask for more information. I’m comfortable with him, and he’s obviously comfortable with me, but we haven’t even known each other for two full weeks. I can’t just assume he’d lay every single one of his cards on the table right now—but he does anyway.

“The whole thing shook me to my core. It made me afraid to trust anyone. If I thought something like this could be detrimental to my life and career before, it’s even more so now. That was just a girl from my hometown who wanted a few bucks. The women who throw themselves at me now are a whole other story. Some of them have enough decency to at least act like they like us. But others are completely open about just wanting to fuck us because we play pro ball. I’ve had teammates warn me with all sorts of horror stories, not knowing that I already have one of my own.” He shrugs. “So, it’s safer to just not put myself in the position. I’m twenty-one years old, and I’ve had sex for a total of fifteen seconds—and that’s averygenerous number.”

He looks embarrassed and ashamed as he says it, and it breaks my heart. I want to make him feel better, but what do you say to someone who was violated so badly that they stopped trusting others because of it?

“Well,” I say, looking at him with an understanding smile, “I’m not a therapist, so I won’t offer you advice as one. But as your friend, do you want to know what I think?”

“Yeah,” he replies.

“I think that it’s okay to move forward. I understand being scared of people with bad intentions, but not everyone is like that. You have so much to offer, and I know that there are women out there who would trip over each other for a chance to get to know the real Ace Mathers. You deserve good sex with someone who sees how amazing you are and treats your trust like the gift it is. Don’t give up on that because some people can’t see what they’re missing out on.”

He swallows thickly as he brings his free hand up to my cheek, rubbing his thumb along the warm skin as he leans in closer. My heart pounds like a drum in my chest, but I don’t move. I can’t. I’m frozen—at war with myself about what I even want to happen next. Do I want to kiss him?God, yes. So much. But should I? There are a million reasons why the answer is no. All of which I’ve gone over in my head more than once since the first day I met him and realized how attractive he is. But this is different. We just opened up to each other in a way that was so raw, and it was almost as easy as breathing.

It’s just a kiss, right? We can let ourselves have this.

I hold still as he closes the distance, stopping when our lips are just inches apart. I can practically taste him already as his warm breath ricochets off my parted lips, and my pulse quickens in anticipation of his mouth finally pressing to mine—but it never does.

“Please, Lark,” he pleads on a whisper. “Please put me out of my misery. I’m fucking begging you.”

That’s all it takes for me to annihilate every rule I had when I walked into this room.

I shoot forward, smashing my lips to his in a bruising kiss. He sighs in relief, untangling our fingers so he can hold my face with both hands as if he’s afraid I’ll back away if he doesn’t. That would be the smart thing to do, but the longer we stay connected, the less likely it is.

“Mmm,” he moans from deep in his chest as his tongue runs along my bottom lip, coaxing me to open for him. As soon as I do, he plunges inside, hungrily claiming the breath from my lungs like he needs it for his own survival. Ace may not have experience when it comes to sex, but he definitely knows what he’s doing in this department. I’ve never been kissed—no,devoured—so thoroughly in my entire life, and I don’t think I ever will again. It’s needy, but not sloppy. Desperate, but not forceful. Dominant, but not controlling.

He’s fucking my mouth with his, and I never want him to stop.

“Fuck, Sweets,” he groans against my lips as he slides his hands under my ass, lifting me until I’m straddling his lap. His erection is unmistakable as I lower down on him, and I can’t believe he’s this hard just from kissing me. This should be raising a million red flags, but I can’t see any of them as I press myself against his length. Even through our clothes, I have to hold back a gasp when I feel how big he is, and my clit pulses with the need for friction. I shift my hips just barely, hoping it’ll help, but it’s not enough. I haven’t been touched by a man in over a year, and now that I am, I want more.

“Goddamn it, Lark,” he says as he squeezes his eyes shut. “You feel just like I knew you would. I’ve wanted to kiss you since the second we met, and it’s been making me crazy.”

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” I murmur, breaking away for a second before diving back in toward his lips. My hips move along him in long strokes, sparking to life a sensation I haven’t felt in what seems like forever.

“You stop, then,” he replies against my mouth. “Because there’s no fucking way I’m going to. You can ride me like this all night. I’ll come in my pants over and over until you tell me I can’t have you anymore.”

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