Page 42 of Scoring Position

“Okay,” I say, standing to my full height to unlock the machine before bending at the knees.

“By the time it gets there, it’s divided into…umm…” she trails off for a second before finishing her sentence, “into anywhere from fifty to a hundred cells, making it a blastocyst. That’s when…” she drifts off again, “when it implants…” Her tone is breathy and broken, prompting me to stop and turn my head to see if she’s alright.

Not only is she alright, but her cheeks are completely flushed as her gaze locks onto my ass. She’s so entranced that she doesn’t even notice me looking until I bark a laugh, pulling her attention back to my face. Her eyes go wide because she knows she’s caught, and I can’t stop myself from messing with her. It’s nice to seeherflustered for once, since it’s usually me who’s ready to drop to my knees and bark like a fucking dog for her.

“Be a good girl and keep going for me, Sweets,” I say in a low, gravelly voice, returning to my workout as she focuses back on the book.

“Once it’s implanted, the blastocyst is referred to as an embryo.” I squat down, going slower than normal and making sure she’s getting a good look at my glutes as they stretch the material of my athletic shorts. She exhales a shaky breath, continuing. “At this time, the placenta begins to develop, so…”Here she goes again,“so blood and nutrients can be transferred from the mother to the baby throughout the p-pregnancy.” I chuckle under my breath, loving the way this is affecting her.

I do a few more reps as she struggles through the chapter, standing to lock the machine before stepping away and wiping my face with a towel from one of the nearby racks. I’m high on her reaction to watching me work out, and all I can focus on is getting her more turned on as we move from one machine to the next, until we finally stop near the cardio equipment. Normally, I’d opt for a stationary bike since it’s the easiest on my joints, but today I have a better idea.

“You can sit over by the mirrors while I finish up,” I tell her. “I think I understand everything now. Just let me get some cardio in, then I’ll take you home.”

“Okay,” she says with a nod, walking over and plopping down on the bench as I take a jump rope from where it hangs on the wall. “Rodeo” by Lah Pat plays over the speakers and I can’t help but laugh internally at how perfect this whole thing just became with a simple song.

I start easy, slowly jumping and watching as she attempts to look anywhere but at me. We can’t have that, though. I need her undivided attention. Reaching between my shoulder blades, I peel my shirt over my head, tossing it to the floor as her eyes slide down my exposed chest and abs like a magnet. Sheswallows thickly, crossing her legs and shifting around as though she’s uncomfortable.

“You okay?” I ask, stifling an arrogant grin. “You look like you’re struggling over there.”

“I’m fine. It’s hot in here,” she replies, putting a hand on her flushed cheek. It’s definitely not hot, but I don’t call her out. I’m enjoying this too much.

“I’m almost done,” I say, gripping a handle in each hand and resuming my workout. Her eyes bounce around my body as if she can’t decide what she wants to watch most, but when they lock onto my groin area, it’s clear that she’s found something she likes. Unblinking, she stares at my dick unabashedly, obviously forgetting that there are other people in the room. Her thighs twitch as she squeezes them together, shifting again on the bench. As much as I’m loving this, it’s only a matter of time before my body starts reacting to the idea of her getting aroused while watching me, so I cut it off before that happens.

I come to a stop, hanging the rope back on the wall and heading her way. Leaning down, I bring my lips to her ear and nip at the lobe, making her gasp quietly. “When you stand, am I going to find a wet spot where that needy pussy was crying for me?”

She exhales a shaky breath. “I don’t know, but I’m never coming to the gym with you again.”

I chuckle, extending my hand for her to take. She does, and when I pull her up, I’m both relieved and disappointed to see that the bench is still dry. She’d have killed me and died of embarrassment immediately after if it wasn’t, so it’s probably a good thing her panties contained the mess I know she made for me.

“Come on, naughty girl,” I say, weaving my fingers through hers and leading her to the exit. “Let’s go home.”

TWENTY-FIVE

LARK

“Oh my God, look at you!”Monroe says as she approaches where I’m waiting for her outside the café. We ran into each other at the last home game and agreed to meet for brunch when she and Riggs returned from their trip to Houston for the All-Star Game. Other than Hailey, I don’t have many friends, so it’ll be nice to get to know her more.

I look down, smoothing the pink baby tee I paired with my cutoff jean shorts, knowing we’d be going out in downtown Daytona. I used to cover myself with yoga pants and oversized tops, but since I’ve known Ace, I’ve wanted to do more with my appearance. Not because he’s made me feel like I need to—but because I feel it myself. When I was married, Ryan never went out of his way to tell me I was beautiful or sexy. I stopped caring and started dressing like Adam Sandler whenever I wasn’t forced to wear business-casual attire for work, which was a far cry from the trendy outfits I loved in my younger years. But when I wear stuff like this and Ace can barely keep his hands off me, it makes me feel good. Plus, there should never be an age limit on looking cute, no matter what kind of clothing is involved.

“Hi!” I reply, caught off guard when she steps in and wraps me in a tight hug. I return it, pulling away with a smile as I reach forward, gripping the door handle and pulling it open for her. “How was your trip?” I ask, following her to the end of the line where people are waiting to place their orders.

“It was fun!” she replies, pushing a hand through her long dark hair. “I was expecting everyone to be super serious because it’s all the best players in the league, but honestly, all they did was fuck around. It was a nice little reprieve from regular games, where my boyfriend gets all bent out of shape if he doesn’t play perfectly.”

I laugh. I haven’t been around Ace long, but I notice the way his demeanor changes after a loss. He’s quick to snap out of it when we’re together, but I imagine it’s hard on them, knowing their positions are never really guaranteed. He’s told me many times that his biggest fear is getting sent back down to the minors, although I suspect he’s worried over nothing. His teammates love him, and so do the fans. They’d be crazy to get rid of him.

“I’m glad you guys enjoyed yourselves. Now it’s back to the real world tomorrow, huh?” The guys have two home games this week, followed by one on the road, and we’ll return to Daytona just in time for Ace to take his final over the weekend before the eleven fifty-nine deadline on Sunday night. He wants to do one more big review session, but I know he’s ready. He’s worked his ass off over the last six weeks.

“Yep,” she replies, stepping up to where the barista waits for us. “I’ll have a medium caramel macchiato and a chocolate croissant, please.” She turns to me. “What are you getting? My treat. Don’t argue.” She points an accusing finger my way, shooting me a playful side-eye. I relent, ordering a coffee and a muffin as we take our food and sit in a corner booth to eat.

“So,” she says, sipping her drink, “how’s life? You’re tutoring Ace, right?”

“Yeah. He needed some extra help with his Human Sexuality course, and since I already passed it, he talked me into taking the job.”

She laughs. “He looks like he could be very convincing. Riggs said he’s trying to graduate for his grandma, but what are you going to school for that you’d need that class?”

“Well,” I say, pausing to take a bite of my muffin, “I’m not technically going to school at the moment due to some unfortunate tuition issues, but I was taking night classes to become a sex therapist.” I look down, because as laid-back as she seems, I’m used to being judged by the people in the Dawson family’s circle when they find out about my prospective career change.

“Wow. That’s cool,” she says as I look up at her, my eyes full of surprise. “Imagine how many shitty sex lives could be turned around if people decided to talk out their problems with a professional. Before I met Riggs, I swore there was something wrong with me because of the things I liked. I had no idea they were normal, so I just settled for subpar experiences, hoping that one day my body would stop craving them. It would’ve been nice to have someone to work that out with. I wasn’t raised to be open about things like that, so I just kept it inside. That definitely didn’t do me any favors, you know?”

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