Page 75 of Not Just a Trick Play

She bites her lip, glancing down for a beat, then back up. “I’m not all that exciting. No handcuffs, no choking, or public sex. Nothing wild like that.”

“Wait, so last night was false advertising?” I tease, the corners of my mouth twitching.

She buries her face in her hands. “Oh god, what else did I say?”

I tap my chin, feigning deep thought. “Well, I was down with the balloon animals, but I don’t know about bringing in a duck…” Her head snaps up as I trail off, barely holding back a grin, as her eyes get wider and wider. Then narrow. “Just saying.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“And you love it.”

The L word hovers in the air, heavy, but not quite ready to land. A serious glint replaces the amusement in Amelia’s gaze. “Are we seriously talking about doing this? You and me?”

Her vulnerability flips a switch in me. No more teasing. “Yes. I want to be with you. Only you. The rest? We’ll figure out.”

“We weren’t going to tell people. There’s still my job…” Her worry creeps in, tugging at the edges of the moment.

“Sweets, your gig with the Titans is almost over. Unless football is your new favorite thing?”

“No.” It’s a definitive answer. Then, with a slow, sexy smile spreading across her lips, she adds, “But a certain football player, on the other hand…”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

AMELIA

I reach up,curling my hands around Jake’s collar and pull him down to me. I can’t believe that we are doing this. That this is…real?

Maybe I spoke the words out loud because his mouth curves into a smile as he leans in closer. “Yeah, Sweets. This is definitely happening. You and me. All in.”

I press my lips to his, soft at first, a gentle brush, but the feeling coils through me, unfurling and raw. Our kiss deepens, and soon it’s messy, filthy, but with an underlying layer of tenderness. He groans against me, and I know he’s as lost as I am

Jake lifts me with ease, and I marvel, even though I should be used to his manhandling by now. He knows how much I love it. He carries me to the bedroom, holding me like I’m something precious, and for a fleeting second, I start to think I might be.

He lays me on the bed and follows me down, his mouth drifting down my throat in unhurried, drugging strokes. The cool mint of his breath against my skin makes me shiver as I tilt my head, giving him full access.

He charts my body as though mapping it out, lingering over every sensitive spot, exploring as if he has all the time in the world. How into me he is. It’s like I’m his sole purpose.

Every now and then, he pauses to meet my gaze, almost as if he’s checking to make sure I’m here, with him, all in.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs. Hearing it is still a shock. I’m not exactly a troll, but the way he says it? Magic.

I kiss him.

He smiles against me, and all this feels like an impossibility come true, yet somehow inevitable, as if every choice we made led us to this exact moment, drawn together, orbiting each other until we had no option but to collide.

Slowly, we undress each other.He skims down my curves, touching me, tracing me. And he knows, all too well, every spot, every reaction, every place where a touch turns to a spark. It’s as if he’s studied me, taken careful notes. There’s a weight to that—a feeling of being known, seen.

His mouth presses to my collarbone, his teeth grazing just enough to make me shiver, anticipation coiling in my stomach. It’s not the same as before. There’s no question of where this is going, no notion of this being temporary. I can want it all, take it all, be as greedy for him as I need.

“Jake…god…”

Every touch is perfectly calculated to bring me higher, pushing me right to the edge. His fingers move in slow, deliberate circles before his mouth follows, pressing tender kisses down my thighs, leaving a trail that sends tremors through me. I bite my lip, hands twisting in the sheets as he moves closer, his breath warm, his tongue flicking against my skin, teasing.

“Don’t stop,” I whisper, and he chuckles, a low, rough sound that vibrates through me.

“Oh, I’m not stopping.” He grins, his eyes flashing with something dark and hungry as his mouth works me, his fingers moving in sync, creating a perfect rhythm that builds and builds until I’m nothing but pure sensation.

“Please.” My voice is barely a whisper, breaking.

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