Page 61 of Wicked Games We Play

“I think you better catch all ten of his throws so you can date his mom.” Standing up from her chair, she wrapped her arms around my neck and slid into my lap. Widening my legs, I pushed my chair out slightly to give her room.

My teeth latched onto the skin above her collarbone, biting down lightly before licking the spot to soothe it, drawing a moan from her lips. “Don’t you even worry, Flower. I may not have played football in high school, but the last thing I will do is let that ball touch the ground. Dating you is just one thing amongst the list of things I’m going to do to you. Currently, the highest priority on that list is to make you scream my name while you’re riding my face.”

My dick strained against my pants as her breathing hitched and she squirmed with need on my lap. There was nothing I wanted more than to bury my fingers, tongue, and then my cock deep inside of her, and the way she was looking at me through lust-filled eyes told me she wanted the same thing. The urge to throw her over my shoulder and march her straight to her bedroom was one that was hard to ignore, but before I could even think about worshipping my woman, I had to go prove myself to the man of the house—her son.

* * *

“So why doyou want to date my mom, anyway?” Jordan released the football from his fingertips and I watched in awe as the ball sped toward me with a killer spiral to it, a move that he clearly learned from his dad. I caught it, smiling at him while I gripped the ball with both hands.

I tossed it back with ease. “Back in high school, before you came along, I had a huge crush on your mom.”

“Gross.”

“Hey, your mom was gorgeous. She still is. When I met her, I knew she’d be someone special to me.” The ball glided through the air toward him and he leaped to catch it. “Nice catch.”

“Thanks,” he said dismissively. “So you met my mom and thought she was cool. Then what? That was forever ago.” He threw the ball back and crossed his hands over his chest while he waited for me to answer him.

Thinking for a moment on how to approach the answer, I tried spinning the football on my fingertip, failing miserably over and over again. Jordan laughed as he watched and walked toward me, snatching the ball from my hands before trying to spin it on his own finger. “Sometimes when you meet the right person, Jordan, you just know. Life can happen and paths can carry you in different directions, but when it’s meant to be, you’ll always find your way back to each other. Or at least that’s what I’ve been told. Your mom’s path took her down a journey of motherhood, love, and a happy marriage with your dad. Mine took me down a road of career and perseverance instead.”

“But my mom and dad divorced.”

“They did, and now my path has intertwined with your mom’s again.”

“So you want to date her because you guys are at the same intersection?”

Laughter erupted from my chest. “Yeah, exactly. Because we’re at the same intersection.”

Jordan stared at me with a look of uncertainty that made me doubt whether this entire talk was benefiting me. The kid was harder to read than a book written in invisible ink.

After an uncomfortable amount of silence, the ball came soaring at me again. The close distance that we were standing in made me grunt when the ball slammed into my chest, but I caught it before it landed at my feet.

“Nine,” Jordan stated simply.

I ran my fingers against my short beard, trying not to show the kid my confusion. “Nine, what?”

“You caught nine. One more and you get to date my mom.”

My cheeks physically hurt from the smile that overtook my face. “Better make it a good one, then. Go long, Jordan.”

He smiled back at me as he tucked the football under his arm and turned to run in the opposite direction of where I stood, not stopping until he was across the yard. Rearing his arm back, he tossed the football with everything he had in him and watched me intensely as I got in position and jogged to catch the ball perfectly.

We both hooted and hollered at my victory, and I tossed the ball to him as I strode toward the front door that Lily was leaning in the doorway of.

“Well?” she asked as we trudged up the steps of her porch. Our eyes met, and she pursed her lips to hide her smile.

“He caught all ten, Mom. You can date him. But,” Jordan turned to me, pointing his finger at my chest. “Just remember what I said. If you’re the reason my mom stops smiling again, we’re going to have problems. Got it?”

I nodded once. “Yes sir,” I told him, giving him a military salute for good merit.

Jordan returned my nod before bolting into the house and up the stairs.

Lily giggled as I pulled her into my arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Looks like I get to date his mom now.”

“Just don’t cause any problems and you’ll be just fine,” she told me before she pushed up on her toes and pressed a kiss against my lips.

This kiss felt different. Signified more. Having Jordan’s approval felt like a shift in dynamic and only further validated what I already knew: we were always meant to be together.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-EIGHT

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