Page 34 of Run Game
“You look like the kind of guy who meets a woman and immediately tells her you have the biggest dick on the team,” I say.
“No way,” he answers immediately, shaking his head emphatically. “That’s Maverick. I have the second biggest dick on the team.” He shoots me a cocky wink.
Blaze huffs a sarcastic laugh from the other side of the table, before raising a suspicious eyebrow in Dalton’s direction.
“Okay, fine,” he says, obviously busted. “I have thethirdbiggest dick.”
“Good thing Tanner isn’t here to check your work,” Blaze laughs. “Have you talked to him at all, by the way? I know he’s been going back and forth to his hometown for the last couple of weeks, but I’ve barely spoken with him.”
Dalton shakes his head. “Nope. Not a single call or text since the night of Benton’s debut. We win the big game and he just forgets about us. Classic QB1,” he jokes.
Tanner is probably one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, albeit one of the most mysterious. He always seems to pop up when anyone needs help. So, it’s weird that we haven’t seen him in a while. The guys have been going to thepractice facility a few times a week to train, and he hasn’t even shown up there, aside from a couple of days. He’s the captain of the team, and from what the guys say, he’s always the first one there and the last to leave. So, it’s a little strange that he’s been missing.
“Okay,” I say, unable to hold in my thoughts anymore. “Back to Maverick’s huge cock.”
“Heeeeeere we go,” Mads says with an annoyed sigh.
I look at her, raising my brows. “What? Aren’t you a little curious? Bella is so small. How does he not rip her to shreds every time they fuck?” I happen to think it’s a very valid question, but they all stare back at me like they can’t believe I’m saying any of this out loud.
“My wife, everyone,” Dalton deadpans. “Talking about another dude’s dick right in front of me.”
I roll my eyes, sitting back in my seat and crossing my arms over my chest. “I was just wondering,” I mumble. “Like, the mechanics of it all.”
Dalton reaches over, yanking me by the arm and pulling me onto his lap. “The only Blizzard dick you need to be worrying about is mine,” he warns. He leans in, lowering his voice so that even I can barely hear it. “If you think I won’t put you over my knee in front of them, you’re dead wrong, Wifey. Try me,” he whispers, making me immediately rethink my topic of conversation. I know my cheeks are blushing by the way Mads looks back at me with a sly smile stretched across her face.
I’d never say it out loud, but if Idohave a match in this world, Dalton is one hundred percent it. The way he puts me in my place like no one else can, even surprises me sometimes. But it’s also exhilarating. It’s nice not having to be in charge all of the time. I know I can’t get used to it, but I’m not hating the way it feels when he takes thecontrol like this. An ache forms between my legs, like it always does when he threatens to spank me. I kind of wish we were alone right now, so I could test the waters and see how far he’d let me go before he actually did it.
I’ve had a lot of time to think about what it might be like if I moved back in with him for the remainder of our marriage, but it always ends up with me talking myself out of it because I already know I’m starting to get attached. The more time I spend with him, the harder it’ll be when it’s over. The last thing I need when I’m trying to create a new life in a new city, is to fall into another depression caused by missing someone who I let myself have feelings for. I need to remember what it’s like to stand on my own two feet. And I am absolutely positive that, if I moved back into Dalton’s place, he wouldn’t just sit back and let me do that. He really is a perfect husband. He just wants to show me what it’s like to have someone who cares for me unconditionally. And I have no doubt that he really, truly does, but I can do it myself. That’s the thought that always stops me from giving in, even though in the back of my mind, I want to.
Our six weeks will be up soon. As nervous as I am about whatever my future has in store, I know that I can always count on myself. That’s how it’s always been, and that’s what I want. Let’s just hope I can pull it all off without either of us getting our hearts broken beyond repair in the end.
TWENTY-TWO
DALTON
I’m pulledfrom a deep sleep by a series of quick, hard knocks on my door, followed by someone laying on the doorbell. I shoot up, confused, until I realize that I’m on the couch and not in my bed. I was watching hockey highlights and must’ve dozed off.
The knocks go from a solid fist to a loud, open-handed slap just as I hear my muffled name being yelled from the other side of the door.
Fuck. That’s Dia’s voice.
I jump off the couch and run as fast as I can to the door, unlocking the deadbolt and ripping it open. I’m not prepared for what stands in front of me. Dia is wearing a pair of shorts and one of her ripped sleep t-shirts. She has no shoes on her feet and her face is tear-stained. She stands there, frozen, her whole body trembling.
Her eyes fill with tears. “I didn’t know where else to go,” she whispers.
“Baby,” I say softly before yanking her into my body and wrapping her tightly in my arms. I carefully pull her through the doorway, managing to close and lock itwithout letting her go. She continues crying as her knees buckle and she collapses against me. I’m trying not to panic, lifting her from the floor and carrying her straight to my bedroom. It’s illuminated only by my dimmed bedside lamp, but I can see as I make my way across the carpeted floor.
I don’t put her down. I don’t loosen my hold. I just sit on the bed with her in my lap, continuing to comfort her because I have no fucking clue what’s going on. All I know is that whoever did this is as good as dead.
“Shhhh,” I say in an attempt to console her. “I’m here. You’re safe.”
Her body continues to shake with her cries as she tries to suck in deep breaths, but she’s in the middle of a panic attack and can’t calm herself. So, I do the best I can to hold her together as she falls to pieces in my arms. I kiss her hair and steadily rock her back and forth while she lets her emotions out, until she eventually settles into my chest.
I wait several minutes before I speak. “Can you tell me what happened?” I ask.
She sits up, clutching my shirt tightly in her hands as she takes a shaky breath in before exhaling slowly. “Last w-week,” she stutters, pausing for a moment before trying again. “Last week, my mom called me. At first, I sent it to voicemail, but she kept doing it, so I finally answered to tell her to stop.” I continue rubbing soothing circles between her shoulder blades as she slowly relaxes enough to finish. “She sounded so different. She said she had gotten back together with my dad, and they started outpatient rehab for their spending and gambling addictions. They told me they were with a loan officer at the bank because they were buying a house. They said their creditwas approved for the mortgage loan, but they needed collateral. They asked me for help.”
“Hey,” I say in a soothing tone. “If you gave them some money, it’s no big deal. I’ll replace it. You can even make payments back to me once you start working if you aren’t comfortable taking it outright.”
