Page 73 of Fair Play
“You’re not.”
“Want to know why they traded me from the Blizzard?”
“If you want to tell me.”
“I slept with a teammate’s wife. Mind you, I had no idea she was his wife—never met her before or anything—but then after I found out I slept with her again. Because I didn’t care. Because it turned out they were separated and even though he asked me to leave her alone, so they could work on things… I did it anyway.”
“Self-preservation,” she says softly, shaking her head. “You figured they weren’t your friends anyway, so why bother doing the right thing?”
Sometimes it’s hard to believe she’s only twenty-two—she’s so much more intuitive than other women her age.
“Doesn’t that bother you? Aren’t you worried I’ll do something similar to you? Because if we’re being honest, I don’t know what the hell you see in me.”
Her eyes widen and then she slowly gets to her feet. She walks around the small table and motions for me to scoot back in my chair. Then she pushes between my legs, leans over, and puts her hands on my shoulders.
“I don’t know what. The. Fuck. You’re talking about,” she murmurs, her face close to mine. “You’re kind and gentle and caring. You work harder than most people, and so what if you’ve been on a bunch of teams? They just weren’t the right fit. Maybe now that you’re here, you’ve found your place. With the team…and with me. And who doesn’t have a past?
“As far as what I see in you… you’re sexy and make my heart beat faster every time we’re together, but at the same time you make me feel safe, happy, and loved. And before you freak out, Iused that word in a different way than you’re probably thinking. What I mean?—”
“Why would I freak out?” I interrupt, taking one of her hands and kissing the inside of her wrist. “I’m not a teenager—love doesn’t scare me. We’re not there yet, but I understand the context you meant it in, and I feel the same from you. You’re not just interested in the pro athlete, you care about the man beneath. And aside from my mom, I don’t know that any other woman ever has.”
Our eyes lock, and the look in hers is absolute perfection—lust, need, and understanding all rolled into the sexiest combination.
“Rome.”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Take me to bed.”
Chapter 27
Billie
The distinctionbetween loving and being in love exists, but in this moment, I don’t know what it is. I thought I did, because when I said what I said I was talking about the trust and comfort level between us, how it feels when we’re together. But now I’m so confused because this gorgeous, strong, slightly broken man is leading me up to his bedroom.
But it’s not about sex.
This is so much more than that.
I see it when he looks at me, I hear it in his voice, and I feel it in his touch. The way he slowly peels my robe from my shoulders and skims his hands across my breasts. How he gently plucks at the bar in my nipple and then rubs his thumb over it. My skin breaks out in goose bumps, and I let my head fall back. I don’t want to think—I just want to revel in how this newfound intimacy between us is solidifying something I already knew.
The closeness was there but we’d been dancing around the feelings. Now it’s all out in the open, including his insecurities,and I hate that he doesn’t understand how attractive he is, how he’s even better than the heroes in the romance novels I read.
Because Rome is real, flesh and blood.
And mine.
A soft moan escapes me as he scrapes his teeth across my throat, pulling me flush against him.
“When was the last time you had sex with someone else?” I ask bluntly.
He freezes.
“It’s not a trick question.” I hold out my arm. “That’s my birth control implant. The last time I had intercourse was November.”
His eyes turn to liquid fire.
“December,” he says. “And I get regular bloodwork through the team.”
