For the Win (13 page)

“Lainey,” he whispered, cock pulsing in her hand. She loved the way he said her name, like it was the only thing anchoring him to the world. She cupped the heavy weight of his balls with one hand and worked his shaft with the other. Her arousal intensified as she listened to the measured panting of his breath. It was the most erotic thing she'd ever heard. She pumped harder, craving the hot, sticky explosion of his desire on her skin.

He clasped his hand over hers, halting the motion of her wrist.

“Not here,” he murmured, raising her arm to his mouth and gently sucking on the pulse point on the inside of her wrist.

He reached up to the showerhead and angled it to let the water rinse the soap from their bodies, then turned the tap off. He opened the shower door and took one of the large towels that was perched on the edge of the sink and wrapped it around her before grabbing another for himself and leading her to the bedroom.

He lowered her onto the bed, tossing both their towels to the ground. The late-morning sun gleamed through the window, highlighting his still-wet body. Gabe's hands glided up from her ankles to her knees and eased her legs open.

“Let me see you,” he said, gently pushing past her hesitation.

The hungry look on his face made her feel like the sexiest, most beautiful woman in the world. She wanted to be that woman for him and for herself. She let her legs part.

He growled and leaned forward, cupping his hands around her bottom. The power of seduction she felt was intoxicating. Her chest tightened with anticipation as his hot breath trailed along her inner thigh. He reached her most sensitive spot, licking and caressing until she couldn't breathe. Just as she thought he'd pushed her to the edge, his fingers slipped inside, pumping rhythmically while he sucked and stroked her clit with his mouth. She screamed his name as she came.

Panting, she pushed her damp hair out of her eyes, then reached for him, wanting to give him the same torturous pleasure she'd just experienced. He pushed her back to the bed and lowered his mouth to her navel.

“I'm not done with you yet,” he said in a tone that made her shiver. He worked his way up to her breast and swirled his tongue along her nipple. “You called out my name when I made you come. It was the sexiest thing I've ever heard. Say it again.”

Her throat was tight.

“Say it.” He drew her nipple into his mouth.

“Gabe,” she whispered, fisting the sheets and arching into him.

He gave her other breast its fair share of attention, then leaned back with a lustful smile and grabbed a condom that was lying on the bed beside her. She didn't know or care where it came from; she was just grateful to see it. He ripped the package open with his teeth, never taking his eyes off her, and rolled the condom over his long, throbbing erection.

He guided his cock into her with agonizing deliberation, studying her reactions to see what moves set her every nerve on fire. He filled her so deliciously and completely. A flurry of emotions erupted inside her as he slammed his cock into her slick, hot core, holding nothing back. Gabe hoisted her leg around his waist, deepening the angle until Lainey lost all inhibitions. He pumped his thick cock into her slowly at first, pulling almost all the way out until the threat of emptiness had her writhing beneath him, and rammed back into her. She worked her hips against his, desperately wanting to lose herself in him completely. He groaned and gripped her hips, amplifying the intensity of her swiveling pelvis against his.

“Come with me,” she begged.

“Say my name,” he ordered, picking up the rhythm to a dizzying pace.

“Gabe. Oh god, Gabe.” She repeated his name over and over again until the pressure building inside her shattered into the most explosive, sweet ecstasy. Seconds later, he cried out and collapsed on top of her, the whisper of her name trailing on his lips.

13

How hard is it to be a female athlete? Well, I run like a girl, I kick like a girl, and I play like a girl. And that's why I'm the best.

—
Lainey Lukas, quoted in
Sport Fitness Magazine

GABE RAN HIS FINGERS
absentmindedly along Lainey's arm, marveling at how right it felt to be snuggling with her in their postcoital glow as she curled into his chest. He'd expected sex with Lainey to be explosive and angry, based on the kind of chemistry they'd had leading up to this weekend. He hadn't expected to feel like his heart had been scrubbed raw afterward. This was more intimate, addictive, and mind-blowing than he could have ever imagined. He wasn't just attracted to Lainey Lukas, he actually liked her a hell of a lot. Once with Lainey would never be enough. He needed to know her, feel her, experience everything she had to give. The moment wasn't even over, and all he could think about was how to make it happen again.

The truth hit him so hard, he could barely breathe. This enigmatic woman who kept everyone at arm's length had just let him into one of the most secret and vulnerable places in her heart and body. And he was probably going to fuck everything up.

A low rumbling growl filled the still air.

“Was that your stomach or mine?” Lainey asked lazily, playing with his chest hair.

“I have no clue, but I'm starving,” Gabe said with a chuckle.

“There's not much food in the fridge, but I know a great hole-in-the-wall serving all-day breakfast a few miles out.”

“Sounds perfect,” he said. Any excuse to linger in her presence would be perfect.

He eased up to a sitting position, but Lainey pushed him back and straddled his lap with a serious expression. “I need you to answer one question before we leave this room.”

His heart sank. She was probably going to ask him to forget their encounter ever happened. “Whatever you need, sweetheart.”

A wry grin spread across her face. “Any more of those condoms? It's my turn to be on top.”

AN HOUR LATER,
THEY
grabbed a quick meal at a greasy spoon a short jaunt off the highway. Gabe had expected some awkwardness to set in between them but instead they ended up laughing together at the perplexed reactions they got from the other patrons. Apparently, it wasn't every day that Hank's Hankerings Diner and Convenience Store had customers wearing tuxedoes and cocktail dresses and pulling up in fire-red Porsches.

In true Pacific Northwest fashion, the morning sunshine made a hasty retreat by midday, replaced by ominous gray clouds and howling wind. Any other time, Gabe would've been freaking out about his car, but considering he was stuck in a cozy booth listening to Lainey reveal precious details about her childhood, all he could do was smile with every howling gust of wind. Lainey shared a few snippets of her life growing up on a farm in Nebraska, coming out to Seattle to live with her aunt and uncle as a teenager, and eventually landing a scholarship to the University of Washington.

“So where did this drive to win come from?”

Lainey shot him a pointed look. “Have you ever been asked that question? Just because I'm female doesn't mean my motivation is any different than yours. I'm an athlete. It's my job to win.”

“Fair enough. But you're special, and you know it. Not because you're a woman, but because of your determination and focus. It's completely out of this world. I've been around professional athletes my whole life, and I've never met anyone like you.”

“Tractor.”

He frowned. “Are you just throwing out random words to distract me?”

She sighed. “Growing up on the farm, I never got to drive the tractor. Even though I mastered the beast by the time I was eight years old, my two older brothers always got to drive the tractor. Every day after school and all summer I was forced to stay in the kitchen helping my mom do dishes. I used to think that Eric and Tim got to do all the cool jobs on the farm simply because they were older than me. But then my younger brother Kyle turned nine, and suddenly he was driving the tractor, too. I realized then that I needed to get off the farm one way or another. That's why I begged my parents to let me join a soccer league in a nearby town. I had to walk three miles to the next farm so old Mrs. Holloway could drive me to my games. Turns out I was good. Really good. I got scouted by a premier league coach in Lincoln by the time I was twelve. But Mrs. Holloway didn't like to drive that far, and my parents couldn't leave the farm in the summer. So I moved to Seattle with my aunt and uncle, and the rest is history. Soccer was my way out of the life I never wanted, but it was clear to me that only the best got to move up the chain. Being second best was as good as losing.”

He knew she wouldn't appreciate his sympathy, but his heart ached for her as she continued to nonchalantly divulge her own family's indifference to her soccer career. She had no one cheering for her in the stands in Norway when she won the Cup, no one with her in the hospital as she recovered. Her parents and siblings couldn't leave the farm during combining season, she explained as though it were a perfectly logical excuse. None of her teammates could afford to change their flights to visit her in the hospital after she woke up.

Gabe couldn't imagine achieving what he had without the support of his friends and family, but Lainey had done it all entirely alone. A heavy weight settled over him when he realized just how much she didn't need anyone. The fact that she'd even revealed this little bit about herself to Gabe was a major step for her. He felt like a beggar, clinging to any scrap of information she tossed his way.

“I see that look on your face. Don't you dare pity me.”

“Of course not. If anything, I'm the one who deserves pity here. You actually won the World Cup. When I played for Team USA, we only got as far as the quarterfinals before Croatia slaughtered us.”

“Yeah, well, because I was in my sophomore year at U-Dub at the time, I got to see your first match with the Surge. It was pretty glorious,” she said, snatching a piece of bacon from Gabe's plate.

“I told you to order your own bacon.” He smacked her hand playfully and pointed to her with his fork. “And you're making me feel old with that story.”

“You are old.” She grinned. “I remember that day because it made Seattle get excited about soccer for the first time. The homegrown star came back to play for his local team. It was a big deal. Even people who didn't watch soccer started tuning into games to get a glimpse of you.”

Gabe smiled. Somehow, those memories seemed so long ago and disconnected from the man he was today, like she was talking about an entirely different person. Back then, the roar of his name in crowds was like a high every time he stepped onto the field. He still loved his fans, but their adoration didn't thrill him in quite the same way. “I think that was the first compliment you've ever given me, unless you count all the proclamations of how amazing my superpowered penis was this morning.”

Her mouth dropped open. “I never said that!”

“It was implied in all the moaning.” He flashed her a cheeky grin.

Her face flushed. “It was good,” she said in a shy voice.

Gabe suddenly felt like an asshole for teasing her.

“Best I've ever had,” he admitted, laying down a twenty to cover their bill. “Come on, let's get out of here.”

With a hand on the small of her back, he escorted her to the door. He pushed against the glass and was met with the heavy resistance of the howling wind. A sharp crack followed, and Gabe watched in horror as a nearby tree snapped at the base and toppled over mere inches from his back fender, trapping the car in the parking lot.

“Huh,” the portly waitress who'd served them earlier said over Gabe's shoulder, as though falling trees were a regular occurrence in these parts. Maybe it was, for all a city boy like Gabe knew. “Looks like you'll be stuck here a while longer. Can I get you two some more coffee?”

Gabe jogged outside to check for damage. Luckily there wasn't any, but it didn't look like they'd be getting back to Seattle any time soon. He pulled out his cell phone. No reception.

There was only one thing Gabe could do: sit back and enjoy the fact he'd be waylaid in Lainey's company a little longer.

Lainey followed him out of the diner and gasped at the wreckage. “Don't worry, babe, no harm, no foul. The car is fine,” he reassured her.

“What are we going to do?”

Gabe wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. “I can think of a few things. Most of them involve my tongue and you screaming my name.”

He managed to pull a brief half smile out of her before she pushed him away and a look of panic resettled on her face. “I have practice in two hours. I can't believe I was so irresponsible this weekend. What the hell was I thinking?”

Ouch. Not exactly the words a guy wanted to hear after what he considered the best weekend of his life. Wanting to be her hero, he grasped the rough bark and tried to pull the trunk away from the tires. It didn't budge.

“You're gonna need a chainsaw to move that,” the waitress said from the doorway. She craned her neck to look back toward the diner. “Hank! Get the chainsaw, will ya?”

A few moments later, a hunched-over, gray-haired man wearing a flannel shirt and waders emerged from the side of the diner with a chainsaw in hand. He passed the heavy machine to Gabe. “Here ya go. You'll be outta here in no time.”

Gabe stood there with absolutely no clue how to proceed.

Lainey rolled her eyes and grabbed the saw, giving him her sweater to hold instead. “You got a pair of work boots, too?” she asked Hank.

Of course he did.

Lainey followed Hank to the back of the store. When she stepped back out a few minutes later, Gabe's jaw dropped. She wore a pair of clunky steel-toe boots about four sizes too big and protective glasses that looked ridiculous with her sexy-as-hell dress. Whatever opinions he previously held about provocative women's footwear were completely obliterated in that moment, because he'd never been more turned-on in his life. It was like she'd just knocked his whole world off its axis, forcing it to revolve around her.

“Wow,” he said as the hem of her dress hitched up an extra couple of inches when she hefted the chainsaw from the ground.

“It's just a pair of work boots.” She brushed a windswept lock of hair off her forehead and glanced around the parking lot nervously, like she was worried someone would overhear their conversation. “Nothing to fuss about.”

How could this brilliant woman be so blind to her own beauty? “It's not just a pair of boots. It's . . . it's—”

“Gabe Havelak at a loss for words? That's a first.”

“Loss? No. Just too many to choose from. Stunning. Gorgeous. Amazing. Beautiful. Scrumptious. Delectable. Should I go on?”

She cranked the saw until it purred. “You really want to mess with me right now?”

“Babe, I always want to mess with you.”

Lainey shook her head and got to work on the fallen tree. It amazed Gabe how the woman could turn on her steely determination instantaneously. Not wanting to feel completely emasculated, he whisked away the cut pieces as she powered through the trunk.

Forty backbreaking minutes later, they were clear to leave. Gabe reluctantly handed her the keys.

“What's this for?” Lainey asked, her face glowing with pride.

“If you can handle a chainsaw like that, I have no choice but to admit you can probably handle the Porsche. Let's get you to practice.”

She squealed and ran to the driver's side, making the same excited, sensual sounds when she touched the supple leather as she had the night before. Gabe slid into the passenger's seat, grumbling as he adjusted the legroom.

“Just drive carefully. This baby isn't made for country roads.” He caressed the door as he spoke, trying to ignore her chanting “mine” over and over under her breath.

“And if I don't?” she teased, peeling out of the parking spot, sending gravel in all directions.

Gabe pulled out his cell phone and thumbed to a picture of her with the chainsaw and cocktail dress. “Then this gets forwarded to all your teammates.”

“You delete that right now, Gabe Havelak!” She slowed down to a reasonable speed. “That is so embarrassing. I don't even want to know what you think of me right now.”

“Are you kidding me? You just fulfilled the sexiest fantasy I didn't even know I had.”

The car lurched as she hit the gas, then braked sharply in compensation. She cleared her throat and recovered to a normal speed.

By the end of the ride, the conversation between them had lulled, and thick tension settled over the car. Lainey's focus was on the road like she was on a life-or-death mission, hands steady on the wheel and eyes fixed ahead of her. The euphoria coursing through Gabe's veins all weekend began to fade as the countryside gave way to concrete buildings. Lainey pulled up to the side street where she'd left her car and glanced at the time.