Page 86 of Hot Receiver

“Yeah, well.” I shrug. “It was time to be honest. I realized when I saw the accident scene where your car was crushed like an accordion and I had no idea if you were even alive, that having the perfect career and all the money and fame in the world doesn’t mean shit unless I can share it with the man I love. And if I got that chance, I’d leap at it. I ran right to you because I wanted you to know how I felt. But when you kicked me to the curb, I decided on a different tactic.”

“Go big or go home,” he says with a nod.

“Fuck yeah.” I chuckle, trailing my hands slowly down the sides of his torso. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore. Head still hurts.”

“So, I shouldn’t try to tear off your pants and fuck you against the door?”

“It kills me to say no but…” His dark eyes pull me in, full of promise and anticipation.

“So just a blowjob then?” I give him an exaggerated wink.

“How about a kiss to start?” Zak grabs me by the jacket and pulls me close, gently grazing his lips against mine.

I drag my fingertips down the right side of hisface, careful not to press against the ugly purple bruises staining the left side of his face.

“My God, I love you,” I whisper. “So fucking much.”

“I love you, too.” He leans his forehead against mine. “The press is going to be all over you for this; you know that, right?”

“That I can handle. But losing you?” I give my head a shake. “Fuck, no. Never again.”

“Have you spoken to anyone since the conference?”

“No, but I shut off my ringer and haven’t looked at it since I drove over here. But there are two important people who are really excited to meet you, the only two people I told before the conference.”

“Okay, I’m intrigued.”

“My sisters showed up at my place yesterday. Just a precaution. My mom brought them to the bus station, thought it was smart to get them out of town while they’re still on summer break. I guess something clicked with her, and she finally realized how dangerous it was for them.”

“When are they going home?”

“Never.” My jaw tenses. “I’m not letting them go anywhere. Up here, they can thrive. Down there, fuck knows what’ll happen to them. My dad refuses to get help, which means he’s just gonna fall back down his rabbit hole. I love my parents, but they’re adults. They can make their own beds. But the girls are young. They deserve a chance, and I won’t keep financing their lives if my dad is gonna just piss it all away. If they’re with me, I can keep them safe. Take care of them.”

Zak pulls me inside. “Where are the girls now?”

Ryan’s head pops up from his laptop when we step into the foyer. He scrambles to his feet and throws a bunch of papers and folders into a laptop bag. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“Good because it was X-rated and might’ve made your ears bleed if you did.” I wink at him then turn back to Zak. “They’reat my place. I hired a security guard to stay with them since nobody other than me and my mom knows they’re here in the city. I didn’t want to take a chance that they’d be photographed with me, and that the fuckers down in West Virginia would see.”

“I’ll, ah, just get out of here now,” Ryan stammers, his arms full with the bag and computer. “Let’s catch up next week, Z. Okay? Okay.”

He rushes for the door, pulls it open, and it slams closed behind him in a blur.

“Wow,” I murmur, wrapping my arms around Zak’s waist. “I feel like we should take advantage of this sudden privacy, and I promise we would if you weren’t all bruised and broken.”

Zak’s eyebrows knit together. “How’s Anna?”

I let out a sigh. “She’s upset. I fucked up and hurt her, and then she did the most selfless thing in the world and tried to convince you to give me another chance.” I shake my head. “I couldn’t believe it when she told me. But it helped me figure out what to do, how to fix things between us.” I rub my hands up and down his arms. “I don’t want to hide anymore. I want the same things you do. I want to be happy. And yeah, I love football, but I love you more. That’s why I did that press conference. I wanted the world to find out about my past on my own terms, not Brett’s.”

“It was brave of you. I’m proud of you for facing your demons.” Zak traces the outline of my lips with his thumb. I grab it between my teeth and give it a long, hard suck.

“Well, they’re gonna come at me now. I’m sure there will be disciplinary action taken against me. But I don’t care. It was worth it to have my say and control the narrative. To take the power away from Brett after all these years.”

“And I’ll be by your side, no matter what.”

“Shit, they’re gonna ask if you knew about this. It could get you in trouble, too.”

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