Page 58 of Puck Love

“No, but I’m not sure I was really in the right frame of mind to say yes, youknow?”

“At seventeen and just after losing your mom, I don’t think so either.” He shakes his head and takes a huge gulp of wine. “So why pretend to be a virgin for all that time? I don’t getit.”

I shrug. “My concerts are ninety percent teenage girls. They look up to me, and in a world full of drugs and cell-phone sex tapes, it felt like the right thing to do. All it’s done is put me up on a pedestal for these girls, and when the truth comes out, people will get hurt. It’s just easier to pretend that I am waiting for marriage. Easier for me, too, I think. I have a brand to protect, and I don’t have time forrelationships.”

He nods as if he understands. “That’s kind of sad, eh? That we have all of this success and no one to share itwith.”

“Do you want someone to share your successwith?”

“That depends. Are you asking because you’re looking to be my girl?” Sigi takes that opportunity to whine and roll over for a tummy rub, and I glare at her. She is kind of cute, though. When she’s not trying to eat my face. She must sense a disturbance in the force because she sits up, lifts her nose in the air as if she’s looking down at me, and jumps off the couch, scurrying toward the kitchen.Evil harpy. Van stares at me, but he doesn’t push for a response, perhaps because he’s as unprepared for the answer as I feel. Either way, I’m glad for the reprieve. “I don’t know. I’m twenty-nine years old. I’m at my physical peak and the height of my career, but when I come home from away games, the silence is almost deafening, youknow?”

“Ido.”

“I have Emmett, but he usually stays with our mom until the day after I get home because we never know what condition I’ll be in after agame.”

“Yeah, most nights after a show I’m wired, but it’s just me and Lana on the bus, and she’s all about ruining myfun.”

“Who’s Lana? Because it sounds like you should fire herimmediately.”

“Then my life really would fall apart. She’s mymanager.”

“Ah, yeah. My agent’s only a pain in the ass when he wants me to secure a new endorsement, but then I don’t have to share a tour bus withhim.”

“Do you ever just want someone to hold you?” I blurt. My eyes go wide, and heat claws at mycheeks.

“You want someone to hold you, snuggle bunny? Then get over here. I can take one for theteam.”

I hurry to make it known I wasn’t asking him to hold me now, because that would be weird, and a little desperate. “I mean, when you climb intobed.”

“I’ll race you upstairs.” His eyes glitter withmischief.

“Now that you know about my sexual conquests”—I use air quotes because the idea of me having conquests at all is laughable—“I’m afraid you’ll wantmore.”

“You don’t need to be afraid of me, Stella. Fear is the only thing holding you back fromgreatness.”

I give him a wistful smile. “Do they teach you that intraining?”

“They teach us a lot of things, but that one is allme.”

“Really?”

“Yep. It’s written all over my endorsement withBauer.”

“What other wisdom do you have to impart forme?”

“Why don’t you come on over here and I can show you?” he says in that gravellyvoice.

“Showme?”

He shrugs. “I’m a hands-on kind ofguy.”

I take another sip of my wine and carefully set it down on the table in front of me while I mull that over, and then I slowly get to my feet. His teasing expression says he doesn’t think I’ll actually do it, but I walk around the table and stop in front of him. Van grabs the hem of my flannel, and tugs me closer. His gaze searches mine, beseeching. I’m far too anxious for words. I swallow and nod imperceptibly as my lids fallclosed.

“Keep your eyes on me, baby,” he commands. My lids snap open and my eyes settle on his. A shiver runs the length of my spine as Van shifts forward in his seat, slips a finger in my waistband, and tugs me toward him. I almost lose my balance, but he steadies me with one hand on my ass while the other slips inside my leggings. Warm fingers caress my cotton panties, stroking the soft cotton over my clit. A ragged sigh escapes me, and then Van’s hand is gone. For a heartbeat, I’m frozen, mortified that I’ve done the wrong thing and afraid that all of this is just a joke to him because tormenting me gets him hard. The blood whooshes in my ears, and I lift my gaze to meet his. “I’m gonna make this good for you, country. I want you dripping wet and screaming my name, but I need to know you’re okay with it. I need to know you want me as much as I wantyou.”

Is he kidding me? What part of letting him touch me made him think I didn’t want him? My throat is suddenly dry, and my body trembles, but I persist because there is no way I would say no to him right now. With a shaky voice, I say, “I wantit.”

Van grins, and for one fearful second I think he really is toying with me, but he slips his fingers in the waistband of my tights and slowly peels them down my thighs, exposing my panties. He teases me again, stroking my flesh through the cotton. I open my legs and allow him access to all ofme.

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