Page 112 of Hooked
“No, my sister played, but it just wasn’t for me. I was pretty uncoordinated until my twenties.”
Aaron leaned forward. “Your sister played what?”
“Football. On my dad’s team.”
Her father couldn’t process it. He just kept blinking. Over and over.
This is marvelous.Tayla bit her lip to keep from laughing.
“Your sister played football? On the boys’ team?”
“I guess it was a coed team once she was on it, right?” Jeremy puffed out his chest. “No one was surprised when she went out for the team. She’s always been scary. Made a great running back but a terrifying big sister.”
Bianca had her hand on her chest. “Your mother let her play football?”
“No one was really talking about the head-injury thing back then, but I’m sure she’d have reservations about Renée taking all those hits now.” Jeremy turned to Tayla. “She doesn’t seem loopy yet, but she’s only thirty-five. We’ll have to watch her.”
“I love that your sister played football and it was no big deal in your family.”
“Oh, it was a big deal. She and my dad fought for four straight years. But she’s always been bossy, so no one was really surprised.”
Tayla couldn’t wait to meet Jeremy’s sisters. Every person she met in his family was a new delight. They all made her laugh. They all embraced her with open arms. Physically and metaphorically.
It was so weird and completely wonderful.
The appetizer followed the soup, followed by the salad, and then a truly gorgeous roasted duck that made Tayla melt. Gloria had gone all out, and Jeremy appreciated every course. She didn’t know where he put the food, but he ate every bite.
And the whole time he kept her parents talking—actually talking—about everything. He asked Bianca about growing up on a vineyard, he asked her father about financial news and trends on the West Coast, he peppered them both with questions about sailing and was properly excited when Bianca mentioned that they’d recently looked at buying a boat.
If she hadn’t loved Jeremy Allen before, she fell head over heels for him when he made her mother and father laugh at the same joke.
It was settled. Her boyfriend was magic.
Tayla straddled his lap,slowly unbuttoning the shirt he’d donned for dinner while he relaxed on the couch in her room.
“Magic,” she whispered, kissing his neck.
“Pretty sure you’re the magical one around here.” He was running his left hand up and down her spine. “Tayla, we should move to the bed if you’re going to— Oh.” His breath caught when her hand landed on his cock. “Or you could just keep doing whatever you want.”
“I have to confess, your being limited to one hand has forced me to be creative.”
“In really wonderful ways.” He breathed out. “Are you sure your parents don’t mind me staying in here?”
She pulled back. “You’re adorable.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means my mother stated very clearly when I was sixteen that she didn’t expect her daughter to do anything as vulgar as have sex in a car, so if I wanted to experiment with boys, I should just bring them home.”
“Wow.” Jeremy breathed out. “Your parents and my parents really do come from different planets.”
She nodded. “Uh-huh. So no. They don’t mind. They’d ask if something was wrong if you stayed in a guest room.”
“How many guest rooms are there in this house?”
Tayla mentally counted as she continued unbuttoning Jeremy’s shirt. “Five?”
“This isn’t a house, this is a hotel.”
