Page 26 of Kicked in the Heart
“Funny,” Rocky said. “Like you wouldn’t if some sexy guy started kissing you.”
“Is that all it took? Kissing?” Kylie asked with a snort. “You’re way too easy.”
“It wasn’t like that,” she started but then backtracked. “Okay, yeah, that’s how it started. Who knew that grumpy asshole knows how to do more than block offensive linemen.”
“I knew he was into you. He might have hated you being on the team but he definitely didn’t hate you as a woman.” Kylie got up and got a beer.
“For real? I thought he hated me. And then he was nice to me when he found out I had a stalker.”
“And what about the beating he gave that stalker when he was hurting you?” Kylie asked as she studied Rocky’s face.
“Well, I just thought that was an alpha-male thing. Protect the females and all that,” she said as she walked toward the bathroom. “I really need a shower.”
“Don’t want to smell like Butch and sex?” Kylie asked with a laugh. “So, how was it? Is he a good lover? A great lover?” Kylie stared at her expectantly. “Tell me he at least took you to dinner first.”
Rocky stopped in the bathroom doorway. “I made him spaghetti,” she confessed before shutting the bathroom door. God, Kylie could be nosey. But she was her bestie, right? Was it more than just sex? How could it be? She still didn’t particularly like him.
Either way the sex was incredible. Who knew he was such a good lover? Must be all the practice he’s had. From what she could see he went out with a different woman every week. Even if he only had sex with half…
She shook her head. Geez, get a grip, Masterson! She wondered what he had wanted to talk about. They hadn’t even started a conversation when, well, when it happened. She couldn’t believe it but she also wouldn’t ever forget it. She almost wished they hadn’t been interrupted. Would they have gone for round two? Was he as good with oral sex? The way he used his mouth on her breasts… She shivered. Got to stop thinking about it.
She showered and washed the scent of Butch and sex away.
Butch
After he got into his car, he sat there wondering what had just happened. Had they really just had the most incredible sex he’d ever had? All because she had a drop of sauce on her mouth? Something about that sauce on her lip short-circuited his brain. Desire and need had washed over him, as if he couldn’t breathe unless he kissed her. And that had led to sex. Incredible sex. He’d had a lot of sex but nothing like that. Just looking at her face, her eyes filled with lust, had done something to him.Something he’d never felt before. That kiss unlocked a need he’d never felt before. A need that only Rocky could fill. Sex with any other woman wouldn’t be the same. He’d never craved just one person before and he didn’t know how to deal with that.
He ran his hands through his hair. They really needed to talk about the feelings that stirred within in him when he was around her.
He'd worked so hard to try and get her to quit. But somewhere along the way he'd discovered she was good, maybe even better than some of the other kickers in the league. And to make things worse, he also had some serious grown-up feelings about her. He was fucked. How could he fix this? She thought he hated her.
He drove home on autopilot, suddenly parked in front of his apartment. Looking up at the building, he realized maybe it was time that he upgraded. Maybe buy a house, somewhere he could raise a family.
Family? Where the fuck had that come from? Sure, he liked kids well enough but did he want one or more of his own? He imagined girls that looked like Rocky with his dark hair or boys with her blonde.
Trudging up the stairs to his door, all he felt was tired. There’d been no practice for him today but he felt like he’d been running plays for hours. Exhaustion overtook him and all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for about a week. Normally after good romp with a woman, he was ready to go out and look for another one. But not now. Now all he could think about was sleep and how to get Rocky in his bed again. His mind was coming up with so many things he wanted to try with her. His dick twitched and he frowned. Just thinking about her had his body reacting. He was well and truly fucked. He’d come to accept the idea that he wanted sex with her. That didn’t mean he loved her, did it? Stumbling to the bedroom, he dropped ontothe bed and fell asleep fully clothed. He dreamed of Rocky and babies and a life after football.
Chapter Thirteen
After a night of tossing and turning, he dragged his ass out of bed. Flashes of color from unremembered dreams made him eager to focus on something, anything.
He’d always thought he’d enjoy a day off from practice but he felt like something was missing. His renewed commitment to being the best player he could be made him want to be practicing instead of lazing the day away. He tried watching a movie but couldn’t focus on the story. He wanted a run, but the rain had turned colder with snowflakes whirling on the wind. Too cold for that. Doc told him no weightlifting or working with the heavy bag, basically nothing that required using his hands. But, his gym had an indoor track. He preferred to be outside but on a day like today it would do.
Before too long he found his rhythm, the steady thwack of his shoes against the track somehow soothing as the music in his earbuds faded from his consciousness. For some reason, the conversation he’d had with Jim Masterson at the hospital popped into his mind. Why did Rocky’s age bother him so much? He’d dated plenty of women Rocky’s age and it never botheredhim, why now? Did he want to date her? Well, the sex was fantastic so he thought that was a yes. But he wanted something more. Something he couldn’t put his finger on. Love em’ and leave em’ before they got attached had always been his motto. But Rocky was different. He didn’t want just sex, he wanted more. Did he actually want to really date her? Like long-term, get engaged and then married?
He lost his rhythm and almost tripped over his own feet. Just the thought of something long-term had him breaking out in a cold sweat, he wasn’t sure he was capable of more than just sex.
Shaking his head to dispel all thoughts of love and marriage, he focused on the track in front of him. Deciding he needed something to occupy his mind, he started dissecting plays, looking for ways to improve them. Back when he was a rookie, he’d had the idea to eventually become a coach but lost his desire for that when football became a job. The more he thought about it, the more everything came back to his unwillingness to commit to being a better player. He’d been riding the success of his first couple of seasons for way too long. It was time to get back to the guy that wanted to dominate on the field. Maybe then she’d look at him as someone other than just the asshole who hates girl kickers. Where the hell had that thought come from? He really needed to find a woman and get the girl kicker out of his head.
The doors closed behind him and he stared at the aisles of food. Now he remembered why he hated grocery shopping and usually ordered things online. But he needed coffee and he didn’t want to wait. Reading the signs above the aisle, he found the one for coffee.
The sheer number of choices boggled his mind. He usually just clicked on the first one that came up on the delivery app. How was he supposed to choose?
“I like this one,” he heard a woman say as she pointed.
“Oh?”
“You looked like you needed some help deciding,” she replied, looking up at him with her hand on his arm.
