That snapped my mouth shut, unable to say anything else. I could only nod, afraid if I voiced the words aloud, I’d shatter the moment between us, and that was a risk I wasn’t willing to take. Once we reached the car, Jace put me down and held out his hand. “Keys?”
“Oh no,” I said, moving toward the driver’s side door. “No one drives this car but me.”
Jace leaned in, pressing my body against the doorframe. He was imposing, overwhelming. If he were anyone else, I’d freak out, but Jace stirred something different inside of me.Safe. Longing.All foreign emotions, but now, I could practically taste them. Jace nuzzled in closer, running his nose along the column of my throat, leaving feather-light kisses that made me shiver in anticipation of what was to come. “Trust me, Kins. If I drive, we’ll get to my place faster.”
Sold.
In less than twenty minutes,Jace drove us into a quiet neighborhood only blocks away from Doris’ Diner. The homes were nice but understated, mostly raised ranches and othersimilar styles. I frowned as I turned toward the driver’s seat. “Aren’t we going to your place?”
“We are.”
I frowned, turning to stare out the window. It was hard to picture Jace living in this neighborhood. It was a far cry from how the media portrayed him, the entitled playboy with a laundry list of lovers. A couple more turns, and he pulled into a driveway at the end of a cul-de-sac. I stared up in disbelief. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No.” Jace leaned forward over the steering wheel. “Not what you were expecting?”
That would be a hard no. When Jace asked me over to his house, I’d pictured some tech-bro paradise made of chrome and harsh steel, not a two-story traditional building with a charming little deck outside the front door. White shutters accented the aged gray siding, and a wall sconce highlighted the red-painted front door. It was masculine, but still clean and welcoming.
“You have shrubs,” I spluttered. “Landscaping. This is so…adult.”
The apples of his cheeks filled with color, and it was the most adorable thing I’d ever witnessed. “When I first moved out here, I crashed in a hotel. After almost a month, I wanted more space. A lot of the guys have places closer to the stadium, but everything seemed so impersonal. My realtor found this place, and, even though the inside needs a lot of work, it felt right. Now, it’s eventually going to be home.” He tapped the steering wheel with his thumb. “I can take you back to your place if you prefer. This isn’t what you were expecting?—”
Before he said anything else, I silenced him by reaching across the center console and kissing him. “It’s a good surprise, Jace. Sure, it’s not what I pictured, but it makes me like you more.”
“Really?”
I shrugged as I pulled the door handle open. “I like how you keep surprising me. Now, come on, hotshot.”
I climbed out of the car, and Jace bounded up the short walkway, pressing his key into the lock. As soon as he opened the door, he grabbed my hand and tugged me inside. The door slammed shut behind us, and I tried to look around, but Jace didn’t give me the chance, instead pressing me up against the cool wood with his hips. His eyes smoldered as they drank me in, slowly perusing my body. With a sharp inhale, Jace’s hands tightened on my hips, dragging me closer to him.
“Fuck,” he sighed, stealing another kiss from my lips. “I’m dying to taste you, Kins. Been thinking about it for hours. Need to know if your pussy is just as sweet as the rest of you.”
My eyes widened. “If this is just so I’ll go down on you?—”
Jace’s mouth tightened as he leaned in even closer, his voice lowering to a dangerous timbre. “Let’s get one thing straight, Kinsley.” I shivered as he growled my full name. “I’m dying to eat your pussy becauseI want to. Because I want you strangling my tongue when you come apart. Want to lick up every ounce of your pleasure, knowing I’m the one who caused it.” He nudged the edge of my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. “This isn’t some sort of bargaining chip. When you suck my cock, it’ll be because you begged me for it. Begged me to fuck your mouth so deep, you’ll feel me in your throat for days, not because you think you owe me for making you come.”
I swallowed, loving the filthy words spilling out of his mouth. God, just the thought of him pushing me so hard made my thighs clench, my desire blooming to almost embarrassing levels. It was too much—Jace was too much. He’d already taken hold of me, and we’d hardly begun.
And yet, I couldn’t walk away.
I parted my legs more, and the hard outline of his cock pressed against my core. Just the movement took my breathaway.Get out of your head, Kins.If this were the only night I had with Jace, I needed to stay in the moment with him, needed to remember every single detail.
“Show me what you’ve got, hotshot.”
EIGHT
If this was a fucking dream, nobody better wake me up.
Kinsley stood before me, her raven hair a stark contrast to the white paint of my front door. My cock hardened as soon as she stepped inside my home, and my hands itched to touch her bare skin, but nothing could compare to having her whimpering against me, the warmth of her pussy radiating through her jeans.Fuck.
Just being this close to Kinsley turned me into a desperate man. Within a few hours, this woman had buried herself under my skin, and now, I wanted to claim every part of her. My breathing grew heavier as I flexed my hips into her, burying my nose against her neck to get a hit of her sweet and floral perfume. Fuck, I needed her taste on my tongue, her scent soaked into my sheets. With her thighs parted and a dare in her eyes, I looped my arms around her and lifted her off the floor.
“Jace!” Kinsley let out a surprised yelp, and I held her tighter. Fuck, her curves fit perfectly in my hands.Soft, supple. It was as if someone had dropped this woman into my path as a test; if I was supposed to hold back, I’d fail every time. The world could be crashing down outside my door, and all I’d care aboutwas making her come—watching her fall apart, making her as desperate for me as I was for her.
I trudged through my house, careful not to jostle her too much as we moved around my boxes and tools. The mess made my skin crawl. I’d been here for three months but hadn’t unpacked, too busy with renovations. When I first moved to the city, I’d rented a high-rise apartment next to the stadium, but it never fit quite right. I’d found this dated house on a whim, and the state of it made the price way below market value. It had become my hidden refuge, where I could hide from the rest of the world and drop my on-field persona. I’d worked hard to make it livable, and I was damn proud of the progress so far.
But no one came here—not my teammates, not my dad, and certainly not the women who shared my bed.
However, with Kinsley, I never thought about bringing her anywhere else. I wasn’t looking for a clear exit, hoping she’d leave as soon as we were done. She let me see a little behind her walls, and it made me itch to do the same, to show her a part of my world.
