Suddenly, I feel like I’d be lying to Luca if I didn’t disclose my secret deal with Bellamy in this moment.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” I tell Luca the story of the deal Bellamy offered me without leaving anything out, and Luca looks deeply distressed. “This doesn’t change anything,” I choke out. “I admit I want that job in operations, but that doesn’t negate the fact that I genuinely believe in you. I’ve never lied to you about that, Luca. Not once.”
His face softens. “I know that, Chelsea. If I look upset right now, it’s not at you. It’s at Bellamy for hitching your dreams to mine, when he knows full well you don’t have any control about how things pan out for me.” He wipes at another tear. “You’re a terrible liar, remember? I know youbelieve in me. And thank God for that, because it’s been the ultimate fuel for me.”
I crack a wan, sad smile. “Even more so than fun?”
Luca returns my bittersweet grin. “Baby, anything having to do with you is always the best kind of fun.” His brown eyes drift to my lips and linger. His bare chest expands sharply. And when I don’t lean back—when, in fact, I move in a bit—Luca bends down and crushes his lips to mine.
I should pull away from his kiss, but I don’t. In fact, the second Luca’s mouth collides with mine, I instantly let him know I’m as voraciously hungry for this forbidden fruit as he is. In a flash, we’re both going at it with swirling tongues and devouring lips, while every nerve ending in my body zips and zaps with the torrential release of weeks—no,years—of pent-up lust.
Before this moment, I couldn’t recall what it felt like to kiss this hunky Cornhusker. All I knew was eighteen-year-old, inexperienced Chelsea was extremely impressed. But now, the twenty-five-year-old, not-a-virgin-anymore version of me feels equally blown away. Even more so, since I’ve now been sloppily kissed by more than my fair share of frogs.
Still energetically kissing me, Luca slides his hand into my hair and grips the side of my head like he’s claiming me, and every nerve ending in my body screams at me to climb this tall redwood tree and swing from its highest branches with lusty abandon. I left that hotel room in Indiana through sheer force of will, but I’m not leaving this one without finding out if Luca Maguire fucks as well as he kisses.
Not breaking contact with Luca’s hungry lips and tongue, I grab his neck, leap up, and wrap my thighs around him, and he reflexively catches me by my ass and leads us to the bed. When he sits, I straddle his lap breathlessly, and he cradles my back with his large forearms and deepens our kiss, yet again.
I grind myself on top of him, reveling in the sensation of his hard bulge pressing against me just right, and in response, Luca groans and slides both big hands down to my ass cheeks, where he squeezes in a way that makes it clear he’s being flooded with feral lust, the same as I am.
Since he’s shirtless, I think it’s only fair that I should be, too. How rude, otherwise. My breathing ragged, I break away from Luca’s hungry, desperate mouth to rip off my shirt, revealing my no-frills, flesh-colored bra underneath.
“Oh my God,” Luca blurts excitedly, and from his tone and facial expression, you’d think I was adorned in peekaboo French lingerie.
He places his palms in perfect alignment with my breasts and holds them there with a question on his face. When I nod enthusiastically, giving him the green light to seize the day—and my tits—he lays both palms on me with a moan of delirious excitement and proceeds to caress and grope me while his delicious lips resume their masterful work.
“I’ve waited so long,” he murmurs into our kiss, and in reply, I let out a loud groan that shocks me with its intensity.
Luca breathlessly unlatches the hook at my back, but just as my bra falls forward, a sharp knock at the door makes both of us jump like we’ve been zapped by a Taser.
“Maguire!” a male voice yells out. “It’s Coach Martinez. I’ve got some news I want to deliver face-to-face to you, son.”
“Fuck,” Luca and I both whisper at the same time. It’s past curfew, so there’s no way for Luca to pretend he’s not here. But it’s also early enough for Raul to reasonably assume Luca hasn’t yet gone to sleep.
“Coming!” Luca calls out as I scramble off him and lurch toward the nearby bathroom with my bra hanging off one shoulder and my eyes bugging out of my head. Before I get to my destination, I remember my shirt—the one I carelesslytossed onto the floor in the throes of lust. Gasping, I motion frantically to the incriminating item of clothing, and Luca quickly stuffs it underneath a pillow.
As I slip into the bathroom and close the door behind me, I glimpse Luca hiding his bulge with his iPad, and the next thing I know, I hear Raul’s voice in the room.
“You’re not getting cut in the morning,” Raul says flatly in opening. “Let’s get that out of the way first.”
“Awesome. Thanks for letting me know.”
“That’s the good news. The bad news is Moriarty’s coming back tomorrow.”
“He got a new deal?”
“Yep. With him being out so long, he’s going to be getting a whole lot of reps in practices and scrimmages that otherwise might have gone to you.”
“That’s okay. I’ll give him a run for his money. I always knew he’d be coming back.”
“Stay hungry, Luca. That’s what I came to tell you. Don’t let Moriarty freak you out or set you back. You’re still in the hunt, son. You just have to work that much harder.”
“I will. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Unfortunately, you’re not going to be working with Chelsea anymore. Coach Parker assigned her to Moriarty.”
My heart stops at the mention of my name.
“But now that we’ve lost a few guys on our squad,” Raul continues, “I’ll have more time to give you, personally, so I’ll fill that void, okay? I’m not leaving you hanging out to dry, Luca. I’m genuinely rooting for you.”
