Page 55 of Penalty Kick

“We should greet our guests,” Felicity said.

“Do we have to? Couldn’t we just sneak in a quickie before—”

“TMI!” Talia squealed, covering her ears in semi-mock horror. She wasn’t stupid; she knew Gunnar and Felicity had a very active sex life, that was apparently quite fulfilling from the remarks Felicity had made, but that didn’t mean she wanted to think about it. “Your child is standing right here.”

“And Mrs. Carr just walked in, so there is no sneaking off now. But I promise to make it up to you later.” Pulling her husband into a hard kiss, Felicity walked backward, dragging him toward the waiting crowd. Talia laughed, loving just how in love they were. Finally ending their kiss, Felicity turned back to Talia, giving her a knowing look. “Make good choices!”

“Footballers are bad news!” Gunnar called over his shoulder, his standard warning falling flat this time.

Mine’s not…

* * *

“I could use a drink,” Talia said, her breath heavy and her face flushed from dancing.

Dash nodded, agreeing that a drink wouldn’t be a bad idea. They’d eaten dinner hours ago, right after Talia had finished up with family photos, and had been mingling with friends or dancing ever since. Dash had to admit, it was quite the party. There had never been any doubt that Felicity Sutherland would throw the wedding reception of the year, but being surrounded by all of it now, it was almost too much to take in. The whole night felt surreal—like he was walking on clouds. Of course, having the most beautiful girl in the room on his arm didn’t hurt.

Talia stepped back, out of his embrace, slipping her hand into his to lead him off the floor. The warmth of her grasp was comforting. No, more than comforting. It sent a thrill through him like he couldn’t explain. It was like being on the pitch, the ball at his feet, with a wide-open net—only better. Weaving their way through the crowd, Dash looked around, trying to get an idea of where everyone was. He was dying to steal a kiss. The urge to pull her into him and show her exactly what he’d been feeling all night was so strong that at any moment he was going to burst at the seams. He could still taste the sweetness of her lips from earlier and wanted more of that.

“What would you like?” he asked her as they reached the bar. “Another cider?”

“Ummm, no, just a water. I want to keep a clear head.”

She smiled coyly at him, sending all sorts of dirty thoughts racing through his mind, making his dick twitch. Fuck, now he really wanted to kiss her. Among other things.

Wanting to keep a clear head—was that a clue? Should he be reading something into that? Try as he might, images of her naked, writhing underneath him took over his thoughts. The dress she was wearing gave him a glimpse of what he was sure were the world’s most perfect breasts as she danced, his hands aching to hold them, play with them. Every inch of him wanted to worship every inch of her. Show her exactly what she’d been holding out for.

But he could be patient. Yes, he wanted it to be tonight. There had been moments just like this one all evening that had made him think there was the potential. But if it wasn’t, that was fine. He would gladly settle for cuddling on the couch just as long as he was able to hold her against him.

Wait, settling wasn’t the right word. It wasn’t as if cuddling was a consolation prize. Nothing about Talia was a consolation. She was simply the prize.

“Two waters then.”

Dash winked, watching as a different flush crept up her cheeks. He liked knowing he had this kind of effect on her. It also made him wonder if she knew just how much of an effect she had on him. How just the thought of her made him hard. He was sure she didn’t, which just meant he had to show her.

“What is that look for?” she asked, sipping at her water. Wandering away from the bar, she slipped her hand into his again, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Do you know that you are amazingly cute, no matter what you are doing?”

“That is because you have not seen me first thing in the morning.”

“But I hope to,” he said, closing the distance between them. He needed to be careful; he didn’t know what eyes might be on them. They had agreed they were together, and they were here as a couple, and that was enough. There was something special about letting whatever this was develop on its own, without the outside world’s opinion. “Because I am sure you are still gorgeous.”

“You just want in my pants,” Talia quipped, taking another sip.

“That is not a secret, Bonita.”

Stepping in closer, until his body was all but flush with hers, Dash wrapped an arm around her waist, tilting his hips just enough so that she could feel the way his body reacted to her. Talia’s breath hitched, the soft sound barely audible over the loud music from the DJ. If it hadn’t been for her torso brushing against his, he wasn’t sure he would have caught it.

“Dash…” she whispered, eyes turning dark.

The need to kiss her surged inside him. He wasn’t sure that he could fight this anymore.

Fuck it…

“Talia…” he returned, leaning in.

“Hey you two! Everything good over here?”