Light flurries fell from the sky, my headlights hitting them directly and making them look like cold little fireflies. I kept both hands on the wheel despite the aggressive urge to grip Lorelei’s thigh the entire ride home. After the run-in with the deer, I wanted us safe.
Plus… there was no guarantee what I’d do once I touched her again.
“God, she is the best.” Lorelei laughed against her fist, the trill of her amusement filling the silence in a fun twinkle. She snorted a few more times, her fingers moving over her phone fast before she stared up at me. “Dude, this video has thousands of likes already.”
“You posted it?”
“Sure did. Added a viral song in the background, and a few filters that were trending, and hashtagged it up. She is a hit.” She leaned back in the seat, hugged the phone to her chest, and let out a squeal. “This is the most fun I have ever had.”
“What is?” My chest got that funny feeling again, like the time I downed too many cheese fries at three in the morning. Did she mean… me?
“This whole experience with your grandma and the adventures of getting up there. I know this will be difficult for you to relate to as football is your life, but soccer isn’t who I am, just a part of me. I love it. I’ve always loved it. But there was no thought of playing beyond college. But marketing? Creating campaigns and meeting people? Doing good? This fulfills a part of me I didn’t know I had. I wake up excited to try new things and explore ideas. I know this is for an internship, but I think… this helped me figure out what I want to do in my life.”
“And what is that, Lo?”
“I want to do promotions with genuine, real people for good causes. No fake bullshit, no lying, no politicians. Yikes.” She cringed and made a gagging sound. “Anything but them.”
“So, you found your next steps.”
“Yes. I didn’t know they were missing, per se, but they weren’t solid, and it feels… settled. Good. Calming, in a way. You have football and the NFL, and Dean too plans to go pro, and even my girl Mack wants to stay in soccer, but this feels more me.”
I couldn’t stop myself. I patted her thigh, squeezing above her knee in a way I hope conveyed my support. “Good on you.”
“Yeah. Good on me.” She smiled, her nose scrunched and her joy almost tangible around her. “Oh, and would you believe the audacity of this bitch?”
“Eric? What did he say?”
“Oh, I meant my brother, but shit. I forgot to read his text.”
“Read it.”
“That was a little aggressive with that tone, Monroe. A little bossy.” She smirked, a twinkle catching her eye before I moved my hand up her thigh. “Oh, is this one of those things where you punish me?”
“Wait, what?” My mouth fell open. “Punish?”
“Did you ever play that game in high school? A dude would put his hands here and go up slowly if the girl didn’t want to answer the question? Something like that? The guy who went the furthest won?”
I wanna play. “Um, did you ever play?”
“No. I never got a chance to because feelings—”
“Let’s do this.”
“You’re driving.”
“The snow let up, and I’ll be safe, I promise.” I cleared my throat, my cock already hardening at the thought of teasing her. “Be a good girl and slide your pants down, Lorelei.”
Her breathing picked up, and she let out the tiniest little sigh as she did as I asked. I wanted to eat that sigh. “So how does this work? I ask a question, and if you don’t answer, I move up your thigh?”
“Yes.”
I glanced over at her. Her thighs were spread out, but her shirt covered her pussy, so I didn’t know what color panties she had on. “What color panties are you wearing?”
“Is that a question?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want to say.”
Fuck. Hot. I slid my fingers up a few inches, my pulse racing like there were two seconds on the clock and the game came down to a field goal.
“What did Eric’s text say?”
“You want to ask me that with your fingers an inch away of discovering if I’m wearing panties or not?”
“You’re not…” I swallowed, hard. “You don’t have any on?”
“I’m not answering that.”
“Goddamn it, Lo.” I moved my finger up more, my knuckles grazing the outside of her bare pussy. I sucked in a breath. “Dangerous. You are a dangerous woman.”
She grinned at me. “Remember that.”
I growled, quickly grazing her clit with my finger. She groaned and rocked against it, but I stopped. “The text. What did he say?”
“That he wants to talk, apologize.”
There were no cars coming down the interstate, and thank god for that. It was nothing but us, my truck, and my headlights on the road, and I had half a mind to pull over and lick her entire body right now. The squirming, the roughness to her voice, the fact she didn’t wear goddamn panties. She had me twisted up.
“And what did you respond back?”
She sucked in a breath, her hand coming down and gripping my forearm. “I don’t want to answer.”
“Mm are you keeping things from me, or are you greedy?”
“I don’t want to answer.”
“That’s two moves I get, right?”
My cock physically hurt with how turned on I was. I ran my thumb over her clit before swirling it until she groaned. Then I stopped. “That was one.”
“This game sucks.”
“I’m quite fond of it.”
She snickered as I dipped a finger into her, teasing, then pulled out.
“Fuck.” She hissed. “How far until we’re home?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“I won’t last that long, not like this.”
“Yes you will, baby. I won’t give you a choice.” I then took the finger that was just inside her and sucked it in my mouth. “Filthy.”
She shuddered and gasped my name.
“New rules.” I returned my hand to her. “If you don’t respond to my question, I take my fingers away. How about that?”
“Is this some sexy torture?”
“It is now. I want answers, Lo.”
Adjusting my grip on the wheel with my other hand, I continued slowly teasing her while I prepared my question. “Why didn’t you ever play this game?”
“Um.” She squirmed against my finger. “Don’t you stop, I’m answering.”
“Can’t hear you.”
“Feelings and sex are… hard for me to separate.”
“Mm, how so?” I pinched right where she needed it, and she threw her head back against the seat. Her throaty sounds were better than a sports highlight.
“I never… hooked up with someone I wasn’t with.”
“Why?” Did that mean she didn’t want to continue this because we weren’t together?
“Trust, I think.”
“Do you trust me, Lorelei?” I went harder, faster, bringing her to the brink. She gripped the armrests, and her face twisted in pleasure. “Answer me.”
“Yes, Luca. Please.”
I gave her what she needed, and she fell apart on my hand. Gripping my forearm, she bucked and moaned as my cock fucking throbbed. Pre-come spread through my pants, but I didn’t care. Lorelei screamed out her orgasm in my car, next to me, on the road, and I couldn’t imagine a sexier image to remain in my head forever.
I let her ride my hand, giving her what she required before she stilled. “You’re fucking hot when you come on me.”
“Your mouth, Luca. I swear to god.” She laughed and rested her forehead on the window. Her breathing came out heavy, almost like mine, like the orgasm took everything from her. “You talk filthy like this on the field too?”
“No. Just to you.”
“Well shit, you’re making me feel special now.” She pulled up her pants and adjusted them to look normal. Besides the slight heavy panting, no one would know I’d made her orgasm with just my fingers. Pride filled me.
“Good.”
She snorted, the sound pleasant and familiar. ”You can tell me I’m a good girl who comes on your fingers without issue, yet you’re all one-word syllables everywhere else?”
“Forgive me, Lo, my cock is hard as a rock, and I want you to sit on my face the second we get home. All my words are used up.”
She popped her lips, clapped her hands twice, and nodded. “Alrighty then. Drive faster.”
“There’s a fucking party?” Lorelei stared out the window, groaning as people flooded our front lawn. The living room door was wide open, groups spilling out. “Dean said he was having some people over. People. People is like ten max. This is…”
“More than ten, yeah.” I ran my hand over my jaw, my muscles tensing. I wasn’t against parties on nights off, but Dean usually let me know. Fuck. Did he and I missed it? I pulled my pocket from the charging spot and winced. Sure enough, there were texts from them an hour ago.
Dean: I need a distraction. Can we party tonight? I’ll clean up tomorrow.
Oliver: I’m in.
Callum: If I ever say no, know I’ve been taken
Dean: Luca, that cool with you? I’ll block off your hall.
“Are you alright with it?” Lorelei asked me, her voice small. “I can see if Dean will kick people out if it’s too much. I know—”
“You’re worried about me.”
“Well yes. It’s not a game night.” She ran her teeth over her bottom lip, concern etching itself all over her face. Her nose wrinkled, and the line between her brows dipped. Her wild hair cascaded over her shoulders.
“I was worried about you.” I played with the ends of her hair, the same tight feeling in my chest expanding. I stretched well yesterday so there was no reason to be sore, but the sensation wasn’t pleasant. Rubbing my hand over it, I cleared my throat. “Seeing you worry about me… it makes me want to kiss you.”
And be with her despite football and Dean and my future.
“Yeah?” She arched a brow. “Then you better find me. In there. But be careful.” She leaned over the console, nipped my bottom lip, and dove out of the car before I could stop her.
“Hey, Lo! Wait!”
She winked, and goddamn it, that little gesture should’ve been the final clue that I was so fucking fucked. I parked the truck in a daze, still horny from making her come but also dizzy with how much she cared about people. From her brother to her team to my grandma to me… her heart had to be ten times bigger than mine.
She couldn’t separate feelings and sex because of trust. That meant she trusted me. That came with additional guilt because no matter what happened, I’d always pick football. She knew that. Accepted it. But what did she trust me with then? Her heart?
Stop using your excuses, idiot. I ignored the intrusive thought, damn well aware I was leaning on the football defense because it was easy. Letting her in meant I could get hurt again. I knew what I felt like to be left behind. Why the hell would I put myself in a position to give someone that power? My parents had crushed me. This was no different.
“She has that effect on people.” Dean leaned against the back porch, his hands in his hoodie pocket. I jumped, not aware my teammate could see me.
What if I kissed his sister? In front of him?
For the first time in years, the thought of breaking my own code seemed like a good option. Would he really tackle me in front of everyone? No.
I studied his expression, my reactions based on his offense here. He didn’t seem mad, curious almost. “What do you mean?”
“My sister.” He smiled, shaking his head as he stared off toward the back alley where we stored the trash. “We give each other crap a lot, but she’s one of my favorite people ever. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”
“You’re both lucky.” I pocketed my hands, my stomach downright caving in on itself. Did he know? Was he guessing? Was this a warning?
“I feel that way about you too, you know.” He rocked back on his heels, his gaze slicing into me.
“What are you trying to say?” Shit. Shit. I didn’t want to hash this out even though I wanted Lo desperately. If we talked about this—that meant I had to be honest with her and try, something that terrified me. Giving someone the opportunity to hold my heart in their hands.
“I never thought I had to worry about you. Callum? Yes. Oliver? Sure. But Luca Monroe? Never.” He ran a hand down his face, groaning. “Fuck.”
Some people panicked in a fight or flight moment but never me. My gaze became heightened, my focus better. The sounds of cars miles away faded, and every hint of expression on his face was a clue. His eyes were a bit lazy, like he’d been drinking. He said he wanted a distraction, so he hosted a party on a night that wasn’t a game.
Did he need a distraction from this, or was something else going on?
“What exactly do you think happened?”
“You and Lorelei?”
“Again, what do you think happened? You’re insinuating shit and talking in circles, but you’re not actually accusing me of anything. You told me recently you were glad she made me happy since we’ve been friends.”
“You both got out of your car.”
“Yeah, because we drove to see my grandma together, like we’ve done a handful of times for her project. She needs to kick her ex’s ass, and she’s helping out my family in the process.” My pulse raced.
“Wait, what about this ex?”
I held up my hands. “You can’t sit there and ask me questions about your sister when you clearly aren’t in the right headspace. Something’s wrong, I can feel it. If you wanna talk about it, I’m game. If not, that’s okay too. What do you need?”
Dean closed his eyes and pulled the ends of his hair before meeting my eyes. “I want to play beer pong and not talk about a goddamn meaningful thing.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”
“You’re the best type of person, Luca. I’m sorry I accused you of anything. God, I’m a dick. You’d never do that to me.” Dean leaned in for a bro hug, and I swallowed down the lie and guilt.
He needed me. I just hoped Lorelei understood why I bailed on her for the night.
