She did, bracing against the side of the shower when he leaned forward, his tongue snaking out to lick along the folds of her pu**y. She tilted her head back and let the water fall over her face and hair, the heat and steam only adding to the pressure building deep inside her as Mick sucked on her clit.
She gasped when he slid his tongue inside her. He raised her leg and rested it over his shoulder, opening her further to him.
“Smooth, sweet, so soft here. He slipped a finger inside her, f**king her with gentle strokes while he lazily drew circles around her clit with his tongue.
It was the soft and easy that took her right to the edge—and over, shocking her that it was so quick. She gasped when she came, rocking against him while he held tight to her, making sure she wouldn’t fall as she rode out a delicious orgasm.
Mick stood and reached outside the door for a condom, then wrapped her leg around his hip as he shoved inside her, pushing her against the wall of the shower. He raised her hands above her head and bent to lick at her ni**les.
Now it was a matter of passionate hunger, and she reveled in it.
“Kiss me,” she demanded, and he lifted his head, took her mouth in a blistering kiss, ratcheting up her desire to unbearable levels as he shoved into her with deep, penetrating thrusts.
He rolled his hips over her, grinding against her over and over until she was coming again, crying out as she exploded with sensation. He let go of her arms and lifted her, kissing her with everything he had as he let go with an intimate look that melted her. She drank in his groans and held tight to him while he shuddered against her, his fingers digging so hard into her bu**ocks she knew they’d leave marks, but she didn’t care.
The water had started to cool by the time he released her, and she was still quaking inside from the force of both her orgasm and his.
Mick reached over and turned the water off, grabbed towels for both of them. They dried off and climbed into bed. Mick pulled her against him, sweeping her damp hair to the side to kiss the nape of her neck.
Tara closed her eyes and tried to shut off the emotion that being with Mick always brought forth.
It was just sex. Just sex and nothing more.
Maybe if she kept telling herself that over and over and over again, she’d buy into it and keep the realization that she had fallen head over heels love with him at bay. Because that notion kept cropping up all the damn time, and the more she tried to push it away, the more it appeared.
She was afraid it was too late to make it disappear, despite her best intentions to talk herself out of it happening.
SEVENTEEN
“I NEED YOU TO GO TO A MOVIE PREMIERE.”
Mick had just had one of the most grueling workouts of his life. The last thing he needed to see when he walked off the field was Liz, looking fresh-faced, not a hair out of place, and like a tiger ready to pounce.
He wheezed in a breath of oxygen and blew it out, then sat on the bench and grabbed one of the bottles from the assistants passing by. “Why?”
She cocked her head to the side and gave him a look. “You know why. Season will be starting up soon. I need your face front and center on magazine covers.”
He gulped down half the bottle, then lifted his gaze to her. “What’s the movie?”
She grinned. “It’s an action flick. The new one with Matt Larson.”
“When?”
“Wednesday night.”
Mick nodded and grabbed for his towel. “I’ll check with Tara and see what her schedule looks like.”
“Whoa. I don’t think so.”
He looked up at her. “What?”
“You’ll be attending the premiere with Valisha Staniskowa, the hot beauty gracing the cover of the swimsuit edition.”
He stood and faced her. “No.”
She arched a brow. “Excuse me?”
“I said, no. I’ll try to get to the movie premiere if you think it’ll help PR. But I’ll be going with Tara. And any future events you want to plan will be with Tara as my date.”
Liz let out a laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me. She’s a nobody.”
“She’s not a nobody to me, Elizabeth. She’s someone I care about.”
“What does that have to do with anything? I’m only talking about promotional appearances that are a benefit to your career. Appearing with Tara at these events is of no benefit to you.”
He was in no mood for this, and Liz either didn’t get it or was too stubborn to see things his way. Either way he wasn’t going to budge. “I’m only going to say this one more time, so be sure to listen. I’m not going to do these events without Tara anymore. I care about her, and I don’t want to be seen in public with other women. Got it?”
She raised her hands. “Got it. Geez, you don’t have to bop me over the head with it. We’ll do something different then. You have a game this weekend, and the team barbecue is after the game. Invite Tara. She can meet the wives and girlfriends. And it’s a nice photo up. We’ll play that up and make sure cameras are in place to take your picture.”
When he gave her a look, she added, “With Tara.”
“Fine. Whatever you want.” He grabbed his helmet and headed off to the shower, wondering when his life had gotten so damn complicated. He had enough to worry about with his first preseason game coming up this weekend. He used to ease into these games with the zeal of a kid—no worries. But since he turned thirty and the bloodthirsty wolves of youth and vigor had started hounding his heels, every step he took had to be a careful calculation, and this time he had to put it all on the field. Management told him he was on solid footing and he was still their franchise player, but he knew that didn’t mean shit if he got hurt or his performance this season didn’t rack up the numbers.
And then there was Tara. How could something that had started out so lighthearted and fun and had just been sex turn into something serious?
He stood in front of his locker to get dressed and wondered what the hell he was going to do about that. He didn’t do serious relationships. Hell, he didn’t do relationships with women. He dated them. He f**ked them. He had fun with them. Then they went one way and he went another. His career—the love of his life—was football. Always had been, and he assumed it always would be. Oh, he figured he might settle down one of these days, after his football career was over and he had the time and attention to focus on a woman.