Straddling The Line: Play-By-Play Book 8 Page 21

  “The rookie tight end?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’re having a barbecue because of Warrell Timmons? Why?”

  He looked up at her. “What?”

  “What does Warrell Timmons have to do with you hosting a barbecue?”

  “Oh. He has some chip-on-his-shoulder issues and they need to get knocked off.”

  “By inviting him to a barbecue.”

  “Well . . . yeah.”

  She blinked, not able to make the connection. It must be a guy thing. “Okay. So we don’t need to go buy food.”

  “No. But I need to figure out a way to make sure he and I spend some time together. I know how these events go. All the rookies will band together in a herd.”

  Haven leaned back in her chair, pondering how to make that not happen. “What about games?”

  He looked up from his phone. “Huh?”

  “You know. Games. Organize people into groups and play games. Forced proximity and bonding and all that.” Then it hit her. “Oh, like a scavenger hunt.”

  His lips curved. “That might be fun.”

  “It would be. You have the land here. And you can extend it beyond just indoors and on your property. There’s the nearby marina within walking distance. It would give you some bonding time with Timmons, too. Put people into groups of two or three.”

  “Yeah, me and Timmons, plus the wideouts. Groups of four.”

  “I can assign the groups and manage the hunt.”

  “You’d do that?”

  “Of course. It’ll be fun.”

  Now it was Trevor who wore the thoughtful look for a few minutes. “Okay, that’s doable. We’ll need prizes. I’ll offer up a fishing expedition for the winners.”

  “I’m sure they’d love that.”

  “I’ll make a call and get the prize arranged.”

  “And I’ll put together the teams. Do you know who’s coming?”

  “Not yet, but I’ll get it figured out. You might have to do the judging.”

  “That’s not a problem.”

  Now she was excited. She’d organized events like this for her sorority in college, but she hadn’t done so in a long time. She had no idea how receptive a bunch of football players would be, but she thought it was a great idea. And if team building was the objective, she couldn’t think of a better way to get it done than this.

  She was glad Trevor was on board with the idea.

  She spent the remainder of the day making up her list of items for the hunt, trying to keep everything football related, since that would be more fun for the team. She had to leave Trevor out of the setup since he’d be participating, so she went shopping, then put the list together, and the clues, and ran into town to make copies.

  “I brought burgers and fries.”

  She looked up, realizing it must have been hours later. Trevor was in the kitchen and she inhaled the smell of the food.

  “Oh, that smells really good.” She stuffed the sheets in the folder and came into the kitchen. “What time is it?”

  “Eight thirty. You were at that for a long time.”

  “It’s all organized now, though.”

  “Thanks for doing it. I hadn’t realized it was going to take so long. Sorry to put all that on you.”

  “Are you kidding? I’m having a blast. This is going to be fun.” She took the plate he offered. “At least it’s going to be fun for me. I hope it is for your teammates.”

  “Trust me. We’re all a bunch of kids. And we’re competitive. Everyone’s going to love this.”

  “Did you get the prize organized?”

  “I got several, actually. I did the deep-sea fishing expedition for the first-place winners, and gift cards for dinner out at some of the nice restaurants for second and third place.”

  “Awesome.”

  He handed her the gift certificate for the fishing expedition as well as the gift cards. “I’ll let you handle those.”

  “Okay.”

  They ate dinner. Haven didn’t realize how hungry she was until she’d devoured her dinner. She’d lost all track of time buying the items to hide as well as putting the clues and the lists together.

  “You got everything you need?” Trevor asked. “And you had enough money for the stuff?”

  “Plenty. You gave me several hundred dollars. Which reminds me, I put your change on the counter.”

  “That’s fine. I don’t suppose you want to show me the list in advance.”

  “No, I don’t. Surely you don’t want an early advantage in the game.”

  He grabbed her plate and got up from the table, a subtle smile on his face. “Would I do that?”

  “To gain an edge over your competitors? I’m sure you would. In fact, I think I’ll take all of my notes upstairs and hide them in my room.”

  She slid out of her chair and took her folder, dashed up to her room, and hid the folder in the closet, along with the bag of scavenger hunt items for tomorrow.

  When she came downstairs, Trevor was leaning against the counter. “So, I should sneak into your room tonight and rifle through your things?”

  She crossed her arms. “Do I really need to lock my door?”

  He laughed. “No. You’re safe, and so is the sanctity of your scavenger hunt.”

  “Good to know. You ready to get back to work?”

  “Come on. Let’s go out on the deck. We’ll have a beer and relax. You’ve done enough work today.”

  “I’ve still got some energy left.”

  “And it’s going to be a long day tomorrow. Turn it off for tonight.”

  “All right.”

  He grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator and they walked outside. The night was warm, but there was a breeze coming in off the water. The moon was nearly full, casting a bright light on the deck. They pulled up chairs and Haven took a seat, then a long draw of the beer Trevor handed her.

  It felt good to relax and enjoy the view of the water. Trevor seemed at ease. Then again, when didn’t he? With as much as he had going on, he never seemed nervous or anxious.

  “I like your life,” she said.

  He turned his head to look at her. “Yeah? What about it?”

  “I don’t know. It’s just so . . . relaxing. You always seem so calm.”

  He laughed. “Not always. Tonight it is. I guess I just don’t let things get to me.”

  She leaned back and took another swallow of her beer, studying him. “But how do you manage that? I don’t know that I could juggle two different careers like you do and not be stressed about it.”

  He shrugged. “I’m used to it. I’ve been doing it for years. It gets a little hectic at times, like now, when I’m making the transition, and sometimes I feel like I need to pull out of baseball early and start the football season at the beginning. It’s always a juggling act. I feel that pull, you know?”

  She filed that comment away to jot down. “Then why do both, Trevor? You’ve been at this for seven years now. Isn’t it time to give one up?”

  “Why would I do that, when I still enjoy playing both sports? And how could I choose which one to play?”

  “You do realize at some point you’re going to have to make a choice.”

  “Why?”

  She could tell by the look on his face and the sincerity in his voice that he really believed he could continue to play both sports. “I don’t know. Because playing sports is tough on a body. And you’re getting up there in age.”

  He laughed. “Now you sound like my competition.”

  “You’re going to be . . . what? Thirty this year?” She took a swallow of beer and set the bottle down on the table.

  “I am. Do I look like I’m slowing down?”

  “Not really.”

  “I could bench press you, Miss Briscoe.” He squinted, as if guessing her weight.

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  He stood and came over, scooping her out of the chair before she could even object.

&nb
sp; “God, you’re light.”

  “Trevor, seriously. Put me down.”

  “What do you weigh? Like a hundred pounds?”

  “Uh, more than that.”

  “I could probably press you over my head.” He started to lift her higher.

  “Let’s not.” She laid her palm on his chest. “Please put me down. I get your point. You’re strong. It’s obvious from looking at your muscles that you take good care of your body.”

  He set her feet on the ground, but didn’t let go of her. “So, you’ve been looking at my body, huh?”

  She rolled her eyes and pushed at him. “You know I do. But purely from a . . . research perspective.”

  “Uh-huh. I’ve been looking at your body, too. And not at all from a research perspective.”

  “And here we are working together. You’re being very unprofessional.”

  “This shouldn’t surprise you.”

  He carried her through the doors and up the stairs.

  “You could put me down,” she said.

  He looked down at her. “Why would I do that?”

  “Because I’m heavy?”

  He laughed and continued up, bypassing her room. “Now you’re insulting me.” He pushed open the door to his room, then set her on the bed, climbing on top of her. “You think you’re too heavy for me to carry up the stairs?”

  “I didn’t exactly say that.”

  “You implied. Should we get into that bench-pressing discussion and my age again?”

  “Fine. Though I think you do that to change the topic.”

  He pulled off her capris, then her underwear, nuzzling her inner thigh with his lips. “Speaking of changing the subject . . .”

  He was very distracting, and when he put his mouth on her sex, whatever they’d been discussing dissolved in a puddle of desire. She lifted, reaching for his head, tangling her fingers in his hair while he plied her senseless with his amazing tongue and mouth. She was on the very brink of orgasm when he suddenly stopped.

  She lifted up on her elbows, dazed with desire, her pussy throbbing as she watched him drop his shorts and climb onto his knees.

  “Now suck me.”

  Shuddering, she put her mouth around him as he fed his cock between her lips.

  “I love watching your mouth work, Haven, the way you wrap your tongue around the head of my cock and suck me hard.”

  She loved the way his voice went deep when she gave him pleasure. And when he dipped his fingers where his mouth had been, rubbing her clit as she sucked him, she wasn’t sure which of them was going to come first.

  But then he pulled his cock out of her mouth, leaving her wanting more of the salty taste of him in her mouth.

  Until he climbed down between her legs again, picking up where he’d left off before, this time tucking two fingers inside of her to go with the delicious sensations of his tongue and lips over her clit.

  The delay had only heightened her desire. She was going to come this time, and nothing was going to stop it. She could feel every fiber, every nerve ending pulse and tingle as her orgasm rushed through her body. She lifted her hips against his face and let out a cry of pleasure that made even her legs tremble as she came with a wild burst, then wave after wave of sensation. And through it all, Trevor continued to pump his fingers in and out of her, driving that sensation even higher, prolonging her climax until she dropped her hips to the bed, completely satiated.

  Only then did he pull his fingers from her, lick them clean, and once again move to her head, cradling it in his hand as he fed his cock to her.

  She wanted to give him the same pleasure he’d given her. Despite her body still trembling with the aftereffects of that amazing orgasm, she took his cock in her hands and stroked him while she licked and sucked the wide, soft head, then took him wholly in her mouth.

  “Oh, fuck,” he said, driving his cock deeper in her mouth. She took hold of him, squeezing the base, cradling his balls and giving them a gentle massage before pulling back, rolling her tongue across his shaft.

  She loved the look on his face, the way his breathing quickened, letting her know she was giving him the ultimate in pleasure. She wanted to make this good for him, as good as what he’d given her. She flattened her tongue against the head of his cock, then swirled around the crest before covering her lips over his cockhead and sucking him in, inch by slow inch, giving him harder pressure now.

  “That’s going to make me come, babe,” he said, pulling out, then thrusting his cock into her mouth faster and faster.

  She wanted this, wanted him to explode just as she had.

  She flicked her tongue across the head, then clamped down on his cock and gave him the suction he needed. He groaned and said the sweetest word in the softest voice, so incongruent with this shattering moment.

  “Haven.”

  He cupped the back of her head, releasing a hot spurt of come onto her tongue. She swallowed as he emptied into her mouth.

  She felt his whole body shake with his orgasm.

  She knew how that felt, that amazing flood of release that catapulted you to another place. She held tight to him, letting him shudder through it, licking his cock until it went soft before she released him.

  He dropped down beside her, cupping her face in his hands to kiss her.

  They rolled over on their backs and stared up at the ceiling.

  “Okay, now I might be a little out of breath. But I think my brains also might be leaking out of my ears.”

  She laughed. “That good, huh?”

  “Yeah. That good.”

  She flipped over on her side and rested her head in her hand, content to just look at him. He really was an amazingly beautiful man. If she could go back in time and tell her younger self that she’d be here in bed naked with Trevor Shay, her younger self would laugh at her and tell her there was no way in hell that was ever going to happen, because Trevor was way out of her league.

  Yet, here she was. And Trevor seemed . . . content. Happy. No mention of other girls or a desire to be with anyone else.

  What did that mean?

  Probably nothing. But he’d been so sweet to her this whole time, as if she were the only one who mattered to him.

  God knew he mattered to her. She was his for the duration of this assignment.

  After that, he’d move on. She knew he would. They had said no words of commitment to each other. He’d go do his thing, and so would she. She’d do well to remember that he wasn’t a relationship kind of guy. And she had a career path to think about.

  But for now, she sure was having fun.

  TWENTY-NINE

  IT HAD BEEN A BUSY DAY, AND EVEN THOUGH HAVEN hadn’t gone to practice with Trevor, she’d been occupied preparing for the scavenger hunt tonight. All the items had been sufficiently hidden. She’d noted all of their whereabouts and updated her master list. Now all that was left was the party tonight, which she hoped was as fun as she thought it was going to be.

  It was almost a shame she was going to be in charge of the scavenger hunt, and unable to take part in it, because she would have loved to play side by side with Trevor. But she still intended to have a great time managing the festivities.

  The caterers were setting up in the expansive dining room, as well as the breakfast bar in the kitchen. An extremely competent staff of four people who clearly knew what they were doing put up tables and covered Trevor’s dining room table to serve the food. Trevor also informed her he was going to have bar service.

  Bar service. Sure . . . why not?

  This was so far outside the realm of her life, but hey, at least it made for interesting observations about his.

  He threw impromptu parties for his teammates. And, he’d explained to her, because the rookie tight end had some kind of attitude issue.

  She couldn’t quite make the connection between the rookie’s problem and inviting him to a party.

  Maybe that was a guy thing. If it were her and one of her coworkers was copping ’t
ude, she’d ignore them. Or tell them to fuck off.

  But that was her, and in her world, things were obviously different.

  Men were certainly different. She’d showered after her day of running around, curled her hair and done her makeup, then put on a sundress and sandals. Though why she was primping she had no idea. Especially since she came downstairs and saw Trevor in a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt, which showcased his awesome arms. Once again, his body took center stage.

  The guy was ripped. She was going to have to quit ogling all the photos she’d taken of him. It was kind of obsessive, in a weird stalker-girlfriend kind of way.

  She laughed at herself.

  “You’re all dressed up,” he said as he looked up and smiled at her. “You look beautiful.”

  Okay, worth the compliment, though it shouldn’t matter to her. “Thank you. Obviously, considering how you’re dressed, this is very low-key.”

  “Very. The guys know not to dress up, but you’ll see some of the women dressed like you.”

  “Is that right.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And there will be actual women here?” She’d gone over the list of attendees with him, and he’d given her names of couples, so she hoped he wasn’t wrong about that.

  “Promise. Most of the guys will bring wives or girlfriends. Unless they’re not seeing anyone.”

  “Okay.” Not that she cared. In the sportscasting world, she’d have to get used to being around athletes, and a lot of those athletes were going to be men.

  “Which, I guess, makes you my date for the night.”

  She felt a little flutter in the vicinity of her stomach. “I’m not your date. I’m a sports reporter, remember?”

  He leaned in, and she caught his just-showered scent. Resisting the urge to breathe deeply, she took a step back. She had to act like a professional tonight. Not Trevor’s girlfriend.

  “Can’t you be both?”

  She wanted to be. “I don’t know, Trevor. I think we have to maintain a separation.”

  “We’ll be co-hosts of the party tonight. I’ll introduce you to the guys on the team. I’ve already told them about the story you’re doing. You can grill them about me.”

  She couldn’t really object to that. “That works.”