“True,” I giggle, bringing him to me, and kissing his lips softly, being careful not to leave any red evidence on his skin. “I love you, Knox,” I breathe against his soft lips.

  “And I love you, sunshine,” he smiles against me before fingering my necklace again.

  “Thank you again for everything.” I touch the charm between my breasts and smile. “It meant so much to me to wear your number tonight knowing you asked me to.”

  “Not as much as it meant to me. I know I see my number in the stands all the time with fans wearing my jersey, but it’s not the same as seeing you wear it. I’ve never felt anyone on the ice with me since my mom sat in the stands cheering me on.” He brushes back my hair and looks at me with such love in his eyes that I feel it deep inside my soul. “Not until you,” he says softly.

  “I’ll always be that person for you.” I reach up and palm the side of his face as he covers my hand and kisses the underside.

  “You were always meant to be. I just needed to believe I could be that for you.”

  “And do you? Believe that now?”

  “You make it damn hard for me not to when you look at me like I am. Either way, I got a taste of you now, and the selfish bastard in me would have stayed and ruined you anyway,” he grins before slowly sliding out and setting me gently on the ground.

  “I’m not complaining,” I laugh, adjusting my clothes and smoothing down my skirt as he fixes his pants. “What did you tell them when you left?”

  “I just told them I saw someone I knew and wanted to say hi. Thought it could buy me more time than saying I had to use the restroom.”

  “Smart thinking,” I grin as he opens the door and peers out.

  “Coast is clear,” he says, reaching back for my hand and stepping out into the hallway.

  He shuts the door behind him, and I reluctantly drop his hand.

  “I guess I’ll go back first, and you can join me in a second.”

  He nods his head and stuffs his hands in his pockets.

  “This is the last time I’m doing this, Sav,” he shakes his head with a frown. “I hate hiding that we are together.”

  “I know. Me too,” I sigh. “Olivia said that she and Miles are free on Tuesday, so we’ll tell them then. Next game, you can shout it from the rooftops if you want to. I’m all yours.”

  “Good. I just might do that,” he grins as I walk backwards and give him a little wave before I disappear around the corner.

  When I arrive at the table, our food is being delivered, so I easily slip into my seat undetected as everyone is preparing to eat.

  “Everything okay at work?” Miles glances up as I unfold my napkin.

  “All good. Dr. Matthews says hello to everyone,” I smile as I begin to assemble my fajita.

  Knox arrives then and takes a seat.

  “Good. The food is here. I’m starving,” he says, reaching for his utensils.

  “I bet,” Lyla laughs. “You must burn thousands of calories during a game.”

  “Looks like he might have burned a little more,” Jake chuckles. “The friend you went over to see left a little lipstick on your collar.”

  I choke on my food and reach for my drink to clear my throat.

  “What?” Knox pulls his collar out to take a look, and I see the small red stain on his white shirt.

  Dammit, I thought I was careful.

  Miles glances at his shirt and frowns before looking back at me and then at Knox again. I fidget in my seat, and Knox’s hand finds my thigh under the table again, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

  Panicking that Miles might be catching on and not wanting to create a scene in the restaurant, I roll my eyes and look irritated.

  “Hope you at least washed your hands before sitting down next to me,” I say, with fake disgust.

  Knox turns to me and, to anyone else, you would have a hard time reading him, but I read him loud and clear…

  Are you fucking kidding me right now? …reads like a neon sign to me.

  His fingers tighten into my flesh before slowly relaxing again.

  “Now, why would I wash away my dessert, sunshine? That’s the best part of any meal,” he smirks, causing Jake to chuckle.

  I hear Olivia stifle a laugh, and I shoot my eyes to her. I’m sure her and Lyla have figured out our little encounter and are finding this all too amusing.

  “You’re disgusting,” I mutter under my breath, hoping I’m doing a good enough job to convince Miles.

  I glance at my brother, and he’s still studying us, which is making me even more nervous.

  “I’ve been called worse,” Knox chuckles, taking a bite of his food. “How’s the new band you hired coming along?” He turns his head in Miles’s direction, and I breathe a sigh of relief when the distraction works.

  “They are doing great.” Miles’s eyes light up at the mention of music. “I’ve been working with them, and I think they have a good shot at getting signed on with a label.”

  I tune him out as he excitedly talks about the band and what they’ve been working on.

  “Wash your hands?” Knox says quietly, as he takes a drink and focuses his eyes on the conversation.

  “I panicked under pressure,” I whisper back, taking a big drink of my margarita.

  “For the record, I didn’t wash my hands because it’s you I fucking want to smell on my fingers,” he breathes under his breath.

  I stifle a giggle and feel his thumb rub my thigh. I love how he has to have constant contact. Putting my hand over his, I link our fingers together and hold him under the table.

  Thankfully, the dinner goes smoothly for the next hour before we finally walk back to our cars.

  “Did you drive here?” Knox asks as we approach my brothers’ vehicles, and they get busy putting the children in their seats.

  “No, Jake and Lyla picked me up.”

  “Do you need a ride back?” Jake asks, shutting the door to the kids and walking over to us.

  “I’ve got her,” Knox says. “I’m not going out tonight, so I might as well take the brat home since we are headed to the same place.”

  “Brat?” I arch my eyebrows, and Knox just grins.

  “You are a brat,” Jake adds before giving me a hug. “But I still love you anyway.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I mutter.

  When we are finally alone after the last goodbye, I sigh deeply as we watch both vehicles drive away.

  “God, I feel like I just ran a marathon. Lying and pretending to everyone is exhausting.”

  “You’re telling me. I’m apparently a disgusting man-whore.”

  “And I’m a brat,” I add with a laugh. “And before me, you were a disgusting man-whore.”

  “Ouch,” he chuckles, taking my hand and leading us to his vehicle.

  Opening the door for me, I sink into the black leather seats and watch him walk over to the driver’s side and get in.

  Revving the engine to life, I glance at him as he expertly whips us around the parking lot before heading in the direction of home.

  “Do you miss it?” I ask, watching him concentrate on the road.

  “Miss what?” He glances at me before focusing on the drive again.

  “The girls. You know…the different varieties. Having someone new in each city you play in…the excitement of the chase…”

  “I never had to chase,” he grins smugly at me, and I smack his arm.

  “Ow,” he chuckles before taking my hand. “No, I don’t miss it. Not for one second.”

  “I guess I just worry that you will get bored one day.”

  “With you?” He laughs. “Trust me when I tell you that I will never be bored of you. You’re all I want and need.”

  “I just know how persuasive some of your fans can be, and you have a lot who want you.” I chew on my bottom lip and hate how my mind wants to wander to the what-ifs sometimes.

  Reaching over, his thumb releases my lip before taking my hand again.

  “I’m not going to lie to you. There will always be some who will try. I’ve seen teammates with rings on their fingers and a family who get approached. It doesn’t stop them from trying.”

  “I figured as much,” I sigh, looking out the window. It’s not that I don’t trust Knox to be faithful. I know him and how loyal he is. It’s the girls I don’t trust, and how far they are willing to go to try to get his attention.

  “But they’re not you, sunshine.” He turns his head and meets my eye briefly before turning back to the road. “They can try all they want, but nobody has ever made me feel the way you do. A random fuck isn’t going to tempt me. How could it when I’m obsessing over you twenty-four seven?” He grins that sexy smile that few ever get to see.

  “Obsessing, huh? I guess that’s what makes a good stalker,” I tease as my eyes dance with laughter.

  “When I commit to something, half-ass isn’t an option,” he chuckles. “I go all in—balls deep, which is why you will never have to worry about my commitment to you.”

  “I like you balls deep,” I grin before reaching for my purse and looking through the contents for what I need.

  “That makes two of us,” he laughs.

  I flip the visor down, and the small light turns on as I remove the lid to my lipstick and begin reapplying it.

  “Going on a date that I don’t know about? We’re almost home,” he says, turning onto our street and glancing at me as I pucker my lips until they are fully cherry red.

  “I have a promise to keep. Someone scored a goal tonight, and if I remember correctly, that means I’m about to find out if red is a good color on you,” I grin cheekily as he pulls into the driveway and enters the garage.

  “I can tell you with certainty that red is most definitely going to look good on me.”

  His blue eyes are trained on me as I finger the twenty-two charm and lick my bottom lip seductively. The sexual tension in the car suddenly goes from fifty to a hundred as the engine goes silent, leaving only the sound of our breaths to be heard.

  “I guess we’ll find out,” I say, quickly getting out of the car and scrambling up the stairs and into the house. I run into my bathroom and lock the door, knowing he won’t be far behind.

  Grinning, I pick up his jersey that I left on the bathroom counter for this exact moment that I’ve been planning all along for when we got home.

  Removing my clothes, I slip on the jersey and beam in the mirror before turning and looking at his number on the back.

  “Hiding from me, sunshine?” His smooth voice filters through the door, clutching my insides with anticipation.

  “And if I am?” I giggle, feeling like a kid who just walked into a candy store.

  “Then I’ll have to break down this door,” he replies with an edge of sin to his words as they wrap deliciously around me. “Nothing is going to stop me from getting to you.”

  “I need my door,” I laugh. “I’m coming out, but first you have to stand by the bed, and close your eyes.”

  “Close my eyes?”

  “Yes, just do it,” I say, putting my hand on the doorknob. “Are your eyes closed?” I ask before coming out.

  “Yes. For the love of God, hurry up and get out here,” he mutters.

  “You know, for someone who loves to edge me and make me wait, you sure are impatient.”

  “That’s because I’m in control of the waiting. You painted your lips in front of me, put images in my head that would make the devil blush, and then disappeared, leaving me with a massive, swollen cock that’s begging to feel you. Without control and being able to see and touch you, I do have zero patience.”

  I feel the intense heat coming from the other side of the door as it seeps through the wood and wraps around me.

  “Come out, sunshine. It’s time to make good on your promise.”

  THIRTY-FOUR

  KNOX

  I hear the lock click and the knob turn as blood rushes quickly through my veins. Something tells me I’m no longer in control anyway, feeling my body already responding to her as she comes closer.

  “You can open your eyes now,” she says softly as I blink them open.

  What little control I had left leaves my body as I stare at this dark-haired beauty wearing my jersey.

  My jersey.

  “Turn around,” I say hoarsely, wanting to see it from every angle on her.

  She does what I ask, and I get harder. Piling her hair up with one hand, she looks over her shoulder at me as I take in my name and number on her body.

  I knew it would do something to me to see her in my jersey, but I had no idea it would feel like this. It’s a pull like I’ve never known before and a need that I feel deep in my bones to do whatever it takes to protect and keep her mine until the last breath leaves my body.

  As she moves towards me, my eyes darken when she drops to her knees in front of me. Her tongue swipes across her full, painted lips, and the sight of her kneeling wearing my jersey will be a sight I will forever have branded in my mind.

  “Every time I wear your jersey, I want you to remember this moment,” she says, running her hands up my legs and unbuckling my pants, letting them drop to the floor as I step out of them.

  She skims up my body again and stands to unbutton my dress shirt, leaving the outline of her red lips on my heart before her fingers skim the waistband of my boxer briefs, setting me free.

  I suck in a breath as she bends down and swipes her tongue along my tip, leaving a trail of red behind as her lips graze my skin.

  “Fuck,” I rasp, feeling on the brink of losing myself.

  Fisting her hair in my hand so I don’t miss a moment of her lips on me, I watch her kneel again and take me deep.

  “Jesus,” I moan as she stains my skin a bright red and leaves her mark on me. The combination of her in my jersey and her plump red lips marking me has me gripping her hair tighter and struggling to hold back.

  “More, Knox…I want more,” she moans against my skin as she takes me deeper before sliding my cock out again. “Show me what wearing your jersey does to you,” she breathes, licking my tip again and tasting my arousal.

  The last shred of willpower is gone in seconds, replaced with a feral need to take what she is offering as I zero in on what my body desperately wants.

  “Put those lips on me again, sunshine,” I growl, guiding her down the length of me. “I’m going to fuck this pretty mouth while you wear my number. I want my dick painted red and your lips smeared by the time I’m done with you.”

  Her moan vibrates against me, letting me know my words are turning her on. Just thinking about her pussy getting wet and soaking her thighs right now has me guiding her roughly down my swollen cock.

  She takes me like a good girl, letting me fuck that pretty mouth of hers. Red smears down my skin with each stroke as it mixes with her saliva, creating a sinful combination that has my dick aching for more.

  “Just like that, sunshine,” I groan as I hit the back of her throat. Her hair bunches in my fist as I feel my balls tighten with pressure. I’ve never cum this fast from a blowjob, but it’s all too much with her as I feel my control slipping through my fingers.

  “Fuck,” I moan, pouring into her with a force that makes my vision go dark. She greedily swallows every last drop as I stand there at her mercy.

  Sweat coats my chest as I take in big lungfuls of air. Sitting back on her heels, my dick slides out of her mouth with a pop.

  Her lips are smeared, and her hair is tousled from my grip. She’s the sexiest sight I’ve ever seen. Blue eyes brimming with desire skim over my stained skin before meeting mine.

  “Come here,” I rasp, pulling her up to me and diving into those sinful lips. I taste myself on her, and fuck if my dick doesn’t start to twitch again. This time, though, I want to see my number.

  My tongue tangles with hers as I cup her ass, moaning when I feel her bare under my jersey. I guide us to the bed before breaking away.

  “Hands on the bed, sunshine,” I grin wickedly. “It’s my turn to taste.”

  She moves to take the jersey off, and I shake my head.

  “It stays on.”

  Turning, she puts her hands on the bed before looking back at me. “Like this?”

  Putting my foot between her legs, I move her stance wider before pushing her front down until her cheek is resting on the bed.

  “Much better,” I murmur, standing back to admire the view. My number proudly lies there against her skin as her ass juts up in the air.

  Running my hands down the back of her thighs, it’s my turn to kneel as her glistening pussy comes into my line of sight.

  “Does pleasing me turn you on, sunshine?” I lick her inner thigh and feel her muscles quiver. “You’re practically dripping,” I moan, taking a deep inhale of her scent, making my mouth water for a taste.

  “I love pleasing you,” she whimpers as my tongue strokes up her center. “Oh, God,” she moans, pushing back onto my mouth for more.

  “Mmmm,” I groan, filling my tongue with her taste. “I could live just by feasting on you alone.”

  “Please, Knox…don’t make me wait tonight,” she softly cries, moving her pussy against my scruff in desperation.

  “Don’t worry, baby. I have every intention of making you cum…twice, in fact. Starting with the first one right now.”

  I dive in with teeth and tongue like a wild animal, tearing into my prey. My hand snakes up her back as I fist my jersey in my hand, wanting the reminder that she’s mine.

  Sucking her clit hard, I bring her first orgasm in on a rush as she cries out in the sheets that are now fisted in both hands.

  I growl when her body constricts as I go deeper with my tongue, wanting to feel and taste as much as I can.

  Not giving her a chance to recover, I stand and thrust deep inside, feeling the last of her tremors with my cock as I bury myself to the hilt and hold her tightly against me.

  “So deep,” she moans, lifting up on her tiptoes and pressing her ass firmly into me, begging me to take her again.

  Grabbing her hips, I keep my eyes trained on my number as I fill her pussy deep and hard.