Huddle Up (10 page)

She came apart in his arms and she knew she’d never be whole again. Knew she wanted the fairy tale even if it meant risking a tragic Shakespearean end.

H
ow had he lived without her? How had he breathed?

Desperate gasps of pleasure escaped her mouth. Her need fueled his, but he was determined to give and not to take. She tightened around him and he knew she was close. Lifting her hips, he held them in place as he drove in harder, deeper, barely able to hold on to the edge of control. The cry of her release echoed in the room signaled his victory. The rush of her liquid heat surrounded his cock as he pumped in and out, riding out her orgasm with his own.

Unable to hold himself up, Billy rolled off before he crushed her under his full weight. There was no way she wasn’t sexually satisfied. “There’s no faking that,” he said without thinking.

“Is that what this was about?”

Before she could scoot off the bed Billy grabbed her wrist. This time he used his power not to seduce but to control. He pulled her back underneath him. His cock responded with interest, but he ignored it. He wanted answers, and he was going to get them. Something wasn’t right about the way things ended, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “Can you blame me? That’s why you broke up with me.”

“That’s not the reason,” she said as she struggled to get away.

Stunned by her answer, he almost let her, but then he pressed his weight against her body. “Then why?”

“It was so long ago.” Defeated, her body fell limp beneath him. “Does it matter?”

“It damn well matters,” he admitted. In the cocoon of his room, lying skin to skin, he risked his soul by being raw and balls to the walls honest. He hoped Angel would be too. “You broke my heart. I deserve to know why.”

Tear sprung in Angel’s eyes. “I thought you’d be better off without me.”

More confused than ever he asked, “What?”

“O’Malley told me you’d gotten into a fight with your father over me and you threatened to drop out of school. He said if I really loved you, I’d let you go.”

Holy Hell.
How had O’Malley known about the argument? Billy’s coach had caught him breaking curfew to meet up with Angel and the infraction was reported to his father who then must have conspired with Angel’s father to end it. It made perfect sense. Why hadn’t Billy realized this before? But once O’Malley knew about Angel’s pregnancy why had he kept it from Billy? Again his search for answers led only to more questions. A conversation with his father was long overdue.

“Say something.”

He looked back into Angel’s pleading eyes. “Ah Angel, how could I be better off without my heart.”

Her tears spilled over. “Billy, I’m so sorry.”

“For what Angel? For loving me?”

Angel placed her hand on his cheek. “I did, Billy.”

He rolled off of her for a second time. Drawing up his legs, he rested his forearms on his knees and clasped his hands. “But not any more?”

Angel sat up beside him, pulling the sheet around her. “We were kids. Hell, in a lot of ways we still are.”

He agreed with the first part of her statement but not the second. Billy just made love to her with all the feelings of a man in love. At age twenty-two Angel was more woman than he could probably handle. Raising a child on her own while earning a nursing degree and coddling a gambling addicted father. The woman deserved a break. And Gabby deserved a family. “What we had together was real. We owe it to ourselves to give it a shot.”

“What if it doesn’t work out?”

“What if it does?” he countered.

“But what if it doesn’t?” she repeated. “It’s not fair for Gabby to get her hopes up.”

She had a point. He’d hate to see Gabby upset, never mind be the cause of it. Still if there was any chance they could give their daughter a normal family life then they should take it. “It would be more unfair to Gabby if we didn’t try.”

The bathroom light cast a surreal glow onto the bed as if marking the moment as one happening in an alternate universe. Because no one would believe that Billy Burner, the womanizing pro football player, was not only begging for a second chance, but using his child as leverage. Justifying this means to an end was simple; it wasn’t what was best for him, but what was best for them as a family. He waited in the blessed silence. At least he wasn’t hearing a ‘no’ from those swollen kissed lips.

“Okay⁠—”

He moved to kiss her, but she placed a firm hand on his chest.

“But there are rules,” she continued.

He brushed his thumb along her cheekbone. “I remember a girl who didn’t like rules.”

“Well, I’m a mom now.”

“I’m not a child who needs rules.”

“No, but we have one together. And these rules are for Gabby’s sake.”

Billy fell back to the mattress with a thud. “Okay, shoot.”

“Number one. No outward displays of affection. No ‘kissing’ mommy goodbye.”

“I’ll try to restrain myself,” he said, his voice laced in sarcasm.

“Number two. No other women.”

He supposed his ladies’ man reputation would give any woman pause, but he never cheated on a woman. Of course that was because since Angel he’d never been in a steady relationship. Still, he decided to have some fun with her and asked, “And that rule is for Gabby?”

She turned from her sitting position to look at him. “Well, no, not exactly.”

Billy smiled, but then he grew serious. “That’s a two way street. What goes for me goes for you. No other men.”

“I haven’t even been on the road until tonight.” She rolled her eyes. “Rule three.”

If she said no sex Billy swore he’d argue the point by making love to her again until she begged for release. And what did she mean by ‘she hadn’t been on the road’? Had she never had sex after him? Impossible.

“I go back to my bed each night.”

Okay so it wasn’t a ‘no sex’ clause, but damn it, they were adults. The days of sneaking around were long over. He wanted to wake up with Angel in his arms. To pull her close as dawn broke. To feel her warm body next to his, to hear her breathe while she slept, and to wake her up in the most pleasant of ways. “No.”

“Gabby is not stupid. If she sees us sharing a bedroom, she’ll start asking questions.”

“But.”

“Those are my terms.”

Billy blew out a breath. He reminded himself of his game plan. What was his game plan again? Oh yeah, patience. So far his strategy was working like a charm. He already made love to her; now he had to prove to her that they belonged together. Always had.

“Agreed.” He added a silent rule of his own, to make love to her each night until she was too weak to get out of his bed, never mind walk back to her room. With that in mind he pulled Angel on top of him and kissed her. The taste of her lips filled him with hunger. The feel of her naked skin ignited his blood. Her scent of vanilla intoxicated him. Rolling to the side, limbs entwined until the heat they generated seem to meld them together as one. He breathed her in as if it was the last breath he’d ever take. If she ever left him again, he felt sure that it would be.

F
or once Angel felt like she fit in. Shocking, considering she currently lounged in the plush seating area of the owner’s skybox at the stadium with Samantha and Hannah.

Behind them stood a mahogany bar with top end liquor, a poker table and a couple of high tables with stools. Off to the side stood a large chalkboard on an easel and on the other a lit up trophy case stood as a testament to the team’s success. Television screens hung about the room so none of the action would be missed. A group of high-powered men talked football and business deals. Hell, minutes ago she was introduced to the Governor.

Samantha had her eyes on the game, but Angel could tell she was listening with a reporter’s ear. Though the other wives and girlfriends sat in the seating just outside the box, a wall of glass separated them. At first Angel received some dirty looks from the other women, but Hannah said not to worry. The owner loved the good publicity he received from having a supermodel and a probable future Pulitzer Prize winner grace his skybox. And now Angel served in the same role. After a photo of her coming out of Billy’s apartment building ended up plastered all over the New York gossip pages, she received an invite from the owner’s wife. Instead of the scandal she’d feared they’d report, the press treated the story as a star-crossed lovers tale. She guessed they were in a good mood that day.

Concerned about the invite, Angel was grateful Hannah had taken her under her wing. When Angel fell in love with a sleek pair of faux leather pants, she put it back on the rack thinking that such clothes would be more appropriate for a pool hall. Then Hannah took it off the rack suggesting a smart looking black and white glen plaid jacket along with a crisp white blouse that flowed loosely about Angel’s hips. The outfit cost more than Angel would spend in an entire year for clothes but Billy had slipped her his credit card before she’d left and said ‘have fun’. Angel blushed when Hannah tossed in several silky bras and matching panties saying Billy deserved something too.

“Oh, no.”

Angel followed Samantha’s gaze. The owner’s daughter arrived with a flourish of laughter. Hayden Middleton was a tabloid reporter’s wet dream. The curvy heiress to a fortune was as morally bankrupt as she was rich. As she paused at the top of the stairs the fake smile turned into a mean girl smirk that marred her otherwise pretty features. “So who’s this? Don’t tell me. Burner’s baby mama?”

Turning her back, Angel clenched her jaw in an effort not to respond to the cutting barb. For Gabby’s future, and for Billy’s, she decided to remain silent despite the comment’s sting. So much for thinking she fit in.

Not to be ignored, Hayden stepped down, and with a perfectly manicured hand snagged a cone of candied nuts. She leaned against the glass, away from the game in progress. “What’s your brat anyway? Boy? Girl?”

Angel’s eyes narrowed in anger.

“What, no answer?” Hayden popped a nut into her mouth. “Surprised Burner doesn’t have a litter. Of course, who knows? Maybe he does.”

Angel’s right hand curled into a fist. If this were O’Malley’s, Angel would’ve broken a cue stick over the bitch’s head. It was one thing to disparage Angel’s reputation but Gabby’s? Oh hell no. She went to lunge at Hayden but Samantha placed a firm grip over Angel’s hand.

“Why, Hayden, how lovely to see you,” Hannah twirled a piece of her long blonde hair around her finger. “And here I thought you’d still be on your court-ordered vacation.”

“You’re going to pay for that.”

“Going to run to daddy?” Samantha chimed in.

In true brat style, Hayden stomped back up the few steps and joined the group of men. Angel released a slow breath and Samantha let go of her hand.

“Thank you,” Angel said. Realizing they saved her from making a scene, she added, “I hope I’m not going to get you into trouble.”

“Don’t mind her. ‘Hoyden’ is just pissed because I refuse to sign on for her new reality show,” said Hannah.

Grinning, Samantha relaxed back into her seat. “Besides I’m pretty sure we just saved Hayden’s life.”

Angel vowed Gabby wouldn’t end up like Hayden, princess room be damned. Her daughter would learn the value of a dollar and work for what she wanted. Angel needed to lay down the law with Billy. She was adding some new rules. No more arriving home after every practice with a new toy for Gabby. No more sneaking her a cookie after every meal.

Angel bit her lip each time, understanding he was trying to make up for lost time. Still, Billy had to start thinking of what was best for their daughter’s future. With money tight Angel had scrimped for healthy foods and left the desserts for special occasions. Gabby still had no idea what soda even tasted like. God help them all if she ever did. Billy had yet to hear a whine out of Gabby. He was in for a rude awakening.

“No, not him,” groaned Hayden. “There goes the season.”

A sudden hush fell over the room and Angel turned her attention back to the field where a Cougar player lay prone on the turf. With his helmet on she couldn’t tell who it was. She desperately searched for Billy, not taking a breath until she spotted him. Standing in profile, his long blond locks flowed from beneath his helmet. His hair identified him even before she noticed the number and name on his jersey.