Melly grinned. “First win of the season coming up.” She tightened her ponytail then followed the others onto the court.
Adrenaline buzzing, Marlie watched the play, feeling the familiar excitement that went with competition. She’d always been keen to win, and tonight’s game was no exception.
So that when the ball finally hit Celeste, who’d used a screen to get open, she knew they’d win. Celeste pump faked, dribbled to the side, then shot.
She sank the ball just as the buzzer hit, and the team won by two points.
Everyone in the stands, on their side, cheered. The home team didn’t look happy, but hey, the better team had won.
After everyone shook hands and rallied for a brief post-game chat, Marlie sent them off with their parents. Not until she’d accounted for every girl getting a ride did she look back at the stands and found them empty.
Outside in the hall, she saw Damon leaning against the wall, a Portland Ice Raptors hat obscuring his features. For once, he wasn’t mobbed by fans.
He spotted her and straightened. “Yo, Coach, nice game.”
“Thanks.” Warmed that he’d come to watch, she felt oddly awkward as well. A high school JV game in no way compared to professional hockey.
“Awesome tactics. I loved how you guys double-teamed their ball handler. Shut her down but good.” He nodded, enthused. “Your power forwards are really aggressive. I hadn’t realized how fierce the game would be.”
“Because it’s a girls’ game?”
“Because half of them aren’t even old enough to drive.” He snorted. “Don’t even try acting like I hate women. I love women. Especially hard-core types with freckles.”
She sniffed. “That’s better.”
He laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Tonight, we celebrate!”
“What did you have in mind?”
For the past two days, he’d been an excellent guest. Marlie had lived alone for years, her last roommate back when she’d turned twenty-two. She hadn’t expected to feel so comfortable with a big-ass man in the house. Her brothers didn’t count, as they rarely stayed over.
But Damon had surprised her by being neat, taking care of the kittens and meals—like he’d promised. And he slept with her each night, giving her the best sex of her life. Always making sure she saw pleasure before he did, he continued to give of himself, making her fall for the big doofus way too easily.
She had to stay on her guard to keep him on his toes, so she continually thanked him but remained a little distant. Being with him felt too easy. He didn’t cause chaos and didn’t cling, spending a fair bit of time with his parents or working out.
Still, it had only been two days. He’d screw up before long. She knew it. Counted on it, in fact. Anything to make the guy less than perfect.
“What did I have in mind?” he asked, repeating her. “I figure you ate dinner. Some dessert? A drink maybe? I know you have work in the morning. And we both need to get rest because I’m running the gauntlet at your parents’ for dinner tomorrow night.”
She groaned. “Ugh. I’ve been trying to forget.”
“Wow. It’s like I can feel the love you have for your family. So strong, that ugh.”
She laughed and walked with him into the frigid evening. He’d parked near her vehicle. “How about we head home and share hot cocoa and kittens?”
“That sounds perfect.” He kissed her again before watching her get into her car. “I’m going to stop and grab something at the store. Need anything?”
“Nah. Meet you at home.”
He nodded.
Home. A place that was coming to feel like a real paradise, complete with all the things Marlie loved…and Damon.
He arrived twenty minutes after she did, bearing a bag of treats. She really needed to start exercising more. The way he fed her, not making meals so much as buying them, threatened her waistline. She always gave herself some slack at the holidays, but Damon was hell on her figure.
Not that he ever complained.
Staring at her breasts, unfettered by a bra under her thick sleepshirt that reached her knees, he grinned. “Ah, dessert for me. And I got dessert for you.”
