She lifts her head back up. “Was your stepmom pissed?”
I shake my head. “Not that I know of. She’s kind of ditzy, but she doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. I despised their age difference, but she makes him happy, she’s good to him, and she gave me my little sister, who’s the most important person to me in the world. If he hadn’t married Ashleigh, I wouldn’t have Jagger.”
Her face softens a bit as she nods in understanding. “I’mtrying to build a better relationship with Pierce. I’ve been a shitty big sister for most of his life, but I’m doing my best to make up for it now.”
“He can’t be that mad. I think he came to every home game of yours last season. You can hear him cheering for you all over the stadium.”
She smiles. “You’re right. It was awesome to have him there. He knows my stats better than I do.”
“He’s a good kid, Kennedy.”
She nods. “I know.”
“It’s not too late.”
Her eyes uncharacteristically fill with tears. “I hope you’re right.”
She shifts a bit and stretches her back as if it’s stiff.
“Do you want me to rub your shoulders like a good hubby is supposed to?” I offer.
Her eyes widen a bit. “What made you ask that?”
“When I carried you home drunk on New Year’s Eve, you told me no less than a thousand times that you measured a good marriage by shoulder rubbing. That you never once saw your father rub your mother’s shoulders, but your friends’ dads did. That it’s probably why you love having your shoulders rubbed as much as you do. You then begged me to rub them.”
“Did you do it?” she asks softly.
I smile. “I did…over the toilet.”
She smacks my arm, and then I tickle her side, but she doesn’t laugh. “You’re not ticklish?” I ask.
She shakes her head with a mischievous smile. “If a woman doesn’t like to be tickled, it means she likes to be choked. And you know firsthand how much I like to be choked.”
I gulp as I will my dick to stay down at the thought of wrapping my hands around her neck again.
Not able to help myself, I slowly run my fingertips over the smooth, firm skin of her neck. The bruising is long gone,though I have the sudden need to give it to her again. To mark her as mine again.
I expect her to slap my hand away, but she doesn’t. Her eyelids flutter, and she emits a sound that’s something between a breath and a moan.
It goes on for a bit, but I eventually move my hand to her shoulder. “Come sit on the floor in front of me. I’ll rub your shoulders like a good hubby is supposed to.”
She wordlessly nods as she does as she’s told, and I think to myself,good girl.
SEVENTEEN
DAYLEN
“What’s the difference between a mosquito and a hooker?” I ask Beau, Champ, Presley, and a few other guys in the team kitchen at our practice facility.
“What?” Presley asks in reply.
“When I slap a mosquito, it stops sucking.”
The guys all laugh while we watch Beau work the blender like a bartender with nearly the entire team lined up to indulge in the fruits of his labor. He’s finally making us those Boner Shakes. He insists that if we drink them now, the muscle building we’ll have tomorrow will be next level. He said we’ll feel stronger than we ever have in our lives, and we’ll be able to increase the weights dramatically. I’m excited to try it.
Not having sex for the past two months has forced me to focus on some other areas of my life. I haven’t gone out as much because I’m not on the prowl, so drinking has been cut to a bare minimum. I’ve been waking up earlier and exercising more. I feel stronger than I ever have, and apparently tomorrow I’ll be the strongest I’ve ever been in my life.
Beau has managed to talk nearly the entire team into trying it. Everyone believes in Beau. He’s so damn smart and so full of knowledge. I’m always learning new things from the guy.
