“Never!” Mia shrieks, giggling wildly. “You can never make me!”
“I surely fucking will.” I kiss her mouth, biting at her lips. “I’ll fuck you so hard it’ll be the only thing you can say. That, and my name.”
She leers up at me with a mischievous grin. “Ooh, I do love it when you talk dirty.”
“Even if I’melderly?”
She leans up and bites down on my lower lip, hard. “Especially because of that.” Her bite dissolves into a kiss, soft and warm. “And I do love you. You’re my fella, aren’t you? Not like I ever even had a choice.”
“Your fella?” I grin at her. “I like that better than boyfriend.”
She giggles, pulling her wrists free from my grip to wrap her arms around my neck. “Well then,fella, if you can manage it, I’d quite like to see if you can actually fuck me until all I can say is your name.”
Challenge bleeding well accepted.
33
MIA
“COME ON, ARLINGTON!”Char roars beside me, jumping up and down in her red and maroon jersey. “FUCKING SMASH ‘EM!”
“LET’S FUCKING GO!” I chime in, and Char bursts into laughter beside me.
“We’re going to scandalise everyone up here,” she says breathlessly, and I look around with a smile.
“We’re just true fans, and they’re all posers.”
The lead-up to this final game was brutal, fraught with awful headlines in the press, and judgement on all those stupid sports shows hosted by washed-up old football players. Everyone wondered if Arlington would be able to withstand all the pressure, all the rumours, and go on to win the season.
But to everyone’s surprise, the fans rallied. Somehow, Joanne Murray’s scathing takedown of Mary and Harriet on the morning show had gone viral, and that had turned the tide of approval. The fans rallied behind the club, and behind Dom and me. Every post on social media was filled with comments supporting us, supporting the players, wishing us all nothing but the best.
And the players loved having Dominic down on the field with them. Barry had felt his toes were being stepped on, but had relented. He didn’t really have a choice. Dominic blossomed down there on the field, and the lads were playing better than ever.
They were proving it tonight. Bradshaw didn’t stand a chance.
Ezra blocked every attempt at a goal, and Adedayo and Everest scored three goals between them in the first half. The buzzer rings, signifying the end of the first half, and the Arlington fans cheer loudly.
“Oh, thank fuck, I need a piss,” Char says loudly, drawing displeased looks from the people beside us. “Come on, don’t let me walk through there on my own.”
She pulls me through the stands and into the box, down the corridor to the ladies’ room.
Char leaves me to go and find an empty stall, and I check my make-up in the mirror. The door opens behind me, and in walks Joanne Murray, looking the picture of elegance in a green coat, her hair in a French roll, large diamond earrings dangling from her earlobes.
She smiles at me warmly in the mirror, and I turn to face her.
“Hello, what are you doing here?” I ask.
“I used to be an Arlington supporter, before I married the enemy.” She cocks her eyebrow and smirks. “Call it, returning to my roots, I suppose.” Her smile drops a little, and she reaches out to pat my arm. “I’m terribly sorry about what happened with Archie. That must have been very scary.”
“It was. But I guess it makes the divorce a little easier now.” I smile weakly, and Joanne chuckles.
“Well, I hope this isn’t insensitive of me to say, but congratulations.” She sighs and shrugs. “I know we don’t know each other all that well, which is something I hope changes. But Iwanted you to know I’m very proud of you for leaving a man who didn’t deserve you. Unlike me.” Her face falters a little. “I stayed far too long.”
“But you had kids, it’s completely different.”
Joanne shakes her head, a tight smile on her face. “BecauseI had kids, I should have left. We like to think children are adorable little fools who’ve no idea what’s going on. But they see everything.” Her gaze drops from mine, and she adjusts the sleeve of her coat. “My kids knew for a long time that I wasn’t happy, and I don’t know if I can ever forgive myself for that. But I was frightened. I didn’t know what being without Peter would mean for me.” She lifts her eyes back to mine, her smile warming. “But you, you know who you are. And you’re much better off without Archie Graves weighing you down.”
My cheeks flush with heat and I shrug. “Don’t know how it’s all going to work out though. The press are certainly having a field day with it all.”
