Chapter Fourteen Jack.

Nothing greater than a woman waiting for me outside the locker room.

It would have been better if Leah joined me in the showers, but that would have meant my teammates getting a look at the s.e.xiest girl in the world. And then they would have seen me f.u.c.king the ever-loving h.e.l.l out of her.

It made more sense to take her at home, in the privacy of my bedroom, where her cries for me echoed for my ears only.

Leah struggled with her blouse. Only a month into the pregnancy and her t.i.ts already swelled and looked both ridiculous and s.e.xy on her. Of course, they embarra.s.sed her. It excited me. This woman was beautiful, especially knowing it was my fault her body shifted, softened, and, in some places, deliciously plumped.

I told her I couldn't wait to see her get a b.u.mp from the kid. Leah wasn't so thrilled. She made me swear to keep the pregnancy on the DL until we were ready to formally announce.

"When's your plane leave?" I asked.

She waved me close with a finger so she could redo my tie, earning a few knowing smirks from my teammates heading out for the evening. "Soon. I have to go now."

I grimaced. The tie choked me. She finished, but I loosened it immediately.

"Come on, Kiss. I hate this thing. Why can't I just wear normal clothes?"

"Unless you're in a jersey, I want you looking like you're ready to give a presidential address."

"Hard to get these layers off."

She smiled. "Good. I'm going out of town. Those pants should stay on, Mr. Carson."

If she had asked, they'd have dropped in an instant to take her again. "You sure you gotta go?"

"This is a fundraiser in LA for some very important political candidates. They want to secure movie deals for the city." She couldn't hide her excitement. Over the past few weeks, I decided I didn't want her hiding anything from me. Ever. "I think this could be the second client that I maintain. Jolene trusts me to woo these people."

"Don't woo them too much."

"You afraid of a little woo?"

"Afraid of you woo-hooing."

"You jealous?" She grinned.

I kissed her. "I gotta watch out for two of you now."

She liked that. "The only thing we need to fear is that I'll throw up on their shoes. Believe me, between the morning sickness and flying, I'm going to be a mess."

I tensed. "You better be careful."

"I am."

"I want you to stay safe. Especially since you're-"

She hushed me as the locker room door opened and a handful of players walked out, slapping my shoulder and complimenting the suit and the woman who picked it out.

"Don't say it," she said. "It's still our secret."

"You know I'm no good at secrets."

"You better be good with this one." She poked my chest. "Just for another couple weeks. Now wish me luck."

"Why?" I crossed my arms. "So you can go get a client that takes up more of your time than me? No, ma'am. I'm your number one trouble-maker."

"Not something to be proud of, Jack."

"Speak for yourself." I winked. "Maybe I like keeping you on your toes."

"I gotta go."

"Like you on your knees more."

"Jack."

"On your back..."

She smiled despite her better judgment-pretty sure I was the destruction of all her judgment.

"Enough."

"Come here, woman." I tugged her close. "I want a kiss goodbye."

"And if I say no?"

"You're gonna be gone all weekend. Leave me something so I don't miss you."

Leah's eyes widened. My reaction shocked me too. I had been f.u.c.king the woman because I couldn't keep my hands off of her curves, imagining how she'd grow for me and how s.e.xy it was that I got her pregnant. But I hadn't admitted to wishing she'd stay in my bed for any other reason but s.e.x.

But, d.a.m.n it. I would miss her.

She was fun.

Kept me entertained.

Straightened me out if only because I was a slave to the slit between her legs.

She wasn't bad at dinner conversation either. And she had decent taste in movies and music. She also liked to sit in the pool while I did my laps.

And she was soft as f.u.c.k to hold, keep in my bed, and wake up to in the morning.

She was the only woman I ever woke up with.

Leah was dangerous territory for me, but I wasn't ready to retreat yet.

I threaded my fingers in hers and pulled her close. She rewarded me with a shy smile as I kissed her, long and deep, even while a few of my teammates sauntered out of the locker room and hooted. She tugged away with an adorable embarra.s.sment, hiding her eyes from the other players.

"I'll see you Monday morning." She pointed at me. "Stay out of trouble."

"Maybe."

She huffed. "I'm serious."

"What could I possibly do while you're gone?"

She left me with a timid wave. "That's what I've been asking myself all morning."

"You have no faith in me."

"Prove me wrong."

"There's no fun in that."

She sauntered out of the door, wagging that beautiful a.s.s. I expected the hand clapped on my shoulder. At least Bryon knew to wait until Leah left before hanging around me.

"That b.i.t.c.h don't like me," Bryon snorted. "What'd I do to her?"

"Don't call her a b.i.t.c.h." I knocked his hand away and b.u.t.toned my suit. "Maybe getting arrested for s.e.xual a.s.sault gave her the wrong idea."

"They released me."

"And how much is that civil suit gonna be?"

"Man, what the h.e.l.l is with you?" Bryon frowned. "This girl gets all up on you, and suddenly you're not chasing p.u.s.s.y, you're becoming one."

"Just chasing the right one."

"And how long do you think that'll last?"

I hadn't thought about it, but I let myself hope. Probably more than I should have. I doubted Leah had fit Jack "Trouble-Maker" Carson into her life plan.

Hopefully she'd tolerate Jack "Baby-Maker" Carson instead.

For a long time.

I wasn't used to thinking of woman as something other than disposable. And I wasn't sure what the h.e.l.l I was feeling when I looked at her, saw her, felt her. I watched her f.u.c.king sleep in the morning.

And since we found out about the pregnancy?

The s.e.x was unreal. More than a celebration, better than that first time I buried myself in her and unloaded jet after jet of my seed. She knew me now, and she antic.i.p.ated what I liked and what I needed. I never had a woman actually care enough to learn.

Christ, I was sorry to see her leave for the weekend. I hated being alone. Hated being without her.

"Dude, it's Friday, we gotta go out," Bryon said. "Get out of that d.a.m.n suit and let's kick it."

"And p.i.s.s off Leah? Yeah, right."

I couldn't ignore her only request. She knew what she was doing. Leah was the only reason the league hadn't suspended me for breaking that journalist's camera on that first date we went on. I paid him ten grand to stay the h.e.l.l away from me, and that was good enough.

"You gonna let that woman p.u.s.s.y-whip you?" Bryon nudged me. "You ain't dating her. Don't feed me that bulls.h.i.t. Dude, I was with you that night you almost scored with three h.o.r.n.y little s.l.u.ts. You telling me you were in a relationship when you set them in your lap?"

"It's complicated."

"Either you're banging her exclusively, or you're f.u.c.king around the town." He shrugged. "And you know what you rather be doing."

Maybe once I did. Now I wasn't so sure. I liked what I had with Leah, difficult and strange as it was. And, G.o.d, did I love sheathing in that woman knowing full well what she hid in her tummy.

"Look." I lowered my voice and pushed him back. "Gotta tell you something. Don't freak out."

"Oh, Christ. What the f.u.c.k did you do now?"

I couldn't hide my smile. "She's pregnant."

Bryon smacked a hand against the wall. "G.o.dd.a.m.n it, fool. You know better than that. Wrap that G.o.dd.a.m.ned p.r.i.c.k you...f.u.c.king p.r.i.c.k." He exhaled. "You fronting her the money for an abortion?"

Jesus f.u.c.k, the thought paralyzed me. "Christ, it was intentional. We meant to have a baby."

"Oh..." Bryon blinked. "Why?"

Wasn't about to get into that. "Because we wanted it. I wanted it."

"A baby?"

"Yeah."

"With that s.e.xy little chocolate kiss?"

"Yeah."

Bryon grinned. "And you knocked her up?"

"Got her on the first cycle."

"That's my boy!" Bryon grabbed me, pulling me into a hug and slapping my shoulder. He pushed me into the locker room and hollered for our usual gang to drop what they were doing. "Me and my boy here are gonna go out and celebrate his latest T&A. Who's with us?"

G.o.dd.a.m.n it. This wasn't good. I nudged him. "We're not announcing yet. It's like...early or something. Women don't talk this s.h.i.t before a certain time."

"That's cool, that's cool." Bryon pointed to me. "We just taking our Play-Maker out on the town. Been a while. Pack it up, we going." He lowered his voice. "You girl ain't cutting off your b.a.l.l.s now that she got a kid outta you?"

I clenched my jaw. "No."

"Then what she don't know won't hurt her. We get a drink, toast to your successful nut, and everyone can tuck safe and sound in their beds with a s.l.u.t of their choice. Except you, Daddy." Bryon cackled to himself. "You got yourself a baby-momma to hold your leash now."