Page 5

EPILOGUE

Damien

My chest was aching with how hard I was playing. My legs burned. My muscles ached . Sweat slicked my skin and dripped into my eyes, burning them. Every breath I took was puffed right back out as I dribbled the ball across the court, then passed it off to my teammate.

The time was quickly winding down with mere seconds on the board, and we were tied. I didn’t want to go into overtime, and I knew my teammates didn’t either. It was our last game of the season—the fucking championship game—and if we could get that damn ball in the net before the final buzzer sounded, we would be taking home the trophy.

The win was so close, I could taste it.

My teammate passed the ball back to me when I was open, and I ran the remaining distance toward the goal, jumped, and sank the ball into the hoop, putting us exactly two points ahead. The buzzer sounded right after, echoing through my aching skull. As soon as my feet were on the ground, my teammates surrounded me, cheering and screaming. They raised me onto their shoulders, and I laughed, my grin so wide it made my cheeks ache.

The crowd was going wild . And when I looked at Jett and saw him grinning too, pride and a hint of smugness burning in his eyes, my heart flip-flopped in my chest. Lifting two fingers to my lips, I kissed them, then raised them into the air, nodding once at him with a wink.

Fuck if the cameras saw. I’d secured us the championship, I was already promised a position with the LA Kremlins, and Jett had already told the school he would be quitting after the season was over. The contract I would be signing said nothing about the contract being null and void if I was in a relationship with my college basketball coach.

Trust me, I’d had the attorney Jett hired for me scour that fucking thing for that stipulation.

Once the guys set me down, I walked over to Jett and held out my hand with a shit-eating grin. “Well, Coach,” I said, drawling his title and making him narrow his eyes at me, “we fucking did it.”

He shook his head as he clasped my hand in his, giving it a firm shake. Both of us knew he’d much rather do something more than just shake my hand though. Fuck knew I wanted him to. But he wouldn’t do anything that would potentially ruin my career. Sometimes, I thought he cared about me too much.

“No, you did it,” he told me, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the ruckus in the gymnasium. “And I’m so goddamn proud of you, Michaels.”

I swallowed thickly, then forced myself to release his hand. When he dragged his eyes over me, I knew that while he wasn’t giving me what I wanted right then, he was definitely going to give us both what we wanted later.

* * *

When I parked my car in front of Jett’s house, he stepped out onto the porch wearing just a pair of low-slung gray sweatpants that left nothing to the imagination. “Fuck,” I growled as I stared at him through the windshield, drinking him in. How did I get so fucking lucky for this man to be mine? I didn’t care that he was damn near twenty years older than me. He was everything I’d ever wanted. Everything I could have dreamed of.

Angling out of my car, I smiled at him. “Hey,” I rasped.

“Hey yourself, champ,” he greeted, smiling at me just as easily. “Come on.”

I shut my door, then grabbed my overnight bag out of the backseat. After making my way up the porch, he pushed the door open, gesturing for me to walk in ahead of him. I groaned at the scent of pizza. “You ordered pizza?” I asked as I set my bag down on the couch while making my way toward the kitchen.

“It’s your food of choice when celebrating,” he said as if ordering pizza was a given. I smiled at him over my shoulder. Over the past month of us sneaking around together, he’d come to learn just about everything about me. I didn’t even have to tell him the little things about me. He just… figured them out by paying attention.

“I can’t believe we fucking won,” I said as I lifted the lid on the pizza box. I paused when I saw a simple, silver band sitting in the center of the pizza. Frowning, I reached in and picked it up. “I think someone lost their wedding ring.”

“No one lost their wedding ring,” Jett chuckled from behind me.

I turned to face him, holding up the band. “Uh, yeah, they did.”

He took the ring from me, then dropped to one knee. My eyes widened, and I proceeded to choke on air. Was he really doing what I thought he was doing? We’d been together for barely even a month. This was insanity .

But fuck, what was even crazier was that he was my coach . He was almost twenty years older than I was. If he was really proposing, was such little time being together even that big of a deal? Because I knew with every fiber of my being that I was in love with him. He was all I wanted out of life. I could lose my entire future, and I’d still be happy so long as I had him.

“I know we haven’t been officially together very long,” Jett started, his voice thick, “but that doesn’t change the fact that we’ve pined after each other for four fucking years, Damien.” No, it fucking didn’t. Our need for each other had never diminished over time. If anything, wanting each other had just grown as more and more time passed. “I love you. I love that you’re a grumpy son of a bitch every morning. I love that you always want pizza after a win. I love that you spend your free time teaching little kids how to play basketball and that you refused to rely on your parents’ money to get you through college. You’re brilliant, intelligent, and the best fucking basketball player I’ve seen in my entire career as both a coach and a player.”

“Jett…” I breathed, my heart beating so fast, I was surprised I didn’t have a fucking heart attack.

“Marry me,” he pleaded, looking up at me with those dark eyes I loved so fucking much. “Please marry me, Damien. Marry me before you begin your career as a pro baller. I know this is crazy fucking fast, but I know you’re it for me.”

“Are you fucking crazy?” I asked, laughing. His face began to fall. I sank to my knees in front of him. “You have to have lost your mind if you think I’d say no. Yes, I’ll marry you, Jett.”

He grinned then and grabbed my left hand, slipping the simple band onto my finger. It fit perfectly, and my chest tightened at the weight on that finger. I never realized how naked my hand looked before, but with that ring on my finger, my hand now looked perfect .

“We’re getting married this summer,” I bluntly announced.

He laughed and wrapped a hand around the back of my neck, drawing my face close. “Good,” he rumbled, leaning in to kiss me. I moaned, moving closer so I could straddle his thighs. My arms wound around his neck, and our kiss quickly grew heated.

My growling stomach interrupted the mood, making both of us laugh.

“By the way,” Jett murmured as he grasped my hips, “I decided I won’t be seeking out another job. I’m going to retire early. I have enough money to live on for two lifetimes. I want to be wherever you are.”

“Really?” I rasped, my throat tight as I stared at him.

He nodded. “I’ve lived my dreams as a pro basketball player and as a coach. Now, being with you is my only dream.”

I kissed him again and pushed him back to lay on the floor. He laughed huskily as I attacked his lips. “You’re hungry, baby.”

“Fuck my stomach,” I growled as I worked my way down his body. “I’ll eat just as soon as I get you off.” I yanked his sweats down just enough for his cock to bob free.

“You need— fuck ,” he moaned, his fingers lacing in my hair as I swallowed him to the back of my throat. “You’re right,” he panted. “Pizza can fucking wait.”