Page 11 of False Start: Chicago Engines (Gridiron Warriors #3)

Gia

After breakfast, Weston headed to the gym while I went home to prepare for a night of socializing.

I ignored another call from my mother, and at six-thirty, my alarm went off to remind me it was time to head to Weston’s house.

The trouble was that I’d decided to repaint my bedroom wall.

The plum color was beautiful against the cream trimmings, and I had finished cutting in the final corner when the alarm blared from beneath the pile of my bedroom furnishings I’d made in the middle of the room.

I cursed, wiping my hands on a scrap of fabric as I hunted through clothing and knickknacks to find the device. Silencing it with a jab, I caught my reflection in the mirror above my bureau. My face and neck streaked in paint.

Why was I like this?

I rushed through a shower and reapplied my makeup, acutely aware of time ticking away.

Weston had offered to host a celebration for me, and I couldn’t even have my shit together enough to be on time.

With a final spritz of my favorite perfume, I rushed down to my car and keyed his address into my navigation system.

The upside of him living in the suburbs was parking would be easy and traffic light.

I used Ubers when I had to get around the city because the cost was worth avoiding driving and parking anxiety.

As I was putting the car in reverse, a text from Weston popped up on my phone.

Weston: We’re all set up. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

I responded with a heart and focused on getting myself there in one piece.

When I arrived at the address, I was surprised to find a row of townhouses. Beautiful two-storied homes that looked like they cost more than my car for a week’s rent. Never mind how much they must cost to own.

As I locked up and stepped onto the curb, the reality of the gap between where Weston belonged and where I was felt insurmountable.

I’d known I was using him to further my career, but this all made me wonder why he was playing along.

Whatever feelings I’d been growing toward the man who had so thoughtfully decided to help me celebrate my milestone had to be put down. He was well out of my league.

“Hey, did you just get here?” Marina stepped out of the house next door with a friendly smile.

“Ah…” I looked back at my car, then at the house. “Yeah. I lost track of time.” The smile I gave her felt plastic, but she returned it with genuine warmth as she stepped in and gave me a brief hug. “Congratulations. West let slip that you got the role. You must be so excited.”

“It’s a dream come true.”

“It sounds like you earned it,” she said, ushering me up the walk and through the front door. The open concept layout was gorgeous, from the comfortable looking lounge area at the front, to the giant kitchen that looked like something Martha Stewart would have been happy preparing food in.

“This is…wow.”

Marina snorted, retrieving a bottle of white wine from the fridge. “I know. One hell of a bachelor pad, right?”

“There you are.” Weston stepped through the back door wearing a grin and a black apron.

“Help yourself to anythingin the kitchen and come outside. Everyone’s excited to see you.”

I hesitated at the word everyone. When he said he’d invite a few friends, I hadn’t clarified. It could have just been the people I knew, or the entire football team. I didn’t feel like I had the right to decide who Weston invited into his house.

Marina offered me a glass of wine, and I accepted it eagerly before trailing after her onto the back patio where an outdoor dining area was decorated with strings of fairy lights, giving it a magical vibe.

The only other man present was Christian, and the seats around the table were taken up by Cami and Ridley as Marina made space for me to sit with them.

“The woman of the hour!” Ridley crowed.

Heat crept up my throat at their attention, but I managed a small bow before I sat.

It turned out that Ridley had been a fan of Shifting Sands when she was younger, but she still kept up with the storylines from time to time. They all seemed impressed that a strong female character was being introduced, and even more so when they found out I would be training to do my own stunts.

“That’s amazing! You should come to the gym with me some time,” Cami said, waving off the others as they shouted warnings.

Cami was a pitcher in a women’s baseball league and held just about every record a female pitcher could. Her next career move was to go into coaching.

“That sounds really cool. Do you have a team planned?” I asked, happy to share the limelight.

“Not yet. I’m talking with a couple of teams, but it’d be nice to stay in Chicago.” Around the table, everyone made sounds of agreement, and I took a deep breath as that feeling of belonging hit me again.

The smells of cooking meat and caramelized sugar made my mouth water, and I glanced toward Weston who stood by the grill chatting with Christian.

Like he could sense my eyes on him, he glanced my way and smiled.

I was in so much trouble.

“You guys are good for each other,” Marina murmured.

Ridley and Cami continued with their conversation, but Marina’s eyes were firm on me.

“I don’t know how good I am for him.”

She made a rude noise. “You didn’t see him last year. Honestly, we’ve been worried about him for a while, but he seems better since he met you. Happier. It’s really nice to see.”

Guilt stabbed through me at the lie we were keeping. Would they think the same thing if they knew I was using him? Even with his permission, I felt like a shitty human being.

It occurred to me that when this all ended, I’d lose these people too. Not just Weston, but all of them.

Marina’s words stayed with me through dinner and dessert, where Weston proved that he hadn’t exaggerated his baking prowess with an assortment of pastries that admittedly turned me on a little more than they should have.

Why were sweets hot?

Marina and Christian made their excuses first, keen to check in on the sleepover the girls were having next door.

“They were pitching a scary movie before we left, and if they decided to watch it despite what we said, it’s going to be a long night,” Marina said with a rueful shake of her head.

Christian chuckled, but his brows pinched like he might have been equally worried for his sleep.

Each of them gave me one last congratulations, then headed out.

Cami and Ridley didn’t last much longer before heading home.

“I can stay and help with clean up,” I murmured to Weston as we waved them off at the door.

“Thank you,” he said, closing the door behind us as I went in search of garbage bags.

“It’s the least I could do. Thank you for tonight, it meant a lot.”I poked my head into cupboards as I spoke, unsure what kind of sorting system he had set up, and wanting to downplay how much his gesture had really meant to me.

He leaned a hip against the counter and pointed to a cupboard beneath the sink. “Bags are in there. Could you pass me a second one for recycling?”

We worked together efficiently, clearing the bottles and debris of the celebration in companionable silence. Once it was cleared, we settled on two loungers at the edge of his outdoor space.

“How is it that when I’m with you I don’t feel the need to be anyone but myself?” I pondered aloud.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” His voice was warm with a hint of amusement.

“I’m serious.” I rolled to my side to look him in the eye. “It’s like… I’m safe to drop the mask. It’s fucking terrifying.”

Weston pulled himself upright, sitting on the edge of his lounge chair. “Why is it terrifying?”

“Because it’s going to end.”

He rubbed his hands together, head bowed, as the sounds of the night filled the silent backyard.

“You have the job now,” he said after a while. It felt far too close to a goodbye for my liking.

“I don’t think we should stop just yet, though. You said it should be mutual, and if we break up as soon as I get the role, it’ll look like I used you.”

Never mind that I did. That despite what Marina said, I was very much the only one benefiting from this arrangement. I couldn’t let it end yet.

“So we continue,” he said, studying me. I mostly hid my sigh of relief as I nodded. “Until it’s safe to stop.”

I didn’t mention my growing wish that that day would never come.

My body felt warm. Full of good food, good wine, and maybe a little more than like for the man beside me.

The desire to give him pleasure had only grown since our night together, and with the thoughtful gathering he’d arranged just for me, there was only one way I wanted to show my appreciation.

“I’ve been thinking about something.”

Weston cocked his head, waiting for me to continue.

“I want to say thank you for tonight, and I believe there’s an IOU owing. Lie back.”

Without further instruction, he shuffled around and stretched out, hooking an arm behind his head as he watched me through heavy lids.

“You don’t owe me anything, for the record.”

“I do. But I also really, really want to.” I slid to my knees beside his chair and reached for the waistband on his jeans, opening them with quick fingers to free his growing erection. I licked my lips at the sight, already keen for the taste of him on my tongue as he growled low in his throat.

“You look hungry, princess. What do you want?”

“This.” I ran my fist up and over his length, squeezing at the tip before I angled it toward my lips.

“Fuck yes,” he growled as I flattened my tongue and ran it over his head, savoring the bitter taste of pre-cum before I took him to the back of my throat, experimenting with depth and humming as his excitement warmed my own blood.

He speared a hand through my hair, keeping his view clear as I worked over him enthusiastically.

“You take me so well, princess. This mouth was made for me. Can you squeeze a little tighter?” I followed the instruction, tightening my fist at the base of his cock and was rewarded with a filthy groan that went straight to my clit.

Unable to stand the ache, I slid a hand into my pantiesas Weston’s sounds grew more urgent.

“Are you touching yourself? Don’t come yet, I want to watch you fuck yourself to orgasm after you swallow me down. Can you wait for me?”

I whimpered, nodding as I tried to slow down. I wanted to be good for him.

“Baby, I’m not going to last much longer. You feel so fucking good, are you ready for me to finish?”

A shiver ran through me, and I took him as deep as I could, twisting my saliva-covered fist at his base as his entire body tightened.

“Fuck, yes princess,” he barked as I swallowed fast against the flood of cum pouring down my throat.

“Such a good girl. Take all of me.” He stroked my hair, my throat, all the while cooing words of affection that turned me into a puddle of need. When the last shudder left his body, he turned dark eyes on me. “Take off your skirt and panties, and lie back on your chair.”

I followed his direction, ignoring the embarrassingly wet fabric I slid down my legs.

“Put your feet on the edge of the chair.” The move exposed me completely, and I flinched as the night breeze brushed against my heated core. Weston pushed out of his chair, tucking himself away as he moved to perch on the end of my lounger.

“God, I almost forgot how pretty your pussy is. Will you give it a stroke?” I could barely breathe, so caught up in his dirty spell that I would have done anything he asked.

Not because I was being coerced, but because I wanted it as fiercely as he did.

The whole experience was freeing in a way I couldn’t describe.

My fingers slid easily through my folds, coming away soaking wet as Weston hummed his approval.

“How did that feel, princess? Want to do it again? Or do you need to be filled?”

I moaned, imagining him driving into me hard and fast. I wanted him to own me.

“You’d better fuck yourself with your fingers then, hmm?”

I whimpered, sliding two fingers into my pussy and pumping hard as I circled my clit with my thumb.

The wet squelch of my fingers pushing into my body was obscene, and I squirmed against my palm feeling too much and not enough.

I added a third finger, curling them inside me as I lifted my hips, chasing the sensation with Weston’s filthy words filling my head.

“You’re such a good girl, I want you to come all over your fingers. Imagine it’s my cock fucking you so deep and hard. I can’t wait to taste you again. Come now for me so I can lick you clean.”

A scream tore from my throat, and my body trembled against the onslaught of sensation as sparks danced in my vision.

“Such a good girl,” he muttered, leaning forward to brush the hair from my face. As my breathing slowed, he took my hand in a gentle grip and sucked my drenched fingers into his mouth. He hummed around the digits as his wicked tongue lapped up every drop of my release.

“Fucking addictive. God, I missed your taste.”

He reached down beside him and retrieved my skirt and panties, sliding them over my legs until I was once again covered. The wet fabric was cool and a little uncomfortable, but the kiss he pressed to my lips stole my attention.

“Will you stay the night?”

I wanted to say yes, but as the sweat cooled on my forehead, I realized that we had shared orgasms in a backyard next door to friends we had just had a meal with. There was every chance they’d just heard me come so hard I saw stars and staying the night meant I’d have to see them in the morning.

“Next time,” I promised, softening the blow with another kiss before I slid out from underneath him.

The drive home was a blur, my mind vacillating between memories of our shared orgasms outside and self-flagellation at my cowardly retreat. He hadn’t been able to completely hide the disappointment on his face as I left his house.

I climbed the stairs to my apartment both physically and emotionally exhausted from the day. I needed eight to ten hours of sleep before I could come up with a plan to apologize for bouncing on Weston after a wonderful night.

My thoughts screeched to a halt as I reached my landing and found an overnight bag and an unwelcome visitor on my doorstep.

“You never answer your phone anymore, so I decided to come for a visit.”

“Hi, Mom.”