Page 17 of Flag On The Play (Gridiron Warriors #5)

NOVA

I ’m on stage.

All eyes are on me.

The lights are hot, the bass thumps through the floor, and my body moves like it always does. Fluid, controlled, seductive.

Money flutters down like confetti, sticking to the sheen on my skin, and cheers rise from the men in the crowd.

But for the first time in years, I’m not really here.

Not in the way I usually am.

I’m somewhere else completely.

With someone else completely.

My mind keeps drifting back to last night. To his voice, low and rough in my ear, saying things that had my toes curling and my breath catching.

To the way he needed me, even from across the country.

To the way I responded, without hesitation, like my body was already his.

And now I can’t get him out of my head.

Every movement I make on stage feels like I’m chasing the phantom touch of his hands on my hips.

The smirk in his voice when he said he wanted to be on top of me.

The way he told me I was his secret weapon.

I twirl around the pole and catch my own reflection in the mirror behind the bar.

Painted lips. Long lashes. Sparkle and skin.

But underneath it? I’m a mess of nerves and want.

And when the song ends, I scoop up the bills and walk off stage, my heart pounding for a reason that has nothing to do with adrenaline.

“Nova,” Jules calls from backstage. “VIP. Now.”

I frown, swiping a towel over the sweat glistening on my chest. “Who?”

She shrugs. “Didn’t give a name. Said to send Lux now.”

She smirks. “And trust me, girl. You’re gonna wanna go.”

Curiosity burns through me as I slip back into my silk robe and wind through the corridors toward The Backstage, our VIP area for the big spenders and serious requests.

I push open the door, expecting some Wall Street creep or maybe a ballplayer with too much ego and not enough charm.

Instead, I stop cold.

My breath catches.

Finlay is sitting there.

Holy shit.

He’s sprawled across the plush leather couch, legs spread, arms draped across the backrest, wearing a fitted black button-down that hugs every inch of his broad chest.

His eyes lock on mine, and the cocky grin that stretches across his face has my knees going weak.

“Took you long enough,” he says.

I blink. “You’re supposed to be in Seattle.”

“We flew back this morning.”

He gestures around. “Thought I’d come see my girl.”

His girl.

The words hit me like a soft blow to the chest.

I walk toward him, heart hammering, pulse skittering like a damn hummingbird. “So you just showed up?”

He shrugs. “Needed to see if you were as distracting in person as you were on the phone.”

I sit beside him, my thigh brushing his. He smells like spice and soap and the very definition of trouble. “And?”

He leans in, voice low and dangerous. “Worse. Way worse.”

My lips curve. “That a complaint, Reed?”

“Not even close.”

He reaches into his pocket, pulls something out, and presses it into my palm.

A small heart charm for my bracelet. It’s delicate, elegant, nothing flashy.

My throat tightens. “What’s this?”

“A reminder,” he murmurs. “That I’m not going anywhere. That no matter where I am, on the field, in a hotel room, across the damn country, you’ve got me.”

The club is loud, but somehow, all I hear is my heartbeat. All I feel is his hand on mine.

“You came all this way just to tell me that?”

He leans closer, lips brushing my ear.

“No, baby. I came to make sure you felt it.”

I’m overwhelmed with everything I’m feeling, but before I can make sense of any of it, he pulls me onto his lap, his big hands settling on my hips like they belong there.

He brushes the damp hair off my face, his gaze locked on mine.

“I also couldn’t wait to be buried deep inside you,” he growls, his voice nothing but gravel and need.

And then he slams his mouth to mine.

I sink into it, into him, like I’ve been waiting for this moment since the second I walked off that damn stage.

His kiss is brutal and desperate, and I meet it with the same intensity. My fingers fist in the front of his shirt, pulling him closer, needing more, needing everything.

One of his hands slips under the hem of my robe, groaning when he feels what I’m not wearing underneath.

“Jesus, Nova,” he hisses against my lips. “Do you realize how fucking lucky I am? They get to see you, but I get to touch you.”

“I wasn’t thinking about them,” I breathe, rocking against his cock straining behind his zipper. “I was thinking about you.”

A dangerous growl tears from his throat, and in one motion, he lifts me, repositioning me so I’m straddling him fully. The robe slides open, and he doesn’t even pretend to look away.

“You’re killing me,” he mutters, dragging his mouth along my jaw, down my neck. “You have no fucking idea what you do to me.”

“I think I do,” I whisper, grinding down, heat blooming between us, reckless and hungry.

His hands grip my ass, dragging me against him with each roll of my hips. I feel the hard line of his cock pressing against my center, and I ache to feel him inside me again.

“This is insane,” I murmur, even as my body begs for more. “This isn’t what is supposed to happen back here.”

He nips my earlobe. “Say the word, and I’ll stop.”

I look into his dark, wild eyes, burning with a fire that matches my own.

“I don’t want you to stop.”

That’s all he needs.

His hand slides between us, and my breath stutters as he touches my wet, aching pussy that is ready for him. I bite down on his shoulder to muffle the gasp that escapes when his fingers start to move, slow and steady, just how I like it.

“This room has cameras,” I manage to say between panting breaths.

“Already paid for the feed to be wiped,” he says without missing a beat. “Let them hear you, baby. I want them to know who you belong to.”

His words unravel me, coil after coil of resistance snapping until all that’s left is raw desire.

He removes his hand and pushes me back slightly, just enough to unzip his jeans and free his hard dick. I watch as he quickly rolls on a condom, my body burning with a need I’ve never experienced before.

He lifts me again, and I sink down onto him, taking him deep inside my needy pussy.

“Fuck,” I moan.

“Ride me, Nova.”

I move against him, chasing my release, and he watches me. His eyes locked on mine. His jaw clenched like this is more than just sex. Like this is everything.

And maybe it is.

Having sex in the VIP area with the possibility that anyone could walk in or that they don’t wipe the feed is dangerous. Yet, I’ve never wanted something more in my life.

“That’s it, baby. Take what you need,” he groans, digging his fingers into my ass.

He’s moving against me as fast and hard as I’m riding him. I’ve been so wound up since our phone sex that I can already feel myself teetering on the edge.

“Oh, Finlay,” I moan, tightening my hold on his shoulders.

“Fuck, you have no idea how incredibly sexy you are.” He leans forward, sucking my hard nipple into his mouth, and it’s a straight shot to my aching pussy.

“I’ve never been as turned on as I am when it comes to you.

Your perfect body, beautiful face, and sassy mouth.

Your tight, wet pussy feels like heaven. ”

“Damn, I’m so close,” I cry out, digging my nails into his arms.

“Let go, Nova. Let go of all your fears and overthinking. This is where you belong. You have to feel it too.”

Even as my body begins to fall over the edge, my head agrees. I know this is where I belong, and it shocks me that I don’t want to run.

He reaches between us and rubs my clit as our eyes lock.

That’s all it takes. I don’t even know if it’s him touching my clit or the look of vulnerability in his eyes, but I explode.

I come apart in his arms, my head falling forward, our foreheads touching, I know it’s true.

This isn’t just lust.

It’s something else entirely.

Something unstoppable.

Something real.

His fingers are still wrapped around my hips, his breath fanning over my lips as we catch what’s left of the air between us. My robe is barely hanging on, but I don’t care. Not when I feel this raw. This seen.

Finlay leans in, brushing his mouth over mine. It’s not demanding this time, but gentle, sweet, romantic. A kiss that feels like a promise instead of a tease.

I lock my eyes to his, and before I can talk myself out of it, the words slip out. “I do belong here with you.”

His brows lift, and that cocky smirk falters for just a second, giving me a glimpse of the man under the swagger.

“I haven’t felt like this about someone before,” I admit, quietly. “And with our past, it should scare the hell out of me.” My voice wobbles, but I push through it. “But it doesn’t. At least not the way it should. Because this thing with you feels worth it. Worth moving forward for.”

Finlay’s face lights up like he just threw a touchdown in the final seconds of the Victory Bowl.

“Damn, Nova.” He grins, kissing me hard and quick, a smile pressed against my lips. “You won’t be sorry.”

A small laugh bubbles out of me, nerves mixing with butterflies as I slide off his lap. “I need to get dressed before they start to wonder what kind of services I’m offering in this VIP room.”

He chuckles, eyes trailing over me with that heat still simmering behind them. “Don’t take too long. I don’t trust the bar crowd to keep their eyes to themselves.”

I toss him a look over my shoulder, smirking as I fix my robe and walk out of the room.

Backstage is a blur, but Roxy doesn’t miss a beat. She steps into my path when I come out, lipstick smudged and grinning like the devil herself.

“Girl,” she says, with a wink and a knowing look. “That was not your usual VIP service.”

I just shake my head, biting back a smile. “It wasn’t.”

She arches a brow but doesn’t press. Just squeezes my hand before disappearing toward the back with a tray of drinks.

Finlay’s waiting by the bar, baseball cap low over his brow, a lazy grin tugging at his lips. I walk straight into him, his arm sliding around my waist like it’s second nature.

“You ready?” he asks, voice low and tired but still warm.

“Yeah.”

We step outside, the cold air of the New York night brushing over my skin. His hand never leaves mine.

“Jet lag’s kicking my ass,” he admits, yawning as we approach the car. “But I couldn’t go home without seeing you.”

I glance at him, heart tripping over itself again. “Dinner tomorrow?”

He nods like it’s already carved in stone. “Pick a place. I’ll be there.”

As I pull away from the club, my head rests against the seat, and all I can think is maybe this really is something.

And for the first time in a long time, I can’t wait to see where it goes.