Page 14

Chapter fourteen

Samantha

It's been three days since I've moved in with Kade and we had sex.

After that night, neither of us brought up how it was the best sex I've ever had, including the time I was actually with him.

I'm not sure what made me fall into bed with him again, or why it felt different.

Well, actually I do have an idea of why it felt different.

It felt like Kade paid attention to every part of me, instead of what would get each of us off.

I yearned to feel him again, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything to him.

I was the one who set the rules, and I gave in so quickly, making me feel embarrassed.

But Kade has been the perfect gentlemen, sticking to his word since the moment I've moved into his house, giving me everything I've asked for and more, including giving me his room while he slept in the guest room.

I tried to tell him that I could sleep in the guest room, but he wouldn't have it.

Even though we've been married only a short while, I can feel all my old feelings start to rise up and having sex with him didn't help either.

Every moment with him has been slowly crumbling the walls I've built and I'm not sure what to do about it.

I already can tell that by the end of this facade that we have going on, I'm going to be destroyed.

All I can hope is to come out with the least number of scars possible, but I know I won't be unscathed.

Tonight is the night that I’m supposed to meet the rest of Kade's teammates, other than Shane and Blake. They're the only ones that I know, and they're easy. My anxiety is running high within me as I put my makeup on. It takes me about three tries to get my liner perfect.

I grab my lipstick from my bag, taking deep breaths to keep my hand from shaking. I'm not sure if I'm nervous because I'm going to be meeting new people or that we are presenting this marriage as a love match and not a drunken mistake. It's all too much.

"You ready?" a deep voice comes from behind causing me to jump.

Once I've calmed down some, I see Kade standing in the doorway, handsome as hell as always, making my breathing pick up again.

My eyes roam over his body—he's dressed in his signature black slacks with a silver button down.

I've seen him dressed like this many times before, but it takes my breath away each time.

Before I can get too lost in him, I yell, "Ahh. Why are you sneaking up on me?"

"I didn't sneak up on you. I've been calling your name from the other room for a while now."

Feeling embarrassed, I turn away from Kade and return to putting my lipstick on. Thankfully Kade leaves me in my feelings and allows me to finish my make up. When I turn back to him, he has a look of concern in his eye. "Are you okay?"

Rubbing my hands down the front of my silver dress, I look up at him and I can feel the tears prick the back of my eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just nervous."

Kade pulls me into him, giving me a tight hug, then whispers in my ear, "Don't be nervous. Everyone is going to love you."

I place my hands on his ribs and settle into him, feeling his breathing and allowing it to wash over me. "I'm ready now," I mutter back to him.

We step apart from each other and Kade reaches for my hand. He doesn't let go as we walk down to the car together. I've never felt steadier than I do at this moment with him by my side.

It only takes about fifteen minutes before we pull into the football arena, confusing me. "The dinner is here at the stadium?"

"Yeah, it's on the practice field. That way not one player or person has to have the burden of hosting."

"That makes sense." I nod looking out the window, watching the lights flicker by.

When we finally pull into the parking lot, my nerves kick into high gear once again. Even though I've never formally met most of his teammates, I'm pretty sure that they all knew we dated at some point. What will they all think?

Kade opens the door to the car, helping me get out of it. He must be able to read me because he suddenly grabs my hand, pulling me into his chest, before whispering, "Sam, everything will be fine."

"What if people judge me because we used to date? Will they hate me because I broke up with you? I mean, teammates have each other's backs, and they're your teammates, not mine. I would understand if they didn't want me to be around—"

Kade places a finger over my lips to stop my rambling. "Sam. No one thinks badly of you. They assumed I was the asshole. None of them asked me what happened."

A feeling of sadness washes over me at the idea that everyone just assumed he was the asshole and not me, but I don't know how to respond. "Okay," I mutter as he leads me into the stadium, and into the room for dinner.

I know it doesn't happen like this, but it feels like the moment we walk into the room, everyone goes silent and turns toward us, except for a few people. Kade's hand tightens around mine as we make a beeline for the table that has Janae and Shane.

"Hey guys, how is it going?" Janae asks as Kade pulls a chair out for me.

Sitting, I reply, "We're doing good. Settling in."

"That's great! Isn't that great, Shane?" Janae says, turning toward her fiancé.

"Yep, wonderful," he says with a grin.

"Stop. You're laying it on a little thick," I tell her, giving her a look that says, 'be cool.'

Janae gets it because her cheeks get a little pink on them and she mutters, "Sorry."

"Is wedding planning still going pretty smooth? Only three more months," I say cheerfully.

Janae gets a huge grin on her face and turns toward Shane looking at him with lust filled eyes. "It's going wonderful. I can't wait to be Mrs. Janae Mitchell."

I watch as Shane leans over and kisses her nose, muttering, "I can't wait until you’re Janae Mitchell."

Right then, another person walks up to the table. "Hello Shane, Kade." They both nod at him. "Kade, do you want to introduce me to that lovely lady sitting next to you?"

Kade stands up from his seat pulling me with him. "Of course, Coach. This is my wife, Samantha. Sam, this is Coach Wilson.

The way he says "my wife" has me melting and I almost forget where I am until the coach places his hand out for me to shake. "Nice to meet you, Samantha."

"Nice to me you, Coach.” I say shaking his hand back.

The lights flicker getting everyone's attention.

"Well, it looks like we need to get to our spots.

I can't wait to get to know you better, Sam.

" Relief washes over me with the knowledge that I don’t have to make small talk with him, as we watch the coach head to the podium in the middle of the room.

A few seconds later, the coach is getting up on the stage and speaking into the microphone.

"Welcome everyone to another team dinner.

" He pauses while everyone cheers. Once it dies down, he resumes, "These dinners are important.

It's how we connect with each other and our families.

During the season, we are busy and work hard, but it's just as important to take a moment.

With that being said, if you have a glass, raise it.

I only have one last thing to say before we can jump into what looks to be a delicious dinner, Let's go, Vipers! "

Everyone in the room, including Kade and I, raise their glasses and shout, "Let's go, Vipers!"

I take a sip of my drink and sit back down in my seat. Seconds later, a plate of food is put in front of me, making my stomach rumble. Kade and I laugh at the same time. "I guess I was hungrier than I thought."

Picking up my fork, I take a bite of my food. "Mmm...that's good."

Kade nods and dives into his food too. The table is silent for a few minutes while everyone eats. Blake is the first one to break the silence. "Is everyone ready for this weekend's game?"

"Yep. The Minnesota Lightning aren't going to know what hits them when our main man Shane gets out on the field."

Janae and Shane laugh, when he replies, "I have been hitting the iron just for this game."

The men laugh and joke with each other as we finish up dinner. Janae and I talk more about the wedding.

"I'm trying to get a block of rooms for all the Mitchells but it's harder than I thought it would be considering we're in Vegas," she says. She's having it here because of football and her family, but that means helping Shane's family make reservations to come here. I've never seen Janae happier.

At that moment, a hand lands on my thigh.

I look down and see Kade's hand lightly resting there, but when I go to say something, I notice that he's not even paying attention to me.

He's still talking with his teammates. I can't help but notice how relaxed he looks.

I'm not sure I've ever seen him look that way before.

"How is it going with Kade?" Janae asks me, breaking through my thoughts of him.

I turn toward her giving her a smile. "It's going pretty good. We've been getting along this past week, which is good."

"Well, I've never seen you so happy," she says to me.

"I'm happy but very cautious," I tell her as I look back over at my husband.

There is no way I can tell her that we are only staying married for a short time, or that Kade doesn't want to be married.

It's important to keep up a wall even if no other man has ever made me feel this way before.

But the memory of the way I felt when I saw him at the club with another woman on his lap still lingers in the back of my mind.

I can't allow myself to get carried away and fall head over heels for this man.

"Well, I hope it works out for the two of you. I've never seen either of you look happier. I know you didn't mean to get married, but it suits you two," she says.

"Are we going to the game on Saturday together?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Of course!" Janae says before she leans in and whispers, "I need to use the restroom, want to join me?"

"Sure!"

I place my hand on Kade's gaining his attention. "I'm going to run to the restroom with Janae. Be back soon," I say giving him a kiss on the cheek.