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CHAPTER THIRTY

JACK

A bottle of Kendra’s perfume sits on the side of my bathroom counter. She’s only been away for twenty-four hours, but I’m already pining like a puppy when their owner turns their back for a few seconds.

Grabbing my deodorant from next to her Angel perfume, I realize this will be our life on a regular basis—Kendra away with her team and me with mine. It’s possible we could find ourselves apart for weeks, especially when our schedules don’t align. The only positive? At least the summers will be free. And when she has international tournaments like the World Cup, I’ll travel with her.

When it comes to Kendra, everything I see is long-term. There isn’t a shred of doubt in my mind when it comes to this girl. I just hope she feels the same way. Last week in Lloyd’s, when I said I’d follow her to Brazil this summer, I sensed her hesitancy, the moment when she processed how far away the tournament was. I never want her to doubt my commitment to us—hell, I’ve been into her since before I was legal to drink. Nothing about us is temporary, and nothing about what we have lives in Tyler’s shadow.

Don’t let him get in your head, Jack.

I shake away thoughts of that asshole, finish up packing my bag, and shoot my girl a text.

Me

Do you know how weird it was, sleeping in my bed alone last night?

Kendra

I woke up this morning to Jenna’s snoring. At first, I thought it was you, and I got excited, only to realize I was still in Florida.

I don’t snore.

I have recordings that prove otherwise.

Wait, do you actually?

Recording attached.

I hit play on the ten-second video as I walk through the living area and grab my jacket, ready to head to the airport for a three-night series in Chicago.

The tape finishes up, and I frown.

No way. Not buying it. Also, never have I ever complained about the noises you make.

I’m noisy?

I burst out laughing and grab my keys from the console table.

Oh, Kitten, the possible responses I could give to this.

Never mind that. Do I snore?

No.

I do, don’t I?

It’s cute.

I die.

Recording attached.

YOU DIDN’T!

On a belly laugh, I twist the handle on my front door and grab my suitcase, still smiling down at my phone like a lovesick fool.

“Son. Thought I’d catch you before you head to the airport.”

I’m partway to the elevator when the voice wipes away my smile, an awkward feeling settling over me.

“That a girl?” He nods his head at the phone in my hand, and I quickly pocket it.

“What are you doing here?” My voice is ice-cold.

I can’t say I harbor hate toward my dad, but I’m definitely not his biggest fan. There isn’t much in life we see eye to eye on, resulting in an impasse between us. Which is why I’m surprised to see him here, acting like he actually gives a shit.

“You didn’t answer my question,” he responds, brushing a few flakes of snow from the collar of his long black coat.

I dangle my truck keys beside me, hoping he’ll take the hint that I need to get going. “And you didn’t answer mine. I have, like, thirty minutes to get to the terminal.”

He smiles and shakes his head in the patronizing way he does.

Dad has always thought a lot of himself. He’d walk into a room and expect all conversation to stop around him. Everything revolved around his agenda, and if yours happened to be full, then you’d better make accommodations.

“Haven’t got five minutes for your old man? I came all this way to see you. Thought it was my only option since you refuse to answer my texts.”

I ignore the gibe, along with his passive-aggressive comment. “Not here on work then?”

He runs a self-assured hand through his hair. I wish I could extract his DNA from my genetic makeup and replace it with Jon’s, life would be much simpler that way.

He takes a step toward me. “I’m here to check up on the progress of our US hedge fund, but that’s not the main reason for visiting New York. I wanted to see you, Jack.”

His voice feels sincere enough, but Jon’s warning rings true. I can’t trust him. There’s always something more to his actions. My phone buzzes in my pocket for the second time, reminding me of Kendra’s unanswered text.

“I fly back in a few days, and I was hoping to see you before I left. Thought maybe we could grab a bite to eat. You get back early from Chicago on Saturday, don’t you?”

I lift my wrist and check my watch. Shit. I wasn’t lying when I said I had thirty minutes.

“Debbie, my girlfriend, is here with me. Maybe you could bring yours too?” he continues.

At this point, I’m not really processing his words. “Sure,” I say, desperate to get to my truck and avoid the reaming-out Jon is going to give me for delaying the flight.

His eyes light up, like he wasn’t expecting me to agree. “Great.” He shoves his hands into his coat pockets. “I’ll make a reservation for four.”

“’Kay.” Grabbing the handle on my suitcase, I stride past him and hit the button on the elevator.

“Jack.”

I spin around just as the doors open. “Yeah?”

“You’ll remember to bring your girl, won’t you? I want to be a part of your life.”

His voice sounds borderline defeated, and I fight back the urge to feel for this guy. Like I said before, I’m at an impasse with him, and that’s the best place to be.

The last thing I want is to drag Kendra into my daddy issues, but I also know she won’t do anything she isn’t comfortable with.

I step into the elevator and hit the button for the lobby. “I’ll ask her.”

“That’s it, Kitten. You right there?”

“So close.”

With my phone propped up on the comforter in front of me, I lean back on the headboard and palm my dick, dragging my hand up from the base in a motion that makes my balls tighten. “Fuck, you look so pretty like this.”

She’s on her knees for me, her phone lying flat on the bed as she hovers over it, granting me a perfect view of her wet pussy.

Kendra throws her head back and moans, pushing Scarlett further inside her. “I wish you were inside me too.”

My dick grows harder. “You liked that, didn’t you?”

“So much. I want you here, Jack.”

“I know. Me too. Just two more nights, and I’ll be back with you, my cock stuffed in your pussy.”

On another thrust of her vibe, she moans. Even via video call and in the faint light of my bedroom, I see the way her skin pebbles, the rush of blood to her cheeks as she drops her head forward and comes on parted lips. Lips I’d love to be sucking on my cock right about now.

I’m mesmerized by the beauty sprawled out across my bed, but my hand stills on my cock when I hear Sawyer’s key card slide into the hotel door .

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” I pull the duvet up over my waist and grab my phone. “Cover yourself, Kendra. He’s back.”

Like a fully trained ninja, she dives off the bed and out of sight, and I suppress my laughter when I hear her cussing out my captain. We weren’t nearly done with phone sex, and he’s back way earlier than he said.

On an arched brow, he steps into the room and closes the door behind him. “Should I … come back later?”

I drop my shoulders and double-check that I’m not tenting the duvet. “I’d say the moment’s passed.”

He kicks off his sneakers and moves across to the bathroom. “It’s cold as fuck out there. I’m gonna order room service.”

He disappears inside the bathroom, and I pick my phone back up.

“Kendra!” I whisper-shout.

When she comes into view, she’s dressed in one of my training tops, her cheeks flushed.

“Not helping.” I point to her top and then my inflating dick.

She shrugs a shoulder and climbs onto the bed, throwing her hair up in an effortless bun. “First thing I could find to throw on.”

Goddamn away series.

“I miss you so much,” I say.

She smiles sweetly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “When you get back, we can snuggle all night on the couch.”

It sounds like the best idea in history, if only there wasn’t one snag. “Actually, I needed to talk to you about that.”

She sits up straighter, the collar of my shirt falling over one of her shoulders. “What’s up?”

With my dick now fully deflated, I reach over and grab some shorts, pulling them on under the duvet. “I ran into Dad on my way to the airport. He wants to meet up for dinner before he heads back to the UK. He invited you to join us with his new girlfriend, Debbie.”

“How does he know about me? ”

It’s a fair question, but nothing he couldn’t work out from the media. “I think there’s a fair share of pictures online.”

She nods. “True. Do you want to go?”

I scratch at the back of my neck. “Not especially, but in my haste to make the plane, I kind of agreed to it.”

She shimmies down under the covers, and, fuck, there goes my dick again, right as Sawyer steps back into the bedroom.

“I mean, I’m okay with it if you are. If his girlfriend is going, it might not be so awkward. I guess I should get to know all of your family.”

Every time, even when the conversation is about my dad, somehow, this girl manages to make me fall just a little bit harder.

I open my mouth, the words right there on my tongue.

“Baby, someone’s calling me. Can I call you back?” she says.

I clamp my mouth shut; it wasn’t the right time anyway. “Yeah, sure.”

She blows me a kiss and disappears, leaving me staring at the call summary and running over ways I can tell her that I want the bed she’s sleeping in tonight to be permanent.

“Did, err … did that chick ever contact Kendra?”

I turn my head toward Sawyer as he scans the room service menu from his king-size bed. “Which chick?”

He crosses his feet over at his ankles and flicks the page. “She had pink hair.”

I rack my memory for what the hell he’s talking about.

Bingo.

The slightest tug of my top lip has him side-eyeing me with a warning.

“She seemed kind of stressed out, was all.”

“You’re talking about the girl who turned down your offer of a lift home, right?”

He closes the menu and throws it at me. “Don’t recall that part.”

I immediately select what I want and pick up the receiver to place an order. “Aside from the rock-chick girl with pink hair, what do you want?”

He narrows his eyes at me. “The sirloin.”

“Rare or well done?”

He drops his shoulders and tips his head toward the ceiling. “Rare.”

I snicker right as a pillow hits the side of my face.

“Order the damn food, rook.”

“Want me to ask Kendra if she’s heard from her?”

He throws his head back into the soft headboard and exhales slowly. “No, it sounds fucking weird.”

The call connects and immediately puts me in a queue, and Sawyer reaches across for the book on his nightstand.

He might think asking after a girl he met for all of thirty seconds sounds weird, but I know he wouldn’t have said anything in the first place if she hadn’t made some kind of impression on him. Something tells me it took a lot for Sawyer to even ask what he did.

With that knowledge, I decide to do him the favor he didn’t ask for.

Me

Did you ever hear from the girl in Lloyd’s that night?

Kendra

Collins?

Yeah.

My eyes flick up to Sawyer as he pulls on his glasses and focuses on his latest crime novel.

Okay, so this isn’t weird at all. That was her calling me a second ago. I’m meeting her for the random coffee we talked about .

I look over at Sawyer again. “She’s fine. Kendra just confirmed it.”

“You asked?” He pulls off his glasses and looks at me, though he doesn’t seem annoyed I went ahead when he said no.

“I’m a bundle of love these days.”

Fuck, am I turning into Jon?

He got with Mum and instantly went from playboy to matchmaker extraordinaire when it came to his teammates.

He shakes his head at me. “I’m not interested in her, Jack.”

I close out the message thread with Kendra. “Why are you so bothered then?”

He continues shaking his head right as the call connects to the restaurant downstairs. “Just leave it.”