Page 38

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

SCRATCH THAT ITCH

ELLE

Now

I haven't let it ruin my Christmas because I have had the best Christmas ever, but in the hours since we got the group text from Calista saying to check out TikTok, I have spiraled the tiniest bit.

Rhodes managed to distract me in the shower just now, but now that we’re drying off, my mind is swirling again.

Those sleuths on TikTok have been compiling pictures of me and Rhodes. Some of them have gone way back to the beginning, pulling up pictures I’d forgotten or never seen, and some are from our Instagram feeds. But there are also photos of him at my condo, at church together at various times, as well as last night’s Christmas Eve service, and there is even one person questioning whether it was us out with Levi in disguises.

“Who do you think started this?” I ask. “Someone’s sending the latest pictures to these people.”

“I don't know,” Rhodes says. “It’s either paparazzi or just people who know me from football…or you from cheering.”

“It doesn’t seem like something the locals would really think about much. They’ve seen us together around here for years, so it’s not a big deal. But a lot of people come through here because it’s so close to Denver.” I make a face. “It could be Brock,” I say. “That picture at the condo. Maybe he sent it to them.”

He groans. “That bastard.”

“Well, I can’t be too mad. I sort of asked for this by recklessly following my heart.” I laugh when he tugs me to him with a goofy grin on his face.

“It’s about time you recklessly loved me,” he says.

“Let’s go to bed and I’ll prove it.”

He starts walking backwards, pulling my hand as we walk from the bathroom to his bed. Bogey’s head lifts from where he’s lying on a little bed and drops back down when he sees it’s us. He’s worn out from being chased and loved on by Levi .

When Rhodes’ legs hit the bed, I loosen his towel and it drops to the floor.

“I’m on the pill,” I say softly.

“I’ve noticed that,” he says, tracing soft circles up my chest. “My tests always come back all clear. ”

“Mine too,” I whisper.

“I might be a little too excited about this.”

I give his chest a push and he falls back like I’ve really managed to move his wall of muscle. I let my own towel drop and lean over him. His hands land on my backside, a groan escaping as he kneads my cheeks.

“This ass has starred in every one of my fantasies,” he says, leaning up to swirl his tongue around my nipple. “These tits too. I’m so glad you don’t keep them from me anymore.”

I laugh. “They’re all yours.”

He smiles up at me, and I kiss him, any earlier worry about the speculation of us wiped from my mind. I kiss down his neck and stomach and keep going, my chest hovering over his cock. I lean in and slide him between my breasts and his breath hitches. He leans up to watch, cursing quietly, when I press my breasts closer together, tightening around him. His head falls back as I rub myself against his leg.

“You really went all this time without sex?” I ask.

“Yes.” He sounds out of breath.

“I actually haven’t had much either.”

He lifts his eyebrows.

I kiss his stomach and then shift down so I can get my mouth on him. He hisses when I lick his tip.

“My hand is officially retired,” he says. “Thank God.”

I grin up at him, and his eyes are dazed as he watches me take him in my mouth. I can’t believe he has been celibate this whole time. There’s so much I wish I’d known, so much I would do differently. But I can’t waste another second thinking about the what-ifs when he’s in front of me right now.

I get him right to the edge, pull back, and then start all over again.

“Fuck, love. You’re so fucking perfect.” He holds my hair back and his jaw clenches when he’s trying to hold back.

I love everything about tasting him, the weight of him in my mouth, feeling how out of control he gets, how much he loves it—it feeds me and makes me starved all at once. When he tries to flip me over, I put my hand on his chest and he stills. I turn and straddle him, facing his feet, and lower myself slowly onto him.

“ Oh ,” he says. “I didn’t think it could be any better than it already was, but skin to skin...”

“ Yes ,” I breathe.

I’m so wet, but it still takes a minute to adjust to his size.

We both exhale shakily when I’m fully seated. I lean forward and we both moan.

“You’re so deep this way.”

“Fuck, Elle. You feel unbelievable. And this view. I want to die just like this.”

“Don’t you dare.” I roll over him, my hips undulating slowly while I slide up and down his length. Leaning forward hits all of my sweet spots and I keep a steady rhythm, unable to fathom how every time with Rhodes feels brand new. And so unbelievably good.

He grips my cheeks and when I turn to look at him over my shoulder, he’s watching us with a pained expression on his face.

“It feels too good,” he says. “Just watching this ass bounce on me…taking me in so deep…is going to make me?—”

My movements speed up and he breaks into a long groan. I slap against him faster and faster and he grips my hips, thrusting up into me. Pleasure skyrockets between us as we chase that high and when we finally crest, the waves last forever.

The next morning, Lisa leaves a message while I’m in the shower, asking me to meet her in her office in an hour. Practice isn’t for another couple of hours, so I rush into Denver with a sense of dread.

Rhodes followed me here and parks in a different area of the parking lot. He’s here a little early for practice and will be in the gym working out. He’s not going to walk in with me or anything, but he wanted to be sure he was nearby for whatever happens. I get a text from him as I’m grabbing my purse and getting out of the car.

Rhodes

Let me know how it goes.

I will.

I walk inside and down the long hallway toward Lisa’s office. The door is open when I walk up, and she’s at her desk.

“Come in, Elle, and close the door.”

I do and she motions for me to sit down.

“I’m sure you have a good idea why you’re here this morning,” she says. “You have been one of my favorite dancers, and that’s not something I throw around lightly. You’re gorgeous, and you have the body and charisma that draws people in.” She pauses.

“Thank you so much.”

She sighs and lifts her shoulder in a shrug. “When I’m watching the recordings and you’re on the screen, I can’t look away.” She moves a few papers on her desk before leveling me with a piercing look. “So I’m really upset that you completely disrespected me and the team…and everyone else who would’ve happily taken your place and been content to fulfill their end of the commitment. I communicated the rules of the team very clearly to you, and you blatantly broke every one. You have been seen all over town with Rhodes Archer, multiple times!”

She pauses and when I don’t say anything, she continues.

“You’re fired. I need you to clear out your locker, turn in your uniform, and leave the premises within the next half hour.”

The timeframe is a bit surprising, but everything else is what I expected…except she surprised me with the compliments.

“Thanks for giving me the opportunity. I loved being part of the team, and I’ll really miss dancing with the girls. I should’ve known it would be too hard to stay away from Rhodes. As I told you before, Rhodes’ son Levi is my godson, so I should have never joined the team. I just love dancing so much, and I loved being part of this organization. At the time, when I joined, I thought a little space from Rhodes might be what I needed…I was struggling with staying in the friend zone. I’m so sorry for the disrespect. I have nothing but admiration for you and the girls. I actually have you to thank for forcing Rhodes and me to confront our feelings. ”

Her nod is brisk. “Well, I hope it was worth it.” She makes a face like she smells something bad. “You know…I’ve been around long enough to see the occasional dalliance between players and cheerleaders, but they never last. The sheer volume of women that throw themselves at these players is staggering.” She shakes her head. “And like I said, you’re gorgeous, but there are a lot of pretty girls out there. You won’t always be there to scratch that itch. Rhodes Archer is a hot commodity.”

“What we have is more than that. And he’s definitely worth it,” I say and walk out the door.