Balls - A Bad Boy Sports Romance - Danielle Slater

Copyright © 2016 Danielle Slater, Nora Lane All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the authors’ imagination. Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.

BALLS A Cruz Boys Novel

Danielle Slater Nora Lane

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CHAPTER ONE Prologue – Alexis Every girl dreamed about her perfect wedding day, right down to the cream taffeta dress and the strategic reception-dinner seating arrangements—the one that ensured Uncle GetsTooDrunk and Cousin LovesToFight never ended up anywhere near each other. I was no different. I had it all planned it out. Today was going to be perfect. Except for this damn mascara! I was nearly in tears, but there was no way I was letting them add to this catastrophe. I paid forty dollars for a tube of Armani Eyes to Kill Excess and the least I could

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expect was to get smooth, long, luscious lashes. Not hideous black clumps. It looked like an oil tanker ran aground and dropped its load on my eyelashes. I was just waiting for the animal rescue squad to show up and hose me down. I touched up in the mirror and saw the door to the bride’s room open in the reflection. Megan Price swept in like a vision wearing a lilac bridesmaid dress that accentuated her fashionably beanpole frame. A pink chiffon wrap hung around her pale shoulders. Her shoulder-length auburn hair puffed out in ringlets that refused to ever be ironed straight. Her emerald eyes contrasted beautifully with the halo of curls around her head. We couldn’t have been more different, on the surface. “Sorry, I had to pee so bad. This UTI is killing me,” she said.

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“You know, it might help if you stop having sex for a couple of hours while it clears up.” “Thank you, Mother Teresa. I’ll be sure to do that and also say my rosary ten times.” “Sister, please. I’m trying to help your body. I know your soul is a lost cause.” I smirked at her, despite the gobs of black goo shading my mood. “You catty trollop!” Megan grinned and came up behind me. She reached for the mascara applicator. “Let the pros do what the pros do.” “Yeah, that’s why you have that infection in the first place.” “I’m talking about your mascara.” I let her wrestle it from my hand with only the barest hint of resistance. I couldn’t have been happier to let someone else take over. Just as I was ready to let my fiancé, Robert, take the reins as soon as our wedding day was over.

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Well, take over was a relative concept. Have more input, for a while at least. The last seven months of my life had been an exhausting exercise in elaborate planning. Robert had let me take the lead with all of the details. Something for which I was usually grateful, and occasionally resentful. But in the end, it worked because this was our perfect day. “Where’s Taylor?” I asked. I distinctly remembered starting the morning with two bridesmaids–my two best friends in the world. And one was now MIA. Megan shook her head. “She was still on the toilet when I left. Said she knocked back too many Jägers last night at the rehearsal dinner.” “I blame Robert,” I said. “He egged her on all evening.” Megan brushed the last bits of gunk from my lashes and smiled. “There you go.”

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I looked in the mirror and saw with delight my amber brown eyes staring through impossibly long lashes. Smooth lashes. “You’re a miracle worker, Megs!” I twirled around in front of the bodylength mirror, trying to catch any last little thing that might throw off my perfect day. Megan stopped me halfway around. “Will you stop already? You look amazing. Your flawless mocha skin against that cream dress is giving me a lady boner.” My mouth gaped open and a giggle tumbled out. “I’m not kidding,” she said. “If I was a dude, I’d have you bent over that old granny floral couch with your round asscheeks in my hands.” She lowered her hands in front of her and grabbed the air, which was apparently my imaginary backside. She pumped her hips forward and then slapped the air where

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presumably one of my cheeks resided. “I’d make it so you couldn’t walk in the morning. You’d waddle around like a penguin after a marathon. Your tender bits would chafe like they’d been ridden hard and put up wet.” My giggles turned to laughter and I would’ve bent over and slapped my knee if the shrink-wrapped dress had any kind of give in it. As it was, I laughed until the bodice began to pinch into my ribs and hurt a little. When the laughter subsided, the cauldron in my belly resumed its bubbling and boiling. People said it was butterflies in your belly, but that didn’t cover it by a quarter. I had moths swarming like a tornado. Those big fat, hairy ones that make your stomach queasy. The tips of my fingers had that numb tingly feeling like they’d managed to all go to sleep at once. I tried to swallow and couldn’t get through it. I had cottonmouth like never

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before, even worse than those college Saturday nights when Taylor had convinced Megs and I to do bong hits until our brains exploded. Apparently, brains exploding still left enough sentience to realize your mouth was like a giant cotton swab. My brain wasn’t threatening to explode, but my belly was gurgling unease. It had been dealing with a wild concoction of endorphins, adrenaline, and cortisol all morning. Endorphins because I loved Robert Graves more than anyone in my entire life. Adrenaline because he would be my husband in less than one hour, and that was yet another exhilarating step toward achieving my goals in life. And cortisol because I was scared something, anything, could go wrong. What if Uncle GetsTooDrunk was already deep in the drink and made a scene during

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the ceremony? What if Cousin LovesToFight was already stirring the pot and causing a familial meltdown? “It’s gonna be fine,” Megan said as she squeezed my hand. My heart warmed with a smile. She knew me so well I didn’t even have to ask for reassurance. That’s what a best friend did. One like her, at least. I was doing okay for the most part, but the thought of my dad walking me down the aisle had the butterflies swarming in my belly. I was seriously hoping to avoid barfing in front of everyone in the congregation. I could just imagine Aunt BlabsToEveryone having a field day this evening, calling all her gossip-hound hens and sharing a cluck and a chuckle at my expense. Megan took my shoulder and turned me towards her. Her eyes held me like an anchor. “Alex, what are you thinking about?”

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I tried to turn away. “Nothing.” She held me fast. “Sister, please. I’ve known that worry machine you call a mind for over twenty years. Don’t nothing me.” “I’m worried. Is it normal to be worried?” “Relax, girl. It’s all gonna be fine. You love Robert, right?” “Yes, of course I do.” She touched my chest, right over my heart. “And that’s all that matters.” She waved dismissively in the air. “And everything else is a gnat’s ass farting in the wind.” Despite her imaginative and slightly disgusting metaphor, I knew she was right. Robert was the man for me. It was totally normal to be nervous on your wedding day, right? I pressed a hand to my stomach and forced myself to take deep, even breaths.

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Which wasn’t easy because my throat felt like an invisible hand was choking it. It was a big life change. Being nervous came with the territory. Robert had to be the one. Why would I be here if he wasn’t? We’d dated for almost two years. We were so similar. It was almost like it made no sense to be with anyone else. We shared common interests and common plans for the future. We both wanted to be sports journalists. It probably came from growing up in a one stoplight town where the only exciting things that ever happened were the high school varsity games. There was the age difference. He was three years older at twenty-seven, but that gap wasn’t a big deal in college like it would’ve been in high school. We both knew we’d eventually reach our goals, but it was a wonderful surprise when Robert got hired at the Sports News Network

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right after graduation. He’d been slowly working his way up on the online side of things for two years now. Apparently being a handsome smoothtalker with a passion for sports got you places. The network had already promised that he’d get to cover the upcoming World Cup next year. He was ecstatic, and I was too, for him. That’s what being a couple was about. You cheered for your partner’s victories and cried for their defeats. I hadn’t yet given Robert anything to cheer about, but I knew my lucky break would come. “Hello?” Megan snapped her fingers in front of my face. “You there? Come back to the moment. You don’t want to miss it obsessing about the future.” I blinked my eyes. “I know. I’m just so excited to start our life together.”

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Megan rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Three kids, starting with a boy, a girl next so she has a big brother to look up to, and then a surprise because you’ve always wanted three.” I stuck my tongue out at her. “Making fun of Alexis Young’s Happy Life Manual, trademark pending, is not allowed on her wedding day.” Talking about yourself in the third person always made it feel more authoritative for some reason. She ignored my reply and grabbed a stray lock of wavy black hair that had somehow escaped from the tight bun perched on top of my head. Robert liked it up that way and it made me happy to make him happy. Megan tucked it back into place and twisted her lips. “What?” I asked.

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“I’m gonna miss you, Alex,” she said. “It’s not every day that I lose my best friend in the world.” A tear welled up in the corner of her eye and threatened to spill down her cheek. I leaned in and gave her an air hug, enough contact to comfort us both, but not enough to mess up our dresses. “You’re not losing me, Megs. We’re moving to Europe. That’s all. We’re still going to come home to see friends and family. And besides, what better reason to go visit Europe? I’ll be there waiting, ready to be your personal tour guide.” I dabbed the handkerchief at her bubbling tear before it could spill out and cause a disastrous mascara trail. She sniffed back the sadness and shrugged. “Yeah, I’ve always wanted to take a big bite of some hot Euro beefcake.” “You’re so naughty!”

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“Hey, I’ve got a degree in International Business. I’d say that’s the best possible way to put it to use.” A sharp knock on the door interrupted whatever lewd reply Megan was about to make. “It’s time to get into positions,” said a quiet voice that I recognized as the wedding coordinator. Megan nodded and smiled. “Let’s not keep your lucky guy waiting.” She hooked her arm in mine and pulled me toward the door. I took a deep breath and decided to let myself be led. That’s what a bridesmaid was for, right? When you’d planned everything out and there was nothing left to do, it was crazy that my mind still grasped for the things I might’ve missed.

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And that’s why I had a bridesmaid. To help me through the day, half guiding and half pulling. The only problem was that I was down to half of my bridesmaids. *** We walked down a long, empty hall toward the front of the church where Dad waited for me. He’d keep me from falling on my face as I made my grand entrance. I could already hear the massive pipe organ vibrating through the walls. Mom was probably already drowning in a puddle of tears. She seriously got weepy at the big life moments. I had to admit. The sound of the organ was impressive. Robert had insisted on getting married in Manhattan, Kansas because our hometown Wamego only had three churches and none of them were fancy enough. I pictured him waiting for me at the altar, way off down the aisle. The one that was

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probably only a fifty feet in real life, but in my mind stretched on for miles and miles. Anything could go wrong on that walk. As we continued down the hall, my body seemed to float over the hunter green carpet. The connection between my head and feet felt tenuous at best. My feet apparently needed more input because the pointed tip of my left heel caught the trailing taffeta fabric. The next step was a graceless one. Like you see on all those America’s Funniest Home Videos. My leg automatically tried to swing forward as my balance shifted, only it didn’t swing and there was nothing to stop the forward momentum. I crashed to the carpet like a two-legged deer with both legs in the back and nothing up front. A horrendous ripping sound rent the air. My arm in Megan’s brought her down on top of me. We were a twisted mess of limbs and crisp fabric. I rolled over and Megan fell

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to the side with a bump. In growing shock, I reached around to feel the back of my dress. Oh no. My fingers flinched when they landed on a ginormous hole in the seam on my backside. Loose threads spilled out like entrails, signifying a mortal wound. I looked into Megan’s eyes and the large white saucers there confirmed the worst. I lost my shit. Like, not pretty spectacle style. With one cheek on the scratchy carpet, I came undone. At the edges. In the middle. Everywhere in between. It was all the emotion wrapped that kicked me over the edge. A torrent of tears streamed over the bridge of my nose and blurred into the other eye as it added its own stream of anguish. Black mascara mixed with tears, smearing hazy blobs of gray across my vision.

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Maybe it was the shock, but I didn’t make a noise. And that was saying something because when I really got going, I sounded a lot like a wounded farm animal. I would’ve lay there silently weeping until that animal rescue team put me out of my misery, but Megan was too good a friend for that. She choked down her own shock and, like always, stepped up to be the friend I needed. “It’s going to be okay, honey,” she said. “It’s seriously fucked up, but it’s going to be okay.” “Really?” The word came out squeaky and two notes higher than usual. Megan untwisted her dress from mine and pulled me to my wobbling feet. “Come on,” she said. “The bathroom is down the hall. We can fix this.” I wanted to believe her. I yearned to believe the impossible. But what could she do?

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Unless she had a history of feeding zillions with a couple of guppies or turning bathtub water into a bottle of fancy champagne, she didn’t have a chance of fixing me. In a daze, I let her drag me on. As we got close, a muffled wail came through the door. Like someone had sat on a pin and cried out. The sound didn’t register on any meaningful level. Megan shoved the door open and we dove inside like two soldiers trying to avoid enemy fire. There were three stalls, with the door to the furthest one closed. Seeing them made my bladder pinch. Maybe absolute despair activated the pee response. “I have to pee,” I said. “Give me a sec.” I stumbled into the middle stall and bumped the door shut. I didn’t have trouble wiggling out of the dress… Because it was ruined!

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A fresh stream of tears and bubbling grief overwhelmed me. “Sister,” Megan said from outside the stall, “take care of business and then we’ll assess the damage. Don’t freak out on me.” “Okay. Okay.” I situated my dress and sat down. I sniffed back tears and tried to swallow the softball stuck in my throat. Peeing when you’re so emotional is not easy. I sat quietly a minute trying to calm down and finally my body relaxed enough to give my bladder relief. The person in the stall next door grunted and shuffled around knocking into the metal partition. “Sssshh,” a voice whispered. I stood up and was about to twirl my dress around to verify the catastrophe when something tickled the edges of my brain. I sniffed the air.

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Robert’s cologne. The one I’d bought him for our one-year anniversary. Metal creaked in the next stall. “Shhhh!” The voice sounded familiar. What the hell was going on over there? I looked under the stall and saw a pair of lilac Jessica Simpson pumps. And also a pair of shiny black wingtips. What? What was… My heart froze in my chest. As if on autopilot, I climbed up on the toilet and looked over into the next stall. And that’s when the worst moment of my life instantly turned into the worst moment of anyone’s life that I’d ever heard of, fictional or otherwise. The phrase absolute fucking worst didn’t begin to cover it. I found Taylor, my absent bridesmaid.

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And I found my fiancé, Robert PieceofShit Graves. The tectonic plates of my stable life quaked. A day that thirty seconds ago had only fallen from planned perfection to accidental catastrophe now plunged into a bottomless abyss. It was like a colossally-sized drill had cored out my soul, and my dreams had been sucked down into the darkness. Only it wasn’t a drill. It was Robert’s dick. Which wasn’t colossal. Though a hair short of five inches, it was my one and only basis for comparison and felt sizable enough. And it wasn’t a bottomless abyss. It was my treacherous missing bridesmaid! My ex-fiancé had her bent over holding the toilet. He clutched her hips so tightly his

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knuckles were white. They both looked up at me with distorted grimaces on their faces. Robert’s perfectly side-parted black hair and tweezed eyebrows seemed ironic considering the total lack of care that had put him in this situation. Taylor’s dress was crinkled up like aluminum foil around her waist. Robert had his black pants crumpled around his knees, his white shirt pulled up, and his black tie thrown over his shoulder. Thank God, he was being so careful! Only he wasn’t! He wasn’t even wearing a condom! We never once didn’t use a condom! We were too smart to risk ruining our futures with an unplanned pregnancy. We could’ve been there for half an hour. I couldn’t tell. But finally, someone spoke. “What the fuck?” It was me.

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Which came as a huge surprise because I didn’t expect to ever speak again. Taylor’s mouth moved. “Alex, please. I—” And she didn’t get further because I slapped down an outward-facing palm in her direction. “Alexis,” Robert said. He got a hand too. I looked at the man I used to love. “How fucking could you? What about our future together?” I threw my hands up. “On this day of all days!” Any day would’ve been the worst. But this day made it infinitely more terrible. I chopped toward his cock. “You’re not even using a condom!” I flung my hands around. “In a bathroom, for Christ’s sake!”

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A part of me felt guilty for saying that in a church bathroom. Not the part running the show right now though. I stared laser beams into each of their eyes. “You both disgust me!” They didn’t move an inch. Hadn’t moved an inch the entire time. I gestured at their point of carnal connection. “Robert, will you please pull your dick out of my ex-best friend so I can talk to you?” He chewed his lower lip and twitched out a nod. His hips shifted back and his glistening shaft slid out. The muscles in his legs quivered. His stomach sucked in making his ribs stick out. He grunted. Taylor’s body shuddered. The head of his dick popped out and bounced up.

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“Alex, please,” Robert said as he reached up to me. “No!” I screamed. I jerked back to avoid his poisonous touch and my foot slipped on the toilet lid. My pump dove straight down into urine water, hitting the bowl and tweaking my ankle painfully. I lurched to the side and grabbed for anything that might keep me from getting a mouthful of tile floor. My hand landed on the metal lever and flushed the toilet with a loud whoosh. I stood there in shock. One foot in the toilet as urine swirled and realized the sound I was hearing wasn’t just the toilet. It was the sound of my life getting flushed down the drain.

CHAPTER TWO Leonardo There was only one thing that came close to scoring a game-winning goal, and that was scoring a gorgeous broad. Plowing nine inches into a tight package (and for me, they were all tight) was my typical Saturday night. And Sunday night. And most weeknights too. I was blessed with a perfect body. One that was equally comfortable showing off on the soccer field as it was showing off in the bedroom. To be honest, it would be a crime against humanity not to pass along these genes. Unfortunately, I’d never met a girl that deserved more than one night. Maybe I was cursed.

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There were worse burdens to bear. Rodrigo Romero, my buddy on the Spanish national soccer team, slapped my back. “I’ve got a surprise waiting after the game.” I couldn’t remember the last time one of his surprises had been the least bit surprising. Rodrigo nodded toward the opposing goal. “Take us home, Leo.” I didn’t respond. I didn’t have to. We both knew what was coming. What happened every time I was called upon to perform in the clinch. Perfection. That’s what I demanded of myself, and that’s what I delivered. The thundering echo of the entire stadium on its feet buzzed faintly in the back of my mind. All 100,000 fans packed into the Camp Nou stadium were on their feet.

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For me. For the victory I would bring them. I shifted from toe to toe feeling my cleats dig into the lush green turf. The air shimmered with twirling bits of colored confetti. I flexed my hamstrings, reveling in their tireless strength. At twenty-eight, my body had never been stronger. My mind never more focused. We would win the coming World Cup. We wouldn’t repeat the final’s loss to Germany four years ago. More specifically, I wouldn’t allow us to repeat it. And then I’d have my revenge on Bastian Kramer, the bastard who stole my winning goal and sent my knee into ten months of brutal physical therapy in the process. That Kraut motherfucker was going to feel the sting of defeat this time around. He’d feel the suffocating wave of agony as his country fell to its knees in submission.

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And this penalty kick was another brick in the road to that redemption. The ball sat five yards ahead marked at the penalty spot. A further ten yards beyond it crouched the goalkeeper for the Irish national team. His stance was wide and low. He was doing his best to look ready. He may as well have been lying on the grass taking a nap. His chances of stopping my shot were the same either way. I glanced at the enormous scoreboard display and saw myself reflected there. I winked in the general direction of the camera and the crowd went bananas. Tied at one to one with three seconds left in the game. An Irish defender had taken my legs out from under me just before I got off a shot at goal. A penalty kick was awarded, and I, of course, was chosen to deliver the deathblow.

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It was a glorious moment, no doubt. One a lesser player would either muff or end up calling the pinnacle of his career. Not me though. Knocking the Irish national team out of the qualifying round for the upcoming World Cup would be one among a multitude of brilliant achievements. Most players in my position would try to figure out what the goalkeeper might do, which way he might jump, if he was good going low or high. Not me. It didn’t matter what the goalkeeper did. It only mattered what I did. I chose the outcome, even before the ball moved an inch. Upper left corner from the outside of my right foot. I thought, therefore I did. The ball exploded off my foot and spun wide to the left, arcing through the air. Far too late to make a difference, the goalkeeper dove to his right. The ball whipped back right and dipped hard. It sliced in, perfectly

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slotted in the upper left corner. It ripped into the net and slapped to the ground, spinning in place. The goalkeeper landed hard with nothing to show for his pointless effort. Still, him doing something other than standing frozen in place made it appear more competitive. Like there was a chance that he’d actually stop the ball. That was important for his professional future. He rolled to his stomach and tears leaked from his eyes before he covered his face in the grass. He just lost his nation’s spot in the World Cup. I knew the feeling. I didn’t revel in his pain, but someone had to lose. The tens of thousands of Spanish fans erupted like a volcano inside the vast stadium. The earth trembled underfoot with their ecstasy and adulation.

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In a ritual that had become almost routine, my teammates hoisted me up onto their shoulders and we galloped around the field waving at the sea of rabid fans. “Over there, guys!” I shouted down to be heard over the deafening roar. I pointed over to a mass of kids occupying first row seats at ground level. That section was usually reserved for celebrities and other notable luminaries. Tonight, it was a bunch of kids going absolutely crazy. “You got it,” Rodrigo shouted from under my right leg as we swung the team around. We arrived and I jumped down with an easy grace. Bones stood to the side of the children with his arms folded across his concave chest. A permanent frown creased his weathered lips. “Lucky shot,” he said. “You wish, old man,” I said. I slapped his shoulder, not too hard.

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“In the old days,” he said, “they would’ve never called that pansy foul. In American football, players hug harder than that.” I laughed. Nobody dished it out better than Bones. “Are you kidding me? I almost lost a leg out there!” The faintest smile crept into his face. “You’d make a fair-to-middling NFL kicker,” he said. “And your empty head would make a fair soccer ball,” I replied. A boy next to him bounced up and down like his feet were springs. His brown hair flopped around wildly and the freckles that sprinkled his face bunched up. Bones nodded and a tear gathered in the corner of his eyes. He wiped it away in a hurry. “Thank you, Leo,” he said. “The kids haven’t talked about anything else for a week.”

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He pointed at the brown-haired boy. “Josh didn’t sleep a wink last night.” Josh bounced uncontrollably screaming, “The Lion of Spain wins it!” Bones sniffed and cleared out the frog growing in his throat. “Don’t get soft on me, old man!” I slapped his shoulder. “I’m happy we finally made it happen.” I turned to Josh, the boy I’d adopt in a nanosecond if the idiot courts in Barcelona would let me. Apparently, I was an unacceptable parental role model. Yeah, probably. But how many biological parents were standing right there beside me? Besides, had any of those uptight authority assholes lived one minute in the shoes of someone like Josh? No. But I had.

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The familiar burn in my belly started to boil so I pushed the thought away. “Your plan worked, Sport!” I said to Josh. “Upper left corner was his weakness.” The other kids from the Bright Hope children’s home stared at Josh in wonder. “Spain owes you a debt,” I said to his beaming grin. “So, I’ll start with this as a down payment.” I slid off my jersey and settled it over his lanky eight-year-old frame. Rodrigo came up behind me with the game winning ball and a Sharpie. Josh’s eyes nearly fell out of his head. I’d given him a number of match balls over the three years I’d known him, but this one was the most special by far. I bit off the cap and wrote on the ball. I lined up the ball so it would hit right. “Ready to practice a header?” He nodded so hard it looked like his head would shake off.

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I tossed the ball and he headed it right back. “Nice one, Sport!” I said with a laugh. I handed him the ball and he rolled it around looking for where I’d signed it. He found it and furrowed his brow. It wasn’t my usual signature. “It’s backwards,” he said. He mouthed out the letters trying to solve the puzzle. “Why does it say ‘BUTTHEAD’ backwards?” He turned to the kid next to him and the whole section of kids busted out laughing. They pointed at his forehead. Josh turned back and punched me in the chest. He rubbed at his forehead, but it wasn’t that easy to get Sharpie off. “Got ya!” I said. Josh lit up and laughed harder than the rest. The kid was amazing. Resilient and

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open to a world that hadn’t done him many favors. I waved at the rest of my team all huddled around the raving kids. “Let’s go guys! Shirts off!” The whole team stripped down and tossed their jerseys into the mass of squealing kids. Good. They each deserved more happy memories than they’d been given so far. Josh held the ball above his head and yelled. “The Lion of Spain wins again! The Lion of Spain wins again!” I leaned over the railing and gave him a lion-sized hug. I let go and ruffled his hair. “We’re going all the way this time!” I said. “I have to get back for interviews and all that. We still have plans for Monday afternoon?” “You bet we do!” he shouted. I nodded and turned to Bones. “NFL kicker, huh?” “Yeah, something worthwhile,” he said.

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I held my hands in the air and looked around taking in the pandemonium of a hundred thousand people going apeshit. “This is where I belong.” Rodrigo tugged on my shorts. “Let’s go, boss. Lots of TV people wanna talk your ear off.” I made a show of grabbing at my ear and being shocked at finding it missing. Josh giggled like crazy. “See you, J,” I said. Rodrigo pulled me toward the waiting throng of cameras and microphones. He whispered in my ear, “Let’s get this over with. That surprise I’ve got should be waiting below.” I’d scored an unforgettable goal, one they’d show on montage reels for years to come. And now I was ready to score another one of my favorite things. ***

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Jennifer and Jennifer (they were all Jennifers) danced in front of me in the locker room, gyrating their hips around like their butts were on swivels. Red lace panties and matching bras left little to the imagination. Their flat bellies and huge tits defied the laws of nature, which was fine by me. I didn’t do limitations. “Let’s go, ladies,” I said. “Whoever dances the best is the winner.” The winner, of course, being the girl that would end up with me for the night. To be honest, they were both going to get lucky, but a little healthy competition never hurt anything. They darted dagger eyes at each other and redoubled their efforts at being the sexiest. I had to give it to Rodrigo. They were the hottest pair of fake blondes I’d seen in a week or two. Yeah, girls like them blurred in my memory into a faceless

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mass of conquests. But it never hurt to smudge in a couple more. I sat on a wood bench with my legs spread out in front. Not a stitch of clothing covering my skin. My cock hung between my legs like the rope that it was. But having a big dick wasn’t all physical. Part of it was mental too. And nobody and nothing had a cockier mind than mine. Jennifers pulled their bras off. A quartet of plastic tits stared me in the face. They were going to earn a hot load before then sun came up. I looked over and saw Rodrigo getting his cock stroked by a young, petite brunette. He had a thing for small girls that he could bounce around. He caught my eye and grinned. He flashed a number one sign with his finger, and because he was my best friend and I knew him, I didn’t take it as a challenge. He was just celebrating. As was I.

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Jennifers danced around doing the whole over-the-top sexy thing. Why did every girl think stripper-dancing was the only way to be sexy? The media or something. I took a long slug of cold beer and watched the show. “Who’s the winner gonna be?” I asked, to fuck with them a little more. Why not? Anything to keep my interest. My reverie was cut short when someone knocked on the locker room door. Who knocked on a locker room door? The door flew open and the most stunning pair of long, cocoa legs I’d ever seen stumbled in. A guy with a camera on his shoulder came in behind her. She lurched to a stop and stood there with her mouth hanging wide open and a confused look on her face.

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Her eyes dropped to the area between my legs. “Kind of late for an interview, isn’t it?” I asked. “Sorry,” she stammered as her eyes came back up to mine. “I, I…” “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “For you, I’ll hang out awhile.” I caught her gaze and glanced down between my legs. I looked back up and she was still locked on my dick like a tractor beam. She shook her head. “Sorry, no…” She took a step back and tripped on what must’ve been a four-inch heel. She sprawled forward flailing her arms. Her face smacked the concrete floor with a slap. “Ouch! Damn!” I said as I jumped up and ran over. I leaned down in front of her and extended a hand. “Take my hand. Let me help you up,” I said.

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Still staring at the floor, she held her busted face with one hand and raised her other hand above her head. She reached up and grabbed ahold. Of my dick. She missed my hand by a few inches and ended up with more than a few in return. She tugged down and then let go like she’d grabbed an electric fence. A spark ran through my belly. One that settled deep in my balls. Something in her touch. Something I’d never felt. I found her hand and steadied her. “I like where you were going,” I said. “But maybe we should get some ice on that first. Then again, I’m a gentleman, so lady’s choice.” She pushed up to her knees and looked up. My heart exploded in my chest. Looking at me were the two most gorgeous ambercolored eyes I’d ever seen.

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“I could use the ice,” she replied. Fire burned in my veins. My dick pulsed and bobbled between my legs. Blood rushed down and my soldier started to raise the flag. She kept her gaze on mine, which was saying something because her cheek was no more than a foot away from my rising erection, and said, “And it looks like you could use a cold shower.” A circuit deep inside my brain, deep inside my balls, blew a fuse. I’d found my winner.

CHAPTER THREE Alexis I stood in the press room, nervously drumming my fingers on the back of a foldable metal chair. Ed, my cameraman, and I were the only two people left. Everyone else gave up over an hour ago. I continued waiting for Leonardo Cruz to come out, knowing full well it was never going to happen. The first person to score a post-game interview with The Lion—El Leon as the Spanish people called him—would get a major ratings boost. Only he never did interviews of more than a half a minute or so. Just long enough to smile at the fans and thank them for their

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support. Never enough to satisfy the reporter. Yeah, I was supposed to be doing a puff piece on the best tapas spots in the famous Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. But that was bullshit, intern-level work. So what if I was an intern. I was never going to score the big bucks by covering plates of food. After I ended the relationship with Robert, I decided to stick with the plan of moving to Europe. I wasn’t going to let him screw with my life plans. Any more than he already had, at least. It wasn’t an easy feat, but I managed to convince Megan to go, too. We ended up deciding on Barcelona because what’s not to love about the city of Gaudí? Oh yeah, and it was a big, bustling city with a beach on one side. I’d been working this intern-level gig for five months and was going nowhere fast.

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There were only so ways to film and describe the delicious Spanish assortment of snacks known as tapas. I was in desperate need of something major to prove I deserved bigger stories, and The Lion was the biggest story of all, if only someone could pin down the elusive national hero. Ed sat in the corner with his gear in his lap and his head resting against the wall. Were his eyes closed? Was he taking a nap? “Ed, wake up!” He jerked and nearly dumped his fragile, ten-thousand-dollar camera on the concrete floor. He snatched it mid-tumble and saved his job for another day. “What?” He looked around, his eyes bleary and uncomprehending. “Did he finally come out?” he asked. “No, but we need to be ready.”

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He shook his head and dropped it back against the wall. He stared at the ceiling. “You know we’re not supposed to be here?” I gritted my teeth. We’d already been through this. “Do you want to be stuck filming dishes of Tortilla Espanola your whole life?” I said. He exhaled loud enough to be sure I caught it. His hinted exasperation wasn’t going to change my plan. Not in a million years. “Good. Neither do I. We’re going to get the interview that no one could get. I’m going places, Ed. And you’re coming with me.” His eyes shut. “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.” Our voices echoed around the desolate room. Nearly the entire Spanish national team had come out and done the usual circus of interviews after a big game. We’d stood in the corner, doing our best not to attract

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attention. Everyone was only too happy to oblige by ignoring us. And, of course, Leonardo spoke with reporters while leaving the field, but then never showed up afterwards as the other players did. Now two hours later, only Ed and I remained. The rest of the press figured Leonardo escaped out another exit to avoid having to interact with them. I couldn’t blame him. The media praised and held him high on the one hand and clobbered and beat him with the other. Not that it wasn’t entirely, or mostly, his fault. It was. He had a knack for getting his face and half-clothed, gorgeous body splashed across the front-page tabloid news at least once a week. On the other hand, he’d do something like he did today. I’d seen him on TV giving his jersey to that boy in the stands. Then getting

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his whole team to do the same for the other kids. He was a total question mark. I watched the closed and locked door to the stadium’s back corridors and team facilities, willing it to open, willing my career to mean something more than nothing. The door clicked and swung open! And it wasn’t Leonardo. A janitor pushed a mop and cart through the door and looked up in surprise. Great. “Oh, sorry,” he said. “Thought everyone was gone by now.” “Sorry, sir,” I replied. “It’s just that I left my purse in the coach’s office from an interview before the game.” His eyes widened a little. Getting that interview clearly implied I was a hot-shit reporter. And he was right. It would’ve meant exactly that, had it been true.

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I gave him my sweetest, most helpless look. “I really need it.” “Sorry, ma’am. I can’t let anyone into the secured area without clearance.” “I know, I know. I would never normally ask.” I dialed on some waterworks. Only a few tears. Nothing outrageous! “But I have a flight back to the United States tonight, and my passport is in my purse.” The janitor’s gaze dropped to the floor. I notched up the waterworks. Closer to outrageous, but not there yet! “Oh God, I’ll lose my job if I’m not back in New York City by tomorrow morning.” I said it to myself, but he was my only audience. Well, Ed was there too, but he wisely didn’t call my bullshit. The janitor bit his lip and frowned. “Okay, a quick trip. I’ll walk you—“

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I turned on the sparkles and megawatt smile. “Oh Lord, thank you,” I said. “You have no idea how you’ve saved me.” I kicked Ed in the shin and whispered under my breath. “Let’s go.” Ed scrambled up and gathered his gear. I strolled through the open door and the janitor turned to follow. “No, please,” I touched his shoulder. “You must be so busy, and I don’t want to take any of your time.” He considered. “Well, I was trying to get home for dinner for once.” It was easy to convince people when they wanted to be convinced. “I know the way,” I said. “We’ll run back and retrieve my purse and be back before you know it.”

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He gave me a suspicious look. “Straight there and back?” I gave him my widest-eyed, innocent-doe look. “Absolutely.” “Okay,” he said as he stepped aside and let Ed slide through. The door swung shut and clicked into place. We were in! Ed eyeballed me, clearly not sharing my sense of victory. “What now?” he asked. “What now? What now? Can you give me half a second to enjoy that we’ve gotten this far?” “Do you have any idea where to go?” No, he clearly couldn’t give me that little thing. “Not exactly, no.” I looked around. A concrete labyrinth extended before us. The underbelly of a

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stadium that could hold more people than populated most towns in Spain. We could’ve gotten lost for days. Were it not for the signs. Handy, those. Home Team Locker Room, one said, with an arrow pointing straight ahead. I took off at a trot, daring Ed to get left behind. The scrambling of feet and gear behind assured me he either didn’t want to miss this opportunity, or he didn’t want to get caught alone back here. Either way, we were off. After an almost endless series of concrete corridors and countless turns, we arrived at our destination. A placard next to the door read Home Team Locker Room. Perfect. “We should go back,” Ed said from behind. “Don’t get weak-in-the-knees on me now.”

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“We shouldn’t be here. I like filming hot appetizers. It pays the bills, mostly.” “Exactly. Mostly,” I said. “My life’s plan isn’t to mostly succeed.” “You realize our employer is The Royal Spanish Football Federation?” It still confused my American brain that the rest of the world called soccer football. It totally made sense as soccer was the sport where you kicked the ball everywhere. But still, I hadn’t gotten over doing a mental double take every time I heard it that way. I turned and faced him. “Of course, I do. I’m not an idiot.” “You’re not? Because while most news outlets might condone all this sneaking around, ours most emphatically will not.” “What are you saying?” “I’m saying our job is to create little, digestible bites of media that make people think Spain is an awesome place to see a

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soccer game and spend some tourist Dollars, Euros, or Yen.” “Are you getting to a point?” He itched his nose. He was always itching his nose. “My point is that getting this interview isn’t our job. And breaking the Federation’s own rules to get said interview feels a whole lot like pre-signing our termination papers.” I smacked his shoulder. “Don’t be so gloomy! Besides, if we get caught, I’ll say it was all my fault.” He dropped his head and slowly shook it. “Somehow, that doesn’t feel reassuring.” “Ed, pull it together. This could be the defining moment in both of our careers.” “That’s what I’m afraid of.” I straightened my hair and looked up through my lashes to verify they were generally combed out. “How do I look?” I made a silly face.

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He glanced up and grinned. “Like an idiot.” “Good. Now, let’s roll the camera. I want this live-streamed to the website.” Broadcast technology these days was amazing. A camera that with the push of a button could stream a video signal straight to the league website as a live stream for viewers all of the world to watch in real-time. It was a ten-thousand dollar camera and there was a team of computer nerds making sure everything worked as advertised. But still, it was amazing. “Why?” “Because when we score the interview of a lifetime, I don’t want any bureaucratic bullshit shutting us down.” “You don’t even know he’s in there.” A muffled sound came through the closed door. “Someone’s in there. Roll it, Ed.”

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He raised the camera and balanced it on his shoulder. His fingers flew over a bewildering array of buttons and he finally snugged the eyepiece up to his eye. I checked my outfit. Black turtleneck with sleek, black pants. Conservative, professional, stylish, with a hint of sexy. “Give me the count,” I said. Ed raised his free hand and counted down from five. “Five, four, …” The last three numbers dropped with his fingers. The red light on the front of the camera started flashing. I put on my best reporter’s act. “This is Alexis Young with The Royal Spanish Football Federation doing a live streamcast in the after hours of the huge win for the Spanish national team. As you all know, the game secured Spain a spot in the upcoming World Cup. One man more than

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any other made that happen. El Leon, Leonardo Cruz, scored a penalty kick in the final seconds of the game and brought the capacity crowd to its feet.” I turned toward the door. “We’re going behind the scenes to capture an exclusive one-on-one interview with The Lion.” I looked back to the camera, and gave a slightly conspiratorial look. “Come with me.” I gave a quick, cursory knock and then opened the door. The muffled sounds that were seconds ago an unidentifiable assemblage of vowels became crystal clear. I walked in and my stomach jumped up my throat, and then out my mouth and flopped around on the ground. Leonardo Cruz sat naked on a bench with his legs spread wide. His broad chest and unbelievably chiseled abs raised my pulse. His black hair glistened with moisture. His

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devastating blue-grey eyes made my earlobes tingle. My eyes dropped to the one thing that drew attention to itself more than any other—the monster hanging between his legs. Good Lord! Why were my insides squirming? “Kind of late for an interview, isn’t it?” he asked. “Sorry,” I stammered as managed to yank my eyes back to a more appropriate level. “I, I…” My brain was so not working! “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “For you, I’ll hang out awhile.” I followed his eyes as they looked down between his legs. There it was again! Lord! Really? I was still looking at it! Look away! I shook my head. “Sorry, no…”

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I stepped back to escape and tripped on my altogether too ambitious high heels. I pitched forward in an all-out sprawl. My face smacked into the floor. Bright pain shot through my head. Warm wetness oozed down my lower lip. “Ouch! Damn!” Leonardo said as he ran over. “Take my hand. Let me help you up.” Oh God, the pain was blinding. I cradled my face with one hand and reached up to accept his assistance with the other. The faster I got off the ground, the faster I could try to regain some semblance of not being a total idiot. I found his hand and grabbed tight. Only… It didn’t feel like a… OH. MY. GOD. I jerked my hand away. I froze, not knowing what the hell to do next.

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I mean, I just yanked on his thang. His very thick and, let’s be honest, amazing thang. He grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I like where you were going,” he said. “But maybe we should get some ice on that first. Then again, I’m a gentleman, so lady’s choice.” Alex, do not look at it again. Do not! I pushed up to my knees and looked up. It was there, off to the side. But I managed not to look. It was easy, actually, because the most hypnotizing pair of blue-gray eyes in the world had me under their spell. My insides squirmed under his hot gaze. Pull it together, Alex! Now! I snapped out of it with a blink. “I could use the ice,” I said.

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Less than a foot away from mouth, I noticed him starting to perk up, like a drawbridge raising. I so wanted to watch. The warmth between my legs so wanted to watch. Not a chance! It took every ounce of will power, more than I realized I had, but I managed to keep my eyes on his. “And it looks like you could use a cold shower,” I said. He pulled me to my feet and, though we were a foot apart, his now horizontal member was nearly poking my belly. Fire ignited deep inside me. It clenched so hard I almost fainted. Involuntarily, my eyes fluttered over his body. If he had an ounce of fat on him, I couldn’t see where. The muscles in his stomach rippled with every exhale. His broad

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chest and shoulders looked like they could tear a tree out of the ground with ease. His long legs had the grace and power of a racehorse. In the center of his ripped chest was a large tattoo. A roaring lion. His every deep breath clenched his chest muscles and seemed to make the lion’s mouth roar. It called to me. Truly, here was a king among men. And it scared the crap out of me that something deep inside me longed be taken for his queen. “Oh shit,” a voice from behind said. I turned and saw Ed, his mouth hanging open, a blank stare in his eyes. There was a pained mixture of shock and horror on his face. The camera hung limply from his shoulder. Still mostly pointing at us. With the little red light flashing. The camera filming it all.

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The camera streamcasting it all. *** It was no surprise ending up in a conference room with Pablo Garcia, President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation and my ultimate boss, despite the fact that I’d never met him and, before the streamcast went out, he’d had no idea who I was. He knew my name now. Ed sat next to me with his head in his hands. Leonardo Cruz sat across the table wearing a sleek black suit. He leaned way back in his chair with his hands locked behind his head, like he didn’t have a care in the world. At one end stood Mr. Garcia and at the other end sat the head coach of the Spanish national soccer team. Both of the big boys were present. “What the hell were you thinking, Ms. Young? Are you so eager to lose your job?” Mr. Garcia said.

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I stared at the smooth, lacquered wood table. No way was I going to meet his fiery gaze. “No, sir. I was going for an interview.” “Marketing tells me your job was to film Chorizo al Carbon, not Chorizo al Leonardo. His pecker is now the biggest story in soccer news!” Leonardo chuckled. “To be fair, Pablo, it’s always been a pretty big deal.” Mr. Garcia turned to Leonardo. The nuclear chill of his focus shifted away and gave me space to breathe. “Don’t you start! If you’re the best this nation has to offer, then we are a sorry bunch of assholes indeed!” “You said it, not me.” Leonardo arched a brow at me, like we were in on the joke together. I wasn’t in on any such thing. I was in on saving my job, if that was even possible at this point.

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What a stupid, terrible, idiot mistake. What was I thinking? Coach rubbed his temples. “Please, Leo. You’re not helping.” He looked to the other end of the table. “What are we looking at here, Pablo?” “You’re asking me? If it was my decision, he’d be kicked off the team and banned from any European league.” Mr. Garcia turned to Leonardo. “Your bullshit antics have cast a shadow over my legacy for too many years. I don’t care if you are El Leon, the hero of the people. You’re a disgrace and a blemish on my reputation and on all of Spain.” “Hold on a Goddamn—” Leonardo started. Coach swiped a flat hand in his direction. “Stop! Don’t end your career just to get in the last word.” He turned back to the only the man in the room who had the power to do that. “Level

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with me, Pablo. Leo’s the best striker in the world. We need him to bring home the Cup.” Mr. Garcia ground his teeth together so hard they squeaked like a fork on a chalkboard. “I want the World Cup as much as any other loyal Spaniard. But I will not win it at the cost of my reputation or the reputation of this nation.” Leonardo raised his hand. “So, uh, do I get a damned chance to defend myself? Or do you already have the rope hanging from a tree outside?” Mr. Garcia leveled a cold glare at him. “If I leave you to die swinging in the wind, remember that you were the one who knotted the rope.” He then turned to me. “Ms. Young, you are no longer employed with my organization.”

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Leonardo jumped up. “Come on! Don’t take your petty anger out on her for what you think are my mistakes.” “What I think are your mistakes? I know what your blunders are. The whole damn world knows because Ms. Young here thought it would be a good idea to streamcast it live.” Leonardo looked at me and I blushed so hard I thought my cheeks would melt. He grinned. “Yeah, that was an awkward moment for both of us.” He didn’t act like he shared that sentiment in the least. Mr. Garcia’s face burned red. If he’d been a cartoon character, steam would’ve blasted out his ears. “Awkward? The world saw Spain’s premiere player getting an erection!” “All it takes for ratings to shoot up is the right stimulus,” Leonardo said as he looked at me with a mischievous grin.

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Mr. Garcia barreled on. “And might I add that we are still verifying the ages of those blonde bimbos you were about to screw! As well as the brunette your equally depraved teammate, Rodrigo Romero, was taking advantage of.” Leonardo threw up his hands. “I wasn’t about to have sex with them! Jennifers were there to show off their new tattoos.” “Jennifers?” Mr. Garcia asked. “Doesn’t matter,” Leonardo said. “The point is, I couldn’t have been about to do anything with them.” Mr. Garcia slammed his hands on the table. “Don’t fuck with me, Leo!” “I’m not.” Garcia looked at Coach. “Why can’t he settle down with one girl? Any girl. Any of them would love to be the chosen one. He had his wild days. They should’ve been over long ago.”

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Coach nodded. “I tell him that all the time.” Mr. Garcia turned back to Leonardo and straightened his shoulders. “I’m afraid you’ve screwed up one too many times, Leo. With no reason to believe your behavior will improve, I have no choice but to—” “I said hold up a second!” Leonardo shouted. “You’re not listening!” “I’m done listening to your excuses.” “It’s not an excuse. And trust me, you want to hear this.” Everyone at the table focused on him, the center of attention. He seemed to grow under the warmth of the spotlight. Leonardo turned to me. “Ms. Young, do you want to break the news? That is your job, after all.” My brows furrowed together in confusion. I had no clue what the hell he was talking about, but I’d play along if it meant saving my job.

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“Uh, no. No, you go ahead and say it.” I prayed he had some amazing excuse that would somehow make it all go away, that would put this disastrous episode of my life behind me. Doing puff pieces on aceitunas and albodingas didn’t sound so horrible after all. “Fine,” Leonardo said. “I’ll say it.” He looked between Mr. Garcia and Coach, drawing out the tension, making them almost beg for it. “Ms. Young and I,” he said, “are dating. She came down to meet me in the locker room because I promised her an exclusive interview.” Mr. Garcia fell back in his chair with a thump. His mouth hung open in shock. I was pretty sure mine did too. After another minute of stunned silence, Garcia cast a suspicious look toward me. “Is this true?”

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My heart raced and blood pounded in my ears. It sounded like I was standing in front of a giant speaker at a rock concert. My palms poured sweat and my belly flopped like a fish tossed up on the beach. I couldn’t speak. “Of course, it’s true,” Leonardo said. “Can’t you see the headlines now? Leonardo and . . .” He looked at me, silently begging to jump in any time I was ready, with right this second being optimal . . . I jumped. “Alexis. A match made in heaven,” I said. “Alexis,” Leonardo said as he nodded. “I’ve loved that name since the first night we met.” Ed stared at me in shock. He didn’t know what to believe. I flashed a warning glare to keep quiet. Coach filled the desperate silence.

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“Let me be the first to congratulate both of you. Leo, you’ve always needed a stabilizing influence in your life. Alexis, I hope you’re the girl to provide it.” Mr. Garcia shushed everyone to silence. “I pray this young lady changes your life, Leonardo, because I swear to the Lord above, I will have your balls if you fuck up again.” My eyes wouldn’t blink. They stared at Leo in a daze. What just happened?

CHAPTER FOUR Alexis I slept horribly last night. Between nightmares of getting fired and other dreams of a more heated nature, the bags under my eyes were packed for a trip to Hawaii. I dumped milk into a bowl of cereal and then scooted my bowl over to make room for the nearly empty carton. I didn’t do the cooking thing, and the cramped kitchen equipped with two hot plates didn’t exactly inspire me to learn the art. Megan’s voice came from around the corner in the living room. “So you’re dating the hottest guy on planet earth. Is that what

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you’re saying? Because that’s what I’m hearing.” I took three steps and exited the kitchen, walked through the breakfast nook, and ended up next to Megan. She had her foot hiked up on the coffee table admiring the neon-pink nail polish she’d just applied to her toes. “No,” I said. “We’re not really dating. It was a lie he threw out to save both of our necks.” “Whatevs, Sister. You’re dating him. He said it.” “No we’re not!” I replied. “Why do your words sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher over the phone? Waah waaah waaah wah waaah waaaaah.” I rolled my eyes as hard as the bags weighing them down allowed. “It’s a front. That’s all. And we’ll ‘break up’, I did air quotes with my fingers, as soon as it doesn’t look suspicious.”

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Megan smiled at her toes and turned to me. “So you’re dating him,” she said. “That is so awesome! He is a luscious hunk of man candy.” She wasn’t lying about that. “Did you see him after the game yesterday?” she asked. “Uh, yes. That’s how this whole thing started.” “No, I’m talking about when he ripped his shirt off and gave it to that kid in the crowd.” “Oh, yeah, I saw it on TV.” “I saw it too, in glorious HD. His abs practically cut lines in the screen!” “You should see them up close.” I said it before I realized I shouldn’t have. “I knew it!” Megan screeched. “You’ve got a crush on him! You wanna have his babies!” “Shut up! You’re crazy!” “Oh please, Sister. You’ve got the hots for him.”

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I stared at my cereal like it was the most interesting thing in the universe. “Don’t get weird about it,” she said. “You need some manflesh in your life. I know…what happened… knocked you down hard, but you have to get back on the ride at some point.” “I’m focusing on my career. That’s what matters.” “Yeah, at least you’re not working a crap waiting tables job like me.” “Megs, we’ve been here less than six months. Your break will come.” “I sure hope so,” she said. “I didn’t take on a buttload of debt so I could be a professional server with an International Business degree.” “Give it some time, girl,” I said. “I will,” she said. “I might be too little career, but you might be too much. All career, all the time. You could stand to get a little hot beef injection on the side.”

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I glanced at her and grinned. “It wasn’t little.” She practically kicked the coffee table over as she jumped up. “I knew it! You wanna take a bite out of that Oscar Meyer Weiner.” “You’re disgusting.” “Let me get my laptop,” she said. “The Federation took the clip down, but not before it had been pirated and copied to a million other sites. Let’s watch it. I love the part where you yank on his dong!” “No! Oh my God! I don’t want to see that!” She put her hands on her hips and cocked it to the side. “Really? You don’t?” A hot squirming in my belly told me I was lying through my teeth. I’d been tempted to search for it a hundred times last night, but couldn’t bring myself to do it. “I have to pee first. But then we’re going to watch it and zoom in and pause on the

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good parts!” She bounced into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. My mobile buzzed on the edge of the table. I nearly dumped my cereal over as I lunged for it. Mr. Garcia. Not the call I was hoping for. Did I just think that? I wanted to keep my job, so I had to answer. “Hello?” “Ms. Young?” “Yes.” “Do you have a few minutes to speak?” “Well, it’s pretty early—” “Good. I want to get on the same page with respect to how best to deal with your relationship with Leonardo.” Our relationship? More like the ridiculous sham that barely got us both out of the fire but inevitably promised to blow up in our faces. That relationship?

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I didn’t say that. “Okay.” It was best to stick to short answers when anything that came out of your mouth would be a total lie. Megan called from the bathroom, “Tell Mr. SweetCheeks I said hello!” “Who’s that?” Garcia said over the phone. “Nobody.” The toilet flushed and it was all too loud in the living room. “What was that?” Garcia said. “Nothing.” “It sounded like a toilet flushing.” “It was a shower starting next door. Paper-thin walls.” “Listen, we need to be on the same team here.” Megan called, “Does he have a hottie friend I can meet?” “Leave me alone already!” I shouted. “Excuse me?” Garcia said.

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Oh crap! Double crap! “No, sir. Sorry. Go on, I’m listening.” “Here’s the thing. We have to control how your relationship plays out in the media.” “What do you mean?” “I mean that this relationship could be the best thing that ever happened to Leo. He needs stability and I need him to turn over a new leaf.” “Okay.” “Let me be candid. If you can keep him on the straight and narrow, your days of filming plates of food are over. The sky will be too low a limit.” “Are you talking about a promotion?” “I’m not talking about anything yet. Prove to the world that he isn’t a shitbag any longer and you and I will have a big future to talk about.” “Okay.” “That’s it for now.” “Well, thanks for—“

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“One last question, if you have another minute.” “Maybe later—“ “What do you see in the guy? I mean, he has his moments, but he’s a giant prick.” I didn’t have an answer for that. Although after what I saw last night, I agreed. So I lied for my career. “He has a sweet side that most people don’t get to see.” “Really?” “Absolutely.” “We’ll talk later.” “Okay. Thanks, Mr. —“ The line went dead. What a schmuck. Megan threw open the bathroom door. “Did you hook me up? Tell me we’re going on a double date. I promise to try not to drool on your boyfriend.” “He’s not my boyfriend!”

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“He is.” “He’s not!” I pinched my eyes shut. “It was Pablo Garcia. He promised me an amazing career if I can turn Leonardo Cruz into a nice guy. ” “Do you have a leprechaun tucked up your koochie that I don’t know about?” “What?” “I’m talking about the big career opportunity dating the hottest guy on the planet. Who does that ever happen to?” I twisted my mouth up and shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. It won’t work.” “Why?” she asked. “There’s no chance in hell he’s ever going to play nice. Not with anyone. And definitely not with me.” Megan dropped down onto the couch next to me and clicked on a link on her phone. The video from my interview began

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playing. She tilted it sideways to make it bigger. I watched in horrified fascination as the whole debacle played out. Lord, he was gorgeous. Look at that V! Muscles on top of muscles! Megan paused it when my hand was wrapped around Leonardo’s shaft. “What did it feel like?” she asked. She made a donut hole with her fingers. “Was it like this big?” I stared at the screen. My heart pounded in my chest. The fine hairs on my arms prickled up. I wanted to hold it again. My brain nearly split in two. This whole thing was ridiculous! Were we really going to go through with it? Fake dating so I could keep my job (and maybe get a better one!) and so he could

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keep from getting banned from the only thing he truly loved? It appeared we were going to try. *** It turned out that getting around the Camp Nou stadium was much easier with an official escort. Girlfriends and wives of the players had their own special section of front row seats. From there, they could admire their partners during practice without getting in the way. I sat at the edge of the section and did my absolute best to ignore the tittering questions and endless gossiping going on around me. I was the newest shiny thing and so, of course, all of them wanted to know everything about me. And about us. How we met. What Leonardo was like on a personal level. If I knew his favorite color yet. If he’d taken me back to his place yet. Several of the girls asked me that question.

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Almost like they’d taken a personal tour themselves at some point in the past. Distant past, hopefully. Not that it mattered. This was a calculated career move and nothing else. I kept the answers and interactions short. Partly because I had no interest in joining their exclusive club, and partly because I didn’t have answers for the questions. I had no clue what he was like on a personal level. All my interactions with him thus far showed me he was an arrogant ass that maybe, just maybe, had an ounce of humanity. Maybe. What about what he did for those kids in the crowd? Probably grandstanding for the media. An act for the cameras. Except he also stood up for me in the meeting. The Meeting. The one where we first started dating. That probably wasn’t the

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kind of story the ladies around me expected to hear. And it definitely wasn’t one I was going to volunteer. Leonardo had the ball now on the near side of the expansive field. Even in practice, his intensity never wavered. He challenged for every ball like the world depended on it. Like the Cup depended on it. He fought and scraped for every inch of forward progress like a madman. Watching him was mesmerizing. His body moved with the certainty and grace of an animal born for this medium, like an eagle soaring on an updraft or diving at prey below. His muscles rippled through the tight jersey. He looked dangerous. A predator among prey. Truly, The Lion of Spain. He feinted to the left and tapped the ball through a defender’s wide stance, ran around and retrieved it, continued on at top speed. The goalkeeper charged out of his goal in an

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attempt to cut down on the angle of attack. Leonardo faked a shot which caused the keeper to stumble. In that fraction of a second of hesitation, he chipped the ball over the keeper’s head. He turned and began walking back toward midfield as the ball bounced and then rolled into the open net. One of the ladies next to me hissed. A dyed blonde with boobs so big it was a shock she didn’t need a back brace. “Why does he always have to make my Miguelito look like an idiot?” Hoping she didn’t expect an answer for me, I kept quiet. Besides what would I have said? My man is just that much better than your man. It didn’t seem like a good way to make friends. Not that I cared. Rather, it seemed like a great way to make enemies. And I wanted to avoid that if possible.

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Coach blew his whistle as the ball rolled into the goal. “Start again!” The enclosed stadium caught the warm spring sun above and kept the temperature at field level comfortably warm for those of us not doing much on the sidelines. Leonardo lifted his jersey and wiped the sweat from his brow. The hard ridges of his stomach stood out in stark relief. Rodrigo Romero, his teammate from the locker-room incident, slapped his butt as he jogged by. For such testosterone-filled man hunks, they sure touched each other’s butts a lot. Leonardo followed his friend until his line of sight passed me. He paused, staring. Oh my God. Should I wave at him? Should I blow a kiss? Should I jump up and down, screaming my head off? What did the girlfriend of the

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most famous soccer player in the world do when he scored? I sat there frozen like a statue, not knowing which was the right answer. He smiled. A mischievous smirk that told me I might have seen him score, but I hadn’t seen anything yet. He jogged over to the section where all of the significant others were imprisoned. “Alex, honey, it’s great to see you.” He reached over the railing and grabbed my hand. He started to pull me away from the others. I resisted. “I’m supposed to stay here.” I pointed to the box of seats that corralled a bunch of fashionably casual hens. He arched an eyebrow at me. “You need to learn when to break the rules.” “I broke the rules to get your interview and look where it got me.” Before I could resist, he lifted me over the railing and carried me down the field, away

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from everyone else. He finally set me on my feet as gently as a snowflake landing on a blade of grass. “Leonardo, I wanted to talk about this … arrangement.” “I knew you did. So talk.” His blue-gray eyes stroked down my body to my feet and then back up again. An electric tingle trailed across my skin in their wake. My mind went blank. Whatever I had wanted to say no longer had meaning. It wasn’t the words that were a problem. It was the thoughts that formed them. There were none. “You look sweet enough to eat.” He ran his tongue over his bottom lip. I blushed, having no doubt about his meaning. My breath came in short, ragged gasps. Being the sole focus of his laser attention was overwhelming. It was like he created a bubble around us, and the outside

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world was a pale, gray remote thing. But here inside the bubble, between us, everything was uncomfortably vibrant. The faint smell of his effort intoxicating. The bead of sweat rolling down his neck hypnotizing. The impression of his thickness through his shorts a scandalous promise. One my body was already begging him to keep. He took my hand in his larger, rougher one. “Starstruck? I get that all the time.” I yanked my hand free. “Do you have to be such a jerk?” “We’re not about to have our first fight, are we?” He laughed. “And things were going so well.” My jaw locked down. My hands balled up into fists. “Easy now. I’m messing with you,” he said.

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My blood boiled. “Messing with me? You’re screwing up my life, my future.” “Hey, I’m not the one who snuck into the dressing room. You did that. It was your brilliant plan that got us both here in the first place.” My fault? It was all my fault? He continued, “I’m trying to fix this disaster.” “Fix this disaster?” I said in a voice barely below a shout. I’d never met someone so skilled at pissing me off. “Oh, thank you, Your Grace. Thank you for fixing my disastrous life.” He grinned. “You’re a fiery one. I like that.” “No, I’m not usually so emotional. But then again, I don’t normally get insulted by my fake boyfriend.” He screwed his lips to the side and nodded. “Yep, we’re fighting. Our first fight. We

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should try to remember this moment. Are you into flowers? What about tulips?” “What?” “I’m wondering what I should buy you,” he said, “ to say I’m sorry.” “I’m allergic to most flowers. And can you ever be serious for one minute?” The levity in his voice and in his posture bled away. “I absolutely can. I love tulips. Your two lips.” I rolled my eyes. “Will you marry me?” he asked. He started to go down on one knee and I yanked him back up. “Unbelievable!” He grabbed my hand before I could tuck it behind my back. “You’re sexy, Alexis. I’m getting hard right now.” My jaw fell open. “You want my cock in your mouth?” I snapped it shut. “I’d bite it off.”

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He placed my hand on the hard lump in his shorts. “I’d love for you to try.” I punched him in the stomach with my free hand. It felt like punching a wall. He let go of my hand. “You can put it back there if you want,” he said. “I don’t want, thank you very much!” His eyes dropped to my chest, to my cleavage. I knew I should’ve worn a turtleneck. “I want to bury my face right there,” he said. I blinked hard to keep my brain from overloading right then and there. “Do you just say whatever thing pops into your head?” He nodded. “Mostly, yeah.” “And that works for you?”

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He nodded again. “Mostly, yeah. Why? Is it working on you? Are you damp down there?” I laughed, an embarrassed cackle. “No!” I said. I was, but I wasn’t about to advertise it. “I can’t wait to sink deep inside you,” he said. “I’m seriously rock hard right now.” “You’re insane.” And I was crazy for liking it. He touched my waist. “Listen, we have to play this out.” “Why?” I asked. “Do you want to keep your job?” He had me there. “Okay. I’ll go along with the charade for now. But we have to break up soon.” “Alexis, don’t break my heart. You haven’t even felt my tongue between your legs yet.” A tingle sparked in that exact spot. I took a deep breath and steadied myself. He squeezed my waist.

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“What do you say?” “I think you’re right,” I said. His eyebrows jumped up. “You mean about my tongue?” “No! Gross! I’m talking about fakedating.” “Oh, okay. We can start there.” “That’s all we’re going to do and not one minute longer than is absolutely necessary.” “Come on,” he said, “don’t make it sound so painful. You’re going to hurt my feelings.” Somehow I seriously doubted that. “So, how do we make this look real for everyone?” I asked. He chuckled. “You never dated anyone?” I was not about to go into the details of my romantic history, as limited and sordid as they were. “I’ll make this easy,” he said. “We start with a kiss.” That was his line? The line to get a kiss from me?

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It was so businesslike. And yet why did I want it so badly? “Okay. A small one, for everyone watching.” Leonardo waved off the focused attention of the surrounding people, of everyone that happened to be in the stadium at that moment. “Don’t worry about them. They don’t matter. We do.” And then he leaned in for a kiss. I wasn’t ready! But it was do it or run away screaming, and that didn’t sound much like the behavior of a happily dating couple. So I kissed him. His lips were firm and yet soft. Softer still was his tongue as it traced across my lower lip. A spark ignited deep in my core. A racing tingle shivered across my lips and settled in my ears. He tasted salty. A delicious, earthy taste.

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We kissed for a few seconds, or maybe a few minutes. I couldn’t tell. He finally pulled away, and the air sucked out of my lungs leaving me feeling empty. “I like you how you taste,” he said. “Well, that’s good. I guess.” What was I? A kindergartner? Was this the level of my game? To be honest, it probably was. I hadn’t had much of a game since that dark day with Robert. The whistle tweeted several times and Coach yelled something that didn’t translate, coming from outside of our bubble as it did. “So, we have a deal?” Leonardo asked. “We do.” “Alex, can I call you Alex?” “It appears you just did.” “Can you do something for me, Alex?” “I wouldn’t count on it.” “Call me Leo. All due respect to my mother, but Leonardo sounds like an old guy with

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a giant gray beard inventing gyrocopters and stuff.” I nodded. “Say it one time for me,” he said. “Leo.” He grinned, a self-assured smirk like he’d gotten away with something. “I like the way I sound on your lips, in your mouth.” He returned to the field before I could formulate a response that included something more than the blooming warmth between my legs. And with that, we were officially fakedating.

CHAPTER FIVE Leonardo I hopped out of the car and didn’t like what I saw. A group of would-be gangsters huddled at the corner half a block down. The street light above their heads was noticeably busted out. Only the lights from apartment windows cast a dim glow onto the street below. This was one of the rougher spots in Barcelona. A place a gorgeous lady like Alex shouldn’t be out in after dark. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I said to the driver. He nodded and the doors locked the instant my door closed. Smart guy.

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I crossed the street and pulled up to the dilapidated exterior of a brown brick building. It looked like it had been built in the 1800s and hadn’t seen a lick of upkeep since. Next to the door was a line of buttons with barely readable numbers next to them. 301. I was about to push it when the bravest old lady in the world hobbled up behind me. She bumped me with her purse and I obligingly stepped aside. She deserved some space. She’d done her time. “Move it, young man,” she said. She carried an overstuffed bag of groceries in one arm and a purse the size of carryon luggage in her other. “Let me help with you that,” I said. She batted my hand away. “You think I was born yesterday?” I definitely didn’t think that. “I think you were born beautiful.”

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Flattery was always my back-up plan. She paused and looked up at me. Her eyes cleared and she smiled. “I know you.” Of course, she did. I grinned and nodded. “I get that a lot.” “You’re that weatherman from Channel four.” I belted out an involuntary laugh. I didn’t get that a lot. “Is it going to rain next Friday? I have to take Fifi to the groomers on Friday and I do not like walking in the rain.” I had no clue, but I wasn’t raised to disappoint old ladies. “No, ma’am. I’m pretty certain it won’t rain this Friday.” She smacked me with her purse. “That’s what you said three weeks ago and look what happened.” “Sorry about that.” What else was I supposed to say?

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She dumped her bag into my arms. “I doubt you can be trusted with the weather, but I think my prunes are safe.” “That they are,” I said with a smile. She fumbled through her purse and found her keys after what could have been no less than six minutes. I’d have waited until kingdom come if that’s what it took. You earned a few privileges in your golden years. The patience of the younger folks was one of them. I learned that growing up with Nonna and Nonno. She got the door open and reached for her bag. “Mind if I go in with you?” “Young man, I am not that kind of woman. And if I was amenable to such a tryst with a handsome fellow like yourself, my days of hopping from bed to bed are long gone.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. She had a lot of spunk. I liked my women that way.

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“Sorry, ma’am,” I said. “I meant to say that my girlfriend lives here, in 301.” Her eyes brightened. “That’s my floor.” “Oh, then you must know Alexis Young.” She broke out into a grin that highlighted her missing teeth. Age took everyone down eventually. Standing at the top of the hill, maybe I felt that more keenly than most. “Of course, I do,” she said. “She is such a sweetie.” She waved me in. “Go ahead then. Best not to linger with these ruffians about,” she said as she glanced down the street at the huddle of guys laughing louder than they needed to. I followed her to the stairwell and we started up. “Is there no elevator here?” I asked. “Not one that works. What? A little exercise too much for you TV celebrity types?”

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“No, ma’am. I’m just impressed with your grit.” “As well you should be.” She stared into my face and her eyes seemed to glaze over. “If only I were a few years younger,” she muttered as she shook her head. “You look young enough to me,” I said with a wink. “I’m liking you more and more, young man, even if you are terrible with the weather.” I followed her up the stairwell and nearly had a heart attack a few times when her foot missed a step, causing her to pitch off balance. “Right down the hall here,” she said. She arrived at 301 and rapped her bony knuckles on the hollow-sounding wood. I stepped off to the side to get out of sight. Footsteps approached from inside and the door opened.

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“Hello, Ms. Pickering,” Alex said. “How are you this evening?” “Alice, it’s kind of you to ask.” Alice? “I’m doing terrible. Just terrible. The arthritis in my hips is acting up. The corn on my foot is raw and angry.” She tapped her right ear. “And I think I’m finally losing my hearing in this ear.” I loved this old broad already. How could you not? “You’re tough as nails as you know it,” Alex replied. “This building will fall down before you do.” Ms. Pickering glanced around. “You’re right about that,” she said. “What can I do for you, Ms. Pickering?” “I heard you were going on a date tonight.” “You did? How did you hear that?”

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Ms. Pickering gestured at me as I stepped into view with a big smile on my face and a bag of groceries in my arm. “The weatherman told me. Seems you two are dating.” Alex stood, her curvy breasts and body wrapped in a towel, with another towel twisted up above her head. The towel around her body ended halfway down her thighs. She looked at me with equal measures of shock and confusion. My balls tingled and a rush of pressure pushed into my shaft. “Hi, babes,” I said with a playing-thepiano-keys wave. “You weren’t supposed to be here for another hour!” “Yeah, but I wanted to see what you were going to look like the morning after we have sex all night at my place.” “Leo! Not in front of my neighbor!”

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Ms. Pickering cackled. “He’s a weatherman, dear. They’re all dirty bastards.” Alex looked at me. “You’re a weatherman?” “Don’t be so hard on him,” Ms. Pickering said. “It’s not his fault that the whole profession is no better than throwing darts at a target with your eyes closed.” “Yeah, Alex,” I said. “I do my best.” “He’s promised me that there’ll be no rain this Friday and he’d better stick to it.” “I’ll do my best, ma’am,” I said. Ms. Pickering leaned in and her back stooped to an almost alarming degree. In a whisper that could’ve been heard down the hall, she said, “Caught yourself a good one here. Easy on the eyes and a gentleman to boot. If I were you, I’d suck him off every night to keep him satisfied and obedient.” Alex choked and slapped her chest to get her breath back.

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Ms. Pickering shook her head. “Young folks these days. Let your hair down, Sister. Live a little.” Alex wasn’t having success with a response so I jumped in. “Can I help you put these away, ma’am?” “I don’t see why not. You’ve gone this far, haven’t you? What’s stopping you from going all the way?” She chuckled and then let us into her apartment. After I stashed all her groceries, I followed Alex back into her apartment. I patted her tight, round backside as we went in. “You’d do well to listen to your elders, young lady,” I said. “About the blowjobs, I mean.” She slapped my arm away and slammed the door shut. “You were supposed to wait downstairs!” “I was brought up to meet a lady at her door, not out on the street. Besides, that

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street isn’t one you should be hanging out on.” She shook her and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Weatherman?” I laughed out loud. That bit was hilarious. “She thinks I’m a weatherman from Channel Four News.” “Really?” “Yep.” A girl popped out from around a corner and she stared at me with wide eyes and trembling lips. That was the reaction I was more used to seeing. I gave her a hug and a slap on the shoulder. “I’m Leo,” I said. “I’m dating your… roommate?” “Uh, yeah. I’m Megan. Nice to meet you.” “We’re going to be great friends, Megan.” “We are?”

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“Oh yeah. I’m gonna let you in on something… since we’re buds. “Okay.” “Your roomie here cast a spell on me.” “She did?” Megan asked. “Yep,” I said as I looked at Alex. At her full, luscious lips, her cute crinkled nose, her ample suckable tits. I grabbed my crotch. “I’m hard as a rock right now and she hasn’t even touched it yet. Well, not tonight, I mean.” “Leo!” Alex said in disbelief. “Excuse him, Megan. He has the restraint of a caveman.” “If that were true, I’d drag you back to my cave and fuck you senseless. Compared to that, I think I’m acting pretty civilized.” Megan laughed. “Not every advance is a worthwhile one.” I grinned. “See? I knew we were going to get along. Since we’re besties,” I fakewhispered in her ear, “can you give me any secrets I can use to seduce Alex? Like

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nibbling her ear turns her into jello. Anything?” She opened her mouth and was about to spill something when Alex jumped in. “Not even! You are my bestie and we have our doubts about that one!” Alex stared hard at Megan. “Don’t we?” she asked. Megan flicked a look back and forth between Alex and I. She took a step toward Alex. “Yes, we do,” she said and winked when Alex wasn’t looking. “Take a seat, Mr. Weatherman, while I finish getting ready,” Alex said as she headed toward the bathroom. “And it’s going to be awhile so don’t give me crap about it.” “Perfect,” I said. “Gives me plenty of time to wrestle some info out of my new best friend.” Alex pointed at Megan. “No classified information. You feeling me?”

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Megan saluted her. “He won’t get a thing from me, sir!” Alex closed the door and got to doing whatever it is girls do when getting ready. Megan and I chatted for an hour or so while Alex did her thing. I had to give it to her. Despite my best efforts, she didn’t slip once with an official Alex secret. The handle to the bathroom door jiggled and the door swung open. Damned if the world didn’t shift under my feet. All the blood in my body rushed into my dick. I almost fell over. Whether from having a suddenly new, lower center of gravity or from this goddess in front of me, I wasn’t sure. What I did know for sure was that she had knocked my world off balance. My cock strained in my pants, trying its hardest to bust out and leap at her. It took all my self-restraint and then some to keep from obeying such a reasonable request.

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Her cocoa skin radiated warmth. Her eyes sparkled and her full lips begged to be kissed. By me, and only me. A short black dress hugged her curvy hips and ended a little above the knees. Knees I wanted to spread wide and explore what treasure lay in the valley between. The upper half of the dress was dominated by the most luscious pair of tits I’d ever seen. It’s not that she was flaunting them. It was that they couldn’t not be flaunted without wearing a blanket. A deep couple of inches of cleavage had my cock begging to dive in. Her usually long, wavy hair was pulled up in a bun. The graceful line of her neck ran from her ear down a hundred lickable miles to her shoulder. My teeth practically gnashed together demanding a nip. “My eyes are up here,” Alexis said.

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My eyes stayed on the bumps of round flesh plumping out above her neckline. “I can’t wait to get back to those, but I got a lot to admire right here.” She walked over and lifted my chin until our eyes met. “I’m going to chalk that up as an honest mistake made by a well-meaning but tragically clueless bachelor.” Part of my brain rose to the insult, but the other ninety-nine percent couldn’t have cared less. She was gorgeous! Rodrigo and the rest of the guys could go take a flying leap with the bimbos and barflies and whomever else they happened to dig up. The woman in front of me was all I had in mind. All night long. She snapped a finger in front of my eyes. “Earth to Leo. Earth to Leo,” she said. That finally broke the gravity-pull her breasts had on my eyeballs. I looked back up

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into the deepest, warmest eyes God had ever made. They said that the eyes were the windows to the soul. They were on the right track, but they didn’t quite have it right. Her eyes were a window to my soul. Unspoken answers hinted at there shook me to the core. And seeing how my core started at my cock, I knew what my first question was. “You wanna fuck at your place or mine?” When I had a question, I asked it. Her eyes opened wide. Total surprise. I expected it. Not many girls got the chance of a lifetime delivered to their doorstep. “Leonardo Cruz, if you don’t apologize immediately, I will end this relationship right here and now!” She ripped open the front door and stood to the side.

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I raised my hands, desperate to stop this impending disaster. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! I was just being honest. I mean, look at you. You’re drop-dead gorgeous.” Her leg faltered and she leaned on the door to stay upright. “I’m sorry, Alex. You took me by surprise. I mean, look at you.” Alex smiled, a small, unsure upturn at the corners of her mouth. Those delicious lips. Her brows furrowed together. “You think I’m attractive?” I jutted my hips forward and the stiff rod in my pants made a distinct and undeniable outline in the cloth. I dropped my eyes to guide hers. She shrieked. “Oh my God!” “The CIA couldn’t build a better lie detector.” “I’ll take your word for it,” she said.

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“Take my word for this.” I said. “I want to take you to dinner. And then I want to take you dancing. And then I want to take you. “ Her smooth cocoa skin blushed a shade deeper. “I think you should accept,” Megan piped in. “That’s a very generous offer, Mr. Cruz,” Alex said. “One I’m sure any number of women would die to hear—” “But,” I said. “I’m hearing a but in there.” “However,” she said with a smirk, “I’d prefer to stick with the dinner and the dancing.” Was she playing hard-to-get? It was hard to know for sure because it wasn’t a dynamic I’d ever dealt with. “Whatever you say, Ms. Young.” I offered her my hand, as slow and gentle as I could. It was like coaxing a nervous rabbit out of its hole. And I had the perfect

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carrot. But this rabbit didn’t seem ready to take a bite just yet. I could be patient. We had the rest of the night. Her long fingers slipped into mine and the muscles in my arm contracted from the shock. I’d never been so affected. So completely hypnotized. I was usually on the other side of that equation. What was it with this girl? Why did I feel like a magnet straining toward a mountain of iron? “Don’t wait up, Megan,” I said. “She may not make it home tonight.” “I’ll be home early,” Alex said. I brought her exquisite hand to my lips and kissed it. “Early in the morning,” I said. *** Being the best soccer player on earth came with quite a few privileges. One of them was

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being able to get into the most exclusive clubs in Barcelona, just by showing up. The pinnacle of that elite list was Discotheque Sala Apolo. It was the hottest new club that Barcelona, a city brimming with some of the best clubs in Europe, had to offer. The car pulled to a stop and I jumped out and ran around the car to the opposite door. The driver wasn’t going to get the pleasure of seeing Alex’s long legs sliding off the seat. I threw the door open and bowed low, partly to get a better look up her dress. “Your prince awaits,” I said. “More like my Beast,” she said. I helped her out and enjoyed every inch of exposed thigh during her exit. She stared down the long line of people waiting to get in. The vast majority of which would never make it. “I don’t see us getting in, Leo.” She was so cute. So innocent.

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I hooked my arm through hers and strolled straight toward the front door. Already, murmurs of recognition in the mass of waiting people began to buzz. I couldn’t go anywhere without being recognized. I didn’t know the huge bouncer holding back the desperate throng, but it was clear he knew me. He picked up a silver post and cleared a path without a word. As we passed, I dropped a hundred note in his hand. It wasn’t a bribe. It was a simple thank you. He had a job that didn’t pay much. I remembered the feeling. A small token of appreciation never hurt. He opened the door and a wave of sound washed over us. The growing shouts of the crowd outside disappeared under the violent boom of speakers blasting bass. Alex moved her mouth close to my ear. Her warm breath sent shivers down my back. “I can’t believe I’m actually here!” she shouted, though it was still barely

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intelligible. “Megan and I have waited for hours, days, and struck out every time!” She squealed in delight. Her excitement sent a throbbing pulse through my shaft. The engorged head of my cock chafed against silk boxer briefs. I wanted to make her squeal, over and over. Until the squeals turned desperate. Until she came undone. In my mouth. On my dick. I wrapped my arm around her and slid my hand down to her butt. It fit perfectly in my hand. She apparently didn’t think so because she pulled it up to the small of her back. We could start there. A short girl with big balloon afro ponytails bopped out of the mass of people. “Leo,” she shouted with a grin. I wrapped her in a big hug and then let go.

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“Alex, this is DJ Pussycat. The best damn DJ in the universe!” Pussycat gave her a hug and I heard her yell, “Leo got me my first gig here when I couldn’t get a return email. He’s why I’m living the dream today.” Alex glanced at me. I waved off her words. “Bullshit. She’s at the top because she’s that good. Pure and simple.” “Nice to meet you, Alex.” She turned to both of us. “Stick around! I’ve got a set coming up later.” “We wouldn’t miss it!” I shouted back. She dissolved back into the crowd and I turned to see Alex with a puzzled look on her face. “What?” I asked. “Just when I think I have you figured out, I don’t.” “That’s good, right?”

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Someone that might’ve been a manager I’d met before parted through the crowd like a salmon swimming upstream. He was a smooth-looking guy. Too smooth. Smarmy smooth. Kiss-ass, backstabber style. I hated those types. He smiled broadly and clapped me on the shoulder like we were old friends. He said something to open the conversation and I ignored him because I didn’t give a shit. He threw up his hands and gestured for us to follow. We wound our way through a packed crowd of beautiful people. These were the elite of not only Barcelona but Europe as well. Every movement and gesture was a studied advertisement of their personal success and glory. And next to Alex, it was like they were broadcasting in black and white. A monochromatic mass of utterly ignorable bags of misplaced ego. Her brilliant light cast them all into darkness.

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We went through an interior door guarded by an enormous guy and I passed him a hundred note the same as the guy outside. We arrived at our personal suite, an enclosed balcony above the massive dance floor. Out at the railing, you were right in the middle of it, sharing the sound with everyone else. But further back in the room, there was plenty of space for your own private rhythms. The too-attentive manager made sure the ultra-modern table and chairs were in perfect order and then retreated to the doorway. Here in this quieter area, it appeared he wanted to continue our conversation. Did he think we were fucking pen pals? I shooed him out without so much as a glance of reciprocated connection. Screw him. The guy probably shit on every single employee he pretended to own. I never liked his type. Never. Not then, when they had the power.

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And not now, when I did. With Alex’s hand in mine, I pulled her to the railing. I stepped behind and came up close, the aching hardness in my pants grazing the thin fabric stretched over her round backside. Every touch sent a shock through my groin, tensing my balls up and clenching my abs. “Have I mentioned how amazing you look tonight?” She turned her head, a sexy smile my reward. “You have, but I don’t mind if you feel the need to repeat yourself.” I picked up the two neon-blue drinks on the table and passed one to her. “What is it?” I nudged her glass. “Trust me.” “That sounds like a terrible idea.” “What do you have to lose?” She flashed an arched brow. “How about my career, my life, and my future?”

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“You worry too much.” “And you worry too little.” I took a sip of mine and savored the sweet bite. It was a drink that had no name. Rather, it had my name because it was made specially for me by the bartender here. “We’re on a date,” I said. “Let the world see we’re enjoying it.” I waved at the crowded dance floor below. Already, quite a few adoring faces were turned up watching our every move. Alex seemed to consider and then nodded. “A toast then,” she said. “To the best fake date I’ve ever been on.” I tinged my glass to hers. “To me,” I said, baiting the hook. Her expression darkened. “The luckiest guy in the world.” We each tipped back our glasses and, judging by how she drained half of hers without taking a breath, I’d say she liked it.

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Or maybe needed it. We spent the next several hours talking, laughing, and nibbling on gourmet tapas. She was so easy to talk to. She sipped the rest of her first drink and declined a second. I never drank more than one because the payback the next day at practice wasn’t worth it. We finished the last dish and kicked back on the couch. My sides hurt from laughing so much. But one thing had me laughing harder than the rest. Because it was so improbable. “Be serious,” I said. “You don’t know how to ride a bike?” Alex nodded. “Yep.” “How can that possibly be? Everyone knows how to ride a bike.” “I guess I’m that special,” she said. “I never doubted that. I’m going to put this out there and I don’t want it to sound like a judgement.”

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“I’ll be the judge of that,” she said with a crinkle of her nose. “No adult on the planet should not know how to ride a bike. It’s like swimming. You know how to swim, right?” “Absolutely,” she said. “Love it. And yes, that sounded judgy. I always planned to learn how, but I never got to the doing part.” “We’re going to have change that.” “I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve managed pretty well without knowing how so far.” I breathed in her scent. I touched my lips gently to her neck and up to her ear. “You’d love the thrill. The exertion. Your legs wrapped tightly around each side and riding hard into the night.” I stroked the inside of her arm and breathed into her ear. A shiver cascaded down her back. “Are we talking about bikes here?” she asked. “I don’t know. Are we?”

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The beat of the music began to change and the crowd roared. DJ Pussycat was stepping in for her set. It was the whole reason we were here. Aside from the shivering deity at my side. “May I have this dance?” Alex stared at me, an odd mix of amusement and skepticism on her face. “You know, you can be quite the charmer when you’re not being a schmuck.” “I’m the total package,” I said with a wink. I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the railing, a spot where we could be closer to the music, closer to each other. And the spot where I could push forward and she couldn’t escape. The rhythm got faster, more urgent. And the bass got deeper, dirtier. A throaty grit that bypassed the filters in your brain and stoked the fires in your soul.

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Our bodies started to move. At first, apart and following our own rhythms. Her hips swayed and pulled at me like a tidal moon. She moved with a sultry grace, in that natural, unselfconscious way that everyone wishes they could. She was a goddess, one deserving my praise and devotion. I leaned my waist forward and, for the first time, she didn’t shy away. Her firm cheeks pressed into me. My cock strained so hard I thought it was about to explode. If a doctor could’ve measured my blood pressure on my shaft and on my arm, it would’ve said I was dead either way. The arm from a flatline response and the shaft from hypertension. I slid my hands forward over her hips and wrapped one over her tight stomach. I pulled her into me and heard a gasp as the length of my shaft flattened on her backside.

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Something inside me sparked. A spark I hadn’t felt before. It somehow felt deeper, more substantial, than anything I’d experienced before. She turned her head and yelled to be heard. “I saw some flashes going off down below. The public is eating this up. We’ll be all over social media tomorrow.” Was this a show for her? Because everything inside me screamed that this was the most real thing I’d ever done. “Let’s give them something to talk about,” I said. I leaned over and kissed her neck. I ran my tongue up to her little fleshy earlobe and nipped it with as gentle a bite as I could manage. Her butt ground into my crotch.

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It took every ounce of self-control I had not to tear her dress off and sink myself between her supple thighs. My hand on her belly dropped a little lower, and I pulled her closer. The muscles in my arms went rigid as I fought the impulse to crush her into me. I spun her around and pulled her close, my precarious hold on restraint melting away. I needed her. Like a drug. Like the cure. I lowered my head and kissed her lips, tasted the sweet salt of my favorite drink. My new favorite drink. Alex. My tongue glided across her lower lip and then slipped inside her mouth. After the slightest hint of hesitation, her lips parted and invited me in. Sparks blazed in my groin and others blazed in my brain.

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After what could’ve been seconds or hours, she pulled back and met my gaze. Her chest rose and fell in quick succession. She swallowed hard and licked her lips where mine had just been. Her eyes burned with a hot current. My body burned in her reflection. “I need you, Alex. I don’t know what it is about you. But it’s got me twisted up like you wouldn’t believe.” She smiled coyly, a sweet mix of innocence and exposed heat. “Are you saying you like me?” “I don’t like you. I need you. I can live without perfume. I can’t live without air. “ “Are you saying you don’t like my perfume?” she asked with a teasing voice. She didn’t have to try to tease me. Her nearness was a tease. The thin patches of fabric that separated us were a tease. I buried my face in her hair and breathed in. The sweet smell was more intoxicating

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than everything the bartender had to offer, combined. I never believed in the idea of being controlled by pheromones, those invisible signals that were supposed to rule our unconscious decisions. I never believed it before, that is. But maybe that was because I’d never met my chemical match. The girl whose unique combination of attributes fit like the final piece of my puzzle. “You smell wonderful,” I said. “I never want to smell anything else.” She looked down and I wondered if I’d said something wrong. “What is it?” I lifted her chin and reconnected with the depths of her soul through the sparkling stained-glass windows of her eyes. “I’m not wearing any perfume.” I dropped my mouth to hers and again tasted her lips and tongue.

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A crash from behind us ended the infinite kiss too soon. Some guy had barged in and that smarmy manager was trying to shepherd him back out again. Alexis gasped. “Robert!” The intruder waved. “Hi, honey.” She grimaced in disgust. “Robert, what do you want?” I waved the manager off and decided to find out what the hell was going on myself. Alexis marched over and stood facing Robert with her hands on her hips. Those hips that a moment ago were sexy-as-sin were now squared-up and pissed-off. Who was this jerk? I walked up behind her, hoping he’d give me a reason to respond. “Why are you here?” Alexis asked him. “I could ask you the same thing. Fans of soccer worldwide could ask you the same thing.”

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The camera in his hand flashed a couple of times, digitally recording me standing in pissed-off mode. “But I didn’t come here to talk to you because you’re not the story. The Lion is the story. He’s what the fans want.” I slid around Alexis and balled my hand into a fist. “Listen Robert, I don’t know who you are and I don’t care. If you don’t take off, it’s not going to go well for you.” A look of terror skirted through his eyes before whatever was driving him regained control. “Leonardo, the fans want to know, is this used car your latest slut?” My fist smashed through his face before his eyes had a chance to blink. His knees gave out and he crashed to the fashionably tinted concrete floor. His eyes rolled up into his head and he was out. There was no need to continue the lesson.

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But I didn’t always do things out of necessity alone. That would’ve been a decent ending to the intrusion. And the insult. But it didn’t end there because, unfortunately, his buddy standing in the doorway was recording the whole thing on his mobile. Alexis grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. “We have to get out of here. This is not going to help your reputation.” “My reputation? That asshole deserves far worse.” My heart hammered in my chest, and this time it had nothing to do with the thick flesh between my legs. It was rage. Pure and simple. Old as mankind and always in vogue. I wanted to hurt that motherfucker. I stomped on his camera as I passed his inert form. It wasn’t the sporting thing to do, but I wasn’t feeling particularly fair just then.

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His idiot friend with the phone cleared out of the doorway as we swept through. My blood boiled. Alex dragged me away before I did anything else that would’ve resulted in an expensive lawsuit. I wished she hadn’t because I had a lot of money to burn.

CHAPTER SIX Alexis Maybe I was a small-town girl, but when a boy asked me to go back to his place after our first date, I never said yes. When Leo asked me back to his place after we left the club, the smarter thing would’ve been to stick to that rule. But he was furious at what happened. The kind of anger that made you do stupid things. Things that could get you arrested and screw up your life for good. So I felt obligated to stay with him, at least until he calmed down. It was my career we were talking about too, after all.

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So I broke my own rule and said yes. Seeing Robert get knocked out would’ve been enough surprises for one night, but arriving at Leo’s made it feel like small potatoes. He lived in a penthouse suite at the top of the W Hotel. I wasn’t an architectural nerd, but the massive sail-shaped skyscraper of polished glass was amazing. Walking into his expansive, top-floor suite was no less so. All modern furniture with smooth curves and glass. White. Splashes of bright color accented how monochromatic everything else was. A bright red throw pillow set off the immaculately white leather sectional sofa. A bright green abstract painting broke an otherwise featureless expanse of white wall that ended in a wall of glass with an absolutely ridiculous view of the ocean below. He stormed inside, tore off his suit coat, and threw it on the floor. His hands were balled up and his shoulders hunched tight.

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He pounded the back of a chair. A white chair with gleaming chrome accents. “I should’ve choked the air out of his lungs.” He smashed his fists down again. “Beat him until his eyes popped out.” He whirled around to face me. His eyes were wild. “No one talks about you like that! Not if they don’t want a royal ass-whooping!” I knew I shouldn’t have liked it, but I did. No one had ever fought for me before. And to be honest, I’d wanted to knock Robert for a loop ever since our fake wedding day. Leo’s body pulsed animosity. Primal aggression. Even under the button up shirt, the dangerous power of his coiled muscles was apparent. And totally magnetic. “Don’t waste another thought on him,” I said. “He’s nothing.” “How do you know him?” “I knew him in another life.”

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His eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?” I had no desire to dig up old bones, especially when I was terrified there might still be meat on them. But Leo’s look demanded an answer. “He was my fiancé, until our wedding day.” For once, Leo looked like the uncomfortable one. “Are you married to him?” My stomach turned, a wave of nausea washed over me. “God no! He’s a faithless coward.” Leo waited. He clearly wanted more. “We were engaged to be married. I had our whole future planned out. It was going to be perfect.” “So why are you on a date with me tonight?” “A fake date, remember?” I said. “Because on our wedding day, I walked into a

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bathroom and saw Robert having sex with one of my bridesmaids.” An old ache, one buried so deep in my heart I thought it was gone, bubbled up. Tears moistened my eyes. Oh no. Not now. Not for that jerk. I’d cried for him ten times more than he deserved. He didn’t deserve another thought. But I couldn’t help it. It was like a dammedup river broke loose. Tears splashed down my cheeks. My breath came in wracked sobs. Leo’s strong arms encircled me before I realized he’d even moved. I looked up into his face and through the warped blur of tears, I saw his anger bleed away. Touching concern was all that remained. “What an idiot. He was the luckiest guy in the world, and he threw it away.” I melted into his embrace. I knew I shouldn’t have. I knew I wouldn’t have in any other situation. But I needed the comfort. And he felt so good. So safe.

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So right. I let the grief flood out, and all that was left behind were the soaking remnants of my memories on his shirt. After all the pain seeped out, I gathered myself and blinked away the last of the tears. He kissed my lips softer than a gentle breeze. His touch grounded me, brought me back to the present. I breathed in his masculine scent. His air entered my lungs and radiated shivers to my toes. I felt cleansed. Freer than before. Lighter. This wasn’t the fake date I expected. “Well, now you know my worst memory.” He nodded. “You want me to beat him up again?” A small laugh escaped my lips. “You knocked him out cold and destroyed his camera. That was a good start.” “As long as we both know it was just a start,” he said with a grin.

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“So, uh, now the intimacy is all uneven,” I said. “What do you mean?” “Can’t you feel it? I’ve poured my heart out and all you’ve done is make eyes at my butt all night.” “To be fair, I’ve made a lot of eyes at your breasts, too.” “Very funny. I’m serious. You have to tell me your worst memory to balance the scale.” He shrugged. “I don’t worry about the past.” “Why? Nothing bad happened?” He shook his head. “Plenty bad happened. But I can’t change any of it. So why bother giving it any of my mental space?” “I guess that’s great if it can work that way for you.” “I make it work, mostly.” “That sounds like a loaded and totally unsatisfying answer.”

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“It was. Tell you what. I’ll tell you something I never volunteer to my dates.” “Are you purposefully reminding of your past conquests?” “Not at all,” he said. “I’m trying to prove to you how special you are to me.” “That sounds better. You could’ve just said that. So, what is it? What’s the thing you never share?” He screwed his lips to the side and exhaled deeply. “I’m adopted. I have two brothers. We were all adopted because our parents wanted children and weren’t able to have them.” I recalled reading somewhere that he grew up with his grandparents in Italy somewhere. I didn’t know if I was prying or being too pushy, but looking up into his eyes made me want to know more. “You were raised by your grandparents, weren’t you?”

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He nodded and pursed his lips. The ache in his eyes made me regret the intrusion. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have said that.” He sniffed and it sounded a little wet. “No, it’s fine. I want you to know. It’s part of who I am today.” “Okay.” “My mother was taken by lung cancer when I was four. Losing her broke my father. He fell apart after she left. End up overdosing on heroin four years later. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” I said as I squeezed my arms around his broad back. “It was hard. Unbelievably hard. None of us would’ve pulled through without Nonna and Nonno. They somehow managed to wrangle three troubled boys and turn them into reasonably productive members of society.” “I’d say they did more than that with you.”

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He looked at me with heart-breaking tenderness. “Thank you. I’m not perfect. Far from it. But being with you makes me wants to try harder than ever.” “Thank you for letting me in,” I said. He sniffed again and looked out the window at the black ocean beyond. “That and other reasons are why I try not to dwell on the past. I have some good memories, but the awful ones seem to have more power.” His vulnerability made him so much more real. So much more sexy. “You’re pretty amazing, Leo,” I said as I snuggled into his chest. “I feel that way when I’m with you.” “Oh, come on,” I said. “You’re The Lion of Spain. The best soccer player in the world.” “Yeah, but for how long?” The brittle edge to his voice startled me.

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“What do you mean?” He forced a laugh, “I’m about to unbalance the scales again.” “You can tell me anything,” I said. He considered quietly and, just when I thought he’d decided to pass, he opened up with something I never expected to hear. “I’m afraid of not being the best. I’m afraid of the time when my body can’t deliver what I require of it.” His candor shocked me. Here was this hunk of a man, in the prime of his life, at the top of the most popular sport in the world, and his biggest fear was when that would pass. It made sense, actually. Of anyone playing the beautiful game, he had the furthest to fall. He had the biggest expectations on his shoulders to never let that happen. And yet, it would.

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All athletes fell on hard times at some point. Even the fleeting few that soared at the top without a dip would inevitably fall to the the simplest of opponents. Time. Time eventually won. It made the young into the old, the strong into the weak. But because it was inevitable, there was no sense fearing it. No point in worrying over it. Easier said than done, especially for someone like him. We held each other quietly. A perfect fit of hard lines and soft curves. We swayed in each other’s arms, lost in the comfort of the shared warmth. “Can I show you something?” he asked. “Does it involve your pants coming off?” “Should it?” “No. This is our first fake date and I’m not that kind of girl.” “Then it doesn’t.”

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“Can I trust you?” I asked. “No, but you can trust yourself.” I considered what that might mean. I wanted to trust myself, but I’d never felt less in control of my feelings. “Alright, I’m yours,” I said. “I was hoping you’d say that.” Before he made a move based on a misunderstanding, I clarified. “I mean, yes, you can show me.” His face brightened. The shadow of aching pasts and fearful futures washed away. I followed him out onto the balcony and got a little dizzy seeing the crashing waves so far below. I expected it to be windy, but the protected space kept it calm. The dark ocean stretched to infinity in front of us. The glowing lights of Barcelona stretched to either side. La Sagrada Familia with its dramatic, slender towers. The Torre Agbar sticking up like a giant illuminated

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Christmas condom. The castle of Montjuic perched proudly on the hill above the city. This was a totally new perspective of the city. A totally breathtaking one. I burrowed into Leo’s embrace. “I knew I could trust you,” I said. A low rumble sounded in his throat. “I don’t trust me. Not around you.” Low, white couches surrounded a crystalclear private pool and attached hot tub. “You have your own pool? At the top of a skyscraper that looks out on the ocean?” “It’s awesome, right?” he said with boyish glee. “I need a drink,” I said. I really needed a drink. I’d only had one so far. And with Robert and then all this. Honestly, what was a girl like me doing with a guy like Leo? His world wasn’t my world. How could it ever work?

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“Sure,” he said as he led me toward a nearby couch. “Have a seat and I’ll whip something up.” I collapsed into soft cushions and stared at the glittering lights of the city. This was a fairy tale, but I was no princess. And, despite what I’d seen, Leo’s history made it clear he was no Prince Charming. So, what to make of it? I was no closer to an answer when he glided into my pondering with a stemless glass of red wine in each hand. “You are too kind,” I said as I gratefully accepted. I knocked back a gulp and was surprised it didn’t immediately burn the back of my throat. “Big fan of Domaine de la RomaneeConti?” I wiped my lip and nodded. “Sure. Tastes fine.” I took a more measured drink. “It better. That bottle cost over $20,000.”

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I coughed, choked, and blew out a cloud of expensive red mist. I gagged, struggling to regain control. Leo laughed. “I think you just blew out five-hundred dollars.” My eyes went wide. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He took a gulp of his and likewise blew it into a fine mist. I laughed so hard I snorted. I did not like when I snorted, especially on a first date, especially with Leonardo Cruz. His eyebrows shot up. “Whoa now! I thought we were back on Nonno’s farm there for a second.” My face warmed by ten degrees, and it wasn’t the wine. “Shut up! So I sound like a hog from time to time.” He batted his eyebrow at me. “I’d love to make you sound like a hog.”

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I muffled another snort with a sip of wine. “We forgot to toast,” he said. “It’s a good tradition, and besides, it gives me a chance to say nice things about you.” “I think you’ve said quite enough about me!” “To us,” he said. “That’s better,” I said. He winked and I knew better was turning worse before he opened his mouth. “To us getting naked and fucking like farm animals.” He tinged his crystal glass to mine and a perfect note sounded, like a fairy godmother snapped her fingers. He sipped from the glass and then set it on a fashionably low table next to the couch. Leo dug in his pocket and flipped on his phone. How rude!

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Was he really checking his phone right now? Did he have some emails that required immediate responses? From nowhere and everywhere at once, a sultry bass beat echoed through the air. It throbbed in my chest, and lower in my core. It didn’t have the driving haste like at the club. Yet, it was equally as urgent all the same. Leo dropped the phone on the table and held out a hand, waiting for me to take it. “Our last dance ended early. Ms. Young, may I have the pleasure of another?” Did I have a choice? Not with him looking so undeniably gorgeous. I placed my hand into his. “Yes, you may, Mr. Cruz.” *** Leo pulled me to my feet and crushed me against his hard body. Especially hard there.

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But hard all over too. He was muscles stacked on muscles. Not a bulky freak, just built. My kind of man. His mouth crushed into mine. I gasped in surprise, only to find his tongue dipping between my parted lips. He tasted rich, the wine mixed with something more masculine. His hands dipped lower and gripped my butt. He massaged each cheek in his huge hands. Every squeeze pulled me closer, pressed his thick shaft harder against my belly. Whoa. He was huge. I hadn’t been on speaking terms with a penis since Robert. I couldn’t bring myself to go there. Before this evening began, I had every intention of maintaining that distant posture. But not now. Leo’s mouth slipped to the side and bit a line down my neck. Every nip sent an electric shock straight down to the spot that

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clenched and begged to be filled by the monster imprisoned in his pants. A budding heat between my legs quickly turned wet. My lower lips ached for his touch. Ached to be stretched by him. Not on a first date. Wasn’t that a simple rule anyone could follow? Then why did it sound so stupid? Maybe it was a stupid rule made by stupid people trying to control even stupider people. Maybe? I was prepared to accept any justification, no matter how pathetic. “Alex,” he whispered. I jumped, startled back into awareness. “You’re thinking too much. Feel your way through it.” His hands curled up under the back of my dress. His fingers slid under my panties and caressed my hips.

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My body shook like an earthquake with an epicenter between my thighs. The heat there radiated outward and sizzled to my fingertips. I was wet. Almost embarrassingly so. I couldn’t help it. “That’s better,” he said. “Why can I not resist you?” I asked. It was a legitimate question. This was supposed to be a fake date with a total egomaniac asshole. The egomaniac part was no doubt pretty right on, but the asshole part seemed more my construction than his. He traced around my hip to the front and dipped lower, brushing over my slick button. My body trembled at his touch. The squeezing deep inside threatened to collapse into itself. “Why would you want to?” he replied.

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No answer was forthcoming, which was why I didn’t resist when he lifted my dress above my head and let it flutter to the floor. The warm air rolling in off the ocean prickled my sensitive skin. His arms were around me before I could think of a good reason to back away. Not that any good reason was forthcoming. My legs were weak and rubbery. I would’ve collapsed were it not for the strength of his embrace. His lips on my neck sent chills skittering up my spine and had the hairs on the back of my neck zapping to attention. The fierce clenching deep inside had me about to come, despite my crumbling resolve. His lips paused on my neck, with only a sliver of air breaking the contact. His warm breath sent shivers radiating down to my toes and across my scalp. He whispered into my ear, as if we were in a crowd and the words were meant for me alone. “You are the most gorgeous being I’ve

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ever met. I want to pleasure you. Make you come for me.” What was a girl supposed to say to that? It didn’t matter because my brain couldn’t form words. Soft moans were the only things that escaped. It was all vowels and soft surrender. No consonants and hard limits. I wasn’t even standing anymore. I was floating. It was like gravity stopped working and we were floating in outer space. The inner space between us had no regard for physical laws. Leo crushed a kiss into my lips and lowered me to the couch. He pulled back and stared into my eyes. The storm raging in his threatened to blow me away. “Do you want me to make you come?” The tingling between my legs almost doubled me over. The wetness there threatened to turn into a flood. I couldn’t answer. There was no air in my lungs with

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which to push out a response. Surely my trembling body was a sufficient answer. He smiled wickedly. “Tell me, Alex. Tell me what you want me to do.” Oh God. He wanted me to say it. In words. Words that I would hear myself saying for the first time in my life. I’d never talked like that before. I didn’t consider myself a sexual Puritan, but Leo was clearly operating on a level that made me feel like nothing else. The words came out of my mouth before I thought them through. “Leo, make me come.” The thickness of his shaft hidden behind the thin cloth of his pants thrust between my legs. His hips bucked forward. His hands dropped lower and hooked inside my panties. He slid them off and crushed them in one strong hand. He brought them to his nose and inhaled deeply.

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That should’ve embarrassed the total crap out of me. But it didn’t. He growled like a bear. A deep, throaty, dominant sound. My aching nipples pushed up into my demi-cup bra. My lips ached to be kissed. I needed him on me, in me. He knelt between my legs and eased my thighs apart. He stared at me like it was a museum exhibit. Again, I should’ve felt horribly uncomfortable. But I didn’t. The muscles in his jaws rippled and he licked his lips. The animal heat in his eyes made me wetter. He kissed my knee and peppered kisses trailing up the inside of my thigh. I tried to be still, but my body writhed under him. My heat begged to be touched, to be licked. He kissed closer and closer and just when I thought the agony of anticipation would

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end, he switched to the other thigh and gave it an equal measure of attention. I couldn’t hold back. I groaned and grabbed his hair with both hands. Tugged his head back, trying to force his mouth between my thighs. Wrestling a bull would’ve been easier. He trailed his tongue up my thigh and pulled back before he licked across my engorged petals. Fuck! I was frantic with need. He pulled back an inch and looked up with a knowing smile. “Tell me what you want me to do to you.” He damn well knew what I wanted him to do. But I couldn’t say that out loud. I’d never openly talked like that. I didn’t have much experience with it in the first place as my single previous partner said it was something he wasn’t into.

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“Stop thinking, Alex. Let your body feel what it needs to feel.” I wasn’t a model of cold calculation just then, but his words made perfect sense. “I want you to kiss between my legs.” My belly jumped as the words came out. I never thought I’d say something like that outside of my quiet fantasies. “What’s between your legs? What is it that you want me to kiss?” He softly blew air over my tender skin. Waves of trembling ecstasy rolled through my body. “My pussy. I want you to kiss my pussy.” His broad tongue flicked across my mound, and my insides squeezed so tight I almost came. He traced up the wet groove and grazed my aching clit. A shock jolted through me. My legs locked around his head. I couldn’t take anymore, but I never wanted it to end at the same time.

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He licked and kissed my engorged lips, my spread petals. His tongue dove inside and my insides squeezed, begging for something thicker and more substantial to take its place. I crushed his face into my core. I fucked his mouth. My wetness glistened on his lips and chin. I needed one thing in the world and one thing only. To come. To let go and fall off the cliff yawning before me. He licked back up to my nub and with a short inhale sucked it in between his teeth. His tongue rolled over my throbbing button. My body convulsed and the stars above lost focus. I screamed, an unselfconscious confession of my longing, of my release. I doubled over and hugged his head into my core, desperate to never let go. And I came for him.

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Hard and wild. Like nothing I’d ever experienced. Not with a dildo, not with my fingers. Only with him. I crested so high that the world fell away below. The release shuddered through me in a wave of euphoric surrender. I held on tight until the feeling ebbed and left me floating in bliss. It was a place that had no edges. A place where everything was a soft, warm cloud. I collapsed on the couch and opened my eyes, blearily trying to focus. Leo’s nostrils flared. His pupils dilated. He licked his lips and swallowed the taste of me. He was the sexiest man alive. And he was mine. For tonight, at least. “That was good, Alex. Your body knows what to do.”

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He knelt back and tore his shirt off. He ripped it open like Superman about to save the world. The buttons popped off and clinked on the tile below. His pants fell to the floor and he kicked them away. The lion tattoo on his chest spoke to me. Laid its claim on me. He wasn’t wearing any underwear. Of course he wasn’t. His cock jutted out and twitched like a witching rod zeroing in on water. Despite the need clawing in my belly, a part of me was frightened. It was big. Scary big. I knew I’d be sore in the morning, and I didn’t care. I wanted that monster filling me inside, stretching me. From out of nowhere, like a magic trick that would’ve made David Copperfield envious, Leo produced a condom. He tore the package open and slipped the extra-large-

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sized latex over the tight skin of his flared head and down the shaft. He throttled his cock at the base and wielded it like a weapon. I wanted him to conquer me with it. “I’m gonna fuck you now, Alex. I’m gonna fuck you until you come so hard you lose your mind. And then I’m gonna keep fucking you.” Did I say frightened? Terrified was more like it. Terrified of what was happening between us. Of what my desire said about me and about us. Leo levered himself down with one strong arm on each side of my head, placing me at the center of a trap which I would’ve willingly stepped into on my own. He angled his hips and brought the head of his cock to my soaked groove. The broad tip touched my petals. A clawing hunger deep in my belly demanded satisfaction.

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He stared into my eyes. Passionate flames burned in them, reflecting the burning in my own. “Alex,” he breathed, “tell me what you want me to do.” I didn’t hesitate this time. There was nothing in the world I wanted more. “Fuck me. Fill me. Take me.” The fire in his eyes smiled and twinkled for an instant. “Your wish is my command.” He eased his hips forward and his thickness parted my lips. His weight spread my legs wider, further opening my invitation. My mobile rang. Not the generic ring of a random person that wouldn’t have even registered on a conscious level, but the specific ring I’d signed to my boss, Mr. Garcia. The phone buzzed again. Leo noticed my distraction. “It can wait. I can’t.”

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My body agreed completely, but unfortunately my mind had already tripped into gear. Business gear. The-future-of-my-career gear. I wiggled back into the couch, pulling away. My insides twisted in angry frustration. I reached into my purse and pulled out the phone. “Leo, I’m sorry. I have to answer it. Give me a minute. I’ll get off in a second and be all yours.” He shook his head. I thumbed the phone on, partly hating myself for answering it and partly hating Leo for making it so hard to do in the first place. “Mr. Garcia, what can I do for you?” “It’s not what you can do for me, it’s what you can do for that dumb bastard Rodrigo Romero.” “I don’t understand,” I replied. “How the hell does anyone understand?” It wasn’t a question.

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“You remember that little brunette he had in the locker room?” “Vaguely.” My attention wasn’t exactly on her. “Well, she’s claiming to be underage.” There was silence on the phone. That was a first. Must’ve been an indication of what a disaster this was. “That’s terrible, but I don’t know what it has to do with me.” “You want to be a sportscaster, right? This is a big fucking story. And it’s one I don’t want blowing up in our faces. So I need you to get down to the office so we can figure out a way to spin this in our favor. We need to make the story rather than react to it.” “You mean right now?” His voice nearly exploded out of the phone. “Of course I mean right now! You have something better to do?” It wasn’t something so much as someone.

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I chewed my lip and stared into the darkness encroaching in Leo’s eyes. I so had something better to do, but I was onehundred-percent sure that Garcia wouldn’t give two shits about it. In fact, the developing circumstances of our first fake date might not make him happy at all. I was supposed to manage Leo’s behavior, make him into a good boy to sway public opinion. I was pretty sure having sex with him wasn’t a part of the original plan. It certainly wasn’t a part of mine. “Sorry, sir. I’ll be there in half an hour.” “Be here in ten minutes! I won’t have my organization be tarnished by yet another disgraceful stain.” “Okay–“ The phone went dead. My mouth twisted up because the words didn’t want to tumble out. Leo pushed off the couch and stood in front of me. His thick cock bounced and

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settled, demanding the attention I was no longer free to give. He exhaled slowly. “Tell me I’m not getting shafted on our first date. Not after licking you like I just did. Not after making you come like I just did.” I crossed my legs and all of a sudden the uneasiness that I’d expected to feel the entire time, yet never had, descended like a wool blanket on my naked skin. It no longer felt right to be so exposed to this man I barely knew. It seemed insane that I’d allowed myself to be so vulnerable to him. I grabbed my dress and started to wiggle into it. “I’m sorry, Leo. I have to go.”

CHAPTER SEVEN Leonardo Oh, Lord. My balls ached. I hadn’t suffered the bone-deep agony of blue balls for over a decade. If anything, my balls were usually red from slapping against too much skin. After Alex took off on me last night in such a rush, sure I punched it. I had to. My balls were an impending emergency room visit. It was like if you put a giant cork on Old Faithful. Well, that thing was gonna blow one way or another. There was too much pressure building up. Same with me.

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Still, getting relief from jerking off—compared to getting relief from plowing into Alex—were two entirely different things. The first let off a little steam, just enough to avoid a catastrophic accident. The second would’ve been the deep orgasmic connection that I needed. How could she not understand that? How could she choose her damn job over me? A big, black, dark cloud had been hanging over my head all morning. Josh smacked me in the groin. “Ouch, bro,” I said as I covered up to avoid another blow. “What’re you so gloomy about? You said she was super-hot, right? You went on a date. You totally scored, man.” A tangle of brown hair flopped down over his face as he practically jumped around explaining it. “You need a haircut, Sport,” I said.

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“Don’t go there,” he said. “The ladies like my locks!” “You’re eight. What ladies?” He grinned and the freckles over the bridge of his nose crinkled up. “You think I’m telling you?” he asked. “No way! I’m keeping ‘em all to myself.” I rolled my eyes, and shifted my package as it twinged uncomfortably. Did I mention my balls hurt? And going for our weekly tour down Las Ramblas Avenue with Josh wasn’t doing them any favors. They needed an ice bath, not miles of walking. There was no chance I was going to cancel though. I hadn’t missed a walk in the two years since I’d met Josh at the Bright Hope children’s home. There was no chance I was going to break this kid’s heart. Long ago, I’d gone through his situation exactly, but I was fortunate enough to be taken in by my mother and father. Their

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acceptance and love made all the difference. It even made the torture that came a few years later worth it. Josh had no real family. The other kids at the orphanage maybe. But not a real family. I would’ve changed that in a heartbeat, and had tried to endless frustration, but the custody courts in Barcelona deemed me an unfit potential parent. Fuckers. Sure, they were probably right. But Josh deserved a home and I could offer that, flaws and all. Someday. Until then, we had our weekly outings together. I sometimes got to sneak in an additional visit, but my schedule didn’t often allow it. “What’re you thinking about? You’re making this big-time wussy face.” I cuffed his head. “Do you want to get a beat down?”

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“Pssshhhh. You? I’d wipe the floor with that pussycat tattoo on your chest.” He raised his fists and danced around like a boxer had a baby with jumping beans. I grabbed him and threw him around my neck. Ten or so quick spins later and the world tilted dangerously off-kilter. I dropped him on his feet and he crashed into me for support. We held on to each other until the street stopped spinning. “I think I’m gonna vomit,” I said. “Cool! Let’s do it again!” I laughed and shook my head. “Give me a few minutes.” We kept walking and slowly our steps evened out. Las Ramblas was abuzz with artists’ stands, small cafes, street performers, and an endless stream of tourists. I nodded as the occasional fan waved. “Well,” Josh said, “Alex sounds hot.” “She is.”

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“Maybe I’ll toss my hat in the ring. Doesn’t sound like you have her tied down.” “Not yet,” I said with a wicked grin. “But I intend to do just that.” Josh’s brow furrowed together. “Did you just say something totally kid-inappropriate, again?” “Yeah.” “Cool.” I hugged my arm around him and halfdragged him down the street. The smell of churros hung heavy in the air. If I wasn’t at the start of a World Cup campaign, I’d tear through a few of those. Josh must’ve smelled them too. “Can we get a churro?” “Sure, you pick,” I said. There was always a churros vendor a stone’s throw away on Las Ramblas. He pointed to the closest one. “That one’s my favorite.”

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“You said a different one was your favorite last week. And the same again the week before that.” “Yeah?” “So, are they all your favorite?” “Exactly,” he said as if he couldn’t understand my confusion. We continued walking while he chomped on the sugar-encrusted stick of fried dough. We joked around and did our best to push each other’s buttons as we wound through the maze of streets that comprised the Gothic Quarter. We made it back to Bright Hope and my favorite grumpy old goat was out front, sweeping the sidewalk. I pointed to a non-existent pile, “You’re going blind, Bones. You missed a spot here.” He shook the broom at me. “I don’t need eyes to see Josh here ate a churro,” he glanced at his watch, “not fifteen minutes before lunch is served.”

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Josh’s smile faded and he looked at the ground. Bones elbowed him in the side. “I expect you’ll bring me one back next time because I prefer dessert before lunch, too.” He winked at Josh and the resilient kid brightened up like a spotlight. The world had no right to expect joy from him, and yet he was always ready to give it. My heart broke and filled with love every time I saw him. “Better wipe that off so the director doesn’t get his britches in a bunch,” he said to Josh. Josh slapped at his face and shirt to get rid of the evidence. “Speaking of the director,” I said, “I have to head inside and see him for a few minutes.” I turned to Josh and gathered him up in a big hug. He resisted only a little. A little more than he did a year ago. He was growing

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up, and I was missing so much with the courts keeping me at a distance. Fuckers. I dropped him back to his feet. “Hey Bones, what kind of operation are you running here? This kid needs a haircut before he ends up looking like Chewbacca.” Josh roared in his best imitation of his favorite Star Wars character. Me? I was more a Han Solo fan. “See you next week?” I said to him. “If you’re lucky,” he said with a grin that reminded me of myself. “I get to hang out with you. That makes me pretty lucky.” He grimaced. “Dude. Don’t get all mushy on me!” Bones laughed. I grabbed the broom from his hands and pushed it into Josh’s. “Help out this old geezer,” I said. “I’m surprised he hasn’t fallen over dead already.”

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Bones waved me off. “I’m sixty years young.” He pumped his non-existent biceps. “You wish you looked this good.” “I wish for a lot of things,” I said as I turned to Josh. “See you next week, Sport.” “Not if I see you first!” he said. I grinned and headed inside. *** I didn’t like walking inside the children’s home. As homey and cheery as they’d made it, I couldn’t see it with fresh eyes. Memories stained every step. Dammit. I swore a long time ago to bury that shit so deep it melted into the earth’s core. It had cursed me for too long. The man I was today was not the boy I was all those years ago. So then why was it so hard to keep the dirt packed down on top of it? The director brightened as he saw me in the hallway. Of course, he did. Dollar

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donations usually did that. The bigger, the brighter. He extended his hand way too soon, when we were still at least twenty feet apart. “Mr. Cruz, it’s so nice to see you.” I shook his hand. I generally had a healthy disdain for anyone from the management class, but this guy was all right, even if he was a little too eager. “How’s it going around here?” He pursed his lips together. “It’s never easy, but we make do. Generous donations like yours make it possible.” He gestured down the hallway towards his office. “Shall we go to my office?” “Nah, I can’t stay long.” Being in this place gave me the heebiejeebies. “I want to thank you setting that up for the kids the other day,” he said. “Happy to do it.”

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“They’ll be talking about that around here for years.” “I hope not.” “Excuse me?” I shook my head and tried to be nice. “Sorry, I meant I hope they’re not around here for years.” The director pursed his lips and nodded. “We share that hope.” I reached into my jean’s back pocket and pulled out a checkbook. I wrote out a check for one million dollars and signed my name. It was an odd feeling writing a one with six zeros after it. Even with all my wealth, it wasn’t something I ever did outside of this annual visit. The director’s hand quivered at his side as he waited to receive the guarantee that the doors would stay open for another year. So that they could continue to try to help people like me and my brothers.

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The ones whose biological parents had left them behind. If this place could heal just one person, then every million dollars I gave was completely worth it. If just one child ended up with a mother or father that was there for them because of the zeros on my check, then the world might someday be a better place. I handed over the rectangle paper and watched as my hand stood rock steady while his fluttered like a leaf in the autumn breeze. “Thank you, Mr. Cruz. You have no idea how much your donations mean to us.” “I think I do, which is why I’ll be back every year.” He held his hands together and looked at the ground. Oh no. I knew what was coming next. “Mr. Cruz, I know how you feel about the confidentiality of this arrangement, but the potential media exposure could be huge for this organization.”

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I didn’t want to get pissed, especially not when I was trying to do a good thing, but we’d been over this too many times. “Not a word. You know the deal.” I needed to get the hell out of there. I loved what they did, but I had too much buried baggage to stand comfortably. “I absolutely will not dig up my past to justify to some asshole reporter what I do with my money.” A voice from behind startled the crap out of me. “Are you saying all reporters are assholes, or did you have a particular one in mind?” I whirled around and nearly had a heart attack. Alex Young, my favorite rising sportscaster star, stood with her hands on her hips and her legs spread wide. Not wide enough. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

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She raised her eyebrows and I could see that every millimeter they inched up reflected a growing anger. I walked over and tried to take her hand, but she locked it to her hip. “I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean it that way. You surprised me.” “Well, finding you here was a bit of a shock to me, too.” “Yeah, exactly how did you know I’d be here?” She let me take her hand. “I’m a reporter. I know stuff.” “That’s not a good answer.” She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “It’s the one you’re going to get.” I felt my temperature rise, and it wasn’t out of anger. It was from proximity. Her smell enveloped me. Her soft cocoa skin called to me. The clouds parted when she was near. “Let’s get out of here,” I said.

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I tried to pull her back toward the elevator and she didn’t budge. This damn girl always had to have it her way. “Leo, talk to me. Why are you here?” I gave the director a hard stare and the guy was smart enough to know when he needed to make himself scarce. “Thank you again, Mr. Cruz. We are so grateful for your continued support.” I exhaled loudly. Couldn’t he keep his mouth shut? He turned on his heel and receded down the hallway towards his office. I looked anywhere and everywhere but Alex’s eyes. I knew they’d be like a truth serum, and I didn’t want to lay out any more of my messed-up past. She grabbed my other hand and pulled me close. Her full breasts pressed into my chest. My balls tingled. The familiar rush of blood into my cock signaled its appreciation.

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She looked up at me with the most loving eyes a woman had ever cast on a man. “Talk to me, Leo. I’m here for you.” I swallowed hard and felt the truth bubble up. This woman could get anything she wanted out of me. I had no idea why. I didn’t care. “My adopted parents, Celeste and Antonio, found me here. They gave me what I needed most.” “What was that?” “Family.” I looked around. “It wasn’t like this back then.” My breath choked in my throat. Hot rage boiled in my chest. I was not going to lose it about ancient history. Not again. She hugged me tight and whispered into my chest, “I’m so sorry.” “I’m lucky they found me,” I said. “It’s just hard to be here.”

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A toxic brew of emotions spilled out of my soul. One that had been fermenting for untold years. I wrapped my arms around her and would’ve pulled her into my body if I could’ve. Her nearness was the only thing keeping me together. We stood like that for a while. A quiet cocoon of shared misery and comfort. She looked up and her moist eyes sparkled like amber gemstones. “I understand,” she said. “No child deserves to bear that heavy a burden.” “The ones that do don’t do it by choice,” I said. “But you made a choice now. You came here to help other kids get lucky like you did. Your parents would be proud.” “I wish I could do more,” I said. “There’s one boy in particular. Josh is his name. I’ve known him for three years. I tried to adopt him six months ago.”

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Alex watched me, letting me tell the story at my own pace. “What happened?” “The courts rejected me. Said I wasn’t a suitable adoptive parent. Assholes think they know what Josh needs.” “That’s terrible,” she said. “Didn’t they understand what you were trying to do? Especially being adopted yourself.” I shook my head. “You’d think that, but no. They said I was incapable of offering a stable, nurturing home for him. Sons of bitches. But I won’t give up on him. Never.” She pushed up on her heels and kissed my lips. Her sweet breath a more intoxicating brew than the strongest drink. Simply being near her made everything better. Her light pushed back the darkness. “I know you’ll win in the end,” she said. “Thanks for saying that,” I replied. I squeezed her tight and blew out a big breath. A cleansing exhale.

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I kissed the tip of her nose. “Did I ever tell you that you’re amazing?” “Not in so many words, no.” “Well, you are.” Her smile glowed and warmed me. “Listen. I know I skipped out on our date last night just when it was getting interesting.” “Getting interesting? It was way past that. You came all over my mouth.” Her eyes flew open and she looked around checking to make sure the hall was empty. “Who cares if they hear. I don’t care if the world knows about us. That’s the whole point, right?” “Yes, that is the idea. But I prefer they get only the dry details.” “Alex, the details were anything but dry. They were wet enough to leave a slick spot on my couch.” She blushed a shade darker. “Would you shut up already?”

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“I’m just saying. You were wet as a water fountain.” Her eyes opened wide. “You obviously don’t understand when a question is actually a statement. As in, shut up now!” I chuckled despite myself. Despite the lingering somber thoughts. “I’ll let you make it up to me,” I said. She arched her brow. “And how exactly are you going to let me do that?” I pulled her toward the nearest door. “Where are we going?” The door opened and we walked into a tiny room with a small, threadbare sofa and a TV humming in the background. The water cooler stood next to a small fridge. A pile of dirty dishes filled a half-sized kitchen sink. “To the employee lounge, apparently,” I said. I didn’t see a lock on the door so I shoved a folded chair up under the handle. It’d take

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a strong back and a sharp axe to get through that. And I was positive Bones had neither. Alex stared at me in confusion. “You can make it up to me now,” I said. “Are you serious?” I took her hand and pressed it against the hard flesh in my pants. My cock strained at her touch. It wanted to break out and do all kinds of naughty. We were in total agreement. I kissed her full lips and autopilot took over from there. *** In no time, I had her white panties on the concrete floor and her thighs wrapped around my ears. What could I say? We had insane chemistry. The kind that makes two people feel like opposite ends of a magnet. I no doubt played the role of negative polarity. But as we pulled ever closer, I

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could feel her positive spin realigning my soul. And all that didn’t even get to how delicious she tasted. Like a gourmet dessert served at a Michelin-starred restaurant. But with twice the taste and half the calories. I’d dine at this restaurant every night if she would give me a standing reservation. She groaned deep, wordless sounds full of need and desire. I plunged my tongue into her core. The tightness that in a few minutes would do its best to milk me dry. I couldn’t wait. My cock felt as heavy as a gold bar. And her pussy was even more precious. Her juices flooded into my mouth. I lapped them up and was greedy for more. Her body arched as she tugged my hair so hard she practically ripped it out. It might’ve been painful but I couldn’t feel it. My entire

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body buzzed with heat, with the need to possess her. The small TV on the counter droned on at the edge of my consciousness. It didn’t matter. It was background noise. The whole world was background noise with my head between her thighs. I pulled back an inch and blew softly on her wet pussy lips. I looked up and caught her unfocused eyes. “Don’t stop,” she said. “Gonna come for you. Gonna come so hard.” I nodded in silent agreement. I knew she would, but hearing her say it made my dick throb so badly it hurt. I dove back in with all the enthusiasm of a starving dog invited over for a steak dinner. I licked up her wet groove and sucked her clit into my mouth, circling it with my tongue. She yelled out.

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I slipped a finger into her and stroked the ridges above with that come here finger. The come now finger. She got the message. Her body shook and the muscles inside locked down on my tickling finger. “Oh God. Yes! Yes!” I kept going and pushed her over the edge. Her wetness gushed into my mouth and on my chin. Her orgasm nearly made me come myself. Her legs locked around my head and squeezed so tight I could barely breathe. I didn’t want to breathe if I couldn’t have her pussy filling my lungs. She whispered something I couldn’t hear with my ears muffled by her thighs. I gave her a few minutes to ride the wave down and loosen her leg lock. I pushed back and grinned, watching her eyes roll around deliriously looking at nothing in particular.

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She whispered again, and her words jolted me. “Condom. Get one. Now.” “Your wish is my command.” Especially if her wish was for me to bury my cock inside her. I produced a condom out of thin air. What could I say? In my experience, it was one magic trick I knew from heart. I tore open the plastic and sheathed my rod in record time. I lowered myself on top of her and reveled in the feel of her hard nipples poking into my chest. “You’re so fucking hot,” I said. “You’re everything I’ve ever needed.” She smiled in a lazy, out-of-it way. “You don’t have to talk your way into my panties. It’s too late for that.” “I’m not. I’m talking my way into your pussy,” I said with a grin. “Stop talking. Start fucking.”

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I gripped my shaft and brought the head of my battering ram up to her silky gate. Everything inside me yearned to plunge forward and tear apart her last defenses. Something tickled the edge of my consciousness. Something grating. I tried to push it away but the effort made it stick all the harder. The TV. Someone on the television blaring some bullshit. I made the infinitely huge mistake of glancing over and seeing her ex-fiancé, Robert, on the local sports news channel. His face wouldn’t shut up. At least his left eye was still a mottled yellow mess from the crack I’d administered. “Leonardo Cruz,” he said, “is a stain on the honor of world soccer. His dangerous and unpredictable behavior can no longer be tolerated.” He touched his cheek gently right on top of the bruise he so richly deserved.

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“Look at me. I ran into the miscreant and wanted to congratulate him on his performance in the qualifying match, and he attacked me. He’s out of control.” A little box of video appeared in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. “I have the proof,” he said. “Watch this if you don’t believe me.” The video in the upper left-hand corner played. It showed Robert entering our suite, and an instant later I was throwing a right hook that sent him to la-la land. Apparently, it had been edited to leave out the part where he called my date, and his ex-fiancé, a used car slut. That dirtbag piece of shit. I should’ve stomped on his head, not his camera. “I know he has skills,” Robert continued, “but his rash behavior has finally outweighed what he brings to the field. Besides, at twenty-eight, he’s got one foot already over

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the hill. It won’t be long before he slides head first down toward oblivion.” Stomped his head? I should’ve ripped his guts out of his belly. Alex tried to pull me back to her, but I was stuck now. Stuck on this asshole that should’ve meant nothing to me. And he wouldn’t have if he wasn’t on TV dragging my name through the mud. “What I don’t understand,” Robert said, “is why the international soccer community puts up with such a menace. Look at Bastian Kramer, for example. He’s a legend. And look at how he’s taken personal responsibility for his life and turned things around.” Bastian Kramer? The same dickbag that stole the World Cup from Spanish hands four years ago. The same dickbag that took my knee out in the process. Fuck him. And the Bavarian goat he rode in on.

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“Bastian Kramer used to be on the fast road to flame-out just like Leonardo Cruz, but he turned it all around. Now he has a family and he’s a fine, upstanding example for the world soccer community.” A picture filled the upper left-hand window. One of Bastian Kramer with one arm around his wife and a baby girl in the other arm. “He’s a father and a role model for every kid that has dreams of kicking a ball for their country. He’s the new face of international soccer. The days of our criminal tolerance must end.” My picture replaced Bastian’s grinning herd. Of course, it was a mug shot. I’d had a few over the years. “This coward who beat me for no reason, Leonardo Cruz, is a menace. One that casts a terrible shadow over our good standing.” He frowned and shook his head, like it was the hardest thing he ever had to say.

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Fucking liar. “The Sport News Network is waiting for a return call from President of the Royal Football Federation, Pablo Garcia, for a response as to why he insists on allowing an embarrassment to be the face of Spanish soccer.” I was a heartbeat away from dashing over and smashing my fist through his face, or at least through the picture of his face on the screen. “This is Robert Graves, your on-theground source for the latest in soccer news. We’ll kick it again soon.” The segment cut away to a commercial about diapers. A father crawled around the living room floor next to a babbling baby. Then, it hit me. Half a heartbeat in time before the television met its mortal end. I had the answer! “That’s it!” I said. The answer to the bullshit that punks like Robert Graves piled onto my world. I turned

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back to Alex and flinched as the fury in her eyes landed squarely on me and me alone. “What?” Maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to say. “What? What? Did you just say what as if you weren’t between my legs with your cock parting my thighs?” She shoved me back and snatched her bra and panties off the floor. She slid the bra on while shaking her head. “Call me crazy, but I was under the impression we were having an intimate moment. The kind of thing you don’t pull away from so you can watch my asshole ex grab for ratings.” “He was right,” I said, still in a daze that I had it all figured out. That it was so easy. That I wanted it anyway. Her jaw dropped. She hopped around on one leg trying to slip into her panties. “Wait! What are you doing?” I asked. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

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“Wait, Alex! Keep your clothes off!” She looked at me like I was insane, and started to wiggle into her tight pants. “Have you lost your mind?” I shook my head. “Nope. I figured it out. All of it.” “Really?” She rolled her eyes. “Do tell. I can’t wait to hear.” I smiled, so relieved to have the solution within grasp. “We need to have a baby.”

CHAPTER EIGHT Alexis I had my pants around my calves when his last response bowled me over like a hurricane wind. I stumbled and fell back onto the couch. “You’ve lost your mind,” I said. “I’ve never been saner,” Leo replied. Maybe he wasn’t crazy, but it didn’t help his case that he was delivering the message stark naked with a stiff cock bouncing around. He gestured at the TV. “Everyone loves Bastian Kramer, and he’s fucked up as much as I have. Probably more. But they don’t care. He had a baby and all is forgiven.”

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I covered my face, hoping the nightmare would go away. Hoping I’d awake to find myself rewound like a bad movie back to the minute before Robert Graves killed the mood. And a baby with Leo? Crazy. Stupid crazy. A tiny voice at the deepest levels of my psyche spoke. Why not? Why not! My life plan had always included kids. Three to be exact. But I didn’t have a Mr. Right in my life at the moment. Did I? Was Leo destined to be the father of my children? No, couldn’t be. The last thing in the world he was meant for was being a parent. Could anyone imagine The Lion of Spain changing a poopy diaper while a baby wailed in frustration? Ha! Not in ten million years. Never.

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Going. To. Happen. I parted my hands and peeked out. “Do you have any idea what you’re saying?” He didn’t have to answer. Of course he didn’t. He probably thought the sum total of parenting meant Kick the Ball Saturdays, Ice Cream Date Sundays, and a parent-teacher conference every other year. “Yeah, I think I have a pretty good idea. What do you say?” He had no clue. And I couldn’t deal with the confusion. I finished up with my pants and yanked down my sweater. “I have to go,” I said as I grabbed my purse. What was I thinking? Why did I let him talk me into these situations? Leo stepped in front of me. His cock slapped into my leg.

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I looked at it and then up at him. “Really? Really?” I tried to circle around, out of the way of his swinging dick. His gorgeous, thick pleasure wand. His delicious meat. A gnawing in my belly tried to remind me that I’d never had so much protein in one meal, and that I hadn’t eaten any protein in ages. The fact that I wanted nothing more than to drop to my knees and take his girth into my mouth pissed me off. I dodged to the side and he jumped over to block my exit. “I’m serious. We’d make a kickass baby!” “You think that’s a good reason to have a baby? Because it would be kickass?” He was certifiable. Clueless. I couldn’t have a baby with him even if I wanted to. Did I just say that? Confused from the orgasm. That was all.

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He looked at me with a need that nearly demolished my resolve. “I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe. Hey, you’d get to have the baby of The Lion of Spain. Plenty of ladies would kill for that honor.” My eyes snapped shut and I pinched the flaring pain in the bridge of my nose. “I can’t believe you said that. Will the egotistical prick formerly known as my fake date move aside so I can get on with my life?” “Shit! That came out wrong. I’m sorry.” Leo stepped aside. First smart thing he’d done in a while. I felt like a cobra ready to strike. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to get a fang full of venom. He opened the door and stood aside as I barreled by. I was hoping to get away clean but no, he couldn’t let it rest.

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“Listen,” he shouted, “consider it. It would be great. Who’s more fun than us together? We could give a kid the best life in the world.” I stumbled and nearly bit it. I regained my balance and kept on trucking. I had to get far away from him as fast as humanely possible. How could he throw out an idea like that so cavalierly? Like it was no more important than what ethnic food he might order for delivery tomorrow night. It was maddening. He was maddening. Before Robert turned out to be a lying snake, I had my life planned out to perfection. The first kid at twenty-three. The second at twenty-six and the last at twentynine. I loved the number three, obviously. Plus, being done at twenty-nine still let me hit thirty back in shape.

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But now that whole schedule was screwed. I was already twenty-four! And had no baby, no husband. No real prospect for a long-term relationship whatsoever. Leo? Please. I may have been as gullible as the next broad in his expansive harem, but I wasn’t a total idiot. Guys like Leo didn’t settle down. Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t. It wasn’t in their blood. They were physically incapable of sustaining passion and commitment to one woman. You almost couldn’t blame them. That’s the way they were made. You almost couldn’t blame them except, that is, when they weren’t banging your bridesmaid on your wedding day. I totally blamed that one! But Leo?

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In a crazy way, he probably really believed it could work. That it would be awesome for us. But he didn’t know. He had no idea. Parenting wasn’t a day at the spa. You didn’t make an appointment and then choose the best treatments and later go home to bask in relaxation. It was 24/7, 365 days a year. I was ready. I was a year past schedule even. But would he ever be ready? *** I didn’t get more than two minutes of sleep the last two nights. And that two minutes was a brief stretch of time when my mind numbly searched for answers that weren’t forthcoming. It didn’t help that my mobile went off every few hours with a text from Leo. I stared at the ceiling and couldn’t find the answer there. Sleep was coming so I got out of bed before the alarm went off.

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This was crazy. I was crazy. A baby together? I’d never be sane again if I didn’t talk to Leo. After the longest shower in the history of wasting water to clarify thinking, I decided to go to the stadium to find him at morning practice. I emerged from the underground tunnel and walked over to the sideline section of seats designated for the womenfolk. The doting dames that did as they were told. Screw that. I wanted answers, and a good night’s sleep. Before getting halfway there, I saw that this was no ordinary practice. Oh yeah, the national team was doing an event for children from low-income families. A chance for the kids to meet their favorite players. I whipped out my phone and texted Ed.

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Alex> Ed. Alex. Where are you? Ed> Coffee shop. Why? Alex> Grab your gear and get to the Nou, now! Ed> Why? Alex> Because this is the perfect opportunity to scrub some of the rust off Leo’s tarnished image. Ed> Be there in less than five. Alex> Start rolling as soon as you arrive. We’ll sort out the edit later. Ed> Will do. All the players were on the field, a few interacting with a child or two. But it couldn’t have been clearer who the overwhelming favorite was. Leonardo Cruz. I watched for several minutes while he dribbled a ball around the field with a gaggle of tottering children racing behind. Their cackling glee echoed through the stadium.

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The interaction was so natural. It got me thinking. We were missing some great footage. And also, Leo was such a surprise. “Hey, Alex,” Ed jogged up behind me, his camera already slung over his shoulder. The red flashing light blinked on and he started capturing the event. “Morning, Ed. You getting this?” “Yep.” Leo sprinted and broke away from the pack of pursuers. “You’ll never catch me,” Leo yelled. “I’m the gingerbread man!” The kids roared with laughter and kept after him. Ed rolled footage while the endless game of chase zig-zagged around the field. It was seriously too cute for words. Leo pretended to trip in an exaggerated, silly way and tumbled to the ground. The

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kids swarmed him and jumped on forming a large, wiggling pile. Leo picked up an attacker in each hand and rolled them out onto the grass with a gentle touch. He struggled to his knees and crawled around. One of the more adventurous boys climbed up on his back and rode him like a horse. The courageous cowboy waved his hand wildly, laughing as much as shrieking. “I am the champion! I’ve beaten The Lion of Spain!” All the other kids wailed their approval. Leo lumbered off, carrying the little boy on his back. Stragglers from the pile clung to his legs as they slid forward. He headed to a soccer ball and grabbed it. All the kids on the ground instantly went for it. The new game began in a heartbeat. “Someone save me!” Leo shouted. “Save me!” He turned and saw me.

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Our eyes locked like dual tractor beams. He smiled and waved uncertainly. I nodded and waved back. There he was. A natural. A kid among kids. Why didn’t I realize it before? Who better to be a doting father than a man who wanted to play as badly as the child did? And who was more likely to be committed to that family than a man who knew the pain of abandonment? Leo said something to the kids and kicked the ball down the field. They all took off at top speed, giggling and crowing at each other as they went. What other surprises did he have in store? What else was destined to happen that I had no idea was coming? And yet, it somehow felt so certain and clear when the moment arrived. He sauntered over with an easy smile. He glowed with pleasure. He really loved

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spending time with kids. It wasn’t an act to safeguard his occupational future. And I wanted babies. Especially with him. My body blossomed for him like we were mated. Fated to be partners and parents. Oh my God. I wanted to have his baby. My stomach squirmed as the depth of the truth sunk in. I truly did. “Hey, Ed,” he said. “Mind turning that thing off?” I nodded at Ed. “Sure, no problem,” Ed said. “And…sorry about what happened.” Leo laughed. “No worries. You captured my best angle.” I turned to Ed. “Let’s get that to Editorial and patch together a promo spot. People are going to eat it up.” “Will do,” Ed replied as he started packing up his gear.

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Leo took my hand and dragged me away. About ten feet away, he whirled me around and swooped in for a kiss. I intercepted him with a hand to his lips. “We have business to discuss,” I said. “I thought you just took care of that,” Leo said. “Not that business,” I said. “Personal business.” “Okay.” “What you said the other day. Did you mean it?” I asked. “Yes. Absolutely.” “How would that work? There’d be a million details to consider.” He took my hand from his lips and laced his fingers through mine. “Don’t sweat the small stuff, Alex.” Sweating the small stuff? I was merely curious about all the myriad details that for sure would have to be figured out. There’d be what kind of diaper cream to use. Something

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non-toxic and that was gentle on a baby’s skin. There’d be what kind of mattress to get. You didn’t want to go too soft or too firm. Oh, wait. Okay. “Sorry,” I said. He pulled me into his arms, his strength, his protective embrace. I felt safe, perfectly nurtured. I stared up into his eyes. The blue-gray orbs sparkled in the morning sun. His gorgeous lips moved. “Do you have an answer?” My heart jumped in my chest. My belly joined the party. “I do.” He waited for a minute while I basked in the glory of his attention. “Mind sharing it?” “Not at all,” I said. “But first I want you to tell me what you want.” He looked at me in confusion. “You know what I want.”

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“I do,” I said. “But I want to hear you say it.” A grin swept across his face. “You are a dirty bird. I like it.” “Say it, Leo. Tell me what you want.” He squeezed me tight. His hardness a prominent heat on my belly. His eyes vibrated lust into mine. “I want to fuck a baby into you. I want to come inside you until it spills down your thighs. I want to seed you. Mate you. Pump you full until you accept my future into your core.” A hot flood blossomed between my legs. A spot deep inside me sparked. A new spark. One that had only one meaning. “Tell me what you want me to do, Leo.” His eyes burned into mine. “I want you to have my baby.” My knees turned to jello. “Will you be the mother of my children?” he asked.

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Children? As in multiple? There was only one answer. “Yes.”

CHAPTER NINE Leonardo I had seriously dragged ass the rest of practice. Coach thought screaming in my face would do the trick but he may as well have been a million miles away. I couldn’t keep my mind off Alex. Her sparkling eyes. Her easy smile. Her banging butt. Her tits. Oh my God, yes! Her tits. Those suckable nipples. And her lips. Those luscious, full, kissable lips. She was gonna wrap those lips around the base of my shaft or I wasn’t The Lion of Spain. And that sweetness below. I’d never tasted a more delicious morsel. And yes, I

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noticed that tight puckered starfish, too. That one might take some finesse, but I’d conquer that land before all was said and done. She was a good girl, though. I respected that. Loved it even. I burned to net a hat trick with her. That was scoring in all three spots in one game. Something about her. Something about us. I wanted to own her. Take her in places she’d never been taken before. Fill her like no man had done before. I shifted in my tight pants and adjusted my throbbing hard-on. I’d never been so jerked around in my life. I glanced around the Marina Harbor, waiting for my date to show up. People strolled along the boardwalk. Once in a while, one would stop to watch me, the guy with the helicopter at his back. Then, not seeing anything more happen, they’d amble off.

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The reason nothing more was happening was because I was waiting for Alex. Me. Waiting. It was all kinds of backwards. I didn’t do the waiting since conquering the world of soccer over a decade ago. My watch showed 7:38 in the evening. She was eight minutes late. It was like she always had to do it her way. Maybe most guys wouldn’t have had a second thought about that considering what she brought to the table, but I wasn’t most guys. I was the one used to getting my way. Anything I wanted. Anytime I wanted. But so far with Alex, I had yet to get the thing I wanted most. Get it every which way until we both died of exhaustion.

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But she had me waiting for it, just like she had me waiting now. A warm wind blew off the Balearic Sea at my back. The salty tang in the air tickled my nose. I verified my suit coat was buttoned and shrugged off the mess that was the knot in my tie. I was never good at it. Did it matter? If the crispness of my knot threw her off, then Alex wasn’t the girl I knew her to be. Still, my hands itched to straighten it out. A yellow and black taxi pulled into the parking lot and stopped by the curb. The longest, most beautiful set of legs imaginable stepped out. Whoa. She was gorgeous. I’d wait hours to get a glimpse of those wonders of nature. She wore a tight, sky blue dress and white, strappy sandals. Her long black hair was gathered up in a bun perched on top of her head.

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And her curves. From top to bottom. Those were curves that could keep a man on the straight and narrow. She stepped out carrying a brown briefcase. What was up with that? Did she turn into an attorney since our discussion yesterday morning? I ran a hand through my hair and attempted to get the wind-blown chaos roughly into place. A blast of jet wash from the chopper fifty feet behind me whipped it back into disarray. I waved and tried to shout above the whine of the turbo engine. “Alex!” She grinned and the joy in her face melted my heart. I wanted to devour that mouth. My cock bulged in my pants. I wanted to fuck that mouth. Pump it full of hot cum.

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She held her arm up protectively above her head as she approached. I walked over to meet her halfway and spoke into her ear to be sure I was heard. I licked her earlobe first because, why not? I was already in the neighborhood. She trembled, like I knew she would. “What’s up with the lawyer luggage?” “I’ve brought a few thing we need to look over.” Okay. Maybe she liked porn. Everybody had a deep, dark secret. Maybe hers was watching a filthy flick while I gave it to her doggy style. Worked for me. “Leo, why does that thing look like it’s about to take off?” “That thing is an Augusta AW101.” She looked at me blankly. “The same chopper as Marine One.” That got her attention.

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“You own the same helicopter as the President of the United States?” “No, I don’t, but my little brother does.” “Your little brother?” I turned and waved at my little brother, Giovanni, sitting in the cockpit. He made a crazy face like he was incompetent. He loved messing with people. “Yep, Giovanni,” I said. “And it’s not exactly the same. Gio tells me the President’s is one step down from this beauty.” “You’re insane,” she said. “Yeah. Most people would agree with that. Ready to go?” Her face twisted into a grimace of fear. Playing with a mouse before you sprung the trap was one of my favorite past times. “You want me to get inside that?” she asked. “Absolutely. Why? Are you scared?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “I’m not scared!”

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She furtively glanced back at the chopper and the worry on her face couldn’t have screamed any louder. “Apprehensive, yes,” she said. I laughed and wrapped my arm around her, then pulled her toward our fairy tale carriage. Though one with more bells and whistles and one that was considerably more costly than a magical pumpkin. I guided her to duck low as we approached. I opened the door and ushered her into a seat. She froze. She said something lost under the whirring blades. I pulled out a headset and slipped it over her ears. I helped her buckle in, then jumped in beside her. After securing the door and getting my headset on, I squeezed her knee. “Alex, let me introduce you to my snotnosed little brother, Giovanni Cruz,” I said. Gio looked back from the cockpit and waved. “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” he said.

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“Nice to meet you, too,” she said. “Umm, I hate to be picky, but do you know how to drive this thing?” “It’s fly. You fly a chopper. And don’t worry. I’ve done this once before.” Alex’s face went pale and her jaw dropped open. “Kidding!” he said “Nearly eight years flying birds and doing other things in the Marine Corps. Of course, I came home with my brain a bit scrambled.” Only Gio could joke about something so true. Alex grimaced. I grabbed her hand and she cupped her other on top. She squeezed a lot harder than I expected. “Gio, she’s about to jump through the door to escape,” I said. “And she’s about to squeeze my hand off.” “Oh, sorry,” Alex said. “I’m kidding,” I said. “I like it.” “Are you two love birds ready to —ck?”

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The headset crackled, garbling the last word. I knew he did it on purpose. Alex’s eyes opened wide. “Yes,” I said, “we’re ready to rock.” Gio laughed and started working the controls. “Ma’am, I need your verbal consent before we take off,” he said. “You know, for liability reasons, in case this bird ditches and your surviving family members come after my bank accounts.” Her eyes opened wide with horror. He looked back and grinned. “I should probably stop joking like that.” “Keep it up, little brother,” I said, “and I’ll bust your lip the minute we touch down.” “Alex, will you keep a leash on that mad dog? I’m trying to be a professional here?” “That’ll be the day,” I said. Gio did a last check and seemed satisfied that everything was in order. “Here we go,” he said.

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Alex squeezed tight. I kissed the back of her hand. It was a standard Prince Charming move that normally wouldn’t have made the last page of my playbook. But with Alex, it felt right. “Ready to leave the world behind?” I asked. Her voice crackled into the headset. “Yes.” I moved her hand and wrapped it around the hardness between my legs. “If you’re going to squeeze, allow me to give you a better target.” Gio spun up the engine and the powerful beast lifted off the ground. He yawed the tail landward and pointed us out toward the open water. “Where are we going?” she asked. I glanced down at the light blue fabric crumpled halfway up her smooth thighs. Another couple of inches would be her

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panties. And a millimeter beyond that was my destination. But I didn’t think that’s what she meant. “It’s a surprise.” “Should I be worried?” I gave her a wink as Gio flew us out of the harbor and over the sparkling orange of the waves below, reflecting the setting sun above. I loved flying with Gio. The quiet comfort of family. We’d often not talk at all, listening to the wind and watching the world slip by. No prying press or adoring fans to deal with. Nothing but the infinity of open air. A strong updraft hit as we soared less than a hundred feet above the undulating surface. The chopper jumped altitude. Her hand on my cock squeezed tight. Alex shrieked. “Don’t do that again!” “That wasn’t me,” Gio said. “Was an errant gust of wind. But if the result is you manhandling my brother’s package like that,

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he might pay me to manufacture a few more.” Alex yanked her hand away looking embarrassed. “Thanks, Gio,” I said. “You suck.” “Do not,” Gio said. “No more of those, please,” Alex said. Then she looked at me with a wicked grin. “I might tear it right off.” “I’d love to see you try,” I replied. She smiled in the most drop-dead sexy way imaginable. It was all I could do not to mount her this instant. I pointed off to the right to a group of low-lying islands that shimmered in the growing darkness. “The one to the far right is Ibiza, the Mecca of dance clubs.” “Is that our destination?” Gio eased the stick to the left and we banked in the same direction.

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“Nope. I’ll take you there another time. Tonight, I wanted to have you all to myself.” “Spare me your pillow talk, bro,” Gio said. “It’s making my stomach queasy.” “Shut up,” I said. “Alex, is this what he calls his A game?” Gio asked. Alex laughed. “I think so.” “I feel bad for both you,” Gio said. “No need,” Alex replied, “I like it.” She snuggled closer to me. The next while, we simply enjoying the thrill of flight. That comfortable quiet that I’d only ever experienced with Gio before. A pin-point of light appeared in the distance. Gio straightened up on it and dipped the nose to pick up speed. We raced over the dark water. She leaned forward staring out the front. She’d know in a minute. “Are we going to a boat?”

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“It’s a super yacht,” I said. “And yes we are.” She looked at me. “Isn’t that a little presumptuous? This is only our second date and you assume you can skip the dinner and dancing and take me straight back to The Love Boat?” I shrugged. “Your hand is on my cock.” She hadn’t noticed when I’d guided it back there earlier. She yanked back like it was a cobra about to spit venom. She wasn’t totally off base. “I presume no such thing,” I said. “And I liked your hand where it was.” “I’m sure you did.” Her hand kept its distance. “This is so sweet,” Gio said. “You two are like horny teenagers sneaking some action in the backseat while the grownup drives.” “Don’t you mean flies?” Alex said. “Touché.” ***

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We swept in over the bow and Gio eased us to a stop above the helipad at the stern. Thankfully the sea was relatively calm. I liked pushing the envelope more than most, but the few times Gio had landed us in rough waters at night were enough to pucker anyone up tight. That’s not to say I wouldn’t do it again. I would. You didn’t conquer life by submitting to the fears it placed in your path. Gio eased the chopper to the deck and I felt the reassuring contact of a safe landing. My older brother, Dante, waited at a safe distance, greeting us with a wave. He had on his captain’s hat on and everything. “Go for exit,” Gio said. “Piece of advice, ma’am?” “Sure,” Alex said. “Be careful with this one,” he said. “I’ve never seen him latched on so tight to anyone. Don’t break his heart.” Alex stared at me.

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Ugh. Brothers. “Thanks, Gio,” I said. “Now kindly shut up.” I jumped out and helped Alex exit. She stumbled and fell into my arms. The briefcase landed with a thump on my Italian leather shoes. I dressed up for once. “Sorry,” she said. “My legs are a little wobbly.” “Then let me be of assistance.” Before she could reject my offer, I swept her up in both arms, snagged the case, and carried her like a bride to our post-wedding suite. Dante met us at the safe perimeter. I set Alex on her feet and gestured at my brother. “Alex, this is my older brother, Dante.” Dante shook her hand with a ridiculous formality. “A pleasure to meet you,” he said.

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“Welcome aboard the vessel Liberty. My pride and joy.” “This is yours?” Alex asked. “It is. Not a great investment, but a worthwhile one nonetheless.” Alex grinned and yelled over the bellowing chopper behind us, “Thanks for having me! This is crazy!” Dante took off his Captain’s cap and tried to hand it to me. “The ship is yours, Leonardo.” He was so into procedure. “Keep the hat, Captain Dork.” Dante’s eyes narrowed an instant and I felt bad for sticking him with a barb that meant nothing to me but ruffled his feathers. He turned to Alex. “Anyway, you two enjoy yourselves. It’s a great night to be out on the water.” “Thanks, Dante,” I said. He hugged me and nodded at Alex.

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“Anything for family,” he said and headed toward the chopper. “Is he leaving?” Alex asked. “Who’s going to drive? Or fly? Or whatever it is you do to a boat?” “We aren’t going anywhere. And he has another guy that is sleeping over to keep an eye on things.” Alex looked around at the huge ship. “Where is he?” I looked around. I’d been on Dante’s obsession a handful of times, but I didn’t know the whole layout by any stretch. “No idea.” We descended a flight of stairs to the aft deck. A single table was set in the center of the large expanse. Everything was arranged immaculately. I had to give it to Dante. He never failed to deliver.

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I helped her into her seat and took my own across the table. We surveyed the offering of small, steaming dishes of local Catalonian cuisine. The rich aroma of sauces and seafood mixed with the ever-present pungent scent of the ocean. Alex flashed me a twisted smile. “Must be hellacious to get a reservation here, what with only one table and all.” I helped her into her seat. “I know the owner. He owes me a few favors.” I poured a glass of wine for each of us, then took off my coat and tossed it on the couch. Alex gave me a look. “The owner isn’t going to invite you back.” “He will if he knows what’s good for him.” Her smile sparkled like the glowing stars above.

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“Your brothers are super nice,” she said. “Maybe we could all hang out together some time.” “Not a chance in hell. You’re crazy if you think I’ll let those slobbering hounds get close to you.” “Leo, I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” “I’m not saying you can’t. But why would you when I can do it for you?” I raised my glass and prepared a toast. She clicked open the briefcase and pulled out a thick wad of brochures and other marketing mumbo jumbo. “I don’t need another condo.” “Very funny,” she said. “Be serious for a minute.” “I’ll try.” It wasn’t my strong suit. She passed over the pile. I scanned the first page not giving a shit what it was about. Until I read it.

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“Artificial insemination!” She nodded. “Why are you showing me this?” I knew how to kick a ball to get it bend like it was on a string, but I’d never seen a bender like this. “I thought since we were planning on creating a life together that we should look at some responsible options for making that happen.” I dropped the papers on the table. They may have landed in grilled garlic shrimp. “Why do we need some hospital to shove a turkey baster up your down-there?” I grabbed my suddenly less rock-hard dick. “My equipment works fine. I assure you.” She pointedly didn’t look down. “I’m sure it does. But this is only our second official date, and I’m not that kind of girl.”

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I almost fell over, like a tree with my trunk cut clean in half. My balls were in tears. “Let me get this straight,” I said. “You want to have a baby with me. But you don’t want to have sex to do it. Where’s the fun in that?” She scraped at her bright blue nail polish like she suddenly decided it was the worst choice she’d ever made. “I don’t know what I’m saying. It’s been a really long time for me.” “How long?” “I’m not telling you!” “Are you kidding? Talk. We’re on a date. Sharing uncomfortable details is the whole point.” She considered that and seemed to fall on the side of agreeing. “I haven’t been with a man in that way since my ex-fiancé tried to destroy my life.” “What does that way mean?”

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“That way! Any way! I haven’t allowed anyone to get close.” “Is that it? Alex, don’t get down on yourself. You were waiting is all.” I grinned and tossed the sheaf of papers high into the air. A gust of wind caught them and whipped them higher still and out into the black void beyond. “What are you doing?” she shouted. “We don’t need that. We have each other. You can trust me. You can trust yourself.” She went back to digging at her polish. “That’s just it. I don’t think I can.” “Why? I’m a nice guy.” She looked up. “I’m talking about me. How I feel about you.” She dropped her head again. “I need a drink.” She raised her wine glass to take a sip and I reached across the table to stop her before she could get a drop. “Let’s have a proper toast first,” I said. “Why? Is that the law?”

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I raised my own glass and clinked the fine crystal together. “We are in international waters, not governed by any nation. Technically, the law is whatever I say it is.” I did my best not to stare at the beautiful mounds of flesh spilling out of the top of her dress. My best was shit. My eyes were glued to those globes like a compass to magnetic North. “Fuck, you’re hot,” I said. “I’ve got a boner like you wouldn’t believe.” She blushed. Her tender sense of innocence made my cock spring back to life. “That was quite a toast. Did you go to school for that?” “That was me being honest. As for a toast, here goes…” Dammit. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say, aside from what I’d already said. And

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I could’ve said that a thousand different ways. So I did. “To you, Alex. The only woman I’ve ever met that blows my mind without even blowing my cock.” She rolled her eyes and giggled. “Either you’re starting to rub off on me or I’m discovering a dirtier side of me than I thought existed.” I took a big drink and savored the deep fruit and nut flavor of whatever Dante had chosen for us. But I didn’t care about the wine anymore. There was one thing that I cared about, and it was sitting across the table. Sitting across the table looking utterly stunning. Fuckable to the max. Then the toast hit me. The real toast. The one that was meant for us. She sipped from her glass and held the wine in her mouth, savoring the flavor.

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I wanted my cum in its place. I raised my glass again as she swallowed. “Another toast?” she asked. “Is this gonna go on all night long?” “I’ve got other plans for the rest of the night.” She batted her lashes and my blood pressure went through the roof, or into the sky above as there wasn’t any roof. I reached across the table and placed my hand over hers. Her delicate soft skin was a perfect counterpoint to the rough hide of my own. I rolled her hand over and faced her palm up to mine. “To our baby. And more importantly, to how we’re gonna make that sucker.” She jerked her head to the side and coughed and gagged and laughed all at the same time. Wine and tears threatened to drip down onto those luscious tits. I passed over a napkin and helped her recover.

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“No more toasts,” she said. “I’d like to drink my wine tonight.” She settled down and pulled it together enough to take another sip. “Alex, I don’t want to scare you, but I’m gonna fuck a baby into you tonight. I’m gonna make you come on my tongue, on my fingers, and on my cock.” Another coughing, gagging spell hit her right in the chest. After she recovered, she pushed the wine glass toward the center of the table. “New rule: you can’t say anything when I’m having a drink.” “No problem,” I said. I picked up her plate and piled it high with the various delicacies spread around the table. “Eat up. You’ll need your strength.” “Has anyone ever told you you’re a little too forward?” I laughed. “Who hasn’t told me that? Besides, that’s my job. I get into the play and

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take over. I push it forward, overcoming any defense in my way, and then I score.” She took a bite and chewed on whatever it was she’d chosen. I wasn’t hungry at all, not for food anyway. She swallowed and jabbed her fork into another bite. “Does your game plan always work out?” “Every time.” She arched her brow at me, like she caught me in a bear trap. “So then what happened at the World Cup final four years ago?” Phantom pain flared in my knee. A psychic memory of the injury I’d endured at the hands of Bastian Kramer. That Kraut bastard. “Are you trying to ruin our evening together?”

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“Not at all, Mr. Cruz. I was simply trying to determine whether you control the universe or not.” “What happened four years ago was a mistake. It will be avenged at the upcoming Cup.” My jaws clenched together and I cast a hard stare at her, harder than I meant to. “I know you will,” she said. “And I can’t wait to be there to cheer you on.” And like that, all the building tension in my chest melted away. She had a healer’s touch. And I was sick for her. “Ms. Young, are you fantasizing about some future date that I have yet to agree to?” “Fantasizing? I’m generously offering you reassurance that we may see each other again, despite your atrocious ability at giving a proper toast.”

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It was my turn to choke wine into my lungs. I coughed and rattled and finally cleared my throat. “At what age did you realize you are hilarious?” I asked. She looked up and pretended to calculate vast sums in her head. “So I’m twenty-four now . . . I do remember telling that one joke about the chicken and the road around the age of six …” She turned back to me. “I’d say just now.” I nodded. “Then let tonight be a night of firsts.” “Hey Romeo, my eyes are up here.” I hadn’t even realized my gaze had dropped. Again. Was I embarrassed? No. With extreme effort, I lifted my focus above the two ripe melons that, as far as I was concerned, were begging to be eaten. I took a bite of my food and gave her a bit of silence to eat some of her own. I wasn’t

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kidding about her needing it. Serious fucking required calories and we were gonna burn through a ton tonight. I didn’t watch what I was eating. It was a mechanical motion of fork to plate and fork to mouth. I chewed and swallowed something that would make a three-star Michelin restaurant green with envy and yet didn’t taste a bite. It was like my mind had tunnel vision and Alex was the oncoming train. I looked up into the night sky and wondered at the dark velvet splashed with pinpoints of diamond light. It was seriously beautiful out here. And Alex made it all dim as rusted silver. She stared at the heavens above, like an angel ready to ascend. “There’s so many,” she said in a whisper. “I’ve never seen so many.” “That’s because there are no lights out here,” I said. “No lights but one.”

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She hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “You talking about the porch light over there?” She snorted out a giggle before she finished delivering the joke. “Could you be any cuter?” I asked. She narrowed her eyes at me and twisted her mouth up. “Are you saying I need to be?” “I’m saying you couldn’t possibly be. I’m saying the pitch of your voice makes my cock harder than steel. I’m saying the curves of your breasts make me want to jump over this table and attack you.” She leaned forward and squeezed her tits together, no doubt enjoying the effect they had on me. My breath came out ragged and my pulse jumped. “Should I be frightened?” she asked. A crooked grin swept across my face. “You should be terrified.”

CHAPTER TEN Alexis He was right. I was terrified. I was scared of the clawing need deep in my belly. My heart pounded in my chest. The damp heat between my thighs screamed like a siren that I was in over my head. What did I expect? He was The Freaking Lion of Spain. If ever there existed an Olympian God descended to earth, he was sitting across from me. My magnetic attraction to him shouldn’t have been a shock, but it was. He wasn’t what I expected. Not a robot driven by the joystick between his legs, not completely anyway. He had feelings. He had

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tenderness. He had heartache. He’d survived a past I couldn’t imagine. Candles flickering on the table cast a wavering light and shadow over his stormy blue-gray eyes. The hard line of his jaw flexed as he licked his lips. His beefy arms bulged inside the sleeves of his button-up shirt. He was a man born to run around in a loincloth like the gladiators of Rome. Sure, he looked sexy as hell in the navy blue suit and tie, but it wasn’t a natural match. Besides, all those clothes hid those gorgeous muscles. His body deserved to be in an arena battling a lion in front of a raucous crowd. He’d swing his sword under the sun and the muscles in his chest and back would ripple with easy effort. Hot tingling sparks ignited in my core and spread like a heating pad over my skin. I loved heating pads. Loved.

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This was ten times better. While his natural place was in front of a crowd, I wanted him for myself. I wanted those muscles on top of me, conquering me. My insides squirmed at the thought of being impaled on his mighty sword. In those arms, I could die the happiest girl in the world. “Alex, you in there?” I snapped out of my hypnotic—and frankly embarrassing—adoration and awoke to a conscious version of the same. Dammit. He was so totally gorgeous. “Can I tell you something?” I asked. Oh no. Stop talking. “You can tell me anything.” He was right. Talking with him felt so real, so easy. I could say anything in my heart or mind. I never had that freedom with Robert. Every time I opened up, he made me feel like I was imposing on him. Like I’d

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invaded his personal space. Or worse, that it was a chore he had to endure. Leo was different. I wanted to share everything with him. Everything. I felt my mouth moving before I could send an abort-mission signal. “You’re pretty hot,” I said. He grinned. A rush of blood blossomed in my face and chest. What an idiot thing to say! The Lion of Spain didn’t need a no-name wannabe reporter affirming what he’d already heard a million times before. I scratched at the baby blue polish on my thumbnail. I dipped into rent money to spring for a mani-pedi and I still couldn’t keep from picking at it. But it was better than looking in those eyes.

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He reached across the table and raised my chin as gently as a shepherd might touch a startled lamb. Our eyes connected and I almost melted into a pool of warm goo. Everywhere, I mean. “Sorry, never mind,” I said. “You’ve heard it a billion times.” A million was probably low-balling it. He touched a finger to my lips and returned it to his with a kiss. “I’ve never heard it said like that.” “What do you mean? I didn’t use fancy words. It wasn’t like I said you’re resplendent.” “The words don’t matter. The one speaking them does. You, Alex.” My heart palpitated in my chest. I was forty years on the young side for heart pills, but it seemed like a prudent precaution. My toes tingled so intensely I thought they would blow my sandals off, which

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would’ve been a disaster as I borrowed them from Megan. “Anyway, thanks for inviting me on this date.” Really? I was smooth like shattered glass. It would’ve been infinitely better to sit there and hope he thought I was pretty. He reached across the table and grasped my trembling hand. “What are you afraid of, Alex?” My belly rolled like a loop-to-loop roller coaster. My palms sweat like a pig in the sun. Of course, I was scared shitless. I wasn’t afraid of him. I was afraid of me. Something inside at a deep animal level demanded I give myself completely to this man. That I lose myself in him. The last time I’d come remotely close to that level of surrender, I’d ended up roadkill. I didn’t know if my heart was ready for another stroll along the highway.

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“Tell me,” he said. His voice was so certain and commanding, my mouth obeyed like his words were my will. “I’m afraid of you,” I said. “Of what you might do to me.” He came around the table next to me. With as little effort as the sea pushes a grain of sand, he pulled me to my feet and crushed me into his hard chest. “You scare me too,” he said. “Trust me when I say I’ve never said that to anyone.” I rested my cheek against his chest and soaked in the reassuring warmth. The unspoken promise that if I opened myself completely, I wouldn’t end up smashed into a thousand jagged pieces. We stood there, arm in arm, swaying to the soft rhythm of some classical music emanating from invisible speakers. I was acutely aware of the hardness pressing into my belly.

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Leo turned my head up and touched the softest feather kiss to my lips. His breath swept into my mouth, becoming one with my own. The hard pull of gravity between our bodies threatened to throw the earth out of orbit. I floated in the trembling expanse. And then he crushed his lips into mine. His tongue ventured into my mouth and claimed me. His hands slid down my ribs and hips and anchored on my bottom, pulling me tighter to him. My leg moved by reflex. It hiked up over his narrow hips and hooked around his lower back. His power overwhelmed me. His passion only equaled by my own. He lifted me and I curled my other leg around his waist. He was my lion, trapped for as long as I could hold him. He carried me like I weighed nothing. We moved to a

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low white and nautical blue couch next to the pool. I clung to him, every millimeter of space between us an infinitely insufferable distance. He laid me on the couch and brought his weight down. I arched my hips up, grinding into his cock. In a husky voice, he whispered, “I’m gonna fuck you until you come all over me, Alex. I’m gonna own that tight little pussy.” He anchored one toned arm next to my head and pushed himself up. It was glorious torture to have him so far away. Torture that his lips weren’t on mine. But glorious because I got to see more of him. He slipped off my spaghetti straps and pulled the top of my dress down. He unclasped my bra and flicked the cups to the sides. He sucked in sharply.

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Did he like what he saw? Was I too floppy? Laying on my back wasn’t my best angle. Were my nipples oddly shaped? He dove at my breasts like an eagle swooping at a fish below. His mouth covered my nipple and sucked it in. Oh God. “Yes,” I croaked. His tongue flicked my aching nipple. The wetness between my legs gushed into a flood. My pussy begged for attention. It pleaded to have his mouth giving it the same treatment. Tongue treatment. My body pleaded for everything at once. It was crazy. If he had a hundred mouths and they were all on me everywhere at once, it still wouldn’t have been enough. I needed him more than air. His tongue trailed down into the valley between my breasts and licked up the other

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side to an already stiff nipple. His hot mouth closed around it and sucked it in with an intensity that made me shudder. My hips bucked up, wanting to hump his cock off. He pushed up and my nipple popped out as the suction broke. I almost screamed with ecstasy. He leaned back and yanked off his shirt and tie. He was like Harry Houdini. I’d never seen anyone do it with less effort. The lion tattoo on his chiseled chest roared in the moonlight. The wild mane shook. I touched it in wonder. The king of the jungle hungered for my flesh. For my pussy. Oh God. Yes, please. The moon cast his ripped body in stark relief. His abs were alternating ridges of light and dark, the broad planes of his chest sculpted slabs of granite. His wide back swept

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down to narrow hips like a cobra ready to strike. He pulled my dress down and I lifted my legs to shimmy free. His eyes dropped to my white lace panties. To the center of them. He slipped a hand down between my legs and pushed the cloth aside exposing my eager state. His rough finger glided across my engorged lips. Chills zipped over my skin in bouncing waves. He shoved a finger inside and I shuddered. “Fuck, Alex. You’re dripping wet.” My insides squeezed tight as his finger probed deeper. My core pleaded to be fucked harder, with his finger, his tongue, with something bigger. I grasped two handfuls of couch as my hips rolled on his hand. His palm rubbed my

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clit, blasting lightning bolts like Zeus from Olympus. “Come for me, baby,” he said in a husky voice. “I need your cum on my fingers.” I rode his fingers and surrendered my fears, my limitations, my futurized regrets. None of them mattered. Only the cresting desire did. Only the swooping sense of losing myself to ecstasy. “Okay,” I said. “OkayOkayOkayOkayOkayOkay.” My belly clenched tight and my insides even tighter. I jerked as I climaxed. I clung to the couch so tightly I nearly ripped away fabric samples. My wavy black hair flopped over my face and I didn’t give a single shit that the bun I’d spent an hour getting just right fell completely to crap. My thighs quaked as shimmering tides surged through me. “Good girl,” he said.

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He slipped his finger out and my body cried, doing its best to refuse its exit. He laid his finger flat along my wet groove, letting it part my lips. With his other hand, he unzipped his pants and pulled them down. His enormous cock sprang out and swung back and forth like a metronome. He peeled one of my hands from the couch and brought it to the base of his shaft. He wrapped my fingers around it and I was shocked to discover that my middle finger and thumb couldn’t touch. He was big. I’d seen his cock a few times now. But having it throbbing in my hand was something else entirely. I tugged him and he groaned with pleasure. My pussy dreamed of taking over. He hooked a thumb under my panties and tugged them off. He pushed my knees

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apart, and I was so super-prepared to feel weird, exposed. Vulnerable. Leo bit his lip and his eyes were heavy with need. He pulled me up. My hand around his cock refused to let go. We drew close and he kissed me. Kiss wasn’t the right word. We connected our souls through our mouths. We channeled our need through our tongues and lips. My breasts flattened against his chest. My soft curves paired with his hard lines. The perfect union. He rolled back on the couch and I tumbled over after him, my legs straddling his waist. The base of his thick shaft parted my engorged petals. “I want to taste you, Alex. Your sweetness is the only dessert I need.”

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Who was I to deny a man in need? He grabbed my hips and lifted me towards his mouth. In midair, he flipped me around and settled my knees on each side of his head. He pushed on my back and I pitched forward. I looked down at the head of his stiff cock. Three inches from eyes. Two inches from my nose. One inch from my mouth. “Suck it, Alex.” His words were my command. His desire, my desire. I dipped lower and licked the salty bubble of pre-cum welling out of the tip. I pushed his muscular thighs apart and tongued his balls. “Oh, yes,” he grunted. He gripped my butt and pulled me down to his mouth. His tongue penetrated me. I licked his shaft, feeling the thick veins running up the side. I traced under the ridge

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of his flared head and around to the sensitive band of skin on the underside. His moans of appreciation vibrated into my core, like we were a circle of reciprocating ecstasy. My every touch filtered through him and returned to me through his reflected passion. He pulled his tongue out and softly nibbled my engorged lips. He circled and teased me. A thrill zipped through my tummy. I was so exposed. So spread and vulnerable. His mouth covered my mound and he licked and sucked and chewed like a ravenous dog. My body shook and threatened to come undone. My only anchor was the thick rope in my hands. I held on like a climber teetering off the edge of a cliff. My soul quivered towards the abyss. An abyss I was increasingly eager to fling myself

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into without the slightest care of where it might go. Of where we might go. Leo licked me with rabid intensity, and I would’ve screamed were it not for his cock thrusting into my mouth. I choked on his thickness, gagging on the pressure at the back of my throat. I gripped his shaft and swallowed him again and again. I’d never done this. The both-at-once part. It was hot. He needed me in his mouth and I needed the same from him. We joined as we were meant to. The taste of salty brine on my tongue matched the musky scent of our shared sweat. I moved with a certainty that didn’t match the my lack of experience. Something about Leo, and more specifically something about his cock, made me feel like I couldn’t make a wrong move.

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Like my every action was destined from the beginning of time. Like all the years between the creation of the universe and this moment were but prearranged dominoes falling in ordered cadence. All leading to Leo’s delicious cock plunging in and out of my mouth. I choked on his size when I got too eager and backed off until the desire overwhelmed again. “Fuck, Alex,” he groaned. “Uh huh, uh huh,” I replied. Sounds were all I could manage. He growled into my wetness as his tongue worked from top to bottom. I rolled my hips back and forth never letting off the downward pressure on his mouth. His cock throbbed and I waited for a hot blast of salty seed to shoot down my throat. But I came first. Wild and free.

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If he could’ve swallowed me whole, it couldn’t have been any more intense. I shook apart at the seams and forgot to breathe. He nibbled my sensitive lips and I couldn’t stop vibrating. I came again for him. I could come for him for a million years, and it wouldn’t be long enough. He lifted me into the air and twirled me around like a performer at Cirque du Soleil. One second his cock was in my mouth and the next he was kissing me. Warm night air cooled the sweat on my skin. “Do you want me to fuck you, Alex?” I bit my lip and nodded. I didn’t want anything more. Ever. That didn’t mean I wasn’t a little nervous. His cock would’ve given any sane woman pause.

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My thighs quivered in anticipation while my mind chattered with fear. Fear of my desire. Fear of my overwhelming need to have him inside me. “It’s going to sting at first,” he said. “But you’ll be fine in no time.” “Fuck me, Leo.” Who talked like that? The words had the pitch and timbre of my voice, but it was a phrase that I never thought would come out of my mouth. A small voice in my head shouted that I should be embarrassed to want something like that. To say something like that. Leo’s nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. He grabbed my hips and pulled me down onto his waiting pole. The wide head parted my petals and pushed into my core. He was so big. Fuck. And he was barely an inch inside.

CHAPTER ELEVEN Leonardo I was barely an inch inside. Fuck. And she was so tight. I was ready to blow my top. My balls ached with the building pressure. Her pussy gripped me like a silky glove, coaxing my dick to blast hot seed inside her. Whoa. Slow it down. I wasn’t a one-and-done kind of guy, and I wasn’t gonna start now. Especially not when the hottest girl in the world was sliding onto my cock. I eased her hips down, pushing my length deeper. The soft welcoming pulsing inside

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her drove me wild. Her sweetness demanded my seed. I wasn’t gonna leave her high and dry. But it wasn’t time for that yet. We had to enjoy heaven first. Her full, heavy breasts smothered my face. The skin so soft against my cheeks. I smelled the delicate scent of her wetness on my lips. God, she tasted good. When her thighs touched mine, my balls tensed so hard I knew it was over. But I clawed back from the edge and fought for control. “Whoa, Alex. One stroke in and I gotta come so bad it hurts.” “Do it, Leo,” she said in a raspy voice. “You want me inside you?” She nodded as she lifted up for another descent into ecstatic madness. “Yes. Please, yes,” she said. “Fuck me with your big, hard cock.”

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Her silky glove stretched to take me in again. It was the softest warmth imaginable. “I’m gonna fuck a baby into you,” I said. I eased her up and watched as my glistening cock slipped out from between her legs. I lifted her until just the head parted her pretty lips, and then guided her back down. Slow and steady. That was the only way to win this race. My cock was a rabbit and I had to keep a leash on that motherfucker and walk it like a turtle. Up and down. In and out. Slick heat and growing tension. Her wetness cooled my shaft as the warm ocean breeze tickled it with every departure from her warmth. Her beautiful amber eyes peeked out between locks of silky black hair. Her eyes hungered for me. No more than mine for her.

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The tightness in my balls promised an impending explosion. The building pressure was insane. I could barely hold back. Delicious agony in those mindless seconds before release. “Gonna come inside you.” Her movement became more urgent. She rolled her hips back and forth guiding my size where she needed it most. I cupped her soft tits and moved with her motion. My balls hugged tight to my body and I knew I couldn’t last much longer. Fuck. She was a goddess granting me a miracle. She rolled her hips harder and faster, somehow driving me deeper. “Okay,” she said. “Okay, I’ll come for you.” I moved my hands to her hips and pulled down with all my strength.

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She threw her head back and wailed into the wind. A wild wail of primal pleasure. Her warbling voice like water washing over me. “I’m coming, I’m coming, coming,” she said. The peak of her climax snapped the last thread holding me back. With a sweep of my arm behind her lower back and a twist that would’ve made a gymnast proud, I lowered her on her back and landed on top between her legs. Never losing an inch of deep penetration. She locked her legs behind my thighs and pulled me closer. Her eyes fluttered, rolling up into her head. My stomach clenched tight as I exploded. A jet of hot seed blasted up my shaft. The release so intense I almost passed out. The depths of my balls squeezed and filled her. Every contraction shot another hot load. Three. Four.

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Five. Her tightness milked me dry. Sweat beaded on her chest and rolled down the curve of her gorgeous tits. A little puddle of sweat gathered in her belly button. My last small spurts seeped into her. Whoa! I was empty. Completely drained and out of gas. I gently lowered myself on top of her making sure to keep most of my weight on one arm. I bit her lower lip and her eyes flickered open in response. “Oh. Hi,” she said. “Am I dreaming?” “If this is dreaming, I don’t ever want to wake up.” “I didn’t know it could be like that,” she said. “I didn’t either.” It was true. It had never been like this. This was deeper by a cosmic mile. Alex was

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everything I’d ever wanted in a woman. She was it for me. She lifted her head and ran her tongue over my lips. “I want more,” she whispered. We were so made for each other. “Me too.”

CHAPTER TWELVE Alexis We had three hot nights together when Leo said he wanted to take me on a special surprise date the following evening. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend our time than in each other’s arms, but he insisted so I finally agreed. I swiped on a thin layer of lip gloss and smacked my lips to even out the coverage. It wasn’t the over-the-top sparkly lips kind (though I liked that too). It gave a hint of moisture. A subtle signal of sexual vitality for the opposite sex. That’s what scientists said anyway. My signals were all for Leo.

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I looked in the bathroom mirror and judged myself ready for our big date. I had a silk halter top and jeans on. Leo said we were going more casual this evening. I’m sure there was a hint in there but I couldn’t see where it might lead. I turned to Megan in the living room. “How do I look?” It was always good to get confirmation. She squinted her eyes and combed over me with an appraising look. “I’d fuck you,” she said. “I’ll do it right now. Get over here.” She held my imaginary hips above hers and pumped up off the couch. “Megs, you seriously need a man.” She rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it. My koochie feels as dry as old parchment paper. If I don’t get some soon, it’ll disintegrate into dust.” I grimaced.

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“Your descriptions are way too visual,” I said. “Thanks for that.” “Just doing my job. Someone’s got to be the lonely spinster holding down the fort.” “The fort will hold up fine without your able arms. Sign up for a few dating sites already!” “Yeah, I probably should. But it feels so pathetic. Am I right?” “No. Not at all. Everyone’s doing it these days. It’s our generation’s malt shop.” Her brows batted up and down. “I could go for sucking on a straw or two,” she said. “You need to get laid.” “Tell me about it, Sister” she said. “Enough about my tragic total lack of manaction. What about you? What’s this big surprise Leo’s got in store tonight?” I stared in the mirror, touching up the gloss that crept over the edge of my lip line. I shrugged, carefully so it wouldn’t cause my hand to slip.

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“If I knew, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” I said. “All I know is that he’s excited about it.” “He probably wants to claim your butt tonight. That equates to love or something for guys. Are you packing lube?” “Gross! Shut up!” She laughed and was clearly pleased with my response. “What? It’s no big deal,” she said. “He wants to tap that ass, and frankly, I don’t blame him.” I saw her in the reflection making lewd, emerald eyes at my backside. “Do you have a penis I don’t know about it?” “I wish. At least then I’d be getting some.” Someone knocked on the front door. “I’ll get it!” Megan said as she jumped up to answer it. She threw the door open and Ms. Pickering stood there holding Fifi with trembling

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arms. It seriously didn’t look like a safe perch for the little white poodle. “Alice, I ran into your weatherman downstairs,” she said. “Him and his sidekick. They’re bringing up some packages for me. He’s a fine catch, even if he’s terrible at making sure my Fridays are sunny. I don’t like walking Fifi to the groomers in the rain.” I almost mentioned that, one, weathermen didn’t make the weather. They reported it. And two, that Leo wasn’t a weatherman in the first place. But it didn’t matter. She called me Alice half the time, after all. Leo walked up behind her carrying a huge box. His biceps strained and his face was tense with effort. He looked gorgeous. His blue-gray eyes were cast a shade deeper by the fitted black cashmere sweater and black pants. The fabric accented his hard lines in the most delicious way.

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“Where would you like it, Ma’am?” he asked. “I haven’t had a moment to think,” she said. “Let’s unpack it in the living room and then we can try a few different arrangements to see what works.” Leo smiled at me from behind her back. “Sounds good.” A boy walked up behind Leo carrying a couple of smaller packages. He had an adorable riot of brown hair and ears that were a little big for his head. “Alex, this is the Josh I’ve told you all about,” Leo said. “He’s my favorite eightyear-old on the planet.” Josh beamed. “Hi! It’s nice to meet you, Alex,” he said. “Wow! You’re smokin’ hot! Leo said you had him wrapped around your little finger and I can see why!”

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“Sport!” Leo said. “You’re violating the code of the brotherhood! That was classified between-the-boys information.” Josh grimaced and his face tinted pink. “Sorry! It’s just that, well, she’s super hot!” I laughed and shook his fingers that weren’t supporting packages. “Nice to meet you.” Ms. Pickering was already in her apartment. “Let’s go boys,” she said. “Don’t keep an old lady waiting. Lord knows I might go at any second.” “You look like a Summer flower to me,” Leo said. “Stronger and more beautiful for having survived the Spring.” Ms. Pickering turned to me with an arched brow. “Alice, don’t let go of this one. Are you keeping him sexed up?” I choked on a reply while Megan giggled hysterically.

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Ms. Pickering waved us off. “You’ll learn when you’re my age. A woman’s got to use her honeypot while the taste is still sweet.” Josh’s eyes opened wide. Leo pursed his lips tight, doing his best not to bust out laughing. “Where did, ahem, you want these, Ma’am?” he asked. After Leo and Josh sorted out Ms. Pickering’s packages and said goodbye, they joined Megan and I in our apartment. Leo kissed me and acted like he had every intention of going further, but I ended it before we had a reason to be embarrassed. I glanced at Megan and she practically had drool dripping from her lips. I was going to have to set her up with a date in the near future. Leo could probably help, but I wasn’t sure I trusted his teammates with my best friend. “Did you bring the package?” Leo asked Josh.

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“Oh, be right back!” He ran out the open door and the patter of his receding footsteps echoed down the hall. He returned a minute later with a long box in his arms. He passed it over to Leo. “Thanks, Sport.” Jake held out his hand and I shook it to make our introduction official. “It’s nice to meet you, Josh,” I said. “You’re boobs are awesome,” he said with a look that hinted at his approaching adolescence. Leo cuffed him on the back of the head. “Back off, bro. She’s mine.” Josh grinned like the little boy he was. “Sorry! This is my first date.” “You’re not on a date,” Leo said. “I am.” “Speaking of our date,” I said, “what are we doing?” I honestly didn’t know because I had no idea an eight-year-old would be joining us.

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Leo turned to me with a broad smile. “This is for you,” he said as he handed me the long box. I examined the outside. The box had an elegant, silver embossed sticker that said Margaritas, Barcelona’s Finest Florist. Flowers? Didn’t I specifically tell him I was allergic? Leo grinned. “Open it.” I peeled open the package and didn’t find what I expected to find. It didn’t contain tulips, or flowers of any kind. It had a bright blue helmet. “What’s this?” I asked. “It’s a bike helmet,” Leo replied. “And why is it a bike helmet?” “Because it’s time you learned how to do something an eight-year-old can do!” Josh furrowed his brows. “She doesn’t know how to ride a bike?”

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“I don’t,” I said. “And I don’t plan on starting tonight.” “Come on!” Leo said. “This is Life Skills 101 thing. Besides, I’m a great teacher.” He turned to Megan. “Help me out here, Megan. She should be able to do this, right?” Megan nodded. “I’m in your corner, Sister. But you really should know how. It’s kind of crazy you don’t.” I might’ve put my foot down and flat refused, but then I realized it was another perfect media op for Leo. “Fine, I’ll do it,” I said. “Where are we going?” “To Las Ramblas,” he said. “It’s the straight, long, and flat. Perfect for a beginner.” I grabbed my phone and texted Ed to grab his gear and meet us there in thirty minutes. If I was going to have to go through the humiliation of learning to ride a bike at age

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twenty-four, I was at least going to get some usable media clips out of it. I mean, what could be cuter? The Bad Boy Lion of Spain riding on a tandem with his girlfriend next to boy who meant so much to him. It had viral Twitter explosion written all over it. “Shall we?” Leo asked as he held out his arm. “I’m game,” I said. Josh held his arm out to Megan. “If you’re looking for a date tonight, I’m available.” She winked at him. “That’s a tempting offer, but I’m afraid we’re generationally incompatible.” “No problem,” Josh said as a grin broke out on his face, “I’m around if you change your mind.” Megan blew me an air kiss. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said.

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“That leaves just about everything on the table,” I said. “That’s the idea.” Leo hooked his arm around my waist. “I promise to bring her back… eventually.” “I won’t wait up,” Megan said. We exited the building and I saw two bikes leaning up against the building. A long one with seats and pedals for two and a smaller one presumably for Josh. Guarding them was the gang of local toughs that I usually avoided at all costs. Leo slapped high-fives with each of them. “Thanks, guys,” he said. There normally intimidating snarls were totally transformed. They looked like puppies begging for more attention. “You got it, Leo!” one said. “Anytime, man!” another said. Leo held the shoulder of the one that looked like the leader. “Listen, can you do me a favor?” he said.

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“For The Lion of Spain?” the guy said. “Anything.” “Keep an eye on my lady here. Her roommate and the old lady I walked in with.” “Consider it done,” the guy said. “Thanks, man. I’ll drop by with a few jerseys to pass around,” Leo said. “That’s awesome!” one said. “So cool!” another said. They turned and ambled off toward their usual perch below the broken street lamp at the corner. I turned and stared at the tandem bike. “Helmet, first,” Leo said. He put it on my head and adjusted the fit until it was snug. Now that I was here about to do it, I wasn’t so sure. “Don’t worry,” Leo said. “I’ll be the balance and the power. All you have to do is enjoy the ride.” Well, when he put it that way.

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“I’m putting my life in your hands, Leonardo Cruz,” I said. “That’s all I ever wanted,” he said. The tenderness in his eyes took my breath away. He meant it. It was as if he was saying the sky was blue. It came across as self-evident truth. My heart squeezed in my chest and, for the millionth time since meeting him, I wondered at my luck. At my destiny? Josh grabbed the smaller bike. “Do you seriously not know how to ride a bike? I mean, you’re a grown-up!” I was not going to let a precocious eightyear-old make me look like a three-year-old. “Give me a week to learn and I’ll leave you in the dust!” “You’re on!” he shouted as he took off down the street. “Stop at the corners and wait for us!” Leo shouted.

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“Yeah, yeah, I know!” his voice echoed down the street. Leo settled me onto the back seat and took his place at the front. He held the bike steady as I lifted my feet to the pedals. It tilted a nano-inch and I squealed with terror. “You’re fine,” he said. “I’m not letting you go anywhere.” “Don’t let me fall, Leo!” “Never.” We started slow and, after we’d gone a few blocks, I started to feel more comfortable. It wasn’t so hard. We made it to Las Ramblas and I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I carefully teased it out of my back pocket and saw that Ed was ready to go down at the roundabout with the statue of Christopher Columbus. Perfectly picturesque. Ed had a good eye.

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“Let’s go see the Columbus statue,” I said as we pulled into the bustle of tourists and locals enjoying the evening. “Sure,” Leo said. We arrived and circled around the roundabout as Ed stood on the sidewalk with his camera on his shoulder. His eye was stuck to the eyepiece and he gave me a thumbs up as we passed him the first time. “Let’s go around it a few times,” I said. Leo saw Ed recording and laughed. “Always on the job, huh?” he said. “Somebody has to be,” I said. Josh stopped as the light turned red. Leo and I pulled up next to him. “Hey, Sport,” he said as he reached across and pulled him over in a hug. “How about we get a snack and then some ice cream for dessert?” “Yes! And then a churro after that!” Leo laughed. “We’ll see.”

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The light turned green and we continued on for another couple of loops. Ed captured it all. Awesome. Leo pulled up to a stop next to Ed. “How did we look?” he asked. Ed tucked the camera under his arm. “It’s sickly cute. People are going to love it.” “Thanks, Ed. You rock, brother,” I said. “Just doing my job, while I still have one.” “Haha, very funny,” I said. “You can thank me later.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll consider it. Well, you guys have fun.” I was about to tell Ed what to do with the footage when he held his hand up. “And I’ll get this to Editorial ASAP. We’ll get a few clips ready for posting by tomorrow.” “I owe you one, Ed,” I said. “Don’t I know it,” he said with a nod.

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“See you later,” Leo said and started the bike back up Las Ramblas. “I’m so jealous,” he said as the buildings slid by. Josh rode up ahead a little ways. “Of what?” I asked. Maybe he missed the thrill of first learning how to ride. It was more terrifying than thrilling to me. But Leo certainly had an appetite for danger that I didn’t share. “Of your seat,” he said. “What?” “I wish I was your bicycle seat right now. If I was, I’d be one big tongue.” My insides squirmed. They were perpetually squirming around him. I couldn’t believe what came out of my mouth next. “If you were my bicycle seat, I’d ride you all night long.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN Leonardo We spent every night for the last three weeks at my place. In bed. The room service guy bringing meals was the only face we saw from seven in the evening to seven in the morning. So much for being out in public working on my image. Screw it. I didn’t care much in the beginning, and I didn’t want to share Alex now. In my bed, she was mine and mine alone. It wasn’t all stacks of unlimited awesome though. On our last few times hanging out

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together, Josh was acting weird. I thought he could tell something was changing in me. He could tell my feelings for Alex signified a new major player in my emotional landscape. He wasn’t used to the competition because there had never been any. I broached the topic last week but he shut me down cold. There was no way I was gonna break his heart, but he had to understand I had enough room in my life for both of them. He needed time to adjust. He’d get there. I’d never give up on him. Practice was another area in my life feeling the burn of Alex’s and my time together. We were like a band. Every performance got better as we figured out how to play together. And we practiced our harmonies all night long. It was unbelievably good. And utterly exhausting.

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I hadn’t slept more than a couple of hours each night. Between lack of sleep and the acrobatic exertion of claiming Alex night after night, I was seriously depleted. And depleted wasn’t where you wanted to be when you were preparing to lead your nation to victory in the biggest sports spectacle in the world. A better choice would’ve been restraint. With Alex, I was no good at that. Turning down another round of Alex’s long legs wrapped around my waist required a level of self-restraint that I didn’t have, had never had, and was pretty sure would never have. Plus, why the hell would I want to do that? So, yet again, I dragged ass at practice, paying the price. The hard heat of the afternoon sun beat down on Camp Nou stadium and all of its occupants.

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Me, specifically. It singled me out. I felt it. Even dragging ass was a tall order. I was more like a shuffling corpse at this point. Coach didn’t miss it. And he hadn’t missed any of the preceding days either. “Pick your feet up, Cruz!” he shouted from the sidelines. If only he knew how heavy they were. He turned to the assistant coach and said in a voice clearly intended to be heard by every last person in the stadium, “It’s like I’m watching a fucking slow motion special effect.” Rodrigo jogged by and slapped my ass. “Get it into gear, Lion. That elephant wants to stomp your nuts.” He laughed and headed off toward the play building further up the field. I covered my eyes to block out the searing light. I needed a solid ten hours sleep and then I’d be as good as new.

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But Alex was coming over tonight and I didn’t see that happening. “Are you on drugs, Leonardo?” Coach yelled. “Get over here!” Rodrigo glanced over his shoulder and threw a gruff laugh my way. I flipped him the bird. The bastard. I jogged over, ready to get my butt chewed because he wasn’t wrong. “You’re moving like you’re in water!” he yelled. “Are you too good to give a shit at practice?” He pointed behind me toward the field. “Get your ass moving or you’re gonna find it warming the bench.” A hot geyser of rage burned in my belly. Who did he think he was talking to? Without me, this team had no chance of taking on the Cup. I bit back fiery words that fought to spill out. I did an about-face and loped back into the ongoing play.

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The thing that pissed me off the most was that he was right. Rodrigo passed me the ball, and I turned in a fluid sweep towards the opposing goal. The predictable fire of the finish flared in my gut. I sprinted towards the goal with the ball never far from my foot. Our best defender rolled forward to intercept me. I juked left, tapped the ball right, and then cut hard to follow it. I left him in the dust. His best wasn’t good enough when I was on my game. But I’d let the ball speed ahead a little too far. I struggled to catch up as the goalkeeper ran out of his box, intent on cutting me off. We met at the ball at about the same time. He dove for it, and I reared back and tried to drive it through his outstretched arms and into the goal.

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Unfortunately, my foot was a fraction of a second slower than usual and it found his stomach instead of the ball. He doubled over in agony and curled up in the fetal position screaming like I’d shot him. My foot had deadly power. Shit. “Sorry, man. My fault,” I said. I tried to help him up, but he slapped my hand away. He glared at me through a twisted grimace. He never would’ve gotten to that ball first if I wasn’t so drained. Literally drained. Coach shouldered me aside as he arrived on the scene of the crime. A couple of trainers knelt down beside the injured goalkeeper and started checking him out. Coach turned to me. “Are you insane? You want to kill Spain’s best keeper?” “No.”

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Small words and short answers seemed best. Coach didn’t seem in the mood for more. He pointed to the benches and yelled, “Go cool off!” He looked at the player standing on the sidelines hoping to take my job. Rafael Martinez. Eighteen years old and pretty good by most accounts. Some professional armchair idiots claimed he might be as good as me someday. That was never gonna happen. “Martinez, get on the field!” “You got it coach!” I walked toward the bench, determined to defy the dictator trying to ruin my life. As Martinez jogged past, he held out his hand expecting a low five. He wanted me to be happy about him taking my spot? Dipshit kid.

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As I approached the bench in a decidedly terrible mood, a ray of light pierced my darkness. Alex was standing in front of railing of the Significant Others’ section. Because she was my S.O. She waved and smiled. I waved back and wondered if she’d seen what happened. I hoped not. She flashed me a thumbs up and a you can do it fist. Okay, she’d seen it. Great. I didn’t know how long she’d been standing there watching, but however long was too long. She wiped sweat from her brow and suddenly stumbled. She fell back and plunked her butt down hard on the grass. I sprinted over in a flash. I got to her as another one of our trainers did. “You okay, ma’am?” he asked.

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I helped Alex to her feet. “What happened?” I checked her over and there wasn’t any obvious sign of injury. She had a surprised look in her eye. “I don’t know. I was standing there. Then I felt a little woozy and next thing I knew I was parked on the turf.” “You fell on your butt, honey.” I said. “Yeah, that’s one way of putting it.” The trainer gave her a more thorough scan. He checked her pulse. He didn’t freak out, so I figured it was probably the heat and too many sleepless nights. “How do you feel?” the trainer asked. “Not great,” Alex replied. “How about lately? Earlier today? Yesterday?” Alex thought about it. “A little weird, for sure.” “Well, your pulse is racing and you don’t look so good,” he said. “I don’t see any

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pressing medical emergency, but I’d highly recommend you check in with your doctor.” A doctor? What was wrong with her? “No, I’m fine. Really,” she said. Oh no. Not happening. “You’ll see my personal physician today,” I said. If something was wrong with her, there wasn’t a chance in hell we were going to let it go unattended. She shook her head. “That isn’t—“ “This isn’t up for discussion, Alex,” I said. “I’ll set up the appointment for this afternoon.” “I don’t know,” she said. “Aren’t we all overreacting a little?” “You don’t understand,” I said. “How am I going to concentrate on practice if I think there might be something going on with you?” “Okay, fine. I’ll go.”

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A pissed-off voice from further down the sidelines interrupted our conversation. “Jesus H. Christ! Isn’t the reason we have a designated spot for girlfriends and wives is so they don’t get on the field and interrupt our practice?” Coach was about five seconds from earning a broken jaw. Alex shook her head. “Breathe, Leo. Stay calm.” “Leonardo! If you intend to play for Spain in the upcoming World Cup, get the hell over here and show me that you want it!” I hugged Alex tight. “I’ll text you the doctor’s number.” “Thanks,” she said. “Coach sounds pissed. I hope you’re not in trouble.” I laughed. “Me? Trouble? The two never met.” I kissed her and headed back to endure yet another round of verbal abuse. I prayed I

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didn’t snap and beat the living crap out of the self-righteous fart. How could he question my commitment? I wanted that Cup! Me! The Lion of Spain! I glanced over my shoulder and saw Alex walking out. I did want the Cup. No doubt about it. But it hit me like lightning from the blue skies above that it was no longer the only thing I wanted in life. I wanted Alex. Under me. Above me. Forever by my side. *** Alex skipped into the entry hall like a kid finding out it was a snow day. I’d given her a key to my suite and I was happy to see she felt comfortable using it without asking permission first.

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Because we were a couple and that’s the kind of trust a couple had. The kind of trust we had. She jumped into my arms and wrapped her legs around my middle. “Straight to the fucking? That’s my girl.” Blood rushed into my cock and I thrilled in anticipation of her tightness. I whirled around and pinned her against the wall, all of my intention focused between her legs. She gasped as I drove my weight into her. “Are you always hard?” she asked in a husky voice. I went from standing at half-mast to full attention before she finished the question. “Around you I am.” I massaged her tits through her blouse and growled when the perky nipples hardened. I started to tear off her pesky clothes when she covered my hand with hers. “I have to tell you something,” she said. “I visited your doctor.”

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Oh no. Bad news. She had leukemia or some other horrible shit. Doctors never gave good news. It wasn’t in their job description. “Are you gonna be okay?” I asked. She was a real trooper. That was for sure. She got shit news and yet was staying so positive. She had a fighter’s spirit and so did I. We would never give up. Never let this thing beat us. “Don’t worry, Alex,” I said. “We’ll do whatever it takes. I’m not gonna lose you.” She gave me a weird look. “What are you talking about?” “Uh, I don’t know. What are you talking about?” She dug in the purse still slung around her shoulder and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Her hands shook as she unfolded it and showed it to me. It looked like a blood test or something. Hell if I knew. I wasn’t a doctor.

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I couldn’t take all the mystery. “Give it to me straight, Alex. How bad is it?” “Bad? I’m pregnant, Leo. We’re pregnant!” My legs wobbled and nearly gave out. I leaned into her against the wall to keep us both upright. My heart stopped in my chest. Once when I realized she wasn’t horribly sick. And then again when I realized she was carrying my baby. “That’s fucking amazing!” “I know!” she said. “Can you believe it?” “I’m going to be a father?” She stared at me with smoldering eyes. “You’re gonna be my baby daddy.” I jerked back and howled loud enough to annoy people staying on the floor below us. I was a lion building my pride. My pride in her and our growing baby.

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My cock throbbed in my pants, clearly wanting to share in the good news. Of course, its version of sharing didn’t have a lot of nuance. It wanted to fill Alex’s body every which way. It wanted to own her completely. I couldn’t have agreed more. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tight. And then a terrifying chill shot up my spine. Was I squeezing the baby too hard? I relaxed my hold immediately. “Shit! Sorry, did that hurt the baby?” She gave me an are you serious look and busted out laughing. I didn’t usually enjoy other people’s laughter at my expense, but with Alex I couldn’t have been happier. If she laughed because I made a dumbass of myself, fine. It made her happy. That’s all I cared about.

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After she finally stopped laughing so hard she couldn’t talk, she took a big breath and wiped tears from her eyes. “Don’t be crazy. Our baby is safe inside me, and you’d better not for one second start treating me all dainty like a china dish.” “Yes, ma’am,” I said. She didn’t have to tell me twice. I crushed a kiss onto her lips and slid my tongue into her mouth, eager to taste this new reality. It was better than ever. I pulled back and was startled to see her beautiful plump tits staring me in the face. She’d somehow disrobed and I hadn’t noticed. And I thought I was slick. “I’m sorry,” I said, “but I don’t do that anymore. I’m a father now.” She grabbed my hair with both hands and yanked my head down into her cleavage. “You’re my big stud and you’re gonna give this horny pregger’s bod what it needs.”

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“Fuck. I love being a dad.” I latched onto a nipple and sucked it to stiff attention. I could’ve sucked on those beautiful tits all day. At least until I passed out from my cock stealing too much blood from my brain. I sucked her delicious nipples and had no intention of doing anything else any time soon. Alex moaned and arched her back, giving herself to me. “I need you inside me,” she said. “I need you filling me completely.” I pulled back and let her nipple pop out of my mouth. Her breasts jiggled to a stop. She lowered her head and looked up through her lashes, all innocent and coy. She knew just how to make me squirm. “Is my baby daddy gonna take me now?” Fuck. My balls tingled with excitement. “I’m gonna fuck my baby mama,” I said. “Fuck her so hard until she comes on my cock.”

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I slipped my hand inside the leg of her shorts and further until I felt soft cotton panties. She was already soaked. I pushed the fabric along her groove and she trembled. “That is mine. It’s mine to take any way I want. Tell me it’s mine.” “Yes. I’m yours, completely, in every way.” I curled a finger under her panties and slid it into her pussy. Her wetness dribbled over my knuckles. My balls twitched as the hunger in my belly growled for her. I carried her through the living room and out onto the balcony. The evening sky painted purples and pinks in soft, smeared strokes. The surf crashed far below. I claimed her mouth and tongue, taking and giving in breathless waves. I pumped my finger in and out of her, longing to replace it with something bigger.

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Between gasps, she managed to say, “Shouldn’t you get some rest tonight?” I peeled her legs off my waist and yanked down her shorts and panties in one go. I balled them up and tossed them over the railing. “You won’t be needing these.” The wind caught them and whipped them in lazy circles until they plunked down in the water below. Her jaw dropped. She stared at the spot in the water where the expanding circles pinpointed her clothing’s last known location. “Those were my favorite panties! I bought them for you!” I yanked my shorts down and held my dick with one hand. “Your panties aren’t what I need.” I backed her up against the railing and wrapped her legs around my waist. With one smooth thrust, I parted her sweet lips and drove all the way home.

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She groaned and her softness tightened around my shaft. “This is what I need,” I said. I squeezed her into my chest and took her weight on the tip of my cock. The silky squeeze inside her was all I ever needed. The crisp scent of the ocean breeze picked up, and my heart swelled in my chest. We had all night. And like I said, I was no doctor, but I was going to do my honest best to fuck another baby into her.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN Alexis I was seriously not looking forward to the phone call with my parents about being pregnant. They were supportive of most anything I did, but me being pregnant, out of wedlock, with a bad boy soccer superstar wasn’t going to be something they could easily swallow. So, I did what most kids do when they don’t want to face their parents about something, I didn’t mention it. I decided to give myself a few weeks, or months, to figure out how best to approach the subject. It wasn’t a pressing issue

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anyway, so I prayed the answer would reveal itself before too long. Another day passed and Leo said he had a special date planned. I already knew how to swim, so I wasn’t worried about needing a swimsuit for the date. I was beginning to wonder if there were any not-special dates with Leo. He had a way of blowing my mind each and every time. We’d picked up Josh in a Town car and were now heading to the Poble Sec district, an area of Barcelona that was once fairly seedy but had lately been booming with bars, restaurants, and other local favorites. We pulled up to a quaint Italian bistro and the car stopped. Leo took my hands in his. “We’re going out for a family dinner. Dante and Gio are meeting us here.” I stared at him in confusion. “Too much surprise?” he asked. “Sorry. I wanted tonight to be special. I wanted you to

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spend time with my family. So they can see why I’m so obsessed with you.” “I already get it,” Josh said. Dinner with his brothers? Could he have been any sweeter? He wanted me to get to know the people he loved most. His family. He was inviting me into that intimate circle. My eyes misted up and I had to breathe slow and even to keep the tears in check. I swallowed hard and nodded. Gusto was the cutest little bistro in the world. Every table had its own nook decorated with photos and artifacts of a particular region in Italy. We were seated at a large table with a map of Sardinia hung on the wall. The greetings and initial conversations had gone so smoothly that I already felt like I was a part of the family. We were well into the process of stuffing ourselves full of pasta when Dante stood up and pointed at a photo on the wall. He touched it.

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“If you look closely, you can see the villa where we grew up. That white arch right there.” He tapped the glass. “To Old Sardinia,” Gio said as he lifted what must’ve been no fewer than his fifth beer. The three brothers clinked their mugs together and shared a drink. I took a sip of wine and my heart warmed. Not because of the wine, although it helped. It was Leo. It was seeing him with his brothers. This was a side I didn’t know. A side I wanted to know more. Gio wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “Bro,” Leo said, “we have a proper lady here. Can you pretend to be civilized?” “Why? Who do I have to impress?” He turned to me. “You’re not on the market, are you?” Leo beaned him with a garlic bread knot.

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“I don’t think I am,” I said with a laugh. Leo furrowed his brows. “You don’t think you are? Don’t toy with this scavenger. Trust me. He’s more bite than bark.” Gio gnashed his teeth at me and his mouth happened to be open when another of Leo’s tossed bread knots lodged in it. “Goal!” shouted Josh. Gio tore off a bite and grinned. “Back off, little brother,” Leo said. There was the slightest edge to his voice. It made me wonder if these three handsome brothers had some history of competition with the ladies. Dante took a seat and snatched the remaining bread from Gio’s hand and popped it into his mouth. “Always a few years younger and a few steps behind,” he said as he chewed up his prize.

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Gio shook his head. “See what I had to deal with growing up? It’s a miracle I’m not certifiably insane.” “All the certificate does is make it official,” Leo said. “Brothers are cool,” Josh said as he watched the three in admiration. Dante refilled his brothers’ mugs from an opened bottle on the table. “So, Leo,” he said, “what’s the real reason you dragged me away from the south of France this evening?” Leo swallowed hard and took my hand. He kissed it with trembling lips. “Everyone at this table is my family. You each know me like no one else does.” He looked around the table and the mood thickened with emotion. “Alex and I have wonderful news.” Was he about to tell the news?

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We’d talked about telling our families and we were both excited to do so, but I didn’t know he meant tonight! Gio slapped the table. “He didn’t give you gonorrhea, did he?” he yelled. Leo leveled a hard stare at him. Gio leaned back and held his hands up in surrender. “Kidding. Can’t anyone take a joke around here?” “What’s gonorrhea?” asked Josh. “Never mind,” Leo said. “Moving on.” He turned to me and his eyes had a tenderness that pierced my heart. “Alex and I are going to have a baby,” he said. He leaned over and kissed me. I shivered from head to toe. There was nothing like the feeling of being loved so completely. So honestly. “Congratulations, little brother!” Dante said as he stood up and rounded the table.

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He wrapped Leo in a hug and then pulled me in as well. “Welcome to the family, Alex,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier for you two.” Gio reached across the table and patted Leo’s and my hands. “You two could’ve been so happy together,” he said. “Ignore him,” Leo said. “He has a mental affliction that prevents him from being likable.” Gio grinned and clapped his hands. “Seriously, that’s cool. I can’t wait to babysit!” Gio babysitting our newborn? “Yeah,” I said, “our people will call your people.” “They have my digits, right?” “I don’t think so,” I said, “and I’m okay with that.” He laughed and leaned back in his chair grinning at both of us.

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I glanced at Josh and paused. His normally bright expression was clouded over. His mouth was twisted up in a grimace. He picked at his Spaghetti Bolognese and didn’t look up. Leo wrapped an arm around him. “Hey Sport, aren’t you happy for us?” Josh dropped his fork and it clattered to the plate. “Yeah, sure,” he said. “Whatever.” Leo cupped his cheek and turned his head to face him. “Listen to me,” he said. “Alex and I having a baby changes nothing between us. Do you understand that?” Josh shrugged and blinked hard as tears welled up in his eyes. Leo kissed his forehead. “You know I’ll never give up on you, don’t you?” Josh nodded. Leo wiped away a tear with his thumb and then pulled Josh close under his arm.

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“Think you could be a good big brother?” Leo asked him. Josh looked up in wonder. “I know,” Leo said. “It’s a big responsibility. Ask Dante. He did a terrible job.” A laugh that sounded like a frog croaking bubbled out of Josh’s throat. Dante ruffled Josh’s hair. “Stick with me, Josh,” he said. “I know all the tricks. These two have no idea.” Gio tossed a bread knot into Josh’s lap. “Hey! You gotta do better than Dante did! I’m damaged goods over here thanks to him.” Leo squeezed Josh on one side and me on the other. I reached across his waist and intertwined my fingers with Josh’s. “I need your help,” I said. “I have no idea what to do with a baby.” Josh considered and then brightened. “Well, I’ve been around a few. You wouldn’t

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believe how something so small could poop so big!” I was going to be a mother. To my baby. And maybe to this beautiful young boy that wanted nothing more than to be loved. What did I do to be so fortunate? “So, uhh,” Josh said, “if you’re gonna be, like, my mom or something, does that mean I can’t say you’re hot anymore?” I laughed so hard I did the farm animal snort thing. “We’ll figure it out.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN Leonardo The sun peeked up over the level horizon of the Balearic Sea. I stood at the railing, listening to the crash of the surf below and the squawk of seagulls pursuing their morning meals. The sun rose on a new day and I couldn’t help but feel a kinship. Alex was an amazing woman. Being around her was better than the best I’d ever known. The future I didn’t know I needed was the one I wanted most now. I glanced over my shoulder and watched her sleeping peacefully under a blanket with a huge lion printed on it.

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If she didn’t wake up walking funny, I wasn’t the man I thought I was. But even that didn’t capture the whole truth. I was a better man with her. A man my parents would’ve been proud of. A man I was proud to be. And now I was going to be father. I gripped the railing as my heart squeezed tight. Could you prepare for that kind of news? Not that I’d tried, but still. It was the kind of thing that was gonna be a shock no matter how you approached it. What a wonder. And then I experienced the strangest feeling in the world. She chose me. I didn’t know what stars and planets had lined up into what configuration, but for some reason she chose me. I couldn’t have been more grateful. Talk about strange feelings.

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Alex’s eyes fluttered and slowly focused on the waking world. God. She was gorgeous. Even with the sun’s rays catching the arc of the sky above, her amber eyes sparkled. They regarded me with an intensity that was both unsettling and thrilling. A tingling spark erupted in my groin. She had that effect. I took a seat next to her head and she scooted into my lap. Her lustrous black hair spilled over my legs. She looked up with mischievous eyes. “This pillow is kind of lumpy,” she said. I laughed and tried to scoot so she was resting right on top of my growing erection. I took her hand and kissed it. “Good morning, beautiful.” Her smile warmed my soul. I took her hand and kissed the open palm. “Did you sleep well?”

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“Did we sleep?” she asked. My heart almost burst with adoration. “A couple of hours maybe.” A crooked smile crept across her face. “A couple of wasted hours if you ask me.” “We need to sleep occasionally. But the good news is that we have all day.” Her smile melted away. “What?” I asked. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” she said. “But I have to fly to Madrid this evening for an interview. A last minute request from Mr. Garcia. He wants me to do a quick piece with the president of FIFA about the upcoming World Cup.” No. She wasn’t going anywhere. How could I phrase that so she would accept it? I knew saying no straight out would make her dig her heels in harder. A more sophisticated approach was required.

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“Should you be flying with a baby in your belly?” She rolled her eyes. “You don’t know a lot about this process, do you?” “I could write volumes about getting here, but the actual arriving is a first for me.” She slapped my chest so hard it made the skin pink. “I don’t walk to talk about your sordid past!” I laughed and squeezed her tight. “You asked! Indirectly, at least.” “Moving on,” she said. “Flying is perfectly safe for an expectant mother. Besides, that’s not even a consideration until the last month.” Dammit. That didn’t work. What else? “Come on,” I said. “It’s Saturday. It’s date night.” “We’ve been together every night for the past few weeks.”

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“I mean out out. Dancing. Excessive PDA. Pushing the story about how I’m such a great guy.” “Well, you are right. You don’t get a lot of coverage stuck in your hotel ordering room service to survive.” “Exactly. We have–” “We can go out tomorrow night. I’ll be back Sunday afternoon.” There was no use arguing. She had a fire to push her career and I respected that. But I still wanted to throw a tantrum. I’d never felt more childish. I wanted what I wanted because it was what I wanted. Why couldn’t she understand that? “Fine. I’ll figure out something to do all by myself on a Saturday night.” She lifted her head and stared into my eyes. “You’d better be good, Mr. Lion of Spain.”

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I chuckled. I hadn’t meant it like that, but if a little healthy jealousy made her cancel the trip, I was all for it. “Me? Of course, I’ll be good. It’s all those sex-crazed women chasing me that I’m worried about.” She grabbed my cock and squeezed it hard. It would’ve been painful if it didn’t feel so damned good. “This is mine,” she said. “If any of those skanks get near it, I’ll tear them apart. And then I’ll come after you.” “You never come after me,” I said with a grin. “I’m serious.” I whipped off the blanket revealing her deliciously naked body. I scooped her up and straddled her legs over me. She smelled sweet and musky all at once.

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My cock twitched and sent my brain an urgent SOS. Something about sinking into her silky warmth. I hugged her tight and reveled in the feel of her full breasts flattening on my chest. “My lioness roars.” She did her best roar and it came out sounding more like a bullfrog’s croak. “I’ll work on it,” she said. Alex traced the lion on my chest, my animal spirit inked for all to see. “I mean it, Leo. You have to be good.” “I’m messing with you. I’ve only got eyes for you. Every other woman in the world may as well be a sexless eunuch as far as I’m concerned.” She crinkled her nose in disgust. “Thanks for that image, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about your image with the public.” “Oh, that’s a lost cause,” I said.

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“It is not. But it takes time to turn around something that dysfunctional.” “Are we talking about my image, or me?” “I’m talking about you staying home on a Saturday night for once in your life. Stay home, watch a movie, drink beer, listen to music, whatever. If you’re lucky, I’ll call you and phone sex you. “Really?” That sounded fun. “I’ve never done it before so it would probably make you laugh more than anything.” “I’ll take my chances,” I said. “I’ll think about it,” she said. She kissed my lips and I hoped that was a signal that breakfast was ready to be served. She pulled back before I’d had my fill. “Leo, don’t get into trouble. Okay?” “Yes, ma’am. One thing though,” I said. “You gotta leave me something. I’m gonna miss your taste, your scent.”

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“I would’ve considered leaving you my panties but you have a habit of tossing them over the railing.” “Yeah, in hindsight, that wasn’t the best choice.” She tapped my chest, right on the forehead of the lion. “That’s what I’m talking about, Leo. You have to use your head to stay out of trouble.” *** I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent a Saturday night twiddling my thumbs and watching the clock wondering when I could justify going to bed. It wasn’t like I didn’t need the extra sleep. But something inside me rebelled against the thought of turning in so early when the weekend was normally two days of lively fun. I’d endured a few weeks of torture at practice and indulged in the same of allnight marathons with Alex. Sleep was just what the doctor ordered.

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But I never followed orders. It was one night. Why was I making such a big deal of it? I kicked off my shoes and decided to go for a swim. A couple hundred laps would be just the thing to relax. My mobile rang and Rodrigo’s number popped up on the screen. This was the last call I should’ve been answering if I was trying to be a good boy on a Saturday night. At the same time, he was my best friend and I had the biggest news in the world bursting out of my chest. I answered it. “Lion!” He said. “Dude! We haven’t hung out in years. That hot little package has got you all bundled up.” “You don’t know the half of it, man.” “She on your pole right now? Come on, is she? Tell me what she’s doing.”

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“Shut up, you sick bastard,” I said. “She’s not here tonight. She had to fly to Madrid for work.” “Dude! Then why aren’t we chugging beers right now?” “I’m busy.” “What do you mean you’re busy? Unless you’re busy dipping your wick into that chocolate wax, I don’t want to hear about it.” “I’m staying home tonight,” I said. “You know, just chillin’.” The phone went quiet. “Did she tell you to stay home?” “What are you talking about, man? I wanted to stay home for once. No big deal.” “You fucking liar! You pussy-whipped little bitch! She’s got you leashed and pottytrained already!” “Fuck you,” I said. “Nobody tells me what to do.”

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“Sounds like the lioness is running the show,” he said. “I never thought I’d see that day when Leonardo Cruz—“ “Would you shut up for second?” “Oh, sure. I’ll shut my mouth so I can hear what a meow sounds like coming out of yours.” “I’m gonna remember that at practice on Monday,” I said. “The Lion’s gonna take a bite out of your ass.” Rodrigo laughed and I heard voices of some of the other guys in the background. “Listen,” I said. “I have some big news.” “I’m messing with you, bro,” he said. “What’s up?” I hesitated. I wanted to scream from the top of my lungs but at the same time I felt like letting the news escape into the wider world would somehow make it too real. Nah, I was just getting too heady about the whole thing. That’s what happened when

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you hung out by yourself all night. No good came of it. “I’m waiting,” Rodrigo said. “You’re not gonna believe this.” “Yeah? Try me.” “I’m gonna be a father.” There was a long, quiet pause. “Was it an accident?” “No, you son of a bitch! I couldn’t be happier!” “Oh, okay. That’s great news! Hold on a second.” I yelled into the phone but it was too late. His distant voice related the news to whichever of my teammates was with him. A chorus of shouts erupted. Fantastic. “Congratulations, man! I figured one of us was gonna have to walk that plank eventually. I’m glad it was you first.” “Very funny,” I said.

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“Bro, come have a beer with us! We gotta celebrate! It ain’t every day The Lion of Spain has his first kid…that we know of.” “Very funny,” I said. But it was true. I did feel like celebrating. A couple of beers raised in honor of my future child couldn’t hurt. Hmmm. Alex wanted me to stay put. The problem was she didn’t think I could handle myself. I knew I could. I’d been doing it my whole life. Besides, what better way to prove her wrong? “Come on,” Rodrigo said. “One beer so I can congratulate my best friend on some big news.” “Fine,” I said. “One beer and that’s it.” “Scout’s honor,” he said. “Where are you guys?”

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“The Thirsty Hole. It’s a new bar just opened on Las Ramblas. I’ll text you the address.” “Sounds good. See you in half an hour.” I hung up and sucked in a breath of fresh ocean air. It felt good to be going out. Not to be all cooped up like a rooster with his cock cut off. One beer, maybe two. High-fives and hugs and then back home. What could go wrong? *** I cracked open my third beer with only the slightest pause of hesitation. It was three beers. I was well under my limit. I’d knocked back a dozen or more on countless nights and never went to the stupid place. The sappy I love you guys phase. Three beers? No big deal. Rodrigo and I were kicked back with our feet up on the table in a private room at the

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back of the bar. The rest of the guys were out in the main area fishing for a hot catch. There were a lot of fish in the sea tonight. “Thanks for getting me out,” I said. He shrugged. “Just wanted to celebrate with my best friend, that’s all.” He raised his beer bottle and smashed it against mine so hard a shard of glass cracked off and tumbled to the table. “To being a dad,” he said. “To being responsible and all that shit.” “You make it sound so appealing.” I rotated the bottle around and carefully took a drink to avoid slicing my lip. The bottle was bad but the beer was still good. “I don’t mean to be a shithead,” he said. “I’m in shock. That’s all.” “Yeah, it was a crazy surprise for me too.” “I’ve never seen you like this, man.” “You and me both.” “What is it about her?”

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“I can’t explain it. When I’m around her, I feel like a part of my life I didn’t know was missing is suddenly there.” “Are you messing with me?” He didn’t get it. He hadn’t met his Alex yet. If I hadn’t met mine, I’d still be just as clueless. “She’s got the sweetest honeypot I’ve ever tasted.” He nodded and knocked back the rest of his bottle. Some dribbled down his chin, and he wiped it away with a sleeve. “I knew it,” he said. “You found yourself some magical pussy.” It sounded stupid, but he wasn’t wrong. Alex’s pussy felt like the home I never knew I was missing. “I’m happy for you,” he said. He grinned wickedly. “More fish in the sea for me.” “Don’t get too excited,” I said. “You’re still fishing with a tiny, little hook.”

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He was mid-drink on a fresh brew and busted out laughing. The swallow of beer in his mouth spewed out over the table. He choked and gagged and laughed harder still. Damn, it was good to be having a beer with a friend. The door to the back room flew open and a teammate ran in screaming, “We need back up out here! Martinez is mouthing off to some drunk Irish fucks, and they’ve mentioned more than a few times how pissed they are that we knocked them out of the World Cup this year.” I jumped out of my seat and headed for the door. Rafael Martinez might have been a little punk trying to steal my position, but he was my teammate and nobody messed with my guys without paying the price. With Rodrigo at my heels, we ran down the back hall and came out in time to see an absolutely gargantuan guy with a shock of

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flaming red hair double Martinez over with a crushing blow to the gut. His three drunk friends jumped in when my guys attacked the brute beating on Martinez. The other people in the bar backed away, creating a circle of safety around the unfolding chaos. I launched over a table and landed on Red’s back. I wrenched to the side and we crashed to the ground. He managed to stand up with my arms locked around his chest. He was a giant. He broke free and and swung a wild punch as he whirled around. Three beers weren’t nearly enough to make me slow enough for it to connect. I dodged to the side and then jabbed a straight left at his chin. It connected with a crack and his head snapped back. Two of his buddies noticed he wasn’t doing so well and jumped me.

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The next few minutes were a blur of flying fists and busted lips. I managed to land quite a few of the former and avoid the latter. Just when I was starting to have fun, a shrill whistle blew and a few cops ran in off the street. Following on their heels was none other than Robert Graves, Alex’s ex-fiancé. The same shithead sportscaster trying to ruin my career. The cops rolled in hard, blowing their whistles and pushing us all apart. The fight was settling down when Robert stepped into my personal space and made a bad bet. “What a surprise,” he said. “The Lion of Spain disgracing the face of soccer yet again.” He turned to the crowd like he was the ringleader at a circus. “This is what I mean, ladies and gentlemen. Are we a civilized sport? Or are we no better than a bunch of thugs brawling in a back alley?”

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White blinding light flashed on phones and cameras like twinkling stars in the night sky. Robert leaned in close and whispered, “How do you like sloppy seconds? Sorry if that dumb bitch is looser than an old rubber band.” My bruised knuckles slammed into his mouth with a satisfying crunch. He collapsed to the ground and a cop had a handcuff around my wrist before I could dive on him to finish the job. Robert laid on the floor looking up at me in a daze. He wiped his hand across his mouth and came away with a streak of blood. He showed it to the surrounding people like it was evidence in a trial. “See what I mean? He’s an animal!” The cop yanked my other arm behind my back and snapped the other cuff around my wrist. I looked around the bar and suddenly

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wished I’d decided to swim those laps instead. The cop jerked me towards the exit. “Come on. Let’s go,” he said. The other officers pushed people around, letting everyone know who was in charge. As we made our way out onto Las Ramblas, a swarm of reporters descended on us. This was definitely not the message Alex wanted to get out. The press of bodies made it so we couldn’t get through. Someone shoved a mic in my face. “Leonardo, why did you start a brawl in that bar?” I hated talking to these bastards, especially when they thought they had the upper hand. But I knew saying nothing just made me look even more guilty. I had to talk to them. I had to defuse the situation before it blew up on me.

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Before Alex blew up on me. “I didn’t start anything.” A voice shouted from behind me, “He attacked me.” Robert fucking Graves. If I had one second alone with him, I’d send him straight to his last name. “You deserved it. You insulted my girlfriend.” A flurry of questions stomped over each other to get my attention. One voice floated above the rest. Robert’s. “If you’re so committed, as you say, then why are you at a bar cruising for vulnerable young women?” “I was celebrating with friends.” Robert twisted his bloody mouth and looked around at everyone as if they were all sharing a joke at my expense. He didn’t want them to believe me. He wanted to ruin me.

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So I laid it out straight so everyone could hear. “We were out celebrating the fact that I’m going to be a father.” Robert’s face went sheet white. A new barrage of questions exploded in the air. And not one of them had to do with me decking that peckerwood or anything at all about a fight in a bar that no one cared about. The press had a new angle and they were running with it. Alex was gonna be happy. I just knew it.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN Alexis What did he do? I muted the volume on the TV and fell back onto a hotel bed that resembled an uneven pile of rocks more than a comfortable sleeping arrangement. My daily expense allowance meant I could afford a decent hotel and not eat, or settle for a dive and pig out at every meal. Hey, I was eating for two now. And I was ravenous. Everything sounded delicious, except pickles. Disgusting pickles.

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The thought offended my senses. We had a great run, but we were taking a break for as long as smelling them turned my stomach. Speaking of stomach-churning, the news clip that aired, showing Leo punching out my ex and then getting frog-marched out of the bar, had my belly bubbling in the most horrific way. And then, to put the toothpick through the olive on top of the shit sandwich, he blabbed to the whole world that we were going to have a baby! Who did that? You were supposed to wait a few months to make sure everything was progressing well. What if something happened? What if it didn’t take? It happened. I couldn’t imagine the brutal sense of loss. The personal agony of losing something so precious. Dealing with it in the quiet

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confines of a relationship would be hard enough. Dealing with it in front of the whole damn world would be impossible! What an idiot! Why was he at a bar in the first place? I dialed him on my mobile and it went straight to voicemail again. The news segment mentioned he got arrested. Did you get to keep your phone in jail? Probably not. My teeth ground together as I stared at the brown water stains on the marginally whiter ceiling. I was pissed. At him for sure. And just as much at myself for trusting him. He promised to stay out of trouble and I was gone less than twenty-four hours and what happened? A shit storm. Great.

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I didn’t want to face Mr. Garcia. Whether I liked it or not, my job depended on keeping Spain’s star striker out of hot water. And judging by the newscast, he dove in head-first. But more than my job, what did it say about us? Had I misjudged him so badly? Was I so blinded by my physical need for him that my brain was ready to believe any steaming bullshit he shoveled my way? The hardest part was that I didn’t know if I could trust myself. At one point, I totally believed Robert and I were destined to be together forever. And look how that turned out. Was I drawn to drama and disappointment like a dishrag to a deli counter? Was I a hot mess? My mobile buzzed and I jumped to grab it. Leo!

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No. Mr. Garcia. Oh crap. I swiped on the call. “Hello,” I said. “Have you seen the national news?” “Yes. I—” “He’s a disgrace! Your job was to keep this from happening again.” Did he forget that I was in Madrid, and not with Leo, because he’d sent me here? “Sir, you needed—” “I needed you to do your fucking job!” I thought I was. “Your idiot boyfriend nearly killed that sportscaster!” “To be fair, that guy is a jerk.” “To be fair, that jerk’s tirade against Leonardo just got elevated to an international incident! Do you have any idea how bad this is?” I had a pretty good idea.

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“Let me clarify for you. You’re fired!” I clearly had no idea. “What? Why?” “As if his antics weren’t reason enough, he got you pregnant!” “Sir, we are two grown—” “You represent my federation, Ms. Young. Shall I say, represented. You could’ve been useful. But you couldn’t resist his cock. I will not have one of Leonardo’s ignorant sluts marring my reputation.” Fired? This wasn’t happening. “Please, Mr. Garcia, let me—” “Explain? What could you possibly say that would take back the world seeing Leonardo for the brawling manwhore that he is?” As much as it killed me, I didn’t have an answer. “Do you think parents want their children looking up to him? I have a son, and I can

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promise you my fondest desire is not for him to get into drunken brawls and impregnate girls he’s barely met!” I was speechless. What words I might’ve spoken were choked by a knot the size of an apple in my throat. “You are officially terminated, Ms. Young. And I wouldn’t count on Leonardo having much more of a future either.” The phone went dead. It fell from my numb fingers. That was it. I was done. Everything I’d worked so hard for, gone. Burnt to the ground because the man I thought I knew couldn’t keep his shit together. Scalding fury burned in my belly. Mr. ScatteredShit and I were going to have a serious, serious discussion.

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And if he said one word—one word!—the entire time, there was going to be hell to pay. *** I stormed into the stupidly large entry hallway to his stupidly large top-floor suite and was ready to burn the whole stupid building to the ground. Leonardo held his arms wide. “Babes! It’ so good—“ I shoved a flat palm right up in his face. “Don’t! Don’t you dare! Why didn’t you answer your phone?” “I just got out of jail. You’re my number one, but I still had to spend that phone call on my attorney.” “How could you?” “He’s a great attorney. I knew he could get me out.” I shook my head in disbelief. “I’m talking about what happened! You were supposed to stay home!”

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He held up his hands and tried to calm me down. Yeah, right. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I was lonely and bored. Rodrigo called and I had to share the good news.” “Rodrigo? You thought it would be a good idea to go out with that miscreant?” “He’s my friend.” “He’s trouble.” “He’s got some issues.” “Some issues?” I couldn’t believe Leonardo was defending him. “He’s a ticking time bomb. He’s gonna explode and take out whoever is nearby.” “Come on. He’s not that bad.” My face burned. My fists balled up. I stood on my tippy toes so I could be more clear.

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“He got lucky with that petite brunette! She turned out to be of age. But what if she hadn’t?” Leonardo shrugged. I shrugged back, but all idiotic like he was being. “He would’ve gone to jail and he might’ve dragged you there with him for being an accessory to a felony!” Leonardo’s eyes widened. “Good. Are you finally taking this seriously?” He reached for my arm. “Alex, I was never not taking it—“ I yanked my arm away. “Don’t try to sweet talk me, Mr. Shits In The Bed And Expects Everyone Else To Clean It Up.” “What mother would name their kid that?” My head was about to explode. “I’m funny? This is a joke, right?”

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“You gotta admit, that was kinda funny.” I stormed past him and marched to the bathroom. I was getting my stuff. My toothbrush. My makeup. My dirty clothes. Whatever I could grab in the last two minutes that this jerk remained in my life. “What are you doing?” he asked. “What does it look like?” “It looks like you’re not giving me a chance to tell my side of the story.” I whirled around and was itching to slap his face off. “Mr. Fucking Reasonable, ladies and gentleman! He finally arrived at the party!” Leonardo pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “Well, the party’s over!” I shouted. “I’m leaving for good!” Leonardo’s head jerked up and he stared at me with eyes wide with terror. It almost looked convincing. But no, he couldn’t be trusted.

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I fast-walked down the hall to his bedroom. All the doors in the hallway were closed and I realized with a start I couldn’t remember exactly which was his room. We’d spent so much time out on the expansive balcony that the more recessed interior of the suite was still a little unfamiliar. That, or I was so damned pissed I couldn’t think straight. I practically kicked down what I thought was his bedroom door to get inside. I jerked to a stop. This wasn’t his room. And it wasn’t a bathroom or a linens closet. I’d never seen this room. Not like this at least. Leonardo came up behind me. “I’ve been wanting to show you this,” he said. I grabbed the doorframe as my knees buckled.

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He swept an arm around my waist and pulled me tight. “Do you like it? I know you’re convinced it’s a boy, but we don’t know for sure so I didn’t want to do the whole pink or blue thing. Besides, that’s so old-school, don’t you think?” I couldn’t speak. The explosion of absolute love in my heart drowned out the words. “I mean,” he said, “If it’s a girl, I want her to be more than pink, more than society’s small expectations of what it means to be a girl. And if it’s a boy, well, I want him to be more like I’m trying to be, and less like I was.” It was the cutest nursery I’d ever seen. Not because it was perfectly executed by an interior designer in collaboration with a child behavioral specialist. Not that at all. It was precious because it laid bare Leo’s heart. The walls were broad planes of green

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and yellow. The paint job clearly DIY by someone who didn’t understand the acronym much less excel at implementing it. Globs of yellow paint marred the corners of the green wall. That the finish was uneven was a kind way of saying it. A crib sat half-assembled in the middle of the floor. The part that was put together looked like a broken desk. A dresser against one wall had piles of neatly folded onesies in every color of the rainbow, including hot pink and navy blue. A comfy looking glider chair and ottoman occupied one corner. A mobile hung from the ceiling, a soccer ball at the end of each string. Opened cardboard boxes and discarded cellophane littered the floor. And one wall held the most striking feature of all— a life-size wall appliqué of a lion standing proud and tall. It was perfect. Every last bit.

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“Sorry,” he said. “It’s slow progress, but I’ve been working on it since our first night together. I want our home to be ready.” Our home? All the anger suffocating my chest melted away. I turned and absolutely bawled on his chest. “Alex,” he said as he hugged me tight. “I’m sorry. It’s ugly, I know. I’m terrible at this kind of thing.” I blubbered and wept as he stroked my hair. “We can throw all this out and start over,” he said. “We’ll have a pro come in.” “No,” I managed to mutter through undignified hysterics. “What?” I took several deep breaths to pull my emotions back together. How could I go from unabated fury to absolute adoration in the space of seconds?

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He wiped away a trail of tears running down my chin. I looked up into the most caring eyes a woman has ever had the good fortune to see. The deep blue-gray depths made my earlobes tingle. “It’s perfect,” I said. “It’s exactly the way it should be.” He arched a brow and surveyed the room. It resembled a trash dump as much as a nursery. “Don’t you think we should finish the crib, at least?” I stood up on my tippy toes and kissed him. His firm, soft lips never held back. He was a surprise, in the best possible way. I dropped back to my feet and wiped at my wet cheeks. He was right. There was work to do here. In the room. Between us two. Between us three.

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“Have a Phillips head screwdriver?” I asked. *** Leo returned with a bottle of wine sans glasses, and we both chose to delay further improvements to the nursery in favor of a deep, slow fucking. We made the right choice. It was almost eleven by the time we got to work on the crib. Leo had mangled the assembly so badly that we had to take it completely apart and start from scratch. Now, after an hour and a half of my brain with his brawn, we stood before a somewhat functional baby crib. We couldn’t have been prouder parents. Leo ripped open a set of sheets and tucked it around the mattress. He flipped through the stack of onesies on the dresser and pulled out one in particular. Like Ed McMahon unveiling the giant check at

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someone’s front door, he snapped it to full length for my appreciation. It was white and printed on the front was the same tattoo that covered Leo’s chest. My pride was growing. He tenderly laid it in the crib. “Oh, hold on,” he said. He grabbed a giant shopping bag off the floor and dug through it and pulled out a little rubber giraffe. He laid it next to the onesie. “Babies need to chew on stuff, like a dog.” He could’ve stopped before comparing our baby to a dog, but even so, he couldn’t have been cuter. He grasped a bar of the crib and gave it a little shake. The whole thing rattled. “We should probably get a safety inspector out here to go over this,” he said. I giggled. “I think he’d condemn it to demolition.”

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Leo acted shocked, like he wouldn’t stand for such a thing. Whether or not the baby crib worked didn’t matter. Not right now anyway. What mattered was how we worked together towards a common goal. What mattered was us, not the thing. “How about a break, boss?” he asked. Warmth sparked between my thighs. “What did you have in mind?” He swept me off my feet and held me in his arms like a bride about to get the carnal knowing of her husband. Like a baby mama about to be claimed yet again. Yes, please. He carried me through the living room and out onto the balcony. We passed the living room TV droning in the background. No. I recognized the voice before I understood the words.

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My ex was going off about how horrible my present boyfriend was. Hopefully Leo didn’t hear it. I was looking forward to some time on the couch under the stars. He stuttered to a stop. Dammit. He backed up and stopped in the living room. A huge TV on the wall showed Robert’s idiot face. His lower lip had a big butterfly bandage covering it. Served him right. Like he was in a trance, Leo stumbled forward and set my feet on the carpet. I tried to pull him away, but he couldn’t be moved when he didn’t want to be. “Come on, let’s go. Nothing this jerk says matters.” “Give me a minute,” he said. One single minute was how every eternity began. Robert opened his busted, stupid mouth.

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“What more evidence does Mr. Garcia need? The Jackal of Spain is a stain on the honor of his federation of soccer.” What a dumb ass. Probably thought he was a poet for coming up with that crap. A little box appeared in the upper corner and played out the night in front of the bar when Leo told the world that he would be a father. Seeing it now made my heart swell with love and appreciation. The grimace on Robert’s face made it clear he didn’t feel the same way. “And now we find out he’s gotten some girl pregnant, some girl he’s known for what? A month or two?” “Some girl?” I shouted at the screen. Now, I was upset. “I say to you, Mr. Garcia, President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, it is time to take action. Why do you continue to defend this criminal?”

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Leo walked over to the TV and reared back. I covered my eyes, expecting to hear the shattered glass where the TV once was. I peeked through my fingers and saw Leo’s fist rocket forward and smash a hole through the wall. He yanked it out and chunks of drywall fell to the floor. “Son of a bitch!” he yelled. “What’s with this guy? He’s got some kind of fucking vendetta against me.” The ugly face that was ruining both of our lives continued, “Is this the message we’re sending to the world? That a bastard child created by a casual, meaningless encounter is acceptable?” Leo’s body tensed and he roared. He tore the TV off the wall and slammed it down on the carpet. “Goddammit! Goddammit!” He bellowed as he smashed the gigantic TV over and over until it broke apart. And that still didn’t satisfy him. He grabbed a jagged piece and

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broke it in two over his knee. He flung the pieces across the room. The veins in his neck bulged. His biceps looked like they were about to pop out of his skin. “I’m gonna kill him! Rip his head off and shove it up his ass!” I stood there frozen. If any other man had done this, I would’ve been cringing in fear. Running away. But for some reason, I felt completely safe with Leo. He never looked my way. He was enraged but keeping—and the baby—away from his anger. Despite the wreckage, I knew I was perfectly safe. Still, I’d never seen rage so unhinged. He was an animal. And then I realized: he was a lion protecting his pride. He slammed his fist through the wall creating a matching crater. He yanked it free and turned to me. Fire burned in his eyes.

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“Marry me,” he said. I almost fell over. Where did that come from? He took both of my hands in his. His knuckles were a mess of cut flesh and blood. He didn’t seem to care. “I’m not kidding, Alex,” he said. “I will not allow the world to think of our child as a bastard. Never.” I didn’t know what to say. I’d never read about this kind of proposal in a fairytale. Those had different elements involved like a guy bending down on one knee and discussion of true love. Things like that. Not blind, protective rage. “I appreciate how you feel about it,” I said. “But getting married as a response to how other people view our lives isn’t a good reason.” He didn’t blink. “Marry me.”

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He wasn’t used to taking no for an answer. And I wasn’t used to giving it in this situation. The only other time I’d remotely been in it I’d said yes, and I should’ve said no. “Leo, you’re hurt,” I said. “Don’t let him get to you. He’s nothing to us. What we have is ours and only ours. The rest of the world can go suck a bag of dicks as far as I’m concerned.” A laugh bubbled up through the anger in his throat. “A bag of dicks, huh?” It wasn’t one of my usual lines. It was more Megan’s style than mine. But it fit the situation. “I’m serious. How we live our lives is our choice. We don’t owe anyone anything, especially not my asshole ex.” Leo hugged me to his chest and squeezed me so tight I thought my lungs were collapsing.

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“I’ll never let anyone hurt you,” he said. “I’ll never let anyone hurt our baby.” I knew he wouldn’t. In my heart of hearts, I knew my growing family was safe in his protective embrace. But I’d been wrong once before.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Leonardo A week had passed since the night I’d asked Alex to marry me. Ask maybe wasn’t quite the right word. I had a few new scars from dismantling the TV. I’d get a few more the next time I ran into Alex’s ex. Camp Nou stadium was packed all the way to the nosebleed seats. This was the biggest friendly match we’d played yet in our schedule moving toward the opening round of the World Cup next summer. Germany. The score was two to two and the second half was about to begin. I stared across the pitch at the large center striker on the

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German team. My old friend, Bastian Kramer. I already had two goals under my belt to his one. But I was determined to make it three to both take the game and show that son of a bitch who was the king of the jungle. Rodrigo smacked the back of my head. “Head in the game, amigo. Don’t let that giant German bastard get to you.” I snarled at the man who’d fooled the world with his image makeover. He was a piece of shit and I knew it, even if the world didn’t. He blew me a kiss. I so wanted to flip him the bird, but I knew it would be broadcast on international TV and I definitely didn’t need any more bad press. Rumor was that Mr. Garcia was about to slap me down with a three-game suspension. One more misstep and my campaign for the Cup could be in permanent jeopardy.

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The whistle blew and Rodrigo touched the ball to me. I dug my cleats into the soft turf and shot forward, straight at Bastian. I was going to make him look like a fool. I was going to clown him in front of the world. I wove my foot around and in the front of the ball in dizzying spirals of feints and soft touches. Right before I got to him, I juked right, then back left. The first one got him going right, then back left when he thought he had me figured out. His stance widened as he struggled to stay on his feet. I tapped the ball through his legs and cut hard right, throwing him aside as I passed. I rejoined the ball and sprinted down the field. That was going to be gorgeous on the instant replay.

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I looked up and saw an open lane. If I timed it right, I could take the ball all the way to goal and finish it. All I had to do was— My right knee exploded in agony. The full power of a well-aimed kick took me to the turf. I crumbled over the ball and rolled end over end to a stop. Oh no. Oh God, please no. I knew this pain. I knew this torture. A ragged knife ripped through my knee. It was destroyed. Felt like the ACL was torn in half. Five months rehab, best-case scenario. Through gritted teeth and the knife stabbing my knee, I squinted up at Bastian. He held his hand out and winked. I tried to stand and crashed back down in agony. My knee was done.

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Rodrigo flew at Bastian and bowled him over backwards. The whistle blew hard, again and again. The ref jumped between Rodrigo and Bastian doing his best to keep some semblance of control. I rolled over and saw Alex trying to storm the field. Two of the other wives or girlfriends managed to hold her back. Her eyes were wild with fear. Our trainers came out with a stretcher. They never came out with a stretcher unless they knew it was bad. “Get that Goddamn thing away from me!” There was no chance in hell I was being carted off like roadkill. If my legs got taken off at the knees, I’d crawl off the field on my stomach. “Help me up!” They each got under a shoulder and hefted me to my feet.

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I touched my right foot to the grass and put the tiniest bit of weight on it. It felt like Conan the Barbarian had shoved his giant sword through my leg. My teeth nearly ground to dust I bit so hard through the torture. Bastian stood off to the side, grinning like a piece of shit. I nearly launched at him to rip his head off, but I knew my knee would collapse and I’d do no more than crash to the ground like a felled ox. The trainers supported me as I hopped toward the sideline. Every contact my left foot made echoed and sent a sharp shooting pain up my right. My brain was numb with pain … rage … anguish. Would this end my World Cup dreams? Would I still be in top form four years from now when the next one rolled around?

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Thirty-two was over the hill in this sport that catered to young legs. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t think. I’d been here before, down at the bottom of the dark well with a pinhole of light so far above that you knew you’d never make it back up. We passed Alex as the trainers helped me hop to the locker room. Tears streamed down her face. I hated that I’d been reduced to such weakness in front of the entire world. But mostly, I hated that I’d been so completely conquered in front of Alex. I turned away and focused on taking one more step, on hiding from everyone before I passed out. I almost made it.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Alexis Three weeks of seclusion and moping around wasn’t going well for Leo. You’d think hanging out in the poshest suite the W Hotel had to offer would make anyone the happiest person on the planet. Nope. I was no longer employed, which worked out well because it was a full-time job keeping Leo from falling into a deep depression. Deeper depression. He sat in his underwear in the living room watching TV. A new TV. A mound of pillows on the ottoman kept his right leg elevated.

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He’d graduated to being able to walk around with crutches yesterday and I was hoping that would improve his mood. No such luck. He was all doom and gloom. I wasn’t feeling particularly rosy either. We hadn’t had sex more than a handful of times since the day of the injury. At first, it was because the slightest movement had him twisted up in pain. But even when he was able to be carted around in a wheelchair, my every advance was met with blank disinterest. He wasn’t mean about it. He just wasn’t there. The Leo I knew was buried so deep I began to fear I’d never see him again. “You hungry?” I asked. “I could make a sandwich or something.” “Nah,” he said. He didn’t even turn his head to acknowledge me. He stared blankly at the screen watching a soccer game.

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Fortunately, it wasn’t the Spanish national team. They’d played once since his injury and he had been an absolute bear the rest of the day. “Come on,” I said. “You skipped breakfast and it’s past lunchtime. You need to eat.” “Nah.” That was my life lately. Trying to communicate with a monosyllabic mask of a man. And I was fed up to higher than I could reach with it. I stepped into his vacant line of sight and he stared impassively like it didn’t matter. “I won’t let you waste away, Leo.” He turned his head and looked out the window at the harbor and the city of Barcelona beyond. A city that mourned for his loss and rooted for his recovery, if he would just listen. But I knew better than anyone, listening wasn’t his strong suit. Words weren’t going to get to him.

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Unless they were the right words. The right words that went along with the right actions. I needed actions that could bypass words and connect with him on a level that couldn’t be ignored. An idea came to me. Something scary and thrilling. Something that might break through to him. I walked over to a drawer and grabbed the pair of scissors we used to change his dressing each day. I marched over and knelt in front of him. He’d already resumed his zombie devotion to the game. I gently slid his left leg to the side and scooted between his legs. “What are you doing?” he asked, his eyes still glued to the screen. “Don’t mind me,” I said. “Watch your game.”

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I pulled the elastic band of his underwear out and angled the scissors to get at it. “Stop,” he said. “Just stop it.” I held the scissors like a knife. “Leonardo Cruz, God help me, I will stab you in the eye if you don’t sit there and shut up!” I was not taking no for an answer! He rolled his eyes and went back to watching the game. Good. I sliced through his cotton underwear and peeled away the fabric covering his limp, and yet still massive, cock. I picked it up like a length of rope and gave it a little tug. “Alex, please,” he said. I jabbed the air in front of his face with the scissors. “I’m not kidding, Leo. Shut your mouth and watch the game.” He exhaled deeply and did as he was told.

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I lifted his member and leaned down to lick his balls. He had a big set of balls. I wasn’t usually into balls to be honest, but this pair was unlike any other. This pair made a baby inside me. These balls were mine. I tongued and bobbled them around in my mouth. After a few minutes of focused attention, his lifeless cock twitched. That was a hopeful sign. The flatlined patient showing signs of life. I spat in my hand and stroked his shaft. A familiar, delicious warmth stirred between my thighs. It had been such a stupid forever since I’d been stretched by his girth. Okay, only a few days, but that felt like forever. He was going to satisfy me one way or another. I wasn’t a quitter. His cock slowly took on its more familiar shape. Big and strong. Hard as stone.

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I stroked him and tongued his balls. The musky scent of his manhood filled my lungs. My core squeezed tight and wetness soaked through my panties. I slipped my mouth around the flared head and sucked him into my throat. I held his shaft at the base with one hand and massaged his balls with the other. I slid all the way down, taking him onto my tonsils. I gagged and choked and still didn’t let up. He liked seeing me work for it. His hand ran through my hair and cupped the back of my head. “Oh, God, Alex.” I backed off and let him pop out like a finger popping the inside of your cheek. “Keep your hands at your sides,” I said. “And your eyes on the game. I’ve already told you that. Don’t make me say it again.” Flickering coals burned in his eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”

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I took him back into my mouth and made sure every millimeter was licked clean like it would soon be received by the Queen of England at a high-society luncheon. A few more minutes of attention and I had that beautiful cock straining with tight skin. I stood up and took a few steps back, making sure he still had a clear line of sight to the screen. His eyes darted to me. “Eyes on the game!” I slipped out of my tank top and shorts and let them drop to the floor. I unclasped my bra and dropped it as well. I was seriously going to have to invest in the next size up in the near future. I rubbed the growing bump of my belly and slid my hand down into my panties. Leo stared between my legs. I could let him peek for a second.

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I plunged a finger inside and brought it out, all wet and glistening with my juices. His stiff cock bobbed in the air. I had his attention. But I wanted more than his attention. I wanted to give him something special, something to pull him up from the depths. I wanted to give him a part of me that I’d never given to anyone. I wiggled out of my panties and let them drop to my ankles. There was more of me to wiggle lately. Leo’s expression couldn’t have been a bigger turn-on. The heat in his heavy gaze was evidence enough of his attraction. Besides, his giant rock-hard cock was a pretty strong signal, too. I slipped a finger between my engorged petals and gathered the wetness there. I slid it out and adventured deeper between my thighs.

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I never figured myself for a girl who would finger her own back there. But desperate times called for desperate fingers. And the way Leo’s eyes followed my every move made me feel like the sexiest woman alive. I pressed my fingertip against the tight muscle and shivered as the oddest sensation sparked in my belly. I breathed deep and slow trying to relax down there. The muscle eased open and my finger pushed inside. I pushed deeper in, all the way to the top knuckle. Leo’s cock jerked in midair. It looked like it was about to explode off his balls. Like it was a two-stage rocket ready to leave the balls behind. “You want to fuck this?” I asked. He nodded yes. I slowly slid my finger in and out of my bottom. “Tell me what you want to do,” I said.

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He swallowed hard and the first few words croaked out, so husky and deep I could barely understand them. “I want to get inside that ass,” he said. “I want to bury my cock so deep you feel it in your throat.” He reached down and started to stroke it. I yanked my finger out and squirmed as a wiggly feeling in my belly made me wetter. I gathered more wetness and guided it backward. I plunged a finger in more easily this time, now that I knew what to expect. “What else do you want to do?” His strong hand throttled his shaft. “I want to come inside you, baby. I want to fill you with my hot seed.” My body trembled, partly from the sensation of my probing finger and partly from his words. From the power and longing behind those words.

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I slowly worked another finger in beside the first. I cupped my heavy breasts with my other hand and pinched my aching nipples. Whoa. I was getting myself off. I massaged my backside gradually opening it wider, preparing for something it had never known. I pulled both fingers out and swept more juices back over the more relaxed muscle. I approached Leo and turned around facing away. His hands immediately grabbed my hips. “I need that ass, Alex,” he said in a gruff voice. Was I ready for this? Exploring my sexuality with Leo felt so natural, like the sun and the moon moving forever together. He backed me up and centered himself below me. He pulled me down until I felt the broad head come up against my bottom. Whoa.

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Seriously, whoa. I wanted to run and hide. Call the whole thing off like it was a joke. Frozen tingles made the hairs on my arm stand on end. He slowly lowered my hips, waiting for my resistance to relax. I gently rotated my hips back and forth and around like a belly dancer giving the most private lesson. I relaxed and eased down. Leo groaned. “Oh fuck, Alex. Your ass is so good.” I might’ve responded but all the air had fled out of my lungs. It was like my body realized there was only so much space inside and it had to make room. With a patience born from fear, I slowly worked up and down his cock, bit by bit dropping lower until I felt like I was about to explode with fullness. The overwhelming sense of fullness made it hard to feel anything else.

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He filled me completely. I grabbed his shaft, realizing with a shock that he was barely halfway in. It was unpleasant at first. But soon it felt good in an strange way. Feeling his hot breath blowing on my back, knowing he felt such ecstasy drove me crazy. My pussy dripped wetness and I spread it down his shaft and around the tight ring of our connection. He reached around my waist and put his finger right on my engorged button. He slowly massaged it back and forth as I throttled him in and out. He sandwiched my clit between two fingers and massaged it up and down. “Come for me, baby,” he said. “Squeeze that ass so tight and come on my balls.” His fingers on my clit drove me harder and faster. I slid up and down his pole while he teased my sensitive nub.

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My thighs quaked. My pussy squeezed tight, begging to get its share of attention. It could beg all it wanted, but there was no way there was room for more. An earthquake rolled through me, pushing me towards the beautiful beyond. It was all I could do to hold on. “Fuck me, Leo. Come inside my little ass.” My bottom was technically not all that little anymore, but the part he was penetrating sure was. “Okay, baby,” he said. “Okay. I’m gonna come.” He wasn’t the only one. He vibrated my tingling nub as he hammered into me. “Me too,” I said. “Me too.” He slammed me down all the way to the base of his shaft and my body ignited. My torso contracted around his shaft and a flood of ecstasy rushed through me. I couldn’t feel my limbs because they didn’t matter.

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All that mattered was the coming and the quaking in my core. His shaft throbbed and hot jets exploded inside me. I held his balls and felt them pull tight as he blasted his seed again and again. We came so hard together I thought we’d have security busting down the door from all the yelling. At last my shaking limbs felt strong enough to be useful and I gently raised myself off his spent rod. I flopped down on the cushy couch next to him. Leo’s hand traced my leg and cupped over my belly. He rubbed the bump and our baby inside. “Thank you, baby,” he said. “Thank you for saving me.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN Leonardo You’d think claiming Alex’s butt would’ve been enough to snap me out of it. That greedy thing sucked me so dry I had to drink ten gallons of water to feel normal again. She blew my mind. I woke up. Things were better. But a week passed and I started feeling the downward pull again. Tottering around on crutches with nothing much to do wasn’t a game plan that was ever going to make me happy. Not with the days zipping by and me not out on the field with my team.

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Reconstructive surgery went well and the ligaments were solid enough for me to move around, but that was about it. Any attempt at physical exercise would’ve torn apart the healing tissue. And to top it all off, I was officially missing my second game for the Spanish national team today. I stared at the leg brace enveloping my right leg and wondered why I hadn’t gotten a call from Hollywood yet. I’d be the perfect Terminator. More metal than muscle. “Want a beer?” Alex asked as she walked into the living room. “Yeah, sure.” I zoned out, watching the brand new eighty-inch flat screen. The other one needed replaced anyway, especially after I separated it into a hundred pieces. The Spanish national team, my team, played through the closing minutes of the game. The score was tied zero to zero. That

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upstart Martinez played my position up front. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he didn’t look like a total sack of shit. He was no Lion of Spain. But he wasn’t the Rodent of Estonia, either. I’d muted the TV after the first few minutes because the commentators were bugging the piss out of me. It was all, “Martinez is looking good. Martinez this and Martinez that.” With the exception of a passing comment wondering if I’d ever play again, my name hadn’t come up again. Total bullshit. But I didn’t want to have to buy a new TV so I muted it. The game clock ticked down into the final minutes of the match. There was no chance the score would’ve been nothing to nothing if I’d been playing.

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A long, looping ball came out of our backline and Martinez raced forward to intercept it. He grabbed it off his chest and settled in on his foot with an assured ease that made my stomach turn. He did a quick one-two with our right wing and broke through with thirty yards of open field and only the goalkeeper left to stop him. I’d never been so conflicted in my life. Of course, I wanted my team to win. Winning was everything. At the same time, I wanted nothing more than for Martinez to shank it over the net and blow a golden opportunity. I would’ve taken the ball all the way to the keeper and then made him look like a fool as I dribbled it around him and tapped it into the net. That was my style. That was my skill.

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At the top of the box, Martinez reared back and crushed a bending ball towards the upper right corner. No way. That was gonna sail way wide. The goalkeeper dove to his left as the ball ripped inside and blew out the back of the net. The fans went crazy. For Rafael Martinez. I flicked the volume back on hoping I’d somehow misunderstood what happened. “GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO The announcer rolled out the “oh” until his breath ran out. It sure sounded like he made it last longer than when I scored. “The young phenom Rafael Martinez nets his first goal for the national team!” All my teammates rushed him and lifted him up on their shoulders and carried him back to the half line. Was I so easy to forget?

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Were their shoulders so ready to accept a new king? Alex held a bottle of beer out for me. The other announcer continued on, “The future of the Spanish national team has arrived, ladies and gentlemen.” The first guy added, “Spanish fans can take heart. Their dreams of capturing the Cup are still within reach!” I scanned the field looking for my best friend Rodrigo. Surely his weren’t one of the pairs of shoulders leaving me in the dust. Rodrigo waited at the half for the rest of the squad to return with the champion. He gave Martinez a fist bump and jogged back to his position. At least he still had my back. Alex sat the beer on the table in front of me. She turned toward the TV.

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“Awesome,” she said. “Looks like he might hold the team together until you get back.” Dark fury boiled in my gut. I was The Lion of Spain and the world seemed eager to cut my balls off and shove them down my throat. “That kid’s a hack!” I spat the words out like they burned my tongue. The thing that infuriated me most was that she wasn’t wrong. None of them were. Martinez was talented. Maybe he’d be as good as me someday. And maybe the world was ready to push me aside to help him get there. I punched the couch cushion as hard as I could, over and over, dreaming it was the smiling face of Martinez on the screen. I grabbed the cushion and hurled it at the TV. It bounced off harmlessly. I wasn’t going to destroy it until I heard all they had to say.

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“We should keep more soft things around you,” Alex said. “Don’t you see?” I asked her. “He’s trying to steal my position. Put me out to pasture like an old mule.” The air caught in my chest and my heart pounded in my ears. I needed some air. I needed to get the fuck out of here. I lumbered up and grabbed my crutches and wished to God I could hurl them at the TV screen. “Where are you going?” she asked. “Straight into early retirement, apparently.” “Would you please sit back down? You shouldn’t be moving around when you’re so worked up. If you take a fall, your knee could get seriously messed up again.” I almost bared my teeth at her in fury. She thought I was so weak that a little fall could break me?

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I was fucking pathetic! I couldn’t stomach her standing there, coddling me like a deformed animal. “I gotta get out of here,” I said. “What?” “You heard me. What? Are you my nanny? Are you gonna tell me what I can and cannot do?” The words burned like acid in my mouth. It spilled out like a dam breaking loose. I didn’t want to say them even as I did. She stepped into my path to the front door and blocked my exit. “Please stay. I’m trying to help you.” Because I needed help? Because I was so weak and pitiful that going for a walk made her worry. “Get. Out. Of. My. Way.” Her eyes opened wide and it tore my soul in half to see the sadness in them. Fine. Just one more thing to pile up on the pile of shit that was me.

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She looked at the floor and stepped aside. I stormed out as well as my pathetic, broken body allowed. I needed a drink. A drink with somebody who understood me.

CHAPTER TWENTY Alexis I blew a ragged hole through the soggy tissue and ended up with a handful of snot. I’d been crying for hours. All last night and most of the day today. And he still hadn’t called. How could he do that? I’d be in an empty daze for a while and then the smallest thing would set me off. This latest bout of hysteria was triggered by a National Geographic episode about the lions of Mozambique. First the lion made me sad because of the obvious connection to Leo. Then the showed

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how hard the people had it in the region of the world. That was it. It was all too hopeless. So I started bawling again. Tears would not stop spilling out of my eyes. My breath came in ragged gulps with each one feeling like it wasn’t enough and never would be. Megan scooped the goo out of my hand with a fresh tissue and tossed it into the trash can with a plunk. She squeezed my shoulder offering as much comfort as she could at a time when I could find none. “Maybe he needs to blow off steam,” she said. That made me cry even harder. “When Leo blows off steam, it’s a network news exclusive.” The words tumbled out in a staccato stream of missed beats and awkward emphasis.

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She didn’t have a response for that so she hugged me. Touch could sometimes do what words couldn’t. Unfortunately, neither worked this time. I glanced around the room through blurred tears and the place felt foreign. I hadn’t spent the night in my own apartment in months. I knew all my time with Leo was straining my relationship with Megan, but she was a good enough friend to let is slide while for a while. When I showed up at our apartment in total meltdown mode, she had scooped me inside and set me on the sofa with a hot cup of chamomile tea. “Try not to worry,” she said. “He’s going through what could be a career-ending injury. His head must be all screwed up.” I knew she was trying to make me feel better, but I cried harder.

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Leo wandering out there in the world with his mind messed up scared me more than I wanted to admit. I totally trusted him. Didn’t I? My phone vibrated and Megan grabbed it. “It’s your old boss, Mr. Garcia,” she said. “Should I send it to voicemail?” I didn’t want to talk to anyone except Megan, and Leo if I could reach him. I was about to say yes when I realized Garcia might know where Leo was. Oh no! He may have already gotten into trouble! I snatched the phone and thumbed it on. “Hello?” “Ms. Young, is that you?” “You called my number, didn’t you?” “Yes, I did. I wanted to talk to you about your occupational future.” “What?”

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If he was calling to tell me where Leo was, then fine, I’d listen. Otherwise, I was a nanosecond from hanging up. “I want to say that I’m sorry. I reacted poorly.” Now he was sorry? Now? I wanted to hurl the phone out the window. “Apology accepted. Goodbye.” “Wait!” he shouted. “Why?” “I also wanted to say I made a mistake in firing you.” “Great,” I said. “I’m glad you got that off your chest. Now you can tick the box in your self-improvement program.” “I deserve that,” he said. “But you haven’t let me tell you the reason I called.” “Get to it then,” I said. “I’m not in a talkie-talkie mood today.” “I want to offer you your old job back,” he said. “Better than that, I want to offer you a

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promotion. You’d get a raise, full retirement benefits, and a company car.” My brain reeled so hard it almost spun around in my skull. “Is this a prank call?” “Excuse me?” “Are you fucking with me?” “I assure you, Ms. Young, I am not, as you say, fucking with you.” “Why?” “The Royal Spanish Football Federation has recently begun a new push to broaden the diversity within our ranks. A woman with the drive and vision to excel such as yourself would be a valuable addition.” “Can you hold on a second?” I hit the mute button. Megan gave me a questioning look “What’s all that about?” she asked. “He says he wants me to come back to work for him. That I’ll get more money and even a car.”

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“Whoa, Sister. That’s amazing. What’s the catch?” The catch? Was there always a catch when something sounded too good to be true?” I unmuted the phone “Mr. Garcia, what’s the catch? What have you not told me?” “There is one condition,” he said. “You will need to end your relationship with Leonardo. While we could definitely use someone with your skills and background, we can’t afford to be associated with such a liability.” He wanted me to dump Leo for the best job opportunity I could wish for? As much as Leo confused me, as much as I was terrified of where he was and what he might be doing, I didn’t know if I could walk away from us. But hadn’t he walked away?

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When he was at his most desperate, shouldn’t he have naturally turned to me for comfort? And since he didn’t, what did that say about our future? Did we even have a future? The baby in my ever-expanding belly needed a stable family. Not one that would splinter and head for the hills when the hard times came. And nobody made it through life without their share of hard times. It wasn’t about living a life of unmarred perfection. I knew that now. It was about how you endured the hardships without losing yourself to the misery. It was about how you pushed through to reach for the brighter tomorrow. Leo’s soul had dug so deeply into my heart that I wondered if it would ever be

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mine alone again. But I couldn’t wait for him to live my life. To share a life with the baby in my belly. “Mr. Garcia, you are an asshole for firing me before.” He coughed and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I was. I hope to be able to make up for that mistake.” “I accept your offer.” The words came out sounding so final. My heart and my brain waged war in my soul and there could be no true winner. Only the less-mutilated survivor. “Thank you, Ms. Young! I’m so happy to have you back on board. I’d like to discuss an issue that—” “I’ll call you on Monday.” “Oh, okay. Yes, that will work. Thanks ag—” I hung up. Megan clapped her hands and bounced up and down.

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“You got the job back? A better job even?” she asked. “I did.” She beamed at me and her joy touched the outer edges of my grief. She stopped. “Was there a catch?” I wrung my hands together and chewed my bottom lip. I didn’t want to say it out loud. It was the right thing to do, but that didn’t mean it was easy. Maybe that’s how it always worked. The right thing was always the hardest thing. I didn’t know. “What’s the catch?” she asked. I looked at her and the words spilled out like a confession. “I have to end my relationship with Leo.” Her eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped in stunned silence. “It’s fine,” I said with more confidence than I felt. “Leo and I weren’t meant to be.”

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“You sure?” I nodded. “I have my doubts,” she said. “Anyway, hold on a second.” She grabbed her mobile and pointed it at me. “What are you doing?” I asked. “Sorry, I know it’s stupid. But you just got the job of your dreams. It’s kind of a big deal. I want you to have a little video to remember the occasion.” “You’re weird,” I said. “I don’t disagree. Rolling. Is that what you guys say?” “Not really,” I said. “Whatever. Ms. Alexis Young,” she said in her best reporter tone, which wasn’t half bad, “you’ve just been promoted—” The intercom buzzer rang and Megan jumped up to answer it. She punched the button next to the front door and yelled, “Go away!”

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Had Leo come back? Now, when it was too late? “Is this Megan?” Megan’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe. Who’s this?” “It’s Robert Graves,” said the voice. “Is Alexis there?” “I’m calling the police,” Megan said. “Wait!” he shouted over the crackling intercom. “I need to talk to her. “ Megan thumbed off the intercom and looked at me. “Want me to get the police over here?” What could Robert Graves possibly want with me? What could he possibly say? He’d been attacking my ex-boyfriend for months. Maybe he had news of Leo’s whereabouts. Even if we weren’t going to continue our relationship, I still wanted to know father of my child was safe. Robert had a nose for trouble like a bloodhound with a crack addiction.

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“Buzz him up,” I said. “He won’t be here long.” “Okay, your call.” She thumbed on the intercom and spoke with a tight, unfriendly voice, “Head up to the third floor. We’re 301.” “See you in a minute,” Robert replied. Megan walked over and started wiping my face down with fresh tissues. She dabbed and patted and scraped away until she felt satisfied I was presentable. A knock sounded on the front door. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me,” she said. I nodded. I opened the door to the man that I’d sworn to never be open to again. He smiled in that lopsided way that I used to find so endearing. “Hey, Alex. Can I come in?” It felt like inviting a vampire into your house. Like as soon as you gave consent, you were done for.

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He didn’t hold any power over me anymore though, other than a fading sense of bleak regret. I had a fresher case that made it feel positively remote. “Fine,” I said and stepped back to let him in. He looked around our apartment, sizing it up. “Not as bad as I was thinking, considering the neighborhood,” he said. I swept past him and plopped down on the couch. “Did you come here to insult my living situation?” He flinched. “No. I came here to talk to you.” “About what?” “About us.” “There is no us. You demolished that concept the instant you chose to insert your laughably small cock into my ex best friend.”

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His eyes darted to his crotch involuntarily. I almost laughed. Guys were so touchy about that. Perfect. “Yes,” I said, “it’s exactly what you’re thinking. Leonardo’s hung like a bull. Thank God I got past you so I could find out what a real man’s cock feels like.” Robert didn’t know Leo and I were Quitsville and the venom in my soul was happy to find an easy target. He cast his eyes to the carpet and twisted his mouth up. “I’m sorry for what I did,” he said. “It was the biggest mistake of my life.” “Yes, it was. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me.” “Come back to me, Alex.” My stomach dropped three floors to street level. Was he serious? What kind of an idiot

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would think he could come in after all this time and take me back? That I’d settle for that. Did he have any respect for me whatsoever? Unbelievable. I stood up with my hands shaking and longing to punch him in the mouth. Leo was rubbing off on me. “Have you seen the news?” I asked. “I’ve moved on. I found someone that …” He stared at me, waiting for me to continue. “Someone that helped me understand settling for you would’ve been a disastrous mistake.” “He’s a mistake, Alex. You’re blind if you can’t see that.” “And you’re an asshole, Robert. I’m lucky enough to see that.” “Don’t do this,” he said. “We were so good together.”

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“The only place we were good together was in my imagination. Now, I’d like you to get out of my apartment.” “I’m not going anywhere until you give me a real chance to make it up to you.” “Megs?” I said. She popped her head out from around the kitchen corner. “Yes?” “Call the police.” “On it.” “Hang up now or I will crucify,” he looked at me with a disgusted grimace, “the degenerate gigolo you ignorantly call the father of your bastard child.” My blood boiled. My top would’ve blown if it wasn’t held in by a bony skull. Robert was a wonder at attacking people. In one sentence, he managed to shit all over the most important things in my life. Then it hit me.

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A cold realization about the man in front of me, a man I must’ve been insane to think I was going to marry. “All your attacks on Leo,” I said. “It’s all been about us! Hasn’t it?” “Yeah, so what? That egomaniac needs to be dropped down a few pegs.” He pointed to his lip. “Look at this scar I get to carry around for the rest of my life! I owe him plenty!” I bolted upright and shouted in his face. “You’re a coward and a backstabbing lowlife!” He blinked as droplets of spit flew from my mouth. “Now get out of my life!” “Gladly!” he shouted back. He shoved me aside to make for the door. Unfortunately, my foot caught the edge of the coffee table and I didn’t have another on that side to keep me upright. I pitched over

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and crashed to the carpet. On the way down, my plump belly caught the arm of the couch. I crashed hard to the carpet and lay there in a daze. Robert stood above me with his mouth moving. A jolt of pain stabbed through me. Straight through my uterus. Straight through my growing baby. A hot wetness leaked out from between my legs. I looked down as red pooled in the fibers of the carpet. “Where’s Leo?” I said in a strained whisper. Megan knelt above me saying something. Her mouth moved but the words seemed so far away, like she was speaking through a tube that was ten miles long. Darkness circled around the edges of my vision. Another jolt of pain doubled me up. Leo?

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The edges all contracted to the center in a rush of dar …

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Leonardo I should’ve called Alex last night. My fingers hovered above her name on my mobile screen countless times. Some invisible barrier wouldn’t let it drop another millimeter to place the call. I should’ve called her today. I wanted to. I needed to. But I couldn’t. Why was I so fucked up? I crashed at Rodrigo’s last night and had spent most of the day tossing and turning in bed. He dropped off some burgers at some point, but I couldn’t touch them.

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I never wanted to eat again. I didn’t deserve to live. Rodrigo came in sometime after it was dark outside and told me to get my ass out of bed. He was having a party to get my spirits up. Fuck parties. He didn’t lay off though until I hobbled out to a sun chair beside the pool. I stared up at the dark sky above and wished it would swallow me whole. Twenty or more half-dressed girls scampered around the pool with their fake tits barely bouncing along the way. They should’ve paid more. The guys on my team that paid for them should’ve paid more. They ran around in front of the same cheapskates that should’ve ponied up for quality implants. The nightlife in Barcelona hummed in the distance.

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Some girl that looked too young to have already surrendered to this debauchery stretched out in a reclined chair across the pool. She was naked from head to toe. Rodrigo leaned over her and squared up a line of coke between her tits. He got it sorted, and then paused to admire his work. Or maybe her tits. Probably both. He snorted through it and kept going lower until he landed between her legs. He gobbled her pussy and then jumped up into the air like his feet were springs. “Goddamn!” he shouted. “I love the taste of pussy after a line of blow!” The party roared with approval. Why was I here? It felt so familiar and yet so utterly alien. Rodrigo walked over and clinked his bottle on the neck of the warm beer perched on my good knee. “Bottom’s up, brother! It’s been too long!”

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I took a half-hearted sip of the half-full bottle. Was it my injury that had everything thrown out of whack? Why couldn’t I connect with Alex and allow her to shoulder some of my burden? She was willing. She said so. I believed her. But it was like a chain hung around my neck and I didn’t know how to let her carry a few links. “Amigo, I’ve got a big surprise for you,” Rodrigo said. “Oh yeah?” I couldn’t have cared less. “Yeah. Huge. It’s gonna perk you right up!” I shook my head. “I can’t do any coke, man,” I said. “I’d take off across the lawn and tear my knee to shit. Besides, I’m not in the mood for crazy.” “Different surprise. Better!”

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He looked behind me and a wide grin spread across his electrified face. “Here they come now,” he said. I looked up and guess who stepped into my world? Jennifers. They both waved and giggled. “We missed you,” Jennifer said. “We didn’t get to show you a few things last time,” Jennifer said. They were both butt-naked and doing their ridiculous best at looking sexy. Rodrigo slid between them and wrapped an arm around each of their waists. “Did I tell you? Or did I tell you?” I stared at them and wished alien abductions were real. I’d have signed away my bank account balance to get sucked up into the sky. I shook my head.

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“You can thank me later,” Rodrigo said. “And, I’ll take seconds if you’re feeling generous.” Looking at them, all I could see is that they weren’t Alex. They didn’t have the same amber sparkle in their colored contact lenses. They didn’t have the same full lips that could smile so sweetly your heart would explode. They weren’t what I wanted. Not anymore. Not by a long shot. I wanted the woman who carried my baby in her belly. I wanted my family. What was I doing here? None of this appealed to me anymore. It was like a cheap theater show where all the lights were angled just right so you didn’t notice the glaring lack of substance. It was all show. All fake as fuck.

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It disgusted me that I once found it so compelling. Like this was the goal every man had in life. Jennifer touched my injured knee and I flinched. “Don’t worry, baby,” she said. “We’ll take good care of you.” Rodrigo reached into his pants and stroked his dick. “Sorry, ladies,” he said, “but you guys are getting me rock-hard.” They giggled like brainless idiots. Jennifer knelt beside me and placed her hand on my crotch. “How’s your big cock doing? I’ve dreamed about it every night.” I shoved her hand away and shuffled up off the chair. “That’s all you’re ever gonna do, too,” I said. Rodrigo looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was.

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Crazy in love. Crazy to not be with the woman I loved. I grabbed my phone and keys off the table and slapped Rodrigo on the shoulder. “I know you meant well,” I said, “but I gotta get out of here.” I grabbed my crutches and knew exactly what I had to do. Find Alex and beg her to forgive me for being such a dumbass. Rodrigo shook his head. “If you say so, bro.” He pulled the Jennifers to him. “More for me.” I tossed a few goodbyes to the guys as I headed around the side and out toward the long driveway. My Bugatti Veyron was locked in by a sea of hundred-thousand dollar sports cars. “Fuck,” I said to no one in particular. My phone buzzed in my front pocket. I tugged it out and saw a message from Alex’s number.

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Alex> Leo, this is Megan. Alex has had a bad fall and we’re at the emergency room of Barcelona Centro Medico. She’s asking for you. Another message popped up. Alex> The doctors just took her back for examination. I frantically punched in a reply. Leo> On my way! No! NoNoNoNoNoNoNo! Centro Medico was less than five miles away, but my ride was going nowhere fast. At the edge of the driveway, I saw the golf cart Rodrigo used to get around his ten-acre property. It had fifteen-inch chrome wheels, red LED lights glowing out the bottom, and a two-foot chrome cock and balls mounted on the front. It would have to do. I hopped over and fired it up. The tiny gas engine coughed and sputtered to life. I

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smashed the accelerator to the floor and nearly launched my ass out the back as it shot forward. Damn! He’d made some serious mods to this sucker. I pulled out of the endless driveway and took off down the street. I managed to escape attracting too much attention … until I zoomed up the on ramp to the freeway. Cars honked and people rolled down their windows, some laughing their asses off and others shouting at me to go the hell back to the freak-show golf course I came from. If they only knew. I made it down the road a few miles and saw the exit approaching. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been pulled over and arrested. I jerked the wheel to the right and headed down the off ramp.

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Blue lights flashed behind me and a white cop car pulled up alongside. The window rolled down and an officer stared at me with his mouth hanging open. “Leonardo Cruz!” He yelled over the rushing wind between us. “Pull over!” Fuck. Double fuck. Now was not the time for a run in with the law. So I gunned it. There was only another block to go. Maybe I could lose him. I hooked a right and saw the signs for Centro Medico. The cop pulled in behind me and blared his siren. “Pull your car, errr, vehicle, over, Mr. Cruz,” he said over a loud speaker. I waved and kept on trucking like it was a publicity tour. There it was! The ER.

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I yanked the wheel right and nearly tipped over as the golf cart skidded into the turn. I made it to the entrance and slammed on the breaks. The cop behind did the same and his heavier vehicle squealed to a stop. I jumped out hobbling toward the automatics doors on my cursed slow-as-molasses crutches. The helpful police officer pulled up in front of me. “Where do you think you’re going?” “It’s my girlfriend, Alex,” I said. “She’s pregnant and she had a bad fall. I have to see her!” “I’d say that was the best line I’d heard all year. But I see you’re running, hopping I mean, into the ER.” He paused and considered. “Let me help,” he said. He hooked his arm under mine and halfcarried me into the terrifying unknown.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Alexis I reclined on the exam table as the doctor slid the ultrasound wand over my belly. My nails dug into the sides of the table so hard I’d probably have to pay to have it reupholstered. Megan stood beside me holding my other hand. I knew I was squeezing the crap out of her hand but she didn’t complain. That’s what a best friend did. “How is my baby?” The doctor didn’t answer as she continued to move the wand to different sections of my gelled belly. She studied the screen as different areas that temporarily looked like

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vaguely recognizable baby parts moved in and out of view. She paused the wand at a particular spot and I watched the monitor praying she hadn’t found a problem. “Do you see that?” she asked. Oh no! She’d found a problem! All that was left was to deliver the terrible news. I squeezed Megan’s hand harder. I’d probably owe her for arthritis medication someday. I stared at the monitor and tried to make sense of the odd shapes I was seeing. One little section in particular kind of look like a walnut. It moved, and moved again in a rhythmic way. “That is your baby’s heart,” the woman said. “What’s wrong with it?” I asked in a panic. “Nothing is wrong with it,” she said with a smile. “It’s pumping away beautifully.”

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The musical lilt her native Indian tongue gave to English was a song to my ears. “What about the rest of it?” I asked. “We have your blood tests running so we’ll know more when they come back,” she said. “But I can tell you that everything I’m seeing here looks absolutely fine.” The frigid dagger digging into my chest melted away. I let up the pressure on Megan’s hand and she switched hands to spread out the abuse. “Your baby is as healthy as can be,” the doctor said. “You had a bad spill, but a mother’s body is strong protection for her baby.” A voice I knew all too well echoed in from the hallway. “Where is she? Which room?” Leo appeared in the doorway and a police officer walked in behind him. He rushed to my side and Megan made way. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend.

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Leo cupped my hands in his and kissed them frantically. “I’m so sorry, Alex. So sorry. “ I couldn’t have asked for a better partner either. Maybe I could’ve, but he’d get there. Leo kissed my forehead. “I’m so sorry, honey,” he said. “I was selfish and stupid. You’re everything I want and need. Please forgive me.” I wanted to totally let him off the hook, but he needed to work for it first. “I will, eventually. You’ve got a lot of making up to do.” He cracked a small smile. “I know I do. And you better believe I will. You’re my everything.” “Is this the father?” the doctor asked. “Yes,” he said. I pulled Leo close. It felt so good to be near him again. He stared deep into my eyes and kissed me on the tip of my nose.

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“Thank you,” he said. I had to forgive him. We were talking about our life together. All three of us. I didn’t know how this realization would affect my employment, but sitting here on this table with Leo at my side and seeing images of the growing life inside me made it a question for another time. I loved him. How could I not? I loved him more than life itself. My love for him grew inside my belly. I nodded and swallowed hard to choke back tears. Leo kissed my cheek and turned to the doctor. “How is our baby? Please, tell me everything’s okay.” The woman’s mouth crinkled and she smiled. “Your baby is doing fine,” she said. “Would you like to see the heartbeat?”

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Leo nodded even before she finished the question. She swept the wand over my belly and zeroed in on a good angle. The little walnut blob beat in quick, even movements. Leo’s stared in silent wonder. “It’s so fast,” he said. “Is it supposed to be that fast?” The woman chuckled. “Haven’t been reading up on the stages of pregnancy now, have we?” Leo looked ashamed, devastated that he hadn’t looked after our baby like he was expected to. “Don’t take it so hard, young man,” she said. “I remember the rushing days of my youth. And to answer your question, yes.” Leo held my hands in his and peppered them with kisses. He turned to Megan and smiled. “I know you’re not too keen on me right now, but I want to thank you for taking care

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of her. And I want you to know I’ll do everything in my power to be good to both of them.” “We’ll talk more later,” Megan said. She always had my back. The doctor moved the wand to the other side of my belly and zeroed in on new angle. “Would you like to know the sex of your baby?” Leo looked at me with questioning eyes. “Do we?” he asked. “Why not? It’ll give us a better story to remember.” The doctor punched some numbers on the monitor and the magnification zoomed in. A smaller walnut-shaped thing was centered on the screen. “Is that still the heart?’ Leo asked. “No, they are not.” “They?” I asked. “Are those balls?”

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“Yes, they are,” she said. “Congratulations, you have a boy.” “I have a son?” Leo asked. The doctor nodded. “I have a son!” He turned to Megan. “I have a son!” He turned to the officer behind him. “I have a son!” “Congratulations,” the officer said. Speaking of the officer, why was he here with Leo? “Excuse me, sir?” I said. The officer looked at me. “Yes, ma’am?” “I hate to ask because I don’t think I’ll like the answer, but is my baby’s father under arrest?” The officer twisted his mouth up and looked back and forth from Leo to the monitor showing our baby in a very exposed pose. “I was trying to decide that.” “If it matters at all, he’s really a nice guy once you get to know him.”

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The officer chuckled. “I’m sure he is.” He put a hand on Leo’s shoulder and squeezed it. “Listen, the next time you think it would be a good idea to drive a golf cart with a giant chrome cock on the front on the freeway, could you ask your partner here if she thinks it’s a good idea first?” I turned to Leo. “What is he talking about?” “It’s a long story,” he said. I turned back to the officer. “I’ll keep a tighter leash on him.” “We have a deal?” the officer asked. “Yes, sir,” Leo replied. “Great. Well, I’ve intruded on your private moment long enough. Congratulations.” He turned to leave and bumped into my ex, Robert, stepping through the doorway. “Alex, are you okay?”

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“What is he doing here?” Leo asked in an icy tone. The officer looked between them, and it was clear he saw the bad blood. He stuck around. “It was an accident,” Robert said. “I was on my way out of her apartment—” “You were at her apartment?” Leo yelled. “It was an accident. I was mad. I tried to get around her to get out of there, but she tripped and fell.” A dark wrath burned in my chest. This man had put my baby in danger! I wanted to claw his eyes out. “You pushed me, Robert, and I fell to the ground. Don’t for one second try to slither away from what happened! I know that’s your speciality.” The officer stepped to the side of the bed. “Ma’am, did this man hurt you?” “He’s the reason I’m in this hospital.”

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Leo looked at Robert like death come in the final seconds of life. He lunged and Robert cowered back against the wall, covering himself and shaking. Leo checked himself and grinned wickedly. “I could beat the piss out of you,” Leo said, “even on crutches. But you know what? I’m going to let my lawyers beat the shit out of you. In court.” Leo’s newly found restraint surprised me. And then I realized a few bruises would be too small a price to pay for this jerk trying to ruin my life again. Worse yet, his wrongdoing put my baby and Leo in danger, too. Robert’s face went pale. “And I’m going to have a talk with Mr. Garcia,” I said. “Did you know he’s close friends with Frank Garcetti, the President of your sports network? I don’t think he’ll like this vindictive streak you’ve been on, ruining Leo’s reputation simply because you still wanted me. Very unprofessional.”

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All the color bled out of Robert’s face. “I wouldn’t expect to still have a job next Monday,” I said. The officer stepped forward. “Ma’am, is there any evidence of his assault?” “There is no evidence” Robert shouted, “because she’s lying about everything. I didn’t touch her! I’m here to check on her, for Christsakes!” Megan pulled out her phone and pointed the screen at the police officer. “He’s a total, fucking liar.” She hit play and it showed a view recorded from the around the kitchen corner. It showed Robert begging for me to go back to him. It showed him admitting that was the reason he was on a witch hunt after Leo. And then it showed him shove me to the side, causing me to crash to the carpet. It was all there.

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“That qualifies,” the officer said. “I’ll need you to come down to the station when you are able to give statements.” “Absolutely,” Megan and I said in unison. The officer yanked Robert to his feet and spun him around to face the wall. “Buddy, it looks like you’re about to have a really bad year.” He clicked handcuffs around Robert’s wrists and marched him through the open door. Leo took my hand and smiled. “You know, that almost felt better than rearranging his face with my fist.” “You did the smart thing,” I said. “He deserved a beat down,” Megan said, “but Alex is right.” Leo rubbed the ungelled side of my belly. “I can’t believe we have a son,” he said in wonder. “I know, right?” “What should we name him?” he asked.

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A name popped into my head and it had that ring of truth that made it feel almost inevitable. “Antonio,” I said, “after your father.” Leo’s eyes misted as he leaned over to kiss my lips. His warm breath filled my lungs. His words came out thick with emotion. “I love it.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Alexis Leo stood at the front of the small press room in the bowels of Camp Nou stadium. The same place where our lives first became entangled. I sat facing Leo, in the front row, along with the other senior correspondents. A short conversation with Mr. Garcia had resulted in him agreeing to the original promotion offer with the amended condition that Leo and I could stay together. I didn’t know if I was that good, the organization needed diversity that badly, or that he saw that public opinion had fallen solidly behind Leo and his growing family.

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Whatever it was, he got onboard quick when I got up to walk out on the negotiation. Sometimes you had to have the balls to stick to your guns. It worked for me. Josh leaned back in a chair next to Leo. His hands were clasped behind his back and he grinned at everyone like being up there in front of a pack of ravenous reporters was just another day at the mill for him. The kid was something special. The more I got to know him, the more I understood that. Leo and I spoke about him being here this afternoon and I wholeheartedly agreed with Leo’s wish. The press briefing had begun with a flurry of questions about who the boy was and Leo had stubbornly pushed them all off saying he’d get to explaining that before they were finished.

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The journalists jumped to the next topic without missing a beat. The news for the last two days had been a repeat cycle of a clip somebody had recorded of Leo flying down the freeway in his Cock Cart, as the public was calling it. My shining knight to the rescue, more or less. One reporter raised her hand and Leo nodded to her. “So you were arrested for cruising in the Cock Cart on a public motorway?” Leo looked at me with a silly grin. “Something like that,” he said. Another reporter jumped in, “Why were you going to the hospital?” “To join the love of my life,” he said. The same reporter continued, “I have sources that say you were spotted in the obstetrician’s wing. Will you confirm or deny that?”

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Leo smiled and nodded. “Yes, I was. I was checking on Alexis and our baby.” Another reporter piped in, “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl yet?” “I do,” he said. “Well, are you going to tell us?” “I don’t think so,” Leo replied. The swarm of reporters buzzed like unhappy bees. The last thing Leo needed was to piss these people off, not when he barely had a foot in the door of their good graces. He looked at me and I nodded at him mouthing the words, “Tell them.” His brows jumped up and he shot me a questioning look. “Yes,” I said in the cacophony of voices filling the room. “Tell you what,” Leo said. “Since I like you people so much, we’re going to let it out today.” The room went quiet.

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He scanned the room, enjoying the anticipation. “We’re having a son.” “Congratulations!” “The Lion Cub of Spain!” All the reporters threw in their two cents as the room erupted in chatter. It took a few minutes for the hum to die down. One reporter jumped in with a question that I was hoping wouldn’t get asked. “How is your knee? Will Spain see its star striker return?” Leo touched his knee self-consciously. “I honestly don’t know,” he said. “I’m doing my best in physical therapy and taking one day at a time. I can tell you this. I love the beautiful game. I love playing for my country.” “We love you right back!” The reporters broke out in appreciative laughter. Leo waited to regain their attention.

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“But as much as I love those things,” he said, “there are a few things I love infinitely more. Three of which are in this room.” He turned to Josh and pulled him to his feet. Leo wrapped him in a huge side hug and ruffled his unkempt hair. His now even-more unkempt hair. Josh grinned and shook it out of his face. The freckles dotting his face pinched up as he smiled. “Which brings us back to the question of who this handsome young man is.” The noise in the room again plummeted to silence. “I’m appealing a past decision against my application for adoption. My attorney tells me in light of my new life circumstances,” he glanced at me and then looked back at Josh, “that he thinks this time it will go through with no problem. Josh, I’d love for you to be the best big brother in the world.”

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The easy smile on Josh’s face melted into the most heart-breaking look of surprise. He buried his face into Leo’s chest. Leo swept him up and hugged him like they were the only two people in the room. An embrace without reservation, without concern for the stunned looks on all the reporter’s faces. All except mine. I was overjoyed the news was now official. The sound broke and roared like a aural tsunami. If it was loud before, it was an absolute squall of shouted questions now. Leo kissed Josh’s forehead and set him back on his feet, keeping one arm around him. Josh frantically swiped at the tears streaming down his freckled cheeks. Leo waved everyone to a low murmur. He turned to me.

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“I love you, Alex. I love you more than my career, my life, my everything. You are my everything.” The murmur erupted into another barrage of questions. “I’m done answering questions for today,” he said. “But I have one to ask of my own.” He stepped off the platform and walked over to my chair. He took my hand in his and I swear my heart almost stopped beating. He bent down on one knee and didn’t even wince doing it. I wiped away the gathering tears welling up in my eyes. “Alexis Young,” he said, “Will you make me the luckiest man on earth and marry me?” What could I say? The rest of my life with the man of my dreams?

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A man who turned away from the excess and vice of his old life and committed to me in the most fundamental way possible? The father of my unborn child. There was only ever one answer. The deepest wound in the depths of my heart healed as I said it out loud. “Yes.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR Epilogue - Alexis My mascara came out beautifully. Long, dark, full lashes brushed to perfection. Not a single pair stuck together. I patted my ginormous belly and looked in the mirror. It wasn’t exactly the wedding day figure I’d planned in my youth, but it was perfect nonetheless. A gentle thump inside my belly was all the reminder I needed to remember what was truly important. I realized happiness wasn’t about all the perfect plans I’d made. Not the perfect life that I’d had all mapped out in a spreadsheet with color-coded columns to show the

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different levels of priorities. It couldn’t be boxed in and labeled and strangled with expectations. It couldn’t work that way because life didn’t work that way. And I discovered the best way to live life was to accept it for what it was. To mourn for the losses, and to rejoice for the victories. And, most importantly, to always strive to be open. To be vulnerable. To trust your heart with someone. To allow that person to touch your heart in the most intimate way. It was the relationships that mattered. In the end, they were all that mattered. My best friend in the entire world—and my only bridesmaid—stood behind me, smiling. She gathered up a stray lock of wavy hair and tucked it into place with a bobby pin.

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“Sister, you look gorgeous,” Megan said. “Have I ever told you what I’d do to you if I had a dick?” “You have,” I said. “I’m trying to forget.” I turned in profile and wondered at the massive bulge in the sky-blue dress. We were due to meet our youngest son in less than two months. The thrill of anticipation squirmed in my belly, or maybe that was Antonio again. A hard kick smacked behind my belly button. “Ow! Settle down in there,” I said. Megan giggled and patted my tummy. “Was that a hand or a foot?” I rubbed the little protrusion on my belly and felt the hard form of my baby inside. “His foot, I think.” “He’s gonna be just like his father,” she said.

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“I’m going to pray he turns out like the Leo I love today, and not the Leo I met in the locker room.” “All he needed was to find a good woman,” Megan said. “And he hit the lottery finding you.” I looked at her in the mirror and saw in her expression a hint of something said, but unsaid. Best friends like we were had a practically telepathic connection. “Speaking of hopeless bad boys turning it all around by the grace of a good woman,” I said, “I’ve noticed you and Rodrigo chumming it up lately.” Megan crinkled her cute little nose and grinned. “He is totally gorgeous, right?” “Megs, do you see this dress? You’re asking the wrong girl.” She fussed with my hair, fixing imaginary things and generally making me feel pampered.

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“Come on, Alex,” she said. “I know you’re taken, but you have to admit he’s a hottie.” I caught her eyes in the mirror and arched my brows. “Well, I’ve seen all of him there is to see and I don’t think you’d be disappointed on the physical front.” Megan blushed furiously, for once. “How are your mom and dad taking all this? Changing the subject. Nice move. Dad was outside the main chapel waiting to escort me down the aisle. Mom left a while ago to take her seat in the front row. “They’re coming around,” I said. “They haven’t spent much time with Leo yet.” “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Megan asked with a mischievous look in her eyes. “You’re talking about my husband,” I said. “Good, then.”

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“Mostly good,” I said. “I thought Dad was going to punch Leo up instead of shaking his hand.” “How about your mom?” “She’s already all in.” “Leo has that affect on women. Don’t worry, she’ll pull your dad around.” I nodded. “Listen, Sister,” she said, “men are like river water while women are the surrounding land showing them where to go. They think they’re masters of their own destinies, but we know better.” “You’re the best Megs,” I said. “I mean it.” She flashed a silly grin. “I try. Hey, have you seen how packed the main chapel is?” “Only when we came in a few hours ago,” I said. It was already a circus at that time. “Oh, Sister,” she said, “you ain’t seen nothing. Standing room only. Every man, woman, and child in this country wants to

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see The Lion of Spain and his growing pride.” My belly squirmed in nervous excitement. Or it was Antonio stretching out again? I’d wanted to elope and skip the whole wedding spectacle, but eventually Leo convinced me to share our joy with the world. And when The Lion of Spain said world, he wasn’t kidding. We would be the first and probably only couple ever to be married in the main chapel of La Sagrada Familia. The mayor of Barcelona suggested it to me months ago and wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Color me jelly, Sister,” Megan said. “What are you talking about?” “In case you didn’t realize it yet,” she said, “you’re getting married in a freaking castle. It’s like Salvador Dali and Westminster Abbey had a love child.” She was right.

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Right down to the horse-drawn carriage waiting for us outside. The giddy little girl inside me squealed with glee. I jumped when someone knocked at the door. It was time! I was about to walk down the aisle and say “I do” to the man of my dreams. I was so euphoric I felt lightheaded. Megan massaged my neck and gave me an air kiss on the cheek. “Relax and enjoy it,” she said. “This is your day. The one you deserved.” The door opened and a head peeked in. Not the wedding coordinator like I expected. Leo. My king. Megan rushed at the door to slam it shut. “You’re not supposed to be in here! It’s bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony!”

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Leo shoved his right foot in the door to keep it open. His knee rehab was going wonderfully. “I had to see my beautiful bride,” he said. “And it’ll take a lot more than some old wives’ tale to keep me away.” Megan glanced at me with a skeptical look on her face.” “It’s fine,” I said. “My new husband has a hard time following the rules. “ He stepped inside and came up behind me. He wrapped his arms under mine and held my belly in his large hands. He was gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. His blue-gray eyes sparkled next to the black sheen of his tailored tux. He lowered his head and kissed my neck. A delicious chill zipped up my spine and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

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“I’ve got no problem following the rules that I like,” he said. “Especially the ones that I love.” The hardness in his pants pressed into my backside. He probably didn’t agree with how you were supposed to wait until your wedding night. “You are so beautiful,” he said. “Your fertile belly makes my cock want to explode.” Megan coughed to remind everyone that she was still in the room. Another knock at the door caught us all of guard. “Come in,” I said. Josh’s head appeared. “Hi!” “Get over here!” I said with my arms open wide. He ran over at top speed and then skidded to a stop, gently hugging my belly. He was seriously the sweetest kid ever. And he would be my oldest son soon.

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What did I do to get so lucky? Bones shuffled in behind him. The old guy wore a suit that looked straight out of a fashionable department store…from the 1970s. He had our neighbor, Ms. Pickering, on his arm. I winked at her and waved. “Now, don’t get your knickers in a knot,” she said. “It’s just a first date, and I haven’t decided if I’ll go down on him or not.” Bones’ jaw dropped and he stared in shock. Two more heads popped into the open door. Giovanni and Dante Cruz strolled in like they owned the place. “So this is where the party’s at!” Gio said. It was certainly turning into that. Dante wrapped Leo in a giant-size hug. Not many people made Leo look average height, but Dante’s lanky form towered over both of his younger brothers.

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He patted Leo’s back. “The first of us to raise the white flag,” he said. “You’ll have to write to us from prison.” Leo punched him in the shoulder and Gio stepped between them before a goodnatured bout of wrestling overcame them both. “You got something on your tie, bro,” Gio said. Leo looked down and Gio tweaked his nose. “Did you seriously fall for that? You’re not even married yet and you’re losing your touch.” Leo’s eyes moistened. “Thanks for coming, guys. I know it wasn’t easy with your schedules.” “Are you kidding?” Dante asked. “We are the Cruz brothers. All for one and one for all.” Leo nodded when he couldn’t get words out.

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Megan glanced around and I couldn’t tell if she was enjoying the influx of visitors or about to lose her shit. She clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Excuse me, everyone! There will be plenty of time for this at the reception afterwards.” Ms. Pickering winked at Bones. “Some of us might be busy by then.” Bones still hadn’t blinked once. He was probably going to score some wedding booty. Good for them! Josh grinned at Megan and batted his eyebrows. “You’re hot when you’re mad.” “I am not mad, young man,” she said, “and I’m nearly old enough to be your mother.” Josh grabbed her hand and kissed it. “True love knows not age.”

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He swept his arm out and bowed low. “Okay, Shakespeare,” Megan said. “Time for us to bid adieu.” “Parting is such sweet sorrow,” he said as he left the room. That boy was going to be trouble someday. But I new we would figure it out together. As a family. Megan managed to herd everyone but Leo out and finally got the door shut. She turned back to Leo and me. “You were supposed to be part of the exodus, Leo,” she said. “Yeah.” “There’s about a billion people waiting for you two out there,” she said. “A little over seven billion, at last count,” Leo said. The earth. Everyone. My man didn’t lack in the confidence department.

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Leo spun me around and wrapped me up in a warm embrace. His lips met mine with an assured strength that weakened my knees. His tongue stole my breath away. He nipped my lower lip and pulled back. “They’re gonna have to wait a little longer,” he said. “Could you lock the door on your way out?” Megan’s jaw dropped practically to the floor. “Megs, we’ll be a few minutes,” I said. He already had me damp down there. Megan laughed and turned to leave. “You two are worse than horny teenagers.” She clicked the lock and closed the door behind her. Leo traced his hand down my ribs and hips and grabbed a hold of my butt and squeezed. He thrust his hardness against me. “I love you, Alex.” “I love you too, Leo.”

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He picked me up and wrapped my legs around his waist. “I need to fuck you right this second,” he said. I smiled as my heart overflowed with joy while my thighs did the same with wetness. “You are such a bad boy.” THE END

About Danielle Slater Danielle Slater writes romance stories involving the men we hate to love and love to hate: the bad boys. She has always been drawn to them, whether she wanted to or not, and loves to tell stories about their irresistible natures and, of course, the heroines that capture their hearts. She hopes to become a full time writer, and currently resides in San Francisco as a secretary for a small law firm. Her goal is to entertain, and she hopes you enjoy each and every story along the way.

About Nora Lane Nora Lane spends her time with two amazing children and one amazing husband. She appreciates them all dearly, especially when they allow her to close the door and sink into the world of telling stories. She lives with her family in Northern California where they hope to someday have a small farm. Because who doesn’t need a few goats around the house?

Also By Danielle Slater Entitled Made

CONTENTS Copyright Title Page Connect with Danielle Slater Connect with Nora Lane Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen

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Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four About Danielle Slater About Nora Lane Also By Danielle Slater

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