Long Relief (Hardball 1)

He sagged against her and gently lowered her legs, withdrawing with a hoarse laugh. “You know, it’s a good thing I banged all those other intercom women before you got here, otherwise, I might not have lasted.”

She hit him with the pillow.

Chapter Six

Maggie fit against his body like she was made to be there. Her head tucked against his shoulder, her soft breath tickled his skin as she sighed happily. “I suppose I should go.”

Her words cut through the fog of contentment that had fallen over Chris’s brain, and he drew back a little. “You don’t have to.”

She looked up at him, a silky curl flopping into her face. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be that weird girl who misses your guy cues.”

“No guy cues.” He had to really concentrate on not sounding desperate. “Stay. It’s nice to sleep next to someone for a change.”

“I don’t think ‘friends with benefits’ are supposed to sleep over, are they?” she asked, but she didn’t get up and start getting dressed. At least he had a little leeway to work with.

He tightened his arm around her back and idly brushed his hand over her skin. She was so soft and warm and naked, it would be a real shame if he ended up sleeping alone. “I really don’t like that term. The ‘with benefits’ part makes it sound like we have to fill out paperwork.”

“No paperwork, I promise.” She wriggled away, settling onto the pillow next to his.

“So, ‘fuck buddies’ then?”

“Ew, no. I hate that word. Buddies.” She made a face. “Why do we even have to label it?”

He rolled to his side, propping his head on his arm. “You know how you go to the grocery store, and there are labels on everything?”

She rolled her eyes.

“Hear me out.” He traced a fingertip over her shoulder, then caught one curl between his thumb and forefinger and wound it around lazily. “You go to the store, and there are labels on everything, right? So you know what you’re getting. I would appreciate it if we could keep whatever this is more like the grocery store. I like labels. They tell me what to expect. I don’t want to open a can of tuna and find peanut butter.”

She frowned as he released the curl to bounce against her cheek. “Did you just compare me to a can of tuna?”

“No. I’m saying that I need to know what this is. I need to label it.” And as long as he was going that far… “Look, I don’t mind you showing up for random sex drop-ins. Except for the night before a game. I like to get to bed early on those nights. But as much as I really enjoy having sex with you, I’d rather date you.”

She groaned and snuggled her face against the pillow. “That’s impossible. I’m the team owner, I’m not supposed to fuck the players.”

“Yeah, well, we’re not supposed to talk to the other team while in uniform, either, and look how often people get punished for that.” He was having a difficult time keeping his frustration out of his voice. “Besides, I’m retiring next year.”

“So, maybe for your retirement gift, I can get you a nice, big label.” She batted her lashes up at him.

He’d had enough with the game playing, enough with the casual dismissal. “I’m serious.”

Something in her expression changed, maybe it was her eyes became a dimmer blue or the vertical crease that appeared in her brow, when otherwise her smile hadn’t quite faded. “You really are serious.”

“I want to go out. I want to see if there’s anything between us. And maybe I’m not okay with you just dropping by for sex.” Wait, had he said that last part out loud?

Maggie’s frown deepened. “Okay, then I won’t drop by for sex. I can’t commit to anything with you, Chris. There’s too much at stake.”

“And there’s nothing at stake if you miss out something that could be fantastic?” He sighed. He knew when he’d been beaten. “Okay, fine. So, right now, while I’m playing for the Bengals, we don’t do dating. We do… whatever this is, that doesn’t have a label on it. But when I’m off the team?”

“Maybe it’s something we can revisit after the season is over,” she said, after a moment of deliberation. “I do like you. And I do think we have something… pretty okay going on here.”

“Wait, do you mean after the post?” He caught her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips.

“Well, obviously. You’re going all the way, right?” Her voice quivered a little as he kissed each finger.

He arched a brow. “What if we do? Let’s say we go all the way. Let’s say we actually win it this year. What will you do for me?”

She laughed. He loved the way her nose wrinkled when she laughed. “If you bring me back a ring, I’ll consider that a proposal.”