Fast Break (Brooklyn Monarchs 1)

Her words shot straight to his erection. DeMarcus climbed onto the mattress and lowered himself to her. Jaclyn parted her legs and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He sighed, kissing her neck, her cheek, nibbling on her ear.

He found her entrance hot and moist. His heart beat hard against his chest. DeMarcus clenched his teeth at the painful pleasure of joining with her. He pressed farther. Jaclyn wrapped her legs around his hips and urged him deeper. He slid all the way in. Jaclyn closed her eyes and moaned.

“You feel so good.” DeMarcus’s muscles trembled.

“So do you.”

DeMarcus moved his hips, seeking Jaclyn’s spot. When she gasped, he knew he’d found it. He moved against her, loving the feel of her heat wrapped around him, her soft smooth skin beneath his hands. He tucked his face beside her neck and breathed in the scent of lilacs and sex.

He loved the way she felt. He loved the way she smelled. He loved her.

DeMarcus stiffened. He looked at Jaclyn. He did love her. She was strong, beautiful, brilliant and sexy as hell. She made him feel invincible—and not just in bed.

Her eyes were closed. Perspiration dampened her skin. He felt the tension in her as her body strained toward completion. DeMarcus slid his hand between them and touched her there. Jaclyn gasped. Her hips pressed against his hand as her body bucked beneath him.

DeMarcus lowered his head and flicked her hardened nipple with his tongue. He moved his hand faster and harder against her. Jaclyn’s inner pulse drew him deeper, forcing him to a faster rhythm. Beneath him, Jaclyn arched, then shattered, pulling him with her over the edge. He gathered her close as his body shook.

Jaclyn’s arms came around him. With slender strength, she squeezed him tight, kissed his ear, then rubbed his back. He was drained. He was sated. He was in love. With his boss.

Here was yet another complication to pile onto their season. And he thought all he’d have to worry about was making it to the play-offs.

15

“You look happier than I’ve seen you in a long time.” Jaclyn studied Albert.

It was the end of January, almost three months since she’d last seen him, when she’d paid him for his Monarchs share. He was seated across from her in the matching armchair in his office at Tipton’s Fashionwear. Her former partner had complemented his pin-striped espresso suit with a thin, emerald green tie. He looked the role of a corporate executive of an exclusive apparel store.

“So do you, Jackie. You have a glow about you. Things are going well with you and Marc?”

“Ver y well. Thank you.” Was she blushing? Hopefully not. “But you obviously made the right decision in leaving the organization.”

“My daughter said the same thing.” Her former partner gave her a rueful smile. “I hadn’t realized how tense I’d been about the franchise.”

Albert was only a year or two older than her father would have been had he lived. Would the pressure of owning a struggling NBA team have affected her parent the same way? She couldn’t answer that. But her grandfather would have fought for the team just as hard if not harder than she was fighting.

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Jaclyn sipped coffee from the dainty eggshell china cup Albert had served her. She winced at its bitter taste. Jaclyn leaned forward for the pitcher of skim milk on the serving platter. She poured some into her cup until the coffee rose to its rim.

Albert’s eyes were distant as he frowned across the room. “No one wants to admit that they can’t manage their family’s business. My father helped form the Monarchs. I should have been able to maintain it.”

Jaclyn flinched. Albert had expressed her own fears. “Things have changed since your father and my grandfather founded the organization.”

“I’ve noticed.” He paused, staring into his cup of black coffee. “Still, I was reluctant to dissolve our partnership. I have a feeling my father would have been disappointed.”

Jaclyn’s attention was drawn to the family photos crowding the top of Albert’s file cabinets, bookcases and desk. Her shoulders slumped. She understood his concern over disappointing a parental figure.

She hadn’t realized they had so much in common. Albert had surrendered, but she was still in the game. Who’d made the right choice?

“I understand your decision, Bert. Your children don’t want to manage the franchise, and you’re more interested in the other family business your father started.”

Albert followed her gaze. “I’m proud of my children and glad they’re excited about running Tipton’s Fashionwear.” He gave Jaclyn a considering look. “Frankly, I thought you were going to stay in law.”

“I thought the experience of practicing business law would help me better manage the franchise. So far, it isn’t turning out that way.” Albert’s intense scrutiny made Jaclyn feel like a culture in a petri dish.

The retail executive sipped his coffee. “You’ve given me excellent legal advice in the past.”

“Thank you.”

“Be patient, Jackie. Everything will work out in the end.” He sounded like a fortune-teller who had seen their future.