Dirty Player - A Football Romance (A Maxwell Family Romance) Read online

  “It’s unexpected, that’s for sure,” I said. “But I’m not complaining. It smells delicious. And my girlfriend is going to thank me for this. She’s still fast asleep.” I wasn’t sure if Candice was really my girlfriend, but it felt nice saying the words out loud.

  “She’s one lucky girl to have a man like you do something like that for her. Well, you’re in luck because our baker arrived early this morning and dropped off some fresh chocolate chip muffins.”

  I grinned. “Is this heaven?”

  I took the bag of muffins, and the three coffees, and made my way back around the corner. I placed a cup of coffee down on the counter and looked at the receptionist.

  “For you,” I said.

  She frowned. “For me? Why?”

  I shrugged. “Why not?” I said and walked away before she had the chance to say anything. Before I turned the corner, I quickly looked back and saw that she was smiling at the cup. The first smile I had seen from her since I had arrived. Perhaps all she needed was someone to just be kind to her. Being with Candice was turning me into a much nicer person.

  As I walked back inside, I saw that Candice was awake. She smiled when she saw me.

  “I thought you had run off,” she said.

  “I probably should’ve left you a note, but you were fast asleep when I left. I went to get breakfast,” I said.

  I handed her a coffee and dropped the muffins onto the bed, and then I climbed in beside her. The smell of the coffee and the sight of Candice was intoxicating. I was more than happy to wake up like this every day of my life.

  “Where did you get this from? This stuff is amazing,” she said.

  “Apparently the muffins are fresh and delicious too. Who knew that such an incredible café would exist at a place like this? Oh, and guess what: I managed to get a smile out of the bored receptionist.”

  “I’m not surprised one bit,” she said. “Who could resist a man like you?”

  “This is nice, Candice. I like waking up with you.”

  “Yeah, I’ve really missed you,” she said.

  “Listen, I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. About breaking up with you. I feel so shitty about it.”

  “It’s okay,” she said and reached out to squeeze my hand.

  I shook my head. “No. It’s not okay. It’s not okay at all. I have nobody to blame but myself. But the coach was going on and on about how I needed to concentrate on football and telling me how I was not going to get into the NFL if I continued on this way. He pulled me aside so many times. Not to blow my own horn or anything, but I’ve always been one of his favorites, so this all took me by surprise. I knew he was talking about you. It seems crazy now, looking back, but I didn’t know what else to do. And I knew I was causing trouble between you and your father. And the whole Derek thing. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was just screwing things up for the two of us. So I backed off, as hard as that decision was. But hell, I’ve missed you.”

  “Want to know something crazy? That day that you broke up with me, well, I was about to break up with you too.”

  “Really? How come?” That was news to me. I wonder how I would’ve felt if she was the one that had broken up with me and not the other way around.

  “Same reasons, I guess. Well, not Coach Bane, of course. But everything else. My father freaked out when he discovered I was seeing you again. I knew he would, but I didn’t know he would take it as badly as he did. He threatened to take me out of school completely. Said he would disinherit me if I stayed with you. Can you believe it? I stormed out of the house when he told me that.”

  “Oh shit. Seriously? Would he really do that?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I think so. And it’s not like I can afford to go here without him. I didn’t know what to do, either. I knew we had maybe jumped into things too quickly and I wanted to tell you that it would be better if we just backed off from one another for a while.”

  “But I beat you to it,” I said.

  “You sure did. And even though I was going to break up with you, I was still so mad that you had broken up with me. I found the whole thing so difficult. I avoided you the whole time. I was so scared that I was going to see you. I walked around campus constantly looking over my shoulder. It helped that you stopped going to Professor Jackson’s class.”

  I sighed. “Yeah. I only did that to avoid you. And it helped that you dyed your hair. I might have seen you without realizing it. I saw you once, though. You were sitting with that Lily girl at the café. You were smiling.”

  “Yeah, she’s cool. I’m not sure what I would’ve done without her during this time.”

  “I’m glad. She seems nice. Candice, your father was the one that put these ideas into the coach’s head.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I saw him talking to the coach. They were having a very heated discussion. It can only be about me. I have worked so hard. I know that nothing has stopped me from doing everything possible to do well in football. Even when I was seeing you, I was still working my ass off out on the field. And yet, despite that, Coach Bane kept telling me that I was slipping up. Now I know why. Your father found out about us, and now he’s looking to sabotage things for me. Just like he did all those years ago. I know he’s your father, Candice, so I don’t want to badmouth him too much.”

  “Screw that!” she said passionately. “He might be my father, but he sure isn't acting like it. I’ve followed his orders my whole life. I have been such a good daughter to him, making sure that I don’t do anything wrong that might tarnish his reputation. Well, I’ve had enough. You know, after everything that’s happened, my father is still trying to push me onto Derek. He tried to get us to spend spring break with Derek’s family. It’s shocking really. Who does that? Don’t I mean more to him than that? It’s like the only thing he cares about is his work and what the world thinks about him. Who cares what I think about him. I honestly don’t know how my mother puts up with him. She deserves more than that.”

  “I care for you, Candy. And I swear to God, this time I’m not giving up on you. I’m not giving up on us. You know, when I was downstairs, I told the lady that I was getting coffee for my girlfriend. Do you have any idea how good it was to say those words out loud? I had a broad smile on my face when I did it.”

  Candice grinned. “Does that mean I’m your girlfriend?”

  “Would you like to be?”

  “I don’t know. You might have to ask me and find out.”

  I chuckled. It felt like being a teenager all over again. “Candice, will you be my girlfriend and make me the happiest man alive?”

  She took a sip of her coffee, deliberately taking her time and pretending to think it through. Then she looked at me and laughed.

  “Of course I will. Do you remember someone saying to us when we were eleven that we would one day be boyfriend and girlfriend? I don’t remember who it was now, but the memory suddenly popped into my head.”

  I laughed. “I remember! It was Axel. Wasn’t it? Or maybe Silas?”

  “It might’ve been Silas. I think I made a face and said that I would never go out with you.”

  “Never say never!”

  “Can’t we just stay here forever? It’s much easier being here, away from everyone. I’m sorry about everything, by the way. My family is not the easiest. And there’s also Derek to contend with. You’re going to wish you had never found me again.”

  I shook my head. “Are you crazy? You’re worth it. Now, should we see what all the fuss is about with these chocolate chip muffins? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving!”

  “Same here,” she said and reached for the bag. She pulled a muffin out and took a bite, and I laughed at her reaction. Her eyes closed and she let out a small moan. I couldn’t help but feel slightly aroused by the sight of her eating.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Candice

  The day was blissful. After eating chocolate chip muffins and drinking d
elicious cappuccinos, we lay back in the bed and slowly made love to one another. It seemed different now. The night before had been passionate, raw. There had been a certain desperation as we had clung to each other. It had been hot, and sexy, and wonderful. But the sex today was a different kind of wonderful. It was slow, deliberate, sweet, purposeful. It was the sex between two people that loved each other. Dominic was an amazing lover. He spent a lot of time focused on me, making sure that I was happy, and in return it made me want to do the same. I loved the way he trailed his hands over my body, and how quickly my skin responded to his touch. I loved how we didn’t feel embarrassed in front of one another, and how we could both lie completely naked in each other’s arms. I knew without a doubt that Dominic was the person I wanted to be with for the rest of my life.

  That morning, when we made love, I didn’t want to be anywhere else. I didn’t even think of anyone else. The only thing I thought about at that moment was him. Us. He’d told me that he loved me now, and I loved him right back.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said afterward as we lay happy in each other’s arms.

  “And you’re too kind,” I said.

  “No, I mean it, Candy. You’re the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Didn’t you notice how I was staring at you when you came into Professor Jackson’s classroom that day? I couldn’t even get my words out properly. I remember thinking what an idiot I must’ve seemed like to you.”

  “Oh no, you didn’t seem like an idiot at all. I was silently thanking the professor for putting me with someone like you. I couldn’t believe I had hit the luck like that. Although, I was still with Derek at the time, so at that moment I was just telling myself that you seemed like a nice person to have around. I tried not to think about how good looking you were.”

  “You think I’m good looking?” He teased.

  My hands had trailed down his stomach, and I watched in amazement as he hardened against my touch.

  “I think you’re pretty sexy,” I said and grinned at him. “Are you really ready to do this again?” I said. We had just made love. I couldn’t believe that he was ready for round two.

  “Oh, I was born ready for you,” he said and immediately pinned me down.

  And just like that, we were making love for the second time that day. Between that and the time the night before, it was an all-new record for me. But I knew that if I were to stay with Dominic, this would not be something we would be able to stop. I was just way too attracted to him.

  “You know,” I said once we were finished. Again, I watched as the curtain blew and felt the cold air on my bare skin. I didn’t feel at all cold even though I knew I should be. “I don’t even need to go to the gym if I stay with you.”

  He laughed. “You don’t even go to the gym now!”

  “Yeah, but now I never have to.”

  “Well, I’m more than happy to be your replacement. So, what would you like to do with the day?” he said.

  I laughed. “It’s already past midday. Can you believe that all we’ve done is have sex, drink coffee, and eat muffins?”

  “Oh yes, I can definitely believe it. How about we go for a picnic? We can grab some food from the café downstairs and go for a ride on the bike until we find the perfect spot.”

  “I’d love that,” I said. I couldn’t think of any better way to spend my spring break. It was coming to a close, and I was more than happy to end it on a high note.

  We bought fresh bread and spreads from the small café, and stuffed a blanket from the motel into our bag so that the receptionist wouldn’t see. Although, I highly doubted she would’ve even have noticed. Then we rode off to find the perfect picnic spot. We lay the blanket down and spent the rest of the day eating, talking, laughing and kissing. It was, without a doubt, the best day I had ever spent with Dominic. It might even have been the best day of my life. I had never felt so free, or so safe, as I did when I was with him.

  When we got back to the motel, neither one of us wanted to go back. We kept delaying it until I finally sighed and pointed out that we were probably going to get kicked out if we didn’t leave.

  “Or . . . you know, we could stay just one more night? I mean, it’s pretty late as it is. Why don’t we stay one more night and I’ll take you bake in the morning?”

  I smiled. I had been hoping that he would suggest something like that. I nodded. “That’s the best idea you’ve ever had,” I said.

  He went downstairs to book us in for another night and came back bearing two cups of coffee.

  “They were just about to close, but I convinced them to make us coffee,” he said.

  I laughed. “You’re so charming.” I took a sip and smiled “Ah, this is incredible. Cheers!” I said and held out my cup to knock softly against his. We climbed into bed, put on a movie, and snuggled in together. For one more night we wanted it to be just the two of us, and to shut out the rest of the world for just a little bit longer.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Dominic

  I should’ve known that all good things come to an end. Especially that good thing was something completely out of this world. After almost two blissful days with Candice, we knew it had to come to an end. I’d gone downstairs to get her another chocolate muffin and coffee, and we’d laughed because we were both still wearing the same clothes we had when we first arrived. They weren’t even dirty though, because we’d spent most of our time without clothes on anyway. The only time we’d gone out had been for the bike ride, the rest of the time had been spent in bed.

  Candice went to shower, and I decided to switch my phone back on. I’d turned it off when we had arrived so that we didn’t get disturbed and I had decided not to turn it back on again the whole time. Candice had sent a message to her mother and then turned hers off too. It had been a nice change. Disconnecting from the world like that had really made it seem as if Candice and I were the only two people left. The moment I switched the phone back on, I felt a sense of loss for the time we had spent together. I had no doubt in my mind that we would be back, though. Another than the amazing café, there was nothing special about this motel, and yet it had quickly become one of my favorite places in the whole world. I switched my phone on and got changed.

  I immediately knew that something was up when my phone began buzzing like crazy. It was like when you were away at some remote location for New Year’s and receiving all your messages when you finally got back to a place with signal. But this wasn’t New Year’s Day, and people weren’t calling to wish me well. Something was wrong. I grabbed my phone and saw messages and calls from Axel and my father. None of the messages really said what was wrong, but all of them were asking where I was, and all of them were asking me to please call back. I immediately called Axel and was glad when he answered.

  “Oh my God, Dominic. Where the hell are you, man?”

  “Axel! What’s going on? I have so many messages from you and my father. I’m freaking out. What’s going on? Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “Everything is fine here. We are the ones worried about you. Where are you? Why weren’t you answering your phone?”

  “I haven’t even been away that long. I took Candice out for a bike ride, and we decided to stay over at a motel. But she told her mom. Why? What’s happening?”

  “Okay, well I’m relieved to hear that you are okay. But shit, man, you had us worried. I don’t think her mom got that message. You’re in big trouble here, man,” Axel said.

  “What? Why?”

  “It looks like Candice’s father is spreading some serious lies about you. He called the police and said that you abducted his daughter. And then, when you didn’t answer your phone, it only made them more suspicious. And, what’s worse, Candice didn’t answer hers either. Didn’t you see that we were all worried?”

  “Abducted? What the hell is wrong with him? Why would he say that? Oh my god. Shit. I’m sorry about the phone. I figured she’d messaged her mom, so it was okay. And it’s not like people u
sually get worried about me when I don’t answer my phone. I thought it would be nice to have a bit of peace and quiet while we were together. We didn’t mean any harm. I didn’t mean to worry anyone. You know that.”

  “I know. I know,” Axel said. “I didn’t think you had actually abducted her. Shit, that’s crazy man. I know you wouldn’t do that. And so does your father. We were actually worried that something had happened to you. It was just so weird when you were both not answering your phone. We’ve been going mad. And the police are all over looking for you.”

  “Shit. Well, what should I do? Can you let pop know?”

  “Yeah, of course. And I guess just come back. It was just a misunderstanding. I’m just glad you’re okay. I wouldn’t normally have worried this much, but I think with everyone panicking like that it all just got blown out of proportion,” he said.

  I sighed. “Tell me about it. Okay, I’ll see you soon. I’ll let Candice know. She’s in the shower and has no idea all this is going on.”

  “So, things are back on between the two of you, huh?” Axel said, and I could hear the tease in his voice now that he wasn’t so frantic anymore.

  I laughed. “Yeah, I couldn’t help myself. I was sick of people telling us what we could or couldn’t do. Her dad sounds like a prize idiot, if you ask me.”

  “Well, at least you had fun. I’m happy for you. But next time . . . keep your phone on.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t think I’ll ever switch my phone off again.”

  As I cut the call, I heard the water switching off in the shower, and I listened to the sounds of Candice getting ready. She was taking her time, clearly unaware of all the problems, but I decided not to rush her. She’d already been through a lot, and she was about to be in a world of trouble. I wanted her to enjoy her few moments of freedom a bit more. But when she came out she knew something was wrong. It must’ve been written on my face.

  “What’s going on? Where you on the phone? I thought I heard voices.”