The Guy in the Middle (The Underdogs Book 3) Read online

  “At least give me a hint.”

  Harper exits onto the interstate and shakes her head. “Is it, or is it not, your birthday?”

  “Yes.”

  “And did you, or did you not, agree to let me plan something tonight?”

  “I did.”

  “There’s your answer.”

  “Damn, you’re stubborn.” I draw her hand from where it rests on the gear shift and kiss the back of it. “I don’t need anything but you. Naked.”

  “Charming, but you’re still not getting a hint.”

  Expecting a long drive, I kick back in my seat, body aching after a week of hellacious practice. I feel good though, loose, though coach is still working us harder than he ever has, I feel more in tune with myself, with my capabilities.

  “He’ll ease up.”

  “I’m good. I was just thinking of how good I feel.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” I kiss the back of her hand again. “Are you…”

  “Am I what?”

  “Are you okay with our arrangement?”

  She glances over at me from the wheel. “Fine, why?”

  “I just hope you know things would be different if we weren’t in this situation.”

  “I do. And look at you, being all considerate.”

  “I’m trying.”

  A mile of comfortable silence passes and when she speaks up, I know exactly what’s coming.

  “Lance?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Can I ask you a question?” She spares another glance my way.

  I nod. I’ve seen the question in her eyes more than once.

  “Tell me what happens when you put your gloves on.”

  Sighing, I close my eyes. I’ve never told anyone about it. Not even my mother and she’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a best friend.

  “I become my truest self.” It’s the truth, but I can see that’s not the explanation she was looking for, so I do my best to explain.

  “When you dance…whether you know it or not, you’re the most honest version of yourself.”

  She remains silent but nods.

  “Your dancing is beautiful because you’re not trying to hide anything, you unveil everything. Your sexuality, your thirst, your motivation, your hunger. It’s what attracted me most to you. I prefer that type of honesty over inch-thick makeup and a push-up bra any day. That’s how I feel when I’m boxing.”

  “I get it, I really do. But if that’s your truest self, are you really that…angry?”

  “No. That’s me letting it all out. Kind of exorcising my urges. I have a side of me that’s prone to erupt. I’ve always been a bit of a shit. It started when I was young but got worse when I was around twelve. My dad bought me a bag and taught me how to channel it. I fell in love right away.”

  “Why did you stop?”

  This is where it gets tricky. My honesty may scare her away.

  “In high school, I snapped and put a kid in the hospital. It was the same prick who’d been messing with me since middle school. I heard he’d fucked with my little brother, and I just lost it, went too far and made him pay for everything along the way. It’s the one thing in my life I’m most ashamed of. That fight got me benched the last six games of my JV season. I decided ball was a safer outlet and put the gloves down until this summer.”

  “Was the guy okay?”

  “Broke his nose and a rib, but yeah, he recovered fine.”

  “Jesus, Lance.”

  Closing my eyes, I let out a breath. “That’s the last time I did anything like that. And it’s why I stay mostly to myself.”

  “You’re afraid you’ll hurt someone?”

  “Not so much anymore. At this point it’s nervous energy that triggers me more than anything. And it’s due to the pressure I’m under. God, I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

  “I’m glad you are.” Her silky voice is comforting, and she takes our clasped hands and kisses the back of mine the same way I did hers. “I want to know you. More than anything. Okay? Don’t be ashamed to tell me something like that, especially the truth. Deal?”

  I nod.

  “So, how does your love compare in ball to boxing?”

  “I love ball. I love thieving it just as a wide receiver opens up, it’s a natural high. I love the speed, the energy, the hustle, getting lost in the chaos. Boxing…it’s just me. And I like that part of it. And the minute I glove up, it’s like…permission. I missed it a lot. That’s what got me back in the gym.”

  She nods in perfect understanding. “I get it.”

  “I think you’re the only woman I’ve ever met that might. I see how you let go, Harper, and it’s beautiful. You’re beautiful.”

  She pulls into a gravel parking lot in front of what looks like a warehouse and parks her Toyota. I glance around confused, and she turns to me with watery eyes.

  “Was it too much? Did I freak you out?”

  “God, what you told me? No. Hell, no. Without trying to sound condescending, I’m proud of you.” She unbuckles her seat belt, and before I can open my door, she climbs to my side straddling me before kissing the hell out of me. When she pulls away, her eyes are still shimmering.

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Saying,” kiss, “what you mean,” kiss, kiss, kiss, “and meaning what you say.”

  “O-kay,” I chuckle as she showers me with affection.

  “I’m serious.”

  “Want to tell me which part made you so grateful?” I grin. “Happy to repeat it.”

  “Nope. Can’t be repeated.”

  “Shame.”

  She kisses me again and then nods toward the building. “Come on. Let’s go in.”

  “I have a better idea. I’m wiped. How about we go home instead of doing whatever you have planned, so I can put into you what’s left of my energy.”

  She frowns and then moans when I bend and kiss the delicate flesh of her neck. “Why did I have to meet you this year? Why not last year? School’s going to be over—”

  I silence her with a kiss. When I pull back, she’s smiling. “I promise you’re going to love this.”

  “You going to tell me what this is?” I look for signs or a marquee and come up empty.

  Her face lights up. She’s never looked more beautiful. “It’s a weigh-in. You’re already registered with USA Boxing. You’re here to meet your trainer.”

  I shake my head, anger simmering from embarrassment. “I can’t afford a trainer. I told you that.” I nudge her to move her from my lap. “Let’s go.”

  “Not so fast. He’s paid up until the end of spring semester. Just two three-hour sessions a week.”

  “What the hell, Harper?” Exiting the car, I take her with me and let her down on her feet. I give myself a few seconds to chill and form the right words. Scanning her delicate face and hurt expression, I’m pissed at myself for ruining her gift. “It’s a nice thought, generous, really, but I can’t accept it. Too much.”

  “It’s not, I assure you. I’m good with money, remember? I’m a wealthy woman already because of my penny-pinching Nana. And besides, if you’re so adamant about it, you can pay me back when you win your first big fight. Until then, you accept this as a birthday present.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

  Palming my jaw, she pulls my face towards her. “Lance, listen, you just sweetened this surprise for me by telling me how you feel about boxing. You want this, a lot more than you think you do. It’s so easy to see. You need this. You deserve this. You owe it to yourself and your talent.”

  “All you’ve seen me do is hit a bag.”

  “I just have a gut feeling, and it’s a good gut. I know you will excel at this.”

  “Harper, I can’t juggle ball, school, and boxing. Again, I appreciate it, but it’s too much.”

  “No, it’s not.” Cold wind gusts through the parking lot, and Harper shivers, her eyes darting between mine.

&nb
sp; “I don’t want to add any more pressure to your plate, but what if…”

  She trails off as I free a piece of hair from her lip gloss, my eyes intent on hers. “What if what?”

  “What if football is your pastime?”

  “You think the season’s going that bad, huh?” I joke, but she’s serious. More serious than I’ve ever seen her.

  “I’m not wrong. You are good at this. You’ll be an exceptional boxer with the right trainer. And this guy, Tony, could be the right one. I’ve talked it over with him and he’s willing to work around your ball schedule. I’ll be with you the whole time. I’ll take you to and from, and we’ll do this thing, together.”

  “You’ll get bored.”

  “I won’t. I’ll love it. Every minute of it, because you’ll shine in that ring. I’ll know inside you’re excited, even with your resting bastard face, like I know you are now.”

  I shake my head staring at the building behind her, adrenaline already pumping. She’s right. I want this.

  “Lance, look at me.”

  I do. I stare down at her as she gazes up at me, and the wind shifts, lifting blonde strands from her shoulders.

  “Who cares how you got the opportunity if you’ve worked for it. Pride aside, just freaking take it. Please, take it.”

  I cover my mouth with my hand and run it down my jaw, and she pulls it away, commanding my eyes.

  “What if this moment, right here, is the moment that changes your life?”

  I feel those words down to my core, penetrating further inside than any woman has ever gotten. It’s then I know I’m in deep with her. The way she looks at me, it’s trust, it’s belief, and if I’m honest, it’s more expectation. But I want it, and I want it from her.

  Eyes dancing, she knows she’s gotten to me and that I’m on the edge of yes. “Damn it, woman, you’re so…”

  “I’m so what?” She asks, a smile lighting up her face.

  “Incredible,” I whisper, pulling her to me, before gently taking her lips. “Infuriating,” I murmur as she grips my shirt in her hands while I inhale her neck, “and I can’t wait to hear you calling my name tonight. All. Fucking. Night. Long.”

  “Well, I have a cake for you, but that sounds a lot better, for me.”

  “We’ll get to that cake.” I wink. “We’ll work it in.”

  “Freak.”

  “Right back at you.” I can’t help myself. I kiss her again and again until we’re both floating a foot off the ground, eager, needy. When I pull away, her eyes remain closed for a few seconds, and it’s all the affirmation I need. She’s worth the risk.

  I cup her face. “Thank you, Priss. This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a very long time.”

  She smiles up at me. “Are you ready, Champ?”

  “Hell yeah. Let’s do this.”

  Hours later a half-eaten cake lays on my nightstand as we separate, panting together in a sweaty heap. There’s so much noise downstairs that tonight it was a free for all. We lay on our sides, facing each other as I run my palm down her arm.

  “Happy Birthday.”

  “Best birthday I’ve had in forever, thank you.” I kiss her temple.

  “So, you were quiet on the way home. What did you think?”

  “I was still a little shocked about what you did.”

  “You’re just a physical away from getting started. He said you’d be eligible for heavyweight and you can bulk up after the season.”

  “I haven’t fought since I was eighteen.”

  “So, you’re rusty. You’ll get back into it. Tony said you’d be sparring in a month,” she adds as if I wasn’t there soaking up the surreal situation. “Do you like him?”

  “A lot more than my other coach at the moment.”

  She frowns. “I know.”

  “He’s a former heavyweight. He’s got connections. This could be a real thing.”

  “I think you stunned him with what you know.”

  I grimace. “He said he’s going to have to correct a lot of bad habits I’ve formed training alone.”

  “You’ve so got this.” We’re whispering now and the more we talk, the closer we’re being drawn to the other. It’s as if we physically can’t be separated. My head’s a fucking mess full of her. I’m having a hard time keeping my distance, and I’ve just had her. I can’t get close enough.

  “You really believe I can do this, don’t you?”

  “Without a doubt. You’re the best investment I’ve ever made.”

  “Then I’ll do the work. I’ll prove you right.”

  “I know.”

  I sink further into the bed pulling her to me. “What do you want?”

  “I told you, I want to dance. It’s all I’ve wanted since I was a little girl watching videos over and over in my parents’ basement. It’s all I want now.”

  “And after?”

  “Nothing past that goal. Nothing. I’m good just getting to that point. Making it happen.”

  “I get it. Getting drafted is all I’ve concentrated on for years.”

  “Are you ever going to tell me why it’s so important? You said it was more than just playing in the NFL.”

  “It is.”

  “Tell me.”

  I exhale a stressed breath. “Our ranch is in trouble. In the last auction we got bottom dollar for our cattle because Dad was desperate enough to take it and the vultures were circling. The drought took out a few head we couldn’t afford over the summer, and our overhead at this point is eating us alive. With the way things are, we’ve got a year at most, and that’s generous.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “There’s a lot more going on, but that’s the gist of it. A signing bonus could save our necks and keep us flush in cash for a while.”

  “Is that why you had to sell your truck?”

  “It was either that or quit school. My parents can’t afford the housing, and I can’t take a job because I have to spend every spare minute back at the ranch when I’m not playing.”

  “Is there a way to cut costs? You know I’m really good at this kind of thing. Maybe I can come with you to the ranch sometime and try and help out.”

  I glance down at her. “You would do that?”

  “I don’t know that I’d be much help.” She shrugs as if she hasn’t just offered to save our hides. “But yeah, of course, for you, I would.”

  “I’ll think about it and talk it over with Dad, thanks.”

  “Anytime.”

  She moves to get up, and I voice my protest. “Stay.”

  “I can’t.”

  After gathering her clothes, she fastens her bra and looks down at me as if leaving is the last things she wants to do. “My dad is already suspicious with my sudden late-night study sessions, and all the time I’ve been spending away from home. And I’ve been coming in later and later lately. It’s a good thing we are actually getting some studying done in here, and my grades reflect that, or else I’d be a lot more on his radar.” I groan when she tugs a dress over her hips.

  “But it’s my birthday.”

  “You going to play that card, huh?” She glances at the football-shaped clock on my nightstand. “I’ll give you ten more minutes. What’s your pleasure?”

  I curl a finger at her, and she walks over feigning irritation. I start to tug her dress up.

  “Lance, I just got dressed.”

  “Fine, I’ll take your panties.”

  “And you say I’m insatiable.” At the edge of the bed, she slides down her panties and straddles me where I wait, already standing at attention.

  “Just a little ride,” I grunt as her bare pussy, slick and ready slides along my dick.

  “Mmmm,” she moans, already wet from our last go. I reach over to grab a condom and realize the box is empty. “Shit, change of plans.” I move to lift her to my face, and she stops me.

  “Wait,” she says, biting her lip, lost in an idea. “We know I’m clean. And I know you’re safe. We haven�
��t once had sex without a condom. What if we…I’m on birth control,” she murmurs, gauging my reaction. “How about I ride you…” her brows shoot up, “birthday bare.”

  I’m already nodding. “Fuck, yes, please.”

  “It’s just us, right? No one else.”

  I run my thumb along her bottom lip. “I don’t want anyone else, Harper. No one. You have to believe that by now.”

  “Yessss.” She rotates her hips, already lost in the sensation before she kisses me. I cup her head, kissing her back to reiterate my point while licking the taste of cake off her tongue. Somewhere in the midst of this kiss, she lines our bodies up before slowly lowering onto my rock-hard dick. The stretch, the heat, the slickness of her middle sending my desire into overdrive. I pull away groaning and lock eyes with her. It’s then I want to tell her, this isn’t an ass or leg thing, or even a physical thing at all. My attraction to her stems from all sides, especially the inside. But it’s her hunger I feed at that moment, the fire and heat radiating from her skin, the lust drunk look in her eyes.

  “Dance for me,” I order, thrusting up so she’s fully seated.

  The second she moves I go blind with pleasure.

  “Fuck, again, Harper, that feels so, FUCK,” I practically shout as she expertly swivels her hips, my cock swelling unbearably hard inside her, the friction too much. “Just like that, damn, damn,” my words spur her on, the tips of her angelic hair hitting the top of my thighs. The way she fits me, perfection. I can’t think past the glow of her skin, the sensation of her tight pussy surrounding me.

  “Lance, I feel…I think I can—” her own gasp cuts her off and she leans forward rubbing herself along the edge of my cock, in a steady rhythm. Licking my thumb, I take over and press it to her clit as she picks up her pace. She pulses around me, in tune with her body as surprised eyes fly to mine. She’s in the middle of discovery, and I’m too wrapped up in the feel of her to do more than stare at her, open-mouthed and overwhelmed. Grappling, I finally take control and thrust into her movement, our breaths mingling as she hovers above.

  “You fit me, this pussy, fits me, only me.” Possession, borderline obsession, it’s all I can do in this moment to keep from completely claiming her. I buck underneath her, and we both call out to the other. Her lust-filled eyes glaze over just as her orgasm hits mere seconds before I fill her up.