Contingency Plan (2 page)

My mind was reeling. Brysen had dated a steady stream of gorgeous women during his time in the NFL. I knew this because I’d done some internet stalking after our first appointment and was a little disappointed to see the kind of women he’d dated since there was no way I was his type. Not that I wasn’t confident in myself, but I was nothing like the models he usually had on his arm. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You get that I’m a man, right?”

My eyes swept up and down his tall frame, taking in his tousled dark hair, chocolate brown eyes, and rock hard muscles earned over years of being a professional athlete. There wasn’t a woman in the world who didn’t know Brysen Mariano was all man the minute she first laid eyes on him. “Yeah, it’s kinda hard to miss.”

“Which means I understand how guys think. It’s actually a good thing your sister couldn’t make it this weekend. You showing up with her would have been a win to a guy like that.”

It stung a little, but he was probably right. “Showing up alone is going to be even worse.”

“You aren’t going to be alone, Elisa.”

“I’m not?”

He squeezed my hand lightly. “I’m going to be your date for the weekend.”

Brysen was everything my ex wished he could be. He had the kind of money that equated to me showing him five million dollar houses for a cash purchase. Everywhere he went, women noticed him and did their best to attract his attention. And it wasn’t just because he was rich or used to be a professional football player—he was man candy material with the often photographed abs to prove it. As cliché as it sounded, he was what people were referring to when they talked about the guy all men wanted to be and women wanted to sleep with. Including me, which was why I didn’t have a choice over how I answered his offer. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

I
was prepared for Elisa’s initial rejection, and not the least bit deterred. The precarious position she was in ensured I would win this round.

“Of course this is a good idea. You want a buffer between you and the pathetic excuse for a man you call an ex. I can take that one step further. Showing up with your new, famous, rich, and adoring boyfriend will have him kicking his own ass for letting you go. As an added bonus, it will make him look pathetic to everyone else because you obviously lowered your standards to be with him.”

Elisa’s forehead wrinkled and she frowned. “It’s not like I was slumming or something,” she said defensively.

I squeezed her hand again. “Yes, baby. You were.”

She stared at me for a few moments, the frown line still visible. Then it disappeared and she shrugged. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Good. What time should I pick you up?”

“No, I meant—” she stopped and sighed. “Ten a.m. on Friday.”

Touchdown.

***

I
didn’t want to push my luck, so I’d resisted the temptation to kiss her senseless after lunch. There would be plenty of time for me to get to know every inch of her sexy body. I went through the motions of getting her address, as if I didn’t already know everything about her.

Friday morning finally arrived and my body was humming with excitement, knowing my perpetual state of arousal since I met Elisa would soon be appeased. I parked my car in the driveway of a quaint, white cottage complete with red shutters and a picket fence. I followed the flower-lined path to the red front door and rang the bell, half-expecting Mrs. Cleaver to answer.

Instead, the rush of desire that slammed into my body when I saw the sexiest snow bunny I’d ever encountered almost knocked me over. Elisa stood in front of me in a white sweater that clung to her perky tits, jeans that looked painted on, and I was sure showcased her perfect ass, and dark brown, leather riding boots. My cock swelled to epic proportions as I pictured her riding me, those tits bouncing, my hands clutching her round ass. This was going to be a very long car ride.

She smiled, almost shyly, shrugged on a white ski jacket, and then lifted her long, black hair from inside the collar. I shoved my fantasies to the back of my mind and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Hello, baby. You look incredible.” I inhaled her scent, filling my lungs with the fragrance of cherry blossoms—a smell I’d quickly become addicted to.

The apples of her cheeks became tinged with pink, but her plump lips turned down at the corners. “We aren’t there yet.”

I winked and fought a grin when her blush intensified. “Just getting into character,” I explained. I lifted her small suitcase, waited until she shut and locked the door, then placed my empty hand so low on her back, another inch and I’d be filling my palm with her ass. Guiding her out to the car, I helped her climb into her seat and leaned over to buckle her in. She gave me a confused look, but didn’t protest, and I was rewarded with another beautiful blush when my arm brushed across her tits as I pulled back and stood. After storing her bag in the back with mine, I joined her in the front of the car and got on the road.

“There’s coffee there for you,” I told her, nodding toward the center console.

“Um, thanks,” she murmured, picking up the steaming cup and taking a sip. Surprise registered on her face. “How did you know what I like?”

I glanced at her, smiling. “I pay attention, particularly to anything that touches those kissable lips.” Damn, the sweet color on her cheeks was going to be the death of me. It never failed to have my dick standing at attention. The drive to the airport took less that fifteen minutes and I parked in a private hangar at the small airstrip. When I’d informed Elisa that I would take care of our travel arrangements, she put up a little argument, but it wasn’t hard to convince her to make the trip in Maddie’s husband’s private jet. We boarded and took off for Tahoe in no time at all.

A young, male flight attendant served us drinks, then asked, “Is there anything else I can get you, Mr. Mariano?” He didn’t once glance in my direction, too busy staring at my woman’s chest. Resisting the urge to resolve the situation with a broken nose, I growled, “No, I’ll take care of her. You won’t be needed any further.”

His dopey smile drooped and he finally looked my way. A glance at my expression had him scurrying to another part of the plane, leaving us alone.

Elisa smacked my arm lightly and glared. “You didn’t have to be so rude to him, Brysen.”

I rolled my eyes, but kept my thoughts to myself. If I opened my mouth, I was sure I’d say something in Cavemanese and I didn’t want to piss her off and start our weekend on a bad note. Though Caleb was a scotch man, he’d stocked the bar with beer for me and I took a swig of the pale ale. I almost moaned. It was the best thing I’d ever tasted, though I was positive Elisa would taste better. That’s when I noticed the label marking it as a winner of the World Beer Awards. I chuckled at Caleb’s need to always have the best, but that didn’t stop me from texting my housekeeper to order some.

To my surprise, Elisa had ordered a beer too, not wine or champagne. That was fucking hot as hell. Her expression of delight while drinking it had me doubling my order. I hoped to be the one putting that look on her face for the rest of our lives, but I still enjoyed seeing it now.

I unbuckled and turned toward her in my seat. It was time to get down to business. “We need to get to know one another.”

Elisa nodded. “Okay. Tell me about your injury.”

I was used to this question, but it didn’t make it any easier to talk about. Although, telling Elisa the story seemed less uncomfortable. “The short version is I was taken down during a pass and landed wrong. The landing was bad enough by itself, but the other player came right down on top of my shoulder. I tore both ligaments in my AC joint. It took two surgeries and eight weeks of physical therapy for the doctor to tell me it wasn’t likely I would ever regain full motion. I could hope for the best and continue to play, but I knew I’d be playing backup for the rest of my contract. I’d had a true movie moment where the quarterback’s very last throw of his career wins the game. I decided to let the team buy out my contract and end on a high note.”

I had Elisa’s full attention. I loved that she was so openly interested in my life and her eyes hadn’t glazed over at the talk of football. A while back, I’d discovered she’d been raised as a New York Giants fan. Elisa was gorgeous, laid back, a beer drinker, and I could teach her all about football. So, I decided those things outweighed her choice of team. However, we’d need to correct the fault before long. Our kids would be Jets fans; I had no wiggle room on that issue.

“What else?”

I reached across her seat, grabbed her hand, and brought it back to my lap. Absently playing with her fingers, I gave her the basics. “I’ll be thirty-one next month. No siblings, though Maddie is like a sister to me. My parents live in Syracuse, both teachers. I’ve tried to get them to retire, it’s not like they need to work, but they constantly remind me they would be bored. I’ve got my hands in several businesses right now, basically trying to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life. Lately, I’ve been concentrating on the ones that will keep me close to home so I can be with my family.”

“But, you’re looking to buy a house just outside the city.” Elisa’s face was adorably confused. “Wouldn’t being close mean moving upstate?” I mentally fist bumped myself at the disappointment she wasn’t able to disguise in her deep brown eyes.

“Not my parents, my wife and kids, baby,” I informed her with a wink, my fingers tracing lazy circles on the inner skin of her forearm. Tiny goose bumps followed their path.

She looked at me oddly for a moment, then burst out laughing. My only response was a single eyebrow arched in question.

“I’m sorry,” she sputtered. “The image of football’s star manwhore settling down with a wife and kids is hilarious.” I vehemently disagreed, but showing was better than telling, and I fully intended for her to have no doubt about our future together by the end of the weekend.

“The right woman can change everything,” I said meaningfully, then changed the subject. “Your turn. Tell me more about you.”

Her cute, freckled nose scrunched and I could see her mind whirling, trying to get out of talking about herself. Eventually, she sighed, “I’m twenty-five, I have one sister, she’s twenty. My parents are gone, no other family. I have a degree in business management from Columbia and I’m a real-estate broker. There, you know everything.”

Her answer had me chuckling, amused she thought I’d be satisfied with that. “I don’t know nearly enough. However, if we’re going to be a couple, there is one thing that is essential for me to be able to pull this off.” I entwined our fingers and tugged her forward, slipping my free hand into her hair and cupping the back of her neck.

“What?” She eyed me warily, but her choppy breaths gave away her rapidly growing desire.

Leaning in, my hand brought her forward until our mouths met and I couldn’t suppress the instant groan at the feel of her soft lips on mine. My tongue ran along the seam and her body softened, her lips parting so I could taste her. Consumed by her, I kissed her like a drowning man fighting to breathe. The small whimpers she was making and her body wiggling to get closer, proving she was just as overwhelmed, gratified me. Letting her hand go, I glided my palm up her thigh and unsnapped her jeans, shoving it down the opening until I brushed against the fabric of her panties. “Holy shit. You’re fucking drenched for me,” I whispered against her mouth. Using one finger, I dragged her underwear to the side and dipped into her pussy, spreading the wetness from bottom to top. Her whimpers became moans when I circled her tight little bud before plunging two fingers into her hole.

Our mouths were still fused together as my fingers touched and teased her pussy. When her breathing became so erratic that she had to tear her lips from mine, I knew she was almost there. “Want to know what else I need, baby?” I purred.

“Y-yes,” she panted.

I curled my fingers up to just the right spot as the heel of my hand pressed and rubbed her clit. “To see what you look like when you come.”

With a scream, she exploded, and I was blown away by the sight. It was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen.

H
oly crap! One minute I was having the usual first date get-to-know-each-other conversation with Brysen so he’d be prepared to convince people he was my boyfriend, and the next, I was experiencing my first non-self-induced orgasm all over his hand. I wasn’t exactly a blushing virgin, but I’d never had this kind of chemistry with any other man. Hence the need for me to get myself off—none of the guys I’d dated in the past had been able to do it for me.

Brysen evidently had the magic touch. He should have played baseball instead of being a quarterback since he’d managed to make it to third base before I even realized his hand was in my panties. By then, I was too turned on to argue, racing toward a climax one thousand times stronger than any I’d given myself. Between the orgasm, my nerves about this weekend, and the beer, I promptly fell asleep in his arms and managed to avoid the awkward moment after until six hours later when the plane landed in Lake Tahoe.

I was startled awake by the sound of the landing gear being lowered and found myself settled on the couch, my clothes back in order and a blanket spread over me. My feet were resting in Brysen’s lap, right on top of his hardened length—a fact I promptly discovered when I stretched out and curled my toes right into his groin. “Sorry,” I mumbled, yanking my legs back and blushing as I remembered what he’d been doing right before I fell asleep—how easily he’d made me come and how I hadn’t returned the favor.

“I’m not sorry,” he quipped, pulling my feet back onto his lap. “Not even a little bit. How could I be when I got exactly what I wanted?”

I wiggled my toes a little. “It feels to me like there might be something you wanted and didn’t get.”

“I hate to break it to you, baby,” he murmured, “but I’m always hard when you’re near. Even after I’ve come in my pants from the flavor of you on my tongue like a teenager who’s never tasted pussy before.”