Goal Line (Madison Howlers #4) Read online

  She sighed, tipping her head back so that her dark curls spread across Devon’s pillow. He loved having her in his bed - even when all they did was sleep. Right now, Devon intended to do far more than sleep. His hands ran up Annie’s smooth calves, then settled on her thighs just above her knees.

  Slowly, he spread Annie’s legs open. He loved the way it made her breath hitch. She pushed her hips up, her hands stretching out towards him. Devon didn’t come close enough for her to touch. Not yet.

  This was about Annie, about the different sounds she would make, and the desire that Devon wanted to raise to a fever pitch.

  “Is it important to you that you take the jersey off yourself?” Annie asked. Her hands toyed with the hem. The flashes of revealed midsection made Devon growl, low in the back of his throat.

  “You can take it off yourself,” he commented. Devon was hardly going to object if she wanted to be more naked. He pressed a kiss against Annie’s inner thigh as she reached to pull the jersey off, exposing a bra that didn’t match the panties she was wearing. “No Oakley branded bra?” He tutted.

  She laughed, throwing the jersey over Devon’s shoulder to land on the floor. “It’s not my fault that the Howlers’ didn’t think to make a bra I could buy,” she pointed out. “You’ll have to take it up with your merch department.”

  Sitting up against his pillows, Annie snapped the clasp of the bra open, letting her breasts spill forth. Wearing nothing but the panties, Annie wiggled against Devon’s sheets, clearly eager for him to keep touching her.

  “There was a thong,” she admitted. “Should I have gone for that, instead?”

  “No,” Devon shook his head. “I like this.”

  He really did like the panties. There was something very sexy about how unsexy they were. Why the merch store even sold underwear with his name on it was beyond Devon. But he certainly appreciated it in this instance.

  Seeing Annie like this - spread mostly naked across his bed - Devon could hardly believe how good this felt. He leaned in to press another kiss against her thigh. Then he moved up, seeking Annie’s lips. There was passion in their kiss, but also tenderness until Devon had to pull back for a breath.

  “I love you,” he told Annie, a hand brushing a strand of stray hair out of her face.

  It was true. In that moment, Devon knew that so well. He had never felt about anyone the way he did about Annie. And he had absolutely no intention of ever feeling this way towards anyone else, either.

  He watched as her eyes filled with sudden tears. It somehow made them even more brightly green, sparkling with some internal light. “Devon.” His name sounded so good, even better than it did when she was moaning it in ecstasy.

  Annie wrapped herself around him. Not just her arms. Her legs came up to frame Devon’s hips, her breasts hot and soft against the hard muscles of Devon’s chest.

  “I love you, too,” she breathed.

  Her hands slid under Devon’s shirt, grazing against his shoulders and clutching at his back. “I love you.”

  As Devon moved to let Annie pull his shirt off, it struck him how much it didn’t matter if she was his soulmate. He was confident that she was, that it was her name on his skin. But he’d never know for sure. There was no way to know for sure.

  And yet, it didn’t matter. Devon loved Annie. He was certain that he’d love her even if her name didn’t match the name on his skin. Or maybe that was what the whole soulmate thing was about. He’d never truly know. Devon was more than happy to believe that Annie was it.

  He wanted her to be it.

  Devon’s lips came crashing down against Annie’s once more. He poured all of his feelings into that kiss until Devon could no longer contain them.

  Hands tight against Annie’s hips, Devon kissed down her body again. This time, he stopped at her breasts, teasing his tongue over each nipple until Annie’s moans were too much to take. He made his way lower, fingers hooking under the material of her panties.

  “Time for these to come off,” he informed Annie.

  “Yes!” she agreed eagerly, lifting her hips. Devon dragged the material down, inch by inch. He took the time to admire every new piece of Annie that he revealed. The scattering of freckles over her hip, the satiny skin of her inner thigh, the demanding way her nails pressed into his shoulder. “Devon!” This time, the sound of his name brought a scalding heat to Devon’s skin.

  He sent the panties flying, joining Annie’s Mammoths jersey somewhere on his bedroom floor. Devon would’ve thought it was the closest the two rival teams had ever come to one another - except that he and Annie were about to get a lot closer.

  When Devon pressed his mouth between her legs, Annie keened. Even so, Devon wasn’t ready to stop teasing her. His tongue darted over her, into her, everywhere but where she wanted it most.

  Hearing her moan under him felt amazing. Devon’s hands played against Annie’s skin. She whined louder and louder as he refused to bring her any closer to the edge. It wasn’t until her hand came to tug hard against his hair that Devon slid his tongue higher against her heat. The loud cry of pleasure he got in response urged him on, passion threatening to overtake his whole body.

  Annie rocked against him, making Devon’s hands tighten against her hips. He didn’t hold her down, but he did offer some resistance. His tongue teased Annie more, lapping harder and harder until she was thrashing under him. Her pleasure was overwhelmingly close, Devon could tell.

  He wanted to push her over, wanted to hear her as she came.

  She pushed against his hands with unexpected force. Her orgasm seemed to take her by surprise. A moan broke in the middle as she fought to draw in enough air to breathe. Annie’s muscles tightened, her body arching off the bed.

  It was beautiful. She whimpered Devon’s name again as she came down from the height of bliss. Her body relaxed, sprawling against Devon’s bed with a sudden heavy weight to her limbs.

  That didn’t last. Before Devon had even finished congratulating himself on a job well done, Annie was sitting up, reaching for him.

  “Why are you still dressed?” she demanded imperiously.

  He laughed at that. She certainly had a point. Devon pulled back, standing up at the end of the bed so he could get naked as quickly as possible. He did pause before taking his boxers off so Annie could watch him. The way her eyes slid over his body made Devon’s hot. Despite often hearing that he looked good, Devon had never felt as desired as he did when Annie looked at him.

  To let her enjoy him more, Devon flexed the muscles in his stomach, giving a wide grin at how Annie’s tongue licked over her lips. “See something you like?” he teased.

  “Everything,” Annie replied. Her voice was throaty. There was more in her eyes than just desire. Devon knew, without her needing to say that she really did mean everything. It wasn’t just his body that Annie appreciated.

  With that in mind, Devon closed the distance between them. He crawled over her, caging Annie in against the mattress. Her breasts rose and fell with every breath, their movements mesmerizing.

  Annie’s hands came up, fingertips lightly tracing a line down Devon’s chest, around his waist. When they reached his back, Annie let her nails drag against his skin. It sent electricity through every nerve-ending.

  “Tell me again,” Annie urged, looking up at him.

  The words made Devon’s stomach swoop. His body filled with the kind of warmth Devon had never expected to feel. Bringing his hand up to caress his fingers over Annie’s cheek, Devon smiled. Knowing that she wanted to hear him say it, especially now, made Devon feel special.

  “I love you,” he told her, voice gentle. Pressing a soft kiss against Annie’s neck, Devon nuzzled his nose against her jaw. “I love how you’re funny.” Kiss. “I love how you’re sexy.” Kiss. “I love how you listen to me.” Kiss. “And I really love how much you care.” It was all true. And Devon could list a million other things.

  With every compliment, Annie’s smile seemed to glow bri
ghter. Her hands moved more softly, stroking over Devon’s spine. They added to the warmth filling Devon, making it spill over until he couldn’t contain all of it.

  But that was fine. Annie could share it with him. She pulled his mouth to hers, their breath mingling for an instant before she sealed their lips together. Annie’s tongue danced against his, quick and eager. He felt her body rise off the bed to meet his.

  “I love you,” she replied. And then, “Please.”

  The ‘please’ rocked through him almost as much the ‘I love you’. Devon wanted to feel her, wanted to give Annie anything and everything that she asked for. He kissed her once more, hard and passionate, before pulling back for the briefest of moments. When Devon returned, it was to pull Annie’s body tighter against his.

  He reached between them, aligning their bodies perfectly, Devon pushed forward. He was gentle, taking his time to make sure Annie was comfortable. When she kissed him, her teeth grazing Devon’s lower lip, he thrust forward.

  “Fuck,” Devon breathed. “I love this, too. You feel so amazing.”

  Annie’s answer was a wordless gasp as Devon filled her. Her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging Devon down towards her breasts. Obligingly, he covered them in kisses. He swore he could hear Annie’s heart thump against her ribs with every one of his thrusts inside her.

  Her legs cradled his hips, tightening to pull him closer. It was all Devon could do to keep pulling back so that he could rock forward again. His strength overpowered Annie’s. From the way her moans echoed off the wall, Devon didn’t think she minded.

  “Yes, yes, yes,” she chanted. Though she’d already reached the pinnacle of pleasure once, Devon was determined to get her there again.

  He didn’t rush. Devon wanted to take his time. He loved how she felt around him and under him. Their bodies fit together so well. Devon poured all of himself into it. He loved Annie and he wanted to show her that. His hand reached under her to bring Annie’s body up more, supporting her weight as he held her against him.

  Devon moved steadily, making sure not to change his angle. Annie’s moans kept increasing. When her muscles tightened, he knew she was close. All of Devon’s focus went into that. He loved bringing her pleasure and wanted to hear the beautiful sounds she made as she gave into him, losing control so beautifully.

  “You’re so great, Annie,” he breathed. “Come for me, let me see you be so stunning as you do.”

  She didn’t disappoint. Her body actually shuddered under Devon’s at the intensity of her feelings. Her muscles squeezed him, bringing them even closer together, until it was all Devon could do to hold back. Annie cried out his name. The last syllable dragged out, turning into a moan as she utterly lost control.

  Devon thrust steadily through it all, drinking in the sight and the sound and the feel of Annie. He wanted to forget everything but her. Driving his hips forward, he pulled her body even tighter against his.

  Every thrust pushed a half-formed word from Annie’s lips, until she gathered herself. “Oh, that was amazing.” Her voice sounded far away, like remembering how to speak was an effort. “Come on,” she urged.

  Knowing that she wanted to feel him, Devon could hardly resist. He moved against Annie just as steadily but slightly harder. The way her breath caught in her throat, soft moans of pleasure still escaping her, was fantastic. It didn’t take Devon long before he felt his climax approach.

  His hand gripped tighter against Annie. He gave an almost animalistic growl as pleasure hit him, rolling through him in waves. Annie pulled him in closer, letting him press against her hard until he felt so spent that he hardly had the energy to move off her.

  It was like all of his game energy and his sex energy got exhausted at once. Devon mustered enough strength to collapse next to Annie, pulling her close against him as he sought out her lips for a kiss. It was slow and lingering until finally Devon pulled back with a happy sigh.

  “I think you might be my soulmate, Annie,” he told her seriously, his nose brushing against Annie’s. “But even if you’re not, I’m okay with that.” Devon felt it important that she knew that. He loved her and not just some idea of who he had expected his soulmate to be.

  Annie was quiet for a moment, her breath still coming fast. Devon could almost see her absorbing the impact of what he’d said. He was sure that she remembered how important it had been to him to find his soulmate. He’d told her that he was determined to do so. But that had been before. Before he’d really known Annie.

  Slowly, a smile spread over her face. She rubbed her nose affectionately against his cheek, reminding Devon of the kittens she’d taken him to see. Her hand ran down Devon’s back, to his ass where his soulmark was.

  “You’re right for me,” she said. “And I’m going to do my best to be right for you. I think that makes us soulmates.”

  Devon was very inclined to agree. And the thing was, despite how much he had always hoped to find his soulmate, Devon was so willing to work with Annie towards happiness that it didn’t matter. Or maybe that was how you knew that you were someone’s soulmate. Things weren’t always going to be easy, but if they worked together, they could make them a lot easier.

  “I think so, too,” Devon smiled.

  Having Annie there with him felt right. Devon held onto that feeling. It was going to get him far, he was certain. Nudging Annie’s shoulder, Devon got her to turn over so he could spoon against her.

  Falling asleep with Annie in his arms felt right. Soulmates or not, Devon knew he loved Annie more than he would ever love anyone else.

  Chapter Nineteen

  DEVON'S BED WAS so comfortable and so warm. Annie loved how he always woke her with kisses on his way back from the gym. Then Annie would make him coffee and they’d share breakfast while they decided what to do for the day.

  They’d gone on a lot more dates. They were both great at coming up with surprises that the other would like. Annie had found a restaurant that served ten different types of grilled cheese sandwich. It had been forty minutes away, but well worth the drive. Devon had taken Annie bird-watching, so that she could finally teach him what a blue jay looked like. They had both taken Serena to see Frozen 2.

  Today, they’d decided to spend the day at home.

  Annie had officially abandoned Magda’s scarf. She’d sent her a nice basket of bath bombs, instead, which Magda had loved. It was a weight off Annie’s mind not to have it hanging over her head. But she’d never been very good at sitting still.

  The third time she flipped the remote control up into the air, Devon glanced over. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m enjoying the movie! I’m just fidgety.” Annie’s current craft project was a Korean patchwork. It was really too big and complicated to haul to and from Devon’s house every time she came over.

  Devon didn’t seem to ever get fidgety. It was another way in which they were different. His composed demeanor carried into everything. Annie liked it. She found it calming, almost. Except for right now. Right now, it just made Annie feel guilty for not being like that.

  Devon, much to his credit, was very good with Annie’s restlessness. He reached out, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “Don’t you have a project to work on?” he asked. Annie smiled as she realized how easily she accepted it as a question. It wasn’t that long ago that she would’ve assumed it was an accusation.

  “Not on me,” Annie answered, shaking her head. “It’s got too many pieces to keep moving it all the time.” She tucked her free hand under her thigh, thinking that would keep it still for at least a little while. Her other hand squeezed Devon’s, tangling their fingers together. She loved his hands. Annie remembered how she’d noticed them so early in their relationship. Now, they brought back all sorts of good memories.

  She shifted, tucking her head down onto Devon’s shoulder. “Maybe I should start another project. A small one.” Annie would probably do that anyway, eventually, right? “But it doesn’t help right now. I’ll just try to be still.”<
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  Devon gave a small laugh, one that Annie took to mean that he didn’t believe her she could stay still. She might’ve considered feeling offended at that. Truthfully, he was probably right. Once Annie got like this, she just needed to create things and, well, maybe she needed to start leaving some of her projects here.

  “Actually, I got you something,” Devon said, surprising her. It was a few months off from their anniversary. Her birthday was slightly closer but not by much. Getting a present just because felt exciting.

  Getting up, Devon left briefly before returning with a box. “I haven’t wrapped it,” he warned before handing it to Annie.

  The picture on the top of the box showed a little greenhouse, with plants and lights. “It’s a miniature,” Devon told her. “You build it with glue and... stuff. I don’t know, the lady in the shop said it’s a bit like a puzzle but more... not a puzzle.” There was a small shrug that Devon gave, like he was losing his nerve about whether Annie would like it.

  The warmth that swept through Annie was nearly overwhelming. “It’s amazing!” she gushed. Honestly, Annie wouldn’t have minded what it was. “I don’t think anyone’s ever bought me a project before.” Of course, when she was little her dad had been the one to pay for Annie’s projects, but they’d always been things that she’d specifically asked for. Even at Christmas and birthdays.

  Leaning in, Annie pressed a kiss against Devon’s lips before she turned the box over in her hands. “Look at all the tiny little lights! It’s adorable, Devon.”

  With a sudden twist of anxiety, Annie looked up. She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Is it - did you pick it because you want to see what it’s like when it’s finished?” she asked.

  “No,” Devon answered, shaking his head. There was no indication that he didn’t mean that. Annie knew Devon well enough to know that he would never lie to her. He didn’t even say things simply because they’d make her feel better. Knowing that Devon was honest meant a lot.

  He reached to poke one of the lights, giving a small shrug. “I mean, I can see what it looks like finished on the box,” he pointed out. “I want to see you enjoying yourself. So if that’s building half a greenhouse, that’s cool, too.”