Page 5 of Bliss

Bliss would have come with me if I’d asked, but then our relationship would have come to light. So, I’d ended it with her. My methods had destroyed her. I’d known it then, just as I knew she was still struggling with it as I looked down at her now. Seven years and she still hadn’t gotten over it.

My heart ached for the pain she still felt, but at the same time, it gave me hope.

Even if she hated me now, I’d take it. Hate wasn’t indifference, which was what I’d been most afraid of. I could work with hate. With enough nurturing, I could turn it back into love. And this time, there was no risk of destroying my career. I was no longer a college basketball coach. It wouldn’t matter if anyone found out about our previous relationship at this point. I’d proven myself, had the wins, the undefeated seasons, the five championships.

I could finally love this woman in public, give her all of myself, fulfill every dream she’d ever had.

Bliss walked away from me, dragging her brother with her. I followed, knowing it was a risk, given the amount of steam that was practically blowing out of her ears. But then the team’s owner cut me off. He shoved a glass of something amber in my hand, then tapped his own tumbler to mine.

Pasting on a tight smile, I pretended to listen, realizing it was for the better that I didn’t catch Bliss yet. She’d probably take my head off before I had the chance to tell her how much I’d missed her. It was better to wait, have the original first meeting that I’d planned, and give her a chance to cool down.

Two hours later, I stepped off the elevator and walked toward my apartment. But instead of pulling out my keys and opening my own door, I paused in front of my neighbor’s and knocked twice.

“Fuck’s sake,” Bliss muttered. I bit back a smile. She cursed like a sailor, and I didn’t think that was simply because she’d grown up surrounded by rock stars. With another string of expletives, she opened the door too quickly for her to have bothered to check who it was through the peephole. “All I want is to read this book and eat my cheesecake…”

Her voice trailed off as her gaze traveled up my body and finally landed on my face. Her mouth dropped open in surprise, the faintest little whimper leaving her before she snapped her mouth shut and the surprise turned into a glare.

I took my time letting my eyes feast on the sight of her. She was still in the same clothes she’d been in at the party, her hair twisted into a knot on top of her head that barely reached my sternum. I ached to tuck back a few strands that floated around her face, but if she flinched away from my touch the way she had back at the party, I wasn’t sure my legs would continue to support me.

Her lips looked ripe as always, bare of any lip gloss. They’d always had a natural nude-honey color to them. When I kissed her, they would plump so pretty. And when she sucked my cock, fuck! Those damp, lush lips starred in so many of my most erotic dreams.

I ached to kiss her. Just grab the back of her head, swoop down, and take what I craved—the taste of her mouth. Then more, every inch of her, until I had my tongue deep in her tight cunt while she rode my face.

“What are you doing here, Noah?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest, further emphasizing that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Christ, I’d always loved her tits. They were perfectly proportioned for my giant hands. And I couldn’t even think about her ass without my cock aching.

Mentally, I tried to scrub the hot thoughts from my mind so I could focus.

This wasn’t part of my plan for our first meeting, any more than seeing her at the party had been. Nothing was going as I’d imagined, but I wouldn’t have been able to sleep if I hadn’t seen her at least one more time that night. “I wanted to make sure you got home safely.”

Thankfully, she’d never moved from the apartment she’d lived in when she was in college. Obtaining the unit directly across from her had been somewhat difficult, given that the previous occupant had lived there for two decades already, with no desire to relocate. I ended up paying triple what the place was worth and arranged for the man to get lifelong courtside seats to every Titans’ home game. It was money well spent.

I would have willingly paid ten times more than what I had to be this close to Bliss.

“As you can see, I’m here and in one piece.” She grabbed the door, her tone dropping to a snarl. “Now, get lost. Oh, and forget my address.”

Before I could blink, she slammed the door in my face.

Noah

I had plenty to do to get ready for the approaching season. I needed to put in a lot of work to fix the shitshow that the Titans had become under the reign of the previous coach. Despite being a team that was only a few years old, they had a toxic environment that had started from almost day one.

Egos clashed. Instead of focusing on the games, on getting the wins by working together, the players had engaged in too much inter-team competition because too many of them had the same god mentality. From what I’d seen of the previous season alone, they’d had more drama than one of those daytime soap operas that my grandmother had been addicted to when I was a kid.

Throwing the strap of my gym bag over my shoulder, I picked up my messenger bag and the two travel thermos-style cups of coffee my housekeeper had left waiting for me in the kitchen. Opening the door, I tried to keep my face neutral as the neighbor across the hall stepped out of their apartment.

My gaze had a will of its own as it traveled over Bliss, taking in the jeans that accentuated her curvy ass and thighs, and the top with a deep plunge that showcased the delectable cleavage on display. Her long, rich, dark hair fell down her back in waves, while her makeup was simply tinted moisturizer, a little mascara to emphasize her naturally thick lashes, and a smear of gloss over her naturally honey-colored lips.

She had her phone to her ear, already dropping her keys into her tote-style purse, keeping her distracted while I soaked up the sight of her. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she griped into the device. “I’m on my way now. If I’m late, I’m late. We all know that Arella won’t even be there yet. She’s chronically late, and no one ever gives her shit about it.”

Not wanting to startle her, I cleared my throat loudly enough to catch her attention. As she lifted her head, her fingers tightened noticeably around the phone until they turned white. Fire flashed in her eyes, along with confusion. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

“What?” a female voice shouted from the phone loud enough for me to hear it.

Bliss winced at the high pitch directly in her ear. “I’ll tell you later, Heavenleigh. I have to go. See you soon.”

“Bliss!” But she’d already disconnected before her sister could demand answers.