Chapter 20

Inever thought I'd get so excited over a sixth-grade football game, but I had tears in my eyes when Owen threw the ball and then ran it in for a touchdown on the next play. Then I was a nervous wreck as we waited for the clock to run out.

I'd messaged Jameson, knowing he probably wouldn't check his phone, but I couldn't watch him pace on the sidelines. It had my stomach in knots. But when he had, I hoped it had helped.

We were supposed to pretend we were merely coach and team parent at football events, but I couldn't help reaching out and making that small connection.

But it was getting harder to do. I heard the women in the stand talk about how hot he was, and I noticed the way the other single moms hovered around him after games and practice, hoping to get a word with him.

The only thing that comforted me was that he didn't seem to treat them as anything more than his player's parents. He didn't throw on the charm and flirt. He was all business when he was on the field.

The kids hefted the Gatorade containers and poured the contents on each other. Jameson narrowly avoided getting hit himself. The excitement was contagious.

I moved with the parents to get closer to the team and to hear what Jameson had to say about the game.

"Let's take the kids to get pizza and celebrate," one of the parents suggested.

Jameson grinned. "We gonna celebrate with pizza after every win?"

One of the kids hollered, "Hell yes, we are, coach."

The parents chuckled at his enthusiasm while a few groaned.

"Language," Jameson chided. "But we can do that."

Kurt's dad suggested the place and texted the address on the team message chain.

"Showers first. Then dinner," Jameson said as they filed past him.

I wanted to congratulate him, but I couldn't. Not with this number of people around him, all wanting to talk to the coach who'd seemingly inspired the team. There was an energy around him, an excitement that couldn't be tamed.

Instead, I settled for sending him another text congratulating him while I walked to my car. I wanted to say we'd celebrate later, but he never stayed overnight at my place, and other than Thanksgiving night, we hadn't had another opportunity to be alone.

I waited for Owen to open the door and smiled wide when he got inside. "Great job, buddy. I'm so proud of you."

"You see my pass?" he asked as he slid into the back seat.

"I sure did. You looked like a natural out there." After his initial nerves subsided.

He chewed his lip. "Do you think Bryce is upset?"

"It's possible." I forced myself to wait him out, not to jump in and give advice on what to do. That was the hardest part of my job, taking a step back and letting Owen work things out on his own.

"It was fun. But I wonder who Coach will play next time."

"The only thing you can do is play your best when you get the opportunity. You can't control other people's reactions. And the decision to put you in or not is the coach's, not yours."

"I know that." Owen sighed, then looked out the window.

I didn't tell Owen that we couldn't act too friendly toward Jameson at the restaurant. I refused to coach him to lie or be anything other than what he was. I just hoped no one noticed how familiar Owen was with Jameson.

I didn't want anyone speculating that Owen was on the team because we knew Jameson before the season started or that he helped him get on with his training recommendations.

I wasn't friendly with the other parents. And since I was a teacher, the kids mainly kept their distance.

At the restaurant, the team had taken over a party room in the back. It was loud with everyone talking and laughing about the game. Owen broke off from me and went over to his teammates. He was excited to be part of the team, and I was proud of him.

I just felt like an outsider as I leaned against a wall and watched everyone interact around me. Jameson stood in the center of the room, talking to a few of the dads. I was sure it was about the game.

Bryce's dad, Brian, was here too. I wondered if he was upset that Bryce was taken out of the game, especially when the buzz was about how amazing Owen was. I heard a few parents ask whether anyone knew Owen could throw like that. I was proud of Owen, but I worried about the backlash. What would Bryce say to Owen in school?

When the pizza came, I sat at one of the parents' tables, but I couldn't eat. My stomach was tied up in knots.

I was on edge, worried that someone would notice something. But Jameson never even looked in my direction, which hurt for a different reason.

I was tired of keeping us a secret even though I knew it was necessary. Our jobs were on the line, and Jameson's was only a temporary position. He could easily be blocked from being a substitute teacher and asked not to return as the coach.

Now that he'd taken the position, I could see how much he liked it. I didn't want to be the reason why he lost it.

After the pizza was gone, Jameson stood. "I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. I'm proud of the kids, how hard they worked this season, and how hard they fought tonight. It wasn't easy. Football is a mental game, and they all fought hard to take home the win."

A bunch of people cheered.

"But the season isn't over yet." The cheers grew louder. "We have more hard work to do. But I'm confident you boys have what it takes to come out on top. At the end of the day, it isn't how many games you won or how many you lost. It's what you learned along the way and how much you grew."

Brian shook his head from his position at the back of the room where he still stood against the wall. He hadn't joined any of the other parent social groups. He also hadn't talked to Jameson yet. I was sure he was going to complain; it was just a matter of time.

Servers cleaned the tables, and I gathered my things. People were starting to leave, and it was getting late.

"Are you ready to head out?" I asked Owen where he was laughing and talking to a group of boys.

Surprisingly, he didn't argue; he just grabbed his jacket and followed me out.

"Did you have fun?"

Owen chewed his lip. "I'm still worried about what Bryce's dad is going to say."

"There's nothing that you can do about it, and it wasn't your fault. All you can do is play your best."

We drove the rest of the way in silence. Owen asked to go to bed as soon as we arrived. It was late, and he was probably coming down from the adrenaline rush of the game.

I changed into pajamas and waited to see if Jameson would reach out. I almost didn't expect it because it was a long night. I was sure he was busy with parents after dinner.

When there was a soft knock on the door, I opened it eagerly. When I saw Jameson's face, I threw myself at him, my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

He chuckled as he caught me. "Eager to see me?"

I peppered kisses over his face. "I'm just so happy for you." When I pulled back, I said, "Congratulations, coach."

"I like the sound of that," he said as he lowered his mouth to mine.

The kiss was sloppy and desperate. We hadn't been able to truly be together since Thanksgiving, and we were both unleashing pent up energy.

"Can we do this here?" Jameson pulled back to ask.

"Let's go inside," I said intending to talk about it further inside the house.

But when the door was shut behind us, he pressed me against the door. "Where's Owen?"

"He's in bed with his headphones on if he isn't already asleep." My voice was breathless.

"Where's your room?"

"Mine's downstairs. His is upstairs." I'd barely gotten the words out of my mouth when Jameson picked me up and carried me down the hall to the bedroom. He kicked the door shut behind us, then reached back to turn the lock.

When he lowered me to the bed and hovered over me, he asked, "Is this okay?"

I nodded eagerly. Owen never came into my room in the middle of the night anymore. He respected my privacy, probably because he wanted the same courtesy.

"I want to celebrate," he said as he ran his nose against the delicate skin of my neck.

"I should be the one congratulating you," I said with a wicked smile.

Jameson cocked a brow. "How do you propose to do that?"

I pushed his shoulder until he was flat on his back. Then I worked his pants down and off. I cupped his hard length through his briefs. When his hips bucked off the bed, I took the hint and pulled those down too.

"You're teasing me," he accused me when he pulled off his T-shirt, leaving him gloriously naked and spread eagled on my bed.

I licked my lips. "I like you in this position."

Jameson cocked a brow. "Completely at your mercy?"

"Yes," I said with more than a little wonder that he was here with me before I licked the head.

"I want to see you." Jameson's voice was gruff.

I shimmied out of my pajamas. His hands were everywhere as he helped me. As soon as I felt the cool air against my skin, my mouth engulfed him again. I was eager to reward him.

"Fuck. That feels good." His large hand turned me so he could dip between my legs and play with me.

I moaned around his cock, and he gritted his teeth. "You feel fantastic."

I popped off for a second to say, "That's the idea."

I sucked him hard, wanting him to feel good. I didn't need to draw it out or tease him anymore than I already had.

With a groan, he lifted me in the air and turned me so that my pussy was over his mouth. I felt his breath before he pulled me down onto his mouth.

I whimpered, completely forgetting my job when he lightly smacked my ass. Remembering that I was supposed to be making him feel good, I gripped his cock and got to work licking and sucking him.

Jameson anchored me to him, and I couldn't escape the sensation of his lips and fingers. He quickly worked me up. When I let go, spasming around his fingers, he shot into my mouth. I swallowed him down, then rested my head against his hard thigh.

When we'd recovered, he helped me move so that I was resting in his arms.

"I had other plans for you tonight."

"I'm not done with you either," Jameson said gruffly, holding me more tightly.

I circled my finger on his chest. "How was the rest of the night? Did anyone give you a hard time?"

Jameson stiffened. "Brian accused me of sabotaging Bryce's future."

My forehead wrinkled. "How are you doing that? The kids are in sixth grade."

"According to him, I developed another player to replace Bryce. Like I did it intentionally to hurt him or something."

"You know that's not true." My finger circled the hair on his chest.

But Jameson looked upset; his brow was furrowed and his lips downturned. "I want to help kids."

"And you did."

"I wasn't trying to hurt Bryce. He just didn't play well today."

"Any coach would have taken him out if he had another option."

"The thing was, Owen hadn't played in a game before. I had no idea how he would do. But I had to take that chance. I wasn't trying to make Bryce look bad."

"Bryce was the one who didn't play well."

"I don't want to worry about any of that tonight." He rolled so that he was on top of me. My legs spread to accommodate him, and his already-hard cock pressed against my thigh.

"Are you ready to go again?" I asked, surprised.

Jameson grinned. "I'm always ready when it comes to you."

This time he went more slowly, kissing and sucking on every inch of my bare skin until I was writhing beneath him, a sweaty mess. "Jameson, please. I need you."

"I'll never get tired of hearing you say that."

I wanted to tell him I loved him, that I wanted more, but it wasn't the time or the place. He would think it was just the heat of the moment. And I knew he was worried about the stuff going on with his team.

When he slid inside me, I was lost in the feel of him, filling me up. He felt so good tonight. Even better than normal.

He lowered himself, so that his body pressed against mine, and kissed me. I'd never felt closer to him. I liked having him in my house, in my bedroom.

I needed to talk to Owen about it. See how he felt about Jameson taking a bigger role in our lives. But more importantly, I needed to make sure Jameson was on the same page as me.

But tonight didn't seem like the right time to tackle all those issues. Instead, I closed my eyes and reveled in the feel of his body moving over mine.

This time when we went over, we did it together. Jameson pressed a kiss to my lips before pulling out.

He went to the bathroom and returned with a washcloth, cleaning me before tossing it aside. Then he gathered me to him. His skin was warm and his touch comforting.

He kissed my temple. "I'll sneak out before morning."

"Do you think we should talk to Owen about us? So we wouldn't have to sneak around or pretend you didn't sleep in my bed."

"Not until after the season. Brian is already pissed. I don't want him getting a hold of this."

I wanted to ask how long we were going to let a kid's parent run our lives, but I understood it was his first coaching job, and he wanted to prove myself.

Then he fell silent, and I was so tired from the stress of the game and sitting outside that I fell asleep.