Out Of Bounds (Brit Boys Sports Romance Book 3) Read online

  I stared at him. The side of me I knew so well—the easy-going player side—thought perhaps that would be ideal. I’d show Zoe what she’d been missing all these years and then move along. Strange thing was, this other side of me—one with whom I wasn’t too familiar—didn’t like that so much. Zoe deserved more than a roll in the sheets. Bloody hell. I’d made a muck of things, and I hadn’t even gotten started yet.

  My silence must’ve lasted a bit too long. Tristan shook his head slowly. “Mate, I know you’ve got it bad when you haven’t got a thing to say. I’m betting you meant to ask my advice. Not that it’s worth much, but you’ll get it. Zoe’s top shelf. Treat her like she should be treated. The virgin part, I wouldn’t worry so much about. Unless you meet her at her level, it won’t matter.”

  I was entirely unaccustomed to anyone implying I couldn’t get a woman I wanted and was affronted. It didn’t help that I was feeling uncertain, something I couldn’t ever recall feeling when it came to women. As such, all I could manage was a muttered curse at Tristan. “Fuck off. If I want Zoe, I’ll have her.”

  He grinned. “Aye then. Let me know how it goes.”

  Chapter 8

  Zoe

  “Oh my God, you’re being ridiculous,” Jana said with a shake of her head.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m not. Ethan is way out of my league.”

  Jana finished chewing the bite of omelet she’d just taken and brushed her hair off her shoulder—her hair was naturally brown with streaks of purple and burgundy. With her typically eye catching hair colors, wide blue eyes, porcelain skin and hourglass figure, she tended to draw attention no matter where we were. At the moment, we were having breakfast at a nondescript diner before heading into the office. The man seated at the booth across from us had spent the last half hour eyeing Jana while she was entirely oblivious. The diner in question was aptly named West Coast Diner. The simple name was befitting its simple location in a square building with silver flashing and a neon sign. It wasn’t fancy, but the food was sublime. We met here once or twice a week before going into the office.

  Jana set her fork down and rested her elbows on the table, her eyes narrowing as she considered me. “Trust me, Ethan Walsh has the hots for you. He could barely stop staring at you when I came in because you were making your next appointment wait too long, and I couldn’t miss the fact you two looked like you’d been making out,” she said with a sly grin.

  My cheeks flamed. I bought some time by taking a gulp of coffee and waving for our waitress to get me a refill. I’d been beyond flustered by the time Ethan left my office the other day. That had been a full four days ago, and not an hour had passed since that I wasn’t replaying those heated moments. Just now, my mind flashed to the teasing feel of his fingers dragging across the wet silk of my panties. Oh hell. Just thinking about it elicited a throb of need between my thighs. I’d managed to avoid Jana’s prying questions at the time because I had an impatient client waiting. I let that appointment run late because I knew she had to leave for her exercise class. She’d been gone when I finally emerged from my office.

  I’d been waiting for her to say something for days and had almost, not quite but almost, convinced myself she must not have noticed that my clothes had been hastily put back in place and my hair wasn’t as tidy as usual. I should’ve known she was letting me fret and waiting to pounce.

  I sighed and glared at her. “I don’t know what you mean,” I finally hedged.

  Jana threw a glare right back at me. “Hon, I’ve had way more experience with men than you. I know how I look after I make out with someone in the office.”

  “You make out with guys at the office? When do you have time for that?”

  That earned me a slow eye roll. “Not since I’ve been working for you, but you do remember why I left my last job, right?”

  “Oh right. I forgot.”

  Jana had a hot and heavy relationship with her last boss who’d lied to her about the tiny detail of his marriage. When she discovered the truth, she promptly quit, but not before her reputation took a hit. She’d been a paralegal at a major law firm in Seattle. She should’ve been an attorney, but she only made it halfway through law school when her younger sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and died. Between that and the sordid details that leaked out about her alleged affair, well, to say her career had been derailed was an understatement. She’d been a friend in law school, so I’d reached out and offered her a job. We’d gone from being sort of friends to the best of friends since then.

  I finally looked over at her and sighed. “Right. Okay. Maybe he kissed me.” The second I said it, I wanted to take it back. Jana was on a stupid mission to get me to say goodbye to my virginity. I kept telling her I was too busy.

  On its face, that was true. I worked all the time. I’d known from the start of my legal career that I didn’t want to try to do the big firm thing. Women had it twice as hard as men, if not more so, trying to climb the ladders of prestige and recognition. I’d done as I set out to do and started my own legal practice, which meant if I wanted decent pay and clients I had to work my ass off to make it happen. It wasn’t hard for me to keep focused on work. I mostly focused on defense cases, but I did a bit of everything. I’d had a few lucky breaks with high profile clients who recommended me to others. The impatient client who met with me after I made out with Ethan in my office was the no-nonsense father of a son who got good and drunk one night and got lucky enough to get stopped by a police officer before he made it out of the parking lot at a bar. His son was friendly and typically short on judgment for a barely legal college kid. Anyway, he gave my name to the Seattle Stars when they were scouting for an attorney for a player a year ago. Since then, the team called on me whenever they had a player who needed help.

  Circling back to Jana’s mission—well, I didn’t know when I’d find time to have sex. Ethan had rebounded quickly and was so ridiculously suave he managed to tease me, but I’d seen the shock in his eyes when I blurted out I was a virgin. At twenty-nine, I knew I was bordering on ancient to somehow have managed this accidental feat. In my defense, I did date in college. I wasn’t a prude, and I certainly wasn’t saving myself. But when I’d found time to date, most of the guys just didn’t do it for me. I’d made it to all the bases but home. I sighed internally. At my age, the situation was a nuisance.

  It annoyed the hell out of me that part of me hoped my thoughtless announcement of my virgin state to Ethan would chase him off, while another part of me was let down that would probably be the case. Ugh.

  Jana cleared her throat. I hadn’t noticed I was staring at the table while I obsessed over how ridiculous I was being. I looked back up to her to find her piercing blue eyes on me.

  “Oh hon, Ethan is the kind of guy that ties most women in knots. No need to beat yourself up over that. He’s the perfect candidate for your little project,” she said with a hint of a grin.

  “It’s not my project,” I grumbled. “It’s yours and it’s stupid.”

  Our waitress hurried past and filled our coffees before whirling away. Jana took a sip of hers and leaned back. “Okay fine. I’ll agree it’s not exactly your thing. But I’m only on a mission because you’re headed toward serious spinsterhood if you don’t get over it and lose your virginity. It’s turning into a thing. You’re gorgeous and brilliant, and you need to relax and have some fun. Hell, at least half of the women in Seattle are panting after Ethan, and he likes you. Have fun and then you can stop worrying about your virginity being an issue.”

  “Geez, Jana. You make it sound like I worry about this. I don’t…”

  She cut right in. “Oh sure, you don’t think about sex much, but that’s because you keep saying this gets in the way.”

  I glared at her and wished maybe I hadn’t been so honest about everything. I leaned my chin in my hand and sighed. “Fine. Yes, it gets in the way, but I don’t really have time to date.” Aside from my career focused life getting in the way, I’d heard from
enough men I was too intimidating. I knew it didn’t help to be as tall as most men and not give a damn about stroking their egos. In the world of attorneys, plenty of men went around with their chests puffed out. I enjoyed beating them at their own game, which seemed to have given me a rep as a ball-buster.

  “Well, it doesn’t sound like you need time if you were making out in the office with Ethan,” Jana said with a wink.

  “I can’t believe you’re supporting office sex,” I muttered.

  “Hey, it was fun until I discovered he was married. Don’t knock office sex, hon. It’s totally hot.”

  I was saved from further mortification when our waitress raced by and our check fluttered out of her hand onto the table. Jana’s phone conveniently jingled at the same time.

  “Have to take this, it’s my mom,” she said quickly before answering.

  I took care of the check, and we walked to the office a few blocks away. Jana chatted on the phone with her mom, while I wondered when I might see Ethan again and utterly failed at shushing my naughty thoughts.

  Chapter 9

  Ethan

  I jogged up the stairs in Zoe’s office building. She’d left Coach a message about an update. I was peeved she hadn’t called me directly, but I could guess why. It had been a full week since I’d last seen her and kissed her senseless. Or maybe she kissed me senseless. I didn’t give a damn. I’d gotten my head screwed on straight and wasn’t wobbling over her anymore. I figured it was perfect. She’d never had sex, so it’d be ideal for me to take care of that for her. Tristan was probably right. Work was her thing, so I didn’t need to worry she’d read too much into anything with me.

  With my groove firmly back, I blew through the door into the reception area of her office to find her receptionist finishing a call. Under usual circumstances, I’d think her receptionist was hot. She had dark hair streaked with bright colors and a body of juicy curves. Odd thing was, I could only appreciate her in the abstract. A tiny worry nudged me in the back of my mind. It was rare for me not to settle in and appreciate the hell out of a woman like her. The fact I didn’t reminded me I hadn’t looked at any woman that way since Zoe had shown up in the middle of the night to help me out with my annoying legal problem.

  I kicked that worry to the curb and waited while the receptionist finished her call. All I could think about was when I could get myself behind the door to Zoe’s office and kiss her again. When she did, she looked up at me with a wide smile, her blue eyes bright against her fair skin. She seemed amused by something, but I was too focused on seeing Zoe to wonder what.

  “Hello, Mr. Walsh. I don’t think you’re on Zoe’s schedule. Would you like me to see if she’s available?” she asked.

  That told me Zoe was available, otherwise she’d be letting me know Zoe was with a client. “I’d like that. Thank you.”

  She tapped something in her keyboard and then glanced to me again. “I don’t think I had a chance to introduce myself. I’m Jana. I’m Zoe’s receptionist and paralegal. If she’s not available, you can let me know if there’s anything I can help with.”

  “Oh no. I’ll wait as long as I need to.”

  Because I bloody would. I wasn’t leaving without seeing Zoe.

  Jana arched a brow and a subtle gleam entered her eyes. “Okay then.”

  Her eyes flicked from me to her computer screen. She stood quickly and held a finger up. “Just a minute.”

  She stepped from behind the curved desk and around the corner where the door to Zoe’s office was. As soon as I heard the door open and close, I leaned over the desk and looked at her computer screen. My guess was she’d messaged Zoe, and I figured Zoe was stalling. The exchange I read in the screen Jana had conveniently left open promptly put her on my list of favorite people.

  Jana: Mr. Sexy is here to see you!

  Zoe: I’m busy.

  Jana: No you’re not. You have no appointments for two hours. I’m working on the draft order for the SA case. Nothing else is a rush. Get that man in your office and do him. Now!

  Zoe: OMG. I’m not ‘doing’ anyone in my office.

  Oh, this was too perfect. She’d be doing me in her office. If not today, soon.

  Jana: Stop being so uptight. You need to let your hair down in more ways than one.

  Zoe: Tell him I’m busy.

  Jana: Absolutely not. Even if I did, he’s not leaving. I can tell.

  Zoe: Jana, how many times do I have to tell you my virginity isn’t your concern?

  Jana: Yes, it is. You’re moody and you need to get it on with someone.

  Me. She’d get it on with me. This little exchange only hammered home how ideal it was I happened to be around.

  The office door opened and I quickly took a step back. Jana didn’t need to find me craning my neck to be nosy. I couldn’t fucking believe I’d just done that. It was safe to say I’d never even considered snooping to find out anything about a woman. That’s how much I wanted Zoe. I shied away from pondering what that meant. All I knew was I wanted Zoe, and I’d have her.

  Jana came around the corner and gestured to me. “Zoe had a cancellation. She’ll see you now.”

  I don’t know what Jana-my-favorite-person-today said but she’d obviously persuaded Zoe to see me. I happened to agree with Zoe that shagging her in her office probably wasn’t the best plan. Once we took care of her pesky virginity, I’d be all over it. That said, I wasn’t leaving today without another kiss and then some.

  The door closed with a click behind me. For a flash, I considered locking the door, but I knew I had two hours, and I knew Jana wouldn’t interrupt. Not after seeing what she just wrote.

  I looked over to see Zoe standing by the windows. Her office looked out over downtown Seattle with Puget Sound visible past the skyline of buildings. Her back was to me, and I could see the tension in her spine. She stood straight with her arms crossed. She wore a fitted black skirt that fell just above her knees and another cropped jacket. This was a variation on what she’d been wearing every time I’d seen her. Always professional, always demure, and most definitely appropriate. I couldn’t wait to shove that skirt up again. My mind instantly flashed to the way she looked the last time with her generous breasts spilling out of her blouse and her dusky pink nipples taut and damp.

  Fuck me. The second I recalled that, blood shot straight to my groin. I gave my head a shake and walked to stand beside her.

  “Hello luv. Were you going to ignore me much longer?”

  Her cheeks turned pink, and she bit her lip. Oh hell. I needed to be in control if I wanted to play this right. Seeing her white teeth denting her plump bottom lip made me want to forget taking anything slow.

  Her breath was audible. It came out in a ragged sigh. I could see her pulse beating wildly in her neck and wanted to dip my head and drag my tongue along the soft skin there.

  She turned to face me, her arms still tightly crossed. What she didn’t realize was doing that only served to push the plump curves of her breasts up. She was wearing a fitted camisole under her jacket. Dear God. Did she really think men didn’t notice her? She walked around dressed like this all the time, and it was a temptation straight from hell because she somehow looked proper and insanely sexy all at once.

  “I wasn’t ignoring you. I was enjoying the view,” she said crossly.

  “Of me?” I couldn’t keep from teasing because she made it all but impossible.

  Her cheeks flushed deeper. Her mouth opened and closed and then she glared at me.

  “No, Ethan. I wasn’t enjoying the view of you,” she said tightly, her voice carefully controlled.

  I grinned. I bloody loved ruffling her composure. It kept me from feeling crazy about the effect she had on me.

  I’d meant to come in here and start with asking her for an update since she had one for Coach. I also meant to take things slow with her. I might be a player, and I might like a good shag as much as the next guy, but I was bound and determined to make sure she had the best sex o
f her life since she was a virgin. As usual with Zoe, what I meant to do and what I did didn’t line up.

  I looked over at her—with her hair pulled back in another tidy knot without a single lock of that wild glorious auburn hair escaping, with her proper clothes, and with her mouth made for sin—and took one step, coming flush against her body. I startled her, and her arms fell apart when she gasped. I wasn’t thinking. At all. I slid a palm up her spine and into her hair, promptly flicking the pins out and nearly groaning when her hair came loose. Long, wild waves of rich auburn fell around her shoulders.

  “Ethan, what are you doing?”

  Her voice came out raspy. About now, it occurred to me she might shove me away. But she didn’t. She tensed, but she stayed right there. I was starting to get the idea she meant to hold her ground when she didn’t back away like this. I’d seen her in action when she was in her working element—all confidence and no backing down. I figured it worked to my advantage just now. I could feel the beat of her heart against my chest and her rapid pants.

  I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but I knew this—I would have her. All of her. Maybe not today, but soon.

  “This,” was my reply before I fit my mouth over hers.

  She tensed against me, but when I swept my tongue in her mouth, she moaned and softened against me. Kissing her was like a fucking drug. I couldn’t get enough. Once she let go, she kissed with abandon. Her tongue tangled with mine while her hands mapped my body. My cock was rock hard, and I couldn’t get enough of her. I poured days of frustration into our kiss—hours and hours of replaying what it felt like to kiss her was nothing like actually kissing her. She flexed and arched against me as I kissed, licked and nipped my way down her neck.

  Lust poured through my veins. I shoved her jacket out of the way, sending one button pinging against the window before it bounced to the floor. I couldn’t say if her camisole was better or worse than her being bared to me. When I tore my lips from her skin—skin that tasted sweet and tangy at once—and glanced down to see her nipples straining against the silk, I groaned. I flicked my eyes up to her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her hazel eyes dark with need, and her lips parted as her breath came in these sexy little pants.