Just for Kicks by Tracy Solheim

Twelve

* * *

“HOW DID YOU do it?”Jade demanded.

Andi pinched the bridge of her nose. It had been a long week and the rumors about Professor Hart being tough were not exaggerated. While she’d been able to correctly complete all the practice problems he’d assigned in class tonight, she knew she’d have to stay on top of her game to keep pace as the semester progressed. If she had to spoon-feed the beauty queen the entire time, the course would be doubly hard.

Sighing in resignation, Andi pulled out the notes she’d just shoved into her backpack. “The problems are easier if you break them down.”

“No. Not that.” Jade waved the paper away. “I’m not talking about this class. I’m talking about you. And Dex. How did someone like you get a superstar athlete to actually marry you?”

The chatter among the rest of the students making their way out of the classroom faded away so that the only thing Andi could hear was the familiar refrain, “someone like you.” The paper shook in her fingers. Or maybe it was her hands shaking. It didn’t matter. She was getting sick and tired of always being pushed aside. Of being less than.

The assumption by the media and Growler fans that she, Andi Larsen, was somehow lacking the charisma, aptitude, or sex appeal to land a man like Declan Fletcher hurt. Deeply. But she’d be damned if she’d let some woman who’d had everything in life handed to her on a silver platter by virtue of her looks and her family get to her.

True, her marriage was a sham. But she hadn’t tricked him into marrying her like Jade and practically everyone else suspected. In fact, he had the most to lose if anyone found out the truth behind their relationship. And he certainly didn’t need his teammate’s girlfriend digging around for dirt. While their marriage might not be what everyone expected, she and Dex were still a couple. A couple that had promised to keep each other’s secrets. So, if it was gossip Jade wanted, Andi would give it to her, just to throw her off track.

With steadier hands, she carefully tucked the papers back into her backpack and lifted it over her shoulder. She tossed her hair back and responded with the first thing that came into her head.

“Well, Jade, it’s really very simple. I’m great in bed.”

A choked gasp escaped Jade’s mouth. But that was nothing compared to the throat clearing coming from the front of the room. Andi snapped her head around. Professor Hart stood in front of the white board wearing a bemused expression.

Holy hell.That was not the first impression she wanted to make. This is what came of not thinking before she spoke. She dashed out of the room in embarrassment.

Unfortunately, Jade was at her heels. “I don’t believe you.”

“Seriously?” Andi huffed in annoyance as she hurried down the stairs trying to put some distance between the two of them. “Why do you even care?”

Jade had the advantage of longer legs. “The man dates superstars and models. There’s no way someone like you would end up on his radar.”

There it was again. Someone like you. Andi was barely able to contain her fury. But rather than embarrass herself in front of strangers again, she kept her mouth shut, her head down, and headed for the doors leading out of the business school.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Jade called after her. “I know you’re up to something. Whatever it is, it better not hurt the team! I’m warning you!”

Several bystanders eyed Andi suspiciously. Tears stung her eyes as she sprung through the doors into the now dark evening. She wasn’t even more important than a damn football team.

“I’m going to keep my eye on you.”

Jade’s taunts followed her as she wound her way through the crowded sidewalk on the way to the bus stop.

“Andi.”

The familiar voice was so out of place she nearly lost her step when she heard him. The sidewalk cleared and there was Dex leaning nonchalantly against his Jaguar, his feet crossed at the ankles, his palms resting on the car, looking every bit like the white knight she was beginning to believe him to be.

“How was class?” he asked.

She didn’t bother with words. Instead, she launched herself at him without conscious thought, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his neck. He hesitated briefly before his arms closed around her. They were both silent for several long moments, the familiar scent of him calming Andi’s frantic pulse.

“That bad, huh?” His palms began to make slow circles on her back.

When she nodded against his chest, she felt his muscles contract in a sigh beneath her cheek.

“It’s okay,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”

I’ve got you.

She nearly melted at the words. The feeling of having someone in her corner, a protector, someone to pick her up when she fell, was a novel one. It was one she could definitely get used to.

“Isn’t this just too cute?” Jade’s voice pierced their intimate bubble.

Andi stiffened with anger. Anger at herself as much as at Jade The Obnoxious. This isn’t real, she reminded herself for what felt like the millionth time. Dex isn’t a white knight. He’s playing a role. They were standing on a street corner in downtown Milwaukee, for crying out loud. She was the fool who jumped into his arms. He had no choice but to play the scene out.

No one was going to take care of Andi. She took care of herself. Period.

“What’s going on, Andi?” he asked quietly.

What was going onwas she let some beauty queen get under her skin. Girls like that had been irritating Andi her whole life. She’d learned how to handle them. And she knew exactly how to shut Jade up.

“Sorry, but I’ve got to break your rule.” She rose up on her toes and kissed him before he had time to realize what she was up to.

It was meant to be a simple kiss, a ploy to shut Jade up, but within seconds Andi realized her mistake. As with all the other times they’d kissed, things got out of hand real fast. Despite his prohibition on kissing, he hesitated only briefly before meeting her kiss with an eager one of his own.

His hands shifted lower on her back, drawing her body in closer contact so that she was plastered against him from the hard muscles of his thighs to the even harder muscles of his chest. And everything hard in between. A wave of restless desire washed over her and, instead of pulling away like she should have—they were on a damn street corner—she nipped at his bottom lip. He growled possessively in response before slanting his mouth over hers and using his tongue to plunder deeper.

Andi grew warm all over. Suddenly, their kiss wasn’t enough. She threaded her greedy fingers through his hair, digging her nails along his skull, urging him closer. His teeth scraped against hers. One of them moaned, she wasn’t really sure which one. It didn’t matter. The sound reverberated through her body sparking a firestorm deep in her belly. Only to have it quickly doused seconds later. She let out a shaky breath when he suddenly tore his lips away. The sound of catcalls behind them quickly drew Andi out of her sensual fog.

Holy hell.

She buried her face in his chest. His heart hammered beneath her palm. He was just as affected as she was, but, obviously, he possessed a greater amount of self-control.

“We should go home,” he said. But he made no move to let her go.

“Is she gone?”

“Who?”

“Your quarterback’s girlfriend.” His body tensed. “She’s not buying our happily ever after. Hence my little display.”

Dex swore softly. “I don’t see her anywhere.”

She avoided his eyes as she untangled herself from his embrace. “Good. Mission accomplished. But I think I missed my bus. Would you mind giving me a ride home?”

He huffed. “Aye, lass. What do you think I’m doing here?” He pulled the passenger door open with a bit more force than was necessary.

Guilt nipped at her as she got in to the car. He’d come to campus to pick her up. It was unexpected. And sweet.

“I’ll arrange for a car to take you to and from campus,” he announced when he got behind the wheel. “No wife of mine will be riding a public bus.”

Not sweet, then.

When would she ever learn? He’d come for the optics. The wife of a multi-million-dollar athlete certainly would never ride public transportation. With a resigned sigh, Andi rested her head against the leather headrest. At least she would save money on the bus fare.

* * *

“TELLYOUR DAMN girlfriend to back off, Van Horn,” Dex barked at the quarterback the following day.

The other man slowly turned from his locker, eyeing him sharply. “Or what? You’re going to spray me with some of that Nair?”

Laughter echoed from all corners of the locker room.

With a growl, Dex tossed the new hair removal products lining the shelf in his locker into the trash can. “Joke’s over, you twats!” he shouted at his teammates. “You had your fun. Now let’s focus on our game this weekend, you ken?”

A few low guffaws followed, but the laughter died down. They were less than forty-eight hours to opening day and every player knew he needed to concentrate on the game.

“Do we have a problem, Fletcher?” Van Horn sat on the chair in front of his locker and carefully laced up his cleats.

“Aye, we do.” Dex kept his voice low. He didn’t need anyone else butting into his business. “Your girlfriend is harassing my wife.”

Van Horn’s fingers stilled on his shoelaces. “For the record, Jade is not my girlfriend. We date off and on, but nothing exclusive.”

Dex snorted. “You might want to tell her you’re just using her for her father’s political connections.”

The quarterback ignored him. “I warned you about the WAGs.”

“Yeah, well this particular WAG, the one who is not your girlfriend, is asking questions about my marriage. Very direct questions.”

Sighing heavily, Van Horn stood. “If you’re implying that I asked her to, you’re wrong. I told you the other day, I don’t care. Your marriage is your business.”

“You also told me not to hurt Andi,” Dex argued. “I’m not. But your arm candy is.”

The two men squared off.

“Hold up, you two knuckleheads.” Kessler jumped between them. “If there’s going to be fisticuffs, I need to run a pool among the guys to see who they think will be the last man standing. I had planned a wager on whether or not Palmer can get his leg up high enough to punt the ball after all the sex he claims he had last night.” Kessler smirked at both of them. “But this one might be more interesting.”

“Fuck off,” Dex and Van Horn said at the same time.

“Jinx.” Kessler laughed before adopting a rare, serious tone. “Let’s take out our frustrations on the field, gentlemen. You both know better than to let a woman come between you.”

Van Horn snapped up his helmet before nodding curtly at Dex. “I’ll speak with Jade.” He slid past Kessler and made his way out to the practice field.

“That’s two you owe me, Fletcher. You can thank me later.” Kessler slapped him on the back. “Come on. Let’s go see how Palmer is faring.”

When Dex pulled into the parking garage beneath the building housing his flat four hours later, Van Horn was leaning a hip against his neighbor’s Acura sedan. If the owner only knew he nearly had a Heisman Trophy winner as a hood ornament, he’d likely never wash the car again.

“How were the mathletes?” Van Horn asked casually, any trace of his earlier annoyance long gone.

“Chatty.” Dex headed toward the private elevator to the penthouse. Van Horn fell into step beside him.

“Let me guess, they were all wildly curious about your back hair?”

“Will you forget the damn back hair?” He punched the button for the penthouse.

He wasn’t about to admit there had been some snickers among the kids about that particular topic. None of them dared bring it up out loud, however. Instead, they’d interrogated him about his new bride. The moony-eyed girls wanting to know every last detail about the wedding ceremony. The lads, too, for that matter, although they were more interested in the Star Wars aspect, with most of them in awe of the fact he’d found a woman who would agree to such an unorthodox wedding. Who would have guessed his crazy predicament would give his tribe of nerds hope for their future selves. He shook his head in amazement.

“I spoke with Jade,” his friend announced when the elevator doors opened and both men stepped inside.

“Did you set her straight?”

Van Horn scoffed. “Jade has her own agenda. She doesn’t take direction from anyone, including me. But she assured me she had nothing against Andi. In fact, she claims they are—” the quarterback made air quotes. “—study buddies. And, get this, Coach’s wife is their tutor.”

Jaysus.Just what he’d been trying so hard to avoid. He didn’t want Andi getting close to the coach’s wife. Hell, he didn’t want her getting close to anyone in his orbit. It would only make things more complicated when their marriage came to its preordained conclusion.

The elevator doors opened to a frazzled looking Marlene on the other side.

“Did anyone see you come up?” she demanded.

Dex exchanged a confused look with Van Horn. “Not that I know of,” he said. “What’s amiss, Marlene?”

“That man was back.”

The back of his neck itched. Van Horn stiffened beside him.

“What man?” Dex asked.

“Agent Figueroa.”

Shit.

“He was here? In my flat?”

Marlene nodded. “He said he was doing a spontaneous home check.”

“Can they fucking do that?” Van Horn asked.

“Hell if I know.” Dex pulled out his phone. “Where is he now, Marlene?”

“I told him you weren’t home. And neither was Mrs. Fletcher. He said he’d wait in the lobby until one or both of you got home.”

“You didn’t tell him about the private elevator?”

Marlene cocked her chin indignantly. “Of course not.”

“Good lass.” Dex gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Why don’t you go fix yourself a cup of tea while we figure this out.”

He hit the button on his phone for his agent. Kurt picked up on the second ring.

“Damn it, Kurt, I thought you said ICE would give us a formal notification when they were going to interview us.”

“They are required to,” Kurt said. “What’s going on?”

“Agent Figueroa is snooping around my flat, asking to come inside.”

Kurt swore. “That’s not an adjustment interview. That’s a damn bed check.”

“A bed check? What the hell is that?”

Beside him, Van Horn’s eyes grew wide.

“They perform bed checks when they suspect the marriage isn’t real,” Kurt explained. “They usually show up early in the morning to see who answers the door. Then they check the bed to see if the couple is sleeping together. They’ve been known to check the bathroom, too.”

“The bathroom?”

“Yeah. Dex, listen to me.” Kurt’s tone became urgent. “You need to move some of Andi’s things as quickly as possible. Make it look like you and she are sharing your room just in case this guy comes back. I’m in my car. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Dex was already moving down the hallway, Van Horn on his heels. He threw open the door to Andi’s room. Morag was snoozing in the center of the bed, depositing cat hair all over the comforter. The cat startled when Dex loudly yanked open the dresser drawers.

“Leave those,” Van Horn said. “I doubt he’ll look in the drawers. He’ll check for her toothbrush and toiletries in your bathroom, though.”

“Good thinking.”

They nearly collided with one another trying to fit through the bathroom door at the same time.

“Grab the stuff off her nightstand,” Dex ordered. “I’ll get this.”

It felt like the ultimate invasion of privacy rifling through Andi’s most personal possessions. But it had to be done. He grabbed her toothbrush, toothpaste, and the bar of face soap next to the basin. The intoxicating scent of the soap stopped him in his tracks. He couldn’t help but breathe it in, his body suddenly hardening remembering the feel of her pressed up against him the previous evening. She’d been so damn passionate, so open. He was a randy teenager the last time he took a woman in his car, but he was willing to do it again last night. Right up until she revealed it was all a ruse. A ploy to keep Jade from discovering the truth. Andi had certainly fooled them both.

“For fuck’s sake, Fletcher. You need to move faster if we’re going to pull this off.” Mumbling something about the kicker being the inferior position on the team, Van Horn reached into one of the bathroom drawers and grabbed a fistful of hair products.

Dex followed him down the hall into his own bathroom. He hung Andi’s toothbrush next to his and tossed the soap into the walk-in shower. Both men raced back and began snatching up what remained in Andi’s bathroom. Each of them froze with their hand hovering over an open box of tampons when Dex heard a noise from the front of the flat that sounded a lot like the murmur of voices.

“You take it,” he insisted, his hands full of more soap and an assortment of make-up.

Van Horn gestured to the razors and shaving cream in his hands. “My hands are full. Unless you want me to ditch these so you can share your Nair with her.”

“Fuck off,” Dex hissed. He was definitely hearing voices. A cold sweat broke out at the back of his neck. They needed to hurry. He tossed the box to Van Horn. The quarterback batted it back to Dex, who kneed the box in the air. Van Horn head butted the box in Dex’s direction. Before he could reach it, the box fell to the floor, the contents scattering around the room like pick-up sticks.

Both men swore violently.

“Marlene, can you please tell me why two professional football players are in my bathroom playing hot potato with a box of tampons?”

Relief washed over him. He turned to see a very peeved looking Andi standing in the bathroom doorway.

“Actually, it’s only one professional football player.” Van Horn shoved his items into her hands. “I’m out of here. You two kids have fun.”

She glanced at Van Horn’s retreating back before narrowing her eyes at Dex. “What is going on?”

He gestured to Marlene who nodded as she bent to clean up the mess on the floor. “You’re moving. That’s what’s going on.” He nudged her with her shoulder toward the hallway.

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s happening.”

Of course she wasn’t. He kept forgetting the fact his wife wasn’t a pushover.

“There’s an immigration officer downstairs,” he explained as he herded her in the direction of his room. “He’s here to do a bed check.”

The color drained from her face. “Bed check? That better not mean what I think it means.”

He couldn’t decide if he should laugh at her apparent horror or be insulted.

“It means you both need to share the same room for the time being.” Kurt strode into the room. “Figueroa wasn’t in the lobby, but that doesn’t mean he won’t decide to drop in at seven in the morning. I should have known they’d perform every step in the damn handbook. You’re a celebrity. This is a high-profile case for them.”

“Hold on,” Andi objected. “Are you suggesting that we not only share the same room but the same bed?”

“Relax.” Kurt gestured to the California king bed. “There’s enough room for a family of five on that mattress. If you each keep to a side, it’ll be like you’re sleeping in different rooms. By the way, do you have some sexy negligee?”

“Excuse me?” The blood had returned to her face, now nearly as pink as the tips of her hair. Marlene stepped in and wrapped a protective arm around Andi as she leveled a stern look at Kurt.

“For crying out loud, Kurt,” Dex exclaimed.

“Not to wear. You can dress in a snowsuit for bed for all I care.” Kurt pinched the bridge of his nose. “The sexy lingerie is to leave out as a prop. A pair of thong panties carelessly strewn about the room would work just as well.”

Andi blinked a few times. “Maybe a few condom wrappers scattered about for that extra touch?”

Kurt snapped his fingers. “That’s brilliant.”

Dex groaned while Andi threw her hands up in disgust and stalked out of the room. Marlene tsked at both men before following her out.

“What’s wrong with them?” Kurt appeared genuinely baffled.

“Jaysus, Kurt. You have as much tact as a bloody bull in a china shop,” Dex replied.

“I’m not asking the woman to consummate the damn marriage. But she does need to do whatever it takes to make things look real. All of our reputations are on the line. Not to mention that we are straddling legality here.”

“Aye. Andi is well aware of that. And she’s done everything we’ve asked of her. She’ll do this, too. It would help if you employed a wee bit more finesse with her feelings, that’s all.”

“Well then, I’ll leave it to you. Based on the rumors, you’re an expert at charming women into your bed.” He patted Dex on the back and quit the room.

Dex heaved a frustrated sigh. Kurt wasn’t lying. He was very skilled at charming women into bed. And all those women left very satisfied, thank you very much. But this situation was different. For one, he’d never allowed a woman in this bed. His flat was his sanctuary. A place to retreat to when the women he’d charmed into bed starting looking for more than just a tumble between the sheets. Sharing his flat with Andi was already pushing his resolve to its limit. Sharing a bed with her would be pure torture.

He glanced at the framed photo on his nightstand. A smiling Niall stared back him, that familiar cheeky challenge in his eyes. Dex walked over and placed the photo facedown into the nightstand drawer. The way he saw it, he had two choices. Charm his fake wife into his bed and endure the agony of not being able to touch her. Or return home to face his greatest screw up. Squaring his shoulders, he chose the lesser of two evils and went in search of Andi.