I read it aloud as my fingers lightly trace the heavy, black Old English letters. “NO MORE RULES.” Dax twists his head so he can see me over his shoulder. “What does it mean?”
He turns back towards the bed, taking my mouth in a passionate kiss. Assertive and unapologetic, Dax keeps kissing and moving forward until I’m corralled beneath him on the mattress.
He breaks the kiss with a gasp. “It means I’m living my life for me, not anyone else. I’m going to do what I want.”
“And what is it that you want?” I ask breathlessly.
His sharp gaze pins me down.
“You.”
Dax
Now that I’m not holding back anything, the longing, the craving, the need for Kate burns my insides. My emotions are like an out of control car speeding towards a brick wall.
When I lower my body down on top of hers, skin touching skin, the car slams into the wall and explodes in hot, flickering flames. Kate’s hips arch up into mine and I break our kiss with a huff.
“God, angel…” I groan long and deep from the tortuous friction of her slick flesh on my cock.
She tugs on my neck, bringing our mouths back together. I could literally devour her right now. Kate sucks on my lower lip, bringing it between her teeth.
“Ow!” I pull back, putting a hand up to where my mouth stings. “You bit me!” My finger comes away with a dot of blood. Even though it hurt, that was the sexiest thing I’ve ever had done to me
“My, my,” I whisper, trailing a finger down her neck and between her breasts. “Someone has turned into quite the little deviant.”
“I’m not a deviant,” she rasps, “I just want to—”
“Want to do what, Kate?” I thrust my hips down hard, dragging a moan from her. “More of this?” Thrust. “Is that,” thrust, “what,” thrust, “you,” thrust, “want?”
“Yes!” she shouts, wrapping her legs around my waist. “I want it and everything else! I want you!” Her heels dig into my backside and she uses her powerful legs to lock us together.
“Oh fuck. Kate, stop.” She keeps grinding up on me and I’m a hairsbreadth away from coming. “Stop!”
Those toned legs fall to the bed, freeing me to sit back. “Christ. We were almost done before we began, angel.” I stand up and locate my wallet, pulling out a condom.
“Come back,” she groans wantonly.
“Fuck you’re so bloody gorgeous, Kate.” I stand there, appreciating her exquisite beauty as I roll on the protection.
“Stop talking and fuck me, Dax Davies.”
The curse coming out of that sweet mouth stuns me. It sounds so perfectly filthy when she says it. Then she sticks her finger in her mouth and sucks on it, moaning as she closes her eyes and makes it a show.
A choked noise comes from my throat. It’s all I can manage, what with Kate having turned from innocent schoolgirl to smoking hot seductress. Talking is unnecessary at this point. I climb up on the bed and lie next to her. Her eyes fly open.
“What—”
“Shhhhh,” I pull her over to straddle me and thrust up into her tight heat before she can say another word.
“Oh god,” she moans loudly. Kate sits up, bracing herself by spreading her hands across my chest. She rolls her hips slowly. “Oh, god.”
I practically swallow my tongue, stuttering uncontrollably. “Y-you feel so g-goooood.” Kate tilts her head back, those wicked hips never stopping in their mission to drive me insane.
We never tried this position before. Kate was always too insecure to be on top. My how things have changed.
I glide my hands up and down her smooth skin. “You look stunning riding me, angel.”
Kate moves faster, moving her hands from my chest so she can bend back, putting her them on my thighs. I can feel the gyrations of her body all the way down in my toes. Too soon, the delicious tingle begins in the base of my spine, quickly building in intensity.
“Kate, Kate…shit.”
I know I won’t be able to hold it back, and from the noises Kate is making, she has to be as close as I am. With my hands on her hips, I thrust up and drag her back and forth while bucking into her to give her the friction she needs to come.
That’s all it takes to send her over the edge, crying out my name as her entire body shakes with pleasure. The sight of Kate shattering so spectacularly while riding my cock is enough to pull me right along with her. Two more deep upward thrusts and I explode, shouting loudly and filling the condom with my release.
Kate collapses on top of me, her long hair scattering over my skin in soft wisps. I wrap her up in my arms, determined to never let her go. This moment is perfect. Truly perfect.
Kate stirs, sated eyes meeting mine. She gives me a small smile and a peck on the lips.
“We need to talk.”
Moment ruined.
Kate
After getting dressed and grabbing our forgotten drinks, Dax and I curl up on one of the sofas in the lounge of his suite. I can see the anxiety on his face, something that will take some getting used to. Stone cold is the only expression I recognize on him.
“So, err, what did you want to talk about?” Dax asks, rubbing the back of his neck in a classic display of stress.
My ears heat up. “Why, Dax?”
He looks up, his confusion plain as day.
“Why what?”
I swallow thickly. I can do this. I deserve answers.
“Why did you leave?”
I watch as this big, tough man, a man who never showed a hint of emotion until now, pales and his eyes shine with unshed tears.
He opens and closes his mouth several times before he can speak. “I…shit, Kate. I didn’t want to ruin your life.”
That is so far from the answer I expected to hear, I have no response prepared.
“I don’t understand.”
Dax shifts closer on the sofa, putting a hand on my knee. “The cameras, Lila, groupies, the stress…” He blows out a long breath. “After that disaster at your game, a game that was important to you, I realized that being with me would destroy everything you loved.”
I reach out, skimming a finger down the sandpaper stubble of Dax’s cheek. He leans into my touch, his eyes fluttering closed.
When his dark eyes open and focus on mine, the depth of the emotions behind them nearly steals my breath away. “Dax, the only thing I loved was you.”
That’s when the impossible happens. The Iceman sheds a tear.
Kate
I check the clock again. The ninety-minute mark has come and gone. If we don’t score soon, Brazil will win and our Olympic run will be over in the semi-finals.
One of our midfielders steals the ball and drives it down towards me. She feints, confusing her opponent, and chips it in the direction of our other striker. Using her body to stop the ball, the striker quickly turns to take it to the goal.
When she realizes that there’s a defender between her and the goalkeeper, she arcs the ball my way. I’m known to be tough in the penalty zone, able to score in ways most strikers can’t even fathom. Brazil knows this, so with the game on the line they’re desperate to keep the ball from getting to me. And we all know that desperate people do stupid things.
I get under the ball, set up perfectly to send into the net with a perfectly timed header. As the ball comes down into play, a searing pain tears through my calf and I stumble to the ground.
The refs whistle sounds off, loud and long. I can only assume the referee holds up a red card, because while I’m gripping my leg where the player dug her sharp boot into me, holding back the scream that wants to burst from my lungs, half of the arena begins to boo and the other half cheers loudly.
Coach Lewis and our medic rush out on the pitch. Players circle around, watching as they help me hobble to the bench. While our medic tends to my leg, tears prick my eyes. My Olympic career is over.
Less than a minute later, the game ends and so does the United Kingdom’s run in women’s football.
The team surrounds me, exchanging hugs and cheers for the hard work everyone put in. A few tears are shed as well. We went farther than most experts predicted. I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this team.
“Kate!”
I struggle to my feet—foot actually—as my left calf is swathed in white gauze, bright red blood already showing through. My name is called again, and this time I see him.
Dax strides purposefully down the sideline, his face a mask of concern. I’m not the only one who notices his distress, because the crowd of players and officials melts back to allow him through.
“Kate.” He grabs me, lifting me off my feet and into his arms. “You alright, angel?”
Through the salty flood of tears, I smile. I no longer need to prove anything to myself. After our talk the other day, all of my self-doubt is gone. It only took seven years and two continents for us to be honest with each other.
Dax tenderly brushes my hair back from my face and gives me one of the hottest, sexiest, toe-curling kisses I’ve ever had in my life.
The arena erupts in whistles and cheers, the fans going mental. Dax points up to the massive electronic screen where I spot us, ten meters tall, on display for everyone to see. We look…well, we look happy. I’m grinning from ear to ear cradled against Dax’s chest, my bandaged leg dangling over one of his thick arms. Dax pulls his attention from the screen back to me, whispering in my ear, “I love you,” before snogging me good and proper to the delight of everyone at Millennium Stadium.
“I think I’m ready to go home now,” I tell him.
“Home?”
“With you.”
Grinning like fools, Dax carries me off the pitch to begin our life together.
Epilogue
Dax
Two years later.
“Dax!”
I turn to see Adam rushing to catch me as I walk into the New York studio where we’ve been recording our latest album. It’s a soundtrack for some movie I’ve never heard of, our first time doing one, which is odd seeing as we’ve been around a while.
“Dax, you won’t believe what happened last night.” Adam is panting from running through the building, presumably to locate me.
“What happened?”
His eyes dart around, looking for what, I have no idea. Adam grabs my arm and pulls me into the nearby men’s room. He checks to make sure it’s empty before calming down enough to speak.
“Is all this subterfuge really necessary?” I ask, rolling my eyes at his dramatics.
“Yes,” he hisses. “I just got a call from London.”
My mind goes a million different ways at once, mostly bad, mostly involving his fucked up family members. Did his dad die? His mum? His bastard of a brother?
“It was from a girl named Gemma. Gemma Spencer.”
“So you ran after me to tell me that your number got leaked to a fan site again?” I ask irritably. “I have plans tonight, Adam. We need to start recording so I’m not stuck here late again.”
He huffs impatiently. “No, not a fan site. Shut your gob and listen.” I scowl at Adam, but wait for him to continue. “This girl, Gemma, she says she works with Ellie!”
Ellie? That isn’t even remotely close to anything I was expecting him to say.
“What about Ellie?”
“She claims to be Ellie’s best mate.” Adam is positively beaming with excitement. I haven’t seen him this alive since…well, since Ellie.
“Adam, she could be some nutter trying to trick you,” I say, not wanting to destroy the first sliver of happiness he’s experienced in ten years, but I don’t want him to get his hopes up if it’s just some cruel prank.
“No,” he grabs my arm. “She knew things. Things only Ellie could have told her. She said Ellie’s been trying to contact me, through email, through the record label, even through regular post. I’ve never heard a word about it.” Adam’s face becomes stormy, his eyes narrow in anger.
“They probably thought she was lying. Loads of people probably ring up the label and claim to be our friends.”
“Right, well… this is the real deal. I’m going to London.”
“What?” He could have knocked me over with a feather. “You’re going to London based on the word of a random girl who rung you up?”
“No. I’m going because she’s not lying. Ellie’s mum is getting married. I’m crashing the party.”
I laugh, bending over with the hilarity of it all until I realize he’s not kidding. “You’re serious?”
“Dead serious. I’m going and getting my girl, just like you did.”
I’m speechless. Kate and I eloped right after the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. We didn’t think there was any point in waiting after all those years apart. I wonder if Adam will come back married to Ellie.
“Oh, and I need to bring Zane with me. Can I borrow him?”
I sigh, my reminiscing coming to an abrupt halt. “Yeah, sure. What are best mates for?”
Indeed.
We have our best session in years, mostly due to Adam’s upbeat attitude. He’s so spot on we finish thirty minutes early for a change.
I hurry out, jumping on my brand new Ducati, zipping out of the car park. I speed through the streets, weaving around cars and take the Holland Tunnel to the Jersey Turnpike. Thank god for the bike, otherwise I’d still be sitting in stagnant traffic back in Manhattan.
An hour later, okay, so I broke the limit a few times, I pull into the lot at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of Rutgers University. I kick down the stand and lean the Ducati to rest. Heading toward the entrance with my helmet tucked under my arm, more than a few heads turn my way.
Most of them know me by now and pay me no mind, but there are always girls who get excited by my appearance.
“Dax Davies, wow!”
“We heard you came by, but I can’t believe you’re really here!”
I pose for a few selfies and excuse myself. “I have to go, ladies. Don’t want to miss the start.”
They giggle and huddle together whispering like girls tend to do. I wave at Andre, one of the regular security guards at the stadium.
“I got your bike covered man,” he says as we shake hands.
The first time I brought the Ducati, students climbed all over my unattended bike, snapping pictures and messing around with it. It fell over and had quite a bit of damage. After that, I made sure to park close to the entrance and have someone watch it for me. The guards here know me and never mind keeping an eye out.
“Thanks mate.”
I find my usual seat and relax. It’s a perfect evening for a game, unseasonably warm for late September in New Jersey. Kate spots me and smiles. The stadium is still filling up, so she takes a minute and walks over to my section. My seat is in the front row, just off the pitch. There are perks to being married to the head coach.
“Hi angel.” I lean over and give her a kiss, just a small one since she’s at work. Nowhere near the sloppy, wet, tongue kiss I want to lie on her.
“Dax. You made it in time tonight.” She winks. Kate knows that I’ve been frustrated with all of the late recording sessions that have made me miss more than one of her games.
“Yeah, well, Adam was in a good mood today. We got done early if you can believe that.” I’ll tell her about Ellie later. No need to distract her before a game.
We ignore the whispers and pings of mobile phones as people nearby sneak pictures of us. We’re used to it by now. Everyone who sits around me is friends and family of the staff and players. They’re used to me and treat me like a regular bloke. It’s nice to be normal.
The video of Kate and I at the Olympics went viral minutes after it happened. By the next day, most of the world had seen it, or was talking about it. It took forever for the attention to die out. No more hiding behind the front man anymore. I’m thoroughly recognizable all on my own.
I lean over the half wall. “Is your helmet still in your car?”
Kate eyes me cur
iously. “Yes.”
“Ride home with me.” We have a beautiful house about a half-hour north, midway between here and the city.
A spark of interest flashes across her face. “Why?”
I lean in as close as I can get. “So I can feel that fit body pressed up against me while the Ducati growls between your thighs, angel. Why else?”
“Dirty, dirty, Dax.” Kate pulls back and smirks. I can tell she likes the idea.
“I’ll bring you back tomorrow to fetch your car. What do you say, Mrs. Davies? Ride with me?”
Kate shifts to whisper in my ear, her hot breath causing me to shiver under my leather jacket. That raspy, sexy voice of hers sends testosterone racing through my veins. “I’ll do anything for you, Mr. Davies. Anything.”
Kate winks, then turns and trots over to her team. I watch that tight ass and sit back in my seat, loving the hell out of my life.
Fuck the rules, my way is much, much better.
The End
The Rules
1. Family first
2. Never let your emotions show
3. No fucking, shagging, wanking, sucking, or getting off for seven days leading up to a fight. You win, you get your reward.
4. Women who act like slags can be treated like slags, but never disrespect a proper lady.
5. Defend what’s yours.
Thanks for reading STRIKE. I hope you enjoyed it!
Continue reading for an excerpt of Incite: Adam, Book 1 in the Rockstar Series.
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