Lemon Cake (Naughty Desserts)

Gemma

Season preparations had Rider in a chokehold. With each passing day, felt him withdrawing even more to focus harder. He tried to soften up around her, but she could still see it.

She was reading in bed when her phone rang. “Hi, handsome.”

Rider groaned. “Two words is all it takes for you to turn my knees to jelly.”

“I really hope you’re sitting down then,” she laughed. “Don’t want you tumbling over and hurting yourself.”

“Just laid down and needed to hear your voice before I went to sleep. How was your day? Did you go to the children’s museum with Dan?”

“Yes, we did and it was packed. I usually avoid going on the weekends, but it wouldn’t stop raining so the park was out of question. How are you feeling?”

“Like a fucking wreck. Like, I’m ready for the season to start but at the same time, I wish we had more time to prep. Hate preseason.”

“Just one more week. ”

“Do you want tickets?”

“Of course, but only two. It’s just me and Dan.”

“Gina working?”

“Always. How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing,” Rider said without hesitation. “It’s my treat for you two.”

“It’s the third game already.”

“I love spoiling you.”

She sighed, unable to find the energy—or the desire—to argue. “You do.”

Rider chuckled to himself, and she could hear his bedding shuffle. “You might not like what I called to talk about then.”

“And what would that be?”

“Your birth control. I want to pay for it too.”

That caught her off guard. “And why is that?”

“Well, if you weren’t taking it, I would be paying for condoms. So, I want to pay for the pill instead.”

She wanted to argue, but she could tell his mind was made up. “What if we split it? If I wasn’t taking it, I’d be buying them as well.”

“Sounds like a plan. That brings me to something else, but it’s rather personal.”

“More personal than birth control?” she laughed.

“In a different way. I thought most insurance covered birth control. Why do you pay for yours? Do you not have any?”

“I do, but it’s Christian-based so they don’t cover it.”

“Oh, okay.” And then Rider fell silent.

“You’re very sweet. ”

“And here I thought I was a big tough bear of a man.”

“You are, but I like how you take care of me.”

“I don’t feel like I am at the moment.” The defeated tone in his voice made ’s heart sink. “My focus is somewhere it shouldn’t be.”

“No, it’s exactly where it should be and if you ever change that during the season I will march onto that field and kick your ass myself.”

“I’m sure my teammates would love to see that,” he laughed, though it sounded forced.

“I mean it, Rider. I understand. I don’t want you to change your focus. I’m not here to guilt trip you or mess with your mojo. I want to see you succeed.”

Rider took a deep breath, exhaling audibly. “Thank you.”

“Now, go get your beauty sleep.”

“I love you, beautiful .”

“I love you too, Rider with the cute ass.”

He laughed, blew her a kiss, and then ended the call.

set her phone aside and with a warmth spreading from her heart throughout her body, she easily drifted off to sleep.

sat in the bleachers with Dan, combing her fingers through his hair during the coin toss. Unlike the other games, this one gave an air of apprehension throughout the crowd. This game would set the tone for the season. Rider had grown increasingly more tense, and the last few days had been especially hard. Though he made sure to check in on her, the texts were few and far between. Though understood, and didn’t press.

“Just in time.”

turned, finding Sarah pushing her two girls into the row. “Hey! I was worried you wouldn’t come anymore. “

“We had some trouble getting out of the house.”

pulled her into a hug and introduced Dan to Clara and Ina.

“Oh, what happened to your leg?” Clara asked, her eyes fixed on ’s prosthesis.

It was a warm night, so had chosen to pair the jersey with a skirt, leaving her legs visible. She knelt on one leg, letting Clara and Ina inspect her prosthesis. “I was in a motorcycle accident and lost my leg a few years ago. Now, I have this cool new one to help me walk.”

“Does it hurt?” Ina asked.

“Not anymore,” chuckled.

“Can I touch it?”

Sarah clearly was about to protest, but didn’t mind. Children were typically more understanding than adults, so she wanted them to know it was okay to ask questions. It had always felt easier talking to children about it. “Of course you can.”

Ina and Clara spent some time carefully inspecting it before their attention was pulled back to the field.

The game was exhausting, grating on the nerves of every person watching. She was only reminded that she hated standing on the sidelines when something big was at stake. Her heart raced, palms sweating as she helped the kids cheer the team on. Sarah made sure snacks were always filled up and drinks never ran empty.

When the game ended in a tie, the mood amongst the crowd was palpable in the air.

masked her own disappointment and tried to console Dan, who seemed far more shattered than she’d anticipated. Though a stop at Chick-Fil-A seemed to soften the blow—a little. Gina was already waiting for them at home, eyes lighting up when she saw a bag of food just for herself. Once Dan was content in front of the TV, Gina pulled into her bedroom under the disguise that she needed help folding the laundry. At least, thought it was a disguise.

But when the bedroom door shut, Gina handed a basket of clothes before working on a second. “How is Rider holding up? He seems quite competitive. I remember how horrible it was being around you after a loss.”

“It was a tie,” corrected.

“That’s just as bad for people like you.”

“I haven’t texted him yet. I’m not sure what to do. I always just wanted to be left alone.”

“Maybe let him know you made it home. It would give him the ball to decide what he needs.” froze, and Gina burst into laughter. “You hate how much you love my idea.”

They finished up the laundry, then Gina kicked her out, but not without a kiss to her cheek and a hug to thank her for watching Dan. Once in the privacy of her car, she took Gina’s advice.

Dan is safe and sound and I’m heading home.

Come to my place instead?

On my way.

barely had her car parked in Rider’s driveway before the door opened. Once she was in arms’ reach, he picked her up and carried her inside. He hummed as her nails scraped over his scalp, and she nuzzled into his neck.

He kissed her hair, set her on the couch, and covered her with a blanket. Game of Thrones was already queued up, and Rider ducked into the kitchen and returned with his arms loaded with drinks and snacks. He sat next to her, making sure everything was within reach.

then patted her thighs, and Rider needed no further instruction. He laid across her lap, letting spoil him with a scalp massage. Not even halfway through the first episode, let her head fall back, unable to keep her eyes open any longer.

“Will you stay the night?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” she giggled, kissing his nose.

“I better get you to bed. You need to be up early tomorrow if you don’t want to be late for work.” He rolled himself off the couch and helped her stand, his eyes dropping south as the blanket fell to the ground. “Fuck, have you been wearing that this whole time?”

“Yes,” she laughed.

“How the hell did I miss that?” He took her by the hand and spun her around for the full view. “Good thing I didn’t see that during the game—I really would have fumbled the ball.”

“Note to self: no more sexiness on game days.”

Rider vehemently shook his head. “Scratch that, I want to see it all.”

“I’ll just keep it covered up until after.” With her hand in his, followed Rider to his bedroom. “Ina and Clara were super sweet about my prosthesis too.”

“I’m sure they were all over it.”

“Kids are usually much nicer than adults.”

“Is it easier to talk to them about it?”

“Much easier, and I’m not even sure why. I used to show the kids at work but stopped after some of the parents questioned my capability to care for them.”

Rider halted and spun so fast that collided with his hard chest. His free hand hooked under her chin, his eyebrows fused. “Don’t ever let fuckers like that make you feel bad. Assholes like that deserve to be beaten to an inch of their life.”

wasn’t sure how to feel about this sudden change in tone. She hadn’t yet seen him that angry. “Please don’t do that. I would prefer not having to visit you in jail.”

He chuckled and his eyes lightened again. “I’m definitely not made for jail.”

Once they changed, set her alarm and they crawled into bed.

Rider pulled her close, talking into her neck. “Thank you for coming tonight.”

She curled up to his side, tracing circles over his stomach. “I could never say no to you.”

“I hope to never prove you wrong.”