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Jack opened his mouth in surprise and blinked. For a moment, he forgot that he was still painfully hard.

“Yeah, I know,” she said, looking away and pulling back slightly. She had obviously drawn her own conclusions by his expression. “Nobody else would have thought of that. But I’ve studied his stats, Jack! He’s a good defender, but he’s even better at assisting goals! It never occurred to me, you know? I did research and watched him and…they didn’t even look at all the graphs I made.” She let out a gush of air in frustration.

He understood frustration – because, shit, he was frustrated right. Her pelvis was no longer pressing against his erection – but if Penny needed someone to listen right now, fine.

“Okay,” he said roughly, trying to concentrate. It was clear why Lyle and the coach had dismissed her idea as absurd. Leon had been a defender all his life. And he had never heard of a player switching positions mid-career like that.

“They looked at me like I was crazy – I’m used to it! – and then they made me understand that I had no say, and my ideas weren’t even worth listening to.”

She pressed her lips together and dug her nails into his neck. Apparently, she didn’t realize that this wasn’t helping him think more clearly. But he tried.

“Good. May I give you some advice?” he murmured, forcibly tearing his eyes away from her lips. “Don’t take it personally. Lyle and the coach… They will never let anyone interfere with their jobs. Whether it’s you or Gareth. They’re too proud for that. They won’t willingly admit that someone else has a brilliant idea. That someone else sees something they don’t. You have to force them to listen. Force them to implement your ideas. Force them to see that you’re smart.”

She opened her mouth, confused. “How?”

“Well, what can you do that they can’t?”

She snorted. “Obviously, I can deal with people and understand statistics!”

“Okay.” He nodded. “Then go with that.”

“How?” She looked up at him…her hard nipples sliding across his chest.

Good God. The press was right; he honestly was a damn saint. Instead of moaning, he replied, “I have no idea. That’s your problem. But then you’re rather smart, so you’ll find a way. Honestly, just be persistent. Lyle, the coach, and your brother won’t give you anything for free, so don’t give them anything for free, either. Ask for something in return – for anything you do that helps them.”

“But…” She blinked. “That sounds manipulative. We need to work together. Shouldn’t there be some civility?

He chuckled softly and brushed a damp lock from her forehead. “Are they civil with you? Besides, the three of them don’t understandworking together. What they do understand is intelligence and brilliance…and leverage.”

“But I don’t have leverage.”

“Then get some. Use your intelligence and brilliance. As for Leon…” He rocked his head from side to side. He found it hard to believe that the defender would make a great winger, but if Penny had studied it closely, evaluated his statistics…

“What about Leon?” she wanted to know, her voice sharper than before.

“Well, he’s used to his position as a defender, but you should probably look at the numbers. Ask Leon what he thinks. Ask him to try it out during practice. I mean it doesn’t cost anything to try it out, does it?”

He looked at Penny, who was staring back with her lips slightly parted.

For a few moments, she didn’t move, just stared at him with strangely shining eyes.

Then she pulled his head in and kissed him.

Chapter Fifteen

Penny couldn’t stop herself from jumping him. He had listened to her, even though she could feel he was still hard! Even though he had looked at her as if it was physically painful for him not to keep kissing her. He hadn’t dismissed her idea as stupid but had seriously considered it. That was all she had ever wanted! Twenty seconds where she was taken seriously, twenty seconds and not to be called crazy. So how could she not kiss Jack, when that was exactly what he was giving her?

And he didn’t need to be asked twice. He moaned against her lips and pulled himself closer to the edge of the pool, trapping her between them. If every prison felt so damn good, Penny would walk on the wrong side of the law from that day forward! His muscular thigh was still between her legs, and she couldn’t help but rub herself against it while Jack ran his tongue over her lower lip. She opened her mouth willingly. She wanted to taste him, wanted him to realize the dream of touching. She let her hands wander over his strong shoulders and down his muscular back.

Heat sloshed through her body like the water against her skin, gathering painfully in her abdomen, making her presscloser to Jack, so tight that she could feel the length of his body against hers, but not close enough to stop him from sliding his hand under her soaked blouse and cupping her breast. As he rubbed his thumb roughly over her hard nipple, tiny flashes of desire shot through her center, right between her legs. She moaned and bit his lip as he lifted her higher on his thigh to keep her head above water. She slid back and forth on it, needing more friction, as Jack rubbed his tongue against hers in the same rhythm as he rubbed his thumb over her nipple. The sensations took over and Penny forgot to breathe. She clung to his shoulders and pressed her lower body against his.

Jack was getting harder with every second. She could feel the bulge in his swim shorts against her stomach. But she didn’t want it there. She pushed her skirt up so she could wrap a leg around his waist and pull him closer.

Jack gasped as his hard erection pressed against her softest spot and she began to rock her pelvis back and forth. His breathing grew hectic, and he let go of her breast to hold onto the edge of the pool with both hands. But that was okay. It gave her more room to touch. And the idea of being able to touch him anywhere while he couldn’t touch her in return turned her on even more. He couldn’t stop her from doing what she wanted without literally letting her sink.

She kissed him, pressing her tongue against his while slowly sliding both her hands down his shoulders, over the strong muscles that bore witness to hours in training. Down his wet chest, under the water, over his six-pack…before she slipped her hand into his shorts and grabbed his penis.

Penny felt Jack’s muscles tense. His kisses became greedier as she moved up and down his long shaft, enjoying the feel of his silky skin under hers. She felt his lips on her neck. She felt how Jack wanted her. She enjoyed that she would decide exactly how much he got from her.