Decker sighed as if annoyed, but the indent of his dimples as he grinned told me otherwise.
“I think it was a peanut butter cup actually,” he began. “A smushed peanut butter cup. In a pair of underwear that appeared to belong to me since they were in my locker. I still don't know how you managed to pick every single lock on every locker I had over the four years of school. Anyway, the whole football team walked into the locker room to see you smelling the underwear with the smushed chocolate and peanut butter in it. And everyone freaked out. I think some guy vomited in the showers. It wasn't until we got into a fistfight and you shoved some of the mess in my mouth that I realized it was candy.”
“Ah, yes, the smushed candy bar,” I confirmed smugly. “What a classic. I'm really impressed by myself sometimes. You were impressive too, though, I can still feel the bruises if I remember hard enough.”
“I was just trying to prove to the other guys that I wasn't going to take it lying down,” he grunted.
I doubled over coughing into the crumbs of my lunch. “Guess you were already quite the alpha back then, huh?” I squeaked through my laughter.
The red tide of blush had begun to creep up Decker's neck again.
“I wasn't really trying to hurt you, though. I hope you know that. I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?” he asked with a look of genuine empathy. I imagined him batting his eyelashes at me.
“Don’t give it another thought. I liked scuffling with you, even if you did land a good hit every once in a while,” I smiled at him, letting myself get lost in his eyes and look of concern for me. I felt my wolf pining for more of that look. “It gave me a chance to practice martial arts, too.”
He still looked concerned, though. Then he made another confession: “I really didn't like you much back then, to be honest.”
I shrugged. This wasn't news to me, and it didn't dampen my wistful gaze.
“I'm an acquired taste. Like cilantro,” I explained.
“Except for this dressing, I hate cilantro,” Decker said, surprisingly quickly.
“That's it, we're breaking up!” I said, dramatically standing up and storming out to stand indignantly on the sidewalk outside New Leaf. A chilly breeze had started to blow and I was hugging myself to stay warm since I was only wearing a light jacket, tank top, and yoga pants. I wondered if Decker really might have been acquiring a taste for me... And cilantro. I understood him not being a fan of my pranks, even though I was pretty sure he secretly enjoyed them. But I still had to wonder if he didn't like me for the same reasons a lot of people didn't like me--that I was poor and didn't have anything to offer or share with my classmates besides jokes.
Decker paid and followed me outside laughing, and hearing his voice made me feel suddenly warm inside. He sidled up next to me and asked, “Do you wanna meet me for dinner tomorrow night?”
I turned to him with an impish smirk and opened my mouth to squeal 'Obviously!' but he cut me off — “Before you get any ideas, it's just for research.”
My smirk widened to a grin. “I think you're starting to actually like me.”
“Whatever,” he scoffed.
I laughed at his weak denial. There was something between us, I knew it. And it seemed to be getting more obvious to Decker how very real it was, too, judging by the way he kept staring right into my eyes.
“Yeah, I'll meet you for fake dinner tomorrow night, fake boyfriend.” I narrowed my eyes at him, challenging him to correct me. I was still hugging myself from the cold.
“Great, see you then,” he said, and rushed off, leaving me disappointed but still hopeful.
Lying in bed that night, I scrolled through my feed, liking a few of my followers' comments every once in a while. I liked to throw them a bone even though there were far too many for me to keep track of, let alone give personal attention to. One million people is too many. Swiping mindlessly, Decker's laughs from lunch kept echoing in my mind. I loved his laugh. I loved how he was slowly opening up to me. The swooning butterflies and sudden boners I used to get over Deck had changed into a deep-seated yearning. My wolf was whining softly in my chest, every time I thought about him.
When his face popped up in my feed suddenly, I yelped and threw my phone in the air, almost hitting myself in the face. I picked it up again and stared at the photo. It was a selfie where Decker was staring into the camera with smoldering eyes as he lifted a dumbbell up to his chest. He looked so kissable. I found myself tracing his jawline on the screen with my fingertip, then moving it over his lips. My yearning seemed to grow stronger and I heard my wolf yipping. I told my wolf to calm down, that it was almost time for sleep.
After putting my phone on silent and turning out the lights, I closed my eyes and waited to nod off. But my thoughts kept drifting to Decker, wondering when he was going to come around and let himself admit his attraction to me. Seeing his bashful face blushing in my mind when I had teased him at lunch, I started to get worked up again. I was way too excited to sleep. My wolf kept yipping and whining, pawing at my chest, and it felt like it was running around in circles. If I’d let my wolf have its way, I would have gotten up and run straight to Decker's apartment. I knew I had to calm down. I needed to release some energy. So I stretched out my arms and legs, did some breathing exercises for relaxation, and finally drifted off. But Decker didn't seem to leave my mind, even when I was unconscious.
I was bent over in downward dog, looking at the purple yoga mat underneath me. I took a deep breath and stretched my heels toward the mat. Then I felt two strong hands grab my hips. I looked through my knees to see two muscular calves standing behind me.
“Hey, babe,” said a deep, resonant voice. It was unmistakable… Decker.
“Mmm,” I said. “Did you come to adjust me?”
“Yeah, I thought I could return the favor from your yoga class.”
“That's so sweet of you… ahh--” I was interrupted in my gratitude by feeling Decker pushing his bulging package right up against my ass. I instinctively started grinding my ass around in circles on him and moaning.
“Mmm, you feel so good...” he moaned in his sexy deep voice.
“Oh my god, I want you, Decker,” I moaned back as I started bouncing my cheeks on him. My dick had created a massive tent in my leggings by that point and my balls were slapping backwards against him.
I closed my eyes and reached one hand up to free my cock from the spandex, but felt soft flannel instead. Wow, these leggings are amazingly soft, I thought to myself. Then I felt soft sheets around me and opened my eyes to the darkness. It took me a hot moment to realize that I was still in bed and had woken myself up by jerking off. Still half-convinced Decker had finally given in to our chemistry and made a move, I kept stroking my dick and started grinding my ass against the fist of my left hand. My hole was wet and my fist got sticky as I ground my ass into it, while I jerked my cock and thought about what Decker's dick looked like when it was hard and waiting to fuck me from behind.
“Oh, Deck,” I moaned. “Oh, baby, your dick is so big...”
I popped two fingers in my eager hole, and felt it immediately clench down around them. The feeling sent a jolt through my balls and cock and I started pumping my dick furiously. Moaning and squirming around in my bed, it wasn't long till I was humping my own fingers, thinking of Decker and wondering if his cock would fit as perfectly inside me as I hoped it would. I imagined him spilling his seed inside me and immediately felt my ass spasm, accepting Decker's imaginary semen as my cock pushed through the grip of my right hand. I felt my balls twitch and I took a deep breath before relaxing and letting my orgasm take me over. I seemed to come five times in a row, pumping my dick continuously and squirting stream after stream of cum.
Fuck, I can't wait for Decker to give me a little piece of him...I thought to myself as I drifted off, my muscles now slack and peaceful so I could enjoy a more restful slumber.
As soon as I saw Decker's chiseled cheekbones through the windows of Pete's Roadhouse, I groane
d. I was standing in the parking lot and desperately hungry in multiple senses — and he looked delicious. Mine, my wolf said insistently. I steeled myself before walking in the door, knowing that there was simply no way to tone down my desperation for Decker at this point. I just had to try and hold it together somehow, especially in a restaurant full of couples and young families. My dream had given me some physical release at least, but it had also confirmed for me how much I needed this to happen with Decker. And not just because I hadn't gotten laid in a month now. It was him I wanted, not just anyone.
As soon as the door creaked open, Decker turned to look at me. Feeding on his gaze, I made sure to swing my hips as I walked towards him. I knew my skin-tight black jeans were accentuating the curve of my waist. Sure enough, he watched me the whole way to the table and even licked his lips. It was on. And I fully intended to enjoy every second of it. I always enjoyed flirting but he had long been my favorite to taunt and tease. And I had him all to myself tonight.
“Hey, handsome,” I purred as I made it over to the table. I leaned forward and kissed Decker on both cheeks, then slid into the chair across from him.
I made a point of taking my time to look at the menu, adjust my clothes, and fan myself with the menu before looking up and meeting his eyes. Sure enough, he was staring right at me. Hook, line and sinker… But there was just one problem. Meeting his eyes made me feel incredibly, unpredictably wild. A thrill of excitement rushed through me, like nothing I’d ever felt before. I always loved to flirt like this, and I loved a hot man’s attention… But this was a next-level excitement. My belly was tingly and my wolf was sprinting around in circles.
“Hey,” he said finally, and a slow smile spread across his face. I practically melted onto the floor.
“So what’s good here?” I asked, nervously breaking our eye contact and glancing at the menu in my hands.
“Nothing’s good. But they sponsor my channel, and have been supporting me since the start, so I gotta come here every now and then. But they do have a veggie burger,” he said, reaching over and pointing to the back of the menu. I took in a sharp inhale as his fingers grazed over mine, and held my breath until he pulled away.
I widened my eyes and told myself to get it the heck together. I needed to get my head in the game.
“I’ll have one of those then,” I nodded, looking up and forcing myself to hold his gaze.
“I know. I already ordered for us,” he grinned. I should have just called it quits then. I had to get it together.
“Talk to me,” I demanded.
“Uh… What about?” he stammered, just as the waiter brought over our burgers, served in plastic baskets with fries and a pickle on the side.
“Yourself,” I said as I tried to figure out how handle the burger without getting it all over my outfit. “Like, what happened between high school and now?”
Decker was already chewing into his veggie burger, and said through a stuffed mouth, “Not a lot.”
I rolled my eyes, and motioned for him to just talk while I bit into my burger.
“Well… Most of high school was about football for me,” he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “I was set on playing professionally, but I wasn’t good enough for college ball. I was, you know… devastated.”
“Mm,” I nodded, chewing my burger, which was shockingly tasty.
“I took a lot of time out from playing, because I was so depressed… But then Coach, from high school, he talked to me about how good life was as a teacher and a coach. I guess he saw that I had potential as a leader… So he kind of took me under his wing and mentored me on coaching, showed me the ropes… It really got me excited about football again.”
“Oh, I bet,” I nodded, taking a sip of water. I couldn’t believe how much I was enjoying talking about football, but I knew I could listen to Decker talk about anything all day long. “Do you ever feel jealous of the players that you coach?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, frowning and looking a little offended.
“I mean, about how they might go on to be super famous players?” I watched his face harden even more.
“Actually, yeah. Now that you mention it. I do get jealous of them.”
We sat in silence as he stared at the table. I started to worry that I’d seriously offended him. I needed a different tactic. Real vulnerability. I set my burger down. “When I’m training a yoga student that has serious potential as an influencer, I get a tinge of jealousy that they might make it bigger than me. And when my students go overseas for traditional training in places like India...”
“You’ve never been?” he asked, his voice suddenly gentle and caring.
“A poor trailer-park kid like me? I never had the chance,” I sighed and looked down at my food. “I never had the chance to even train in a real yoga studio, Decker. It’s all been me and online videos since day one.” I swallowed down some insecurity and quickly put the spotlight back on him.
“How did you get to become an influencer anyway?”
“Well, Nash recorded me working out at the gym one day. I was wearing a tank top and sweat was dripping down my back, plus my arms were looking particularly pumped that day. Nash posted it to his page to show his harem how hot his friends were. It was like a bragging point for him.”
“I don't blame him,” I said with a smile.
Decker grinned back at me. “Anyway, people started following me from that post and started asking me about their gym routine and how they could look like me. So I shared what methods I was using, and that led to people asking for diet advice, and well… I got accredited as a sports medicine practitioner, did a bunch of nutrition courses, and… it just kind of snowballed to the beast it is today.”
“It's funny that we have that in common,” I said, unable to wipe the grin off my face.
“It's pretty cool that we have that in common,” Decker added. “Hey, are you going to the Influencer Summit in October?”
“I was thinking about it. Last year's was pretty fun. I learned some new video editing techniques that I still use. Plus, I gained lots of followers after I went. Are you going? Your followers will probably start an actual riot if you don't.”
Decker laughed and said, “Yeah. They would. But so would yours, if you don't go.”
“Well, maybe we should go together then,” I suggested, knowing full well that the summit would be after my fake boyfriend contractual obligations had ended. Decker just looked at me, suddenly stony-faced.
“As friends, of course,” I specified, to put him at ease.
“I'll think about it,” Decker said, probably just to avoid talking about it any further. But a maybe was pretty good. I had time to turn it into a yes, baby between now and then.
We finished our food and, still desperately hungry, I ordered a chocolate pudding with whipped cream on top. When it arrived, it looking almost as tasty as Decker did in the light blue button-down shirt that complemented his icy eyes. Basking in his attention, I started to make a show of licking the whipped cream off my spoon, sliding the spoon in and out of my lips and 'accidentally' leaving some cream on my lips. Decker watched me with a slightly slack jaw. His eyes looked wet. He suddenly appeared drunk even though he had only had one beer with dinner. I could tell I was hypnotizing him so I pushed the dial on my horndog meter a little further.
“Want a taste?” I asked him in a quiet, husky voice.
“Yeah,” he groaned.
I smirked. He was too horny to realize what he had just agreed to do. I took another spoonful of cream and put a healthy dollop on my bottom lip. I leaned across the table and made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
“Have a taste,” I purred.
7
Decker
I'd stopped breathing somewhere between the lifting of the spoon, and the smearing of the cream. My head was spinning and my body was working on autopilot, completely taken over by instinct. I was hungry – really fucking hungry, and Tripp's lips had never looked better.
What was that saying? Now or never? As he leaned across the table, the last sliver of my logic reasoned that I'd have to kiss the little scamp eventually if we were going to make a convincing couple in front of my parents. That was reason enough. My wolf lunged, and I had no choice but to follow.
I leaned in. I lapped at the cream. As my tongue skirted the surface of his plump, full lips, a shiver ran up my back. I felt my wolf growling for more.
In that moment, I made a choice that would change everything.
I pushed my lips against his and I sucked the cream clean off his mouth. His bottom lip escaped from between mine with a pop. Tripp let out a moan and suddenly, all of my logic was completely gone. I felt myself getting hard and I pushed my mouth harder against his. I took his head in my hand and pulled him into a hard, deep kiss. My tongue laced into his mouth and tasted chocolate pudding.
My wolf kicked. A deep growl erupted in my chest – not of aggression, but of possession. I was overcome with an urgent need to grab Tripp harder, kiss him deeper, and never let him go.
But with a surge of unprecedented willpower, I snapped out of it and fell back into my seat. My heart was racing. My wolf clawed at my chest, and I rested my hand there to try and soothe the burning that was flaring up from inside my heart. It wanted me to taste more... It wanted to do more.
I took a little gasp of air and looked across the table at Tripp. He was sitting back with a hand on his own chest, and a curious look in his eye. Panic gripped me. My stomach churned and I felt dizzy. Had he felt the same sensation in his chest? Did he know what kind of effect he was having on me?
Acting on autopilot – but driven completely by panic, I stood up quickly and breathed, “I'm going to settle the bill.” I turned on my heel and walked quickly through the restaurant, glancing at every table to see who could have been watching us. I felt my face burning bright red from having put on such a performance.
Claimed By My Pretend Boyfriend: Blackwater Pack Book Six Page 5