by E. M. Moore
Once he’s already out into the screen enclosed pool room, I run upstairs, whip off my clothes and change into my royal blue sports bikini. I walk down with a couple of beach towels and then head into the kitchen, grabbing every chip bag we have and then some waters before taking them into the sunroom and setting them on the table. The sunroom opens up into the screened-in pool. When I get out there, Alec is already in the pool, his hair slicked back. His penetrating gaze makes goosebumps sprout over my arms and then move down my body. His gaze never leaving mine, he says, “Jesus, Tessa.”
“Are you hungry?” I ask, trying to hide the waver in my voice.
He shakes his head, then follows me as I walk down the pool steps and right toward him. I move him back until his shoulders hit the side of the pool. The lower half of his body is hidden by the water, but his chest is a beautiful expanse of chiseled muscles. When I move closer, he takes my hips again. “Congratulations,” I tell him, right before I raise to my tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips. He pulls me closer, and sure enough, he was right about boxer briefs not being the same thing as swim trunks. I can feel every rigid part of him as he moves me closer.
His fingers press against my ribs, then dance over them. When he pulls away, he says, “Can I ask you a question?”
I lean into him, my breasts pressing into his chest as I nod. “Are you a virgin?”
I gasp a little. I wasn’t expecting a question like that so soon. Biting my lip, I shake my head.
“Who?” Alec asks, his voice hard. His fingers press into me.
“His name’s Andrew. He’s from Broadwell. I broke up with him when I decided to go to Rockport.”
“And he let you go?” He looks me over. “Fucking idiot.”
Thinking of Andrew makes me think of Tiff, the friend I still haven’t heard from since I moved. Oh well. I guess we weren’t as close as I thought. I bet the Ballers never would let even a different school come between them.
Alec’s hand skates over my ribs, then closes over my breast. I let out a solitary gasp. Did I just think the other day how I don’t like having breasts? I was wrong. So wrong. Alec lowers his head, dropping a kiss in my cleavage. “I saw you sitting on Sloan’s lap earlier.” His mouth continues over the curve of my breast, so I can’t even respond. “I’m glad someone is looking out for you while I’m not there.”
His thumb passes over my nipple, and it hardens at his touch. I press my hips into his. “You’re not mad?”
“Jealous as fuck,” he says. “But not mad.” He rocks into me, the water adding another element of arousal as it splashes up over my breasts.
We kiss again, a tangle of tongues and moans until I’m pressed against him and he’s straining toward my center. It would be so easy just to pull our bottoms down and give in to what we want. So easy.
I want to. I want Alec inside me. We both know it, but for some reason, we don’t. He kisses my forehead. “Plenty of time,” he says, before he moves my bikini bottoms out of the way and strokes my center with his finger.
I tremble in his arms. “Alec.”
“I know.” He strokes me again, then presses his finger inside me. I cry out. I feel as if I’m going to fall to pieces. It never felt like this with Andrew. It was like going through the motions, not some super hot I want it now urge.
He moves his finger inside me, and I roll my hips into him unabashedly. Over his boxer briefs, I grab his dick, running my hands down it. “Jesus Christ. Fuck, Tessa,” he groans. There’s so many hands and fingers between us, but it doesn’t matter, we’re moving against one another until we’re both breathing heavy. The more one of us gives the other, the other gives it right back and then some until I’m so close I can scream. When my orgasm does hit, that’s exactly what I do. I cry out until Alec’s yearning groan cuts me off. His cock pulses in my hand, and I pump my fist over him until he shudders.
Eventually, he pulls his finger out of me, putting my bikini bottoms back in place. I release my hold on him, the blood in my wrist pulsing.
“I’m so fucked when it comes to you, Tessa Dale.” He leans over and kisses me again, his dark hair brushing my forehead.
Ditto. My body is still trying to come off its high, yet it wants more.
25
The next morning I wake up early to meet Shawn and Matt at the track. I feel like I’m barely awake when I take the winding road down to Rockport, mostly because I stayed up last night replaying what happened between Alec and I in the pool. I’ve never felt like that with someone else before. Like I needed them. It was intense. Not an overall bad feeling, it was fucking hot, but at the same time, it’s worrisome. What happens if he decides to pull away and act like a Baller again?
When I take a right to park near the track, Sloan’s Jeep is parked just in front of me. I get out and when I see he’s in the front seat, I march right up to him. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard you making plans with them, so I wanted to stop by.”
“It’s seven in the morning, Sloan.” No high schooler gets up this early to train if they can help it.
I shake my head and try to walk away, but he reaches out his window and grabs my shoulder. “Please, Tessa.” It’s only the rawness in his voice that makes me turn around. I can see the bags under his eyes then, his trembling fingers even though when he notices that I see it, he hides them on the other side of the door. “I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I didn’t mean to push you.”
How the world has turned… Isn’t that what the Ballers are about? Pushing people? Instead of saying all that, I place my hand on the door of the Jeep and look Sloan over. “You didn’t get any sleep, did you?” I reach up, my fingers touching the area below his eyes. Such dark, dark circles. “What happened?”
He looks away and puts on a pair of sunglasses that are in his hands. “Nothing.”
I look into my reflection from his sunglasses. “Don’t do that,” I say. Sloan probably knows more real things about me than anyone else at the moment. I don’t want to go back to hiding. “Are you okay? Is it your parents?”
He nods once. “It’s no big deal though.”
“What are you even doing here then? Go home. Get some sleep.”
His jaw hardens. “Do you think it ever stops?” He throws the Jeep door open, and I have to take a step back. “Come on. Let’s whip Matt into shape.” He slams the door behind him and walks off.
His shoulders are high, muscles tight. He’ll be in a mood all day, and we’ll all suffer for it. Shawn and Matt eye us when we come forward. Sloan stops short, crossing his arms in front of his chest, a scowl on his handsome face.
I skirt around him. “I usually run a slow mile to warm up,” I explain to the guys, feeling the heat of Sloan’s gaze on all of us. Then, I unzip my jacket until I’m standing there in a tight racerback tee.
Shawn and Matt have already taken off running. Before I can even go after them, Sloan’s hand moves around my waist, bringing me back to him. “I shouldn’t let you wear this.” His hand slides over my skin, dipping just below the waistband of my capris. “Not in front of them.”
My head drops back at his touch. I’m caught between telling him I can wear whatever I want and liking the way his words make me feel. He doesn’t want anyone else to look.
He kisses my neck. I try to turn in his grip, but he says, “You better catch up with them, Dale.” He removes his hand, letting me stand there reeling.
Shawn and Matt are already halfway done with the lap, so I run to catch up with them. At least it will give me something for my hands and feet to do instead of walking right back up to Sloan and showing him what his hand could do to me if he wanted. But why would I do that? I chastise myself.
It turns out, my slow mile is Matt’s all-out. I’m getting worried for him. I don’t know if he’ll be able to hack it. He’s got the skills but having talent has very little to do it if you can’t even get down the court to show them off. That shit might have worked in middle school, but not h
ere.
At the end of our sprints, the three of us collapse to the ground. We have just enough time to head into the showers before the bell. “Alright, let’s go,” Sloan says. He’s been standing there watching us this whole time, making it seem like this was a Baller-sanctioned recruit setup even though it wasn’t. Despite all that, I do feel bad for him. A few people have started to cross the grounds to get to the school. Some guys who walk notice Sloan and come up to talk to him. I grab my things and fold my jacket over my arm. I’m too hot right now to put this on. I’m dying. A shower—even a gym shower—sounds great right about now.
“Hey, Tessa.” I look over my shoulder to find Shawn running toward me. He runs a hand through his sweat-drenched hair. “So, I was wondering if maybe I can, um…” He takes a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m just wondering if I can take you out sometime.”
Behind us, I hear someone ask, “Is that Tessa Dale? Damn.”
A quick glance behind me shows Sloan glaring at Shawn and me. Whoever he’s talking to is eyeing me up and down.
“I mean, I don’t know if there’s something going on with you and Alec or you and Sloan even, it’s just…” He shrugs. “I just had to ask.”
I turn toward him, a small smile on my face. I feel gross, to be honest. It’s sweet that he still asked me this even when I’m sure I look like a hot, sweaty mess.
“Fuck you,” I hear Sloan say. When I look back, I find him walking toward us. He’s scowling. “Get a move on, Shawn.”
Shawn’s eyes dart to Sloan. He goes to turn, but I hold back on his arm. I haven’t even answered his question yet. “I’m sorry, Shawn. That’s so sweet of you, but—”
Hands settle on Shawn’s chest and push. The freshman center stumbles until he falls flat on his ass. “What the fuck, Loggins?” Sloan shouts. “Keep your hands to yourself.”
“Sloan,” I gasp, mouth wide open looking from him to Shawn. Shawn scrambles to his feet. He’s furious, but he’s not dumb. He’s not going to mess with a Baller. “I’m sorry,” I call out after him. He shakes his head and turns, walking away from us.
“What did he want?” Sloan asks. He’s still coiled up tight, one foot facing Shawn like he could chase after him at any moment.
I turn to look at him, my temper flaring. “If you don’t know, why did you even do that?”
“I saw the way he was looking at you the whole workout. I’ve also heard him and Dempsey talk. Plus, I’m a guy. I know exactly what they’re thinking.”
I drop my head to the side and blink. “Are you serious? I came all over your friend yesterday with his fingers inside me, do you really think I’m going to say yes when Shawn asks me out?”
Sloan rips his sunglasses off. They fall to pieces on the ground, but then he’s on me. His hand comes up to cradle the back of my head as his lips claim mine. He urges and urges until I open for him, stealing my breath. For a moment, I settle into his kiss, enjoying the sensations that spark inside me until I realize I’m kissing Sloan Ivy in full view of everyone coming into school. Also, I’m kissing Sloan Ivy. What am I doing?
I rip away from him, his teeth catching my lip a little. My hand flies to my mouth. I bring my fingers away to see a smear of blood. “I’m sorry,” Sloan says immediately. He stares at my lips, the circles around his eyes much darker than they were even just before. I turn and run toward the school with a chorus of laughter following me the entire way. That is, until I hear Sloan telling them all to shut the fuck up.
I run straight for the backdoor to the girls’ locker room. Once in there, I can breathe a little without Sloan’s overwhelming scent. I jump in the shower, my fingers coming up to trail over my lips as the water pelts me. Sighing, I finish, and then hurry and dress in the extra clothes I brought with me. When I step out into the locker room, Ryan Linc is sitting on the closest bench. His gaze drags down me, and I almost yelp at the surprise of seeing him there. Then, I just push forward until I find an open mirror and take out my foundation. I normally wouldn’t be caught dead doing this in front of him, but I’m at my wit’s end with the Ballers about how. Well, most of them anyway.
“I heard about what happened with Sloan.”
“And Alec, no doubt.”
I can see him in the reflection, nodding. “We’ve talked about it.” I glare at him through the mirror. They talked about me, without me even there. He meets my gaze unapologetically. “I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your notice that your relationships with Sloan and Alec could fuck up the team dynamics. I don’t know how it’s going to work.”
“I haven’t even made the team yet.”
“True,” he says. “If you don’t, then we’ll have nothing to worry about.”
I rub the rest of my foundation in and then turn. “I’m making the team.”
“Exactly what I thought you would say, which is why I’m here.” He stands, placing his arms over his chest. “We’re putting the word out today that you’re one of ours. That way Alec and Sloan can calm the fuck down and won’t have to worry about other guys.”
“I’m one of yours?” I ask, almost incredulously. “And you think that’s going to stop people from doing what they want?”
“It usually does.”
“Of course, because you’re the Ballers. You can do whatever the hell you want.”
Ryan moves closer until he stops a foot away from me. I’m already pressed against the sink with nowhere to escape. “Is this not what you want, Tessa?” He steps forward again, and my breath rattles around in my chest. “I know how you react to me. If it’s the same for Alec and Sloan, why wouldn’t you let us claim you?”
“Because you can’t claim a person, Ryan. That’s not real life.”
“Do you want me to tell Ivy and Christopoulos that you don’t want them?”
Dread slices through my chest. “No!”
He takes another step closer, his gaze fixated in my hair. “Then let me do this. You can focus on basketball. No one will bully you anymore. Hell, people won’t even want to look at you anymore. If they do…” He trails off with the threat. “I just need you to make me a promise.”
My throat is suddenly dry. I swallow. “What’s that?”
“This won’t affect the team. Period. You and I both have aspirations, and I won’t have anything fucking them up.”
I stand taller. “You know how important basketball is to me. I won’t let it screw anything up.”
He nods, then lifts his hand to filter his fingers through my hair. My breath catches. He used to do that all the time that summer at camp. “I like the new length, by the way.” With that, he turns and exits into a busy hallway.
I sit on the bench he just vacated. It takes me a minute to understand what he meant by my length, but then it hits me. I cut my hair before the school year. My hair was a lot longer that year at camp, but it’s just a little past shoulder-length now. I sit there and think until the bell brings me to my senses. Then, I grab my shit and get to class.
26
Ryan wasn’t kidding when he said they were going to put the word out that I was theirs. I hear it so many times just walking the hallway that I don’t know whether to be proud or think I’ve made a huge mistake. When I leave the class right before lunch, I hear, “Don’t be mad.”
I look up and right into Sloan’s bloodshot eyes. He looks like he’s high, but I know he’s not. He wouldn’t dare. He’s just tired. People are giving us a wide berth in the hall, but they’re also staring at us like they want the next headline to read, Senator’s Son and Basketball Princess Ignite. I walk toward him. “Are you okay, Sloan? You don’t look so good.”
His lips turn up. “You’re talking to me, so that’s good.”
“You’re so tired. You look like you could fall asleep right here.”
He waves away my concern. “I’ll deal with it.” He looks down the hall, then kicks away from the wall. “We have another basketball thing.”
“Okay.”
“I told them how you guys were run
ning this morning, and that it was your idea.” His fingers graze mine, and then they linger there almost like he wants me to hold his hand.
My skin tingles where we touch. I need to talk to both him and Alec. Are they seriously okay with this? I know how close they are, they would never let a girl come between them, which is why I don’t fully understand what’s going on. I’m theirs. The whole school knows it now. “But all three of us did it,” I tell him, pulling my hand away finally.
I hate the sad look on his face afterward, but then he pulls his hand through his brown hair, mussing it up until it looks adorably cute. We don’t say anything more until we get to Timothy Dale Court. When I first lock eyes with Lake, he freezes me in place. He’s pissed already, and I haven’t even been here all of two seconds.
“Don’t worry about him,” Sloan whispers.
Of course he would say that. He’s never been held down by him before.
We practice outside shooting today. Nothing formal. Just one person taking a shot while the other rebounds and passes it to the person waiting. I kick Shawn and Matt’s asses, but let’s face it. I should. I’m the shooting guard. This is kind of my thing.
When we finish, Alec throws me a bottle of water and then slips a sandwich out of his bag. “My sister made this for you this morning.” From the outside of the sandwich, I can see there’s peanut butter in there for sure. It’s so thick it’s oozing out the sides. “I’m pretty sure she drew a basketball in the middle.”
“Well played, Christopoulos,” Sloan calls from the end seat. He watched us the entire practice even though I wished he’d take a nap. They certainly don’t need him here for this, and he won’t even be able to get some sleep after school because we’re headed to Alec’s away game.
“That’s cute,” I tell him. “Tell her thank you for me.” I’m not a huge fan of peanut butter, but I eat it anyway. It’s the thought that counts.
“They’ll be at the game tonight, so you can tell her yourself.”