“Not to anyone else, but you’ve never looked out at the stands before.” I reach over to pick up my coffee and take a long drink. If anyone was going to notice, it would be my mom. She picks up on everything. “She’s young.”
“I don’t care.” The words pass my lips easily, considering the inner battle I’ve been having with myself about Willow.
“All right.”
“That’s all you’ve got to say?” I thought she would have a little more to add. Or at least ask me some more questions.
“Theo, I’ve never known you to not know what you are doing, even when you were a little boy. Once you made up your mind to do something or have something, nothing could deter your determination. There was no stopping you until you achieved your goal. The only thing that’s changed in that scenario is that you're a hell of a lot bigger now.” She gives me that warm smile of hers that has always put me at ease.
“This is different. It’s a person.”
“I know.” She smirks. “Something you can’t control.”
“Not for lack of trying,” I mumble, making her burst into laughter. At least someone finds it funny.
13
Willow
I hold my ripped shirt in my hand with no clue what I’m going to do. Him ripping my clothes off last night was crazy hot in the moment but not so much right now. I want to murder him for it. I have no clothes to wear! And his mother is in the kitchen. The one I basically did the run of shame out of. I swear I feel as though I’m going to have a panic attack.
My underwear is nowhere to be found either. I fling myself onto the bed. There went the possibility of this thing between Theo and me actually being something. I’ll never be able to look at his mom again. I can only imagine the things she’s thinking.
Oh no. What if his mom thinks he and Tiffany are together? That I should have known that after last night but I still hooked up with him anyway. This keeps getting worse.
When I hear the door open, I grab the blanket and pull it over me in the worst attempt to hide myself. If I stay under here then I don’t have to face anyone. This makes perfect sense to me.
When I feel the blanket slowly getting pulled off of me, I try to hold on but fail. I look up at Bear, who is smirking. I grab one of the pillows and throw it at his handsome face. I can’t believe he thinks this is funny. His mom probably thinks I’m some home-wrecking one-night stand, and he’s smiling so wide.
“You ruined my clothes.”
“I’ll buy you new ones.”
“Not the point.” I blow my hair out of my face as I sit up.
“How do you always look so damn sexy?” My insides flutter at his words.
He pushes me back down onto the bed, coming over me. He’s not even touching me really, and I’m getting turned on. I know what that mouth of his is capable of, and my body wants the pleasure that it knows it can give.
“I’m mad at you. Get off me.” I say the words but wrap my legs around him at the same time, not wanting him to go anywhere.
“I didn't know she was stopping by.” He leans down, kissing me. I melt into him, forgetting about everything else.
“You’re always distracting me with your mouth,” I moan.
“Not my fault. I can’t keep my mouth off you. You’re too tempting.” He goes for my neck. “You let anyone kiss you like this?” He pushes the shirt I’m wearing up as he slips down my body. “Answer me.” He nips at my stomach. I shake my head no.
“Bear.” My fingers tangle into his hair as his mouth goes to my sex. His fingers dig into my thighs. I want them to leave another mark on me.
His hold on me is possessive. It feels like he never wants to let me go. I know it’s dangerous for me to think those things, but I can’t help it when he’s acting this way. It doesn't take long before I’m coming while crying out his name.
“You calm now?” he asks, licking his lips.
“You went down on me to calm me down?” I let out a sigh because I do feel relaxed.
“No. I enjoy the fuck out of eating your pussy.” My face flushes at his bluntness.
“Bear!” He lets out a deep sexy chuckle. I roll over, trying to scramble to the other side of the bed. He grabs me, biting my ass. I let out a small scream. He kisses the spot he bit before releasing me. I climb over to the other side of the bed.
“Your mom!” I throw my hand over my mouth. It dawns on me that I wasn’t quiet at all when Bear’s mouth was on me. Oh God!
“She’s gone, but she’ll be back if we don’t show up to dinner tonight.”
I take a deep breath, feeling relieved.
“What?” I almost fall off the other side of the bed, but Bear grabs me pulling me back to his side. He lifts me, throwing me over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“I need a shower, and I don’t trust you won’t make a run for it.” How does he know me so well already? I would have made a run for it.
He puts me on my feet as he pulls my shirt off at the same time. He stares at me for a long moment, forgetting what he was doing. I can see the hunger in his eyes, even though he just had his mouth on me minutes ago.
“Your turn.” My eyes drop to his sweatpants. Without hesitation he drops them. My eyes go to his cock, which is pointing straight at me. He wraps his hand around it, giving it a few strokes before he turns, giving me a glimpse of that fine ass of his, one that would put Captain America’s to shame. He turns on the water, and I swear watching the beads form on his skin and ripple down his body is one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen in my life.
He turns back around, grabbing me before lifting me from my feet and walking me into the shower with him. “I’m not a doll.” I laugh. I’ve always found men manhandling women annoying. Well, that was until I saw Reid with Zoey. I have to say that I rather enjoy when Bear does it with me.
“No, you’re not a doll.”
I slide down his body until my feet touch the floor. “Are we really doing this?” I ask. I know I’m falling more and more for him every second. It’s scary.
“Let’s enjoy the moment.” I’m not sure that’s the answer I was looking for, but in this moment, my need for him is too great to dive deeper into what this thing between us is or will be.
“Okay.” I find myself agreeing. What if we find out in a few days we aren't really that into each other? Maybe it’s only the thrill of getting caught that we’re really into. Then his whole career could be fucked over for nothing. “I like that plan.” I kiss his chest.
His eyes fall closed, and I kiss his chest again. “I want to touch you.” He doesn't stop me as I wrap my hand around his cock. It’s both soft like velvet and hard too. A groan comes from deep inside his chest. Showering together feels so intimate. “Show me.” He opens his eyes to stare down at me, his eyes full of lust.
“You’re not going to hurt me.” He wraps his hand over mine. His hold is firm as he teaches me how to stroke him back and forth. “Anything you do is going to feel good. Your breathing alone does it for me.”
“You’re so sweet.” He releases my hand and lets me stroke him on my own.
“I should be sweeter to you.” I can hear the regret in his voice.
“I’m the only one who gets the grumpy bear that enjoys barking orders at me.”
“Fuck.” He drops his head back as I stroke him harder. “I have no self-control when it comes to you.” The nickname Bear is fitting. “You make me feel shit I don’t understand.”
“The feeling is mutual.” I drop to my knees in front of him.
“Willow. You don’t have to…” His words are cut off when I wrap my mouth around the head of his cock. His hand flies out to brace himself against the wall. The other tangles into my hair. His hips thrust forward. He might be saying one thing, but his body is saying another.
I swirl my tongue around the head of his cock before I take him all the way to the back of my throat. The sounds that come from him are animalistic. My clit starts to throb at the sounds I’m pulling
from him. A thrill runs down my spine. It pushes me to suck harder. I want to be the best he’s ever had. His hand tightens in my hair.
“I’m going to come.” I look up at him, wanting to see his face as he finds his release. If I didn't know any better, I would think he was in pain as he starts to come. His warm release spills down my throat.
I suck and lick every drop of him down and don’t stop. I’m greedy for the pleasure I’m giving him. All that control he has slips away, and all I see is him. I lean back, and his cock slips free from my mouth.
He grabs me and lifts me into his arms, pinning me to the shower wall and kissing me. I cling to him, not sure if I’ll ever be able to let him go. Hoping that I never have to.
14
Willow
“What about this?” Zoey stares at me with her nose scrunched. This is the third outfit I’ve tried on. I need to make sure I wear something presentable after what happened this morning.
“Are you going to see his mom or yours?”
“So that’s a no.” I walk back into my closet to find something else to wear.
“Wear what you always wear, dork.” She pulls a fuzzy white sweater off a hanger with a pair of jeans. I pull off the cardigan and skirt before putting on the clothes she picked out. That was an outfit I would wear to have lunch with my own mom.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I grumble.
“You’re a grown woman, and he’s a grown man. I’m sure his mom knows he has sex.”
“We’re not having sex,” I hiss, making her laugh. I am still confused about that. Why didn't we have sex?
“You know what I mean.” I grab a pair of boots, slipping them on. “I don’t understand why I’m going to his parents’ house. We don’t even have a label for whatever this is that he and I are doing.”
I already tried to get out of going. Bear swore that his mom would track me down and pretend to run into me somewhere, so it was better to just go. I was a little jealous that his mom would go so far to be involved in his life.
“She was sweet,” Zoey reminds me. She really was sweet at the game. She clearly loves her son too. Bear reassured me that his mom knows he’s not dating Tiffany. That did make me feel a tiny bit better. At least she doesn’t think I’m a homewrecker. I take some consolation in that.
“Better?” I motion to my outfit.
“Perfect.” She beams. “I want more details later.”
I only had a chance to give her the CliffsNotes. It took Bear and me way too long to get out of his place and down here for me to change before we’re supposed to be at his parents’ place. We keep ending up having make-out sessions like we’re teenagers.
“I might not be home tonight.”
“You slut,” she teases me. “Still can’t believe you’re hooking up with Reid’s coach. It kind of makes sense. You’ve always said the boys you date are juvenile. Theo is anything but that.” That’s an understatement. Is there something that is more than a man? He would likely fall into whatever category that would be. I’m not sure where to put Bear. I’ve never met anyone like him before.
“I like being with him.” I shrug. I might like it too much, in fact. I don’t think this thing we have can go very far to begin with. If it did, it would have to stay hidden. He might not want it to go anywhere for all I know. This could all be fun. My mind races with all the possible outcomes.
“Reid said he’s a good guy,” Zoey offers. Everything I could dig up on him said the same too. There was no string of girlfriends, hidden love children, or anything. He’d been a model student and NFL player. He’d even done advocating for the Players Association in the NFL. He’d been asked to put his name in to be the president of it, but he turned it down.
“People are going to have shit to say if they find out about us.”
“People always have shit to say.” Isn't that the truth? I glance at my phone, checking the time, knowing we need to get out of here. “You’ll be fine. Be yourself,” Zoey reminds me as we leave my room.
Bear stands as we enter the living room. “Ready?” he asks, holding his hand out to me. I take it.
“You kids don’t be out too late.” Reid says, earning him a glare from Bear.
I try to pull my hand from his when the elevator doors open on the bottom floor—who knows who could be around?—but he doesn't let me. He walks me to his truck, opening the door for me.
“We should be more careful,” I say as we pull out of the parking lot. He only grunts a response. “You don’t think it’s weird I’m meeting your parents?” I suppose I already met them, but meeting them as the girl their son is dating is way different.
“Mom can be like a dog with a bone. How are your parents?”
“Absent.”
He flicks a glance my way. It’s the best way to describe our relationship.
“It’s no big deal.” I shrug. “Having Zoey and her mom helped a lot over the years.” My throat grows tight.
“I was surprised when I found out you were a Harlow. Your great grandfather invented plastic.”
“He did. Have you been googling me?” This time it’s him that shrugs.
“Why were you surprised?”
“You’re not snotty.”
I snort a laugh. “Your parents have money and you’re not snotty. Bossy but not snotty.” It’s the truth. The way his parents interacted at the game, not only with one another but with everyone around them showed what kind of people they are.
“You enjoy me being bossy.”
I turn my head to look out the window to hide my smile. I do, much more than I’m willing to admit. He reaches over and takes my hand. “My parents are sweet. Don’t stress over meeting them. They are really easygoing. Down to earth.”
“I don’t want them to get the wrong idea.” I bite my bottom lip. “I was wearing your shirt this morning. I looked…” I trail off, not sure of the word I’m looking for.
“Well fucked.”
“No. You haven't fucked me.” His hand holding mine tightens.
“I recall fucking you with my tongue.” I squeeze my legs together, getting turned on as easy as him flipping a switch.
“Bear!” I gasp.
“You turn the same pretty pink when you orgasm as you do when you blush.” I roll my eyes. My body starts to heat. This is so not the time to get turned on. Bear has awoken my sex drive with that dirty mouth and his filthy words.
He turns into a driveway that is blocked off by a giant gate. He hits a button, and it swings up, allowing him to pull in. A cute house that reminds me of the one in the movie Father of the Bride comes into view as we get to the top of the hill.
“I love this house. It’s adorable.” My parents’ house is big to a degree that makes it gaudy. This, however, is perfect. It’s a real home. I can tell that without even having stepped inside yet. I’m sure Bear has fond memories of growing up here. His mom and dad look as though they were the perfect parents. “Are your parents a New Age Leave It to Beaver family?”
“I suppose so.” He puts his truck into Park. He hops out, coming around to open the door for me.
“I forgot to bring something!” I’m really messing this whole meet-the-parents thing up.
“It’s fine.” He takes my hand.
“I can’t go in empty handed. I’m already not on great terms with your mom.”
“She’s going to like you,” he says for the twentieth time. I’m not buying it. Before I can protest more, the front door swings open.
“You brought her!” His mom runs out the front door, engulfing me in a giant hug. She holds me tight. It reminds me of one of Zoey’s mom, Quinn’s, hugs. An unexpected wave of emotion hits me hard. Tears sting the back of my eyes. She pulls back to look at me. “You’re so beautiful.” She takes me by the hand and begins to lead me inside.
“Mom.” Bear tries to stop her, calling after us. She’s already got me into the house.
“Your dad is in the living room,” she tosses over her shoulde
r at him. “Would you like something to drink? I was about to make some tea.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Sit here.” She motions to one of the high-top chairs in the kitchen that sits at the giant island. The kitchen is breathtaking, and it has nothing to do with the design but the fact that it looks like a real kitchen people use. She has a million things spread across the counter she must be cooking with.
I notice the apron she has on says hot stuff coming through. Between the giant hug and the apron, I start to relax. Not everyone that comes from money is like my mother.
It’s then I realize that’s why I’ve been so nervous. I was thinking that she would be judging my every move, the same way my mom does when I’m in her company.
“So tell me about yourself. I want to hear it all.”
“Not much to tell.”
“Don’t be shy. I watched some of your videos online with Zoey. I feel like I know you already.”
“You watched my videos?”
“Of course I did. I had to see who the girl was that finally caught my Theo’s attention. You know, he’s never brought a girl home before.”
The smile on her face is infectious. I don’t think either of my parents know about the blog Zoey and I do. Never mind them bothering to actually take an interest and watch a few videos off it. That’s something they would never do.
I take that back—my mom would probably watch them but only to have more ammunition to criticize me with. That I need to grow up. That I’ll never make a living off it. We are already receiving sponsorships.
‘He’s never brought a girl home?” I want to do some getting to know Bear myself.
“Nope. Everything is always football this or football that. Don’t get me wrong, I love that he’s getting to do what he wants, but throw a mom a crumb here. How am I ever going to get grandbabies if the man won’t go out on a date?” She gives me an apologetic look I don’t understand. “I got so desperate I tricked him into a date. That’s coming back to bite me in the butt now and reminding me of why I should mind my own damn business. His father tried to warn me, but I insisted that I knew what I was doing.”
His Forever Love Page 6