“Hi, baby,” I whispered against her lips before closing the slight space between us and kissing her. She tasted sweet, like those smarties she enjoyed that were quickly becoming my very own favorite. I pulled away before I lost control and deepened the kiss in front of Coach and my teammates.
“Jonah, my girl, Cora. Cora, this idiot is Jonah.”
“His best friend. Excuse his manners. His mom and I tried, but you know.” He shrugged, and I rolled my eyes. He extended his arm and shook Cora’s hand.
“Okay, enough of that,” I said, taking her hand away from his, and she quietly tucked her body close to mine.
“Nice to meet you. You guys looked great out there,” she complimented.
“Thank you,” he said, grinning from ear to ear, and I shook my head.
“She means me, moron,” I huffed.
“The whole team.” She laughed but rested her head on my shoulder, and I kissed the top of her head, slowly taking in a deep breath of the clean scent of her shampoo. “You guys done?” she asked, looking up just as Coach yelled, “Clark and Montes, get your asses over here!” I winced and looked down at her.
“Almost. You okay waiting a little bit longer?”
“Sure. I’ll just read.” She smiled.
“Okay. Be right back.” I quickly landed a peck on her sweet lips and winked at her before running off.
“You are in so much trouble.” Jonah laughed, and I didn’t care.
“Coach will get over it.”
“I don’t mean Coach.” He laughed. “I mean that girl. Way out of your league, partner,” he said as we jogged, and I frowned.
“Oh yeah, why?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
“She reads.”
“Fuck you.” I laughed before hitting him over the head and made a mad dash toward Coach and the rest of the team.
_______________
“Oh my god,” she moaned, the pleasure on her face making me hard.
Or harder, as the case might be. My dick was going to have the hem of my boxers imprinted on it.
“Mmm,” she whimpered. Her gorgeous eyes closed, just as her wicked little pink tongue popped out and took a lick. My throat ran dry, and my Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. I was almost twenty-three, but there I was, afraid I’d come in my pants like some stupid teenager.
Just from watching her.
I had never understood weird kinks or fetishes, but watching Cora eat was soon starting to become an erotic experience. I wanted that little tongue licking the line of my shaft. I wanted to be the one to put that look of ecstasy on her face.
“I can’t believe I’ve lived here for almost four years and never tried this place out.” She looked at me as she wiped the side of her lips and stopped. “What?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head, unable to look away.
Why had I kept my distance for so long? Why hadn’t I tried to get her to give me another chance before this?
“That’s not a nothing look,” she said suspiciously. “Do I have sauce on my face?” She wiped again.
“No.” I quickly shook my head and took her hand in mine. “I just like watching you.”
“No one from my sorority is here, so don’t worry about laying it on too thick,” she teased, but I saw the hesitancy in her gaze. She was trying to guard herself.
“I’m not laying anything but the truth, babe.” I winked, taking her free hand in mine and stroking my thumb against her wrist. I found myself asking a girl something I hadn’t thought I would. Something lame but meaningful all at the same time. And I was going to ask because I actually cared. “How was your day?”
She blinked once and then twice. Like she was trying to gauge whether I was actually interested. When I raised my brow, she spoke and kept going. Telling me all about her day. The entire time, her melodic voice enraptured me. I was completely wrapped up in her every word as she shared about her classes and the part time job she had on campus at the student store. I really fucking liked her. It had nothing to do, or mostly nothing to do, with how pretty she was. That was just the sprinkles on the icing of a really damn great cake.
Jesus, there I went again thinking poetically.
But I didn’t care. Not when she smiled so brightly, her eyes sparkled, and it made me think of forevers. Or when she blushed, and that faint pink tint spread down to her neck, and I thought about tracing all the pink with my tongue. Or when I said something that made her laugh, and the sound was so fucking great, I felt it in my chest like a medal of honor.
We talked and held hands way after our meal was finished. Time felt like it rushed through my fingers, and when it came to being with Cora, there just wasn’t enough.
Walking and saying goodbye wasn’t easy, but I could tell with every moment we shared that she was getting more and more comfortable around me. And that felt like a fucking badge of honor. I was fixing the trust I’d broken when we had first met.
By the end of the night, she was the one who rose on the tips of her toes and softly kissed me good night. She even looked torn about not inviting me in.
Maybe she felt a little of what I was feeling.
I could only hope.
Cora
I kissed Milo Clark.
And I seriously liked it.
CHAPTER FOUR
Cora
“YOU GOT IT!” I said with a smile on my face, trying to hide the worry as I popped a yellow Smartie in my mouth.
“Yeah? You think so?” he asked, stretching then leaning back on the chair. My eyes roamed down toward the small patch of skin that showed off his ripped abs, and I quickly popping a pink candy in my mouth to try and stop myself from saying something completely inappropriate, like asking him to take his shirt off.
We were at the U of D’s library in a study room, and I had just checked over his practice test for midterms. “You got this, Milo. Honestly, you really, really do.”
“If I understand this, it’s because of you, Smarty Pants.” He grinned, and my heart flipped. Why is he so irresistible?
“Shut up,” I muttered, trying to shove my thoughts about him away, “You did it all on your own, really.” I shrugged before pulling my hair up in a ponytail.
I could feel his eyes on me, and I really wanted so much more than his eyes. I was dying to feel his hands all over me. The last couple of weeks of playing pretend boyfriend and girlfriend were getting to me.
Bad.
The lines had blurred. A lot. It had me spun around and inside out. It was hard for me to differentiate what was real and what wasn’t.
“I saw Kappa Sweets has a fundraiser this weekend,” he mentioned over his shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Oh yeah, the blood drive!”
“Yeah. It was smart to tie it in with the Halloween party,” he complimented, and I smiled.
“That was all thanks to Allie’s scary genius mind,” I shared.
Allie was a master at promotions. She had done a vampire theme for the blood drive, organizing a raffle for tickets to the party. Not only were we going to help our local blood bank but also help the local children’s library, since the money we made from the party was going there.
“Allie Davenport?” he asked as if he recognized her, and I was suddenly slightly insecure.
“Yeah, one and the same. Do you know her?” I found myself wondering if they knew one another. The thought of them hooking up made my stomach clench. Allie was gorgeous and super smart. There was no way I could ever hold a light to her. Not that that’s what I was trying to do when it came to Milo. Right?
I watched as he dropped his pen and looked at me with an amused look on his face. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop.”
“I wasn’t thinking anything—”
“We don’t lie to one another,” he said seriously, and I pressed my lips together before speaking.
“We just lie to everyone else?” I asked, my eyes lowering to his lips, my mind thinking about how it felt to be in his arms w
hen he kissed me.
“We played inter-mural softball together,” he shared, ignoring my quip, and I bit my lower lip.
“Oh.” Heat climbed up the back of my neck. “I remember that,” I said softly, feeling like an idiot.
“I know her older brothers too.”
“Sam and Wally?”
“Yup.” His lips quirked up, like he knew I was relieved he hadn’t hooked up with Allie in the past.
“What’s that cocky look about?” I playfully scowled knowing he wasn’t about to drop it.
“You know what it’s about.” He winked. “Come here,” he demanded quietly, and I leaned in closer until his mouth touched mine. Pulling slightly away, he whispered against my lips, “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”
“Shut up,” I whispered as steely as I could, but there was no denying I’d totally been caught being a green-eyed monster. His lips touched mine again, and the world around us disappeared. There was no Greek mythology or crazy schemes.
Just the two of us.
The taste and scent of Milo were rich and masculine. Warm and comforting mixed with excitement, and it wrapped all around me. Unfortunately, he pulled away, but his gaze filled with so much hunger it made my thighs clench together. Would he finally ask me to his place? Was he waiting for me to ask him to mine?
“Ready to go?” he asked, clearing the hoarseness from his voice, and I nodded, not trusting my own. We had been playing this game for two weeks now, and it hadn’t gone past heavy duty make-out sessions in front of the sorority house or library. And I was frustrated. My battery-operated boyfriend wasn’t cutting it anymore. I wanted Milo.
I wanted him to be my first.
I just didn’t know how to tell him.
Quietly, we put our books and pens away, and as he worked without looking at me, my mind drifted to thoughts of him. If he felt something more, he would have taken things further by now, right? But he hadn’t.
“Cora?” his voice sounded, and I snapped out of my dirty thoughts and wishes he’d make a move on me. I was getting attached. A lot. Catching feelings sucked. Especially when you were at the point of no return. I wanted whatever he was willing to give.
“What?”
“I asked you why you hadn’t told me about the blood drive. You okay?”
“I’m fine. Sorry, I was thinking about—” I stopped and blushed because there was no way I was going to admit I wanted him to fuck me. “A paper.” I coughed.
“Okay,” he sounded out slowly, and I was pretty sure he didn’t believe me. “Why didn’t you tell me about the blood drive?”
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t bring it up.” He shrugged.
“It’s this Saturday,” I pointed out, and his head popped up, his narrowed gaze on me.
“And?”
“You have a game,” I reminded him and looked at him like he was crazy.
“We have an early game.”
“I know,” I huffed. “I just, I don’t know.” My shoulders dropped. “I didn’t wanna bug you. You’re usually with the guys after games and—”
“What time do you want us there?”
“Us?” My eyes widened.
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Some of the guys on the team are in frats, and those who aren’t still have blood. They can donate,” he suggested. He left me in awe.
“Oh. Right.” I felt like an idiot. He was going to stop by to donate. He would have an early game, and now he was committing to try and wrangle his buddies to help. “We start up about noon. We’ll have refreshments and grilling burgers and dogs.”
“You guys know how to grill?” he asked, and I rolled my eyes. “Like, with fire?” he pressed, and I playfully narrowed my brows.
“Ha-ha, funny guy. FYI, it’s not 1950 anymore, buddy. Women can seriously do everything,” I told him, and he smiled at me, looking at me like he had so much to say.
“I know, Smarty.” He moved forward and kissed the top of my forehead, leaving me slightly off-balanced by how sweet he could be. “I was messing with you.” He grabbed my now packed backpack from me and threw it over his shoulder, having his join it. “Come on, walk me home.”
“Walk you home?” This was a first. He never brought up me going to his place. He always walked me home. My heart flipped and my thighs clenched. Did this mean he wanted to push the envelope?
“Yeah. Walk me home.”
“Oh, umm—”
“You know, in the name of equality,” he said seriously, but I caught it. The glimmer in his gaze that showed he was playing with me, and I giggled.
“For equality, huh? Here I thought you wanted me to study anatomy in your room,” I blurted out without thinking.
I was the world’s worst flirt! Study anatomy? When he didn’t respond, I braved to look up at him. His heated gaze seemed torn.
“Is that an offer?” The tone of his voice made me shiver, and I licked my lips. Holy crap! Did it work?
“Maybe.” I shrugged like it was no big deal. Like I hadn’t just offered up some sexual favor. The joke was going to be on him if he took me up on it. He would probably be disappointed.
He had been my first kiss but not my last the last couple of years, but that’s all I had done. I was a virgin. An almost-college-graduate virgin. Gazing into his warm stare, I wondered if it would freak him out. I knew from the conversations I’d overheard through the years that he was not only well endowed but came with a Big-O guarantee.
“Maybe I’ll take you up on it.” He winked, taking my hand.
Much to my disappointment, he didn’t.
Ever the gentleman, he walked me back to the Kappa Sweets’ house. I had been too much of a chicken shit to bring it up again. Step out of your comfort zone. Maybe Allie had a point with her mission for the senior sisters? Maybe it was time for me to take charge and ask for what I wanted.
Because I really wanted Milo Clark.
Milo
Her ponytail bounced this way and that as she moved around with her girls. Setting up chairs and smiling brightly. I was a sick, sick man because I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“Thanks for waiting, dickhead,” Jonah called out as my steps quickened, and I didn’t even care. She hadn’t seen me yet, but all I could see was her.
The girl who had interrupted us the night we’d started this whole thing started tapped her shoulder and pointed over to me. What had been her name? Iris? Ivey? Who cared? I didn’t. Not when I got to observe my Smarty Pants’ unmasked reaction to seeing me. Her face transformed from curious to joyful in a mere second. Jesus Christ, she was beautiful. The sun made her thick hair shine like gold and made my hands ache to feel it wrapped around.
“Hey!” She ran over to me, and I tried to calm my hard-on down, but it was impossible with how mesmerized I was by her.
She was dressed in dark denim jean shorts and a neon orange T-shirt with a Jack-O-Lantern painted on the front, the Kappa Sweets logo on a sleeve. She was a sight for sore eyes.
The ultimate girl next door.
My dream girl.
She stopped in front of me, huge smile on her beautiful face, and I didn’t think. My hands spanned her waist, and I pulled her in the remainder of the way and my mouth fell over hers.
Fuck me.
I couldn’t get enough of her sweet and sassy mouth. She tasted like those damn candies again, candies I found myself buying, popping in the sugary treats when I missed her throughout the day.
“Wow,” she whispered, her eyes still closed when I pulled away, and I breathed in deep. I watched her open her eyes slowly, her gaze meeting mine. “Hi,” she greeted, and I fucking loved it. I wanted all her hellos.
“Missed you,” I said without thinking, but the hell of it was, it was the god’s honest fucking truth. I’d seen her two days ago, but it felt like longer.
“I missed you too,” she said wistfully.
“See, I told you!” a girlish voice announced, snapping us out of the bubble we’d been
in. Cora and I looked behind her. There was Allie Davenport and Cora’s roommate, who were standing grinning ear to ear as they looked back and forth between Cora and me. They looked like they were going to explode in glee.
“I have to say, I thought you were totally pulling my leg when you told me, but after watching that, holy crap, it’s true. Hey, Milo.”
“Hey, Allie. Catalina, right?”
“Yeah, hi.” She waved. “I better go see how I can help.” She waved again then quickly walked away.
“I seriously thought you two couldn’t stand one another,” Allie said, looking back and forth between Cora and me. “Didn’t something happen between you two? Freshman year?”
“Water under the bridge,” Cora said, smiling sweetly up at me, and shot a beam of hope through me.
“Obviously.” She laughed. “You guys are too adorable together! Please tell me you guys are going to do some sickeningly cute couple’s thing for the Halloween party,” she begged, and I laughed.
“We haven’t decided yet,” Cora answered before I could, and I looked down wondering what that was about.
“So, how can we help?” I asked, deciding to change the subject.
“Help?” Cora and Allie both said, and I pointed behind me.
The entire soccer team was walking up and joining us.
“I thought you guys were donating blood, Milo,” Cora asked, the awe in her voice clear, and I squeezed her hand.
“We are. But we can help first.” I winked at her, and she smiled up at me like I had just handed her the moon.
“That would be fantastic!” Allie exclaimed. “We have a ton of waters and juices we need to get down from the truck. Chairs and E-Z Up tents to be set up. Oh! And if someone is good manning the grill, that could free up some of our girls to work on getting volunteers.”
“You heard the lady, guys,” I said, and Allie mouthed, ‘Thank you’ as she walked off with the team and got them organized, telling them where to go.
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