His thumb brushes over the back of my hand as he watches me. “I think so,” he finally says. “For now, at least, but this isn’t over. I know the boys got what payback they felt necessary, but I won’t stop until I feel that fucker’s face beneath my fist.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, babe. I can’t let him get away with this. The second this cast is off my arm; I’m making Josh Henderson my bitch.”
I grin wide, unable to understand why the hell that turns me on so damn much. “Okay,” I tell him. “But you better get him good because I’ll be standing there waiting with the frozen peas for your hand, and I don’t do that kind of shit for just anyone.”
Puck pulls me in, right to where I was before Tyson came storming in here, taking all of my worries away. He rolls onto his side so he can hover above me. “Have I told you how fucking beautiful you are?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so,” I grin, “but feel free to do it again.”
Puck lowers his face to mine. “You’re going to be more trouble than I can possibly handle.”
“And is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
With that, Puck’s lips come down on mine and every piece of my heart falls right into place. This is where I’m meant to be, and all I know is that when Puck and I finally resurface for some air, Tyson is nowhere to be seen.
Chapter 13
Puck
Why do I feel so nervous? My fucking hands have been sweating all day.
It’ been two weeks since I was jumped and during those two weeks, Courtney has stayed right by my side and I can’t go on any longer without making this right. She’s my girl, my future, and my whole fucking world and not making this official with her has been driving me insane, but I haven’t wanted to do it until I could stand up and be a man she could be proud of, and lying in bed unable to move doesn’t exactly scream ‘capable.’ She deserves so much more than that.
The past few months with her have been an endless road of ups and downs, but during that time, she has snuck her way into my life and shown me a life filled with possibilities that I was blinded to before. Suddenly I want things for myself that I’ve never dreamed about and it’s all because of this beautiful woman who had the balls to call me out on my bullshit.
Who would have known that I’d find the girl I want to build a life with at eighteen? I know my mom sure as hell didn’t and to say she’s thrilled with this relationship is a major understatement. She absolutely adores Courtney and while that’s incredible news, I kind of hate it as it means every time she comes around, my mother steals her away and Courtney is too nice to say no.
I walk into the cafeteria and my heart instantly stops. There she is. Fuck, she's beautiful. Over the past few months, I have fallen completely in love with her and today, I'm going to find the balls to actually tell her.
On some level, I think she knows. She has to. It's as clear as the sky is blue. Courtney is my girl and every fucker around here knows it except for her and it's about time I take her fears and concerns away. I'm sure she probably thinks I'm standing by my claim of being the non-committal type, but she couldn't be more wrong. In fact, as usual, I can't wait to prove her wrong.
I've never been in love with someone before and man, I don't know how to describe this feeling. It's empowering. It makes me feel alive while at the same time I feel like a complete pussy, but what's more, I think I like it.
Touching her is like heaven and seeing her smile is like the best kind of drug, but that laugh...fuck. Don't get me started on her laugh. It's fucking beautiful.
By nature, I'm not a nervous guy. I'm the 'roll with the punches' kind of guy, yet Courtney has me all choked up and for the first time in my life, I don't have a clue what I'm doing.
My phone chimes in my pocket and I welcome the distraction. Anything to delay what I've got planned.
Nate - Done it yet, Romeo?
Puck - Fuck off! I'm waiting for the right time.
Nate - Fucking pussy!
Nate - You're Puck Fucking Jones. You don't wait for shit to come to you, you take it. Now, man the fuck up and take what's yours.
Puck - I fucking hate you!
Nate - You got this!
Fuck me. I've never been so happy to have my best friend currently serving a school suspension. If he was here to witness this, I'd never live it down. But one thing is for sure, the bastard knows how to get in my head.
I throw back what's left in my water bottle as though it can somehow help me find my balls and I let out a shaky breath. Nate is right, I've got this.
I push back from my seat while tossing my empty bottle back over my shoulder and listening as it clatters into the trash can behind me. I can’t believe I’m about to do this. There are so many ways I can go about this yet I decided on the worst one. Not to mention, if she says no, it’ll be public record that Puck Jones got shut down.
This is the exact reason why I don’t like doing this.
The cafeteria is packed and as I step up onto the table and look down at my subjects, they instantly start cheering and hollering out, causing all sorts of commotion.
I have Courtney’s full attention before I’ve even said a word and a wide grin stretches across my face as she begins shaking her head, knowing exactly what’s coming. “Oh, no,” she murmurs to herself as she sits amongst her friends. I don’t hear her words, but I read it as clear as anything on her lips.
With her eyes on mine, I find my insecurities fading away and can’t wait to get this shit done so I can get her out of here, only a few people in the back aren’t giving my girl the respect she deserves. “Oi,” I yell, gaining every single person’s attention. “Shut the fuck up.”
Within the blink of an eye, Courtney’s cheeks are flaming bright red as the cafeteria falls into complete silence. So quiet in fact that I hear Jesse’s groaning beside Tora. “What the fuck is this daft cunt doing?”
“Shut up,” Tora whisper-yells, scolding him so I don’t have to. “He’s trying to be romantic.”
“It ain’t working,” Elle chuckles.
I roll my eyes as a wide grin spreads across my face. “Courtney,” I say, proudly, making sure every fucker in the room knows exactly who this is for. “I’ve been trying to figure out a way to do this for the past few weeks and every time I come up with something, I chicken out like a fucking pussy. But not anymore, babe.” I explain as excited chatter starts from every direction of the cafeteria, but one fierce look from Jesse, Maxen, or Ty and they all shut up. “You stood by me through some pretty fucked up shit and it’s about time that I start acting like a fucking man and admit, whether you know it or not, that you’re my girl.”
Tears well in her beautiful blue eyes and I quickly get to my point before her emotions become too much and she ends up crying in front of the school. I mean, I’m down to embarrass her in front of everyone with a little teasing, but she will never feel humiliated ever again, not if I have something to do with it.
“Court,” I say, letting my confidence come out in waves as I allow this to come to an end, but don’t get me wrong, the fear of rejection is still pulsing strongly throughout. “Be my girlfriend.”
Courtney stands and just when I think she’s about to tell me yes, she crosses her arms over her chest and flashes me a wicked smile that has me instantly growing hard. “I don’t know,” she says, playing with fire. “I heard you liked getting your butthole fingered, and that’s a hard pass for me.”
I can’t help but grin back at her challenge as the room looks back and forth between us. “If anyone’s butthole is going to be fingered, it’s going to be yours,” I tell her, letting her know that playing with fire is dangerous and sometimes, you’re bound to get burned, and she should know that no matter what, she’s not going to get away with it even if she’s mine. The fact that she’s testing the waters though, that tells me that this is going to be a ride worth taking. “Now put me out
of my fucking misery. Are you going to be my girl?”
Courtney’s tough girl act slips as she lets out a sigh and a smile cuts across her face, blowing me the fuck away. “Oh, I guess so,” she finally says with a blush staining her cheeks.
Unable to keep away, I jump down from the table and hurry across the cafeteria as the students around me break into all sorts of chaos. I scoop Courtney up into my arms as laughter tears from within her, though I hardly give her a chance to catch her breath before my lips are crushing down on hers, right where they belong.
Knowing she’s not going to let me get away with kissing her too much in front of the entire student body, I pull back and grin down at her. “I’m just warning you,” Courtney says as her hand slips into mine and I lead her back to the table with her friends. “If you put your fingers anywhere near my butt, we’re done.”
“Trust me, babe,” I tease with an excited grin, knowing exactly how she’ll react. “You’ll love it.”
Courtney blanches and I laugh as Maxen and Ty make their way over to our group, though I don’t have the patience for sitting and chatting as all I want to do is get this girl alone. “You know,” Courtney says, leaning into me. “We’re going to have to watch kids every day trying to copy your lead and fail miserably every single time.”
I let out a sigh. “I know.” Unfortunately, that’s the kind of shit that comes with the territory. When you’re seen as one of the popular guys at school, every move you make becomes something worth copying which means that over the next few weeks, we’re going to have the pleasure of watching dudes publicly put their hearts on the line and in most cases, get them shattered before the whole school.
I dip my head and nuzzle my face into her neck, loving how she tilts to allow me more access. “Do you want to go somewhere just you and me?”
Courtney turns into me and smiles wide before nodding and letting me help her up. Her hand remains right in mine and I can’t help but love the feel of her soft skin as I lead her out of the cafeteria.
I don’t know where I’ll take her, maybe back to my place or maybe I should jump straight in and head to a restaurant, but as we pass a supply closet, she shocks me to the core and pulls me in behind her.
Courtney’s hands fall to my chest and I instantly take her waist before our lips are crushing down on one another’s.
Nothing has ever felt so right.
She reaches for my shirt and I grin against her lips as I allow her to remove it. I didn’t realize she was quite so daring, but I’m not about to tell her no. I’ve been dying to get another taste of her and if that time has come then I’ll be sitting back and enjoying the ride.
My shirt is dropped to the ground as I tear hers over her head and feel her skin beneath my fingers. It’s so fucking smooth, it’s intoxicating. Her hands fall back to my body, exploring and claiming every fucking inch.
Courtney’s bra comes next and I can’t help but travel my eyes over her perfect body. When I had her last, it was the middle of the night and while I could enjoy her beautiful body, I couldn’t exactly see it like the way I can right now.
Desperation shoots through both of us and she unbuckles my belt as I grab her skirt and pull it high over her hips. She frees me from the confines of my jeans as I tear her thong down her long legs.
Courtney’s fingers wrap around my length, gripping tight and making me groan as I kiss her neck and take her waist. I pick her up onto a shelf and step into her as her legs wrap securely around my hips, drawing me in and begging me to touch her.
Who the hell am I to deny a beautiful woman what she needs?
As much as I’d like to take my time and worship her body, I don’t think either of us has the patience right now. Courtney’s nails dig into the muscles of my back as I guide myself to her entrance and find her more than ready to go.
I press into her, relieving the ache that we’ve both had growing since that night in her car. I seat myself deep inside her and her head falls to my shoulder as a low moan pulls from within. “Puck,” she breathes. “I need more.”
I grin against her skin as I start to move, giving her exactly what she needs as our bodies grow sweaty between one another’s. In. Out. Fast. Slow. Everything she needs, my woman gets.
Feeling her nearing the finish line, I press down on her clit and rub tight, little circles, loving the way her body responds to my touch. Courtney’s legs pull me in tighter as her nails dig deeper. “Fuck,” she pants. “I’m going to come.”
I press harder on her clit and she bites down on her lip to keep from screaming out as her orgasm rocks through her. She squeezes down on me and I come hard, and despite needing to still, I keep myself moving so she can ride it out.
My hand curls around her back and trails up to her neck, holding her close as we each work on catching our breath. I press my lips to her forehead and not a second later, she raises her head and beams up at me with a glow that knocks me the fuck away. “You know how beautiful you are right?” I murmur against her skin.
All she does is smile and it’s more than enough for me as I look down into her big eyes. “I don’t know what it is about you, Courtney, but you’ve got me making an ass of myself at every step. I fucking love you, babe.”
Courtney’s eyes widen in shock and she watches me for a brief, silent moment. “Really?” she whispers. “You do? Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “How could I not be sure?”
Joy shines through her eyes and I find myself kissing her once again. “I love you too,” she murmurs between our kisses, the words getting scrambled between crushed lips.
When I finally give her a chance to collect herself, I duck down and grab her clothes before handing them over and watching as she puts herself back together. “Do you have to watch me dress?’ she laughs, clasping her bra behind her back.
“Damn straight, I do,” I tell her, putting myself back inside my jeans and fixing my belt. “You’re fucking gorgeous. I don’t want to miss even a second of it.”
Courtney rolls her eyes and a flush spreads over her cheeks that has me wanting to do it all over again, but not wanting to rush her and take things somewhat slowly, I scoop my shirt up off the ground instead.
“You know,” Courtney says as she hoists herself down from the shelf, putting herself right in front of me as she grins up at me, taking my hands in her. “You didn’t need to go to such extremes. I would have still said yes if you asked me without the whole school watching.”
“I know, but it was necessary,” I explain. “I’ve spent years being the guy who never had a girlfriend and I built a reputation on it, then a few weeks ago, I hurt you when I told you we weren't going to happen and it killed me when I realized that I was trying to protect some ridiculous part of whom I thought I wanted to be.”
“What do you mean?” she whispers.
“That’s not who I am anymore. Maybe it never was and I wanted to prove that to you. It’s important for me that you know that I'm all in and I wanted to show you that. Now every girl in this place knows that I'm yours and every guy knows that you’re mine. There’s no going back for me, Court, I’m all in and what better way of proving it than declaring it in front of the whole school?”
“All in?” she questions with hope.
“All fucking in, babe,” I tell her. “Now, what do you say I take you out for lunch and take you back to my place so we can do that all over again?”
“My, oh my,” she teases, reaching for the door handle. “I never realized you were such a romantic.”
“Shut up,” I laugh, watching as she steps out of the supply closet with a wide grin. I follow behind her, watching her ass as she walks before tugging on her arm and pulling her back in beside me.
“You know,” she murmurs low to keep our conversation private. “We could skip the whole ‘lunch’ thing and go straight back to your place…”
I raise a brow, looking down at her. “You sure, babe?”
Courtney shrugs as a mis
chievous grin spreads across her face. “I mean, as long as there’s pizza in it for me afterward then I’m down.”
“Fuck me,” I laugh. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
And just like that, I lead her straight down to my car and spend the rest of my afternoon showing her over and over again just how much she means to me.
Epilogue
Courtney
Six Years Later
I curl Decan into my arms, looking down at my son with such adoration. He’s going to be two next month and I’m not going to lie, it’s been challenging. Decan is hard work. He’s like a little fireball of energy that just doesn’t stop going, except for times like this where his temperature is soaring and he’s screaming out in pain.
It kills me to see him like this. His big blue eyes that look so much like his daddies are filled with unshed tears and all he wants to do is crawl into bed beside me so I can hold him until the pain settles.
I get up off the couch, propping him on my hip as I go, knowing that there’s no way in hell he’s about to let me leave him behind. I make my way into our messy kitchen that’s been begging for a clean since last night when Decan’s fever first hit and I get him some pain-killers, hoping that this can help him settle into his afternoon nap so I can get a bit of work done and possibly clean the house while I’m at it.
I’ve been an interior designer for the past few years and just as I graduated college and went to find a job, I found out I was pregnant which is when Puck suggested starting my own business. It was hard at first, but I quickly worked it out, and I’m not going to lie, working from home has been incredible, especially when Decan was first born.
After fighting with Decan for a few minutes and tricking him into taking his medicine, I head back over to the couch and rock him in my arms until he falls into a much-needed sleep. I place him down in his little bed and stand back while watching him sleep.
He’s so damn precious.
Puck: Broken Hill Boys (Novella 1) Page 10