Secret Puck (Campus Nights Book 1)

by Rebecca Jenshak

  “Smells good.” I lean in close as she bites the end of a fry.

  She elbows me. “Get your own.”

  We order food, but I continue to sneak fries off her plate while we wait. Ginny’s so much nicer than I am. I’d never let anyone get away with taking food from me. Heath doesn’t share food. I totally said that in my Joey from Friends voice. He had the right idea.

  After dinner we linger. Maverick grabs a pitcher of beer and a few guys from the team show up. All the extra commotion means it’s easier for me to flirt with Ginny without anyone noticing.

  I place my hand on her leg under the table and she pins me with a playfully annoyed smirk. “Whatcha doing?”

  She glances around.

  “No one is paying us any attention,” I tell her without looking. “Do you want to go into the bathroom and make out?” I waggle my eyebrows, and she laughs.

  “No, thanks.” She scrunches up her nose.

  “I knew I should have gone with the dumpster out back.”

  “So much better.” She leans in and my heart rate picks up. Sneaking around is hot. It isn’t something I ever planned on doing. My sexcapades have never been secret but moving my hand up her thigh and brushing two fingers against her jean-clad pussy with no one being the wiser while Ginny tries hard not to react is awesome. I may never go public with a chick again.

  “Seriously, though, I drove. Meet you at my car?” I motion with my head to the door.

  She studies my face. “You’re serious?”

  “Hell yeah, I’m serious.” I scoot out of the booth. “Are you coming?”

  Her mouth opens and she looks around. This time I do too, but no one is staring at us. I mean, honestly, who’d picture us together? Ginny is sugar and spice and everything nice, while I’m the dude who propositioned her for a quickie in the public bathroom thirty seconds ago.

  She nods. I put cash on the table to cover my food and a portion of the alcohol. I text Maverick that they are under no circumstance to come outside until I return, and I wait for her just outside the door. Maybe it’d be safer to wait inside the vehicle so that no one sees us walking together, but I’m not making her do the walk through the parking lot to my SUV for sex by herself. I’m a gentleman like that.

  She pushes out of The Hideout and scans the parking lot, stopping when she finds my SUV and giving me a perfect opportunity to sneak up behind her and lift her at the waist.

  “Oh my gosh,” she squeals as I do an overhead press with her in my arms. When I bring her back down, she grabs hold of my neck. “What if you’d dropped me?”

  “Such little faith.” I unlock my car and open the back door.

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

  She climbs in and I follow. I’m quick to shut the door and finally have her alone.

  For whatever hesitation she had before, she attacks my face as soon as I turn my head. Her hands go to my hair and her mouth is on mine. I pull her onto my lap the best I can in this back seat, slouching down so our heads aren’t bumping against the roof of the car.

  God bless tinted windows. My fingers slip under her shirt and lift. I enjoy the way her skin pebbles at my touch. I push up the fabric so I can access her bra, pull the cups down and press my lips to one nipple. She arches into me and rubs herself against my crotch.

  “Do you put something on your skin? Edible lotion?” I pop off just long enough to ask and then move to the next nipple.

  “Edible lotion?” She giggles and then moans.

  “You always taste so good.” I lick and bite. Seriously, Ginny-flavored nipples are my favorite food and I am starving.

  “It’s just me.” She pulls away, scrambling onto the seat beside me and unbuttoning my jeans. She smiles up timidly at me as she frees my dick.

  I hiss as she licks the dot of precum. “Fuck, Ginny. Do that again.”

  She does, except this time, she takes me all the way in.

  Dead. Gone. Rest in peace. Thought I was going to hell, but this is heaven.

  I hit the back of her throat, and she gags, but does she stop? Hell to the no.

  I place my hands on her head, running my fingers through her hair. Gently, I guide the tempo, but I let her decide how much to take. I’m a big guy — no one has dared to deep throat me before, and she’s the last person I expected to try.

  I’m getting dangerously close with each swirl of her tongue and hollowing of her cheeks. I hold her hair back from her face like a ponytail. One blonde strand hangs in her eyes, the ends brushing my stomach as she bobs.

  “I’m close,” I warn her. “I think there are some napkins in the glove box.” Unless her hearing is broken or she’s in some sort of blow job focused trance, she hears me, but she doesn’t stop until I’ve come in her pretty mouth.

  I lean my head back against the leather. My whole body is trembling. “That was… holy shit.”

  She laughs. “And I thought the way to your heart was through your stomach.”

  “Only one thing I enjoy more than food, baby.”

  Fifteen minutes later, after returning the favor, we head back into The Hideout. She runs a hand over her hair and then her mouth.

  “Relax, you look gorgeous.”

  “I should probably go in first.” She takes out her phone. “I’ll pretend like I was on my phone.”

  As she pushes through the door holding her phone up to her ear like she’s on a call, mine buzzes in my pocket.

  “Hey, I’m just walking into dinner,” I say, taking a step away from the door.

  “Hello, Mom. How are you?” she mocks and then chuckles, and that light sound makes me smile.

  “Sorry. Hey, Mom. How are you?”

  “Well, I’m good now that I finally hear your voice.”

  “Sorry,” I say again. Not just for being a dick with how I answered, but for not calling her sooner.

  “Can I assume no news is good news?”

  “Yeah, everything’s good. How are you? How’s Kevin?”

  “I’m good. Kevin’s good too. He’s actually why I’m calling.”

  My brows draw together. Oh shit, if she’s calling to tell me she’s getting remarried or some shit, it’s going to be a real bummer to my night. I want her to be happy, but… “He is?”

  “I was talking about coming down for your home games next weekend, and he offered to come with me.”

  I’m speechless, letting the information sink in. My mom hasn’t been to a game since before Dad died. I stopped asking years ago. Now she’s coming willingly and bringing the guy she’s seeing?

  “Heath? Are you there?”

  “Yeah.” I clear my throat. “Yeah, I’m here.”

  “Well, what do you think? I know I haven’t—”

  “Sounds great,” I interrupt before she can finish that statement. “Can I text you later to hash out the details? I’m with some friends.”

  “Of course. Have fun and be safe.”

  “I will.”

  “Love you, honey.”

  I click end and blow out a breath as I head inside.

  21

  Ginny

  November

  “It’s nice.” My mom steps into my dorm and smiles. Dad hangs in the doorway and gives a tentative glance around.

  “Dad, you can come in.”

  He moves only an inch farther inside. Since my parents were in Mexico when I left for college, this is the first time they’re seeing my dorm outside of the pictures I’ve sent.

  “Where’s Ava?” my mom asks now inspecting her side. The Vampire Diaries poster and the collage of pictures that is basically a shrine to Trent.

  “She’s visiting her boyfriend.”

  Dad frowns. “You stay here by yourself on the weekends?”

  “Not every weekend. Besides I’m not exactly alone.” I motion behind him where people are moving up and down the hallway.

  I set the bag of new towels Mom brought me on the floor by my desk. “Should we head over to the arena?”

&nb
sp; Riding to the game with my parents feels a little strange like I’m back in high school and reminds me of the times Bryan and I rode down to Valley with them. It’s a fleeting feeling of sadness at the thought of my ex, but as soon as Valley U takes the ice and I see Heath, Bryan is completely forgotten. I sit forward in my seat to get a better look.

  He and Adam skate out next to one another. Adam scans until he finds us in the crowd. He smiles and lifts a hand to greet my parents. Heath notices and follows the movement to our family. I wave back as I stare at Heath.

  He smiles, drops his gaze, and then does his own scan of the crowd. His mom and her boyfriend are in for the weekend too. And though he didn’t tell me, I know it’s the first time she’s come to a game. I heard Adam and Rhett asking him about it earlier this week when I was hiding in his room.

  Grand Canyon is the worst team in the division, and they didn’t bring their A game tonight. Valley leads by two after the first period. On the plus side, Adam is playing great, so my parents don’t care that the game is a snooze fest.

  I head to the bathroom during intermission and run into Taryn as I’m going back to my seat.

  “Hey.” I pause and move out of the flow of traffic. “I wasn’t sure if you were here tonight.”

  “Yeah, of course, I am. Wouldn’t miss it.” Her red hair is pulled back in a high ponytail with blue and yellow ribbons. Adam’s number is painted on her face. I have a flash of jealousy at how proudly and openly she displays her loyalty and fandom for my brother.

  “Are you going to meet up with us for dinner after?”

  She twists her hands in front of her and nods. “Yeah, Adam asked me to come. I’m a little nervous about meeting your family.”

  “Don’t be. They’ll love you. Do you want to come meet them now and get it over with?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Come on. Let me introduce you, and by dinner, you’ll be sharing embarrassing Adam stories with my mom.”

  A slow smile spreads across her face. “Yeah, okay.”

  As I predicted, my parents love Taryn. By the time the game ends and we get to The Hideout, they’re completely enthralled with catching up on Adam and learning more about his girlfriend. I’m able to half-listen and stare across the restaurant to Heath and his table.

  Maverick is with him, and they sit across from a woman with light brown hair and small features. I catch her smile as she turns her head to the man sitting beside her. He has a thick head of gray hair and a strong jawline and muscular arms that defy his age. They look happy. Heath looks… well not uncomfortable exactly, but like the outsider. To a bystander, you’d think Maverick was the one related. He looks far more relaxed and like he’s enjoying himself. That’s just Maverick though — he’s always comfortable in his skin.

  Rhett’s girlfriend Carrie is here this weekend too. They’re celebrating their five-year anniversary and the two of them sit up at the bar. She’s nothing like I expected. Rhett is so nice and sweet, and Carrie is a little harsh and rough around the edges. When he introduced us, she didn’t even fake a smile. Maybe she has resting bitch face?

  I glance back at Heath. He’s got RBF right now too.

  “Right, Ginny?” Adam asks, breaking my surveillance of the Payne family.

  “Sorry, what?”

  My brother smiles like he’s onto me and my cheeks warm. Shit, was that just totally obvious I was staring at Heath?

  “I was telling Mom and Dad that you hang out at our apartment pretty often too. That it’s nice and not the pigsty they are imagining.”

  “I wouldn’t say often, no.” I shake my head. “I’ve been over a couple of times.”

  “What? No way. You’re over at Reagan and Dakota’s all the time.” He looks to my parents. “Our neighbors are cool, and we hang out a lot.”

  I’m slow to nod and my pulse is thrumming much too quickly as I realize he isn’t talking about the times I’ve been over at his place and hidden in Heath’s room.

  “Right. Yes. We’ve become good friends. I’m actually considering moving in with them next year.”

  “Out of the dorms?” My mom frowns.

  “Yeah. Just like Adam did his sophomore year.”

  “That’s not exactly the same,” my dad points out.

  Adam smirks, knowing how it rankles me when our parents give him differential treatment for being a guy. Yes, I get that some things are safer for him because he’s male, but I don’t think this is one of those things. I could probably pull up statistics for crime in dorms versus apartments, but can’t they just trust me?

  I don’t argue for now. It’s a year away, and I don’t want to spend this weekend annoyed with my parents.

  Heath’s table finishes with dinner first, and they get up and head toward the door. We’re just out of their path to the exit, but Maverick moves to us with a big grin.

  “Hello, Scott family.”

  “Mom, Dad, you remember Johnny Maverick?” Adam asks, dropping an arm around the back of Taryn’s chair. “And Heath Payne?”

  My parents say their hellos. Heath doesn’t introduce his mom, and there’s an awkward beat before she steps forward. “Hello, I’m Lana Payne. Heath’s mom.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” my mother responds with a warm smile. She’s always been good at making people feel at ease.

  “Are you guys heading out already?” Adam asks.

  “We can pull up more chairs,” my dad offers.

  Mav looks to Heath, who glances to his mom. “You guys probably want to get back to the hotel?”

  I’m not sure if it’s a question or statement and neither is she. Lana nods, though I detect maybe the slightest disappointment. “It has been a long day.” She smiles stiffly. “If you two want to stay with your friends…”

  “Nah, I’m tired too. Mav?”

  Mav’s brows pull together. “Sure, man, let’s go back. I’m beat.”

  “Catch you guys later,” Heath says, finally meeting my gaze and letting it slide around the table. “Good meeting you Mr. and Mrs. Scott.”

  They walk off from the table and out of The Hideout.

  After they’re gone, my attention and desire to be out wanes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying seeing my parents, but I talk to them almost weekly, so there’s not a lot to add. And… I might also be thinking of a certain boy. I don’t know his family dynamics. I know his father died when he was young and I know his mother hasn’t visited him at Valley, but I don’t know the why or how and if the two are related.

  Heath isn’t very chatty about his family, and okay, we haven’t done a lot of talking lately. When we decided to date, we caved to months of sexual tension and haven’t come up for air yet.

  Mom and Dad drop me off in front of the dorm and I head up to my room. I unlock the door, push it open, and flip on the light. Movement catches my eye and my heart goes to my throat. “Oh my gosh, you scared me.”

  Heath sits on my bed, his back against the wall, and his long legs hanging off the side.

  I glance back to the door. “That was locked, right?”

  “Your RA let me in.”

  My brows raise up toward my hairline. “She did?”

  Rachel, my RA, isn’t known for being all that lenient on rules, which hasn’t ever really bothered me since I don’t spend that much time here.

  “I told her I was surprising you for our one-year anniversary.” He looks a little embarrassed which makes me laugh.

  “Have you ever had a one-year anniversary?”

  “Nah.” He chuckles. “It was the first thing that came to mind with Rauthruss and his girl’s big anniversary this weekend.”

  I move to the bed and sit next to him. “Six-month anniversary?”

  He shakes his head. “I’ve never even had a one-month anniversary.” A small shrug of his shoulders and then he leans into me. “What about you?”

  “Bryan and I were together for two years. We didn’t really celebrate the milestones. For one, we could never agr
ee on the date. He thought it was March third and I swore it was the seventh.”

  Heath’s chest moves with a silent laugh and he takes my hand, running his thumb along the inside of my palm.

  “How was dinner?” I ask.

  “Weird.”

  I scoot back against the wall and lean my head against his shoulder. “How so?”

  He lets out a breath and brings our joined hands to his thigh. It’s a few moments of silence before he answers. “I knew meeting Kevin would be weird. He seems nice, but he’s just like this stranger who is the center of my mom’s world now, and I don’t know her life like I used to. Even Maverick’s random jokes and comedic commentary couldn’t push past the awkwardness.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He sits tall and I do the same so I can look at him.

  “It’s over. Besides, she seems good so that’s worth something.” He clears his throat. “So, back to this anniversary thing. Why do people get hung up on the number of years or the exact date?”

  I want to ask him more about his mom but can sense his need to talk about something else. “I’m not sure. I think people like to have milestones to celebrate or maybe it makes them feel like their relationship is the gold standard if they can slap an award on it.”

  He grunts a response.

  “But also, it’s just sort of nice to look back on a year or twenty of your life and reflect on how it might have been different if you hadn’t been together.”

  He studies me carefully, and I feel like I’ve gone too girly on him. It’s a romanticized version, I admit.

  “What would you do if you made it an entire year with the same girl?”

  His eyes widen, playfully exaggerating as if he’s horrified by the idea of a relationship that long—maybe he’s not exaggerating, but he grins. “I’m not sure.”

  His mouth finally captures mine. Maybe it’s because we aren’t in danger of being caught or maybe he’s just exhausted from the day, but our kisses are lazier. We take our time just kissing without rubbing up on one another, no hands roaming beyond the face and neck. It’s unexpected but nice. Soft and sweet in the sexiest way.