Defending Donovan

by Jillian Quinn

  Moving people out of my way, I rush down the hall to the bathroom. It’s locked, so I knock and call out to Taylor.

  “Are you okay?” I ask her.

  “Yeah, Drake. I’m fine. Just don’t feel good.”

  “Let me in,” I demand.

  “No,” she snaps.

  “C’mon. I’ll hold your hair for you.”

  I don’t even care that people can hear me. All I care about is Taylor and if she’s okay.

  With some hesitation, Taylor unlocks the door and cracks it open for me to step inside. She’s sitting on top of the toilet seat with her head between her hands, her dark hair so long it touches the tiled floor.

  I lock the door behind me and then sink to my knees in front of her, taking one of her hands in mine.

  She peeks at me from beneath her lashes and blue eyes that are watery study my face. “I feel like shit. I thought I was going to throw up, but instead, the room keeps spinning and nothing happens. I didn’t eat before I came over here. Don’t ever let me drink on an empty stomach again.”

  “Do you want me to take you somewhere to eat? Or I can order something online and have it delivered to the house.”

  She nods. “Yeah, how about pizza? I need carbs when I drink, or I end up getting sick.” Searching the bathroom, her eyes land on the medicine cabinet. “Any chance you have some Pepto or something that will settle my stomach in the meantime?”

  “Yeah, let me check.” I sift through the cabinet and then the drawers until I find an open box of Pepto-Bismol. Punching out a few pills from the pack, I hand them to her. “Hang on. I think we have cups in the closet. Jamie gets up in the middle of the night for water. He usually keeps some in here.”

  She takes the small bathroom cup from my hand and gulps down the pills.

  I sit on the floor with my back against the glass shower doors, knees bent into my chest, and remove my cell phone from my jeans pocket. “What kind of pizza do you want?”

  She taps her index finger on her lips. “Hmmm… how about pepperoni?”

  I nod and open the app to place an order for delivery.

  Taylor leans forward to touch my knee. “Will you eat some of it?”

  I laugh. “Yeah, I can always eat.”

  “I’m sure you can,” she says with a smile touching her lips. “I still think of how you told me you would eat me.”

  “I will… just not when you’re ready to puke. I’m not really into taking advantage of drunk girls.”

  She smiles, blaring a set of white teeth. “I’m not drunk just a little buzzed. You know, I wouldn’t have drank so much if it weren’t for you.”

  I cock an eyebrow at her. “And how is this my fault?”

  “You looked like you were ready to fuck Stephanie when I walked into the kitchen.”

  My laughter shakes through me. “Are you serious? I was only doing what you asked me to do. You wanted me to…” I say making air quotes to mimic her words, “… maintain my dirtball image.”

  “Well, you couldn’t have picked a dirtier girl to do it with,” she snaps. Her top lip curls up into a snarl, nostrils flared.

  “You can’t be mad at me,” I declare. “We had a deal. I held up my end of the bargain.” Reaching for her hand, I add, “The only woman I want to spend my time with tonight is you, Taylor. This, right here, is the best part of my night so far.”

  She chuckles. “Because I’m so much fun.”

  “You’re everything she’s not,” I admit. “So, don’t worry about girls like Stephanie. They have nothing on you. Never did.”

  “Hiding sucks,” she hisses. “I wanted to kiss you the second I saw you tonight, and we both had to pretend like we don’t even know each other.”

  “We don’t have to pretend, Taylor. At least, not right now.”

  I scoot along the floor to get closer, my fingers thread between hers. Her skin is so soft against my calloused hands. Years of playing hockey have made my skin rougher. Somehow, the same isn’t true for Taylor with how long she’s played basketball.

  Moving my hands up to her hips, I lift her off the toilet seat and onto my lap. She sits with her long legs across mine, resting her head on my shoulder.

  When I dip my head down to press my lips against hers, she moans into my mouth.

  “I should have done this when you walked into my house,” I breathe against her lips. “But I didn’t want to break your rules.”

  “You don’t seem like the type to follow rules,” she says, laughing. “And you were busy with the skank parade.”

  I ignore her last comment. There’s no point in rehashing what didn’t happen between Stephanie and me. What will never happen between us.

  “I’m not much of a rule follower. I kinda do my own thing. But with you, I don’t want to fuck this up.”

  “If I give this a real chance, you have to promise not to talk to other girls.” She shakes her head as she speaks. “No more dick pics or any other body parts of yours. I don’t want to end up in Dethroned because of you.”

  “Me either. You think I want that blogger posting about my life online? I have a career to think about. Plus, my dad will kick my ass.”

  She tilts her head back until it’s on my shoulder and smiles up at me. “I have a hard time believing anyone can kick your ass.”

  “Wait until you meet my dad. You’ll see.”

  “You’re already planning to have me meet your dad? Oh… you must like me more than I thought.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that. But I will take you to meet my parents. My mom will love you.”

  She will also kill me if I fuck this up with Taylor. I can see them hitting it off. My whole family will love her. Taylor has a magnetic personality that draws people to her. Her usage of humor in awkward situations also helps. She doesn’t know it yet, but my mom does the same thing when she’s nervous or doesn’t know what to say. I see so many similarities between them, and that makes it easier for me to lower my guard around Taylor.

  “I wouldn’t mind meeting your mom. I love her books.”

  “You’ll like Chloe, too. She helps my mom write half of her books now.”

  She bites her bottom lip as if deep in thought and then sits up in my lap. “Wait, your sister’s name is Chloe? Oh, my God… Chloe Donovan writes the His Dark Desires series with your mom? Holy crap, I didn’t even make that connection before when you told me your mom and sister write together.” She covers her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide before she lowers them. “Damn, so everyone in your family is like famous. That’s crazy.”

  “Yeah, it kinda sucks, though. Imagine having to live up to my father’s legacy, and on top of that, my mom and sister are New York Times bestselling authors. My mom’s side of the family is also mega loaded.”

  “So, you have money coming out of your eyeballs, huh? What a hard life,” she deadpans with a snort.

  I shrug against the shower doors. “I guess. I have a trust fund. Two of them, actually. One from my parents and one from my mom’s parents. My grandparents don’t want me to play hockey like my dad. They think it’s an unsuitable profession. But they also said the same thing about my mom being a writer.”

  “So, how did she get into it?”

  “Tucker and Trent’s grandfather owned a publishing company about twenty-five years ago. He lost all of his money, though. Our moms were best friends growing up, still are, and that’s how my mom became a writer. She even wrote for a blog with my Aunt Kennedy. But that shit was nasty. You should have seen the stuff they wrote on it.”

  “What’s it called?”

  I sigh, shaking my head at my mom and the foul words she wrote on her hockey-themed sex advice blog. “Long Sticks Hard Shots.”

  Taylor laughs so hard she squeals into my ear. “That’s hilarious.” She slaps my knee. “Oh my God, I seriously can’t wait to meet your mom.”

  “Her parents hated that she became, of all things, an erotic romance author. My grandparents are those old rich snobs everyone
hates. My grandfather thinks my mom’s writing is beneath the Carroway name, and he still doesn’t like that she married my dad.”

  “Why? Your dad was a pro athlete. They make tons of money.”

  “Not enough for Grandfather. He comes from a family of Wall Street bankers. The Carroways have private yachts, houses all over the world, and more businesses than I can count. It would take ten lifetimes to spend all of the money. So, when you compare their wealth to my dad, we’re poor.”

  She chuckles. “Not quite, Drake. My dad was in the Marine Corps. We lived on military bases and ate our meals in the chow hall. You are definitely not poor. You probably don’t even know how poor people live.”

  “I doubt you do either,” I challenge. “Living on a military base isn’t that bad.”

  She shrugs. “My dad does okay now that he works for a contractor but nothing like what you must be used to.”

  “He must have some money if he can afford to send you to Strick U,” I point out.

  “Most of my tuition is free,” she admits. “I qualified for a ton of grants and scholarships because of my dad.” She presses one hand to my chest, staring into my eyes. “Look, Drake, I don’t care about money. So, if you want to impress me, you have to do it without using material things. I’d rather know you than how many zeros are in your bank account.”

  When have I ever had a woman say this to me? Never. Yep, definitely never. Most of the girls on campus lead with, ‘So, your dad’s a famous hockey player’ or something that clearly was all about their interest in my money.

  “Good. Because I wasn’t planning to win you over with money.” I plant a kiss on her lips and then rise to my feet with Taylor in my arms when I hear the ding on my phone from the app. “Your pizza is here.”

  After we eat, I lean my back against the headboard and Taylor curls up beside me in bed. I cradle her head in the crook of my arm, smiling like I’ve just won the lottery. I had no idea how much of a mess I was before I met her. In a short amount of time, I’m certain I can’t let her go. I want to do everything in my power to make her mine.

  Swiping a dark strand behind her ear, I kiss her forehead. With her eyes closed, she stirs in my arms and mumbles my name under her breath. I’ve never been so happy to have a woman in my bed. Lying next to her, watching her chest rise and fall as she breathes, is perfect. My life has never felt so complete.

  A wide grin turns up the corners of my mouth when she opens her eyes for a few seconds and smiles. She challenged me to make her fall in love with me, but I think she’s the one who’s working some kind of magic on me.

  Taylor traces a line down the bridge of my nose with her index finger, stopping when she reaches my lips. We stare at each other for minutes. It’s the first time she’s touched me, and I didn’t feel the need to rip off her clothes. Well, that thought is always in the back of my mind but not at the moment.

  Taylor slides her thumb along my bottom lip, puckering hers at the same time. My heart thumps out of my chest, overcome with a strange mixture of emotions. She makes me so nervous yet excited, all at the same time. It’s such a weird feeling. No one has ever produced this reaction inside me.

  Her skirt rides up her thighs as she squirms to get comfortable. This simple movement causes too much friction, and before I can stop it, my dick is hard.

  “Drake, we can’t tonight,” she says.

  “I wasn’t planning on it, either. It just kind of happened. I can’t help it.”

  She sits up with her long legs stretched out in front of her. “I didn’t even do anything.”

  “It was how you were moving.” I stare at her legs again, and she notices this time. “It also doesn’t hurt how hot you look in this outfit.”

  “Then, give me something else to wear.” She tugs at the tight top. “I can’t sleep in this, anyway.”

  “You’re staying the night?”

  She nods. “Unless you want me to leave.”

  “No, you’re staying. I just thought you’d want to take it slow. Our friends don’t even know we’re talking to each other. We might get a lot of questions in the morning.”

  “Bex knows.” She brushes her fingers along my arm. “Don’t worry, though. I didn’t tell her you’re a you-know-what. Just that we’re seeing each other in private.”

  She slides off the bed, fixing her skirt over her thighs. Turning away from me, she walks over to my dresser and opens the top drawer. “Where do you keep your shirts?”

  “You could have just asked,” I say, getting off the bed.

  She spins around to face me. “Seeing as I know all of your secrets, I didn’t think it was a big deal to go through your drawer.”

  “It’s not.” I grab a Strickland Senators tee from the hanger in my closet and hand it to her. “I don’t have any secrets anymore. At least, not when it comes to you.”

  She peels her top from her stomach, slowly lifting it over her head to drop it onto the floor. She’s not wearing a bra, and just seeing her big tits and pert nipples makes my dick hard all over again. Fuck.

  “And now that I know your darkest one… I don’t want to make a habit of hiding anything from each other. You have to be honest with me. Always.” As I move toward her, Taylor sits on the edge of my dresser and lifts her legs in front of me. “Take this off for me, would you?”

  My pulse quickens as she arches her hips to help me slide her skirt over her hips and down her thighs. I wasn’t going to touch her tonight, but she’s clearly inviting me to. And I can’t resist her, not when she looks this good. Spreading her legs with my hands, I drop to my knees and peel back the thin fabric of her panties, teasing her slit with my finger. As always, she’s so wet for me.

  “I’m still hungry,” I tell her. “But I know you’re not in the mood.”

  She groans in response, bucking her hips toward my face. “Touch me, Drake. Please. Don’t listen to what I said earlier. I can’t stand having you this close without you touching me.”

  I quickly remove her panties and bury my face between her legs, kissing my way up to her pussy. She smells so damn good I need a taste. And when I roll my tongue over her clit, she practically strangles me with her thighs.

  “Oh, Drake,” she says, fisting a handful of my hair. “Mmm… keep doing that.”

  I lick her pussy like it’s my last meal, slipping my tongue between her wet folds. She tightens her grip on my hair, her hold on my head equally suffocating. But I don’t mind because I can’t get enough of her. She can choke me all she wants. At least I know I’ll die happy and with a smile on my face.

  Her body tenses as I lap up her juices, sliding my fingers in and out of her slick pussy as I suck on her clit. She’s so close I can feel it. Her pussy milks my fingers, holding them like a vise.

  “Drake,” she screams, this time loud enough to hear through the wall.

  I grip her ass cheeks with both hands to devour her and worship her like the fucking goddess she is. And when she comes, it shakes right through me. Her entire body trembles, beads of sweat dotting her forehead and chest. She arches her hips one last time, so damn greedy for more of my mouth, and that quick movement knocks the mirror attached to the dresser into the wall I share with Trent and Tucker.

  Still holding onto her, I lift my head to watch as she comes down from her high. She leans her head back against the mirror, mouth open wide and eyes shut tight. Slowly, she releases her grip on my hair, but I don’t move a muscle. I have the best view in the house.

  “Wow,” she says after a long pause where she breathes loudly. Her eyes now open, she adds, “That was impressive.”

  I wink at her. “See, I don’t need my money after all.”

  “If I didn’t have my rules…” she starts but never finishes.

  “You’d do what?”

  “I’d let you fuck me…. right here… on this dresser.”

  I come to my full height, now towering over her. She makes room for me between her legs.

  “You will… eventually
.”

  “So confident,” she counters.

  I grab my shirt from the dresser and order Taylor to lift her arms, so I can lower the tee over her head. It’s huge on her. Even at her height, she could wear it as a dress.

  Curling the soft cotton around her finger, she hikes it further up her leg, her eyebrow raised at me. “How do I look in your shirt?”

  “Like my girlfriend,” I say as my lips meet hers. “Because that’s what you are now. Mine.”

  “Who said I was your girlfriend?” She laughs and then slips her tongue inside my mouth.

  “I did,” I say between kisses. “Fuck pretending.”

  After a while, I carry her over to my bed. We continue kissing with our lips melded together, our bodies joined as one. She rakes her fingers along my arms and down my thighs. I want her to touch me so fucking bad, but I don’t push it. I’m still wearing jeans that my cock is digging into. The pressure is so intense I reach down to loosen my pants. Taylor notices the slight shift in my weight, and our lips separate.

  She hooks one arm around my neck and rests her head on the pillow, peeking up at me. “I feel safe with you, Drake. Please don’t hurt me.”

  “I would never. At least, not on purpose.”

  We lay there, me holding my breath and Taylor sighing loudly before she pulls away to slip under my covers.

  I feel safe with you. Her words echo through my mind a dozen times. I want to be that person for her. She’s already become a safety net for me. I’ve never shared my secret with anyone, and I barely even knew her when I did. And now, I feel even more comfortable with her.

  I kick my shoes to the floor followed by my jeans and shirt, curling up behind her in black boxer briefs. Most of the time, I sleep naked. But until Taylor is used to seeing my monster cock, I’ll sleep in my underwear. I don’t want to scare her off.

  After I get comfortable, I wrap my arm around her stomach. Dirty thoughts race through my head. The itch in my groin will not quit, so I try to think of anything other than her firm ass pressing against my cock.