The Pledge

by Laura Ward

  “Huh. Well that actually makes less sense. Out of anyone, I can’t believe they gave Caz a key.” She frowned in disbelief.

  “He never told me how he got it, but I seriously doubt anyone gave it to him. Follow me.”

  I led Taren into the gym, and I saw her glance around at all the equipment. I remembered the first time I came to the gym, having no idea what the Acroletes were all about. She gasped when we entered the trampoline room.

  “Want to?” I asked her, gesturing to the first one.

  She flashed me a giddy smile and then hurried up the steps and onto a bed.

  “Don’t jump too high at first.” I followed her up the steps. “These are a lot more powerful than the backyard variety.”

  Taren jumped, and I sat down on the mat to watch her. She took small bounces, jumping in the air, giddy and breathless. I was content to watch her, happy that she was in my world and enjoying it.

  “This is so much fun!” she exclaimed. “Come jump with me.”

  I was a smart man. No way could I resist her. When I walked onto the webbed bed, I pulled Taren into my arms and kissed her. We were wrapped around each other. The sweet touch of her lips transformed into kisses that were insistent, demanding, and urgent.

  “I want you.” She was breathless as she bounced and kissed me feverishly.

  My body ignited as my mind raced with dangerous thoughts. I wanted her here in this room. A goddamn fantasy come to life.

  “I want you, too. I always want you.” I pulled us down to lay on the trampoline and pushed her knees apart, settling between her legs. I buried my face in her neck, kissing and licking along her shoulder until goose bumps rose on her arms. She arched, pressing her body into me. When my hips followed hers back down, the trampoline dipped, rocking our bodies into a delicious friction. I felt like a fuse about to blow. Hooking up on the trampoline was suddenly my new favorite sport.

  “I need you, Alec.” Her voice was pleading as she pulled her hands out of my grasp and ran them inside my shirt and across my skin.

  I rose up on my knees, my heart hammering with the sight of her spread beneath me, and begging for my touch. The trampoline still rocked gently beneath us. I held her gaze as my hands slid under her shirt, pushing it up past her ribs. When my fingers reached the lace of her bra, her eyes flared with lust before fluttering shut.

  “Every inch of you is so fucking soft it makes me crazy.” I growled as I pushed her shirt up and over her head and then bent to kiss the sweet skin between her breasts.

  I kissed my way down her stomach, loving the way her breath caught in her throat with every touch of my tongue on her skin. When I got to her jeans, I took the edge of the waistband in my teeth and pulled until she opened her eyes and pushed up on her elbows to look at me.

  I hooked my finger in the waistband. “I’m going to take these off, and then I’m going to see how sweet you really taste.” I said it like a command, and her mouth fell open with a surprised intake of breath. When I raised my eyebrows in question, she nodded, and I held her gaze for a moment as her cheeks flushed.

  She watched as I unbuttoned her jeans and slowly pulled them down her legs. I kissed my way from her thighs to her ankles, and the tremors my lips caused on her skin sent fire racing through my limbs. Every part of my body was filled with need for her. To touch. To taste. To have.

  When I pulled her panties off, she pressed her legs together, and I could almost see the blush creeping along her entire body. I placed my hands on her knees and pushed them open with gentle pressure.

  “Trust me, babe. I want to see all of you.” My hands slid down her thighs, and when I bent down so that my breath fanned across her, she shuddered. That little movement made me so hard, I had to take a deep breath to calm the fuck down.

  She moaned quietly when I swept my fingers across her slick skin. The minute my tongue touched her, her body bowed off the trampoline as she called my name. In that moment, I felt like a starving man. I’d never get enough of the taste of her or the way she responded to me.

  I licked her with slow teasing strokes of my tongue, forcing moans out of her. I pushed two fingers into her as I sucked and licked the skin just above where my fingers were. Her hands gripped my hair as if she needed to hold on to keep from flying away.

  My tongue flickered over her as my fingers moved in and out. Her hips rocked up into me as if unable to control the bucking of her body and the springs squeaked with her frenzied movements.

  “I’m so close. I’m so close, Alec.” The words were a chant that I didn’t think I’d ever get out of my head.

  When I groaned against her, her hips shot off the webbed bed, pressing against my lips. She cried out as she came, and then her body fell limp against the trampoline.

  I collapsed next to her, pulling her into my arms and hooking my legs around hers.

  Our hands ran over each other in soothing caresses as we lay together. We kissed unhurriedly, our bodies continuing to feed the small rock of the trampoline. I pulled back to look at her, and she smiled at me, causing my heart to trip over itself.

  “These are mine.” I ran my thumb over her lips, and her smile was lazy as she closed her eyes. “These are mine.” My hand cupped one breast and then the other as I skimmed her nipples with my thumb and she giggled. “This is mine.” My hand rested at the top of her thighs, and my finger slipped along the wet seam between her legs. She sighed and laid her head against my chest. “And this...this is mine.” My hand flattened over her heart, and she lifted her head to meet my gaze.

  “Yes.” She barely whispered the word, but I heard it.

  Taren Richards was mine. She was the fucking love of my life.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  TAREN

  “A hot dog-eating contest?” William grinned and then took a long drink of his juice. We headed out of the sandwich shop and waited to cross Route One.

  I nodded and smiled. “Yes, sir.” The light turned red and we walked back onto campus. Spring was my favorite time of year at College Park. Spring break was just around the corner, and flowers bloomed all around us. On days like today when the weather was on the warm side, students were laying all over the grass on the mall, sunbathing and most likely skipping classes.

  “I think I would like that.” He took another sip of the juice he had bought for his trip home.

  “Well, I lost miserably. I barely ate one and none of the girls could eat even half as much as the guys.” I never quite understood the allure of eating contests. Watching people shove food down their throat made me feel ill. Luckily, William was up for a much-needed, calorie-burning, walk outside today.

  “And why were you doing this, Miss Taren?” William stopped to pick a dandelion, and then he handed it to me, his eyes sparkling. “Make a wish.”

  I closed my eyes and thought. My only wish was to slow time. Everything was as it should be right now. My life was a perfect balance. I still went out with my sorority sisters a few times a week, and I looked forward to every moment I got to spend with Alec. He was amazing and owned every piece of my heart. We hadn’t said any declarations of love yet, but with every smile, word, and touch, he showed me how important I was to him. I couldn’t forget about William. My time with him was just as important.

  Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and blew the fragments of the dandelion into the air.

  William nudged my arm with his elbow. “Bet you didn’t wish for a hot dog!” He threw his head back and laughed, murmuring to himself, “Good one, Willy, good one. Yup, yup.”

  I placed my hand on his arm. My eyes widened and eyebrows lifted. “Willy? I thought you were going by Billy now? Are you changing your name on me again?”

  “Billy is fun; that is true, but Willy is more...friendly. I would want to be friends with Willy.” He nodded as he spoke, and I bit my lip to hold back my grin.

  “I’d be your friend no matter what your name was.” We walked again, heading toward the Student Union.

  “Te
ll me again about the hot dogs. Why did your friends eat so many?”

  I hooked my arm in his and sighed. “It was a stupid contest that’s part of Greek Week, Willy. Every spring the Greeks get together and play games, kind of like the Olympics. You’ve seen the Olympics before, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Well, fraternities and sororities pair up in teams and compete against each other.” This year’s theme for Greek Week was based on the television show Survivor. The goal was to outwit, outlast, and outGreek. Corny, but at least this theme was better than the one chosen for Homecoming.

  “I see. Do you win money?”

  I shook my head and pressed my lips together to suppress my giggle.

  “A prize?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

  “Nope, no money or prizes. I think there might be a trophy, though.” William stopped walking, and I turned to face him.

  “You do these things for a trophy?” William’s brows were smashed together.

  “Well, people really try to win so they can say they won. That they’re the best.” I pointed toward the semi-circle of grass in front of the U-shaped gathering of fraternity houses. An obstacle course was being set up for tomorrow’s games and a slip and slide was being hosed down. The smell of highly processed meat still lingered in the air. “That’s where we’ll be doing an obstacle course tomorrow.”

  “That looks like it might be fun.” William shrugged.

  “Have you ever competed in something just for fun?” I asked, running my finger along my lip.

  He put his hands in the front pockets of his pants as he studied the ground. “No. I have never been part of a team or anything. But my mom always said you can be a winner by doing something for someone else. She said I am a winner because I help people.” William looked into my eyes, uncertainty etched across his face.

  “You know what, Willy? Your mom is right. You’re definitely a winner, and I won the day I got you for a buddy, that’s for sure.” When he smiled, happiness filled my chest, and I couldn’t keep from grinning back at him.

  “How is your fellow? Are you still happy?”

  I was happy. Truly and fully happy. “More than I’ve ever been, Willy.” I slipped my hand into his big gruff one, and we turned back toward the Union.

  “Then I think we both won, Miss Taren.”

  ***

  The door to Alec’s bathroom opened, and he came out, his half-naked body illuminated by the light behind him. He flipped the switch, depriving me of the one view I’d never get tired of seeing.

  “Wait, can you turn the light on for a minute?” I leaned up on my elbow. “I can’t find my—”

  The light switched back on, and I grinned as I stared at my favorite view again. “There you are.”

  Alec laughed as my eyes feasted on every bare spot of his muscular chest and arms. “I love when you’re naughty.”

  My heart skipped a beat when he said love. I loved him. I loved everything about him. I just wasn’t brave enough to admit it to him yet. He flipped the light off again, and the bed dipped as he pounced on the mattress. He was propped up above me. His arms and legs, on either side of my body, caged me in. I could barely see him in the darkness, but I couldn’t miss the hunger in his eyes.

  Reaching up I played with the strands of hair that hung on his forehead. “When can I see you perform again?”

  “You gonna stay the whole time?” He cocked an eyebrow at me.

  I looked toward the wall. “I’m sorr…”

  He cut me off with a chaste kiss. “I was teasing. No more apologies. The school visits stopped last week. Our last performance for the season is Friday night at the Xfinity center.” He placed small kisses down my neck, and my pulse quickened. “I was hoping you’d come.”

  “I do love to come.” I giggled.

  He hung his head and groaned. “You make being good so hard.”

  I frowned. “Is it hard?” I moved my hand to cup him, and he made a pleased sound in the back of his throat. He was indeed, hard. “Seriously, though, I wouldn’t miss seeing you perform. Of course, I’ll be there.” I continued to stroke him over top of his boxers, and his eyelids became heavy.

  He growled. “I don’t want you to stop doing that…ever… but I should get a few hours of sleep before work tomorrow.”

  My chest tightened. I was so selfish when it came to our time together. No one worked harder than Alec, and then I demanded even more of his time.

  I stuck my lower lip out in a pout. “I know. I just couldn’t resist one last touch.” I squeezed him gently, and he pushed his hips into my hand. “Okay, I’m done now.” I flipped over, turning my back to him and curling up with a pillow, on my side.

  “Like hell you are.” He climbed over me and kissed me so that I could feel the smile he was wearing. He hooked his hand under my knee and wrapped my leg around his waist. Then he pushed his hips against me to prove that he was wide awake.

  Lucky me.

  Alec’s hands framed my face. His thumbs traced over my lips from the center to the edges. “I never knew I could be this happy.” His thumbs stopped at the edges of my mouth, and he kissed me again. My heart raced, and my skin burned hot. I wanted him. I wanted it all with him.

  “Alec—” I gulped in a breath, my mouth now dry. “I’m ready. Now. Tonight.” I placed my hand over his heart and felt the rapid beating beneath my fingertips.

  Alec’s eyes blazed, and he stilled, holding his breath and searching my face. “Are you sure you’re ready?” His voice was gravelly, and the sound made me want to wrap my legs around him.

  I’d been thinking about this for weeks. Nothing had ever felt more right than Alec being my first, and if I was really lucky, my only. “I’ve never been more sure about anything. You know I trust you completely.”

  Alec closed his eyes, and the veins in his neck stood out, corded and tight. Opening his eyes, he kissed my lips. “I’m going to take care of you, babe. I promise.”

  My stomach fluttered, my face burned, and most embarrassingly of all, I couldn’t stop smiling. I loved him, and he was going to be my first. I was nervous, excited...and ready.

  I tucked my hands into the waistband of Alec’s boxers, pushing them down past his hips. He pulled them all the way off and then tossed them to the side. I reached up to run my hands down his chest, over his stomach, and around to his back. He was hard and so male, and I wanted him all over me. My heart felt like it was going to crash through my ribs, and I could feel the echoes of it pulsing through my entire body.

  Alec traced the outline of my chest over my T-shirt. When he slipped his hands underneath the fabric to pull it off and saw that I wasn’t wearing any panties, he groaned.

  “Christ, Taren. I want to devour you.” His lips sucked along the tender center of my breast causing me to purr in response as I pushed up into him. His tongue swirled around before his lips sucked and pulled on my nipple again.

  “Kiss me.” I gripped his hair, and he lifted his head from my skin for only a second before he moved his body higher, and his lips crashed against mine. Neither of us seemed to be able to tame or quench the need we had for one another.

  His knees spread mine apart, and he broke off the kiss to capture me with his gaze. Alec trailed his fingers from my collarbone, between my breasts, and over my stomach, leaving goosebumps in his wake. When his hand slipped between my legs, he stroked me with gentle pressure. His fingers dipped inside me, and my hips lifted to meet him.

  “Holy shit. You’re so wet.” His voice was raw, and he looked between us to watch his hand move on me.

  Muscles deep inside tightened, and I was filled with a rush of desire. I wanted him inside me so badly I could hardly think straight. I reached between us, sliding my hand up and down his hard length.

  His forehead dropped to my chest, and he groaned, pushing his hips into the stroke of my hand over and over again.

  “What happened to my good girl?” Alec was breathing hard as he pushed up onto hi
s hands to look down at me. I continued to move my hand on him, and he leaned over to reach into his nightstand drawer, pulling out a condom. I watched as he ripped open the package and rolled it on.

  He studied my face. “I’ll go slowly so it doesn’t hurt too much. You can tell me to stop.”

  “I trust you.” I leaned up to kiss him, and his lips melded against mine.

  He paused, hovering over me. “Don’t look away.” He shifted his body, and the tip of him pressed against me. Watching my face the whole time, he pushed in just a bit. I gasped a sharp intake of air when the pain hit as he slowly moved into me. The feeling passed quickly, and then Alec was filling me with heat and want and…him. I circled my hips, moving slowly, feeling pleasure spark through my body.

  “Taren.” He groaned. “I’ve never felt anything so perfect.” His hips moved in time with mine, small thrusts and rocks that forced tiny whimpers out of me.

  “Alec.” My voice shook with emotion, moved by his complete and total possession of me. He had the ability to surrender his heart to me with just a few words, a touch, and a look.

  “You’re so tight.” He squeezed his eyes shut, slowing his movements, making them long and deliberate. He blew out a breath, tucking his face against my neck, kissing and murmuring words I couldn’t understand.

  I slid my arms around his back, gripping his shoulders as I lifted my hips, urging him on. I couldn’t get close enough to him. I didn’t want him to ever stop.

  “I love—” My tongue tripped over the last word before I spoke it aloud. I worried that what I felt for him was so much stronger than what he felt with me. We’d only been together a few months. As much as I wished I could forget it, the memory of his first rejection was still with me. I didn’t want him to misinterpret me and think I was putting pressure on him. If I said “I love you” and he didn’t feel the same way…I didn’t think I would recover.

  His eyes opened, and he moved in and out. His pace was slow, forcing me to feel every inch of him. “Yes?” he asked, plunging deeper inside of me. I moved to meet him halfway with each strong, sure thrust.